#Joshua Vibes artwork

[isupportzaynxliamxziam]

Sunday, 13 May 2018 (Part II)

While being in New York City, Liam visits a galley with the artwork of Joshua Vibes

credits: Liam's Instagram

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #63: September 3rd - September 9th

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from September 3 - September 9, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

The following is a roundup of open challenges/prompts. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

@callixton is hosting The West Wing Pride Week (@twwpride here on tumblr) September 17 - 23. More details here! 

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from September 3 - September 9:

Amy Landecker posted photos of herself and Brad hanging out poolside with their friends Samantha Ronson and Cassandra Grey. 

Mary McCormack posted photos of their family dropping her daughter Margaret off at college, along with a birthday wish for her 19th birthday. 

Donna Moss Daily: September 3 | September 4 | September 5 | September 6 | September 7 | September 8 | September 9

Daily Josh Lyman:  September 3 | September 4 | September 5 | September 6 | September 7 | September 8 | September 9

No Context BWhit:  September 3 | September 4 | September 5 | September 6 | September 7 | September 8 | September 9

@twwarchive:  September 3 | September 4 | September 5 | September 6 | September 7 | September 8 | September 9

@bestofcjtoby:  September 4 | September 5 | September 8

Edits/Artwork:

#donnamoss x #joshlyman: and if you think i don’t miss you every day by @carolshathways [VIDEO EDIT]

Editors’ Choice: 

Get those pencils sharpened and grab your sweater because SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION. One of our first newsletters featured some of our favorite school-related fics, and we thought this week was the perfect time to do another round-up of school-themed fics with back-to-school vibes that we missed then or that have been written since then. We’re sure we missed some great ones, so as always feel free to reblog/retweet with more of your own faves!

days by jazzjo | Rated G | C.J. Cregg/Donna Moss | Complete |  decisions are made by those who show up (to class) or, moka pots, rye bread, and first day jitters

Back To School by Jennifer Glimpse 20 [archived by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist]  | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Donna heads back to school. . . with a little help from Josh.

AP Gov by park_all_covered_with_cheese (Sports Night Crossover) | Rated G | Sam Seaborn/Original Female Character(s), Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg, Casey McCall/Dan Rydell, Mandy Hampton/Josh Lyman, C. J. Cregg/Simon Donovan, Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, Amy Gardner/Josh Lyman, Casey McCall/Lisa McCall | Complete |  "Alyssa Leah Nelson was exactly one day, one minute, and thirty-two seconds old when she met Joshua Lyman (who was two months, three days, four hours, forty minutes, and seventeen seconds, though no one’s counting) for the first time. He poked her. She looked back at him, determined, and didn’t cry. They’ve been inseparable ever since." High school is high school. And every single one of our faves had to go there at one point. And every single one of them dated, and had friends, and had drama because of course they did. And, of course, were obsessive about politics

mine is yours and yours is mine (there is no divide) by rearviewmirror  | Rated T | C.J. Cregg/Donna Moss | Complete |  jed steals leo's clothes, and leo finally calls him out on it.

absolutely smitten (never let you go) by JessBakesCakes for fairwinds09 | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Josh feels all the air whoosh out of his lungs when he sees the teacher standing on the other side of the door. She looks at the group standing outside her door, puzzled for a moment, until her blue eyes lock with Josh’s. Her blonde hair is tucked neatly behind her ears, and pumpkin earrings dangle from her earlobes. She’s wearing a copper-colored fall sweater, adorned with leaves around the collar that match her bulletin board. Her ID badge dangles from her neck, one of those ink pens in a bright, funky color clipped to her lanyard. “Miss Moss,” CJ says. “This is Mr. Lyman from the high school."

the first thing we do by fiery_one_18 | Rated T | Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, C. J. Cregg/Kate Harper | In Progress |  The days were getting shorter, the nights were getting colder, and he had begun to partake in his seasonal sweater collection. Which could only mean one thing in his still-quite-young life: the season of Mock Trial was officially upon Sam Seaborn. … Sam’s tunnel vision hadn’t quite cleared enough to pay attention to who Mr. McGarry was talking to, but he sort of had to pay attention when the bearer of the distinctly Southern drawl walked right by, snapping him out of whatever rage coma his mind had placed him in. And Sam definitely knew he was back and wide awake when a long blonde ponytail with a purposeful stride sat down right in front of him in what appeared to be her new seat. Josh’s seat, actually. Not that she seemed to realize that; it made sense— she was probably a… transfer. Oh fuck no. Fuck no. Fuck no. Fuck— “Hi, I’m Ainsley,” Ponytail turned around, blue eyes piercing the very depths of his fucking soul. “What’s your name?” … Welcome to Landingham Academy’s 20th Annual Mock Trial Season!

