#you don't need to major in literature or film to know that

[connoisseursdecomfort]

Is Anya unrealistic

I never thought I’m going to write this but... I have no hate on any other shows. This is just a personal observation about kids, and let’s agree to disagree.

I just find it unfair to call Anya unrealistic. Mostly because all stories have to contain a certain level of realism to make it relatable. The only part unrealistic is that she is a telepath. The realistic part is that even if you tell a child every single thing that is in your head and try to explain why it is so, chances are the child will not understand, because have you ever tried to reason with a child by laying out facts made as easily understood as possible? (Stupid teenager me had.) That is where the comedy comes from. Obviously telepathy doesn’t really make Anya understand more about people. Her constant misinterpretation on people’s thoughts and words is literally play for laughs in both the anime and the manga. Endo made it clear that she doesn’t understand much despite the amount of thoughts she hears.

You would hear/read that quite a lot of people say Anya is quite believable as a 4 or 5 year old. They see Anya on other children, and more importantly they see echoes of their own childhood on Anya. To a certain extent Anya has to be realistic enough to be relatable, even for children. There’s a poll in Japan asking primary students who they admire the most. Anya came third, while "friends” and “mom” came first and second.

I’m not going to say Anya is an ordinary child due to her experiences, but then she’s an anime character. Most often even in the most SoL of SoL shows there has to be something extraordinary about the characters for them and/or the show to stand out. That’s why I find it unfair to say something like, oh this child sounds more like the children I know so the other child is “unrealistic”. Let me give you some of my examples.

A. I babysat a child. She’s four. It’s not that her parents don’t want her, but there are some complications so she’s currently living with a relative. It is apparent that the relative she’s living with loves her very much, and they are very close. She will soon go back and live with her parents. She is energetic, but she understands your reasonings and instructions and is very well-behaved. She doesn't really mess around.

B. I was walking on the street. A child, most likely 4-5, was throwing a tantrum. The mother threatened to count to three and if he didn’t stop there will be consequences. When the mother counted to two, the child cried even louder. The mother never counted to three.

C. My cousin is thirteen years younger than me. Our families are very close and we would have gatherings every week. When my cousin was a small child, she was shy but stubborn. She’s a tiny bit spoiled but overall well-behaved. She’s never a noisy child.

D. My younger brother, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. Loud and energetic. Very cunning and dramatic. My brother obviously knew he’s cute and smart. That doesn’t mean he can’t be the sweetest kid in the world.

There are many more examples but I’m not going to bother you with that. The point is, they are all kids, but they are all different. You won’t find a parenting book that is universal enough to solve all your problems. It could be useful for your first child but could be absolute trash when it comes to your second-born. Because they are inexperienced tiny human-beings being shaped by circumstances while growing up.

Admittedly, Anya is a calmer child. But then she was experimented on and abandoned four times. From my own observation, children know, and they learn from their experience. Remember the four-year-old I mentioned? After she visited my house, my mom was talking about that little kid, and commented how “all children test your limits by pushing your boundaries.” Even when they are four. Children are not dummies. They learn from your responses to their actions. Not saying that they will not ever mess up once they know where your limits are, but they do try to do better according to the reactions of others.

What I appreciate about the children in sxf is that Endo gives them different personalities and goals. Most often reactors to the show would say something like “that’s so Becky” or “that’s Anya being Anya” instead of “yeah, kids”. I see my six-year-old self, who watched way too many soap operas and tried hard to act like an adult but was way too dramatic, in Becky. I also see myself in Damian, because I remember myself working hard to gain my parents’ attention.

(But then a lot of people did say I acted more grown-up than others. That still doesn’t mean I was “mature” tho.)

They are not defined by their childish behaviours. I think I saw a comment stating the reason why the person think Anya’s a good child character, and it’s because children are still human-beings but with very limited experience. Endo did a good job in trying to show you Anya’s thought process. Anya behaved like that not because Anya is a child and all children do that. Anya thinks before she acts but she still acts like a child because of her own (limited) experience and child logics and misinterpretations. Like all other children, she understands very little, and that’s why she acts like the gremlin she is.

So yeah. There are people who don’t like kids, and there are people who prefer other child characters over Anya. I get it. But em, no, you don’t need to do that to Anya, or Endo, or people who have worked/are currently still working on the sxf project. They have their own vision they want to share with the audience, and they have their own experiences with kids, too. You really don’t need to say things like, my show or the characters I like is realer than yours. That might not even be the point, but still.

Like what you like. Focus on the positives about the characters you like. And have a nice day I guess.

[oneawkwardwriter]

Bedtime Tales

pairing: Wonka!Willy Wonka x literary nerd!gn!reader warnings/tags: Wonka spoilers!, just a lighthearted story, reader being a huge nerd totally not inspired by myself no... summary: reader finds out that not only has Willy never learned how to read, he was also never read to as a child, so they make a deal a/n: I'm lowkey obsessed with the new Wonka film, I can't even learn for major tests without seeing connections wc: 942

"What do you mean you can't read?" You asked in astonishment as you stare at the chocolatier in front of you.

"I just can't..." Willy said rather matter-of-factly, shrugging his shoulders as he took in the shocked expression on your face. "I never needed to, so I never learned it."

"Would've come in handy at zoo," Noodle muttered under her breath, "We nearly got eaten by a tiger."

"Keyword: nearly," Willy emphasised, "I've nearly been eaten by a lot of things, and they only got as much as a nibble."

"Okay, yeah, that's... that's not really comforting," You replied, shaking your head as if to process the thought, "So, you don't how to read... but at least you've been read to when you were a child, right? Right...?"

But Willy only shook his head, making your eyes widen more. "You've never been... right, okay, uhm... right, yes..." You're stumbling over your words, trying to form a coherent sentence and failing miserably. "Right, well... I'm sorry, but how has someone with so much imagination never been read to? Where do your ideas come from if not from stories?"

"I don't know, they just... form in my mind?" Willy answered, not sure how to respond to your questions. "I think you're making this a bigger deal than it has to be."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. the Chocolatier," You reply sarcastically as you look him dead in the eye, "I didn't realise that you were capable of such great things. Why would you even need to read? You already traveled around the world, so there's no need for you to immerge yourself into another."

"Are you sure she's still talking about my non-ability to read?" Willy asked Noodle, still confused but also slightly intrigued by your apparent affinity for reading.

"Hey, you pissed off the literature nerd, not me," Noodle simply answered before going back to her chores.

"Okay, you're exaggerating, I'm not pissed off," You clarify as you shake your head, "I'm just... baffled by the fact that you've never bothered with anything related to reading."

Truth be told, they could've gone around in circles like that forever if it hadn't been for Mrs. Scrubbit checking everyone's attendance and sending them to their separate rooms.

You leaned against the door and sighed, tired from yet another exhausting day at the bleachers. You sat down on your bed and let your head rest in your hands. Having been at the laundromat and bleachers for a few years now and still having several years ahead of you, you had given up on dwelling over your miserable predicament.

So instead, you got out a book from your suitcase, one of your very few possessions. Seeing as the lightbulb above your head kept on flickering and wouldn't provide much light, you moved over to the window, where the moon casted a dim glow over the pages.

After a while, you heard a soft psst coming from the window of the room across from yours. You looked up, only for your eyes to catch the gaze of the brilliant, illiterate young man.

"So, I had a talk with Noodle, and she offered to learn me how to read," Willy said, "She said it would be necessary if this whole chocolate selling operation works through."

"Well, that's a nice offer," You reply, "And I agree with her. You won't always be able to depend on others to do the reading for you."

"Now that you mention it, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing," He comments, "I mean, you seemed to be a advocate for being read to, right?"

You can't help but lightly chuckle. "There's a massive difference between having someone read for you and someone read to you, Mr. Wonka," You say, "One creates a depency, the other provides an escape."

"Well, if that's the case, let's hope that prisoners aren't being read to," Willy joked, lightly grinning when he saw a faint smile creep up your lips. "See, who needs to read when a clever choice of words can make even the most stubborn of people crack a smile?"

"Who are you calling stubborn, Mr 'My near-death experience doesn't mean I should learn how to read'?" You ask rethorically as you raise and eyebrow at him, "Besides, it's often a clever choice of words that makes reading so worthwhile."

"Well, I suppose you'll have to prove that to me in order for me to believe it," He argued, secretly hoping you'd concede.

"Oh, is that how it has to be?" In your mind, you were somewhat thrilled to indulge and with that, be able to share something you were passionate about. But what's the fun in simply saying okay? "Well, I suppose if you asked kindly enough I would think about it..."

"Alright, alright..." Willy said as he stifled a smirk while rolling his eyes. "Would you, please, read to me so I may realise at last what I've been missing out on?"

"Because you asked so politely and totally weren't forced to do so, I will indulge you, Mr. Wonka," You say, fighting back a smile of your own.

And so, you start to read, occasionally looking up only to find fim listening attentively. Right before the story reaches its climax, you shut the book.

Being surprised by the sudden halt, Willy snaps out of his hazy state of drifting off into the story and looks confused.

"Hey, why did you stop?" He asks in astonishment, "How am I supposed to know how the story ends?"

"I guess we'll find out another time," You say, a slight smirk forming on your lips. "Good night, Willy."

