#that's why becoming An Artist (job-wise) is so scary. your JOB is to FEEL SO MUCH ALL THE TIME

[rosedosed]

∞

Musician - Porter Robinson

But sincerely Can't you feel what I'm feeling? I can see my life so clear— I burn up, burn out I shouldn't do this to myself

Put a “∞” in my ask box for a song lyric!

[link4eva]

Kiro’s Chanting Praise Date Translation [CN]

Hi, everyone! Just a couple of notes before you begin reading. I don’t actually know Chinese so this translation was done through the power of Google Translate and with help from @keliosyfan​. Thank you! 💛

The translation below contains spoilers for a date not yet released in the ENG server so please don’t look below the cut if you don’t want to be spoiled.

You can read the call that comes before the date here!~

Hope you enjoy!~

*Spoilers for future content below!*

In the depths of the Golden Palace, there is a silver-haired prince.

His palace gate is always shut and no one can enter

His figure is covered by shadows and he has never seen the sun.

His voice was cursed by a demon and could not be heard.

Guard: Find him!!

Guard: Where did he go?

Disharmonious sounds suddenly sounded in the lively market. The sound of footsteps hurriedly came from afar, arousing the curiosity of the vendors.

The guards were fierce-looking. They were wielding scimitars and looked as though they were searching for someone. One of the guards walked up to me and looked me up and down a few times.

Guard: Hey, woman. 

Guard: Did you see a kid in a cloak passing by?

MC: No. I’ve been here the whole time and haven’t seen any strange people.

MC: Has the kid in question committed anything?

Guard: Humph, just a little mouse that sneaked into our master’s house!

Guard: I’ll ask you again, are you sure you haven’t seen this person? If you dare to lie….

He raised the sharp scimitar as he spoke. I couldn’t help but shrink back as I tried to keep my voice calm.

MC: I would never dare to lie to the great Lord Jinsha. I really haven’t seen this person.

MC: You can prove it by asking the person next to you!

The guard looked around. As expected, the other vendors waved to him and said that they hadn’t seen him. He snorted angrily.

Guard: Since you haven’t seen him, don’t get in the way!

The guard pushed me against the wall and ran to the other end of the alley.

After watching the family members disappear, I quietly patted the big wooden basket behind me.

MC: Alright, it’s ok to come out.

??: ….! 

The wooden basket shook slightly and the straw on top was pushed aside by a slender hand, revealing messy blond hair under the cloak and a pair of bright blue eyes.

The blond kid poked out half of his head and looked side to side before smiling up at me.

MC: Don’t worry, no one ratted you out.

The vendors all around showed friendly smiles to the kid. He pulled off his mask in relief.

The kid jumped out of the wooden basket swiftly and gave me a brilliant smile.

??: But you are the one I should be most grateful for!

??: My name is Kiro. What about you?

MC: My name is MC.

Kiro: MC….

He said my name again and nodded.

Kiro: Well, I’ll remember your name and I will repay you in the future! 

He said this as he put on his cloak. As he was about to leave, I grabbed his wrist.

MC: I don’t want it in the future. Can you do me a favour now? I need it quickly!

I hurriedly spoke, not letting Kiro have the chance to refuse me.

MC: Didn’t you get chased by a guard because you snaked into the mansion of Lord Jinsha?

MC: Then you can probably tell me, did you see a travelling artist like me in it?

Kiro looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

Kiro: Travelling artist? Is there something wrong with them?

MC: They….

MC: It’s too hard to talk here. Come with me.

I looked around vigilantly, put on my veil, and beckoned to Kiro.

Passing through the alleys, the hustle and bustle gradually grew farther and farther.

I led Kiro through the city and finally stopped in front of a travelling artist’s caravan.

MC: This is my home.

MC: I am a dancer in a travelling theatre troupe. Some time ago, I passed by here from Wangcheng to make a living in the market.

MC: Half a month ago, our theatre troupe was summoned by Lord Jinsha for a dinner performance.

MC: The people at the market all advised us not to go, saying that many others were recruited by him before. They never showed up again.

MC: But we didn’t dare defy him. I was the only one that didn’t attend as I suddenly fell ill that day but the others went.

MC: After that day…. my companions disappeared.

Kiro: They didn’t come back?

MC: Well, the caravan and luggage are still here so it would’ve been impossible for them to leave.

MC: Kiro, do you think they will be sold as slaves as the rumours say?....

Kiro: Don’t be too scared. Actually, time moved really quickly just now and I only searched part of the mansion when I snuck in. 

Kiro: Maybe your companions are staying in other rooms and I just didn’t get to see them?

MC: Even so….

Kiro’s comfort only slightly soothed my anxiety. However, an even greater worry was still surging in my heart. I sighed.

MC: Alas….if there is any way to save them, it would be great.

Kiro: I have a solution, wanna try? 

Kiro: Actually, I was um…. a spy and took a job. So, I had to sneak into the mansion of Lord Jinsha to investigate.

Kiro: I was discovered by a guard at that moment which caused me to fail my mission. I'm thinking of how to get in again. 

Kiro: At this time, let’s cooperate and pretend to be a pair of travelling artists.

Kiro: I will be the singer and you will be the dancer! To tell you the truth, I can sing very well! 

Kiro looked excited, but, how could a spy be a good singer? I shook my head.

MC: It’s not that easy. I heard that Lord Jinsha’s ears are very particular and that it’s hard for ordinary singers to be liked by him….

My hesitation was interrupted by Kiro’s singing.

The moment the first note was sung by him, my eyes widened.

Kiro sang the simplest but cheerful melody. His voice was very low, his words very casual.

But such easy-going singing has surpassed all the singers I have ever heard.

It seems that he isn’t standing in front of a messy caravan but rather a lively banquet. And in that banquet, he is the focus.

The last lyrics left his mouth and Kiro winked at me and my stunned face.

Kiro: Would you like to cooperate with me now, little dancer? 

[Second Part]

My cooperation with Kiro is going extremely smoothly.

In just ten days, our travelling act had gained fame in the city.

Most of this fame was because of Kiro.

For some reason, no matter how simple the ballads that are sung by him seem to have colours, pictures, and smells.

Whenever he plunged into the world of music, he would inexplicably reveal a lonely and noble breath.

People wanted to get close but they didn’t dare to do so.

MC: Sometimes I think you really don’t look like a spy….

Kiro: Wait, what are you talking about?

MC: Nothing! I mean you sing so nicely. I wouldn’t be tired of hearing it even if I listened for a hundred years! 

Kiro: A hundred years? I think you could listen to it for a lifetime. 

His carefree words made my heart beat faster and my ears became a little hot for some reason. I quickly changed the subject.

MC: We’ve been practicing for a while today. Would you like to take a break and go to the street?

Kiro: Okay. Now that you mention it, I feel a little hungry.

We were going to the market to search for food. When we were passing by the long rows of houses, I suddenly heard sorrowful weeping from one of the houses.

Kiro: ….

Kiro stopped. Looking through the cracks in the dilapidated door curtain, there’s an old woman crying and holding her son.

But her son was unaware of his mother’s grief and his eyes stared up at the ceiling, saliva spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this scene, I shook my head unbearably.

MC: Another person infected by a strange disease….

MC: Last time we passed by the Royal City, we heard that there were lost souls there.

MC: Who knows when the cure will be found….

Kiro: This is not a natural disease. It’s man-made.

MC: Man-made? How do you know?

Kiro: Uh….

His eyes wandered for a while before he decided to finally answer me.

Kiro: Because….I am a subordinate of the “Silver Prince”. I am investigating this matter under his order.

MC: The silver-haired prince?!

MC: It’s the “spokesperson of the demon” whose voice is cursed in the legend and likes to manipulate others…. *Changed some wording here*

I trailed off the rest of the sentence because I saw Kiro’s face becoming a little pale.

MC: I’m sorry! I forgot that you are his subordinate and shouldn’t say that to him.

Kiro: It’s okay. Do people talk about him like this?

MC: Not really….

MC: Most of the people who say that are big landlords and wealthy merchants like Lord Jinsha and people who followed suit.

Kiro: What about you? What do you think of the silver-haired prince? 

MC: Me? I have no idea.

MC: After all, the noble existence of the prince is beyond my knowledge. Why do you ask?

Kiro: Oh….

MC: ….

Did I say something wrong again? Why do I feel that Kiro’s expression seems to be even more disappointed?

Should I just flatter his master?

Thinking of this, I quickly coughed and changed my tune.

MC: But, ah, I think the prince must not be as scary as the legend makes him out to be….

MC: He did send you to investigate the bad guys after all. He must be a very wise prince!

MC: As for the curse, the “spokesperson of the demon”, that must’ve been a rumour spread by others!

MC: I respect him with my heart!

Kiro looked at me and blinked, the corners of his mouth bent upwards uncontrollably.

Kiro: Pff….Hahahaha!

MC: Why are you laughing?

Kiro: Nothing, nothing. When I go back, I will convey your compliments to the prince! 

Kiro: When this matter is over, he will definitely reward you greatly. You can make any request.

MC: Really? Then I’ll have to think hard about what reward I want from the prince.

Seeing him happy made me happy. I turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. *Changed some wording*

MC: So, the last time you snuck into Lord Jinsha’s mansion, was it also to investigate this matter?

Kiro nodded.

Kiro: I found an incense with a strange composition in Wangcheng. This incense has a strong aroma and is highly addictive.

Kiro: Long-term exposure will cause people to lose their souls.

Kiro: I tracked it down all the way here and finally found the main supplier of the spice; the so-called “Master of Golden Sand”. 

Kiro: But he’s good at covering his tracks. If there is no concrete evidence that he sold it, then it’s difficult to convict him.

Kiro looked back at the small house as he said this, his face contemplative.

MC: Kiro, did you think of something?

Kiro: It’s just a theory that I have that has a few loose ends. It can only be verified after successfully sneaking in.

Kiro and I had a simple meal at the market. On the way back, we suddenly found a circle of people in front of the caravan.

It was Lord Jinsha’s guards.

Kiro and I quickly glanced at each other and then walked towards the caravan together.

Kiro: Is there anything wrong, sir?

Guard: You are the famous artist couple travelling the city recently?

The guard raised his jaw arrogantly.

Guard: Follow us.

(Cut to the mansion)

Dancer: MC, your solo dance is really good! Your footwork is especially light, just like stepping on a cloud!

MC: Haha, thanks for your compliment.

I absent-mindedly exchanged greetings with other travelling artists. However, the big rock in my heart never lightened up.

The evening before yesterday, the guards took us to the mansion of Lord Jinsha. They told us that he would be holding a banquet in two days and we would be the entertainers who will perform for the banquet.

Everything is going according to plan but Kiro and I both felt a little uneasy.

It felt as if we were prey on a cobweb and some kind of behemoth spider was hanging above us, its saliva dripping greedily.

And just two hours ago, Kiro was called away by Lord Jinsha’s guests, saying that he would be performing for their private banquet.

MC: It’s already afternoon, why hasn’t he come back?

Lord Jinsha’s guests must be some domineering bastards. What if they embarrass Kiro?

I was really uneasy. I finally gritted my teeth and slid out while the people by the entrance weren’t paying attention.

The Jinsha mansion is amazingly large with its luxurious gold ornaments and white jade luxuriant flowers. I hid under the shadow of the flowers, looking for the way to the guest house.

Fweet!

There was a sharp whistle from above which made me look upward.

I saw a hawk passing by a low altitude, drawing a sharp arc, and finally flying towards one of the small courtyards.

Is there anyone there?

I silently made my way to where the hawk landed.

As soon as I approached the courtyard, I heard two male voices talking in the pavilion.

??: Jinsha, the old fox, doesn’t answer our calls at all. He just pretends to be stupid whenever he mentions incense.

??: I guess that’s it.

One of the voices is low and strange. And the other….

It’s Kiro.

I carefully plucked the flowering branches and saw the familiar figure not far away. 

Kiro had his back to me while leaning leisurely on the soft pillow, playing with a string of jewels in his hands.

On the other side of the pavilion stood a wealthy, middle-aged man who looked at him respectfully.

The hawk was perched on his shoulder, making a gentle cooing sound in his throat.

In the afternoon, the bright light of the scorching sun made his hair gleam and outlined the muscles on his thin waist.

The kid’s expression is arrogant and cold, like a little singer “coerced” over to perform.

If it weren’t for him still wearing that coarse cloth, I would almost think he was the deity who mastered the sun.

The light is dazzling; it’s too bright to look at.

Kiro: He has already discovered that he’s been exposed in Wangcheng’s business network and certainly won’t dare to make a public appearance. 

Kiro: Tonight’s banquet, no matter what method you use, you must hold him back. If necessary, you’re allowed to make a little mess.  

Wealthy Man: Yes.

Listening to the conversation between the two, there was a buzzing in my head.

Kiro actually planned this banquet? Lord Jinsha’s guests are Kiro’s people?

Isn’t he just a spy? How could he make that wealthy middle-aged man act so respectfully to him?

Before I had time to think more, Kiro seemed to have noticed something and quickly turned his head!

Kiro: Who’s there?! 

[Third Part]

Those blue eyes sharply locked onto the flower bush where I was hiding. Knowing that I could no longer hide, I had to laugh out loud.

MC: It’s me.

Kiro: MC? Why are you here?

MC: I….You hadn’t come back after a while….I was worried….

Kiro was startled but the expression of the wealthy man beside him changed.

Wealthy Man: How dare you eavesdrop!-

Kiro: It’s okay, she’s with me.

Kiro interrupted him.

He shook his arm and the hawk flew away from his elbow.

Kiro stood up from the cushion. When he was about to say something, his eyes passed behind me and his pupils shrank.

I didn’t know why he looked like this. When I looked back, I was shocked.

A large number of guards were coming toward us aggressively!

Wouldn’t we be exposed?! 

Kiro: Follow me! 

Kiro made a decision and stretched out his hand towards me.

I didn’t dare to hesitate. I quickly ran to the other side of the pavilion with him.

Even though Kiro had figured out the layout of the mansion, the sounds of footsteps blocked our escape routes.

Seeing that there was a guard who could find us at just another turn, we couldn’t hide and had to rush into a room next to us.

Unexpectedly, the room was actually a small vault belonging to Lord Jinsha. There was a lot of gold and silver piled up but almost no place to hide.

If you were to take a torch inside, you would easily be able to see our shadows inside!

Kiro: Here, there’s a treasure chest!

Without hesitation, he pushed me into the treasure chest and jumped in after me. 

The small treasure chest held the two of us in such a confined space that we had no other choice but to stay close together.

Kiro held the heavy top of the treasure chest with one hand, the slightly rapid breath escaping from his lips fanned onto the tip of my nose. It felt as though it was burning.

The swaying firelight gradually approached and stopped outside the room.

Guard: Where did they go?

Guard: You must kill him immediately after finding him!

The word “kill” made me tremble. Kiro sensed my fear and lightly pressed his large hand on my shoulder.

Kiro: It’s okay. 

Just outside the door were the guards walking with the jewels under him. This was a life-or-death situation.

His embrace is so warm; it makes it feel easy to rely on him.

Guard: Over there!-

The yell outside of the door distracted the guard.

The chaotic footsteps gradually disappeared and the two of us let out a sigh of relief. We couldn’t help but look at each other.

With just a glance, my heart skipped a beat and my face flushed uncontrollably. 

So close…. 

It was close enough that I could see the thin layer of sweat on Kiro’s forehead, the worry in his blue eyes, and the suspicious blush creeping up onto the tips of his ears.

MC: I….

Kiro: I….

Kiro and I spoke in unison and closed our mouths unanimously.

Kiro turned his gaze to the side and whispered.

Kiro: They’re gone. Let’s get out of here first.

MC: Ah, okay.

