#the only scene that really seemed to have any artistic vision to me was the scene at the end where he's dancing naked through the manor

[memecatwings]

sorry for not liking saltburn ive failed you guys 😔

[pocketwei]

hii do you perhaps have any dofuwani fics recommendation. I've checked out the the ao3 but I really don't seem to like anything there after scrolling thru the most kudos'd works... I feel like you (and a few other artists) get them and I wanted to read things in a similar tone as your art and so far I'm in the trenches bleeding out. like obviously no offense to any of the writers it's just that all the like modern highschool loving dad croc and etc aus are not for me... OTL I hope I'm not sounding rude and thank you for your time!

oh anon come rest your head upon my bosom.... I got you anon..... as a fellow slave to canon-compliance I, too, know the pain of sifting through pages upon pages of AUs, not that there's anything wrong with them but I just can't imagine these sickos working a 9 to 5 in a suit...... thank you for thinking my vision of dofuwani is trust-worthy, this is vain on my part but it genuinely means a lot <3 OK rant over here are the goods, in no particular order (always mind the tags but I figure if you asked me for dfwn sacred texts you're probably a fellow sicko):

that was now and this is then. by ghostwit (M): one of my favourite ever, perhaps even my favourite. About a long relationship, about twisting each other inside the skin, about being formative to each other in ways so deep and intertwined that they can't seem to tear one apart from the other. And despite it all* (*the murders and the hatred and the irreconciliable flaws and differences of their Ego (philosophical) and the unbearable, unacceptable vulnerability of understanding), they are, somehow, unforgivably and incomprehensibly, in love. *smashes head against pavement, it cracks open like an egg, spilling millions of dofuwani thoughts everywhere

no better irony by ghostwit (E): shichibukai meeting sidequest...... excellent characterisation like everything Haze writes (it's just The Best dofuwani there is..... read everything he wrote please). I'm so fond of them in that fic in a way that's like. watching stick bugs in a terrarium. You don't understand them and they don't understand you but you're just happy they're having fun. You wouldn't join in for anything in the world though.

like i need a gaping headwound by ghostwit (M): loguetown era dfwn, Haze back at it with formative years and the fresh sprouts of insanity in these two. So so so good.

nothing in this world that's quite prescribable by ghostwit (T): the opening of this fic is perhaps one of my favourite scenes ever. Vulnerability and odd transparence that only drunken disinhibition allows. Which is rare for these two. Absolutely adore this one.

honestly you can and should read everything Haze has written for these two they're just so AUGHHHHHH

black & bloody & rotten & perfect by revolvermonkcelot (M): perfect capture of the fine line between (????love, perhaps) and insanity they walk on. Absolutely fucking insane about this one, the reverence and sacrality of their whole thing, the Indulgence:tm: and permission that can be revoked (for Crocodile is mercurial in his vulnerability), but that is somehow maintained in a delicate and incomprehensible equilibrium. + absolutely incredible undertones of wani (trans)identity crisis, the imperceptible yet meaningful and constant change of the Form... Head in hands

Just a taste by marimoes (M): perfect perfect perfect characterisation, little gestures that betray familiarity. Perfect on all accounts

Swallow by revolvermonkcelot (M): my roman empire. Absolutely perfect Wani characterisation, it's The Wani for me. Exploits perfectly the essential dfwn dichotomy of "one entity tumbling down and the other rising up, meeting halfway through in the eye of the storm, in a singular moment". Classy cannibalism that ties to the no-less essential concept of consumption, to be/become whole again. The reason why they somehow stick together is because of this primordial longing for something, for understanding perhaps, for beauty sometimes, for belonging. Fcuking hell I love them so mucj

A Bird and His Cage by doctornemesis (E): read this one a long time ago but it's in my bookmarks so I trust past me's judgment and tell you it's amazing

From Dressrosa with Love by Sibilans (E, on-going): incredible atmosphere, perfectly depicts the post-golden age rotting glamour of Dressrosa. They are particularly unhinged in this one.

i wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name by stealth-black-leg (Kiir_Bee) (E): I'm running out of steam for long meaningful comments but this one has top tier characterisation.

That's it!! Don't forget to comment and leave kudos to give writers the love they deserve <3

[hools]

Sorry if this is a weird question, but how do you come up with your drawings? What does through your mind while making them? I find your compositions so gorgeous and intriguing but I can't really figure out how you approach things since everything's very shifty and abstract. It's really gorgeous work, I'm so glad I discovered your art :,)

hey first of all this isnt a weird question at all & i'm really glad you enjoy my art heheheheheehe. there's an incoming large largely unformatted block of text that i hope you dont mind!

Honestly there are a billion things going through my mind at a time while I'm drawing and they all sort of bump into each other and cancel each other out like opposing particles. If you've seen any of my streams i'm usually very fast and iterative in a lot of my process and i rarely ever slow down even past the early parts like thumbnailing and sketching. i kind of let my hands do the talking more, yknow? but even then theyre never talking about a single thing at a time. everything interacts with everything, which is probably why i always end up getting lost and meandering. composition is not independent from color & value and neither are they from texture and perspective. its hard thinking of all of the ways they mesh and react to one another so i spend less of my energy thinking and more of it doing, and then assessing once something interesting comes about it. i guess then i prioritize my Hand Movement Actioning and Eye Vision Seeing over my Brain Neuron Assessing. but even though iterations can come and go quick this kind of informed throwing-against-the-wall isn't really the Fastest. but its fun. and you get to stuff all the unused ideas in your pocket for later.

even though i did say how connected everything is i always seem to start with composition. it kind of affects and informs everything the most at least on an individual piece level. with thumbnails & composition in general i think youre supposed to think huge right. so i Always think huge. push everything as much as you can. start with a crazy angle (not necessarily angle meaning "perspective" but like an angle between two lines) and border your scene within it. take an already steep foreshortening and steepen it further with the transform tool & see what shapes form from the empty & filled space. shrink your subject to only fit 3/4ths of the canvas and build around it to make it work. blow things up (enlargen) and blow things up (remove & obliterate). with composition you have so much room for fuckery if you give yourself the grace to accept the fuckiness.

and i guess this freedom to fuck around and iterate and build and build and build upon comes from how most of the time my initial ideas are very. vague? abstract like you've said. sometimes its Just a song or a song lyric and nothing else (no characters to attach to just the feel and my gut). sometimes its a less than 5 word phrase i felt strongly about throughout the day. in my me-only discord server i have messages in #to-draw channel that just say shit like "something about guitar straps" "thanks for knowing me!" "angel don't look at me" "DITHER QUEEN" (<-been meaning to make something with that). for things that have specific guidelines i spend more time thinking conceptually (the "rare animal" coelacanth drawing being an example) but otherwise it mostly comes out after. again. the first strokes. after you put the meat and bones on the canvas. an artist at a workshop i was at last year when i was in my own head about Needing to have a fleshed tangible Profound concept before being able to start something told me not to underestimate the stories that can be told just by your hands. and i think thats what stuck with me the most.

& one last thing i wanna mention is how despite how much i revel in the chaos of the process ive found how important limits are. i don't like cutting back on everything but i like cutting back on some things. sometimes i cut out backgrounds for solid fills and i love them that much more. sometimes i have little subconscious rules in a piece that i try not to break to keep a little level of consistency. if somethings a big wonderful mess already then i love a limited pallet and i love keeping parts empty and i love being able to breathe a little. yknow. but still go over the top in the other parts you have so much permission to. less is more but have a little more in your art than less. YKNOW?

but yeah thanks again for your kind words and wanting to listen to me talk. i havent been drawing much at all so these arent too fresh on the mind but i think i got a lot of what i wanted to say out. i hope u and others can get things out of this! if i made any sense <3

[gravityglitch-blog]

The Amazing Digital Circus, as seen by a Murder Drones fan

("Candy Carrier Chaos" inspired me to write this. Fair warning, it's a long one. Potential spoilers ahead)

I stumbled into the indie animation scene on YouTube by accident. It was like finding hidden treasure. I have no hate for the big-name studios, but everything I'd been seeing up until then seemed...homogenized...over-processed, somehow? It's hard to describe. Like eating fast food when you want a home cooked meal.

Now here were stories that were all wonderfully different, in subject matter and style. I started with "Lackadaisy", which was so beautiful, it left me stunned.

(The only reason you don't see more Lackadaisy fanart from me is because it's difficult drawing cats. I'm practicing, though.)

A few more clicks brought me to "Murder Drones", and it was love at first sight.

I connected to Uzi's character within her first minutes on-screen. Despite the dark tone of the story, I still hold out hope for a good ending.

Then I started seeing teasers for a new series, "The Amazing Digital Circus".

The art style and bright colors weren't my usual speed, but I decided to check it out anyway.

Personal confession, "Digital Circus" scares me more than "Murder Drones". While "Murder Drones" wears its horror inspirations on its sleeve, to me, it's more the "cool" kind of horror that I would scribble on my notebooks between classes.

Vampires, monsters, battling the forces of darkness while jamming to nightcore, you get the idea.

I have legitimately had nightmares that look like the "Digital Circus". Strange worlds of twisted colors and shapes, people I don't know, doors and staircases that lead nowhere.

All that said, I did enjoy the pilot, I found the setup and the characters interesting, and wanted to see more.

Side note, I know the studio sometimes seems to favor "Digital Circus", and it causes some resentment between the fandoms.

For myself, I see our fandoms as siblings. Let us watch our faves (hopefully) triumph over the horrors together.

This brings me to "Candy Carrier Chaos".

It happened to debut on one of my bad days, when I was feeling down, to put it mildly.

Like I didn't matter. Like no one would notice or remember me if I were gone.

And so that opening scene of Pomni's nightmare hit me like a punch in the gut.