© This work belongs to @oneawkwardwriter, please do not copy this work to any other site or claim it as your own. Reblogs are allowed and appreciated!

[foone]

Growing up in a family with a couple autistic hyperfocusers and a bunch of avid readers and one Normal Guy and then a (now-adult) baby sister with a major learning disability has completely ruined my ability to have any idea what "an average person" knows about.

Like, we've got one person who hasn't even seen a single minute of the Lord of the Rings films, and another has a degree in English literature and did an entire semester on the works of Tolkien. Which one of these peoples is more "normal"? I have no idea!

Or that post of classics puns from Twitter:

How many of these jokes does the average person get? Do they understand Icarus and Medusa but not Orpheus and the joke about "Nobody"?

Anyway it's sometimes a problem because I can (and will!) explain anything at the drop of a hat, but I often am unsure about where to stop.

Like I'm trying to explain how you run Doom on Crabs. Do I need to explain how logic gates work? How transistors work? How computers work? Where do I stop talking and leave it unexplained? Because if I don't rein myself in, I will explain the whole stack from top to bottom and we'll be here all day.

And it's one of those cases where there's not an answer, which I feel is a common bind for people on the autism spectrum to be in. So many of these "don't get social cues" type problems are not because we don't know the answer, in the sense of just being ignorant of what it is, it's that the answer is "it depends on the situation".

Like the question of language formality, or swearing. How much should you swear, if any? There isn't an answer, because it depends on the context. How much is acceptable wildly changes from a hangout with friends to a work meeting to a courthouse to a church.

And similarly, "what does the average person know?" cannot be answered singularly. I explain different things more or less depending on if I'm talking on Tumblr or mastodon or a discord server, because of course you would.

I expect Tumblr to know more about trans issues and fandom, and I expect mastodon (at least the corner I hang out in) to know more about x86 assembly and floppy disks.

But even knowing that and having some success at doing it, there's still some tension because it's the kind of question where the answer is something like "I don't know, you'll have to play it by ear and pick up on subtle social clues" and BOY IS THAT NOT A TYPE OF SITUATION I'M GOOD AT!

[moralesmilesanhour]

Hi, hope you're doing well. I was hoping to request Earth 42! Miles with a SO that's really into art. Like fashion and films and literature and all that and knows a lot about art history.

Hell yeah! (I'm an art history major and my mom did fashion design so I got rlly excited at this)

Warning: vague spoilers for 'NOPE' (2022) if anyone cares about those lmao

"...Do you need sumn?"

Miles gave you a weird look. You had been looking him up and down for the past ten minutes, and not in the good way. Your eyes narrowed.

"Your 'fit is bothering me."

The fit in question? A sleek, structured leather jacket paired with swampy-green basketball shorts. The horror.

Miles looked down, then looked at your own monochromatic ensemble as you stood with your arms crossed. Somehow you had made a large belt with a blue tracksuit make sense. Clearly you knew something he didn't.

He tilted his head in curiosity. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's..." your made wild gestures with your hands, "...the silhouette. I don't like that jacket with the shorts, it creates a weird shape to me."

Miles blinked. "I don't follow."

You shook your head, "Just lemme getchu a different pair of pants."

As you threw open and rummaged through your closet, the boy sighed.

"I'm not wearing any of them tight ass skinny jeans."

"I know, that's not what I'm looking for...ah! These could work!"

Miles yelped as he dodged the two folded pairs of jeans you tossed at him.

You turned and pointed him towards the bathroom.

"Try em' on, 'cuz we not going out with you looking like this. Claro?

"Claro," Miles grinned with his hands raised in surrender before making a beeline for the door.

He made no attempt to defend his sense of fashion because, frankly, it was funnier when he let you rant about color combinations and "silhouettes". And he got free stuff out of it.

Miles re-entered not more than five minutes later, shifting uncomfortably in a pair of faded bell-bottoms.

You clapped your hands together excitedly.

"That's so cute!"

The boy's upper lip curled up in distaste, and your face fell.

"You don't like 'em?"

"Yeah, not happening."

"Ugh, fine. Lemme see the other ones, then."

Another trip to the bathroom, and Miles returned in a pair of boot-cut jeans of a much darker wash. The way he leaned against the door frame told you that he was far more satisfied with these. You nodded in approval.

"You need some boots with those," you said, visualizing the ensemble in your head.

The grin on Miles' face immediately dropped at the word 'boots'.

"Absolutely not."

"Come on! They're called 'boot cut' for a reason!"

"The converses stay. Those are off-limits."

He crossed his arms, and you relented.

"Fine. You're so boring."

"I'll be that," Miles shrugged. "Movie starts in fifteen. Let's bounce."

-

You smacked your boyfriend in the arm as you exited the theater.

"You fell asleep?!?"

"I'm sorry, okay? They took mad long to show the alien!"

"To show the--that's not even the point of the movie!"

Your arms had begun to flail around, and it was taking all of the strength Miles could muster not to laugh.

"Cálmate," he gently brought your arm down before taking your hand. "Tell me everything you liked about it at my place."

"Don't tell me to 'calm down'," you muttered.

-

"So?" Miles plopped down on his mattress, patting a spot next to him. "What happened while I was knocked out?"

You rolled your eyes, but sat down anyway.

"So like, the whole thing's about spectacle, right?"

"M-hm."

"So they get the weird film director guy to help them film the alien, 'cuz OJ figured out that the alien is a animal, like a horse. Then this guy from TMZ comes and puts his life in danger tryna get footage..."

Miles rested his chin in his palm as he watched your eyes light up.

"...Miles, are you listening? And then she did the motorcycle maneuver from 'Akira'!"

"Yeah, I'm listening. Still need to watch that one."

"...then the movie ends with the sister about to get swarmed by reporters, 'cuz the whole point is that, like, everyone's just tryna make money off of the story even though people literally died."

The boy leaned in and pecked you on the cheek. "Very succinct analysis. Now can we play some UNO?"

-

Miles shoved his cold hands into his pockets and shifted from one foot to another. You gazed into the painted-on eyes of the ancient African headdress encased in a cube of glass.

"Look, Miles! Cool right?"

He snorted, "Looks like one of your wig heads."

"It's bad bitches in every time period," you parried back. "You like that one?"

Miles had moved to your right to get into a staring contest with a mask in a similar display case. It was round with prominent, low cheekbones and jagged fangs to complete its frightening expression.

"Yeah, this shit hard. Can we take pictures in here?"

"Yup. It's a Sachihongo mask. Mbunda style."

He took out his phone and snapped a photo; He had that look in his eyes that he got when he was about to build something for the robotics club. Miles smirked.

"I think this is my favorite section."

-

This was fun to write! Made me wanna hop on a train and visit the MET again sdfghjk I just had to scroll through they website to make sure my descriptions were accurate. Thanks for requesting!

[that-ari-blogger]

Wicked And Worldbuilding (One Short Day)

The medicine journey is a stock storyline across a ton of literature and mythology. It's the hero's journey, but broader. The protagonist must go to a place (physical or metaphorical) to retrieve a thing (the medicine) and return home. Sometimes the medicine is enlightenment, or a secret suitcase with the MacGuffin the spies are all after, or even literally just medicine. The story focuses in on this journey.

The Wizard Of Oz follows this plot in a roundabout way, and its prequel, Wicked looks like it is doing the same. But Wicked is a satire, and so it takes this plot and twists it in a different direction. Before it can do that, however, it needs to plant its heroes in a new location.

Enter One Short Day, a song that is essentially just a transition piece to show the audience that the geography has changed. But this song manages to do a lot of worldbuilding for this place, and for some of the people who reside in it.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked, Annie)

So... the Emerald City is New York City. Not explicitly, this isn't like Aslan, and the argument for the metaphor is shaky. I'm talking about vibes here.

Speaking as a non-American, New York has the stereotype of being "the big city", the place that is fast moving and cosmopolitan and chaotic in that way that you can't help but love. I don't know how well it lives up the image, but I'm guessing it's slightly more complicated.

Anyway, that's what Oz is, that stereotype, but with complications. And just like any stereotype, the closer you look to it, the more it diverges, and we will get to that.

But first, you know why I associate this stereotype with New York? And why I associate the Emerald City with that stereotype? Annie, which has this exact song, but for New York.

For those who don't know, Annie is a 1977 musical and a half decent 2014 film about a billionaire named Oliver Warbucks who adopts an orphan for the hell of it. There is a lot more to it, but you don't need to know that for this post.

During the story, Warbucks decides to show Annie around New York, and the audience is treated to a song called N.Y.C, which has lyrics like this:

"The city's bright As a penny arcade It blinks, it tilts, it rings." "To think that I've lived here all of my life And never seen these things"

Compare that to the following from One Short Day:

"There are buildings tall as quoxwood trees" "Dress salons" "And libraries" "Palaces!" "Museums!" "A hundred strong" "There are wonders like I've never seen" "It's all grand" "And it's all green" "I think we've found the place where we belong!"

So, there's very much a common link between the two. You, the audience, are supposed to feel awe for this new place. The characters are small fish in the sea and everything has a sense of wonder.

But did you catch Annie's line in N.Y.C? "I've lived here all my life and never seen such things." Annie has some themes that, while not the focus, are far from subtext. In this case, New York City is a great and wonderous place... for rich people.