We gently pull ourselves out of the treasure chest and tidy up each other’s messy clothes.

After the crisis, what came to my mind again was self-blame.

On the eve of the banquet, the mansion was in absolute mayhem. Kiro’s plan for next week would definitely be greatly affected.

MC: Sorry, it’s all my fault….

Kiro: You don’t have to blame yourself. They aren’t looking for you.

MC: Huh?

Kiro: I just listened to what that yell was about. “Incense Person”.

MC: Incense person? You mean….

The lost soul incense secretly sold by Lord Jinsha and the travelling artists who were missing….

All sorts of clues flashed through my mind. I blurted out amidst my thoughts.

MC: That’s why he has to recruit so many travelling artists!

MC: Because travelling artists have no designated homes, no one cares if they disappear as they think they just moved on to the next city.

MC: Have my companions also….

Ominous sensations rose from my heart, my hands and feet turned cold.

At this moment, my fingers suddenly stiffened. Kiro shook my hand firmly.

Kiro: Don’t think too much about it. 

Kiro: Let’s change our thinking. Since some people who tried the spice were able to escape its effects, it means that they must have been hiding somewhere from Lord Jinsha.

Kiro: We just need to find them and rescue them.

The warmth from his palm calmed my anxiety.

I grinned reluctantly at him and nodded.

Kiro: The banquet is going to start in a bit and the guards should be going to the front area. Let’s take the opportunity to go back.

MC: Okay.

I followed him for two steps out the door before I suddenly felt that something was wrong.

I lowered my head and looked at the floor tiles under my bare feet.

Although these tiles are exactly the same, the sensitivity of my dancer’s feet made me discover an anomaly.

MC: Kiro, the feel of this tile seems to be different from the others.

Kiro: How is it different?

MC: It’s almost like I’m stepping on a cloud….

Kiro’s eyebrows adjusted slightly. He walked to the floor tiles, knelt down, and fumbled with it for a while. He then knocked on the tile. 

Kiro: There’s nothing under this tile.

MC: It’s empty?

MC: Could it be that he hid the “Incense Person” underground?

Kiro: It’s very possible. Let’s go down and take a look. 

MC: But the banquet is about to begin. What if the guards find out that we are here investigating?

Kiro: But if we find evidence of Lord Jinsha doing terrible things on the down-low, then we won’t have to attend the party.

MC: What you said makes sense!

MC: And he doesn’t deserve to hear your beautiful singing!

Kiro raised his eyebrows when he heard what I said, his eyes bright.

Kiro: Yes. This time, his crime must be completely exposed! 

[Fourth Part]

The tile opened downwards, revealing a ruined black passage; it stared at us like an abyss.

Kiro walked in front, holding on to me with one hand and the wall with the other, carefully exploring onward.

After stepping onto the last step around the corner, a light suddenly appeared in front of him.

Kiro: Follow me.

Walking out of the passage, what is presented before us is the underground treasure room of Lord Jinsha!

Boxes of gold and silver, gorgeous jewelry, expensive cloth….

Treasures even rarer than the ones above us are collected in this dark secret room.

It exuded a sparkling light under the flaming glow of the torches.

Kiro probed around and followed the flames. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Kiro: There is a secret door here! 

We rushed to the secret stone door. Upon pushing the door open a crack, a scent of moly and a weird spice came flooding out from it. 

Everyone was wearing the costumes they used for their performance but their eyes were glazed over; like a group of dolls at the mercy of others.

Like the lost souls I saw in the slums.

MC: You were right! Everyone is here!

In the depths of the crowds, I suddenly saw my companion!

She seemed to still have some form of consciousness. After hearing what I said, she turned slightly in my direction, showing me a desperate smile.

MC: Ah, come on, Kiro! We have to rescue them!

Kiro: I know. Go and call out for help-

Lord Jinsha: Who do you want to call out for, little mouse?

A voice rang out from behind us; with black malice like a serpent’s message.

Kiro and I turned around suddenly. Lord Jinsha led a large number of guards into the secret room.

He sneered and looked at us; as if he were looking at two dying bugs.

I saw his fat and ugly face. I felt my anger instantly rush to the top of my head.

MC: Why are you doing this to them?!

Lord Jinsha: Why?

Lord Jinsha: As I see it, these travelling artists are the dregs of society and have no value at all.

Lord Jinsha: They should be honoured to try the incense for me.

MC: You-!

Kiro: How could these travelling artists be worthless? 

Kiro: They have travelled to many different places, danced and sang, and spread the joy of life to many others.

Kiro: They are truly priceless “golden sands” and treasures in this country.

Kiro: The only one with no value here is you.

Kiro held back some anger in that retort.

Lord Jinsha’s squinted eyes immediately turned to Kiro.

Lord Jinsha: Eh, are you the little mouse that sneaked in some time ago?

Kiro: ….

Lord Jinsha: Mouse, do you think that I don’t know who you are? You are as crazy and ridiculous as your master.

Lord Jinsha: A prince, who’s been locked in a palace all his life, wants to bring me down? You wish!

He waved his hand and the guards behind him lunged at us!

A cold light flashed in an instant, Kiro’s eyes were dazzling. He took me in his arms and spit out two words.

Kiro: Weapons down! *Changed some wording here*

When he finished speaking, the guards in front of him suddenly trembled as if someone had pitched their wrists. Their fingers released the hilts of the scimitars they were holding.

When the scimitars fell to the ground, Kiro kicked a few people out of the way and led me to the door.

Lord Jinsha opened his mouth in disbelief.

Lord Jinsha: Who are you?! Impossible! Don’t you dare try to escape!

The man stepped back suddenly and pulled down a mechanism on the wall!

In an instant, a hole in the wall appeared, and a row of arrows shot straight at us!

MC: Watch out!

My instinct was to push Kiro out of the way. In the next instant, the sharp pain of an arrow in my back hit me.

I gritted my teeth and called to Kiro with the last bit of breath in me.

MC: Kiro, get out quickly! Tell everyone this! Tell the silver-haired prince!

Kiro: The prince already knew. 

My eyes widened. Before I realized what he meant, I fell to the ground.

Darkness and warmth surrounded me together.

??: Wake up, MC….Wake up….

A faint voice rang in my ear, urging me to open my eyes.

MC: Huh?....

I slowly opened up my eyes. There was a bright moon above my head.

MC: I’m here….

I looked around and found that I was still in the courtyard of Lord Jinsha, surrounded by countless royal guards escorting the other guards in an orderly manner.

The wound on my back seemed to have been cleaned and bandaged. It didn’t hurt so much now.

MC:  What’s going on here?

Companion: Don’t you know?! The silver-haired prince is here!

Companion: He wiped out all the bad guys and rescued us all!

MC: What about Kiro?

Companion: Who is Kiro?

There was no need for her to answer; I have already seen him.

The golden-haired Kiro stood in the crowd surrounded by guards and attendants, and those who called him a prince.

Kiro seemed to sense my gaze. He turned his head and looked at me. He subconsciously took a couple of steps towards me before suddenly stopping again.

Kiro: I…. 

MC: You lied to me.

MC: Did you not trust me? We are partners yet you actually want to keep your true identity hidden….

Kiro: I don’t distrust you.

MC: What’s that?

Kiro: Ever since I was born, people have said that my voice is cursed by the demon and cannot be listened to.

Kiro: Although the royal family explained that it wasn’t a curse, everyone was still afraid of me.

Kiro: So, I can only pretend to be a shameless “silver-haired prince”. 

He stared at me quietly, his every word sincere.

Kiro: You’re the only one who likes to talk to me and hear me sing.

Kiro: So I want to talk to you all the time and sing to you as Kiro.

He paused and said it again.

Kiro: Sorry, MC.

Maybe there was some kind of magic in his voice but, just listening like this, my heart swelled and thumped wildly because of his words.

But how can I forgive this “liar” so easily?!

MC: I remember that you promised me that the prince will reward me greatly after the matter is over, right?

Kiro: I remember. 

MC: I’ll think of a reward now and the punishment for you lying to me, which I’ll only tell you, also.

I stretched my hand out in front of him.

MC: Your Royal Highness, please come and honour it!

Kiro’s expression stiffened as if waiting for some kind of cruel prank, and walked towards me with a guilty conscience.

The moment he leaned over, I hooked my arms around his neck.

MC: The punishment is that His Royal Highness must do whatever I say. 

MC: Just say….

My lips pressed against his cheek.

MC: “I want to talk to MC for a hundred years and sing songs for her for a hundred years.” 

Wind and sand rolled over the hills and the travelling artist’s caravan set off again.

They sang travelling ballads, letting the story of the silver-haired prince spread across the mainland.

Legend has it that on a bright and sunny day, the prince’s always-closed palace doors suddenly opened up and welcomed everyone. 

There is no demon nor a curse; only laughter and good wine.

The beautiful and timeless singing of the prince will always be heard in the palace, making the people happy.

And wherever the singing sounds, there will be a girl to accompany him.

[End]

You can read the call that comes after this date here!~

[lilypixels]

Izzy’s Dag-Dag The Artist… Tag

By @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy

~ Rules ~

Show us a rendition of yourself in your own art! Can be anything! Sims render? Random stick figure? Picrew? Go nuts! (Just be sure to tag the artist if you use someone else’s picrew!!!!) Tag the blogs you want to know, and don’t be a dick that’s it! Also, feel free to answer as vague or in-depth as you want. And if you don’t want to answer a question for any reason just don’t vibe with it! Skip it if you wanna! Also make sure you tag me and use #dagdagtheartisttag so I can see it!!!!!!!!

This is a bit long so i’m just gonna...

~Questions~

1.) Do you prefer to be referred to by your name or blog name? Both are fine! I don’t care much about what people refer to me as in general and have had someone on here call me lily once

2.) Where are you from? I won’t say exact, but I live in the middle of USA (I can’t wait to move-)

3.) Do you have pets? 👀 Yes! 3 dogs and 2 cats, tho only one cat is truly “mine”

4.) Tell us about your “dream”. uhh like where I want to be in life? what I want to do? um I’m still working on the exact job title, but I wish to do research at a natural history/science museum (sorta like archives or collections manager, but neither of those are quite right i think). Otherwise, I just hope to adopt and even foster kids cause my life would not be complete without little ones :3 (spouse/partner optional lol) 

5.) Aside from art, what are your hobbies? Randomly researching things that grasp my attention, games...lots of games, reading, watching tv, coloring (wait does that count as art-), uhhh spacing out

6. )Does anyone irl know about your blog? yeah, but mostly just know about, not like see my posts i guess

7.)Do you know anyone from your blog irl? not outside of just chatting on discord

8.) What are some fun facts about you? I’ve had some poems published before (it was with entering a poetry contest), I have surprisingly good balance, my brain is not properly awake/functioning until 10am which has led to me almost using soap as toothpaste a few times too many, I have a birthmark on my finger (bonus: it sorta changes color/how noticeable it is depending on how hot or cold I am lol, i call it a mini thermometer cause of this), apparently Lion King was my Disney movie obsession as a kid...oh and I have a certificate in cryptozoology lolz

9.) What’s your day job? i work as a private nanny/glorified babysitter (i don’t live with them or drive but work regular hours through week and as needed; even join the occasional vacation with them)

10.) Do you have a celebrity look alike? i don’t think so; a girl in high school once said I look like Cameron Diaz tho-

11.) What’s your aesthetic? for my blog I think it’s becoming like dark academia meets cottage core?? idk for myself...who knows

12.) What kind of artist are you? the tired kind lol

13.) How did you get into your form of art? if we’re looking at sims, uhhh well I just happened to learn about cc one day, then happened upon simblr, saw edits, and thought I’d give a try cause I can’t draw but I need a creative outlet so this worked for me

14.) What do you watch/listen/read/anything else while you create? if I do anything, its listen to music; music is generally random based on what I feel like but more recently its been 2d anime groups (idolish7, hypnosis mic, etc)

15.) What is your favorite of your own creations so far?  lets see...this, this, and this edit wise I think

16.) How would you describe your art style? idk chaos

17.) What is more satisfying to you coloring or outlining? coloring, I like coloring 

18.) What meme would you use to describe yourself?

19.) What character from any media form do you most identify with? oh gosh uhhhh there’s a few but I’ll say Iori and Sogo from Idolish7 since they come to mind first lol. Iori is a fellow aquarius who hides his interests and agonizes over past slipups even a year later, others have legit moved on but he’s still stuck on it (that was true moment I was like “omg you are aquarius” lol cause yeah meee). Sogo i heavily relate to as well cause he’s,,,very nice and hides his own feelings, putting others before himself (but when right buttons get pushed, he can be scary lol) so yeah, those two

20.) If you were on the run, what would you change your name to? I’ve never thought of this...no clue

21.) Have you ever or do you want to change blog names? I have changed names, yes; I used to be silverine-sims but after a time i didn’t ~vibe~ with it

22.) God forbid Tumblr decides to pull a MySpace and lets us have page songs, what song would you choose?  page songs like adding playlist to blog? i mean its possible already with bit of coding and I used to have one set up but uh one song huh? gosh um I guess Twisted Hearts by tasuku hatanaka; it was op for Moriarty the Patriot s2 and I’m pretty obsessed with it rn 

23.) Oh yeah, I’m still on the MySpace train and I’m starting discourse! Who’s your top 8? my brain refuses to think and rank; i have trouble with choices and that extends to favorites,,

24.) Did you understand those references or did you have to look them up? (I’m fully aware I’m ancient, but are you?) i know of myspace but otherwise i have no clue what all it entailed

25.) One last question; why are you like that? I grew up watching Secret Saturdays, He-Man, Teen Titans, Danny Phantom, and Spongebob idk what to tell ya ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Dag dag?

Now tag tag!!!

I know not all of you will do this or was tagged by izzy already but I’m tagging everyone I can think of anyway-

@cyansimblr @neriney @lunchsims @waysims @klayde @sinfulwunders @void-imp @ladykendalsims @lazysunjade @almost-spring @smolteabirb @lunaziie @clumsyghostie​ and uh uh anyone else cause its too early and my brain just quit

[eds-art-factory]

What are some other supernatural romances that you like and recommend? They can be any media; books, films, tv-shows, anime and manga.

……. So maybe it’s because of my preferences but the romance aspect of a lot of these are subjective or minimal (They’re more plot focused and people just kind of fall in love along the way)

It is impossible to like, do a search on this because a million like YA novels pop up, and like, I’m not even looking for NOTHING BUT ROMANCE, I want a sick plot and ALSO romance

but off the top of my head this is the best I can do

Manga/Anime

Fruits basket: slaps obviously, I should not even have to mention it, textbook pure love and acceptance by the heroine ends up saving the monster boy from despair. Tohru is an incredible protagonist.

Noragami: Suffering heavy, all gods are real, read the manga, the art is beautiful and the anime has a tone problem where they try to make it more comedic like……………….Noragami is not a comedy, it has comedic moments and is very funny, but the story really dark in places. (Also it’s written by a woman so, even the like, token sexy character isn’t that bad fan service wise and also is a character outside of that)

BEASTARS: Uses animal nature as a metaphor for society, we’ve all seen zootopia and Robin Hood, we know how this goes. If you’re a sucker for size difference (and I am, note Sidon and 9 foot tall Vampire lady) you’ll probably get it. Zootopia’s success managed to normalize furries enough that Beastars was able to be made and honesty I’m proud. Season one is on Netflix, but you’re not going to want to watch it in any communal areas because there will be questions and scenes that you will not want to have to explain to your parents or housemates because….it’s spicy.