I won't go into the episode's plot too much, as I'm sure others here have already done that and better than I ever could. The whole reason I'm writing this is because of that ending.

The members of the Circus take the time and care to remember the friend they lost in the pilot, apparently the latest of many.

They all feel the pain of loss, of being trapped in this strange world. But they still have each other. For now, at least.

The look on Pomni's face when she realizes she's not alone. When her vision replays, it has changed.

Now, there are helping hands to take hold of her. To pull her back up out of the darkness.

I honestly became a little teary-eyed at that scene. It got me thinking, "maybe the bad days are liars. Maybe I would be missed, after all."

The power of storytelling through animation. With all my heart, I hope this medium continues to grow and flourish. To any aspiring animators and artists out there, this random Tumblr person asks, please don't give up the dream. There are people out there that need to hear your stories.

In the meantime, Pomni remains where she is...and so do I. Thank you so much if you've read this whole thing. I really appreciate it.

[iu-jjang]

[INTERVIEW] 230222 IU for Harper's Bazaar Korea March 2023 Issue

IU and LEE JI EUN,

This generation’s icon IU, who cannot be defined in a single word, and the bare-faced Lee Ji Eun.

Q1: Today’s photoshoot intended to capture the duplicity of your two sides, IU and Lee Jieun. You looked relaxed during the shoot, but once it was over, you confessed that today’s shoot was actually quite tough.

IU: Honestly, it’s always tough to work on Gucci projects. It’s probably because there are a lot of experimental outfits, scenes and messages. In particular, the goal for today was to visually represent my alter ego. When I saw the 2023 S/S collection in Milan, I thought it was really shocking and interesting. With those memories in mind, upon hearing that the motif of today’s photoshoot was based on the collection, I thought to myself ah, it’s not going to be easy. But it turned out to be really fun too. It’s my first time having such thick smoky makeup and I’m grateful for the chance to be part of this refreshing experience from the photoshoot composition to the props and the studio design.

Q2: The last cut was a scene of an IU with thick smoky makeup, standing in front of a wall filled with a picture of an almost makeup-free Lee Jieun. Honestly, I didn’t know the photo on the wall was taken today and thought it was a still cut taken from ‘Love Set’ in the film, ‘Persona’. I’m aware that you show many different faces of yourself, but I also realized that you show faces of different time periods too.

IU: My staff said something similar in the waiting room just now too. I have smoky makeup on right now, but just now, we had as little makeup on as possible and since it’s early in the morning, my face was swollen like I had baby fats (laughs) which seemed to go with the concept. Seeing the printed picture, I thought of the past too.

Q3: You’ve been in a partnership with Gucci for a while. I think judging from IU’s personality as an artist, it would not have been possible if you did not agree with the philosophy and values of the brand. In terms of artistic vision, how are Gucci and IU aligned?

IU: I think Gucci is a brand that places emphasis on diversity and finds aesthetic in things that are unrefined. If I were to pick a characteristic that is similar to myself, I think this would be it. When I write lyrics, I tend to infuse thoughts and emotions that have not reached a conclusion or that come to my mind during an incomplete process.

Q4: As you said earlier, you have always been honest about yourself at each moment, and that alone is brave. As an artist, aren’t you obsessed with the idea of displaying only your perfectly crafted side to the public?

IU: When I was young, I didn’t really know any of that. (laughs) I think I had no choice but to say, “This is what I think right now”, “I’m at this age now” due to my personality, that is having to say what’s on my mind. On the other hand, I have always known that I am not nearly as perfect (person) as a sculpture. And that isn’t something that I can simply achieve by imitating. As long as I chose this profession as my career, (I know) this was my own battle that I had to come out winning or losing, and there is also a side of me that wants to make no bones about showing myself. What started out like that has now established itself as one of the ways of expressing myself.

Q5: So the piecemeal activities you’ve done recently can be understood along those lines? You lent your voice to MIRAL School’s song sung by their teachers for the students. The composer of ‘Through the Night’, Kim Jehwi made the song based on what he felt while working at the school, and you participated in the song as a featuring artist.

IU: Musical talent aside, Jehwi is my precious friend too. Frankly speaking, when he first told me that he’d be teaching the students in school, I was worried about whether he could do well more than anything else. But being affable, he adapted well and eventually said, “Noona, I want to make a song as a gift for the school”, which made me so proud and want to cheer him on too. To be honest, I didn’t expect this to make such news, but I poured so much effort into recording the song that I somehow joked, “I think I work harder on this than I do for my album”. (I worked so hard on this) so that the students can gain strength, and go to school happily while listening to it.

Q6: The drama “You Have Worked Hard” (literal title) has created a buzz with the combination of IU, Park Bo Gum, and writer Im Sang Chun of ‘Fight for My Way’, and will soon begin its pre-production. What is your reason for choosing this work?

IU: I think everyone will think this way when the drama is released, “Ah, even I would have wanted to do it too.” I really enjoyed the previous works of writer Im Sang Chun, and this one seemed to carry a new story of its own so it was refreshing. It’s just words (writing), but they manage to make people feel such emotions, so much that as someone who likes to read and write, I was envious of the writer’s talent. The theme of the drama is good, but I especially liked that it’s a heavy story delivered in a way that’s not too heavy.

Q7: Your character, Ae Soon is a ‘young girl of literary interest who isn’t well off but remains positive and ambitious, and whose voice trembles like a goat whenever she rebels’. It is noteworthy that “You Have Worked Hard” will be your first korean drama comeback in four years since “Hotel Del Luna”, and that the character is the total opposite of your previous role, Jang Man Wol.

IU: Man Wol in “Hotel Del Luna” is certainly an unusual character. However, Ae Soon has a unique point too. Ae Soon may seem like the type of person you can easily see around you, but should I say that if you look closely, you’ll find her individuality as a human being stands out? I think I’m attracted to people of that sort (gyeol: personality, belief, preference, etc).

Q8: Some actors look for traces of themselves in the role they are assigned to in order to immerse themselves into their character. Are you one of them? How similar is IU with Ae Soon?

IU: There are definitely characters with gyeol (personality, belief, preference, etc) that I can never comprehend, but if that is the case, I won’t be able to bring myself to choose the work (willingly). It’s a matter of confidence. This also proves that all the characters I have played so far have been those that I could understand at some point. Among them, Ae Soon resembles me more than any other character I have portrayed. The writer has incredible observation skills. They said they wanted to incorporate the characteristics that I have that are not too obvious into the character. It was to the point where I said, “Oh my, how did you know that I have this side to me?” after reading the script.

Q9: From “My Mister” to “Hotel Del Luna”, and from “Shades of the Heart” to “Broker” and then “Dream”. Whether it’s a drama or film, should I say that your next step is always super bold? To the extent that one may think playing a different work and a different character from your previous work is your first and main criteria for selecting a project.

IU: Just like how when you have long hair for a long time, don’t you want to dye your hair or get a haircut at some point? It may not be my criteria, but I think once I have lived as a character for more than a few months, I’d unconsciously want to try out something different too.

Q10: There are many people who want to try a bob or short haircut, but they end up sticking to their long hair for the rest of their lives just in case the former doesn’t suit them.

IU: But if there’s something I want to do, I’m the type of person who must (and will) do it first (before I worry about it). It’s much easier for me to bear regretting doing something than regretting not doing it.

Q11: I suppose you are not the type of person that separates your actress’s ego from your singer’s. How similar or different are your state of mind the day before the concert and the day before crank-in (starting to shoot a drama/film)?

IU: If a concert stage is like a (one-off) live broadcast where you only get a chance to put out a (perfect) performance that stays forever in the audience’s memory, then the filming set has a different premise in that you can exchange opinions with the director or your co-stars on the spot, select the best outcome from several take opportunities, and subsequently share it with the audience. However, once the concert begins, the overwhelming moment of finally becoming one with the audience after feeling all alone under a lot of tension for some time is very similar to the moment I realize that I am truly working and keeping in tune with the crew after seeing these many people (including myself) gradually moving forward as a team with a shared goal on a new and unfamiliar set. Both fields are attractive in that they are things that I can never do alone. Whether I'm singing or acting, I'm just someone who puts in the best of my share (of work) at every moment.

Q12: At the 14th anniversary concert <The Golden Hour: Under The Orange Sun> last year, you said, “I thought this concert might be the final destination of the things I dreamt of and wanted to challenge myself to since my teenage years, but at this moment, I’m hopeful that this could be a new starting point, a new beginning (for me).” Normally, settling down is always the easier option wherever you are. And yet, you are still constantly trying to head somewhere else. Which direction are you headed? What lies at your ultimate destination?

IU: It is no exaggeration to say that I lived my twenties obsessing over the idea of ‘direction’. Should I say it was the subject that kept me ‘hot-blooded (passionate)’ at that time? Those ardent worries were enjoyable, but honestly draining too. After turning 30, I don’t have any particular direction in mind. It’s my first time being like this too.

Q13: Are you wandering around (floating/drifting) right now?

IU: That expression is accurate. I’m wandering around (floating/drifting). This itself could be my present direction now that I’m in my 30s. Throughout last year, I kept thinking, “I want to maintain this mindset” and “I enjoy living like this.” On the other hand, apart from feeling at peace, it was also a year where interesting events exploded. I used to cling to the idea that ‘If I miss something, the world will always give me something else in return’ throughout my 20s. But once I let go of the things I was clutching onto for dear life, the ‘other thing’ the world gave me was surprisingly such events. As I emptied my mind, the world filled it with fun stuff instead. Later when I look back as I get older, I will surely put a bookmark at my 30s (chapter).

Q14: Looking back, you were always doing something for the past 14 years, like singing, holding showcases, communicating with fans, etc. So what is rest for you?