Wicked does this kind of thing a lot, because in this story, duality is a core tenet, and the first thing to talk about is the sycophantic nature of the citizens. Although that isn't exactly the truth, is it?

"Who's the mage Whose major itinerary Is making all Oz merrier? Who's the sage Who sagely sailed in to save our posteriors? Whose enthuse for hot air ballooning Has all of Oz honeymooning? Isn't he wonderful?"

This doesn't read to me like spontaneous love for a leader, especially since the Wizard is established later to be looking into improving efficiency through a system of spies, and his second in command is his press secretary. Is it that far out of the question that this might be, in some way, propaganda?

That reflects on to the rest of the song. Oz is wonderous, but it feels fake. The actors are playing characters who are putting on a show by everything they do. All the citizens of Oz are living in a delicate balance of seeking popularity and coveting the popular. Everything is fake, and the fact that the real-life actors manage to get that across intentionally is really impressive.

I went to see the musical in Sydney twice (I knew one of the cast members), and the difference in performance between the first performance and the last was incredible. Not in terms of quality, but in terms of the emotions being conveyed. Most notably, Courtney Monsma's Glinda and Sheridan Adams' Elphaba changed from joy and wonder the first time, to the kind of disbelieving amazement of watching a drunk friend do something somehow both stupid as hell and genuinely impressive at the same time.

"We're just two friends." "Two good friends." "Two best friends"

Ah yes, the totally platonic and completely "just friends" maneuver of immediately relocating your entire life after your friend quietly asks if you want to come with them.

It is also notable that Glinda is the one standing out in this place. This is Elphaba's world, and Glinda is highlighted in it in gold. Just something to point out.

But, back to the worldbuilding, I think its important that Elphaba fits in here, because Wicked is a story about dreams and reality colliding, and part of that is Elphaba's dream of belonging, and freedom from ridicule. It feels important to the gut punch that she comes so unbelievably close to getting what she wants, but it isn't her that's the problem here, its the falseness of the Emerald City and Oz as a whole.

"You look positively emerald."

Suddenly, Elphie is in a place where green is a compliment. This is the defining abnormality, the thing that everyone, even her father, used as an insult.

And if you want something incredible to drive home this point, in the books, the Emerald City isn't even green. The outer wall is green, but the inside only looks that way because everyone is wearing mandatory tinted glasses make it look that way. The Emerald City's name is a lie. Everyone is just so caught up in the moment that they don't notice. It's like rose tinted glasses, but emerald.

The green-ness is actually fascinating, because the colour is usually associated with sickness and evil, but the story has been chipping away at that association through Elphaba's entire deal. So, the thematic of a specifically green city is confused, and I don't actually know what to take away from that.

Also, the Wizard dancers look like... well I'm not going to explain what they look like because I want to keep this vaguely PG. But suffice to say this: It is a cool piece of visual storytelling that, under all the facade of heroism and wisdom and magic, the wizard is barely more than a bellend with a bow tie.

Final Thoughts

I have a completely irrational love for this song, derived entirely from my time performing this musical back in high school. I was the guy at the end who shouted, "the wizard will see you now", and that's all it took to get me to like it.

The song still isn't my favourite, however. I'm going to keep y'all guessing about what that is until we get there.

Next week, I will be looking at Sentimental Man, a song that deconstructs the musical's idea of truth. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[fieldofdahlias]

i've been putting off an introduction post for so long, i don't even know why. anyways, enjoy! ♡

🪞about me: i'm dahlia (she/her) , i'm 24 & a raging lesbian. i'm a capricorn sun. slytherin & cabin 13. i'm from saturn. my favorite flowers are dahlias (specifically black dahlias). i'm spiritual but most of the time i just say im agnostic. i'm majoring in astrophysics. i'm currently writing a romantasy book. for the most part i'm an introvert but i don't mind going out every so often. intp.

🤎 my interests: astronomy (i love it so much i'm hoping to make it my career), gardening, wolves, coffee, winter, sunsets, reading, writing, poetry, romance, fantasy, horror, music, anime, films, art, digital art, museums, history, literature, conspiracy theories, hellenism, photography (cameras i own; canon powershot elph 520 hs & canon powershot sx530 hs. dream cameras; fujifilm xt30 II & fujifilm x100v), working out (i've become a gym rat), pilates

🦢 languages: i speak english and spanish fluently. i want to learn russian, latin, arabic, italian & portuguese. currently learning french.

🧸 aesthetics: cottagecore, academiacore, gothic, witchcore, gore, dark (for some reason that's all i can think of right now lol)

🖋️ what's on your blog? honestly? mostly poetry & random posts about how i'm feeling. every so often i'll repost or post aesthetic pictures i like. i started this blog because i needed an outlet for what i was feeling and sometimes journaling doesn't feel like enough.

☕️ asks: ask/tell me anything! i'm open to chat & listen if you just need to vent. i don't know you so who am i to judge you?

📸 disclaimers: minors, please do not interact! i may repost nsfw content. i will not stand for homophobia, transphobia, hate of anyones beliefs, religion or lack thereof, bullying of any kind is not tolerated.

that's all, i believe, i hope you enjoy my blog ♡

[fakeosirian]

post-school school/career headcanons (non-exhaustive, will make a part two eventually), for your consideration:

nina goes to undergrad for literature with a concentration in creative writing. hasn't picked a medium yet, and regardless it's not like making it in screenwriting is that much easier than traditional publishing, so she writes by night and is an office temp by day (she is aware of the irony of being the "permanent new girl" as a job description. it was funny the first time someone pointed it out. the first time.)

fabian gets a bachelor's in history and immediately goes to grad school for...library/information science. he has to spend a good bit explaining to people that yes, that's a real major, and no, "the books don't start reacting with each other -- a science is a system of ideas, not just when something blows up." he works as a TA and is torn between if he wants to stay in academia or find more "practical" work (this is where i mention this is background work for a story where he goes back to the school to teach <3)

amber might go to a post-secondary fashion school, but even if she does, she's absolutely going for the connections and dropping out the second she gets an industry job, most likely in nyc (which considering how well off she is...probably didn't take long). idk she's thriving (though if she's surrounded by work/kind of by herself socially i could see her getting to a breaking point and claiming she needs roommates to afford rent (lie) just so she can have people around lol)

patricia actually DOES become a guidance counselor. LOL. i can't resist this one -- more specifically, i could see her going to a liberal arts undergrad without a direction in mind but knowing she "needs to figure one out," taking a couple psychology classes, realizing She Cares, declaring a major in psych, and after discounting the clinical track (too close to med school) and the research track (too creepy), she ends up working on an MA in social work

alfie seems like a guy who would have his fingers in like 5 different pies at all times -- depending on who he's talking to/if he feels he needs to impress them, he says one of the following: "business partner" (jerome's business -- more on that later -- alfie's more of an ideas/production guy than a """business guy""" but you don't need to know that if he's telling you this), freelance film crew (prop master/art department), Professional Artist (has a studio where he makes the stuff he uses for his various pursuits), comic author (i feel like he has a weird janky webcomic he makes for himself. i can't explain it. he has a couple thousand readers), etc. he's always picking up a new thing and finding a way to use it until he gets bored and does something else. he just tells his dad "jerome and i are making A Profit" to keep him off his back

speaking of jerome: i've always been fond of the idea that he and his dad go into business together at some point, so it'd be some sort of thing they could do together that alfie's artistic skills would be of use for. despite the fact that jerome very much would like to bend some rules here and there, his dad is not keen on the idea of going back to prison so unfortunately, no white collar crimes for him. (for now.) they're doing well all things considered, but jerome refuses to get a job to fund the business ("what's the point in doing all this if i'm going to let someone else be my boss anyway"), so he's definitely having to find creative ways to squeeze more money out of the business to, y'know. Survive

i'm not 100% settled on this joy idea but communications/PR? definitely gets her start somewhere more corporate, but i could see her getting creeped out by stuff she'd have to spin/help cover for, so she switches to nonprofit (which is also depressing, arguably moreso sometimes, but it's a bit easier to stomach). isn't directly involved in jerome's business, but she does "consult" (not without something in return. preferably, y'know. Money. but sometimes she starts a casual conversation without realizing she should have written up a contract first, and that's the only way that jerome will actually pay you)

[vadvis]