Stick around for our reblog coming momentarily with this week's new fics and chapter updates!!

[olivinesea]

Hey, what are your top 5 pieces of art?

A tough one! I’m very confident about the top two but then it’s mostly vibes. Apologies for these probably low quality screen shots and pictures I’ve taken at museums….

1. Snake River & the Tetons - Ansel Adams. Idc if it makes me the basic-est bitch of all time but I can never get enough of his photographs and this one is forever my favorite.

2. Two cut sunflowers - Van Gogh. Same goes for my guy here, perfection, I love it all, wrinkles my brain just right.

3. Noah Purifoy - this is just one part of this big cool installation of found/discarded items this guy did in Joshua Tree. So many fun structures to explore

4. Sainte Chappelle, Paris. I’m a big appreciator of stained glass and cathedrals so this place made me 🫠 pics don’t do it justice

5. Self portrait - Joseph Ducreux. Ok this one is a little less about the specific art and more about how much I enjoy going to museums and making the faces in the artwork. This was one of my faves

Thank you! ❤️

[kaoharu]

♡ ♡ ♡ lures you back by waving ciel vibes artwork. yvelie thoughts so wonderfuls… i haven't listened to the joshu previews yet i really should soon… you're the second song soldier i'll take your word for it \o/ also i see what you mean it's a little uncanny ? a' looks the most lively though as ever... also the blue loop on the cup that yuu (i'm so normal)'s holding is a ciel reference to. me

i poke my head out. ciel vibes mention wheek wheek ALSO I AM . . . the second songs are almost always my favorite i wonder why ❓️ but yes yes listen to it when uu can id love to hear what uu think abt them ‼️ i will say im still a bit more excited for reos album . joshuas is gooood but i dunno ❓️

also yeah i think a' looks the most normal in it ❓️❓️ it fits him 👍 i feel like the other guys wld have looked better in a different variation of the outfits . . .. i couldnt tell you what they shld be wearing instead but yeag. ponders ALSO UR RIGHT yuu ciel relationship is so special we need more i thinks. we can be the normalers together . heart

[randomguyno3462]

*squealing, bouncing, chewing on my keyboard*

Everyone plase please please look at this amazing art! It's the boys! That I wrote about! Doing things I wrote about! I can see them! It's so pretty!!! (Fanfic author having a meltdown because someone made art for one of my stories for the first time)

The whole vibe of the scene is captured so well and I just love the attention to details from the story, like their pose and the washcloth on the edge of the tub and Dion's clothes being neatly folded in the corner while Joshua's are just flung to the side. And of course the artwork itself is ridiculously well done!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I love this sooo much

When bathing with the Phoenix one can always be assured the water stays warm~

[daily-desert]

Noah Purifouy Outdoor Art Museum // Joshua Tree, CA

[svttism]

i wanna stay with you

»»——————————　♡　——————————««

[ choi seungcheol ]

uncountable things you love about him, from his adorable dimples to the way he does the most to show how much he loves you. but it's the hardworking side of him that has your heart skipping a beat. the way he scrunches his nose when he's frustrated, the way his eyes light up when he finally achieves the perfect results. it makes you fall in love all over again

[ yoon jeonghan ]

"you're my muse." he said, gently wrapping his arms around your waist. you thought he was just being cheesy, rolling your eyes as you enjoy the warmth of his body. but as you stare in awe at the beautiful artwork in front of you, the colours mixing on the canvas to form mesmerising effects, you realise just how true that was.

[ hong joshua ]

first impressions could always be deceiving. if someone was to think their first impression of him, it would be gentle and sweet. but you know better, just what kind of person he was. he's always up for a challenge, loving the thrill and the exhilaration. as you look up in shock, you meet his teasing smirk. "take a picture, sweetheart. it'll last longer."