Frau Faust: like the Ancient Magus Bride but less problematic, can enjoy mostly guilt free

Mugen Spiral: It’s like a two volume manga, I’ll admit I have not read it since I was a teen, so maybe it has not aged gracefully shrugs

(Honorary mention but it’s not a romance)

Girl from the other side: I AM PRAYING THAT THIS WILL NOT BE A ROMANCE AND TURN INTO GROOMING, I JUST WANT THE MONSTER TO BE HER DAD, WHY IS THAT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND SHE IS A CHILD. IT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE ROMANCE AS A GENRE SO MY FEARS MAY BE UNWARRANTED I’VE JUST BEEN HURT TOO MANY TIMES BEFORE

Movies

Shape of Water: It’s literally a supernatural romance but also…textbook using the “falling in love with a monster“ as a metaphor for marginalized groups like, it’s set in the 60’s and the villain is a white guy trying to ruin the lives of the good guys; a mute woman, a gay man and a woman of color

:I

It’s very on the nose, and that can be…..a little upsetting, but the film is like……a masterpiece so I would recommend it anyway.

Beauty and the Beast: ………everyone agrees the beast becoming human was a downgrade and I’m not going to say any more on that.

….Venom: ….should not count but I feel like spiritually it SHOULD count……….Venom is so queer coded and yet not queer enough?? I think they are actually in love in one version but not in a lot of adaptations which bites.

Good Omens: I’ve always loved the book, but the miniseries adaptation is SO GOOD. Aziraphale and Crowley are like….queer coded but they are….IN LOVE AND YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE and the miniseries LEANS into that interpretation

Books

Naomi Novik’s novels: Uprooted and Spinning Silver were great although Uprooted didn’t really win me over in the romance department and I prefer Spinning Silver. I love fairytales so I’m always a sucker for fairytale retellings that….are not modernized in the wrong way.

Video games:

Undertale: …….. :I I’m not wrong.

Liar princess and the blind prince: …..I have not played this, so I can’t actually verify if it’s good or add any input…….but it seems like my aesthetic.

Podcasts are so gay:

Magnus Archives: Eldritch horror is scary, but also it’s canonically gay and kind of about how those two things kind of intermingle. Passes the “I listened to a lot of it, but I was still able to sleep peacefully afterward” test. The first….ten episodes rely too heavily on scary music, but they tone it down after a while thank god.

Welcome to night vale: Also gay and surreal horror, same deal but less scary.

The Adventure zone: DnD game by the three Mcleroy brothers and their dad. Started out as just a one off adventure but everyone accidentally got way too invested and it became AMAZING.

There’s this thing that happens in the princess Bride with the line “Hello my name is Anigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die” and it is set up in a way that is funny and a joke…………………….

And then 3/4 of the way through the film…it is not a joke anymore, and it HURTS YOU. That is one of my FAVORITE TROPES IN ANY MEDIA EVER and they fucking DID THAT AND IT HURTS.

If you’re not an artist and your job doesn’t mean that you need to listen to a constant stream of audio media while you work, you can read the graphic novel adaptation, but it won’t hit you the same way I think.

[sohotthateveryonedied]

We Dream in the Dark, for the Most Part

Read here on AO3!

Summary:

Jason is in the middle of lathering his hair with shampoo when suddenly the lights go out, leaving him in darkness. An instinctive chill runs down his spine, only to be replaced with annoyance. Of course. Beyond the shower spray, he can hear Lian shriek in fear, followed by Roy muttering curses.

Jason sighs. “Roy?” he calls.

“Handling it!”

It was a grueling patrol, but Jason is relieved to be home. He missed having Roy by his side tonight, but their usual babysitter, Mrs. Peterson from next door, came down with pneumonia yesterday and canceled. She doesn’t seem to have any idea that her neighbors are vigilantes, but they pay her enough that she doesn’t ask. Lian is coloring at the coffee table while Jason toes off his boots, leaving them at the front door. She’s wearing her fluffy Stitch pajamas, which she’s been practically living in for the last week and a half. “Hey, princess.” Jason drops a kiss on top of her head as he passes. “Where’s your dad?” “In the kitchen. He’s playing with the electricity again.” “Oh, good. Because, you know, I was actually hoping our place would explode, just to spice things up.” Lian giggles. “Has he fed you yet?” She shakes her head, her black pigtails swinging back and forth. “Nope. But he promised me special sushi if I cleaned up all my books.” Jason will never understand Lian’s passion for her “special sushi,” which is just deli ham slathered in strawberry yogurt and rolled up like a spring roll from hell. Jason gets nauseated just thinking about it, but the kid loves the stuff. “And did you clean up?” Lian points over at the bookshelf against the wall. They don’t have a huge apartment by any means, but Jason insisted on dedicating an entire wall to his books. That was one of the conditions when Roy first asked Jason to move in with him and Lian. It took weeks of finagling to convince Jason to relinquish a small section of the bookshelf for Lian’s picture books, which are indeed all in their right places. “Then it looks like you’ve earned your sushi, little miss. I’m gonna shower first and then I’ll make it for you, alright?” “I can make it by myself.” Jason snorts. “After what happened last time? I don’t think so.” It was his own fault for thinking a five-year-old could prepare her own food. It took a solid hour to scrub the yogurt stains out of the carpet. Jason pokes his head in the kitchen on his way to the bathroom. “Tell me you’re not burning the building down.” “Okay, then I’m not burning the building down,” Roy says around the screwdriver trapped between his teeth. He stands in front of what was once a light switch, tinkering with something that he most definitely should not be tinkering with, but Jason is picking his battles today.

“I’m not going to bother telling you that you’re on your second strike with the landlord. If he has to come up here again, I’m not defending you.” “You know what I miss? The old days when people would greet each other by saying things like, ‘hi, sweetie, how was your day?’ ‘Oh, it was lovely, darling. How about a kiss after spending hours apart and missing each other dearly?’ ‘Babe, it’s like you read my mind!’ You know, stuff like that?” Jason arches an eyebrow. “I’ve got mobster blood caked in my hair. Still want a hello kiss?” “Not really, no. Go shower.” “Try not to blow a fuse in the meantime, please.” Roy salutes with his screwdriver. “Aye, aye, captain.” Jason goes to the bathroom and relishes in the feeling of peeling off his armor and the bodysuit underneath, every layer soaked with sweat and blood. It’s a good thing his Red Hood getup is all dark colors, or he’d have scarred Lian for life ten times over already. He turns the shower knob as hot as it’ll go, letting his muscles slowly unravel under the spray. He takes his time scrubbing off the blood and dirt, whistling some shitty pop song that Dick paid Barbara to blast through the comms all. Night. Long. Jason has plans to add that to his repertoire of torture techniques if he ever needs some extra edge. It’s definitely effective. Jason is in the middle of lathering his hair with shampoo when suddenly the lights go out, leaving him in darkness. An instinctive chill runs down his spine, only to be replaced with annoyance. Of course. Beyond the shower spray, he can hear Lian shriek in fear, followed by Roy muttering curses. Jason sighs. “Roy?” he calls. “Handling it!” Another sigh. This is what he gets for leaving Roy alone. It’s Jason’s own fault, really. He quickly rinses the shampoo from his hair and leaves the bathroom, and towel wrapped around his waist. He navigates the pitch black apartment and finds Roy lighting a match in the kitchen. He’s got Lian tucked in one arm. “What did I say?” Jason asks. “I know, I know—” “I said not to blow a fuse. That was your one job.” “Technically, I didn’t blow a fuse. I just overloaded the circuit and cut off the electricity for the whole building.” Jason smacks himself in the forehead. “Wonderful.” Remind him again why he’s in love with this man? “I’m sure it’ll be fixed in no time.” “You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes.” “You’re overreacting. It’s just a little blackout.” “We have ice cream in the freezer.” “I’ll buy more.” Jason runs a hand through his wet hair. “You’re killing me, babe. Again.” “It’s just one night without power, right? I’m sure it’ll come back on in the morning.” He bounces Lian a little, who’s got her face buried in Roy’s neck. Poor thing is terrified of the dark. “What do you think, pumpkin? You think you can be brave for one little night in the dark?” “I don’t like it. It’s scary.” “I know it is, sweetheart. But do you want to know a secret?” He leans in close to her ear, mock-whispering, “Jaybird over here is afraid of the dark too.” Lian looks at Jason with wide eyes. “Really?” Roy nods. “Yep. But you know what? He’s so brave and strong that he overcame that fear and now it hardly bothers him anymore. Do you think you can be brave like that?” “I can be super brave.” “That’s my girl. Not, sit here for a minute, ‘kay?” He sets her down on the arm of the sofa. The match has fizzled out by now, leaving them in complete darkness. “I know I have some scented candles around here somewhere. Dinah keeps getting them as gifts and pushes them on me when she doesn’t like them.” Jason’s eyes widen. “Wait, watch out for the—” Roy trips with a shout, glass shattering as he falls. “—coffee table.” Roy just groans in response. “Hang on, let me get a light.” Jason makes his way to the drawer they keep the emergency flashlight in. He turns on the beam to show Roy on the floor, surrounded by glass shards and clutching his leg. There are several small cuts peppering his knee like he crawled on a beach made of broken bottles. Jason gasps. “Oh my god, Roy! You broke Lian’s crayons!” Roy flips him off, angling his hand so Lian can’t see. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Jason helps him up and hands him the flashlight. “Lian, honey, will you help him get to the couch? I need to put some clothes on.” And he’s almost positive there’s another flashlight somewhere in Roy’s nightstand. They’re going to need all the light they can get. Jason gets dressed and retrieves the flashlight, plus one of Lian’s Disney princess glow sticks. When he returns, Roy is on the couch with his leg propped up on what remains of their coffee table. Lian is shining the flashlight on her tiny first-aid kit which Kori gave her last Christmas. She sifts through her collection of band-aids. “One to ten?” “Barely a two,” Roy says. “I already dug the glass out, and none were deep enough to need stitches.” Jason checks him over anyway, just to be sure. He wipes away the blood and applies some ointment over the cuts. He turns to Lian when he’s finished. “Can I trust you to finish this up while I make dinner?” She nods enthusiastically. Perfect. Lian can keep herself busy plastering Roy in Hello Kitty bandages, and Jason will have time to figure out what the hell they’re doing, food-wise. “How do you expect to make dinner without electricity?” Roy asks, reading his mind yet again. “What, did you never have to eat cold leftover pizza in your million-dollar mansion growing up? Weird.” He dodges the pillow Roy throws his way, laughing. “Those jokes don’t count when you also grew up in a million-dollar mansion.” Thirty minutes later and the three of them are sitting on the couch, Roy and Jason eating cold mushroom casserole while Lian enjoys her ham and yogurt. Once you get over the temperature difference, cold casserole turns out to be just as tasty as hot casserole. Gordon Ramsey should take notes. Jason managed to track down the candles Roy was talking about earlier and set them in various places around the living room, lighting the room in a dim glow. It’s not perfect lighting by any means—not even good lighting, really, but at least no one will be falling into another coffee table anytime soon. Roy’s knee is covered in Hello Kitty band-aids, some of which are in spots that weren’t even cut up by the glass. Roy doesn’t seem to mind. Jason took a picture for potential blackmail reasons. “I’m bored,” Lian says after a while. “You could always go to bed,” Roy suggests, “given that your bedtime was fifteen minutes ago but your daddies are nice enough to let you stay up this long.” “That was nice of us,” Jason agrees. “I think we’ve earned a quiet night to ourselves.” Lian pouts. She grabs Jason’s arm, clinging to his bicep like a koala. “But it’s dark in my room.” “It’s dark in there every night.” “It’s really dark tonight. Can I stay here with you instead?” Her eyes are big and innocent, perfectly disguising the mischief lurking within. This girl could be a successful con artist one day. (Not that Jason or Roy will ever let that happen. She’s going to grow up and become a veterinarian or something equally harmless.) Roy and Jason meet eyes, having a silent conversation over Lian’s head. Finally, Roy sighs. “Fine. You can stay up with us a little longer, but only because of the blackout, okay? Don’t go thinking that this trick is going to work tomorrow night.” Lian claps her hands, bouncing in her seat. “Can I have coffee?” “Absolutely not.” She isn’t deterred in the slightest. “This is gonna be so fun! We can stay up all night long, even past midnight and three o’clock which is when the ghosts come out.” “Ghosts, huh?” Jason says. “Yeah, Aunt Stephanie told me all about it! Three o’clock is when the witching hour happens and witches and ghosts come out like Bloody Mary and Freddie Cougar and they call come into your house and walk around but you can only see them if you’re awake, which I’m gonna be because I’m not even tired, I could stay up all night long and for a million, bazillion years, and—” She lasts seven minutes. Lian is fast asleep now with her head in Roy’s lap, her tiny feet dangling off the arm of the sofa. Jason drapes a blanket over her, kissing her on the forehead. He’s careful not to jostle Roy’s bandaged leg as he takes a seat beside him, putting his arm around Roy’s shoulders. “Well, I’m fucking exhausted.” “It’s cool if you want to go to bed,” Roy says. “I don’t mind sticking around here with Lian until the power comes back on.” “Nah, it’s fine. I like it better in here, anyway.” In here, where the light is. Roy doesn’t comment on the hidden meaning that he definitely catches on to, and Jason loves him for it. He just kisses Jason’s cheek, settling against his side. Jason doesn’t mention the darkness thing often. Or at all. After all, grown men don’t get scared of the dark—especially when they live in a place like Gotham and were raised in a literal cave. But if Lian insists on having the hallway light on in addition to the night light next to her bed, then Jason isn’t about to discourage her. Roy never says a word about it. Every night he keeps the door to his and Jason’s bedroom cracked open just enough so a sliver of hallway light floods in, and it’s good for both of them, really. Jason feels safer with the light on, and they both feel safer being able to hear every creak and draft in the apartment, falling asleep knowing that nothing will sneak up on them. Even when Jason was living on his own, post-resurrection, he always kept a lamp on when he went to sleep in whichever safehouse he was squatting in that night. Back before he had a place to call home. On especially bad nights, he would turn on the lights in every single room, even the one in the microwave. Only then could he sleep soundly. He can’t exactly do that now, but he doesn’t need to. Whenever his head gets too heavy to bear, he’ll simply wrap his arms around Roy and fall back asleep to the sound of Roy’s heart beating under his ear. He falls back asleep in minutes. Jason isn’t entirely sure what caused the light issue in the first place. Sometimes he can’t remember if it arose before or after he was adopted by Bruce. Other times he’s sure it’s lingering trauma from the coffin, from waking up in pitch blackness six feet underground. No bearings, no sense of what was happening or where he was. The only thing in there with him was the thick, cloying darkness on every side of him. Jason shivers just thinking about it. “We should get her a new night light,” he says. “Battery powered, not a plug-in. It would be a good investment if you ever try destroying our electricity again.” Roy hums. “We can pick one up tomorrow. I need to take her clothes shopping anyway. And it might be a good idea to have a couple for the living room and bathroom so we don’t have a repeat of tonight.” “Good idea.” God, Jason’s craving a cigarette right now. Every nerve in his body urges him to get one and soothe the anxiety buzzing in his brain, but he has a rule against smoking in the apartment or anywhere near Lian. He’d settle for a beer instead, whatever keeps the buzzing at bay, but he doesn’t drink at home either out of respect for Roy’s sobriety. He’s stuck. Roy must notice Jason’s twitching fingers because he reaches into his pocket, careful not to wake Lian as he pulls out a stick of nicotine gum. “Here.” Jason unwraps the gum and shoves it in his mouth. He takes a deep breath in as he chews, letting it out slowly. It takes the edge off some, but not completely. Still, it’s better than nothing. “You’re just carrying these on you now?” "Came in handy, didn't it?" “And I thought Bruce was the king of being prepared for everything.” Jason straightens the wrapper until it’s flat like a card. He holds it over the nearest candle until it catches, watching the flame consume the paper, eating away at its edges. He blows it out just before it gets too close to his fingers. “When I was a kid,” he says after a minute, “my mom and I used to light candles like these. The heat would get turned off pretty often since she was usually too high to remember what day it was, let alone when the bills needed to be paid. But whenever it happened, she would send me to the store with a couple dollars and I’d buy a bag of marshmallows. We’d roast them over the candles and pretend we were camping.” “That sounds nice.” “It was. I mean, now I realize that it’s actually really fucking sad that we had to resort to candles ‘cause my mom wasted all her cash on drugs and couldn’t pay the heating bill. But at the time, it was nice. It’s one of the few good memories I have of that time.” He feels more than sees Roy’s fingers lacing through his own, clasping their hands together. “I was telling the truth earlier, you know. You’re brave and strong and badass all the way.” Jason snorts. “Even if I get freaked out every time the lights go out?” Roy doesn’t laugh with him. “Yeah, even then. And you know why?” He rests his head on Jason’s shoulder, lets Jason feel his warmth. “Because of all the things to be afraid of, you picked the one that can be fixed by just turning the lights on. Once you do that, there’s nothing left in the world that can scare you. And that’s pretty damn badass if you ask me.”