CAITH + 26 + HE/SHE + CARRD

(MORE UNDER THE CUT IF YOU HATE/CANNOT VIEW CARRD)

caith / 26yrs / he+she interchangeably

mixed origin introject in a DID system - currently a cohost of sorts, if I disappear for extended periods of time this is why

disabled mobility aid user, i experience ableism constantly and have moderate support needs so i talk about this on here from time to time

married and t4t, i identify as androgynous

white+mixed, i talk about this on here but dont put my ethnicity on about pages for safety reasons. nonblack/not indigenous to the country i live in, colorism does not effect me

cis and/or het dni, i dont like you. minors hard block so i dont follow you on accident, please do not interact. i block liberally

i tag for accessibility (flashing lights, eye strain, gifs, variants of these, etc) + generally "upsetting" topics so to speak, but due to memory issues cannot tag specific triggers or "[name] don't look" catch-alls. i will not tag food

hardblock to break mutuals i will forget who you are and follow you again immediately <3

fiction affects reality i consume media in a normal way creative works by morally bankrupt people i generally steer clear from and appreciate others who post about them frequently dni etc etc just be cool

i'm autistic and my special interest is jjk. i enjoy goth fashion, abstract/surreal/paranormal horror in literature/anime/manga, "camp" horror films, coding, and rhythm and bullet hell games. i love music, vkei, deathcore, gothic, and industrial metal are the genres i lean towards. that being said, i dont really follow any bands/artists or participate in "bandom" or whatever, so you wont see that here (aside from mana sama posting)

occasional nsfw posts, i mostly remember to tag this but sometimes dont, sorry. sometimes will reblog gifsets etc of horror films and the artistically grotesque, keep this in mind before following

i am basically like a sweetie pie <3 sorry for reblogging your esoteric shitposts and tagging them as gojo. it will happen again

currently in school at an online university, i bitch about this on here sometimes. majoring in comm+public relations. i have a general interest in digital media production and the way social media effects culture. riveting, i know

i dont have any other socials besides discord, mutuals can always ask for this to stay in closer contact

[warblingandwriting]

Books, Capitalism, and Classic Cinema: Why 'You've Got Mail' Sucks So Much

So, I probably haven't mentioned it on this blog before, but I HATE the film You've Got Mail, it only has two good jokes, it fails as a romance, and it to me it also fails completely as a story. But that's not where the majority of my hatred comes from. For that, I have to go back to my beloved 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner, the film that You've Got Mail is based on, and all its horrid, wasted potential. I don't know how a story about love during the depression, found family, and the importance of literature became a capitalist screed about the importance of big box bookstores and giving up your personality for love, but by god am I going to talk about it. I have a lot to say about this one, so feel no obligation to come with me on this journey, but I desperately need a rant, so here it goes.

First, I want to talk about The Shop Around the Corner a movie that, if you enjoy romance, you should undoubtedly watch. I have seen and heard a lot of discussions about You've Got Mail, and weirdly I feel like they hardly ever bring this movie up, so I'm going to now. Based on the play The Parfumerie by Miklós László, (as were a couple other films and musicals) The Shop Around the Corner centers on the employees (and owner) of a perfume shop in the play, and a leather shop in the film. I'll focus primarily on the film, as that is obviously where You've Got Mail takes pretty much all of its inspiration, but I like to acknowledge the originals, and The Parfumerie is also a really fun and enjoyable play if you like that sort of thing as well.

Now, the film does a lot to make the entire shop and its employees important, not just the two leads. The opening involves everyone arriving to work, and we get to see their personalities, how they feel about each other, and basically just understand the dynamic of the shop as it exists. It's a long scene, but I just want to include this great moment wherein everyone is disappointed when the closest thing this movie has to a villain shows up:

I think just this moment shows how great the instant understanding of these characters works. Anyway, the plot is pretty simple, and at base, seems at least somewhat similar to the plot of You've Got Mail, the main character, Alfred Kralik, reveals to one of his fellow employees (and friend) that he has been corresponding via letter with a woman he knows nothing about, except for their shared love of literature. A woman coincidentally arrives in the shop around the same time, and gets off on the very wrong foot with Alfred. She's looking for a job, but as it's the depression he says they don't have any openings. When she manages to sell a new product (that Alfred doesn't like or think they should order more of, but the owner loves) the store owner gives her a job on the spot anyway.

They hate each other at first, and it is revealed first to the audience, and then to Alfred that the woman he hates (in this version called Klara Novak) is in fact the same woman he's been corresponding with, and he spends what is basically the final third of the movie trying to get her to love him as Alfred, so that when he ultimately reveals that he is the letter writer she's been waiting for she doesn't immediately brush him off. There is a lot more going on with the other shop employees as well, but I'll save that for more direct comparison.

What I really think is important to understand about this version is that there isn't really a power imbalance (they're both employees at the same shop, and although Alfred has seniority he doesn't have any power over her position there), their arguments throughout the film are primarily petty and funny, when Alfred gets fired, Klara is genuinely sad for him, and their only 'serious' argument is resolved quite quickly, and their relationship pretty much makes sense. In the little we hear of their letters we know they like the same books, admire the same authors, and connect on a pretty deep level, which is why it makes sense that in spite of their contentious real life relationship, they want to make it work anyway when they discover each other's identities.

Also, it contains the best, most accurate scene about working in customer service I have ever seen:

So, what's the problem with You've Got Mail, then? It's about two people who correspond, don't know who each other are, hate when they do meet, but eventually fall in love. They even work at a book shop, which could tie to the already existing literary themes quite well! Well, if you're familiar with either movie you've probably already guessed, they don't work at a bookstore. They own separate competing bookstores. And this change is one of the film's worst. It's creates a weird power-dynamic wherein the male lead (in this film called Joe) is the magnate heir to a Chapters-esque (or for my non-Canadian readers, Barnes and Noble/Waterstones-esque) book store franchise literally putting Kathleen's small, independent bookstore that she inherited from her mother out of business.

But the power dynamic is not the only problem I have with the change. See, as mentioned before the original play was written, and the film set during the great depression. These people are not upper-class owners of stores, the singular owner in the film owns a small independent store that he shows up to work and sell at, just like the other employees. Therefore, I think this change sort of thematically neuters the story as well. With lines like 'if they're really your friends, they come over after dinner' financial struggle hangs over these characters heads, and while nothing really comes of it in the story (meaning, no one suddenly strikes it rich, although the shop does have particularly good sales around Christmas) it makes the characters feel real and relatable. And I know relatability is not the be all end all of storytelling, but it was something of an anomaly at the time, that made it stand out, and makes it so fun to watch. That 'this could happen to you' feeling that doesn't come out of other films of the era (films like Bringing Up Baby, Philadelphia Story, Born Yesterday, and My Favourite Wife all feature wealthy characters, even if ultimately they conclude that wealth itself is empty).

The film was still selling fantasy, but it selling a fantasy of romance and of and community between the workers, not wealth and power. And perhaps worse, You've Got Mail wants to have it both ways, Joe Fox's aging, lecherous father finds wealth empty until he runs off with a woman, Joe's original girlfriend (who I'll get to a bit later) is considered shallow because of her concerns with wealth. It almost feels like it's setting up an ending wherein Joe relinquishes his ownership of the chain store, and revives Kathleen's mom and pop shop to run it with her... but instead she gets hired on to work at his more corporate store. It feels like you're watching romance about Jeff Bezos that concludes with the love interest deciding to work at an amazon warehouse!

I’ll admit it’s a bit nitpicky, but merely adding wealth to the equation changes the entire tone of the story for me, and undoes a lot of the movie’s truly interesting and unique features, and it breaks my heart a little to see those features gone.

The other dynamic that I’m sad to lose is the camaraderie and community of the other characters. In the 1940 film everyone working at the shop feels real, as I mentioned above. The film’s primary subplot is about the store owner’s wife having an affair, and how that affects him and the dynamic of the shop. In the end it turns out that the guy everyone already hates was having the affair, he gets fired, and things look up for the people in the shop. You’ve Got Mail does sort of try to create a similar plot line with Joe’s father, but it’s just about him having a romance with a much younger woman. Somehow this movie from 1998 is more sexist than its 1940 counterpart.

Really, the only characters who matter in You’ve Got Mail are Joe and Kathleen, which isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself, but I think the basic plot loses a lot of heart when it loses the characters around the leads. The romance itself is actually rather simple, which is part of what makes it so great. So, to fill this void (other than using pointless subplots) You’ve Got Mail complicates things.

You see, unlike a lot of other romantic comedies The Shop Around Corner deftly avoids having the leads in relationships at the beginning of the story. They are two single people who connect via the post, and don’t meet out of nerves, and don’t get together right away (the alleged problem that plagues the modern romcom) because they dislike each other in person. It’s actually a really perfect plot, and one that I think could genuinely be modernized well. But in You’ve Got Mail both of the leads are in other relationships for seemingly no reason (plot-wise). Both have break-ups that pretty much mean nothing, with their partners that it seems like they hate anyway. I want to complain about it, but it feels like such a nothing part of the movie I can’t even really think of any issues with it. It could have been removed and the movie would be pretty much the exact same, so I have no clue why they even bothered including those characters. Their break-ups aren’t at all dramatic (Kathleen’s partner agrees that their break-up has been a long time coming, and Joe’s is so drunk I’m not sure she noticed what happened), and it’s not like the relationships give them a more compelling reason not to meet their online pen-pals, I’d think the dangers of meeting some stranger from the internet would be enough.

And now, finally, what really cinches the issues for me; the romance itself. Unlike in the older film, we actually do get a fair amount of voiceover about what exactly is in these emails. And it’s bad. They don’t seem to like each other over email or in person, making it all the more difficult to get on board with their relationship. I mean, Joe ruins Kathleen’s family business! I try not to focus on that too much because I feel that aspect has kind of been talked to death, but that fact means that their online connection needs to feel incredible, not Kathleen disparaging Joe for making a Godfather reference. It just doesn’t seem strong enough to pull through the anguish he clearly causes her. You know how I mentioned above in the original film basically the entire final third of the movie is Alfred trying to make good with Klara so she won’t outright reject him when he reveals to her that he wrote the letters? The important thing here is that we see them interact, we see them connect in real life. You’ve Got Mail, in adding the competing book businesses plot, I guess just doesn’t have enough time for it, and we see it all in montage. At the end, when Kathleen says ‘I so hoped it was you’ we don’t even know why. Why does she hope it’s this guy who has ruined her life? I would have liked to see them together more, hear what conversations they were actually having while music plays over a restaurant with them laughing, but because of the structure of the story we don’t get that.

