#whalespiel

[inthefallofasparrow]

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A Pirate and a Cowboy Walk into a Bar...

2023 Midsumma Festival Live Stream Event

A digital experiment in queer storytelling

There are 3 kinds of stories. Stories we tell each other. Stories we tell ourselves. And the stories we never notice because we’re too busy telling stories. But in a lonely little apartment somewhere, there’s a lonely little queer trying to find themselves... in a queer history that no one ever noticed. 'A Pirate And A Cowboy Walk Into A Bar... ' is a one-of-a-kind digital theatre experiment.

Book online now

[whalespiel]

We’ll Meet Again - Vera Lynn (ukulele cover)

[allbornofink]

Making My Tumblr Usage More Productive

So, after my first week or so on ADHD meds, I’m starting to get feel for how I might improve my life and get things back on track in the future. I suddenly have the facility to do all the things I want/need to do. However, it’s also become apparent how long of a list of things it is. I mean, I always had a sense of that whilst off meds, but just chalked the enormity of it all up to being a pipe dream. Now that I’m on meds, the enormity hasn’t changed. But the feasibility has and I’m starting think about strategies for achieving these things.

So where does Tumblr come in? In the process of thinking about strategies, I had to consider what things in life I need to cut down on. Unfortunately, ADHD meds don’t necessarily stop you from wasting time. And I can still end up spending too much energy on scrolling online (not just on Tumblr, but mainly Tumblr). This lead me to thinking I need to use Tumblr less, perhaps with a view to dropping it completely in the future.

BUT... I really like Tumblr. And I’d be hard-pressed to say it’s simply a waste of time. I’ve learned heaps from Tumblr. There’s so much art I enjoy. I get to interact with people that I almost never get the chance to otherwise. Tumblr is also a big part of how managed to get diagnosed and treated for ADHD. 

And the bottom line is... It would be really difficult to give up Tumblr. Not to say that I couldn’t. If I deactivated my account tomorrow, I don’t know that I’d be pining for it very much. I’m good at forgetting about things once they’re taken out of my purview. And I’d find something else to fill my time and quite possibly have a very different life. But it’s still too hard to take that step.

I can’t willingly leave Tumblr knowing how much it’s good for. That’s how I’ve come to realise that I don’t need to cut down on Tumblr, I just need to change how I use it. I have so many things I want to do and there’s really no reason why Tumblr can’t assist me in doing them. So I’m looking to be more productive. I can’t waste my time on Tumblr, if I actively make it worth my time.

So, I have two plans of action for justifying my continued Tumblr presence:

1. Make more of an effort to interact with people here. Not only getting involved in threads that I’d normally just observe from the sidelines. But also regularly reaching out to and DMing my mutuals. I see so many firm friendships on here and am often envious. I’ve made some connections in the past. But I’ve never been able to consistently keep up with them. My social life irl definitely needs work too. And I will slowly rebuild that when I can. But seeing as I’m committing to Tumblr as a part of my life and time spent; I might as well make the effort here too.

So, Stay Tuned, Mutuals. We may become more acquainted soon enough. And if there’s anyone who does just want to talk for any reason (whether we’re mutuals or not), please feel free to reach out. I’d greatly appreciate the support and your company. 

Also, there’s a decent number of you. So, if you’ve read this and I don’t get around to talking to you or if you’re interested in reaching out but you’re a bit shy; please feel free to let me know in the notes of this post or message me on anon. It’s all good.

(Keep in mind that I only use Tumblr on my laptop. So if I take a little while to respond, I’m working or out for the day. But I will always respond eventually. Also, a lot of you are on the other side of the world, so that’s also a factor) 

2. Challenge myself to make 1 original post every time I’m on Tumblr. Not just every day. Every time I log on, I have to do so with the mindset of creating something new here. It won’t always be on this blog. It might be my quoiromantic sideblog @whatawonderfulvoid or hopefully my other main blog for my art/poetry/music @whalespiel (which I haven’t touched in a while). But I will reblog those here anyway. 

This will hopefully lend itself to getting me motivated about my creative ambitions. If only in a small way.

I really do hope I’m able to follow through these plans. I’ve had big ideas like this before and nothing has come of them. In fact, I have a feeling that had I procrastinated any longer on writing this post, I would’ve given up on it. But I do feel optimistic. For once, I really do feel optimistic about everything. And I can’t wait to see where it leads.

Final note: I encourage others who might be in similar situation; wanting to improve their life, but finding it hard to give up Tumblr - try something like this. Instead of getting rid of time-wasters, find ways to make the best of your time in whatever you’re doing. Let’s support each other and make this the best experience possible.

TL;DR - Rather than quitting Tumblr, I’m electing to use Tumblr more productively; by meeting more people and making more original posts.   

[inthefallofasparrow]

A Pirate and a Cowboy Walk into a Bar...