[dragonwinnie-kotlc]

Hello - I hope this is okay to ask - but um what would you do if both of your parents are pushing you to not do art in college but instead become a therapist (something you used to really want to be before you got chronic depression and stuff) or something along those lines? They keep trying to talk me out of it and I know that my art isn’t very good and I still have a lot to learn before even thinking about it too-too much but... I really like art. I even like learning about it both history-wise and learning new techniques and things-wise. If this is too complicated or anything please don’t force yourself to answer it or anything. I’m sure that I’ll eventually figure it out either way. Thank you!

Hey anon! First of all, sending over virtual hugs and love to you because I know it’s not easy going through this 🥺❤️ This is going to be a long essay so bear with me 💕

I personally have gone through something similar so whatever I write here is based on my own experience and not exactly professional advice. My parents are the stereotypical Asian parents who want me to be a medical doctor like my dad and cousins (so many of them we’re basically a family full of doctors 👨🏻‍⚕️🧑🏻‍⚕️), but while I have an affinity for health science, ART is my true passion since I was a kid.

I don’t think this is the same for every country, but for my country (Malaysia), artists or art professionals are not as highly revered as say science/engineer/law professionals. This is not to say art professionals or artists cannot have a successful career (I have local artists friends who are very very successful in their fields) BUT it is definitely a tougher journey for them to gain exposure as the local market is very limited. I’m not sure if it’s the same for your country, but it’s a good point to look out for, to note whether you can sustain as an artist professional or as a career, and if there’s a viable market for your profession.

My parents, having similar mindset as the general population here, advice me against studying arts in college. I ended up being a dental surgeon 🦷 (don’t worry, I’m not the scary kind of dentist).

How did I end up with this choice? I weighed both my passions and this is kind of best of both worlds for me since I’m practicing health science and also helping my patients create beautiful smiles, which I feel is a form of art. Therefore, my advice is to list down the pros and cons of both your career choice, which is art and therapist, and also what do you hope to gain from your choice.

For art: Are there good art exposure opportunities in your community? How much do you aim to earn by practising art? What kind of art field specifically are you aiming for (gaming graphics? Book illustration? Animation? etc)? What college are you planning to pursue art in (tuition fees? how many years will it be? Does the college provide good art program?)? Do you plan to practice art full time or freelance? Do you see yourself practising art your whole life as a career?

For therapist: What kind of therapist do you aim to be? Are you prepared to help the people who require your help as a therapist? Further career opportunities as a therapist? Is the college of your choice having a good therapist program (fees, duration of the program)? Is there market available in the economy for therapists in your community? What do you hope to gain from this career? Do you see yourself being a therapist your whole life as a career?

These are just some of the questions that I can think of off my head for now, I’m sure there’s many more aspects that I didn’t cover 😧 I hope that the list will help you to see a clearer picture of your choices. I think it’s important that your make the choice that makes you NOT miserable. Every career/job has its own challenges, so the most we can do is pick something that we don’t hate (I know I didn’t use the word “like” because once you’re a working adult bounded everyday by your profession and the many challenges that comes with it, there’ll be days that you won’t “like” whatever you’re doing even if it’s something you’re passionate about.) If you’ve decided to choose art, you can discuss with your parents using the list to show them that you have thought this thoroughly and help them understand why you made your choice.

Omigosh I’ve rambled long enough, I hope this is helpful to you in some ways? Feel free to dm me if you want to discuss more, or even send more asks if you’d like to remain anonymous 💞💞💞 Oh and have you heard about art therapist? I think you can look into this particular career to see if it interests you? (‘∀’●)♡

Know that my blog is a safe space for all of you so don’t worry about sending me questions ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

[comicteaparty]

June 27th-July 3rd, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from June 27th, 2020 to July 3rd, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

If you could do your webcomic for a living, how would that change things in regards to how you work on it (if at all)?

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'd definitely put out more content, cause I could focus on it fully every day of the week.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i would probably start hating it and get burnt out

Deo101 [Millennium]

thats why I would also have to start another comic or do short stories on the side or something, too.

I would probably keep individual comics update schedules the same, I'd just do more comics

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

If it became a part-time job, I don't think anything would change. It kind of feels like that already. If I were in a position where it became a full-time job, I do dread how my relationship with the work would change. I don't think I could ever make as much doing comics as I do in my day job (which isn't crazy, but is comfortable) so I don't know if I could ever 100% transition unless it was really, really worth it It's something I've thought about a lot, for sure.

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

In a way, my comic is my full-time job? I don't make very much money with it, but I do put over 40 hours a week into it, and I don't have another job. I am in the very fortunate position of having an SO who is able to support me financially while I try to get my footing with my passion. If I was depending on it for a paycheck though, the main thing that would change is my style would probably get simpler, because there is no way I can make enough pages a week otherwise.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

It is really the dream to be able to do it! Right now I am unemployed, so I basically treat the comic as my fulltime job, until I find the next short project. I want to be able to work on it full time! In Denmark there are some cool possibilities to get funding from the government and I hope we can get enrolled with some of those programs with our comic.

I would also just love to do small videos, podcasts, animations etc. Small fun projects

Mitzi (Trophallaxis)

If I had to do it full time, I think i'd put a LOT more hours into learning how to paint, watching speedpaints, ect. It'd also make a huge difference in my living situation, as the first thing I'd honestly do with a full time at-home job is move to another city with cheaper rent. Another state, maybe! Oh, and I'd do a lot more promo work. posters and animations are fun, but they're not quite worth it with an audience consisting of two my writing partner's friends, and my older brother.

Shizamura 🌟 O Sarilho

the biggest difference, I suppose, would be that I would make a lot more pages, a lot faster. But I like it that it's been pointed that the relationship with work changes when you have to do things full time, so there may be some unpredictable variables there

eliushi [Keyspace]

For a living for me can mean many different things: able to sustain living expenses vs full-time. There’s overlap but one gives financial security meaning an element of creative freedom. The opposite end will probably entail working on other comic projects with the current one as a passion story on the side (no change but probably might not want to draw so much after drawing for work!) If we’re discussing the ability to do the webcomic full time without financial worries then I do believe my output will increase but also I will be dedicating more time to the craft (studying story structures, art directions etc) as well as marketing/joining professional associations/pitching/connections. There are a lot of career options within the comic world and I’d love to explore everything before deciding what’s best for the current story. Ultimately if I were to do this as a living, I’d treat it like any other job: a routine, a strive for improvement, and wellness to recharge. I follow several artists not only for their art but also their schedule/workflow to see what worked for others. It’s very interesting!

In reality though, I might work on smaller scale projects on the side to build up the experience and platform needed to tell the story of Keyspace. As a full time comic creator, I’ll be seriously thinking to covert the seven novel series into a hug comic project. So TL;DR if full time, I make more pages

varethane

I'm in an odd place with my comic because.... well, I sort of had an opportunity to spend all of my time on it for a few months, when I was in between contracts at work. But I found that I wasnt getting it done all that much faster than I did when also working full time

To be fair, it's kind of hard to compare my speed between the three periods, because when I returned to work after a few months away, it was after work from home had started and now I no longer have a commute, so perhaps my ability to squeeze comic pages into my free time has expanded.... but I feel like my attention span caps out around 8 hours on any single task

So I didnt work that much faster. But... I'm also bad at keeping track. I could be wrong.

Yung Skrimp (Carefree)

8 hours is a long attention span

varethane

It's not all in one go, haha.

eliushi [Keyspace]

I definitely have to take breaks between pages, whether or not I have just a few minutes to a chunk of hours

It’s about finding a balance that works for you!

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I don't think I could put more hours daily into my comic than I currently do. I have a chronic issue with my drawing shoulder, so my body won't be able to handle that much work. Probably wouldn't be great for my eyes, either. I also don't know if I want my livelihood to depend on how many people like my story. This story is a pair of custom-tailored skinny jeans for my heart (and I have an unusual body type, making it impossible to wear skinny jeans regardless of size). It's a story I want to read. It's meant to fit ME. I don't want to worry about how to also make it fit a bunch of other people.

That being said, some people do find themselves in a situation where they're making something they want to read, and a bunch of other people just happen to like it, too. I think that would be nice

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

I physically can‘t draw for more than four, five hours a day, found that out the hard wayy

eliushi [Keyspace]

I most recently developed pain likely due to RSI and have made accommodations since then but yeah it was scary to think that I have a limit in drawing time. Gotta find ways to take care of yourself for the long run

cAPSLOCK (Tailslide)

I think if comics were my only job, I'd feel a lot more anxious about what I create, and would struggle to work consistently. Having another pursuit makes me feel like I have more freedom to experiment, learn, and make what I want to make.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

That's a really good point keii

Would drawing a comic for a living push me to change it to have more mass appeal?

I don't know but it is definitely possible and would be on my mind

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

It is the dream, if I could get a decent monthly wage on my comic, yes I will dedicate more time, work out a better schedule. Get an editor and colourist on board to help make a polished series. Altho I'm still doing this method to build good working habits But I agree with Eli's point, have to assign days for breaks for myself to prevent RSI. At present I have a trained mindset to work on schedules, but I may feel the pressure to produce as fast as I could.(edited)

Desnik

Well, for starters, my comic would actually be released somewhere, so it'd be nice if it made something back for me

Miranda

I’d actually release it. And work on it regularly, instead of sporadically like I have been! I’d definitely be more critical of what I was doing, and probably way more anxious every time I posted.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

You know, when I was only like 6 years old, I was like "I don't want to be an artist when I grow up. I love art too much, and I don't want to burn out and stop enjoying it. So I'm gonna be a singer instead." I have no idea how 6-year-old me knew about burnout, but I definitely remember saying that in response to an adult asking something like "what do you wanna be when you grow up"/ "wow, you're drawing all the time; do you want to become an artist?"

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

The more I do comics the more I think I want to do art stuff as part of my main career. I would love to make sequential art that's for science purposes

sagaholmgaard

Ah that would be the dream! I'd probably feel more secure in my ability to build up a backlog of pages, and be able to make more extra content for the PDF version! And more content for instagram and twitter as well

kayotics

If I were to be able to do comics full time I think it would completely change my current lifestyle. Not even money wise but I’d need to switch up a lot of things. Like make sure I get a good amount of exercise in. I’d probably add in another page a week, but then use the rest of my week to project manage the comic, and promote my work. I’d spend a lot of other time working on creating an online store, because I can’t see the comic working full time without some supplemental merch keeping me afloat. And I’d also use that time to create and work on another comic series I think.

Yung Skrimp (Carefree)

If I were to do comics full time I’d flex on everyone I know

Feather J. Fern

If I was able to do comics full time, be able to pay off debts, substain rent and food, and extra saved for small spluges, I will shove my comic in my family's face(I got a family who doesn't believe in me at all), dancing around screaming "I MADE IT IN LIFE" And then jump out the window because haha this can't be a reality because I don't think I will ever make it in comics. I will still keep my other job of working at a library and drawing on the side becuase I want working job insurance and also I am the type who wants to save all their money if possible(edited)

eliushi [Keyspace]

I was on board until jumping out the window

Yung Skrimp (Carefree)

I wasn't on board until jumping out the window

Now I am

Moral_Gutpunch

If I could do this for a living, I could do so much. I could afford to put my mother ina home, start my dream farm and start a bunch of conservation as well, I could help my husband fund his own sidegig, and I could afford to foster pets like I always wanted.

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Personally, if I was able to do it I would be a lot more invested in it. I would also make a lot less excuses as to why I'm not practicing as much; it took a pandemic to happen for me to dry taking it more seriously!

I think overall I might have been more happy.

On the other hand, there's also the danger of burnout, of constantly doing the same thing over and over again for me. I'm the type that needs constant change, so I think I'm more suited to having another occupation be my main profession while comics/art would be a secondary one, where I don't have as much pressure. Furthermore, it's also my backup plan in case anything happens to my main job.

Moral_Gutpunch

^ This. I'd be focusing so much more on comics. And I'd be expanding into more comics and writing more stories. I'd be happier I'm writing more, but more frustrated at writers block

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

Man if I could do it full time, might be able to pull more page updates and actually get deep into doing some long term projects I had planned for years. I won't have much of an issue as long i can also do my zine projects on the side. also would be nice to have some job insurance too along with it lmao. the only danger that could take it away if I get incapacitated for no reason lmao

TaliePlume

If I could do comics as my full time job would be awesome! But all that focus would go only to the comic and nothing else which is bad because I would be neglecting a lot of things and not getting other things done.

AntiBunny

I'd finally be able to tell my whole story and start telling another. It drives me crazy that I have more ideas than I can pursue.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

In terms of my actual production, I'm not sure doing my comic as a living would change much lol. I already spend upwards of 40 hours a week on it, I seriously doubt there's more I could be doing. So, earning a living off my comic would just be... one less thing to worry about.

[zachvillasource]

As a striver to be a “master of all,” Zach Villa is a skilled singer, actor, dancer, and instrumentalist who has been a part of various projects and has worked with world renowned talent. Zach has performed in the theater production of “Twelfth Night” alongside Anne Hathaway, has choreographed for Diane Paulus, performed on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” acted alongside Nicole Kidman, and played with the LA Philharmonic, among many more credits.

Currently, Zach can be found playing the infamous, terrifying, and gripping serial killer, Richard Ramirez aka the “Night Stalker,” in American Horror Story: 1984. Viewing the art of playing different roles as “puzzle pieces,” he strives to find empathy within every character he is given and with a commitment to give reality and a personal adaptation to his roles, Zach is hard-working and enjoys roles that do not resemble him in real life. As well, he is an everyday guy, enjoying fast cars and playing poker, but adores the arts and having a creative bone in his body.

With a great sense of humor answering questions and having patience while I figured out GarageBand, please enjoy the interview below with Zach:

Sorry! I forgot to press record. I have the questions here.

That’s ok. I will delay and deem technology hard cause it’s 2019. Let’s do it.

As this season of American Horror Story is coming to an end, what has your experience been like? Was it different or similar to what you expected?

That is a wide ranging question and hopefully it’s some kind of answer. I think when I booked the show, I mean, look, everybody has an idea of what being a serial killer on a show like AHS as I think you take for granted you’re gonna be busy, you take for granted that it’s gonna be a challenge at some point and you know I kinda took all of that with a grain of salt and just put my best foot forward. I don’t think I was thrown by the intensity of it, but I do know that by the end of the season I checked in with myself and realized I’m much more battle worn than I thought and that wasn’t necessarily like any particular aging quality of the show that tears down actors or anything, but I do think that it’s unique. We spent a lot of late nights out in the woods and doing a lot of very intense, dark, emotional work and even when the tone was light I think that that’s still a part of the world of AHS, so that definitely took a toll on me in a way that was subconscious and so these last few weeks here filming I’ve definitely become aware of that and was like, “Oh I’m looking forward to some rest.”