Taking out the heart of the shop that they work at together I think means that it becomes necessary to show them falling in love in a different way than in the shop (because it doesn’t exist). And I guess montage was the best they had. We do a get a little dialogue between songs, but their Big Argument is so big it overshadows everything else about the movie, and makes the writers feel out of touch. It’s not just about their built up resentment, as it is in The Shop Around the Corner it’s about a very real problem, a woman losing her job, her livehood, and in a metaphorical way, her mother. It makes the whole thing just a bit too impossible to believe.

And to be clear, I would love to see a modern version of this film, I think it could really work! I actually like the idea of them meeting over the internet, and I think there is new material to be mined from such a fruitful set up. The musical also based on The Shop Around the Corner had a mildly successful revival on broadway in 2016, and I found it really charming and fun. But alas, until someone lets me make my discord-based version about a pretension grad student who works at a small bookstore to fund their studies, and learns from the plucky owner how to appreciate ‘low brow’ literature just as much as the ‘high brow’ stuff they’re studying I’ll probably never see it.

[not-poignant]

hello pia! feel free to delete this if it’s too personal but i’d love to hear about your degree, what you learned from it, and how you think it has informed the way you write (whether it has or hasn’t!). i’m studying for a different degree, still humanities, but i’d love to hear about your degree since i.. well when i was in hs i didn’t know that it was an option. also if the above is too personal, please recommend some texts to learn abt mass comms .. thank you!

Hi anon,

I did my degree/s (Media Studies + Mass Communications majors, Scriptwriting (Drama, Film, Short Film) + Creative Writing (Poetry, Short Story, Literature, SFF) minors) back in 1999, so honestly, some of the information I learned then is out of date, and you're definitely better off looking at a university curriculum now for decent texts on mass communications. Even the Masters I did over 10 years ago, lol. I am an old.

You have to understand when I was in university for Mass Comm, the internet as we know it, and social media, literally didn't exist. And though 'Rupert Murdoch still owns a ton of Telcos' is still true, things like Wikipedia didn't exist, lol. The 'please don't use Wikipedia as a reference' didn't exist as a sentence, because Wikipedia just...didn't exist.

The media landscape has changed.

I've kept up with aspects of media studies that interest me (representations of mental health in the media, for example), but since the university texts still often cost hundreds of dollars, I can't get a ton of them every year and read them. You might be surprised what you can find in university bookstores in the clearance section, because books aren't in the curriculum anymore but are still likely to be 15 years more up-to-date than what I was taught with, lol.

I don't really know how to answer your specific questions though. There were a lot of different units within the degree, so I learned a lot from it, I don't know how to condense that down.

Probably the most important things I took with me are that media (fiction) does not have a 1:1 correlation with reality, and that we are not all mindless vessels with an inability to negotiate the media we watch (otherwise we'd buy everything in advertising ever), people who believe 'high art' is better than 'low art' are elitist ignorant dicks who don't actually understand art at all (if you've ever disparaged reality TV or soap operas, you are in this category, with soap operas giving you a side order of heavy misogyny to boot), media literacy is crucial and needs to be taught and prioritised on par (if not higher than) english fiction literacy (kids engage in more media than books, they should have more media literacy than book literacy), and that it's always important to know the politics and values of the people who own the news media you're watching (and that almost all news media is homogenised).

The biggest gift it gave me was to entirely remove my shame over watching or consuming any kind of media. I don't know what a guilty pleasure is, because guilty pleasures are a sign that you have some more work to do on unpacking your issues (often internalised misogyny believe it or not) over watching certain shows or listening to certain music etc. and finding joy in it. I feel NO shame in anything I watch, rewatch, love, get the most out of. Anon, I have done assignments on Big Brother and gotten high distinction/s for it. I've watched Misfits and gotten high distinction/s for it. I'm in the Golden Key Society because I watched a lot of Studio Ghibli and a lot of romcoms. Media studies does what creative writing doesn't - unpacks all your shame over enjoying different genres (sadly creative writing teaches a lot of that shame and can genre shame as well, it's extraordinarily outdated in many curriculums in that way).

It is so liberating to just watch whatever the fuck I want, and listen to whatever music I want, and not give a shit whoever knows I watch or listen to it. Like, I just... literally who cares. It's all art. It all means something and then I get to choose its further meaning. I get to decide what media I won't consume and why (usually around the politics and actions of the creator/s or actor/s, JKR can go to hell, or just not liking the show - I also feel no shame not liking things that everyone else likes), but it's never a choice based in shame or guilt. It is...truly, such a wonderful feeling when you realise there's literally no reason on this earth to have a guilty pleasure if you can think for yourself and understand why you've been conditioned to feel 'ashamed' for watching certain genres (surprise, it's usually racism or xenophobia or misogyny!)

Like, I did a unit called Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Cinema (Psych Psych and Cinema as we called it), which was a tremendous amount of fun and let me know that psychology is literally in everything but that representations of psychology in literally everything tends to be not great lmao. I did a unit called Postmodern Wetlands which literally analysed the relationship between swamp representation in mass media (particular horror films as relating to the monstrous feminine) and what that means for environmentalism which changed my entire relationship to my body and the environment permanently. Idk how to describe that unit to anyone who hasn't taken it, but it was literally life-changing, lol.

It definitely influences my writing style, partly because I write serials based off of like... scriptwriting techniques I was taught for television drama back then. In terms of how media studies influences it - well mass communications probably not so much, and then media studies a whole lot, lol. (Mass Comm =/= Media Studies. One focuses on telecommunications/telcos/ISP providers/internet cables even, politics and the vehicles with which we spread mass media, the second one focuses more on the analysis of the products/works/pieces of art that end up on that mass media. One is a lot more discussion of 'which television stations do China / Fairfax / Murdoch own' or 'how are those internet sea cables going and how's the terrorism around that?' vs. 'what messages does the TV on each of these stations send').

But media studies influences my writing a ton, but I couldn't tell you how anon, aside from those two units I specifically mention above lol. Oh and the fact that we had to take a mandatory philosophy unit called Critical Thinking, which should be mandatory for every degree. That definitely taught me how to think critically, which...a lot of people don't know how to do! I probably couldn't even tell you the rest of how it influenced me, if you asked me 2 decades ago when I was actively studying it. I'd like to think it just makes me a more nuanced writer, and absolutely Teflon when it comes to fanpol / antis / anti-shippers, lol. But who knows!

I still think looking at current university curriculums for Media Studies (also known as Media Analysis in some other countries) is probably the best place to find recs. But you can also check out the books on media in my Goodreads list and go by star rating.

[watercolor-hearts]

Tagged by @rednyx-sf, thank you so much, I really enjoyed answering these. 😊❤

Name: V or Virág (it means flower)

Sign: Leo

Time: 11:21

Favourite band/artist: I don't really have favorite artists anymore but I do like the songs of these bands: The Amazing Devil, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Our Last Night and Bagossy Brothers Company. I also like a lot of artists because there are a lot of good songs on TikTok and in the radio but I can't really name any exact artists. I don't really care about the artist(s), I more interested in their songs.

Last movie: Sorstalanság/Fateless(ness) (A Hungarian film based on the only Hungarian, Literature Noble prize-winning book, Fateless(ness), which is about the Holocaust through a young boy's eyes. I needed to watch it because of my literature final exam. It was... Really sad and deep.) (I don't know whether Fateless or Fatelessness is the official English title because google shows both but if I translate the Hungarian title literally, it's the second one.)

Last show: Either Young Royals (s2) or Heartstopper (s1), I'm not sure.

When I created this blog: A few years ago so if you deep dive (please don't) you'll find The Witcher post and other stuff I don't even remember anymore.

Other blogs: Only a Hungarian one but I don't like to use it because the Hungarian side of Tumblr is really depressing.

Do I get asks: Usually only prompts/story ideas but I love them so please keep them coming. ❤ (You can send normal asks about anything, too. 😊)

Followers: 106 people, about five of them are the ones I usually see interacting with my posts. 😃 (I joined this fandom with about 10-20 followers so the majority of this 106 are here because of F1.)

Average hours of sleep: When I was in school it was 5-7 but now it's summer so it's 8-10, depends on how late I go to sleep and how tired I am in the morning.

Instruments: I used to play the piano but I didn't like my teacher's personality and teaching method so I stopped. I miss it sometimes, especially when I see Charles or other drivers playing it. (I wanted to learn playing the violin but as I heard it's really difficult and expensive, so it still is only a dream. As well as wanting to learn to play the guitar. Fun fact: I am right handed but if I were to learn to play the guitar I would want to play it with my left hand because for some reason it feels more natural to hold the guitar that way, on my left thigh. Kinda strange, I know. 😃)

What I am wearing: Black knee-length shorts and a burgundy Ric Rodeo t-shirt.

Dream job: I'm lucky enough to study what my dream job is (graphic design) but there was a phase when I wanted to be a clothes designer, but I let the idea go because I only like drawing the clothes but not making them.