IU: To be honest, I can’t quite grasp the concept of rest. I don’t feel particularly recharged just because my body is resting. In a broad sense, if getting rest is considered a means to de-stress and recharge one’s body, then ironically for me, the things (stress) that have piled up inside me are relieved in the most refreshing way when I’m working. (I feel relieved) when I have satisfactorily accomplished my work to the point where I get a good sense of pleasure. I feel much more refreshed during those times than when I’m just lying down at home for days. Otherwise, there should be something engrossing enough for me to not think about work at all. But in my case, there isn't much stuff that I’m into to that extent. Some of the (fun) stuff that I can recall now are: when I’m in a deep sleep, when I’m catching up with Yoo Inna, when I’m making silly jokes and laughing with my friends or lover who deeply understand me, when I’m rewatching my favorite movie, and when I’m having something really delicious. As I live, there are quite many people who do not need so much of that sort of mental relaxation like me. That said, stamina is another story, so as I enter my 30s, I try hard to take care of my body to make sure that it can keep up when I need to work harder. When I get to rest, I spend time lying down as much as I can. (laughs).

Q15: During the concert, you also said, “I’ll reflect on what I experienced today and go on for another 14 years.” Have you ever imagined yourself 14 years from now?

IU: Based on last year’s calculations, if I were to picture myself as a 44-year-old… I think I’d still be working by then. Other than that, I honestly have no idea too… that is, if we (were to imagine it) based on the premise that ‘I am a person who can change’. For instance, the mindset that constitutes me 14 years from now will be very different from my current mindset.

Q16: Maybe change can happen because people are flexible. But if I am to be honest, I’m the type of person who believes that people do not change until they die.

IU: I do agree with your statement to a certain extent. But I used to be someone who despised competition and (thus) kept myself from competing 14 years ago. Going through my diary back then, I wrote “I find this competitive society so exhausting. I’m worried (about myself) because I don’t have a desire to win, and I hate competition.” But looking back, I realized that I’ve been enjoying competitions throughout the last 14 years since my debut. To the point where I wondered, “maybe I’m actually crazy about competing (for victory/defeat)?” I thought perhaps I failed to notice that I was a competitive person or I just wanted to deny it on purpose.

Q17: Either way, I feel sorry for the young girl who had just debuted and scribbled “I hate competition” in her diary. Is there anything that IU, who(se mindset) has changed quite a bit, would like to say to the IU of that time?

IU: “You actually like yourself a lot.”

Q18: You once said, “Even if we’re sick of this world, I hope we will live on while loving each other.” In this harsh world, is love still the hope that you have faith in?

IU: It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but nevertheless, I believe that love overcomes hatred. In the end, love wins. Even when I lose my balance and I’m swayed, I repeat to myself, “But love will win in the end though” and either try to put together my logic, build up my thinking muscle or control my mind like that. The proposition that love will win is something that I’ve experienced enough through living my life. I will continue to believe it moving forward.

Q19: Singer-songwriters are blessed in that they can turn their personal thoughts and emotions into the end-product that is music. In particular, we sort of know how important lyrics are in your music. What lyrics have been running through your mind these days?

IU: This may sound ridiculous but I happened to be writing about something we just talked about earlier. I was surprised deep down when I heard the word ‘wandering’. To wander around (float/ drift) without a destination. I think this will be the theme of my next album.

Q20: Back to today’s pictorial concept of ‘duality’, I feel that you are leading your life with both egos — icon IU and ordinary person Lee Jieun — faithfully. How do you maintain a balance between these two?

IU: Changing between slightly uncomfortable yet pretty clothes that make me shine and slightly average yet comfortable clothes I can freely move around in, and being moderately satisfied and moderately wary at every moment seem to be the way to balance… whilst naturally accepting the obvious fact that there are times I shine and times I’m just ordinary.

Q21: “I can’t take out all the words from my diary, but…” (lyrics from Through the Night) — What is the one sentence that can describe you right now?

IU: (I can’t take out all the words from my diary, but) that child / she has decided to live as a spore (홀씨), instead of a flower.

[*T/L note: Although IU didn’t specifically mention dandelion (민들레), ‘홀씨’ is often used when talking about ‘민들레’ (dandelion). Referring to what she said earlier about ‘wandering around (floating/drifting)’,‘홀씨’ can be interpreted as ‘민들레 홀씨’ (dandelion puffs) too.]

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.co.kr/article/75198

Translated by IUteamstarcandy with love

[thatbitchsimone]

opinion on taylor swift?

i dont really have a strong one. her music has never been my thing like i dont think her music is bad by any means but its just not for me and i dont see anything special with any of her songs or music like it has never stood out to me or appealed to me but thats probably bc i just dont ”get it” and probably never will get it but like i said that just goes to show that its not for me lol that doesnt make it bad

i kinda have respect for her whole thing tho like i kinda love that shes always just written songs that are blatantly about her ex bfs and her own relationships like i dont know why she got so much shit for that and why it was ever a big deal and the whole ”ooh watch out if u date taylor she will write a song about u” thing is just so dumb to me bc like… yeah shes an artist and songwriter thats kind of her thing like the girl writes from the heart thats why shes so popular lol like from what i understand her music is successful and so loved bc girls can deeply relate to the lyrics since she basically just sings about shit girls often feel and experience in love and heartbreak bc shes basically writing songs as if shes writing in her diary i guess like thats just her writing style and process and i respect that like good for her shes doing something with that i love that for her and her fans

i thought that little short film/long music video she did with that ginger girl from stranger things and the teen wolf dude was good and very well made as well and i saw some behind the scenes footage where taylor was very much directing the whole thing and i was impressed by her skills as a director like she knew exactly what she wanted the shots to look like and she had a purpose for every shot and stylistic choice and had a specific feeling she wanted to convey thru those shots and she was very good at communicating that with the cameraman and she was very good at directing the actors and was very detailed about it like she even had subtle little movements and glances down to a t like she knew EXACTLY what she wanted out of every scene and had a very clear artistic vision and she had no problem explaining it and bringing it to life especially thru her actors. very good at communicating what feeling she wanted the actors to portray and how she wanted them to do it. thats a talented director imo i rly like that style of directing in general and i think she nailed it. no wonder her stuff are so successful. she seems like a total sweetheart too so shes very likeable in general i think like she comes across as very genuine

thats all i have to say about her like those are my only thoughts. i do think shes a true artist and i admire and respect her passion and dedication to her art but its not my kind of art personally but just bc its not for me doesnt mean i cant acknowledge her artistic talent and value bc i do see that she has a lot of it

[iuteamstarcandy]

[INTERVIEW] 230222 IU for Harper's Bazaar Korea March 2023 Issue

IU and LEE JI EUN,

This generation’s icon IU, who cannot be defined in a single word, and the bare-faced Lee Ji Eun.

Q1: Today’s photoshoot intended to capture the duplicity of your two sides, IU and Lee Jieun. You looked relaxed during the shoot, but once it was over, you confessed that today’s shoot was actually quite tough.

IU: Honestly, it’s always tough to work on Gucci projects. It’s probably because there are a lot of experimental outfits, scenes and messages. In particular, the goal for today was to visually represent my alter ego. When I saw the 2023 S/S collection in Milan, I thought it was really shocking and interesting. With those memories in mind, upon hearing that the motif of today’s photoshoot was based on the collection, I thought to myself ah, it’s not going to be easy. But it turned out to be really fun too. It’s my first time having such thick smoky makeup and I’m grateful for the chance to be part of this refreshing experience from the photoshoot composition to the props and the studio design.

Q2: The last cut was a scene of an IU with thick smoky makeup, standing in front of a wall filled with a picture of an almost makeup-free Lee Jieun. Honestly, I didn’t know the photo on the wall was taken today and thought it was a still cut taken from ‘Love Set’ in the film, ‘Persona’. I’m aware that you show many different faces of yourself, but I also realized that you show faces of different time periods too.

IU: My staff said something similar in the waiting room just now too. I have smoky makeup on right now, but just now, we had as little makeup on as possible and since it’s early in the morning, my face was swollen like I had baby fats (laughs) which seemed to go with the concept. Seeing the printed picture, I thought of the past too.

Q3: You’ve been in a partnership with Gucci for a while. I think judging from IU’s personality as an artist, it would not have been possible if you did not agree with the philosophy and values of the brand. In terms of artistic vision, how are Gucci and IU aligned?

IU: I think Gucci is a brand that places emphasis on diversity and finds aesthetic in things that are unrefined. If I were to pick a characteristic that is similar to myself, I think this would be it. When I write lyrics, I tend to infuse thoughts and emotions that have not reached a conclusion or that come to my mind during an incomplete process.

Q4: As you said earlier, you have always been honest about yourself at each moment, and that alone is brave. As an artist, aren’t you obsessed with the idea of displaying only your perfectly crafted side to the public?

IU: When I was young, I didn’t really know any of that. (laughs) I think I had no choice but to say, “This is what I think right now”, “I’m at this age now” due to my personality, that is having to say what’s on my mind. On the other hand, I have always known that I am not nearly as perfect (person) as a sculpture. And that isn’t something that I can simply achieve by imitating. As long as I chose this profession as my career, (I know) this was my own battle that I had to come out winning or losing, and there is also a side of me that wants to make no bones about showing myself. What started out like that has now established itself as one of the ways of expressing myself.

Q5: So the piecemeal activities you’ve done recently can be understood along those lines? You lent your voice to MIRAL School’s song sung by their teachers for the students. The composer of ‘Through the Night’, Kim Jehwi made the song based on what he felt while working at the school, and you participated in the song as a featuring artist.