[ wen junhui ]

it was your first time. the feeling was new, frightening. but as you held your arms tight around his waist, you found the courage to open your eyes. the motorcycle zooms past the empty streets as you start to admire the night view. you didn't really feel that scared anymore. because you trust him, and he would never let you fall.

[ kwon soonyoung ]

"BABEEEEE!" you can't even turn your head before a body crashes into yours, sending you both into a fit of giggles. he peppers light kisses over your face and you whine for him to stop, complaining about it being too ticklish. "but i missed you." he pouts before grabbing your hand, running in the direction of the office. "come on! i wanna show you my new choreography, you'll love it!"

[ jeon wonwoo ]

he's quiet, but it's the kind that brings a sense of peace. after long days, you're always grateful for the comforting silence he provides. his hand fits perfectly into yours, just like how you fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. "i could stay here forever." he mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to the back of your palm. and you couldn't agree more.

[ lee jihoon ]

times with him are always fun. sometimes he'll bring you to his studio, excited to present what's he's been working on. sometimes he'll take you to the gym, and you'll end up laughing at how he attempts to show off his strength. today was special, he brought you up to the rooftop, saying how the stars were especially pretty tonight. "i see it!" you gasp, looking through the telescope. "it's so beautiful." but you're unaware of how he gazes at you, eyes full of love and happiness. "yeah, it really is."

[ lee seokmin ]

happiness comes so easily when you're with him. it didn't matter if you were having the worst day ever, he WILL send good vibes your way and nothing could stop it. he senses it immediately. and so he gently takes your face in his hands and presses a light kiss onto your forehead. "you know you can tell me anything right? we'll face it together." his bright smile is infectious, and not long after, you find yourself smiling as well, as your spirits are lifted.

[ kim mingyu ]

you never thought you were photogenic, you felt like you never look good in most pictures. "smile!" your boyfriend grins, preparing to take a photo of you. you could only smile awkwardly, eyes avoiding the camera. he notices. he places the camera down and take your hand in his. "honey, you're the most gorgeous person i know." he spoke gently. "no matter which angle, you look absolutely beautiful and i hope you know that too." his words made you tear up a little bit as you wrap your arms tightly around him, mumbling a quiet "thank you."

[ xu minghao ]

his romantic ways always sweep you off your feet, making you feel like it's back to the first time you fell in love with him. he surprises you with a rooftop picnic, the perfect date you've always dreamt of. he makes sure to bring all your favourite foods, even bringing pillows and blankets to make it comfortable to cuddle. even under the bright stars in the night sky, he reminds you that you will always be the brightest in his eyes.

[ boo seungkwan ]

you're both workaholics. but unlike you, he knew when to take care of himself. "have you eaten your vitamins? wait no, how many cups of water have you drank today?" you'll always roll your eyes, a small smile on your lips as you assure him that you were okay. but you're always thankful for him, and you thank the stars every night for this wonderful person you love so much.

[ chwe hansol ]

he's pretty laid back and chill, but times with him are never boring, even if it was just lazy days at the dorms where y'all are lounging around. his bright laughter and goofy expressions fill up the emptiness all the time, never failing to make you giggle and feel like the luckiest girlfriend in the world.

[ lee chan ]

you're speechless. he had great technique and the passion and confidence in his moves were breathtaking, he truly was an amazing dancer. when he finishes, you jump excitedly, clapping as loud as you could. "that was amazing!! i can't believe how good you are." the tips of his ears turn red as he scratches the back of his neck, bashful at the compliment. "thanks. you know, i always perform better with my biggest supporter watching." he throws a wink at you, making your stomach flip as you return with a shy smile.