Dream trip: I wanna go to a beach because I have never been to one. And I also want to visit Italy because I really like it and I also am interested in art history so I would love to visit museums and statues and everything related to it. Also, I wanna go to the Van Gogh museum in the Netherlands because I follow them on Instagram and I really like their posts.

Favorite song atm: At the moment, it's Tattoo by Loreen but it changes a lot nowadays because of TikTok. 😃

Tagging: @charlosgoggles and @russellius (No pressure to do it if you don't want to. 😊)

[alwaysxyou]

Always interested in your full posts on pr, marketing and english literature (lol). Please, allow your education to class up our dashes a bit!

so i don't work on either of these movies so this could be totally wrong, but i think the biggest thing that's causing frustration is that it seems like mp is being ignored and not given the campaign that dwd got. but in my opinion, that's not the right way to look at it because the campaigns seem to be very clearly designed for different goals.

dwd the goal is consumer and sales. butts in seats, get people to go to the theater and buy a ticket. no immediate streaming option, and all press was focused on trying to build buzz around the movie premiering so people would buy tickets (which based on what we know about the narcissist's deal where the more the movie makes the more money she makes, that makes sense to me). this is done through big public events with talent, shown in all major theaters, large marketing spend, pr stunts to keep it in tabloids.... get people to buy a ticket to see the movie. box office is SUPER important in this case.

my policeman the goal is awards. the box office return for premiere is not the big goal here - it's to get awards buzz and nominations. and it's doing this through positioning itself as an arthouse movie. arthouse movies and indie movies and those types of movies draw huge crowds of voters. the industry that votes for guild awards, the academy members, etc - they see the blockbusters and mainstream. but they focus on the arthouse releases. that's why you're not seeing it being released widely in your amc and regal theaters. they are being very selective about which theaters it goes to, to help build the reputation (plus they need to show it in certain amounts of theaters in NY and LA to be eligible for awards) and then it's going to be on streaming for the general public. that's why it's in so many film festivals - those are voters and the people who influence the awards races. word of mouth spreads that the movie is very well done, and the people who vote start to listen.

and that's why except for certain things, it looks like the campaign has barely happened. cause it hasn't. i was just talking to someone yesterday about certain movies that are currently listed at the top of the oscars prediction lists, and laughing cause you never want to be at the top in october. no one has seen enough yet and it's so likely things will fall as critics and awards people see more. hell as it shows with mp a ton of the movies aren't released yet - they're still in prescreening stages. you want to be on the top in january and february.

and when you have hugely in demand talent - and by that i mean literally with busy schedules demand - you use them in the way that's most effective, knowing your time is limited. that's why harry carved out time in his tour for TIFF. that's so important for him to go in person. i imagine we'll see more things like that start to pop up throughout the fall and winter months.

on that note - we'll probably also see events with other cast and no harry. that's a very good and very strategic thing! the more you can separate the notion of "this is a movie only for harry fans" the better it will do from an awards standpoint. (as opposed to dwd which needed the harry fan support for box office, making sure it was on hshq newsletters, etc) so when you add harry back into events, the people who are important to the race are taking the film seriously and are looking forward to hearing harry talk about the film as one of the main actors, and not hearing Harry StylesTM talk about it. i do think that the entire cast will have to put in the work if they want it to breakthrough and get noms, so im looking forward to seeing what they use them for coming up.

you're also seeing quite a bit of a break in between dwd and mp promo. i think that was a pointed adjustment after the dwd circus blew up even more than expected due to the shia matters. i think they had probably been planning to piggy back (talk shows tied to dwd but he gets to talk about mp, promo in the middle, etc. the timing was planned too close to be accidental) but there has definitely been a separation now. thank god. it's to help keep the seriousness around my policeman and not make it just a footnote in the dwd drama.

[tiammc]

As a literature major and an avid reader, I believe words have power. They can be used to help or to harm, to soothe or to injure. With the advent and proliferation of social media, it's become easier for people with influence to use their fame and their platform to push certain agendas, either for good or ill. I'd like to take a minute and talk about a phrase I've been hearing a lot in recent years. And that phrase is "separate the art from the artist".

The phrase “separate the art from the artist” has been coined as a way to differentiate one's appreciation of an artist's work (music, films, literature, etc) from the artist's actions or beliefs. It's a way for people to seemingly condemn the words and behavior of an artist while still being able to enjoy the media they created. Examples of this would be still listening to Kanye's music despite his anti-semetic statements, still watching films by Woody Allen and Roman Polanski despite the multiple rape and sexual assault allegations, and still watching Dave Chappelle specials despite his openly transphobic and homophobic statements.

Which brings me to my main point. JK Rowling is a TERF, i.e. a trans exclusionary radical feminist. She doesn't believe trans women are real women, and has been VERY vocal and open about her feelings about the trans community in general. She has defenders, including actors Helena Bonham-Carter and Ralph Fiennes, writer and creator of The IT Crowd Graham Linehan (who argues that transgender activism endangers women and has likened the use of puberty blockers to Nazi eugenics), and late actor Robbie Coltrane. You know who else is an avid defender of Rowling and her views?

Vladimir Putin.

Now, like many of you reading this, I grew up reading the Harry Potter books. My first date with a boy in high school was to see the newest Harry Potter film. I had HP Uno, Funko Pops, etc, etc. And I could have done what other people have and "separate the art from the artist". But it's not that simple. And here's why: She doesn't. JK Rowling has explicitly said that she believes the fact she's still making money off Harry Potter is evidence that people generally agree with her views on trans people or at least her beliefs aren't a "dealbreaker" for them. Let that sink in. She firmly believes that you buying the newest HP merch means you agree with her or at least don't care enough about the well-being of trans people to stop supporting her. Because that's what you're doing when you buy the newest Loungefly bag or video game. YOU may not think buying those things is supporting her transphobia, but SHE DOES.

And this is why I can't separate the art from the artist. As long as this persists, I cannot, and will not, support people who are actively harming various communities. It's 2023. We should be actively fighting against homophobia, transphobia, anti-semitism, racism, and bigotry in all its forms. And as long as they continue to make money off of you, they will continue to use their platforms to spread hate and lies, and it will get people killed. As long as you continue to buy their art, they will keep thinking you agree with them, because in a way you are. Their actions need to have consequences. Stop buying HP stuff. Stop buying Kanye's music. Stop giving your money to men and women with hate in their hearts and poison in their words.

Please.

Stop.

[suihime]

The Life of Mary Sue

Chapter 3

The fact that Cheng Xueyi's acting skills have improved rapidly spread to Su Yu's ears.

Su Yu smugly felt that she had brought a malleable talent, so her ambition swelled even more.

She even felt that it was not impossible to turn Cheng Xueyi into a first-line actress with both traffic and strength.

The result of this ambition was that Su Yu hired an acting teacher for Cheng Xueyi. After all, traffic was a thing that could reach the sky in one step if one found an opportunity, but hard power needed to be accumulated.

So Cheng Xueyi had another task besides filming - to attend classes at the Film Academy in B City.

On Sunday, Cheng Xueyi had no drama to film, so she made an appointment with Professor Wu who was introduced by Su Yu for her first lecture.

Professor Wu was a powerful actor when he was young. He once won the Golden Lion Best Actor. Later, he gradually faded out of the big screen and devoted himself to drama and education. He was very prestigious in the film and television education circle.

Cheng Xueyi didn't come from a major family, so the opportunity to learn from her seniors was something she could only wish for, so she asked for advice humbly.

And Professor Wu was worthy of being a veteran drama actor. His explanation method was profound and simple, and he even showed two impromptu performances that were particularly vivid, which benefited Cheng Xueyi a lot.

It was already afternoon when she came out of the Film Academy, and she was so absorbed in the class that she didn't know when it started to rain outside.

A rain in the early autumn came fiercely, and the leaves on the sycamore trees on both sides of the teaching building were blown to the ground by the wind, which looked like a mess.

Fortunately, Cheng Xueyi brought an umbrella.

This was a habit she has always had. She was originally born with bad luck, and it rained eight times out of ten during the rainy season.

Even though she changed her identity and traveled to another world, she still felt that it was better to be prepared.

She stood at the entrance of the Furong Building and opened her umbrella. As soon as she took a step, she heard someone calling her hastily from behind: "Miss, wait a minute!"

Cheng Xueyi stopped in her tracks, and when she turned her head, she saw a little girl who had just run out of the teaching building. She looked 18 or 19 years old, wearing a pink sweater, with a high ponytail, and a pair of big bright eyes, like an energetic girl in a movie.

The girl ran up to Cheng Xueyi, and without even breathing, she hurriedly asked, "Miss, sister, can I share an umbrella with you? It's a short distance," She even compared the short distance with her fingers. Very playful. "My brother is waiting for me in Shaw Building, but the car can't get here in the Furong Building."

Good-looking girls always easily make people feel good about.

What's more, it was just a small favor, she has no reason to refuse.

Cheng Xueyi smiled at her in a friendly manner: "No problem."

"Thank you, young lady, you are so kind. As a reward, I will let my brother drop you home later."

"No need."

The two squeezed together arm in arm under the small folding umbrella out of the teaching building.