IU: Musical talent aside, Jehwi is my precious friend too. Frankly speaking, when he first told me that he’d be teaching the students in school, I was worried about whether he could do well more than anything else. But being affable, he adapted well and eventually said, “Noona, I want to make a song as a gift for the school”, which made me so proud and want to cheer him on too. To be honest, I didn’t expect this to make such news, but I poured so much effort into recording the song that I somehow joked, “I think I work harder on this than I do for my album”. (I worked so hard on this) so that the students can gain strength, and go to school happily while listening to it.

Q6: The drama “You Have Worked Hard” (literal title) has created a buzz with the combination of IU, Park Bo Gum, and writer Im Sang Chun of ‘Fight for My Way’, and will soon begin its pre-production. What is your reason for choosing this work?

IU: I think everyone will think this way when the drama is released, “Ah, even I would have wanted to do it too.” I really enjoyed the previous works of writer Im Sang Chun, and this one seemed to carry a new story of its own so it was refreshing. It’s just words (writing), but they manage to make people feel such emotions, so much that as someone who likes to read and write, I was envious of the writer’s talent. The theme of the drama is good, but I especially liked that it’s a heavy story delivered in a way that’s not too heavy.

Q7: You character, Ae Soon is a ‘young girl of literary interest who isn’t well off but remains positive and ambitious, and whose voice trembles like a goat whenever she rebels’. It is noteworthy that “You Have Worked Hard” will be your first korean drama comeback in four years since “Hotel Del Luna”, and that the character is the total opposite of your previous role, Jang Man Wol.

IU: Man Wol in “Hotel Del Luna” is certainly an unusual character. However, Ae Soon has a unique point too. Ae Soon may seem like the type of person you can easily see around you, but should I say that if you look closely, you’ll find her individuality as a human being stands out? I think I’m attracted to people of that sort (gyeol: personality, belief, preference, etc).

Q8: Some actors look for traces of themselves in the role they are assigned to in order to immerse themselves into their character. Are you one of them? How similar is IU with Ae Soon?

IU: There are definitely characters with gyeol (personality, belief, preference, etc) that I can never comprehend, but if that is the case, I won’t be able to bring myself to choose the work (willingly). It’s a matter of confidence. This also proves that all the characters I have played so far have been those that I could understand at some point. Among them, Ae Soon resembles me more than any other character I have portrayed. The writer has incredible observation skills. They said they wanted to incorporate the characteristics that I have that are not too obvious into the character. It was to the point where I said, “Oh my, how did you know that I have this side to me?” after reading the script.

Q9: From “My Mister” to “Hotel Del Luna”, and from “Shades of the Heart” to “Broker” and then “Dream”. Whether it’s a drama or film, should I say that your next step is always super bold? To the extent that one may think playing a different work and a different character from your previous work is your first and main criteria for selecting a project.

IU: Just like how when you have long hair for a long time, don’t you want to dye your hair or get a haircut at some point? It may not be my criteria, but I think once I have lived as a character for more than a few months, I’d unconsciously want to try out something different too.

Q10: There are many people who want to try a bob or short haircut, but they end up sticking to their long hair for the rest of their lives just in case the former doesn’t suit them.

IU: But if there’s something I want to do, I’m the type of person who must (and will) do it first (before I worry about it). It’s much easier for me to bear regretting doing something than regretting not doing it.

Q11: I suppose you are not the type of person that separates your actress’s ego from your singer’s. How similar or different are your state of mind the day before the concert and the day before crank-in (starting to shoot a drama/film)?

IU: If a concert stage is like a (one-off) live broadcast where you only get a chance to put out a (perfect) performance that stays forever in the audience’s memory, then the filming set has a different premise in that you can exchange opinions with the director or your co-stars on the spot, select the best outcome from several take opportunities, and subsequently share it with the audience. However, once the concert begins, the overwhelming moment of finally becoming one with the audience after feeling all alone under a lot of tension for some time is very similar to the moment I realize that I am truly working and keeping in tune with the crew after seeing these many people (including myself) gradually moving forward as a team with a shared goal on a new and unfamiliar set. Both fields are attractive in that they are things that I can never do alone. Whether I'm singing or acting, I'm just someone who puts in the best of my share (of work) at every moment.

Q12: At the 14th anniversary concert <The Golden Hour: Under The Orange Sun> last year, you said, “I thought this concert might be the final destination of the things I dreamt of and wanted to challenge myself to since my teenage years, but at this moment, I’m hopeful that this could be a new starting point, a new beginning (for me).” Normally, settling down is always the easier option wherever you are. And yet, you are still constantly trying to head somewhere else. Which direction are you headed? What lies at your ultimate destination?

IU: It is no exaggeration to say that I lived my twenties obsessing over the idea of ‘direction’. Should I say it was the subject that kept me ‘hot-blooded (passionate)’ at that time? Those ardent worries were enjoyable, but honestly draining too. After turning 30, I don’t have any particular direction in mind. It’s my first time being like this too.

Q13: Are you wandering around (floating/drifting) right now?

IU: That expression is accurate. I’m wandering around (floating/drifting). This itself could be my present direction now that I’m in my 30s. Throughout last year, I kept thinking, “I want to maintain this mindset” and “I enjoy living like this.” On the other hand, apart from feeling at peace, it was also a year where interesting events exploded. I used to cling to the idea that ‘If I miss something, the world will always give me something else in return’ throughout my 20s. But once I let go of the things I was clutching onto for dear life, the ‘other thing’ the world gave me was surprisingly such events. As I emptied my mind, the world filled it with fun stuff instead. Later when I look back as I get older, I will surely put a bookmark at my 30s (chapter).

Q14: Looking back, you were always doing something for the past 14 years, like singing, holding showcases, communicating with fans, etc. So what is rest for you?

IU: To be honest, I can’t quite grasp the concept of rest. I don’t feel particularly recharged just because my body is resting. In a broad sense, if getting rest is considered a means to de-stress and recharge one’s body, then ironically for me, the things (stress) that have piled up inside me are relieved in the most refreshing way when I’m working. (I feel relieved) when I have satisfactorily accomplished my work to the point where I get a good sense of pleasure. I feel much more refreshed during those times than when I’m just lying down at home for days. Otherwise, there should be something engrossing enough for me to not think about work at all. But in my case, there isn't much stuff that I’m into to that extent. Some of the (fun) stuff that I can recall now are: when I’m in a deep sleep, when I’m catching up with Yoo Inna, when I’m making silly jokes and laughing with my friends or lover who deeply understand me, when I’m rewatching my favorite movie, and when I’m having something really delicious. As I live, there are quite many people who do not need so much of that sort of mental relaxation like me. That said, stamina is another story, so as I enter my 30s, I try hard to take care of my body to make sure that it can keep up when I need to work harder. When I get to rest, I spend time lying down as much as I can. (laughs).

Q15: During the concert, you also said, “I’ll reflect on what I experienced today and go on for another 14 years.” Have you ever imagined yourself 14 years from now?

IU: Based on last year’s calculation, if I were to picture myself as a 44-year-old… I think I’d still be working by then. Other than that, I honestly have no idea too… that is, if we (were to imagine it) based on the premise that ‘I am a person who can change’. For instance, the mindset that constitutes me 14 years from now will be very different from my current mindset.

Q16: Maybe change can happen because people are flexible. But if I am to be honest, I’m the type of person who believes that people do not change until they die.

IU: I do agree with your statement to a certain extent. But I used to someone who despised competition and (thus) kept myself from competing 14 years ago. Going through my diary back then, I wrote “I find this competitive society so exhausting. I’m worried (about myself) because I don’t have a desire to win, and I hate competition.” But looking back, I realized that I’ve been enjoying competitions throughout the last 14 years since my debut. To the point where I wondered, “maybe I’m actually crazy about competing (for victory/defeat)?” I thought perhaps I failed to notice that I was a competitive person or I just wanted to deny it on purpose.

Q17: Either way, I feel sorry for the young girl who had just debuted and scribbled “I hate competition” in her diary. Is there anything that IU, who(se mindset) has changed quite a bit, would like to say to the IU of that time?

IU: “You actually like yourself a lot.”

Q18: You once said, “Even if we’re sick of this world, I hope we will live on while loving each other.” In this harsh world, is love still the hope that you have faith in?

IU: It’s a bit embarrassing to say this but nevertheless, I believe that love overcomes hatred. In the end, love wins. Even when I lose my balance and I’m swayed, I repeat to myself, “But love will win in the end though” and either try to put together my logic, build up my thinking muscle or control my mind like that. The proposition that love will win is something that I’ve experienced enough through living my life. I will continue to believe it moving forward.

Q19: Singer-songwriters are blessed in that they can turn their personal thoughts and emotions into the end-product that is music. In particular, we sort of know how important lyrics are in your music. What lyrics have been running through your mind these days?

IU: This may sound ridiculous but I happen to be writing about something we just talked about earlier. I was surprised deep down when I heard the word ‘wandering’. To wander around (float/ drift) without a destination. I think this will be the theme of my next album.

Q20: Back to today’s pictorial concept of ‘duality’, I feel that you are leading your life with both egos — icon IU and ordinary person Lee Jieun — faithfully. How do you maintain a balance between these two?

IU: Changing between slightly uncomfortable yet pretty clothes that make me shine and slightly average yet comfortable clothes I can freely move around in, and being moderately satisfied and moderately wary at every moment seem to be the way to balance… whilst naturally accepting the obvious fact that there are times I shine and times I’m just ordinary.

Q21: “I can’t take out all the words from my diary, but…” (lyrics from Through the Night) — What is the one sentence that can describe you right now?

IU: (I can’t take out all the words from my diary, but) that child / she has decided to live as a spore (홀씨), instead of a flower.