That’s actually perfect cause that kind of goes into my next question. I saw that your role in AHS is playing the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, what was that like and did you have to do anything to prepare for that specific role?

I get this question a lot and not to err on the side of mysterious mystery or anything. I definitely kept some of the prep that I’ve done to myself only because it’s just really difficult to understand when you’re handed a role like Richard Ramirez, even if there’s a campy nature or a light-hearted nature to some of the material that we get into later in the season. There’s no manual like no one says, “Ok you have to play someone who has brutally killed at least thirteen people and that’s a really terrible thing, but society wouldn’t accept.” The most simple answer is I used the tools I use for every role. I do all the research that I possibly can and if I’m playing a real person, which I am, I compared a lot of physical traits in particular, how he sounds, how he walked, how he presented himself physically in the world. I took a lot of that stuff from the plethora of material available and then injected it into the show and the material that was in the script because there’s always a marriage that happens between the material and what an actor’s performance is going to be. It’s not like they give you the script and “oh you’re just you” or “oh you’re just this perfect character that they’ve written.” There’s always some kind of negotiation when you’re playing a biographical role. That was the biggest thing for me. That I had to kind of edit and be like “oh this is how he sounds, this is how he walks and that still works in the world of AHS: 1984.” Is it funny or is it cool, is it scary, like I had to kind of look outside myself every time to make sure that the role was working from an audience point of view. The scary answer is that I walked around downtown very very late at night just thinking dark things while listening to scary music, but no one wants to hear about that. 

Wait is that actually true?? Was that one of your ways to prepare for the role or are you completely joking?

I don’t want to go into too much more detail, but ya I mean the thing is that like because he was a real person that was LA based a lot of the locations that are mentioned in the material you can go visit. You can go see a lot of the hotels that he crashed at and yeah I wanted to see what that felt like. I wanted to see how it affects the body and the mind being in his place at night, as you know everyone knows that he did. That was definitely an element and what I did on the streets I’m not gonna talk about cause who knows. I didn’t kill anybody if that’s what you’re asking. You dress a certain way it makes you feel a certain way. A lot of these things, you know you don’t have to go downtown and murder 13 people to be able to figure out how somene’s psychology works, but you can get close like if you start to mimic. I think it’s like trying on a different pair of pants or a different mask or costume. It affects you and I took that energy and I took how that made me feel and just kind of amped it up and developed it with my own psychology.

What has being a part of AHS taught you, if anything? Personal wise or career wise.

That’s a very good question. I think that we’re always learning, especially artists that’s kind of our job. Well we have multiple jobs, our first job is getting work, and then our career is doing the acting and being on camera and trying to be brilliant in a very small high pressure situation, but I think that as an artist really what makes you move forward is learning and so I think that I’m always learning. I think that everyone is learning just as much from a good experience as they would a bad experience and AHS was a career highlight, is a career highlight for sure and I want it to continue being a career highlight. I think that it kind of just taught me that you have to stick with it even when things are confusing or hectic or the work seems like it doesn’t make any sense because you’re trying to play a historical person, but then you realize that you’re working on campy comedy that also explores really dark, scary, gore and those are certain things you don’t see in the script at the very beginning and so I think maybe if I were to take something away professionally acting wise it’s that you have to be ok with surprise, you have to learn to adapt to whatever the process asks of you and I knew that, but I think AHS, this particular show, really demanded it of me in a different way and usually it demanded it of me when I only had four and a half hours of sleep after a night shoot, so I think that I learned something about myself. I learned that I have the stamina to really take roles like this and go the distance and just be adaptable and be ready for surprise.

What has been the most challenging character to play, so far in your career?

Man, you’re pulling no punches. I don’t know, I mean I kind of feel like I get more excited and more success in payoff when I’m playing characters that are challenging, that aren’t like me at all, so I would say like “oh ya like Richard Ramirez or Richard III oddly, you know, or something of that nature,” but I don’t really see it as a challenge, I think it’s just kind of a puzzle piece, so sorry that’s not really the answer to your question. I just try not to judge the roles that I do. I mean, sure there are some that I’ve felt better about or less successful about, but I think a lot of those happened in acting school for me, like a lot of it was stuff that I clearly wouldn’t have been casted for in the real world, but it still taught me something, so I guess challenging or most difficult character I’ve had to play was... I don’t know. I don’t really have a problem with getting behind really, pardon my French, but fucked up psychology like I think that’s something that I enjoy delving into because you learn about humanity and look, humans are complicated, confused animals and we’re all just trying to do our best and when we’re being cordial and we got our shit together I think that can be a really beautiful thing, but we’re also capable of some really terrible evil and I think that for me I’ve become more comfortable clearly with that side of my psychology and humanity and I think that you have to as an actor, so it’s hard for me to answer that because I try to find empathy in every character that I take on even if it’s quote on quote challenging for me on a personal level.

I know you act, sing, dance, and play instruments, but if you had to choose just one of those things, which one is your favorite?

I will not choose. There, I refuse to, in fact I got so much slack when I was in high school in particular, instructors who were very wise and 99% of the time this might be true for students that they were working with, they would always try to make me choose, they’re like “stop playing the guitar, why are you writing songs, you’re 17 and why are you just picking this up now like you have a dance career and you’re really good at singing and acting” and I’m like “well those are three things you already listed that are different from each other, so why are you telling me to choose one thing now?” I just kind of felt like that was only the lie and something I’ve been fighting for a very long time and a lot of great artists throughout history have been, dare I say well-rounded, and that’s not to say that I want to be a master of none, I think that I’d like to be a master of all and trying to use all these different gifts and mediums to inform one another. I mean that’s a huge part of my process. I wouldn’t be able to fight or move physically like Richard if I didn’t have an extensive dance background, if I didn’t have a dance background I wouldn’t know the first thing about programming drums and music in the studio, so it’s just like for me it’s just all part of the same suit and they’re all different highs. I mean, selfishly it’s pretty cool that I get to be on the set of AHS and then go play a rock show the next week you know like that’s really fun for me and in a very very different experience cause you can’t replicate on a set.

What inspired you to get into the arts?

I feel like maybe I had no choice. My mom was a dance teacher, she’s retired now, and I had a dance studio attached to my house growing up, so I kind of feel at a certain age it was like “well we can do daycare and never spend time with our son or we can put him in dance class and my mom could teach me something useful” and that’s what ended up happening. I was just injected with it at a very early age and as I grew older the truth changes all the time. Like I'm sure at one point I was like “oh yay, fame and glory” and then I learned more about storytelling and I learned how cathartic that was for me. I’ve definitely gone through periods where the arts were like therapy for me, but I think at the end of the day, it’s in my blood and I can’t imagine doing anything else and I don’t think I even have to know why. I think that I have some things to offer that society likes to call “expert communication” on some level and I think that it would be a waste if I wasn’t doing that because that’s what I’ve always done and I think that’s probably what I'll always do and I don’t really have a logical reason as to why that’s necessary.

What hobbies do you have when you’re not working?

I love playing poker. I love motorcycles and I love fast cars. It’s so stereotypical it hurts, but it’s true. Because when I'm riding a motorcycle it honestly feels like one of my best acting moments, I feel like it’s the perfect balance of risk, danger and control and that’s what being alive is. I took up film photography about three years ago. I needed something that didn’t have the pressure of success, so I get a lot of satisfaction from being the guy at a party or at an event that has a camera and is looking for a candid moment. So that brings me some joy and I haven’t tried to make money from it yet, so everything is going well with that.

You’ve worked with a lot of other big names like Anne Hathaway and Nicole Kidman. Have you learned anything from working with them?

Absolutely! When I worked with Anne, I was fresh out of school and it was one of my first gigs and I think every actor, big or small, has a different process and I can’t tell you how many different ways there are to do this job. There’s no right way, there’s no manual. You can go to school for 8 years and be the worst actor or you can just come out of the womb and just have it. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing big names and small names be incredible on stage, or horrible. I think it’s paramount to understand that everybody has a different way of working and as soon as you start to judge that it’s really dangerous territory because you have to have freedom and you have to feel safe in order to do good work. I’ve seen it done every single way and what I’ve learned about the ones that are good actors, but also good at their jobs, is that they’re just so graceful, open, and vulnerable on set. I think that good manners and being gracious towards your fellow actors, crew mates and everybody who works on the project to make it happen is one of the most admirable qualities. Nicole, when I worked with her, I was blown away. It was a childhood dream to act with her because I watched her in Moulin Rouge and was obsessed with that as a kid. I mean growing up as a triple threat - dancer, actor, singer - and then Moulin Rouge comes out, I was just enamored. When I got to work with her, it was such a weird out of body experience because I had been on the grind for a long time and then I looked around one day and was like, “Oh my god, I’m on Nicole Kidman’s lap sitting on a couch, doing a scene with her. What is this life?” What was so cool is that she was gracious and caring to me and everyone that she worked with and as far as I was concerned, it felt like we were just two peers working on a scene. There was no ego involved and when I got to see that from someone that high up in their career it was extremely admirable. Taking away from that experience, I think it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together, it’s a hard gig and we’ve got to support each other.

[son-of-alderaan]

Deadline: You’ve done this play before, so what’s different? Let’s start there.

Adam Driver: Well, I did it in college as kind of a last-year project. They picked the play for you, and cast you, and doing the play means four performances of it or something like that. You can say this about all well-written plays – four performances isn’t enough. You’re just saying the lines, basically, and making sure that they’re in the right order. We didn’t even scratch the surface. And I was also, like, 23 or something, and had no idea, really, what I was saying. I mean, I had an idea, but now I’m, sadly, the actual age of the character, so it just kind of changes your perspective in ways that I don’t think I’ve quite articulated for myself, nor felt the need to I guess, really.

This production is coming at an incredible time in your career. You were nominated for an Oscar, you have a little movie called Star Wars coming up, and between the two is Burn This. There must be something about the play that spoke to you, for you to put it into this particular spot. What was that?

Well, it was a lot of things. I’ll try to keep the answer short, but it was just a lot of stars aligning. On a technical level, there are not a lot of really great plays in a single setting, that are character driven. It has all these great ideas, all these great characters. I have this non-profit [Arts in the Armed Forces, cofounded with wife Joanne Tucker] where we perform contemporary American plays for a military audience, and there’s limited rehearsal so we try to pick material that’s urgent, and sometimes aggressive, and all the characters feel like they’re desperate to say something, and that kind of energy I was kind of missing. I hadn’t done a play in a long time, but if something came up again that felt that urgent, like you just have to get it out, that every line in the play could be yelled, because there are people that are exorcising something that, there’s just not a lot of plays that are like that. And Burn This is certainly that.

And all the themes of the play, this idea of loss and grief, you know, when it was originally written in the ‘80s, obviously this is Lanford’s AIDS play, and that idea of something beautiful just gone, and not being able to process it.

There’s also something that I think is really beautiful that’s articulated in this play really well, about work, and process. [Actress Tanya Berezin], who owns the rights to Lanford’s plays, has this great story about Lanford and Tennessee Williams, who were working together on something, and in an interview they asked Lanford, “It’s so great that you’re working with Tennessee Williams, you guys kind of have a similar writing style,” or something to that effect, and Lanford was, like, “no, no, no, no, Tennessee writes about sex, and I write about work.” The more we work on Burn This, yes, it has this beautiful theme of loss and people with their acquired family and their genetic family, but it’s also a play about artists, in the room, talking about process.

The characters are all kind of on the precipice of maybe doing something good. Anna, with her relationship with Pale and maybe the grief over Robbie, is creating her first really adult dance piece. Burton, at the end of the play, says, “I’ve never lost before,” and he’s wanting to write something epic, but doesn’t know how, and maybe Lanford is saying that it just takes so much. It has to cost you something to create something beautiful. This idea of Robbie, who was a constant workhorse, just obsessed with work and no one saw that, his family missed it, and to take that away from him is like taking away his identity.

And Pale is constantly, he works all the time, and you know, he thinks he could have been a composer and compose these tome poems, and concertos, but that didn’t go anywhere. And that’s a kind of loss. All these…this is a long answer, but there are so many different reasons why I did this play, why I wanted to live it for four or five months, you know, and just keep exploring it because all these great, well-written plays constantly are teaching you something.

Yes. Now, Pale…

It gives you something to explore, I guess, not necessarily teaches you something…

You said the characters are all on the precipice of doing something good, but at the end of the play, Pale quits his job as a restaurant manager to become a bartender. Does his trajectory fit with the others?

I don’t think he’s defeated. I don’t think him quitting is taking a step back. If anything, it’s a step forward. He’s working less hours. He’s open to the world more. He’s seeking more balance. For the first time, he’s changing everything, and that’s scary. Everybody’s on the precipice of moving, longing for a better, different life, and I think they all go for it.

You said this was Lanford Wilson’s AIDS play, and yet AIDS is never mentioned in Burn This. I’m wondering if you and the rest of the cast, and your director, explored why Lanford made that decision.

Well, I’m quoting what he said, when he was asked, is this your AIDS play he said, yes, it was. That’s a theme, but we can’t really play that. It’s something that was discussed, but it’s not an active, actionable thing to play. You can’t play an idea. But the idea of loss, of suddenly having all these beautiful men gone, and these characters not being able to process it, and so they start maybe acquiring strangers because of that loss. Loss can be a powerful bond, and that we definitely discussed.

How did this production come about for you?

I think I was approached by my agent, who kind of spearheaded this thing. If I’m remembering it correctly, and I think I am, I talked with Michael [Mayer, director] on the phone, and I was of course familiar with the play, and we talked about timing, and seeing if we were on the same page creatively. And that was kind of it. Two years ago, I think, when we first started…

So there really was no way you could have foreseen where your career would be. I’m wondering how actors make these decisions – “I need to do a play now because I just did this movie and I’m about to do this movie…”

No. Nothing is carefully planned, unfortunately. I wish I had more of a plan, but I mean, not to be all cavalier about it, but no. This was two years ago, and I was anxious to do a play again, but it wouldn’t work out, schedule-wise, for the two years. They were patient with me. I always loved this play, I love Lanford’s plays, so obviously it was important to me, and so we just kind of winged it. But no, there was no master plan, like, Now it’s important that I do something different….

When did Keri Russell come aboard? You knew her before this, I think.

Yeah. I know Matthew Rhys, her partner. I did a play with him. That was the last play I did, Look Back in Anger, so I knew Keri through Matthew. I think she came – someone else will probably know the timeline better – but I feel like last year?

So the coincidence of you two appearing in the next Star Wars, that was just…

Star Wars wasn’t a reality then. This pre-dated Star Wars, and then Keri got involved. Most of this stuff is coincidental.

[A publicist says Driver’s time for the interview is running out…]

You have to leave in a few minutes, so I need to think of something I really want to ask you. Let’s see. Well, you can’t tell me the title of the next Star Wars, can you, or…?

So you haven’t really wanted to ask me all these other questions?

I have, really. I saw the play last night and could spend another 45 minutes asking you about it and your choices, like the scene where you start crying, that first really powerful cry, and where that came from…

Are you seriously asking me this?

Sure, I’m seriously asking you this. How do you dredge that up, where does something like that come from?

You know, I don’t know. It’s not really a thing that I’ve really sat down to articulate. There’s a theme of opera, of music, that is all throughout the play, where I talk about classical music, and Vivaldi, and Puccini, and the Flying Dutchman and Senta throwing herself into the sea, and Burton wants to create something big, larger than life. These people are smaller than life, and Pale comes in and says he likes hurricanes, things that can amaze you. The other characters are people desperate to live big lives in order to feel something, and Pale comes into their world. He’s not embarrassed by having a feeling, or by expressing it.