"Don't refuse, it's raining so hard. You have nothing to worry, I'm not a bad person. I'm a freshman in the Department of B Film, Film, Television and Literature. I can show you my student ID card." The girl said and really reached out to search in her bag. She couldn't get her student ID card for a long time, "Hey, where is my student ID card?" The fine rain slanted over and soon soaked the cuffs of her pink sweater.

Cheng Xueyi pulled her closer: "Don't look for it, I believe in you."

About 5 or 6 minutes after walking out of Furong Building, Cheng Xueyi saw a black Bentley parked in front of the teaching building. In the rain curtain, one could vaguely see a blurred figure in the driver's seat.

The girl beside her excitedly waved her hand towards the car: "Brother!"

Before Cheng Xueyi could react, the girl had already grabbed her hand and quickened her pace, "Sister, let's run faster."

The small folding umbrella was indeed in a bad state, so Cheng Xueyi didn't insist anymore, and followed the girl into the back seat of the car.

The interior of the car was dry and warm, and was completely isolated from the bad weather outside, making people feel comfortable.

Cheng Xueyi carefully placed the folded umbrella by her feet, for fear that she would not be able to pay for any damages to the luxury car.

The girl next to her stuck behind the driver's seat and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother, I borrowed the umbrella from this young lady just now. She is very nice. Look at the heavy rain. You can drop by and take her home later, okay?"

"Trouble…" Cheng Xueyi couldn't say the following words, because when she looked up, she saw a pair of familiar eyes in the rearview mirror.

The man sitting in the driver's seat had dark and cold eyes, and his facial features were as deep and three-dimensional as sculptures. Such a handsome face was hard to forget once seen.

At this moment, he was holding the steering wheel with one hand, his fingers were white and slender, with smooth lines, beautiful but still powerful. If it wasn't for the wrong timing, Cheng Xueyi really wanted to give these hands a rainbow fart.

But she couldn't.

The corner of Cheng Xueyi's mouth twitched, and it took her a long time to force a smile, and she greeted the other party awkwardly: "Well, President Xu… what a coincidence."

This person was actually Xu Qiyan.

"You know each other?" The girl beside her asked in surprise.

This girl called Xu Qiyan her elder brother, so there was no doubt that she was the third young lady of the Xu family, Xu Jianing. Within two days of transmigrating into the book, she met all three siblings of the Xu family.

Xu Qiyan sneered silently in the driver's seat.

Cheng Xueyi bit the bullet and explained: "I am an artist from Sheng Jia Media."

"It turns out that you are an actress, sister. No wonder you are so good-looking."

Cheng Xueyi wished she could dig a hole in the ground and fill the hole with soil to bury herself.

"Um," Cheng Xueyi looked at Xu Jianing, and said awkwardly, "I'd better go down and take a taxi by myself."

"Don't bother, you can't get a taxi in this weather." Xu Jianing grabbed her arm kindly, with an expression understanding, "Don't be afraid, my brother is actually pretty good."

Ha ha ha, do you have a different kind of meaning for that word?

"Fasten your seat belt." At the stall where Cheng Xueyi and Xu Jianing were arguing, Xu Qiyan had already made a decision for her.

All right…

Along the way, Cheng Xueyi expertly showed what it meant to be as quiet as a chicken. Xu Jianing was too busy sending messages on WeChat, but luckily the sound of rain outside made the silence not too awkward.

The car stopped in front of a high-end shopping mall about 15 minutes after driving out. Xu Jianing put on her backpack and was about to get off the car, "Sister Xueyi, I have an appointment with someone so I'm leaving first." Then she looked at Xu Qiyan, "Brother, remember to send her home."

Cheng Xueyi smiled dryly and waved at her. She didn't want her to go, but the girl's pretty figure quickly disappeared into the boundless rain.

Now, she and the president were the only ones left in the car.

Cheng Xueyi wasn't afraid of people like Song Qing, but she was afraid of Xu Qiyan. His aura was too strong, and she felt depressed even in the same space with him, and she had to be careful even when breathing.

Rather than being suffocated in this car, it was better to go out and be rained on. After making up her mind, Cheng Xueyi leaned forward.

"President Xu can just drop me at the nearest subway station as to not waste your time."

Xu Qiyan started the car silently and continued to drive forward.

Just when Cheng Xueyi thought that Xu Qiyan had acquiesced in this plan, he suddenly said in a deep voice: "I thought, what I said that day was very clear."

? ? ?

Cheng Xueyi was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had misunderstood.

From what he said, Xu Qiyan felt that she had a wicked heart and purposely borrowed Xu Jianing to get close to him.

Although there was nothing wrong with the CEO being handsome, wasn't he a bit too narcissistic?

"President Xu, this…"

"It's a misunderstanding?"

The two voices said in unison.

It was just that one tone was a little urgent, while the other was calm.

Cheng Xueyi looked up at Xu Qiyan in surprise, who also looked at her expressionlessly.

"Don't you have any other excuses?" he said quietly.

The unemotional president didn't believe her.

Although it was indeed an excuse to say that he was molested when she was drunk last time, what she said today was the truth.

"President Xu, I came to the school today to take classes with Professor Wu. Professor Wu was introduced to me by Sister Su. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

Xu Qiyan looked ahead and drove the car as before: "You don't need to explain to me."

Cheng Xueyi's mind exploded a bit.

She also has self-respect, and never thought of climbing the high branch of Xu Qiyan. The original owner did something wrong, but in the end it was her who took the blame again and again.

She couldn't bear it anymore.

"Stop the car."

It was raining heavily outside, and the wipers flicked frequently to barely maintain a clear line of sight.

Xu Qiyan turned his head slightly, as if he didn't hear what she said clearly.

"I said stop." Cheng Xueyi repeated. "I can go back by myself, and I won't bother President Xu to drive."

As soon as the words fell, Xu Qiyan stepped on the brakes. Because the road was slippery in rainy days, the car coasted forward for a certain distance before stopping. The man's expression was as cold as ice, and his thin lips pursed lightly, and he said in a cold voice, "As you wish."

Without any hesitation, Cheng Xueyi opened the car door and resolutely walked into the rain without even opening the umbrella.

Bean-sized raindrops slammed down, and the world in front of her quickly became blurred.

The rain was really heavy, even bigger than the day when Yiping(1) went to Lu's house to ask for money.

But as the saying goes, people don't make steamed buns to gain credit, she can't let Xu Qiyan look down on her, even if this kind of behavior doesn't prove anything, she at least fulfilled her pride.

Cheng Xueyi opened the umbrella, her back straightened, and she felt like walking slowly in the heavy rain.

At this time, the black Bentley suddenly increased its horsepower and drove past her at a high speed. The wheels rolled over the puddle on the side of the road, and the water was splashed all over her.

Ahhh! ! !

Cheng Xue was very angry! ! ! !

But the bad day seemed to be far from over.

The place where Xu Qiyan left her was so remote that there were no village, shop nor taxi to be seen. It was almost evening when Cheng Xueyi returned home after several turns.

The wind and rain have stopped outside, but the sky was still dark, and the sun has yet to set.

Cheng Xueyi took off her damped clothes, but before she could get into the bathroom, the phone rang.

The other party's voice was gentle and polite: "Excuse me, is this Miss Cheng?"

"Yes?"

"Hello, we are calling from the Municipal Hospital. We need to inform you about your mother's condition. Is it convenient for you to come to the hospital now?"

Hearing this, she paused, turned around and went back to the hanger to take out a sweater and a pair of light-colored jeans.

"Okay, I'll come right away."

...

The author has something to say:

President: She obviously likes me.

Cheng Xueyi: No, I don't, don't get me wrong! ! ! !

The male protagonist will chase his wife to the crematorium, please believe in Tangerine! ! !

...

Translator's Note: I hated the ML because of this chapter and the few succeeding ones, ugh. Almost dropped this haha. Can't wait for the ML to suffer!

Table of Contents

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[thelittlepalmtree]

One thing I hate about the internet is how mean we are to people for not only their interests but how they enjoy their interests. Like me, I'm an english teacher. Not only can I tell you the theme of any movie I can probably tell you what the theme you identified says about you.

But if someone watches Star Trek and literally only wants to catalogue the different space crafts present in Star Trek and what they look like, that's fine. That's not a bad way to enjoy Star Trek. I personally wouldn't want to talk to that person about Star Trek but that doesn't make those folks dumber than me or less interesting.

And if you couldn't watch something because you didn't like some aspect of it, that doesn't mean the other folks who watched it saw that aspect as well and enjoyed it. For example, I love American and British literature written from 1800 to 1910. Do you know what most of the themes of that time period are? Racism is good, Capitalism is bad but only because it's not the great feudalism we had before, everyone is actually a horrible monster unless they're British (yes, this is true in the American lit too), and these machines are making men less manly they should go fight bears in the woods. Obviously I don't agree with any of these ideas, but the cool thing that was happening during this time was the invention and the development not only of the novel but of public education and literacy. I love the history of it, the way things we find perfectly normal today were revolutionary back then. I love the way those stories reveal the ideas of the time and built the ideologies we see today. Me liking Jack London does not equate to me agreeing with his worldview.