[*T/L note: Although IU didn’t specifically mention dandelion (민들레), ‘홀씨’ is often used when talking about ‘민들레’ (dandelion). Referring to what she said earlier about ‘wandering around (floating/drifting)’,‘홀씨’ can be interpreted as ‘민들레 홀씨’ (dandelion puffs) too.]

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.co.kr/article/75198

Translated by IUteamstarcandy with love

[therobotmonster]

Do you think that if megacorps try to replace dedicated concept artists with only AI Art, they're gonna run into the difficulties of promptcraft very quickly and extremely hard?

There's a lot of scenarios around concept artists and how this is going to impact them. But to a large degree, yes. They're going to find out that while the AI is great at options, it's terrible at specificity and consistency.

Making a handful of cool starships with Midjourney can take a few hours of promptcraft and selection. Making any one of those spaceships again, in a different scene, or from a different angle, is essentially impossible as the tech stands. A real concept artist is going to be needed to translate those AI-brainstormed ideas into something usable in a larger work, or even just to make the kinds of nitpicky tweaks producers and directors like to make.

I've faced this challenge in some projects I've been brewing in the background, (mocked up magazine articles with screenshots from surreal nonexistent shows, stuff like that), hard to make anything seem real if everything shifts moment to moment.

And, not to put too fine a point on it. Suits have a hard enough time expressing what they want to actual artists with whom they share a common species and language. Most will get frustrated and realize they're going to have to subcontract their AI-gens.

So as the tech stands right now, its that first moment of brainstorming that it really helps with. You can generate reams of rough concepts quickly, including less "safe" choices that might have been too risky to devote a full concept painting to traditionally. Once the work is settled on, it's off to the traditional artists to refine and recreate it.

This probably does mean that Disney and Warner and the rest will have some very overworked AI pre-vis teams (a problem to which unions are the answer). But it also means that the concept artists for smaller teams and companies can now produce an initial swathe of concepts to choose from.

And that's just the problems with reproducability. The problem of specificity is very much also there. The "Licorice Werewolf" problem.

I know what a licorice werewolf in peppermint pants looks like in my head. It's a cartoony werewolf made of black licorice twists and nibs wearing a pair of tattered trousers that are made of red-white stripe peppermint. It's one of my test concepts for new text-to-image AIso, because while they all come up with something unexpected, they never come up with what is, to me, the obvious execution of that concept.

The promptcraft to get even close feels more like a magic spell than a sentence, and it still can't replicate that idea. If I want the perfect Licorice Werewolf I'm gonna have to draw and/or sculpt him myself. No matter how advanced the systems get, it will take artistic vision to make art with them.

[tweedledee-and-tweedledumb]

Idly doing crafts and thinking about how Freddie Lounds unknowingly made a symbiotic deal with the devil.

There's so many fics out there where Hannibal or Will (or both of them) kill Freddie and that's all fine and dandy and she totally deserves it, but I love remembering that Freddie Lounds out-lives everyone involved.

Despite being in MANY precarious situations, Freddie not only manages to avoid death or the promise of death at a later time, but she fulfills her chosen purpose and reports on a lot of fucked up stories. She reports on stories that end up involving her personally, and many that she forces her way into. She gets kidnapped, gets assaulted, gets threatened, but no matter how many tricky situations as she gets herself into, Freddie Lounds manages to walk away both alive and more physically (and arguably mentally) unscathed than any other character in the show.

In truth though, the two are so symbiotic that it's wild and borderline laughable to me that anyone thinks she can actually be killed.

Freddie Lounds, as a character, wants nothing more than to dig up good stories. To slap them down and offer up glimpses of 'the truth' as sensationalist shock value that really does reveal a number of unseen (or unrecognized) truths. It's her entire purpose and that alone allows her safe passage through the entirety of the narrative, despite the fact that Freddie canonically dies in the source material.

Her commitment to journalism, and her unflinching desire to be at the heart of it all, is an unspoken Soul Selling type Wish that gets granted by Hannibal's greed and his desire to have his art recognized.

Because Freddie is his voice.

The controversial, prone to libel, journalist with her grubby fingers forcibly crammed into every pie out there somehow captures his work. In all its horrific, macabre glory.

Is she frustrating, dramatic, and always reporting at the wrong time? Yes. But she's also Hannibal's barker. The one who reminds everyone that he's out there. The one that forces everyone that sees her site to sit back and wonder, 'Who the fuck is this guy? This fucked up artistic genius that Does All This Crazy Shit while evading detection of any kind.'

Because, realistically, in this universe we don't see any news coverage of the Chesapeake Ripper's crimes outside of Tattlecrime. Obviously people know he's still uncaught, but you'd think that if someone was out there turning people into into cherry blossom trees and leaving them in parking lots, it would've be a LOT bigger news. Was that a creative choice? Was it because other news outlets were irrelevant to the show? Or because the FBI was effectively covering up the spread of the details of those crimes? We can't and won't know, but what we do know is that Freddie manages to not only tell the world about every single one of the Ripper's tableaus, but that she plasters multiple photos of the crime scenes onto her website with alarming regularity.

And, because of that, Hannibal will never let her go.

She's allowed a level of audacious leeway that is incredible considering her blatant and continuous rudeness. Toward Hannibal certainly, but toward Will and Abigale as well.

But, in this particular case, Hannibal's narcissism allows her near borderline immunity from the consequences that would normally befall anyone that acts the way she does in Hannibal Lecter's presence.

His distaste for her, no matter how rude, how bothersome, how inconvenient, is ignored in favor of allowing her to live so that the world may continue to be shocked by the Ripper's vision and his messages. His art.

And, with that immunity, Freddie commits to her life long dream, and the unknowing gift she's been given, and jumps recklessly into danger after danger as she chases after sensationalist stories. She's in a position to be killed SO many times but the axe never seems to meet her neck. Not from Gideon, or Hannibal, or Will, or even Jack and all his threats of legal action, because Freddie has become metaphorically untouchable.

She's outside of the consequences of the narrative, all because she inadvertently became an essential part of Hannibal's ability to be Seen and to communicate.

So yeah, I understand the desire to kill her off in a Murder Husbands bonding moment, but I also think it's comical that anyone thinks that she's capable of being killed when she's safe from both The Biggest Bad in the show as well as The Narrative.

[lady-wildflower]

Some thoughts on Wednesday and heteronormativity

I was just reminded of something that quite amuses me about Netflix’s Wednesday, which is how... it literally took me until the second time I watched it to go “wait, are they trying to set up a love triangle here or something?”

Like, don’t get me wrong, I understood that both Xavier and Tyler were meant to be in the supporting cast who were considered allies by Wednesday (very suspiciously in the case of Xavier), but the possibility of romance didn’t even enter my mind for Xavier and for Tyler it felt so clearly forced that it didn’t compute that he was even supposed to be a contender. Like, to the point that Wednesday remotely being okay with Tyler kissing her before the vision surprised me.

Because nothing either of them say about it makes any fucking sense. Were there deleted scenes or something? Tyler talks about mixed signals which to me is either evidence he’s trying to muddle her up and confuse her to benefit his own plans or he’s a moron. Same for Xavier. Because those ‘mixed signals’ were entirely in the boys’ heads. Wednesday never at any point shows anything more than mild tolerance for their presence, and before the reveal I was literally wondering what the fuck Tyler was talking about when he mentioned mixed signals. Both boys take Wednesday tolerating their presences with at best neutral aloofness as evidence she likes them, with zero actual evidence present. I do think that kinda speaks to the way IRL cishet guys often do behave, but it came wildly out of left field for me when I watched the show for a second time, already knowing the twists, to go wait... WHAT THE FUCK??

Tyler I personally write off as him trying to manipulate her, get her out of Laurel’s way while they prepare, etc. When Wednesday says his “date” is a quid-pro-quo for nearly getting him killed, she’s right, and I personally find it really uncomfortable the way they did an Almost-Kiss in it because Tyler 100% pressured her into that situation. Same for the later kiss (and it’s worth noting for later that Enid was the one who prompted her to go there in the first place). But Xavier? Assuming they were trying to set up a love triangle with Tyler and Xavier, dude has completely made up something there, because not only does he seem to think Wednesday should like him, he actively ignores the things she says. Wednesday has never expressed an interest in having a phone - in fact, what she has expressed is disdain for them. And yet, Xavier gets her one anyway, a gift she has outright said previously that she doesn’t want, as if it would endear him to her anyway. Of course she’s not going to text you you clunge! She doesn’t want a phone!

And like, when you really get down to it, what the fuck is Xavier’s appeal supposed to be? Yeah he’s a mildly emo artist but he’s not remotely on her level in terms of darkness and he can’t meet her on that field - he’s trying to force her down to his. Every skill he has is either pretty much there for the main plot and not the weird love corner b-plot, or something Wednesday either derides or is exponentially better than him at - he’s not even better at archery than her. And I do think, if I take the show at face value, that Xavier is 100% imagining any interest he thinks Wednesday has in him. Because Wednesday tolerates his presence for a bit and then considers him her prime suspect for like 80% of the show. She doesn’t express any interest in him as a person, she doesn’t even express remorse for ruining his life temporarily! When she meets him in the cell, it’s because he might have useful information! And in regards to his art, Xavier isn’t as macabre a person as she is, he can’t meet her at that either - he’s a jogger who does Pollock art to ‘90s alternative rock. The most macabre original thing, not borne of his nebulous connection to the Big Bad, he paints/draws is the spider, which Wednesday was not exactly impressed by. The problem with Xavier in this way is he’s too middling - he doesn’t go far enough. They didn’t make him weird enough, for lack of a better way of describing it.