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

Important Message I Would like to get off my chest for a bit

I would like to say something to you all, throughout the years that i’ve had this blog, i thought it would never get this well liked, i thought i was just gonna be another one of those cringy 13 years old roleplayers that are always in character, but, well, it’s 2019 and here we are, and i would like to say,,,, thank you.... thank you everyone for being here with me, throughout all the hardships i’ve faced over the years, and with the bullshit i have to deal with at home, i still find someway to smile throughout it all. it’s because of you guys you guys are the reason why i keep going with this blog, why i keep moving forward in life and interacting more with others, it’s you guys who made prowler who he is today character wise pretty much, i enjoyed seeing you all interact with my characters, and most of all, even if i don’t get any more asks or starters, just seeing ya’ll like my stuff is more than enough to make me move forward for the rest of the day, you guys are like a second family to me, and i love you all to death, even if you all just like, fave and then leave a few seconds later that’s really all im glad for, that you all still notice my work and like it, even if i would be glad if i could get asks again, im not gonna be a little bitch and just, spam ask box is open, that was the old old old me, this is a new year and a new me, a few moments of ya’ll times as i would like to say to some of my most closest friends or famous people who’ve helped me in the past and still help me to this day even if they don’t know or feel it. @ask-coldarcherbendy- one of the first friends i actually made on here during my main blog, shade has been a good person and a good friend to me, and was the reason of how fast my blog grew in a short period of time, she’s the main reason why i created my own bendy blog in the first place so in a way she is my idol, and im proud to have you have you as a friend. @ask-soul-bendy- my second but amazing friend in the whole world, sheyd has been there by my side whenever i felt down, or depressed, or angry, he’s a great talker, and a great listener and was willing to stop everything he was doing just to talk with me about my problems sometimes, for that i thank him, he’s one of the greatest artists i know in my opinon, and a amazing friend to me <3 @ahrifoxtailgoddess- i would like to thank you ahri, for being a very good friend, and almost like a sister to me at times, you’ve been one of the best friends i’ve ever known for years on both DA, and on here, i’ve watched you grow and you’ve watched me grow, you have a job now and here i am, still here but at leash you can meet new people, for that im happy for you, i thank you for all the times you’ve and i’ve goofed around, for all the times that we would sat sit down and just laugh about random things that make no sense, and for giving me inspiration to draw more, if it wasnt for you i wouldn’t have found so much joy and happiness with drawing, so i hope that even if you may not find your work the best, i hope that you remember all the fun that we had together, love ya fam~ <3 @ask-modern-demonarchived- even though i know your no longer on tumblr, i still have hopes that you lurk around here from time to time, if you do, im glad that you could buy the time to view this, the mun here is just, really sweet, and very amazing, them being the first people i had my own precious boy, bendy meet, by then he was just called modern, you were a very huge inspiration on me, as due to how much your writing style inspired me to make my own writing style, throughout my years i’ve just, been improving, for that i thank you my friend, i hope that you are having a wonderful life, whereever you may be for now. @kkw424- though we barley talk now a days on tumblr, im quite glad that we got to knew eachother for a while and had fun goofing around in messages, and for having prowler meet one of the most cutest little demons that he’s ever seen, and in a way, i would have to thank you for your own way of drawing bendy gave me the moviation i wanted to start drawing my own bendy once again, i guess what im trying to say is that if it hadn’t been for you, i would have never started drawing my own boy again, and if i even did, i probbally would’nt have not put that much effort into it ^^; @licoriceblackaliceangel- even though we barley talk now a days, i honestly enjoyed all the times we’ve have with my bendy and your alice, despite of many possibly situations, we somehow still found ways to be friends despite of everything and for that, im glad to have you as a friend. @sammys-sanctuary- another amazing friend that i met who i’ve now consinder one of my other idols, out of all the three that i met before everyone else, sammy was one of the artists and story makers that i have found the most interesting and amazing, plus they were the reason of how i met the creator of spider!bendy! @ask-spider-bendy- speaking of the mun of spider, i would like to thank him, for being a amazing inspiration towards me, and for being a very wonderful person and artist, your art and posts always makes me laugh no matter the day or mood im having, somehow your posts just have, a unique vibe to them that just, makes people like me laugh like crazy. @metallicartist- another person whom i met during my first years of being on tumblr on this blog, they were the nicest i have ever met, and a amazing friend to this day, i owe it to her of being another inspiration to why i draw, because im hoping that one day, i can draw as good as her, maybe someday that’ll happen, someday. @inkwise, another person whom i met thanks to interactions with some of my other friends, i was scrolling around tumblr and just, happened to come across this blog, and by then i was trying to be more social and all so i figured why not and talk a bit with them, best choice i’ve ever made, because of the sweet mun that is known as avi (the god) they inspired me mentally to be the person i am today, even if i don’t show it sometimes, im glad that we are and still are friends. @inkgalaxys- another person whom i met during when i was coming back slowly from my long ass hitaus, i originally met them when they asked alpha (they told me it was meant for prowler but hh) a small little starter, which at the time i wasnt that hesitant to roleplay with other people like i am now, but i guess time changes, and like some years later i decided to have conversations with some people that i knew over the years on this blog and pastel just happened to be one of them, again, another best choice, i enjoyed seeing their blog, and their art style is just, adorable and amazing, as a fellow cartoonist artist myself i respect you, i still do! and im glad that we are still friends, despite with things that happened, somehow we forgave eachother and, moved on from it, your characters and little roleplays with mine are always fun to see and view whenever im lurking around on tumblr, and plus honestly your one of the most valid people that i would say that deserves more than me out there, so again thank you for being such a dear and an amazing friend towards me, i still hope that sometimes we can still have fun with our characters goofing around on tumblr and all that jazz, maybe someday it’ll go back to that. @one-eyed-twin- me most favorite BATIM Ask And RP AU blog of all time!~ when i was simply scrolling around tumblr i have no idea when i stumbled across this blog, i admired the art style of this and wanted to see if this blog was messageable, sadly not, but before then despite that i found the mun and they were really nice, and we became good friends! with them i was inspired to create a more, child like and kinship version of prowler that would later be his trademark mood for whenever he interacts with clyde, who is the most sweetest of demons and deserves better in his life, please go by their blog sometimes and give them love, they deserve it <3 @derpy-doodlees and @anawizachu585- two people who i consindered to be the bestest of friends that i had and talked with when i was only comfortable with talking with few people, i found them one day and just, had a chat, eventually we got to talking a lot more and discovered that we all had a few things in common, plus there also sisters too! and they are really nice and funny! two of the most funniest and kindest friends that i’ve ever had @halfusek- one the most famous people on tumblr, their strange but amazing art style made me honestly very happy every time i would see it, i would just, get a whole lot of wholesome vibes from them, plus, their joey is just, beautiful, along with their blog and content, they are one of the best people i would call an idol and possibly a friend in the near future. @a-rae-of-sunshine- one of the most recent bloggers i’ve met, who i already consindered to be famous, is very nice and very cool! i adore their HEA!au and it’s wholesome content, im glad that i had the chance to talk with ya and become slight friends!  @ask-eb-drago-bendy- another person whom i met during my slight hitaus from tumblr when i was just lurking around, i got a slight random ask from them, and being my curious self i decided to view their blog before anything, and i got to talking with them, and we became good friends, their art style actually inspired me to make detailed art more often than i would normally do, plus gave me the slight inspiration to make my sweet boy have a scary dragon like form~ @theswordandthependle- queenie is a god and a amazing friend, nothing else to say, there pretty funny too, made me laugh a few times too. @problematicprojectionist- another friend whom i met during my first few years slightly on this blog on tumblr during my long ass hitaus, their art style were amazing and their norman is, just a sweetheart, he and my henry got along very well ;W; and plus the mun, angel is a sweetheart and a amazing person. @mad-hatter-ison- another person whom i met when i came back during my long ass hitaus, they were funny, cool, and nice! and honestly that’s all i would want to see in a friend, being nice and having fun with eachother! they inspired me to actually be more social around people and talk more, even though i’ve been slightly not doing that,,, im trying ;u; @core4lost- another person whom i met along with sheyd, though at first we barley talked a lot, mainly on da and tumblr but later on we became quite good friends! and even though we’ve barley talk now, i still have high hopes in the near future, plus it was for them that prowler turned out to be such a cutie pie when meeting other toons like core’s adorable little demon child named corr~ @instrumentsofcyanide- stella is a amazing person and one of the most funniest bendy bloggers i have met in my life, their bendy named oreo had been the main cause of my more happy mood swings, their posts and shitposts are just the most beautiful and funniest i have ever seen, plus they are a good friend of mine that im glad to have met <3  @ask-the-crafty-demon-bleh- and lastly i would like to talk about one of the most other slightly famous people i know, they inspired me to change my bendy’s personality and behavior to make him more original, and made him stand out from others, i enjoyed seeing their content, and their adorable little bendy character named crafty, whom he and prowler became good friends just like with me and their mun, and honestly, with them and the mun of soul-bendy, they inspired me to make more friends, and be more strict, but also more polite and mature too, they were amazing role models, and amazing friends, and they still are some of my most amazing friends to this day. thats... really i all have to say ya’ll, i know this post is like, very long right now but im hoping that ya’ll would have the time to view it when you get a chance, and before you all ask, no this is not a post of me saying goodbye forever, then it would of been a lot more sad oof, i may go on a short hiatus sometime during spring, but im not gonna go on another long ass hiatus or leave tumblr completly, it’ll take more than my emotional life and stress to keep me from leaving the main scource of why im who i am today, so again to everyone, thank you all for supporting my blog, and to those who have been with me since the beginning, you all are valid and beauitful and deserve to be loved by everyone, that is all i have to say, imma gonna get off now but i hope you all took the time to read this post ;U;

[thepropertylovers]

Feature Friday with Cameron Hawthorn

Happy Friday! We are beyond excited about this week’s FF. Not only is he devilishly handsome, he’s also an insanely talented artist who is breaking down stigmas and stereotypes in the country music industry to show people you can be whoever you want to be, regardless of what anybody else thinks. Read on below to learn more about Cameron, because we have a feeling you’re going to be seeing him a lot more in the future…

Where are you from? Andover, Kansas 

Where do you live? Los Angeles but moving this summer to Nashville

Instagram & Twitter handle: @cmrnhwthrn

Age: 30

On the trip of a lifetime: I got to travel all over Australia for six months. I won a "job" through a travel competition and was flown all over Oz getting to experience everything that the country has to offer from dining to all sorts of adventures (skydiving, swimming with sea lions, hanging with kangaroos and koalas, the list goes on and on). It honestly feels like a dream that any of it happened but it was the most amazing six months of my life. I especially loved the Whitsunday Islands, Broome, and Sydney.

On coming out: I came out to my family and friends when I was 27. My family was and still is super accepting and loving. Believe it or not, it was actually some friends that I lost through the process. My faith has always been important to me, and I was a part of a close-knit friend group of Christians. A few of them must not have seen eye-to-eye because the friendships fizzled after I came out to them. It was tough to deal with at the time, but I learned who my true friends were and who loves me for me.

On the importance of family: One of my cousins came out years before me, so in a lot of ways I think he paved the way for my family’s current perspective. I’m really appreciative to him for that. And ever since coming out, my family has been nothing but loving and supportive (even though at first it may have been a bit of an adjustment for them - I don’t blame them - what took me a lifetime to process they were now having to process immediately). Like I mentioned, a few friends gave me some backlash, but it only strengthened me in the end. I’m actually thankful I had to go through that because now I’m able to really value the friendships I have where nothing changed between us after I came out. 

On what he’s learned after coming out: Wow, so much. Before I came out, I was putting up so many walls in fear that people would think I was gay. I’ve learned (and am still learning) how to let those walls down and truly be myself. Even though “loving others the way they are” has always been a value for me, I’ve learned that I was still pretty judgmental before (being around a lot of religious strictness and rules can do that, I suppose). As a result of coming out and truly loving and not judging myself, I’ve been able to love others more fully and take on an actual nonjudgmental attitude and mindset toward others. Finally, communication is really big for me in all areas of my life, and I've learned that even more and become a better communicator through coming out.

On his advice to LGBTQ+ youth: I would say...first of all, I empathize with you because it's very difficult being vulnerable and letting family and friends in on a secret you've been hiding for so long. But the reward on the other side is incredible and it's very empowering getting to unashamedly be your authentic self. As tempting as it is to fear what others will think, don't fall victim to that fear. You will be loved by the people in your life that matter, and if those people are not in your life now, they 100% will be down the road. Stand up for what you believe in and who you are. Even if it's scary, it will only be scary for a moment. You can do it :)

On his new song “Dancing in the Living Room”: "Dancing in the Living Room" is a really special song to me. When I wrote it, I was in a long-term relationship with a wonderful guy and we would dance in the living room from time to time. I was thinking about it one day how that's such a special moment we get to share - just the two of us - within the four walls of our apartment. Getting to be our true selves without fear of being judged or worrying what others might think. It can be difficult to dance in public as a gay couple, but in our living room, we were safe. And I think for any couple - straight or gay - dancing in the living room with your significant other is a time you get to focus on the love you have for that person. At the end of the song, I sing "these moments mean the most to me" - and it really is true. The video was an opportunity to share more of myself, and it was a dream come true making it and then putting it out into the world.

On being an openly gay artist in the country music industry: So far it's been nothing but positivity and love that I've received, and I'm so thankful. I think it's important for people to see all sorts of representation in entertainment and media because the world is a very diverse place - why wouldn't entertainment and media be a reflection of that? It's true that country music is known for being a "certain way", but I think things are changing and I'm excited to be a part of that. Hopefully it will inspire people to be true to themselves, no mater what that may be, and to be loving and accepting of people who look and act different from them.

On being an independent artist: Being an independent artist is, without a doubt, a challenging road. I have so many dreams for my career and only so many that I can achieve on my own. And the inevitable self-doubt starts to creep in when you're hitting road blocks and obstacles. I'm ready to start building a team around my music and vision and finding the right people for that is vital and has been a challenge. But it's an exciting time with the release of "Dancing in the Living Room" and more music I have coming soon. I'm confident that my journey is unfolding the way it's supposed to, in the perfect timing, and that there are really big things in store for my career.

On the power of strong women I've always loved Oprah since the days when I would come home from school and my Mom would be watching her show. She's a mighty force, a wise woman, and a huge inspiration to me in what she stands for and all that she has achieved. I also have a huge respect for Taylor Swift. Not only do I appreciate (and fangirl over) her music, but the way she has navigated her career and grown it to its incredible heights is super inspiring. RuPaul and many of the drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race have recently become people I look up to. My ex got me hooked on the show, and wow, talk about confidence, bravery, and being true to yourself - those gals are great examples of that.

On where he’ll be in 10 years: Making and singing the best music I've ever made with an unbelievable team around me, playing sold out stadiums and venues around the world, connecting with people around the world through my music. Being madly in love with someone and starting a family with him. Being the same ol' kid from Kansas that I am now but hopefully a little wiser with a few more wrinkles from laughing and smiling so much.

Thank you SO much, Cameron! And y’all be sure to stay tuned for more music and show dates coming soon!

[sltracy88-blog]

Anthology Project

Shanna Leigh Tracy

The future might seem scary to think about. From driverless cars, robots walking among us, human enhancements, even the thought and option to be able to freeze yourself and be woken up years from now. Head transplants, or uploading your brain/memory to a computer, parents being able to edit their babies genes, and also the creation of state of the art prosthetics. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the future, specially with how far technology has come.

In the article “More than 70% of US fears robots taking over cars” 70% of people have expressed their concern over robots taking over human tasks. (Solon, 2017) At least I’m not the only one who feels this way. People are worried that machines are going to take over their jobs and they won’t be needed anymore, which is totally understandable because if the machines take over then how will we make a living? That and having a computer drive us around and be in charge of our safety scares us. It’s hard to understand how a driverless car would be safe.