[7teen-exe]

i wanna rock with you.

i actually don’t know what this is, but i hope you enjoy?

seungcheol | there is something about him that lure you in. it’s not his bad boy get up, or his smirks and good looks — in fact, it’s his kindness and willingness to drop anything for you; his dimpled smiles that he sends your way whenever he catches your gaze. it makes you fall in love with him all over again. 

jeonghan | you stare up in awe at the huge artwork hung up on the wall, intricate colours painting the canvas in designs that left your mesmerised. “you inspired me,” comes his gentle voice, the warmth of his body spreading across your back when his arms snake around your hips. 

joshua | if someone is to think of their first impression of him, they’d say gentle and soft-looking; but people who knows him best, like you, would know what kind of person he’s really like. there is something so exhilarating with his devilish looks and the smirk he gives you when he catches you staring. “take a picture, love.” 

junhui | you held on tight with your arms around his waist as his motorcycle zips through the quiet road, the only light from the street lamps you both drive past. it’s scary, it’s new — but no matter how terrifying it is, you can always count on him to keep you safe; you know he won’t ever put you in danger purposely.

soonyoung | “babeee!” you barely had the time to react before a body crashes into yours, sending you both toppling into the couch in the corner of the room. laughter fills the studio, jihoon is staring with distaste at the disruption, but both of you are laughing and laughing, and laughing — for no reason at all. you find it comforting how laughter comes easy when you’re with him.

wonwoo | he’s quiet; the comfortable type of quiet — the type of tranquillity you need after a long day; the type of silence that comforts you during your hardest moments. he’s always there for you, with you — keeping your head above the water. you don’t know what you’d do without him.

jihoon | a hard-working person like him is easy to admire, but you have grown to realise that despite being a music genius, he’s only human too. there are times where you’d find him all burned out, aches all over his body — the time where he seeks comfort in you is the time that you feel pride of being trusted enough to see this vulnerable side of him.

seokmin | sunshine boy, our happy little virus. there is not a day where your life is clouded because he will send good vibes your way and there is nothing you can do to stop it. if you’re sad, he will be sad with you. you’re not alone, he’s always there for you.

mingyu | he cares too much, more than enough — to the point that you’re drowning in his love. it’s not like you mind, he’s a big guy with an equally big heart; there is not a day where he does not go about his day without telling you, “i love you.”

minghao | he’s art himself, that it makes you wonder what you did in your past life to deserve someone like him. he’s like fine china, not in the term of fragility but rather the beauty of it — it makes you think how someone like you could end up with someone like him, but he reminds you every day that he loves you for who you are on the inside.

seungkwan | he’s beautiful, inside and out, and he reminds you that you are too. “true beauty does not come from the body or face,” he would say, pressing kisses all over your face. you are loved. “it is a thing of the soul - something brave and unafraid.” you are wanted.

hansol | things are never boring with him, even during lazy days where you would just lounge around your home or the dorms — there is something always exciting when you’re with him. a new movie, a new game, a new song, a new challenge; whatever it is, he’ll do them with you.

chan | i’d like to think that he’s a spontaneous kind of person. it’s always so intriguing how he can come up with some many ideas and work around with it when there’s nothing to do at the dorms. he’ll bring you on an adventure around seoul, find new things to try. it’s always fun when you’re with him. 

[missbellaswan]

forbidden wolfpack interactions 

(aka all of them bc most of them are hardly even mentioned let alone allowed to speak or interact with one another)

sam/embry- strong big/little brother vibes. everyone already assumes that theyre half brothers and they fall into the roles so easily that it doesnt matter if joshua uley is embrys actual father. sam is always bugging him to stay out of trouble and eat his vegetables. embry flips him off as he does a back flip off a cliff (he only eats his vegetables when his mom tells him to okay). they would die for each other but they annoy the hell out of one another. 

quil/seth- the most wholesome boys! they love to have bob ross paint nights. they invite the rest of the pack, but everyone else goofs off instead of following along.  emily hangs all their artwork in her house. quil doesnt treat seth like hes a little kid like the others do and seth thinks quil is the smartest person hes ever met so hes always asking him questions and learning new things from him. 

jake/jared- these boys love to hike. they love to go exploring and see new places. sometimes in wolf form or theyll just go on foot and enjoy the quiet. they both like having a person they don’t have to talk around because the rest of the pack can be too chaotic for them sometimes. they’re also really into winter sports like skiing and snowboarding and will travel all over in the winter to check out new ski hills.

leah/paul- just a couple of really angry kids. they take up mma as an outlet for all their frustration. turns out theyre pretty evenly matched and they spar most days. sometimes they head out to the beach really late at night to scream at the ocean because it relaxes them. they rarely fight with eachother, but will throw down with anyone else (especially in defense of one another)

[ladysqueakinpip]

all odd numbers for the twewy ask

oh my. this could get long. i tried to answer as many of these in other posts just so this one isnt so long.