When you really get down to it, what does Xavier bring to the table? Nothing. He doesn’t even make much of an effort to understand her (despite all the pontification of her cello solos being “the only time I get to see the real you,” which frankly I think is him projecting). He’s not got anything to offer, and given Wednesday’s behaviour where she does seem to need you to bring something to the table, there’s zero reason for her to even consider him anywhere near a friend other than sharing classes. And Tyler, well, until the twist he’s just a slightly troubled Regular Dude, and Wednesday Addams is not gonna be interested in that either.

All in all, I think both Tyler and Xavier had some kinda Assigned Love Interest Syndrome. The writers were so focused on making them seem like relatable love interests to an audience that they forgot to make them seem like plausible love interests for Wednesday herself. Neither of them are remotely compatible with her, and frankly I’m surprised Xavier isn’t running for the hills given she’s demonstrated a completely unfazed willingness to destroy his life if it suits her. To the point that it’s not an unpopular theory that Wednesday is aromantic and asexual, because her behaviour for the most part supports that theory!

Which brings me to my second point.

Enid. Motherfucking. Sinclair.

Enid is a perfect fuckin foil for Wednesday, and the most important thing here to me in this conversation is how no, she’s not macabre, she’s the exact opposite. But fundamentally, she’s not just the exact opposite but a mirror of Wednesday on the opposite side of the spectrum - when Wednesday is all dark and creepy, Enid is equally bright and cheerful. That equality is the point - she can meet Wednesday on Wednesday’s turf, because where Tyler and Xavier would be steamrolled by Wednesday, Enid is the immovable object to Wednesday’s unstoppable force, and vice versa. She’s not just a Regular Lass, she’s so intensely bright that she can, well, meet Wednesday at her own level. She can challenge Wednesday in a way Xavier and Tyler... just can’t.

I might also add; Wednesday didn’t show the slightest bit of sorrow or remorse at potentially ruining Xavier’s life, not even retroactively, nor at literally torturing Tyler. Ya know what did make her feel bad? Hurting Enid’s feelings when Enid left.

So who the fuck ELSE was I ever going to ship Wednesday with? The regular guy barista and the mildly emo artist didn’t even register on the same RADAR. They don’t foil Wednesday, they’re not on her level, literally the only reason I can think of for someone to ship them is because they’re boys and they’re looking at the show through a 100% heteronormative lens where a girl daring to tolerate a guy means she loves him. It’s to the point that I can only assume they’re building to an Enid/Wednesday relationship in later seasons, because the alternative fucking baffles me. Ajax doesn’t even make much sense for Enid either, he’s just a superficially positive boy who, I guess he gets to be a bit goofy, but I literally couldn’t name any other traits he has other than harmless goofy stoner. Meanwhile, Enid is the only character outside of the Addams family itself I’d say Wednesday even cares about. The fuckin- coded “Thing missed you” exchange??? Wednesday actually cares about Enid, which is not something which can be extended to her supposed love interests. Which makes it perplexing to me that those boys are even supposed to be on that RADAR. Combine that with the clear (though clumsy) queer subtext surrounding Enid, and ye gods how can you not think that Enid is the far superior love interest for Wednesday?

As for what’s behind the curtain... I don’t know. I don’t know if the writers were just oblivious to the fact they’d essentially written a WLW love story in Enid and Wednesday, or if they were queerbaiting, or if they were playing it safe to see how the first season got received before diving into the lesbianisms next season. The whole WednesGay promotional thing has lended a lot to think it’s queerbaiting and I can’t conclusively say I don’t think so too.

I don’t know that it’s a good thing that I can’t tell if the writers are chugging the oblivious heteronormative Kool-Aid, or if they’re hedging their bets.

[perhaps-sunlight]

Hey, I love your stories Tomarry!! They are so engaging and well written and I also really like how you portray Harry and Tom's personalities <3 Do you have any writing tips? And what do you recommend when you lose inspiration for a story? I'm trying to start one but so far it's not going so well lol

Hello anon, thank you so much for your kind words. I’m always happy to hear that readers enjoy my stories :)

I’m also flattered that you’re interested in writing tips from me. I would caveat by saying that writing is a very personal process, so my tips are only suggestions. There are also great writing resources out there to explore.

Identify the north star of your story: I liken writing a story to crossing a pebbled river at night with only a flashlight. You know that you need to get to the other side, but there are infinitely many pebbles to step on, and thus infinitely many paths. A north star can guide you, which is helpful especially in longfics to avoid dead ends and plot holes. A north star comes in different forms. Sometimes, it will be the major plot beats you need to hit (e.g. Tom and Harry fight Grindelwald together) that can be fleshed out into an outline. Other times, it will simply be a vibe that you want to convey (e.g. melancholy, or happy, or shocked!). And it's totally okay if it changes as you discover your story.

Empathize with all of your characters: and I do mean all, even the villains and side characters. An antagonist shouldn’t come across as a cardboard villain, a the protagonist shouldn’t come across as an overpowered Gary Stu / Mary Sue. What do they want? Why do they act the way they do? How would you summarize them in three words? The more you know your characters, the more they’ll feel like people rather than plot devices, and the more their voices will flow through in their actions and dialogues to help your stories move along.

Be kind to yourself and your writing: there’s an idealized view of writing where people just sit down at their desk and a masterpiece flows out, but I don’t think this is most people’s realities. Definitely not mine! Think about how an artist paints: you start with a sketch, then you fill in colors, and then you add highlights / shadows / etc. Writing is the same. Putting words on the page, no matter how terrible they seem, gives you the chance to improve them. And you will grow as a writer in the process.

With regards to what to do when you lose inspiration for a story, here are some ideas depending on why it happened.

You are burned out: please take care of yourself first and foremost! A break from a story can be a great way to gain fresh perspective on what’s working and what’s not. Never force yourself to power through something you don't enjoy.

You have a shiny new idea: you can explore the new idea. It doesn’t mean writing it out fully — it could mean outlining it, or freewriting, or sketching out some scenes. Sometimes,  you will scratch the itch and return to your original WIP. Other times, you may find that the new idea is more compelling, and your explorations will lay the foundations for a new WIP.

You have writer’s block: you can try discussing the idea with a writing buddy or friend, or leverage Tumblr / Discord / Reddit / other social media sites to get inspiration from internet strangers. You may get ideas from others, or naturally unblock yourself through the process of discussing your ideas.

And sometimes it’s okay to set aside something, as long as you don’t delete anything, because you never know when they'll come back. (never) let me go was a fic I first tried to write at 16, but while I had the teenage angst, I didn't have the life experience to do it justice. Years later, I was finally able to realize my vision, even though the actual story bears no resemblance whatsoever to my original attempt.

Anyway, I rambled for quite a bit. Hopefully something in there is useful. Best of luck in your writing anon!

[standardquip]

Esoterra

Video:Bakemonogatari, Kizumonogatari, Wolf's Rain, Haibanei Renmei (Charcoal Feathers Federation), Vision of Escaflowne, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Steins;Gate, Castlevania, Made In Abyss, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 3: Rebellion, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 1: Beginnings, Patema Inverted, Demon Slayer, Big Fish & Begonia, Origin: Spirits of the Past, KARAS, Children of the Sea, Btooom!, Dorohedoro, Psycho Pass, Shinmai Maou no Testament, Flip Flappers, Dragon Dentist, Girl That Leapt Through Time, Golden Kamuy, Jyu Oh Sei Planet of Beast King, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 2: Eternal, Nisemonogatari, Mushi-Shi, Princess Kaguya, The Perfect Insider, Your Name, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Audio:Aurora – Apple Tree Premiere Date:2020 Status:Downloadable, Streamable Genre(s):Other, Artistic Cons/Awards: Anime Weekend Atlanta 2020 PRO contest finalist for Artistic and Best Video A-M-V.Org 2021 VCAs: won Best artistic Agamacon 2021: won Best Artistic Endeavor Outside Links:.org, AMVnews

I got weirdly defensive about my editing abilities in 2019 so decided to make something specifically to show that I could, in fact, make a really good edit. /shrug

Started: october 2019 during AWA PRO 2019 Finished: 12 August 2020 Spent countless hours on it during that time. Started keeping actual track of hours in Jan 2020. So total project time below is heavily UNDERstated.

Time spent: 94hr 3min 10s total. (again- understated. I normally just round up to 100 lol) 72hrs 38min 10sec for Premiere CS6. 18hr 42min for after effects CS6. 2hr 43min VLC (looping betas lmao).

Finalist in AWA PRO 2020: Best artistic, best video. No Awards won.

Many thanks to all my beta testers, for the editors on discord who actually tried to explain what flow was in esoteric ways so I could maybe understand it, and their help with footage procurement (searching for certain scene compositions in anime I didn’t know). Special shoutouts to TheLazyDaze for continuous hype and feedback, SeasonsAMV who showed me The Perfect Insider, which finished a big blank spot I was struggling with, and Niotex and Dr. Derpface who convinced me to just make my own butterflies in After Effects (Previously I had tried to mask them out of a Demon Slayer scene. It was awful).

Breakdown of the baby scene: (released 26 dec 2020)

My PC nearly died while I tried to make this, and it didn’t even render correctly in the end. I’m sorry for the glitchiness, but due to the difficulty this is likely the only thing like this I will do for Esoterra. [The gold mandala & meat pieces scenes show up later than they should, making accurate comparison pretty difficult. The other overlays seem mostly in sync. I apologize.] This is all the overlays involved for just the one part of the baby scene. The baby scene is not even the most complicated scene in the full AMV, but it is the one that is most obviously different and the one that seems to get most the positive remarks. Hope this is interesting to someone.