One of the biggest techno panics is the time cars become driverless. The inventors say that driverless cars will be safer, since some humans are distracted, drunk, or falling asleep at the wheel. (Slolon, 2017)  But the public still isn’t convinced and either am I. It sounds dangerous and unsafe.

Now let’s talk about freezing your body, or in other words Cryonics! Which is an option for an attempt to preserve your body. “Suspended animation” however could be possible for more shorter time periods. Suspended animation is a concept used to explain how to help people in trauma. It’s the process in which animals deanimate, appear dead, and then wake up again appearing to be unharmed. (Roth, 2010) In other words, it’s like shutting down the body and then restarting it again. They have found that hydrogen sulfide decreases damages you could recieve when you are exposed to a leathly low amount of oxygen. So when they give you the hydrogen sulfide it can lower the oxygen level in your body to stop any further damage in your body. (Roth, 2010)

It’s kind of neat, yet scary how you can freeze your body in hopes to live again one day in the distant future. It’s scary because how will you know you will even wake up? What will the world even be like? To me personally I wouldn’t do it. It would be like waking up and not knowing anything, it would be a whole new world and you more than likely wouldn’t know anyone and it would probably be a totally different lifestyle. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind at all to have hydrogen sulfide help me if ever I was in trauma. I find that more beneficial than Cryonics, to me cryonics is like a 5% success rate, but then again I’m not a scientist and maybe there is more than one life to live?

The bionic body is also showing advancements in the field of prosthetics. In addition to prosthetic limbs, which are more versatile and user-friendly, researchers have developed functioning prototypes of artificial organs that can take the place of one’s spleen, pancreas or lungs. And an experimental implant that wires the brain to a computer holds the promise of giving quadriplegics control over artificial limbs. (Brumfiel, 2013)

With The Internet of Things (IoT) also on the rise we will soon see a change in the way we also shop and go about our everyday life. IoT offers us many opportunities to be more efficient with how we do things, from saving time and money.

When it comes to genetically modify ourselves or even our children, do we also have an ethical responsibility? In the future it might be something people will be doing all over the world. Since we have limitations in terms of aging, cognitive, various physical limitations, and of course moral limitations, science offers us the opportunity to overcome these limitations. Not only genetically modifying ourselves but physically enhancing our bodies as well. Bioart which is art using live human and animal tissue, bacteria and living organisms for materials. The bionic body is also showing advancements in the field of prosthetics. In addition to prosthetic limbs, which are more versatile and user-friendly, researchers have developed functioning prototypes of artificial organs that can take the place of one’s spleen, pancreas or lungs. And an experimental implant that wires the brain to a computer holds the promise of giving quadriplegics control over artificial limbs.

Thinking about the future and taking a step back and realizing how so much has changed over the years it doesn’t make me feel as nervous for my own future. Head transplant, driverless car, and robots living among us honestly doesn’t seem too far fetched. We have come such a long way that we can only go further. The past 50 years and even 20 years we have seen so much, it really makes me start to wonder what the next 20 or 50 years will bring. A real eye opener that technology is constantly evolving. Nothing to scary has happened yet.

What technology honestly has to offer we are really only seeing the start of it. Looking at the timeline of inventions over the years we are obviously coming a long way technology wise especially with computers, and robots. Eventually the time will come when we will have driverless cars out there and robots walking around, even working!  History’s greatest technopancis ranged from writing, books, newspapers, the light bulb, and the telephone which may seem silly now but it also shows us that maybe driverless cars wouldn’t be so scary after all. (BBC, 2016) But like I said above, technology has come so far. How far can we go without going to far? Driverless cars do not seem as simple as having books, newspapers, and even the telephone. But then again back in the day people probably thought the same thing. Therefore looking at what the future has to offer I think we will benefit greatly.  

References

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_roth_suspended_animation_#t-11341b

https://gizmodo.com/why-freezing-yourself-is-a-terrible-way-to-achieve-immo-1552142674

http://waitbutwhy.com/2016/03/cryonics.html

https://ideas.ted.com/the-ethics-of-genetically-enhanced-monkey-slaves/

https://slate.com/technology/2015/02/stelarc-and-other-contemporary-artists-experiment-with-science.html

https://www.wired.com/2011/07/bioart/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-insane-and-exciting-future-of-the-bionic-body-918868/

(18 May 2014). WORLD OF TECH-12 TECHNOLOGIES THAT SCARED THE WORLD SENSELESS.

Retrieved from https://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/12-technologies-that-scared-the-world-sensless-1249053

(25 July 2016). BBC NEWS FUTURE-HISTORY’S GREATEST TECHNO PANICS. Retrieved from

www.bbc.com/future/story/201607001-historys-greatest-technopanics

(04 October 2017). THE GUARDIAN- MORE THAN 70% OF US FEARS ROBOTS TAKING OVER CARS.

Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/04/robots-artificial-intelligence-machines-us-survey

[ochaka-archive]

Kazui, Ichika and Nemuri headcanons! (teen)

I'll jump straight into it!

Kazui

-He's a sporty boy and plays many sports. His favorite is basketball, he loves water related sports too. He goes on tournaments often and Orihime makes him special snacks. He's immune to the odd taste and likes then usually.

-He has many admirers and friends. He doesn't have crushes on anyone in particular. Kids, and girls especially fight for his attention.

-He aspires to be like his parents when he grows up. He has powers really similar to his parents but sort of enhanced.

-He has many aunties and uncles from various different realms. Birthdays are very crowded for him. His room is crowded with toys and various thingies.

-He developed a really strong bond with both Karin and Yuzu, since he lived with them since early childhood. He loves spending time with them. Unconsciously he sees them as older sisters.

-He loves hanging out with Ichika and Nemu. Ichika visits fairly often and usually stays with the Kurosakis. He loves her as a friend very much. (maybe more later? maybe?)

-Nemu is kinda like Uryū as she is somewhat like a rival towards Kazui. He doesn't mind and still looks to her for some wise advice.

-He cooks with Orihime! Ichigo is usually relieved when he cooks since Orihime's food tends to be a little harsh for your stomach.

-He becomes shy and awkward but never stops smiling when a serious matter occurs, that he needs to discuss.

-Even as a teen he loves hugging both his parents. They love hugging him too. He's a big hug monster to the people he loves.

-He's protective of his mother and doesn't appreciate older gentlemen eyeing her when they go for a walk. He tells Ichigo all about it and he gets the job done. Kazui smiles when he sees those same men running away when they see him and his mother.

-He's really close with Grimmjow and Nel. Specifically when he goes on crazy adventures with Grimmjow. He scared little Kazui to tears when he was little but he grew on him. Grimmjow refuses to say he likes the kid, but Ichigo and Orihime know. They also know he's not allowed in a million different places in Japan. However it's completely different with Nel. She usually goes to fun theme parks with Kazui and has a lot of fun. In the end Kazui is the one babysitting her. He gets a little sick of certain rides after Nel repeatedly wants to go on them. He thinks she's a masochist because of that, and he's not wrong.

Ichika

-She's very feisty and quick to anger. She bites with her words more than she would want, which causes many apologizing sessions.

-She picks on Kazui a lot. She stretches his cheeks when he's being silly, usually accompanied with berating and sly remarks. Despite that, she cares for him deeply and looks out for him more than anyone would think. She protects him from bullies, harm and whatnot.

-She's very artistic! In contrast to her mother she draws very well and she's really talented. She mainly draws cute chibis or bunny girls.

-She acts a lot like Ichigo. To Rukia's dismay she often disagrees with her and it drives both Rukia and Renji nuts. Since she spends a lot if time at the Kurosakis, she heard many stories about Kazui's dad when he was young. She has a great bond with Orihime and Ichigo.

-She's a supportive friend. She always tells Nemu she's very pretty when she wears her makeup, and that she doesn't need it. She picks up Kazui when he's feeling down and is overall a great shoulder to cry on.

-She goes on field trips to Rukongai. She's a local idol. She plays and looks after the kids, helps old people and does her best to keep them safe. Renji and Rukia are very proud of her for it.

-She has a million Chappy plushies and charms from Rukia. Rukia says she's as cute as Chappy. While Ichika appreciates the gesture very much, it dies get too much when the Chappys get bigger than her small mother. She gives Rukia backrubs after she hurts her back from the huge plushes. It gives Renji a huge laugh.

-She would eventually join the 11th division. She's super cool with Kenpachi because of it. Kenpachi wants to fight Kazui to her dismay. She reprimands her captain a lot. She reminds most of Yachiru when she was little.

-She carries her zanpakuto around everywhere when she's in the human world. Most the kids fear her the same way they feared Ichigo. Girls try to talk to her and find she's a big jokester and that she really isn't as bad as she seems.

-She's secretly jealous of girls who approach Kazui hoping to date him. She tells Kazui they're bad news and Kazui just listens to her. Perhaps he knows why she's like that.

-She mostly trains with her father. They share a sweet bond. Sometimes though it's not as sweet as it is scary since they become really competitive. Rukia usually ends up being a victim if their shenanigans. Instead of giving them icepacks and bandages, she has to get some for herself too. She doesn't mind as long as both Ichika and Renji are happy.

-Her favorite animal is a cat. She likes drawing cats as well. That if course means she's pretty good with Yoruichi. She considers her her favorite teacher. Kisuke is not very dear to her.

Nemuri

-She's a big bookworm. She loves reading and being smarter than everyone. She hopes to be her father's lieutenant when she grows up. She works hard and studies for that.

-Kazui's relaxed attitude often annoys her but she cools down once she sees he can be serious. She still reprimands him when he does reckless things, however.

-She wears make up in a similar fashion to her father. White eyeliner and wing, navy blue wing above that and gold eyelashes on the ends of them. She also wears red lip gloss.

-She's great friends with Ichika. Those two basically grew up together, so naturally they'd be close. She usually holds Ichika back from doing anything which is a danger to herself. Ichika hates when she pulls her by her ponytail. In fact, Nemu started styling her hair in a similar fashion and also sports a ponytail. She has a white bow holding it as well.

-She admits her father is rather quirky but he's different around his daughter. He spoils her a lot and takes care of her health. In his odd way, he's a great father.

-She likes rain and water. She and Ichika go to Kazui's sport tournaments and she enjoys them a lot. She photographs everything and makes albums for everyone.

-Nemu is in the 12th division of course. She's very liked for her research and many young shinigami like her because she oddly mature for her age. Even thigh she loves experimenting with her father, she prefers psychology.

-She rarely shows sadness but when she does be prepared for ghibli sized tears! She's more likely to be smiling and chuckling than crying. However most of the times she's kinda sarcastic and snarky.

-She often asks Ichika to draw pretty girls. Ichika is more than happy to make drawings for a friend but she always asks why so many girls. Nemu never replies, or she just changes the subject.

-She is fascinated with hollows and arrancars. She hopes to meet an arrancar. Little does she know of Kazui's "fun outings" with two of them. Of course she eventually learns about it but is too shy to ask.

-She really loves sweets. She will often do the dumbest of things for a candy she's never tried. Kazui and Ichika take advantage of that sometimes.

-She feels pain less than most people would. That of course means she lacks empathy when Kazui scratches his knee or when Ichika hits her head against a wall. However she tells them to look out often as she's aware of her odd condition.

Alright! That's about it for now! You're more than welcome to disagree with me but please don't be rude! I hope you enjoy however.

[rileysroleplayreservoir]

A Flower Among Ruin

A quick blurb hinting a bit into Owl Eyes O'Malley's origins. Will more than likely elaborate as time goes on.

I wasn't prepared for this

This wasn't what I planned.

It was enough of a step in my life and I was thankful to be given any sort of chance to travel. Even for a short while.

It was arduous, it wasn't scary, admittedly I questioned what I was getting myself into. But all in all it should be that bad, right?

I traveled to Japan for the sake of cultural studies, both for myself and a part time journalism job I took on. It may notice have seemed the most stable, but my determination kept me going.

Id been here for some months now, still roughing it through broken Japanese, and skating by on very little in terms of work. I had a fair set of skills, setting out to offer what I could through art or even floristry - but I was starting to feel the lack of interest for a variety of reasons.

A lone foreigner and very few who cared for something considered so little.

The only times Id found any of interest was when I traveled between cities. Even then all I did was leave flowers for a man who seemed to have nothing, and illustrated for the sake of a smile over anything of monetary value.

It wasn't so bad even then...right?

When youre as observant as I am - you find that those similar to you may not be keen on your gaze.

You see more than needs to be seen, or should never have been.

I never ran so fast in all my life, nor fought as frantically as I did even though it may as well be all for naught. I got in my few punches, kicks and scrapes - only the dark was my friend.

I was so sure Id been left to ruin, wasting away with my pain until expiration, only to be met with a different scenario.

My mind in a whirl over the shady looking men, finding out they were yakuza was not my immediate desire, but fate dealt me some shifty cards.

Certain of imminent dangers, Id expressed wholly not in fear but in desperation - that I could be of use where prior my situation was at a stand still. That my handful if skills could be of use, even if it meant working blandly at some house office desk. I didn't care.

I was granted my wish - not without a price. The stern expression of the large man spoke leagues of what he had in store for me - what or why I wasn't sure. My luck had the strangest turn around and it always left a pit in my stomach.

I was to be a newly inducted agent. I was to follow, and in return livelihood worries would be a thing of the past. Fail, I would be reminded of my place, and each moment something precious would be taken from me.

After that - I' d be dead.

It was an arduous time. Where I excelled, other places I failed incredibly and paid for it. The scars emblazoned upon my skin, hidden by the artistic visage and representation of what Id become? The burns never ceased hurting as they did.

Were such compliments to me mere play when I was told that I was to be the flower blossomed among ruin?

Was I truly wise...or simply that naive?

I took every ounce out on punks that came after me, the only way I could settle and even fathom such fantasies, a strange thrill in it all.

I couldn't go after him. Them. Not yet.

Bide my time as the puppet to a double crosser.

A crimson assassin.

[yumeka36]

Fandom and the death of adulthood

A few years ago, The New York Times published an article that I found very relevant to all manner of fandoms. It’s called “The Death of Adulthood in American Culture” and it involves a film critic for The Times discussing how American society has changed over the decades in terms of what it means to be an adult; he cites popular TV shows, movies, and books that reflect how the old view of adulthood – being part of an authority-following, gender role-centered society – has been losing popularity in favor of a freer and more rebellious idea of adulthood, most notably one that embraces childhood and supposedly childish things rather than cast them off.

The majority of the article talks about American TV shows, celebrities, books, etc., that I’m not too familiar with, but the basic idea of this “death of adulthood” is something that extends to all branches of pop culture and fandoms of the past 20-30 years, all over the world. A perfect example is an incident the author of the article, A.O. Scott, mentions about how a journalist named Rush Graham published an essay on the topic of how adults between the ages of 30-44 should feel ashamed for buying young adult literature (for themselves, not for their kids). Readers of her essay were furious of course, and Scott described their sentiment as “‘Don’t tell me what to do!’ as if Graham were a bossy, uncomprehending parent warning the kids away from sugary snacks toward more nutritious, chewier stuff.” He goes on to say that “It was not an argument she was in a position to win, however persuasive her points. To oppose the juvenile pleasures of empowered cultural consumers is to assume, wittingly or not, the role of scold, snob or curmudgeon.”

So if “young adult literature” should be for “young adults (older kids/teenagers) only”, then so should most video games, anime/manga, and so-called children’s literature like Harry Potter, and certainly My Little Pony, Disney movies, and any work of fiction that doesn’t scream “For adults only!” So for those of us who are a part of these fandoms, should we feel embarrassed? I’m sure most of you will say “no,” which is great, and it definitely shows how times have changed.