And honestly the worst part about any of this is that it genuinely makes life so much worse. Like not only are we bullying others for liking the wrong thing, we're avoiding the uncomfortable truth that you can learn a lot from things you dislike. People talk about how we shouldn't force film majors to watch the rise of a nation completely ignoring that the reason that movie is studied is because Griffiths invented the Close up! We fight over whether or not John Lenon was a good husband, ignoring the fact that the Beatles was one of the first major bands to actually produce music and not just record a song and put it directly on the record. I honestly think if you want to live in a better world you need to use the techniques immoral media uses to convince others to be cruel.

[rebeccakeyte]

Final Project Evaluation

My final project is a full length, eight track album, released under my artist brand 'Bex Kite'. The album is titled 'Monochrome' and has been released publicly onto my BandCamp page, shared amongst my social media accounts, and will be released onto Spotify and other major streaming platforms on June 11th. This is due to Spotify needing a little longer to process new releases, and to encourage my audience to support myself and other smaller artists more directly, as most of BandCamp profits go to the actual artist, where as streaming services don't pay very much at all.

I have gone into detail about some of the production techniques used for some tracks on the album, which you can watch bellow, but I'm going to evaluate the finished product here on my blog now! And be sure to check out my other blog posts, as it documents the whole journey of creating this project!

The original vision was to dabble with found sound samples, and horror inspired samples, however this quickly evolved into want to evolve upon my established sound as "Bex Kite", with several singles and a 4 year old EP already under my belt. In comparison, this body of works feels more cohesive, mature, self-aware and industry standard. "Monochrome" delivers eight guitar driven tracks inspired by grief, loss, heartbreak, and generational trauma. Despite the murky themes, I'd say that it's textually stunning to be honest, I'm so proud of how much my production has improved while creating this project! I think the guitar, bass and synth performance and production is a real strong point along with my songwriting, however I'd like to improve my vocal and drum production as I'm not 100% happy with it here. I've come a long way regardless!

Track by track breakdown:

1. Broccoli

'Broccoli' was the driving point of me deciding I wanted to improve my production skills and create a full length, self produced project. I've worked with freelance producers in the past on singles; Haydn Connolly with my 2023 single 'Reflections', and DEYA with my 2021 single 'Human Glitch'.

Broccoli was not originally intended to be a part of this project, as I had created it in the summer of 2023 for fun and ended up releasing it as a single. However, it proved popular with my social media audience, and I was even approached by film students to make a music video.

I didn't want the musical style of Broccoli to dictate my final university project, however it ended up fitting with the dreamy indie rock vibe anyway and paired nicely with the track 'Valid', so i decided to include the single. Plus commercially, I think it was a great ideas to promote the project with an existing single that my audience is familiar with, particularly as it's one of the more 'pop music' moments of the album.

Click here for a lyric breakdown.

2. Valid

'Valid' was one of the later additions to the album - an old demo I had found late into this project from around 2020. However, after playing around with the production that I know now, I managed to turn it into a fun, indie-pop, Clairo inspired song, with juxtaposing lyrics all about a traumatic incident from my teens, and the resulting impact it's had on my estranged relationship with my much older sister. The lyrics explore betrayal and the parallels between our lives, I'm living in her old childhood bedroom and she has no idea of the pain she's put me through.

It also introduces a recurring theme in the album which is colours and gem stones, I mention the crystal "obsidian" in verse 2, which is believed to reppelle negative energy and ground you, and the crystal 'malachite' is the title of another song on the project.

It also uses 'Pandora's Box' from Greek mythology as a metaphor, which is on brand as I'm often referencing literature and folklore in my lyrics, and even have another Greek mythology reference in an older song called 'Achilles Heart'. I am self aware of my brand!

Click here for lyrics.

3. Radio

'Radio' is a mostly guitar orientated instrumental track, that transitions smoothly into track 4, 'Too Close'. I really wanted to include at least one instrumental interlude to make the album feel more like an album. A lot of my favourite albums that have inspired this project have something like this, particularly concept albums such as 'Preachers Daughter' by Ethel Cain and 'Punisher' by Phoebe Bridgers.' I'm also a big fan of songs that fade and transition into eachother, so I challenged myself to create that and I did! Furthermore, I wanted to do an instrumental to show off my guitar playing!

4. Too Close (originally named Skylines)

I wrote and recorded an acoustic demo years ago of 'Too Close', all about a crush I had on a friend that is also a tattoo artist of mine. Lyrically, it plays around with the idea of how both people and tattoos can have an incredibly permanent impact on your life. Short but sweet, I recorded it in one day along with 'Radio', as I found I was running hugely behind my original project schedule due to being too much of a perfectionist on the longer tracks such as 'Malachite' and 'Grey'!

Poor time management and over-perfectionism are definitely big weaknesses of mine, and it shows on this project in my opinion. Some of the tracks to me, particularly 'Too Close' and 'White Bridge' feel very rushed and have glaring mistakes to me, regardless of whether a casual listener will pick up on them. I plan to adapt and remedy this for my future projects, and I'm glad I've become aware of it while making this.

It has a very 'lofi' vibe to the track, which stylistically fits my DIY, bedroom indie brand that my audience know and enjoy, however I do wish I had spread my time more evenly over every song. For example, while recording the vocals for 'Too Close' I accidentally left my fan on, and I was too tired and stressed with my deadline to re-do them!

I managed to remedy the fan noise largely with surgical EQ (a technique my occasional co-producer Olivia taught me while making 'Broccoli'), but I can still hear the poor quality in the vocal mix and it's really frustrating! I like the bass tone though.

Lyrics.

5. Malachite (originally named 'Chemical')

This track is a huge, progressively climatic, soft rock ballad, structurally inspired by 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls and 'I Know The End' by Phoebe Bridgers. Lyrically, it deals with the sickness and death of my childhood cat Freddie (who is on the album cover in tribute). He passed away while I was writing the music. 'Malachite' is a green gemstone that symbolising healing and projection, and I mention Freddie's 'crystal green' eyes in the lyrics.

The first few lines are once again inspired by literature: 'Paint the petals slow over my bones,' was inspired by the novel i was reading at the time; 'The Vegetarian' by Han Kang, particularly a scene in the second act from the perspective of the vile, misoginistic, self absorbed artist who creates an art film where he paints flowers all over his sister-in-law's naked body and then sexually assaults her. I'm not really sure why this section of the book stuck with me, probably something to do with creativity and the way in which men 'consume' women. It doesn't really have anything to do with the song itself, I just like to take inspiration from external media. And then 'small, fragile skull' was inspired by a Carol Anne Duffy poem.

I am super proud of this track, particularly my vocal harmonies, the drums (played by my friend Elliot) and the overall production! It might be my favourite song I've produced so far, and working with Elliot and Olivia on tracks has taught me that I want to do more collaborative projects in the future rather than burdening myself with doing absolutely everything!

Click here for lyrics.

6. White Bridge

Texturally, White Bridge is inspired by dark, synth-rock bands that I love such as PVRIS and Nine Inch Nails. Lyrically, it's about religious trauma, internalised homophobia, and my Dad's extremely religious side of the family that have disowned me because I'm a lesbian. It's probably the darkest track on the album, however once again I feel like the production is rushed and there's some timing mistakes. On the plus side, I really enjoy the synths and guitars that I wrote with Olivia.

7. 'Black And Blue'

I have a huge blogpost, video and lyrical breakdown of this track that I will link bellow, please take a look!

Blogpost

Lyrics

8. Grey

I wrote Grey when I was a teenage but have only just reimagined and recorded it! Is also one of my favourite tracks on the album, I'm really proud of the build-up, guitar tones and drums! I feel like my drum mixing has improved a lot. I wanted to end the album on a high note, I feel like the track is super cinematic and the harmonies really bring it all together. It already seems to be a fan favourite, as I've already had really positive feedback on it from my Instagram followers!

You can read more about 'Grey' here

Final Thoughts:

This project has successfully allowed me to independently devlop my production skills, tell a story, engage with my audience and further establish my identity as an independent, DIY artist. It has inspired me to collaborate more in my future musical endeavours.

The plan for the future is to promote the album with a super special, recorded live session with my session band on the 15th of May, release it onto Spotify on June 11th, play as many upcoming shows in the summer as possible (I'm playing Jazz Fest on Saturday so I'll for sure plug it there!). But most importantly, I have since been writing and jamming more than ever with Elliot and Olivia, and later this year we've planned to form a three piece indie rock project called Static Moon, where I'll be providing bass guitar and lead vocals!

I also hope that this body of work encourages more clients to hire me for freelance production and composition, which I have been dabbling in this year and I believe I could earn a living off of potentially.

I wish I had put a bit more thought into promoting the release, although my singular promotional video resulted in great engagement and came across very authentic as intended. I am tired of over the top, constant, repetitive promotion on social media, as an independent creator I find it draining and humiliating to take part it. Luckily, I use Instagram a lot anyway to post a lot of genuine, down to earth content and humour on my story, so my engagement is high as a result of that, so that is something I plan to keep up, but not force..

After the live sessions, I would love to make more music videos for tracks, this is definitely a future endeavour I would love to achieve!

Overall, I am proud of my final project. I think it's a solid, dream-pop album with distinctive guitar tones, deeply personal songs that people can relate to, and an equal amount of both dramatic elements and authentic DIY, lofi, bedroomy, producer girl type vibes!