2023 Midsumma Festival Live Stream Event

A digital experiment in queer storytelling

There are 3 kinds of stories. Stories we tell each other. Stories we tell ourselves. And the stories we never notice because we’re too busy telling stories. But in a lonely little apartment somewhere, there’s a lonely little queer trying to find themselves... in a queer history that no one ever noticed. 'A Pirate And A Cowboy Walk Into A Bar... ' is a one-of-a-kind digital theatre experiment. Ty Liebelt (whalespiel) needs your help to tell an old and tired story in an impossibly new way. A medley of improvised spoken word, digital art, music, a side of queer history and a few vulnerable moments. It’s a show about figuring things out. Disclaimer: Despite what its title implies, 'A Pirate And A Cowboy Walk Into A Bar...' cannot guarantee a satisfactory punchline or witty conclusion. Each performance will be unique and is likely to end accordingly.

Book Online

[whalespiel]

This fun little Cain & Abel piece was actually inspired by the prompt 'as intimate as a jaw'. Because what's more intimate than murdering someone for the first time...? So many things. Just...SO many. Literally scores of things. 

Hey, kids! 🌈Don't do a kill, please. Thanx😅 Now, I know that most versions of the story say Cain's weapon was a rock. BUT I would argue that there is enough versions in which he uses a donkey's jawbone, for a precedent to be set. So...🧐 [TITLE IMAGE - 'Skull' by MC Escher]

Poem Text:

Cain’s Choice

You kneel in the dirt. Your dirt. You lay the options before you, Now, make your choice. You have sent for your brother. And he is coming.

You hover your hand over each instrument. Except they are now just things. A thing only becomes an instrument when you’ve stained it with an idea. So choose a thing, sully it with your thoughts. Your brother is making his way.

Your eyes linger on the jawbone. But first, you grab the rock. You feel its weight. Its bite. Random edges born of a careless earth. This would be quick. It would be petty. There is no trust in this rock. You drop it. You look at the jawbone again. Is that your choice? Your brother is closing in on you.

You pick up the jawbone. You put down the jawbone. Instead, you examine the rope. You feel its angry skin. Its focus. It writhes, wrestles with your bony wrists. This would be personal. It would be anxious. There is no grace in this rope. You throw it aside. Now the choice is all but made. And your brother is arriving at your field.

You are scared of the jawbone. You don’t know why. But today is a good day for fear. You curl your hand around the bone. You feel it. YOU FEEL IT. The history it carries, that you carry, that you will soon carry together. This would be true. It would be natural. There is no doubt in the animal who chooses animal matter. And so, the choice is yours. Now, take a breath. Your brother is standing behind you.

[whalespiel]

The most romantic anti-romance poem I’ve ever written..?

[whalespiel]

BUREAUCRACY NEVER ACCOUNTED FOR THE FENCE SITTERS LIKE US (a poem)

The lobby we’ve been sent to is old and from the pages of a comic book I’ve never read. It is empty in here except for two infinitely long queues of people.

On the left (mine and yours), the sign asks to FALL IN LOVE. These people are loudly violent. They wrestle, fuck and play Jenga. This line believes that there is a winner in the person who can suffer the worst loss.

On the right (yours as well as mine), the placard suggests that we should BE IN A RELATIONSHIP. They all sing on this side. Sailors’ songs. Church camp ditties. All in 4-part harmony. All dead certain of their cheeriness. An acrobat is playing pattycake with a quarterback.

Hand in hand, we choose neither side. We cut down the middle of the thought experiment. You say something I cannot hear properly because now we are in a jungle.

I hang upside down from a branch untouched by moss. While you take a turn on the vines up ahead. Below me, the LOVE line squirms. Under and over each root in their path. They have made an artform out of writhing in shit and mud and treasure hunter’s shame.

In the distance, you are talking shop with a jaguar. A scene backlit by camera flashes. The RELATIONSHIP line is full of tourists. They are dawdling. Seeing the sights like it’s all bought and paid for. Some are polite enough to pass around a rare and deadly spider. Everyone gets the chance to be bitten.

I join you in a quiet sunlit canopy and you hand me a mango. We sink our teeth and dribble sweet juice from our chins to our snow-covered boots. An icy wind whistles and whips through the mountains. You pass me back the binoculars and point out a particular snow bank to the East.

The RELATIONSHIP crowd are roped together now, moving single file and slowly. Their route seems safe enough. But they struggle hard and struggle long. No slips can be afforded. If one goes down, then all must fall – more prey for the shimmering cliff face.

On the other side of the ravine, those in LOVE have made themselves an avalanche. They scream and holler. Thermals are stripped and waved in praise of their violently vomited snowdeath. Disciples of hypothermia – they throw echoes like punches at the mountain’s churning gut.