To illustrate further, my mom (who’s currently 72 years old) doesn’t have a problem with my hobbies. But it does puzzle her at times and I can understand why. After all, when she was growing up in the 1950s-1960s, what it meant to be an adult was simpler, but also limited: men and women would get married and have kids, with the men having full-time jobs and supporting the family while the women would take care of the home and the kids. In addition to these societal roles, there were also personality expectations: men were supposed to be masculine and authoritative, and like manly things like sports and cars, while women were supposed to be motherly and into womanly things like fashion, romance, and raising children. Men and women who indulged in childish things like collecting toys and reading comic books were basically unheard of, or if they did exist, they kept themselves hidden. So you can imagine how someone from those times must feel when they see grown men make a fuss over the cute little Pokemon plushie they just bought, or women who spend their free time playing PS4 games together over Skype instead of raising a family.

Going back to the article, Scott continues on this topic by saying that “In my main line of work as a film critic, I have watched over the past 15 years as the studios committed their vast financial and imaginative resources to the cultivation of franchises (some of them based on those same Young Adult novels) that advance an essentially juvenile vision of the world. Comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development do not only make up the commercial center of 21st-century Hollywood. They are its artistic heart.” I certainly agree with this as all one has to do is look at the most popular movies of the past two decades to see that they’re not the standard adult fare of Hollywood romances and dramas from yesteryear, but the very kinds of “juvenile” stories that Scott described: they’re the animated adventures from Disney and Dreamworks, the comic book sagas like Iron Man and The Avengers, and the fantasy epics like Harry Potter and Star Wars…the young adult stories that are marketed for a younger audience yet keep garnering a noticeable adult demographic. And there’s no denying that the main consumers of anime products, video games, and comic books are adults. I would even claim that the majority of Pokemon fans nowadays are adults rather than kids, evidence being that every Pokemon tournament I’ve been to in the past few years has had more adult participants than kids.

So, should we mourn this death of adulthood? I’m biased of course, but I’m definitely happy to embrace a more free and open-minded idea of adulthood than we had before. To me, being an adult simply means being responsible, thoughtful, intelligent, and self sufficient…if one is able to be in these tough times of course. And that could be another, less positive reason for this so-called death of adulthood: a lot of the current generation can’t afford to live like adults. I can’t speak for other countries, but here in the US, a young person being able to “move out and start their own life,” with that life entailing the ability to pursue pleasure and luxury while still being financially secure, is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish when the cost of living is always going up and salaries never seem to keep up. So it’s no wonder that those in their late 20s or older who are still living like they did in their teen years, not necessarily by choice, feel no rush to grow up when adulthood has become synonymous with debt, overwork, and stress. There’s no avoiding at least some adult responsibilities, like holding down a job and paying bills, but being able to indulge in the fictional worlds of TV shows, movies, and video games is becoming increasingly attractive for adults to escape a stressful and unsatisfying life rather than just a playground for children’s’ imaginations.

Regardless of whether you’re over 30 and still living with your parents, or whether you’re one of the lucky ones who found a great job right out of college and are living happily on your own, adulthood shouldn’t be defined by how one chooses to live their life or the kinds of things they’re interested in. I’m glad that in every college class I’ve taken and every job I’ve had, there’s always been at least a few people (adults mind you) who like anime, video games, or other of these so-called childish hobbies. And at the recent fan conventions I’ve been to, I’ve been seeing more and more couples with children attending, obviously because the parents like this stuff and not just their kids. So they can now pass on this idea to the next generation that it’s perfectly fine for adults to indulge in cartoons and games as well. As Scott says near the end of his article, “It is now possible to conceive of adulthood as the state of being forever young. Childhood, once a condition of limited autonomy and deferred pleasure (“wait until you’re older”), is now a zone of perpetual freedom and delight. Grown people feel no compulsion to put away childish things: We can live with our parents, go to summer camp, play dodge ball, collect dolls and action figures and watch cartoons to our hearts’ content. These symptoms of arrested development will also be signs that we are freer, more honest and happier than the uptight fools who let go of such pastimes.”

It’s a very, very different world than it was 50 years ago, or even 20 years ago. A lot of things have changed for the worse unfortunately, but what I’ve discussed here is something that I feel has changed for the better. So to wrap up this post, I’ll give you one last quote from Scott’s article that sums up our fandom-consuming, Internet-inspired generation very well: “A crisis of authority is not for the faint of heart. It can be scary and weird and ambiguous. But it can be a lot of fun, too. The best and most authentic cultural products of our time manage to be all of those things. They imagine a world where no one is in charge and no one necessarily knows what’s going on, where identities are in perpetual flux. Mothers and fathers act like teenagers; little children are wise beyond their years. Girls light out for the territory and boys cloister themselves in secret gardens. We have more stories, pictures and arguments than we know what to do with, and each one of them presses on our attention with a claim of uniqueness, a demand to be recognized as special. The world is our playground, without a dad or a mom in sight.”

*This is a revision of a previous post I wrote on my old anime blog. You can also comment on the revised post here*

*Crossposted from my main blog, Yume Dimension*

[ascendingmoon]

Pluto thru the Houses

Pluto in the First House – these people are very intense. It may seem like they’re looking straight through you sometimes, probably because they are. Someone with Pluto in the 1st house individuals view life as a series of struggles with many traumatic ups and downs, and the occasional drastic change to their overall self. These people are not looking for the superficial; they want to know the how, what, where, why, who, and probably more. They want to understand the world and the people in it. Typically, you’d find that someone with Pluto in the 1st house may have experienced trauma at birth, or the mother did during birth. These people do not back down, if something is in their path they simply move it out of the way and make room for more possibilities. They have very destructive powers and can be somewhat masterminds at using it onto others; they are great manipulators. They can probably convince you to do a lot of things you could not see yourself ever doing, but because they’re saying to do it, it doesn’t seem so bad. However these people are always on guard and looking out for themselves, they see life as survival of the fittest. They tend to experience a lot of personal growth through their life and are usually very wise even only in their 20′s, it seems like they’ve experienced and felt everything life has to offer. Their eyes are keen and penetrating. Their suppressed emotions can erupt sometimes, rising to the surface, causing them to act in extremes. They are the epitome of intense. They may not trust the world as a whole. Pluto in the 1st house people may have experienced life or death situations, or extreme trauma in their lives, usually making them very strong people with thick skin. They present themselves in a very secretive and covert way to others. A lot of people find themselves very attracted to these people, with no explanation as to why.

Pluto in the Second House – the 2nd house rules money, Pluto rules obsessions, so it’s an obvious and superficial answer to say that people with Pluto here will be obsessed with money – although it can be true. However, someone with this placement may hold secret and hidden talents/ways of making money that could change the world. These people may be hoarders, with money or materials. Some may see money and possessions as a symbol of power and superiority; some may see it as being closer to God. Their income is likely to come from Pluto-like professions/careers: psychology, therapy, medical fields, detective, undercover jobs, or healing professions.

Pluto in the Third House – mixing Pluto with the house of thinking and communication adds a very deep, penetrating and Scorpionic flavor to someone’s brain. The goal for these people is to transcend and penetrate through the superficial or typical trains of thought or ideas and dive so much deeper into the grain. These people are great at studying, researching, investigating, etc. The 3rd house also rules siblings and who we grew up with. Pluto in the 3rd house individuals may feel as if they had to fend for themselves growing up, resulting in becoming very defensive over themselves and always trying to put themselves first to avoid manipulation and/or abuse. These people are also very intuitive, and it seems as if when they think about something or mention something, it happens the next day. Which can be scary sometimes. It may have been difficult for these people to open up in their childhood due to the feeling of keeping everything inside to avoid vulnerability and/or manipulation.

Pluto in the Fourth House – having such a powerful planet on one of the angles in the chart (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th houses) is not something to not take lightly. Pluto in the 4th house individuals may of had to deal with a mother that was Plutonic herself. She may have taken her emotions out on her children, been very restrictive, possessive, domineering, obsessive, or there could have been something to cause all of this in her – a death in the family, mostly, because Pluto rules death. Death can mean a lot of things though. Divorce, actual death, the endings to things can all mean death. The childhood may have been very complex, dark and twisty, and many traumas may have been felt or occurred in the childhood (by the mother, probably). These individuals with Pluto residing in the 4th house may have had to grow up fast, and became wise at a very young age, feeling as if they’ve felt the world’s pain just inside their own household.

Pluto in the Fifth House – someone with Pluto in the 5th house takes the pleasures and leisurely themes of the 5th house to high extremes. It can be very hard for these people to loosen up or just let go and have fun for once. They can have a tendency to take life very seriously. They make become self destructive in these areas of the 5th house too, like through casual sex; these people are not the type for that. They may also attract Scorpio/Pluto types in relationships, even stalkers at times. The person with Pluto in the 5th house may feel like some kind of tortured artist; having so much inspiration, creativity and desire but just cannot get any of it out. They must learn valuable lessons in life of pleasure and creativity and to stop being their own worst enemy/critic, and to just let it pour out of themselves. These people, as children, may have been told “no” a lot, for having different or “dark” interests. They may love dark themed art, movies, photography, etc, and take part in it themselves. They may be fascinated with Scorpionic topics that are taboo, but they don’t see it as taboo. They see it as, “why don’t more people know about this? Why is this kept such a secret?” thus resulting in societal-based inappropriate expressions of feelings, such as loss and death. They can have addiction problems as well and it would be wise of them to avoid gambling, drinking, drugs, etc, as best as they possibly could.

Pluto in the Sixth House – Pluto in the house of daily routine, jobs, and service can result in obsessive tendencies in all of these the 6th house as to offer. Someone with Pluto here may have obsessive daily activities, whether it’s as simple as needing to walk the dog every single day at 7 o’clock or drink/do drugs, etc. It is just the fact that it’s obsessive and nearly compulsive. They may be subject to being hypochondriacs as well, being obsessed with their own health to an unhealthy point. Eating disorders may be something Pluto in the 6th house has to struggle with in their life. Basic everyday activities turn into compulsive rituals with Pluto in the 6th, getting dressed in the morning may be the biggest event of all to them. Pluto in the 6th could have a very strict dietary pattern though, could be very obsessive with their intake. May like to indulge or “binge” then stop completely, knowing their limits. Pluto here, since it rules sex and the sexual organs, can lead to STD or other sexual diseases. They may suffer from extreme stress or tension. It’s important to not always push yourself so hard on a daily basis or in your job, find something you love to relax. Pluto here needs time out of their day to relax and calm down. Yoga is recommended.

Pluto in the Seventh House – the 7th house represents who we attract, what we are attracted to (in some cases), what we project onto others, and what we can be projected as. With Pluto here, relationships are not taken lightly. The individual with Pluto in the 7th house may attract Plutonic people themselves – obsessive, possessive, controlling, manipulative, etc. Though those are just the negative qualities of Pluto, they may also attract the lighter side of Pluto and experience the true transformation desired through relationships. The person with Pluto here experiences relationships as a type of awakening. There may be power struggles present in the person’s relationships, where one may desire more control over the other – and most commonly, it is not the person with Pluto in the 7th house. They may give in to manipulation and take this sort of abuse from their partner. The person with Pluto in the 7th house definitely feels like relationships are catalysts for self transformation and rebuilding. There could be a reoccurring theme of suffocation in relationships; ones that are too smothering, too over-protective. Interactions between others for the person with Pluto here are addictive and sometimes dependent. They can become addicted to relationships and the feeling of enhancement it brings them. It is wise for those with this Pluto placement to avoid those that exhibit Pluto’s lower functions; obsession, possession, and the desire for ultimate control.

Pluto in the Eighth House – in Pluto’s ruling house, it feels very at home. Pluto in the 8th house individuals can experience major life changes, or most commonly the individual will experience one major life transformation that completely marks them forever. They will be very attracted to 8th house themes: sex, death, transformation, power/survival, and money (other people’s). Intimate relationships are felt with every fiber of the person’s soul; they mostly result in major changes in both people involved. Sex can be consuming for the person with Pluto in the 8th house; the sex drive is likely high, because of the personal connection and how much they feel they resonate with it. These people are very probing and will more than likely be interested in the occult and 8th house surrounding themes. They may have some kind of hidden death wish.

Pluto in the Ninth House – Pluto in the 9th house individuals may have gotten so obsessed and even involved with their beliefs from a traumatic or high pressured situations. Those moments where you’re praying to god that nothing bad will happen, and that you will be singled out and saved by some supernatural force or higher power. Those moments convinced the Pluto in the 9th house individual that “this is real, this is what’s going to save me, and I must do what I can to pay them back.” These people can feel some kind of obligation and obsession with their belief systems. There can obviously be a fascination with occult, philosophy, archaeology, or alchemy. They can search intensely for the meaning of life, and are strong believers in the phrase “Knowledge is power”. They believe what you know will save you. Pluto in the 9th house individuals can feel greatly impacted by their higher education opportunities and feel that it is or was the most influential factor in their life. They are fiercely stubborn in their beliefs as well.

Pluto in the Tenth House – the 10th house, or Midheaven, is the highest point on the natal chart. The 10th house is what other’s see, your reputation, how others are perceiving you to be. With Pluto here, it may take a while for the public or others in your career field to like you as a person. You seem like a powerful and intimidating force. Many of the world’s most famous (and infamous) leaders have Pluto in the 10th, or harshly aspecting the 10th house, like Vladimir Putin for a good example (pluto square the midheaven). Those with Pluto in the 10th house experience self transformation through their career. The individual’s ambition is highly developed, and there is a drive where nothing can stop you from reaching your end goal. The career will be found within Plutonian fields: psychology, detective, healer, investigating, or something involved in business. The person with Pluto in the 10th house will usually take their career and lead it onto a completely new path; addressing the things that no one will talk about or make an effort to change or acknowledge. Eminem has this placement, and it’s easy to see that. They challenge and change society, and that usually becomes what they are known for.

Pluto in the Eleventh House – the 11th house rules groups, social circles and dreams/aspirations. When Pluto is found in this house, it can usually result in the individual experiencing intense and life-changing relationships with those involved in their social life – so, friends. Friends play a huge role on this person because they are the most influential and powerful force in their life. The individual with Pluto in the 11th house may attract “powerful” friends in their life – those well known, for good or bad. Pluto here can give someone extreme anxiety or paranoia when it comes to crowds or being surrounded by new people (strangers may scare them). The need to control or dominate their friend group, or any kind of group, may become a real problem in their lives. Common effects of Pluto are jealousy and mistrust, and this can occur as well in their social circle – the individual with Pluto in the 11th must learn to not be so mistrustful of those they call their friends but they feel they cannot help it at times. They believe they have a reason to feel that way. The positive side however, is the bond of very powerful, long lasting and reliable friendships.

Pluto in the Twelfth House – the 12th house is the most unconscious, self-unaware house – it is almost impossible to fully understand, because it is the part of ourselves that we most commonly reject. With such a powerful planet in this house, there is definitely an ultimate fear of losing control, and may result in self destructive tendencies that can occur unconsciously. People with this placement are usually somewhat masochistic – not even always sexually but emotionally. They tend to take on a lot of weight and pain from others onto yourself which can hurt them a lot at times. This is usually a placement representing some kind of abuse or trauma, usually sexual. With Pluto working behind the scenes of the chart, you have someone that’s very spiritually and intuitively gifted though. They’d make a detective probably. This placement can be very difficult though because it can feel like you’re being faced with your demons a lot. Pluto in the 12th can experience a lot of emotional turmoil. It’s an intense planet in an intense house. You could have really raw and intense (maybe violent) desires (sexually) (that you could feel ashamed of, probably, because of the nature of the planet & house). It’s really important for people with Pluto here to have some kind of emotional outlet to let out distress because self destructive tendencies are likely.