Breakdown of the whole thing: (released 6 Jan 2021)

Finally a breakdown that I’m semi-okay with. It’s not as detailed as I wanted, but I think it gets enough of the message across. It’s still a bit buggy in some areas (2 different video files stitched together to get all the video tracks on screen) but it’s in sync. This timeline is actually pretty organized. Any video that’s on it is actively being used in conjunction with an opacity/layer blending mode, masks, or keying. (But 80% of the time it’s a blending mode). Any nested sequences that seem to have the same clips repeated continually are due to the same reasons. On this timeline, Green is nested, Pink is an AE project. I didn’t do pop-ups for every nested sequence or AE project because most of them weren’t anything complicated. The others were either complicated or I just wanted to show off for whatever reason. Especially the butterfly segment. I hand-made and animated the butterfly swarm. All frames are shown on the tracks for informational purposes; I don’t edit like that. Anyway, this was submitted and made finals in AWA PRO 2020, but didn’t win anything (My other video, “Dysphoria,” did win best tech in the same contest though). Esoterra was the most complicated and tech-heavy video I’ve made. Also clocking in at the longest time I’ve ever spent on a project, nearly 100 hours. Feel free to ask any questions!

[hislittleraincloud]

Caveat: I don't know exactly what the voters need to be looking for when judging this shit. And for all I know the paint blood F/X thing is more of a responsibility for the people behind the camera who want things to look good in the frame.

But really...I honestly cannot believe that this incongruous piece of shit makeup work from 'Woe What a Night' that I always point and laugh at when it's on my screen big or small won a goddamn Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Contemporary Non-Prosthetic Makeup...because shit like this exists in the episode:

In the earlier part of the scene, it's watery paint. We can see that, and we can see how it dripped onto Ortega's face in that thin film, full face coverage, then right after her vision, she zips out of the ballroom intent on getting to Eugene.

But then some ✨creative✨ thought that it would be cool to mix up actual stage blood and then dump it onto Ortega's clearly clean face, even though the paint didn't have that thicker consistency at all (because yanno...Stupid Viewers Are Stupid and Won't Notice, it's not important, so long as it looks okay! which I've never thought that it does 💀). I wouldn't take issue with this if they had just used the stage blood to begin with, but there are pro rules for that too, with professional makeup artists warning not to misuse stage blood:

"...Misusing fake blood can also quickly make a realistic design appear overtly fake. When designing a look, consider the optimal color and thickness of any fake blood you intend to use. It should closely resemble the wound or effect you are trying to create.

Pro Tip: To make a special effects makeup look more realistic, consider the direction that blood would flow from a wound, or how the blood would splatter. Don’t simply spray blood in every direction. In real life, this doesn’t happen NEARLY as much as you’d think."

I can't be the only one annoyed by the difference, SINCE WEDNESDAY EXPLICITLY SAID THAT SHE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY COULDN'T EVEN SPRING FOR PIG'S BLOOD. "IT'S ONLY PAINT." And it wasn't just on Ortega's clean face, it's on Ricci's clean face too:

✨But Tor, it LOOKS BETTER TH --✨

NO.

NO, IT DOESN'T.

This is just some bull💩 if the Academy thinks this was better contemporary makeup work than The Last of Us, AHS, or Picard. As much as I like and tolerate this show, its continuity is HORRENDOUS, as I've pointed out in Fuck Those Propmasters.

...So congrats(?) on casting some kind of spell over the voters for the win. I haven't even mentioned the CAKE on Ortega's face throughout that erases all of her freckles. Yes, I get it, she had to do whiteface since Wednesday is pale/dead looking, but there was just too much in some places that was really noticeable. (It's most evident when she talks to Enid at the beginning with her Murder Board and when Xavier makes her ask him to the Rave'N. But then it isn't caked during the Rave'N itself. It's actually not as caked on in other episode scenes, like when she's opening her snood gift. Perhaps the makeup of the Rave'N was a factor since it was nice, especially the Nightshade girls and Enid.)

Anyway, IDGAF if I sound like a raging cunt. I expect things that win awards to be legit worthy of recognition...this was not. Not for this, at least. Contemporary Costuming, fair, I guess (I mean...the Nevermore uniforms seem like an homage to Beetlejuice, the cat costumes Batman Returns, but otherwise, costuming seemed rather boring to me, but whatever, maybe it was the contrast between Wends and her colorful roommate that made it stand out). But not makeup, it was just way too inconsistent and there were better nominees.

ETA: I had to re-edit this because some of my other edits didn't save for some reason.

[douglysium]

The Magic of Planeswalker Art

You can read this article on Google Docs here- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b0_XVTfn8m3ecpSDEFO_UkcnrC_5WINzjtA5L_B2yKs/edit

One thing that I think is kind of cool and isn't really talked about enough is a lot of the art techniques Magic the Gathering uses and how the game can still have a general recognizable vibe, design philosophy, or design tropes in general thanks to the incredible skill, art direction, and vision of many of the artist and art directors. However, to get even more specific, one thing that I have seen people talk about even less is how Planeswalkers generally tend to pop out of their card art while most creatures, spells, and scenes are perfectly contained within the designated card art area.

Also, for the sake of clarity, I am talking strictly about normal card art and not alternate or special edition card art. But getting back to the point, the fact that Planeswalker's usually pop or leak out of their art comes down to, what I would argue at least, are two main design reasons. First off, having the planeswalkers be like the only card type to consistently do this helps draw attention to their importance and how MTG basically revolves around planeswalkers. Heck, canonically every MTG player is a planeswalker themselves. 

To go even further, if Magic the Gathering had a main character it would probably be Jace or Chandra… BUT if MTG had a second main character it would be planeswalkers in general. This makes sense when you consider the fact that generally planeswalkers are one of the few things that can traverse the different planes of the multiverse, much less with any sort of ease (well they WERE during the time of writing this but the events of March of the Machine seems to have given non-planeswalkers more options for traveling to other planes. But a lot of the points I’m mentioning still stand as planeswalkers seem to still have the easiest time traveling from plane to plane and don’t need to wait for portals or interplanar omenpaths) and because of this we tend to follow the narratives and stories of planeswalkers the most and they tend to be some of the more consistently recurring characters, as they are not as bound to specific planes (meaning that they can easily show up in just about any set if the writers want them to). The second reason one may want to show planeswalker’s leaving card art is more lore-related. See, it’s well know that planeswalkers can traverse from plane to plane(hence the name planeswalker). So, by having planeswalkers leaving or extending outside of their card frames you are physically showing that planeswalkers are not bound to planes in the same way that normal entities are. In essence, they are capable of leaving or simply stepping out of the world or place depicted on the card, unlike most normal creatures.

A planeswalker’s ability to just leave planes or areas just about whenever they want is also something we see addressed in the story of MTG.

“I’ve heard it said that a Planeswalker is someone who can always run from danger. But Gideon’s right: we’re also the ones who can choose to stay.” —Jace Beleren

Planeswalkers have a level of choice and freedom that most other creatures do not have. Honestly, the artistic technique we see on planeswalker cards reminds me of how comic artists may play around with things like the panels by doing things like having characters reach outside the panels to show how powerful a character is, that a character is not bound by normal logic, and/or that the character/panel in question is just super important.

The panel above is from the Webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell from page 1068 (https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1068) and it depicts the character Coyote. I wish I could think of more strong examples (and feel free to leave your own). In this page we can see Coyote’s reality warping power emphasized as he begins to reach outside the frame with his hand in the second panel and then in the third panel he takes in a more abstract form as he freely spills out into the areas below and next to the panel. You could also argue that this shows that what we are usually seeing is actually not Coyote’s true/only form and that he is a being that is just on another level of existence. He is not bound by the same physics, rules, and laws that most other characters are. 

Back to MTG though, I know some of you are inevitably going to say “Okay cool, but what about Marit Lage?” and my response to that is "Wow what a throwback…”

The rest of you are probably going to ask about the Eldrazi for the same reason. 

Now, the Eldrazi aren’t Planeswalkers so despite their ability to travel from one plane to another they don’t use the exact same art techniques that planeswalkers do because they are telling a slightly different story. One thing some may notice about the Eldrazi is the fact that they fuck with the borders of the card. More specifically you can see the rest of their art near the border of the card and outside the rest of their art frames in the default printing.

Not to mention that with a lot of them you can see the entirety of the art behind the various text boxes in general. This shows us that while, yes, the Eldrazi are similar to planeswalkers in that they are free to travel from plane to plane they are different in that they aren’t bound to our frame of reference of the symbolic frame of planes we are seeing. Unlike planeswalkers, the true body of the Eldrazi resides outside of any plane and within the Blind Eternities themselves. A fact that one could argue is kind of represented by the fact that there is more of the Eldrazi outside of the picture frame. 

In essence, if you only look at the card’s art frame then you are not getting the full picture of their existence and their true form doesn’t even really fit into the scene they inhabit so we have to zoom all the way out and look at them from outside the moment/world/plane that they are currently inhabiting. This is also further emphasized with just how fucking massive the Eldrazi titans themselves are. They are so big that they don’t even completely fit into the card they are on despite having almost the entirety of the card to portray their form. Their physical form in of itself is not the Eldrazi’s true form and to look upon only its physical form, massive as they may be, does not create a complete picture of what they are. Additionally, their strange card art and borders just highlights them as unusual, important, eye-catching, or something you don’t see every day. Especially when you compare them to normal creatures.

The fact that the Eldrazi extend outside of where a Magic card’s art is normally contained could also reference their ability to travel from plane to plane. However, the way they do so is different from that of Planeswalkers. While planeswalkers are capable of crossing the borders of planes and stepping from one metaphorical scene to another Eldrazi just don’t have any borders, at least not in the same way a normal plane dwelling entity does. Planeswalkers jump from plane to plane but Eldrazi merely move in, out, and through the Blind Eternities to get to another plane. Even then, as mentioned earlier, it is not their true form that enters a plane as their true form still lies within the Blind Eternities themselves. So in essence the Eldrazi are just sort of “reaching” into planes they want to interact with.