I wonder about how to follow. How we might keep deserving them. You just return to climbing our own peak. I wait a moment before digging my hand into your former foothold. As the clouds part around us, We startle a flock of pigeons roosting on a billboard.

The evening is clear. The city glows unabashedly. We are ninety storeys up. But neither of us know the building’s name. Or the street it’s on. Or the city it towers over. Below us, there is noise. There is movement. People. There is always people. But from this high, there is no way of telling who will FALL IN LOVE, who will BE IN A RELATIONSHIP. Who walks in between as we did. As we still do.

For the billionth time since our first meeting, we smirk gently at each other. Together, we clutch the ledge. We lean out over the night’s fresh confusion. And we spit chewing gum at people.

[whalespiel]

'the quirkyalone in us' - a poem

"Quirkyalone" - someone who prefers to be single; is open to relationships but chooses not to actively date just for the sake of being in a couple. This piece is loosely inspired by the film 'Only Lovers Left Alive'. I've always really clicked with the idea that immortality allows for a functioning relationship where both partners live separately from each other for long periods of time. [Image: 'Cosmic Energy' by Remedios Varo] I hope the image isn't too distracting. Remedios Varo is my absolute favourite painter. And her paintings are just too good to cover up.

[whalespiel]

My album is officially launched! It's now available on my Bandcamp for pay-what-you-want (starting at $5 AUD).

I am so excited to finally share this and call it a completed project☺. Please check it out! And even if you think it's not for you, please consider sharing it and supporting an independent artist🥰. I haven't mentioned this on here before but this year, I really want to make a proper go of working for myself and starting to earn a living through creative projects. It's going to be tough. And I feel ready. But I know I'm going to need as much help as I can get. So I really appreciate any support however small. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy my new album!

[whalespiel]

‘UGLY BUT ALIVE’

New prints available on Redbubble

(Black text)

(White text)

[whalespiel]

‘YOU CAN’T MAKE AN OMELETTE’

New print available on Redbubble

(you just can’t.)

[whalespiel]

‘WHO SAYS WE CAN’T BE GORGEOUS?’

New print available!

Redbubble

Teepublic

[whalespiel]

‘i have my moments’ 

New print available on Redbubble

[whalespiel]

Last night, I dreamt we were hunting transphobes

I don’t remember much but I remember how it felt to finally meet you. To touch you. To take a mission with you. Whoever you are. Awake, we are strangers. But, in the dream, you’re the stranger I know best. We trust each other with our REM sleep lives. Writing this, I try to reconstruct your face and form. But my subconscious likes to paint watercolours with my blear morning. And in the version I’m recounting, you are smudged. You are YOU. You are so much YOU. But your outline pushes and pulls as I focus on the memory.

I remember we held hands and marched through a brain-shaped corridor. We were after 2 or 3 humanoid pit-stains who dared to hurt you and threatened our new family. But we were a force of nature. We moved with an earthy vengeance. You had briefed me several times on two of these walking skintags. But there was another you couldn’t keep in your sights. As if the act of recall was a distraction in itself.

We didn’t stop, though there was no rush. Missions are slow going in a dream. Time uses the logic of a toddler and smears each moment onto any nearby surface. First, we were angry and determined. The next second, we were smiling and trading soft kisses. But then I was holding you and you were shaking and sobbing into me. Soon after, you were cheerfully catching up with an old friend, while I was calmly interrogating my high school English teacher.

Eventually, we were once agayn hand in hand and full of rage. I repeated my questions to you about that third slimebucket we were chasing. But you just gave a sad smile. And I realised that this dream was about HUNTING transphobes. Nothing more. We weren’t going to catch them, this time. This dream was about our first adventure. The time we got to spend together. To finally know each other. To kiss and to laugh and to touch.

Now I’m writing this and I hope it wasn’t a dream. I hope that last night we both had a vision of the future. And that one day, we will meet. We will hold hands. And we will make those fucking vermin squeal.    

[whalespiel]

We Are Going To Be Friends - (White Stripes cover)

Anyone else ever get that thing when you're about to get ready for bed and your brain goes "ah yes, NOW is the time to film some *content*"; and the next thing you know you're recording a modest if mildly dishevelled folk cover? 

No? Me neither, really😅😳😶 

Anyway, if anyone's wondering, I lifted that picking pattern from Boots Of Spanish Leather (Bob Dylan). 🌈The More You Know😯

[whalespiel]

‘DOORWAYS APPEAR WHEN NIGHTMARES DAWN’ - a poem (Escapril - prompt 1)

A lot of my new poems have been constructed using my own variations on common creative constraints.Obviously, this is based on the Acrostic method; difference being that the initials of the prompt text begin every word instead every line, forcing you to approach each letter from multiple contexts. These can go on forever which is why I refer to this as an 'ACROSTINUOUS’ poem.It’s really fun. Have a go and share your games with me…