I guess if I had to explain this in the simplest way possible I would say that the fact that planeswalkers almost always have bits of their body sticking out of the art frame is a representation of both their importance and the extra level of freedom and movement that comes with planeswalking. A freedom that normal creatures, spells, and other things don’t have access to. 

Additionally, in the cases of instants, sorceries, and enchantments. planeswalkers usually seem unable to cast spells mid planeswalk (at least to my knowledge). Casting spells from the Blind Eternities if you're a planeswalker isn’t something that you can just do which would explain why these kinds of spells would still be more contained within their art frame even when they are being used by or associated with planeswalkers.

Then you have artifacts. While some artifacts can be brought to different planes by a planeswalker it is important to remember that artifacts are a way WAY broader and vague category than a lot of Magic players seem to assume. While artifacts can represent some types of inorganic material or technology, most of which a planeswalker could take with them when they planeswalk, they can also just represent inanimate objects. Which can often include things that are organic and thus cannot be taken off a plane via planeswalking.

For example, most food we see is composed of organic material and thus attempting to planeswalk with them would cause them to be destroyed in the blind eternities. However, it’s more likely that artifacts not having the same border crossing art treatment as planeswalkers is simply connected to the fact that even artifact that can be safely carried when planeswalking do not necessarily have the ability to planeswalk on their own or by themselves and would thus need a planeswalker, or I guess an Omenpath as of March of the Machines, in order to leave a plane. Their ability to leave a plane is not intrinsic to them in the same way it is for planeswalkers.

Meanwhile, the art of the Eldrazi and their associated cards along with how said art plays with the art frame tends to represent that while they aren’t planeswalkers they aren’t limited to a plane and the metaphorical frame that normal creatures are. Their influence extends from outside of our frame of reference and comprehension.

As I mentioned earlier we are only focusing on default card art and not alternative art, special editions, secret layers, etc. because they often have an incentive to break these rules in order to make more interesting art that would otherwise normally not make sense in a given set. However, even excluding these alts there are still exceptions. For example, Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter is a planeswalker card that depicts Tibalt sitting cleanly inside his frame. 

On one hand I think it can be easily argued that this is simply due to his posture and position within the piece. But that then raises the question why would the art be done this way then? If we actually take a second to put ourselves in the shoes of an artist or art director who wants to keep the motif of planeswalkers going one could easily do so by simply raising Tibalt’s position higher so that his arm barely sticks out of the frame, outstretching his right arm so that his fingers stick out a little bit, or even just making one of the many coins raining down on him spill out of the bottom of the frame ever so slightly. Not to mention that you can still see a bit of his art behind the textbox like every other planeswalker so why would you stop there when it comes to planeswalkers. These factors don’t rule out the possibility that it was a coincidence but make me lean more towards the idea that this might have actually been intentional on the part of one or more parties. I think a possible answer lies in Kaldheim’s story in which Tibalt disguises himself as one of the plane’s inhabitants and gods, Valki, God of Lies (which I have to admit I find a little funny because if I was going to disguise myself as someone choosing the one guy who’s famously known for being untrustworthy, and a liar is quite the move).

From this perspective we could argue that the reason Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter, sits inside his frame is because it is supposed to mirror Valki in the sense that Tibalt is disguising himself as one of the normal inhabitants of Kaldheim and would thus appear to be on their level from a sort of metaphysically metaphorical perspective. So in this way the art of Tibalt on this card shows a metaphorical connection to his disguise of Valki.

Thanks for reading, or skimming, this article. What’s your favorite planeswalker art that is not an alternative art and why? Also, I do have more articles if you're interested such as pieces discussing the Color Pie in relation to Kamigawa, Innistrad’s factions, and longer form pieces discussing the Color Pie in general, such as White and Blue. I hope to see you later.

You can check out the list of all the articles I’ve written so far with this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ita3Eh8P2SdNtF9eCorKbhchtLXrrKJheK5_6OpRFSs/edit

[chorusfm]

Ashlynn Malia – “Dying To Miss Out” (Video Premiere)

Today is a great day to share the latest single and video from Ashlynn Malia called “Dying To Miss Out.” On this electric-charged new track that’s based on recent heartache, Malia channels her love for artists like Halsey and Lana Del Rey into her own eclectic mix of pop. Malia shared, “This song’s for those situations where I’d rather be literally anywhere than around the person I miss most, not because I don’t want to see them, but because of how badly I do want to see them despite how painful the interactions are.” The song comes from her highly anticipated debut LP, MALIA, that will be released on February 2nd via Jullian Records. I was also able to catch up with this talented artist for a brief interview below. Your new track “Dying To Miss Out” expresses a distinct internal conflict, between intense longing and clarity in knowing that giving into that longing wouldn’t be good for you. Did writing from this place help you process said conflict in any way? Writing this song definitely did help me process that conflict. Having it written helped me step outside of myself to view the issue from a new perspective. And on top of that, these lyrics are things that I have trouble saying out loud sometimes, so getting to record and sing them over and over again is really cathartic and healing. With MALIA putting a stamp on your “ethereal pop era,” how does this new single off the record help carve out that general vision on a sonic basis? Can you describe the writing process on a musical front? This single isn’t technically new, it came out over a year ago but I feel like writing it started the ethereal pop wave I’ve been riding ever since. Now that I have an entire project following that style, it seems only fitting that I include the song that inspired me to even explore it in the first place, hence “renewing” it with a music video, which I think it’s always deserved. With your record’s release being a few short weeks away, can you describe how you’re feeling in this anticipatory state? What are you most excited/nervous for listeners to hear? I am SO excited about this project. I have never been more proud of any release in my life. My team and I took some really fun creative risks for the album and there is definitely a wildcard in there – I won’t spoil too much but you’ll definitely hear it when you listen through. Overall, this record has the most distinct sense of identity out of all my projects. It sets the scene for how I’m going to continue exploring and evolving my sound. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/ashlynn-malia-dying-to-miss-out-video-premiere/

[in-bocca-a-lupo]

train of thought from last year

I don’t use words correctly. Their definitions are often loosely discarded as I find something less boring to do with them. I don’t see words as tangible, as Anne Curzan might say they are. She works through what makes a word “real.” She argues that if it is widely understood and used, then it is real. Well, the idea of “Standard English,” which is deeply rooted in racism and sexism and all those isms, was built upon the same principle, and the great artists of the ages were decided by how many academics wrote about them, and the realities of nature decided by how many scientists agree on them. Language is judged by how it communicates between communities, but I communicate with myself, do I not? And if I were to say something that only made sense to me, is it any less real? I could write something down and never show it to anyone (like this essay, possibly, if I ever hand it in). Does it cease to be language without a consumer? The only thing everyone can agree on, as far as “proper” academic writing goes, is that intellectualism and personality are separate. Whether they should be introduced to each other is up in the air, but despite the many vehement oppositions to “monolingualism,” “standard language ideology,” and “prescriptive English,” all theories operate using the idea that there is right and wrong whether it can be quantified or not. Alvarez et al. suggest that we “labor, exercise, and push ideas and boundaries about writing,” that we should be our own “language architects,” to combine the many ways we think of communication based on the target audience and personal “creative vision.” Does language without personality cease to be creation? Is the point argued not to augment one’s language instead of living it? Young says that we should “code mesh,” allow some of ourselves to interact with the impersonal. Is this not “meshing” between expectation and true freedom? I cannot relate to this idea because I do not think this way. There is no “standard” for me. There is right and wrong, sure, but they are not “right and” or “wrong and.” Right is what I want to communicate, but it feels wrong. Right is what is expected of me, but it suffocates me. My two languages despise each other, finding the other evil for their own reasons. I need an article that draws from neither extreme as a means of comparison for the other, I need an article that talks to me as I write and tells me the compromise between what I communicate to myself and what I communicate to others. I combine my two languages, yes. I will create metaphors that fit into the sentence structure one might find on an SAT, but I will hate it both for its structure and its freedom. How do I deal with that?

We interrupt this scheduled essay for some breaking(down) news: the writer seems to be hesitating with every word. I’ve seen this before, John, and I have to say that it’s looking a bit grim. What are your thoughts?

Oh, definitely not great. Reporting at the scene, this writer is falling apart pretty quickly and seems to be staring at the screen doing absolutely nothing. Classic rookie move—if they don’t get back to writing soon they won’t have anything to hand in. Okay, hold on, I’m getting word that they might give up altogether… uh huh… okay… really? Wow… The writer has gone insane and is currently typing a fake running commentary to avoid doing any actual work. Back to you, Jan.

Thanks, Dan. That is disturbing. It looks like this paper is getting handed in late. See you after the break, when we answer the question “What in the world is happening right now?”

    I will invent a term, if I may: Defensive Writing. Like defensive driving, except you avoid the soul-crushing feeling of failure instead of… bone-crushing heavy machinery. It’s simple, really! Take the overwhelming onslaught of ideas and squeeze it into someone else’s words. If they are not my words, they are not my problem. You will believe Malcolm Gladwell before you care about my opinion, and I am okay with that—I just cannot handle feeling wrong. Maddelena argued in her article that using first person pronouns like “I” can increase a paper’s clarity, discern what is author and what is source. I absolutely hate that idea. So, I will let myself noodle a bit, but I will double down on all the requirements for the assignment. A joke here and there, but each point beaten to death. Like those two sentences: I cannot bear the fact that I could be unclear, but I can’t live with being direct about it. Language architecture is real and we can’t all be Frank Lloyd Wright, so I write without responsibility. Great artists steal—I usually take this as an invitation.