1. character(s) that first caught your eye/first favorite character?

already answered!

3. favorite partner(s) to have around?

joshieWAAA. his dialogue ALWAYS makes me laugh and i love the lighthearted missions throughout week 2.

same with fret. every moment with him is a delight. beat was good in og twewy but hes TOP TIER in neo. hes the absolute best version of himself and especially after. the sho incident at the end of wk1 having him during wk2 was necessary just for morale.

5. favorite pin(s)?

any of the rapid tap pins. my video game strategy has always been and always will be max out attack and hit as many times as possible so rapid tap is for me. i believe in neo i have neku equipped with yukimitsu (if thats the correct one i’m thinking of.... its a jupes rapid tap w/ fire affinity...) and its perfect for him. i REALLY love the pin a lot, its powerful and fast and is just a flaming slashing sword. what else could a girl want.

7. favorite clothing item(s)?

whatever the frick this is

on a more serious note, i made a collage of all of my favorite items

9. what platforms have you played twewy (and/or neo) on? if multiple, what’s your favorite?

both DS and switch. i definitely prefer the gameplay of twewy on the DS but i love the high definition artwork for the switch that im willing to struggle thru lol.

11. thoughts on the anime?

already answered!

13. what would you like to see in the future of the series?

already answered!

15. put together an outfit you’d like to wear, only from in-game clothing options!

im going to focus on clothes from neo because i cant look at these tiny icons from og twewy for much longer lol.

some of them arent complete outfits bc i couldnt find like pants or shoes that really spoke to me so i went mostly on vibes

17. what character(s) do you relate to the most?

already answered!

19. favorite scene(s)?

in no particular order:

anything with josh

the hachiko reunion in twewy

when josh and neku play tin pin slammer

when haz forces rindo to walk around with him in shibuya for like half an hour while rindo is having a mental breakdown

neku/shiki neo hachiko reunion :’)

that SCENE in neo where sho is attacking the team and beat offers to stay and hold him back and beat almost dies but you-know-who shows up at the last second (i LOVE that scene)

that bit in neo where beat jokes with neku about having another hachiko reunion and “you know who will be there -nudge- -wink- -wink-” like nekus giant big fat crush on shiki isnt obvious to literally anyone and everyone who breathes

does DDD count? because. that bit where riku asks joshua why the dream eaters dont attack him and joshua looks sad and wistful and says “i have plenty of dreams...”

also this:

21. how were you introduced to the series?

like many others I, too, am a "found twewy thru KH DDD" fan

23. favorite store(s) and/or restaurant(s)?

is it cliche to say ramen don? so many fond memories there....

theres a boba tea shop in neo that i always made sure to stop by if i was in the area (i think its on spain hill). theres a boba shop in my own town that i sometimes go to with my friends and i have a lot of memories of grabbing tea and walking through shops with them, so i want my little twoowee kids to have the same experiences with their friends :’)

25. freebie question – share anything notable to you, whether that’s a fun fact, a joke, an accomplishment you’re proud of, a glitch you encountered, or whatever else!

i already answered this one but i always have more twewy thoughts and ive been thinking about sho and beat a lot lately....

idk if this was intentional from the writers’ perspective (i picked up on it but its.... subtle). beat and sho’s roles in neo (especially regarding their roles within the wicked twisters team) oppose each other and its.... idk its real interesting to me.

like you have sho in wk1 who all the kids look up to and rely on and they THINK hes on their side, but hes a poor excuse of a companion and leaves them for dead at the end of wk1. then IMMEDIATELY in wk2 they give us beat, another strong and experienced player, and he adopts the role the kids desperately wanted (and NEEDED) sho to fulfill and beat does an AMAZING job. where sho was always absent & unreliable, beat NEVER left the kids and always emphasized how he would be there to carry all of them. he becomes the big brother they thought they had in wk1.

then in wk3 beat and sho go head-to-head. sho is the one who abandoned the twisters weeks ago, meanwhile beat is the one saying “go ahead without me” and is offering to be left for dead so his friends can be safe.

thankfully beat was fine but. very interesting how these two characters are the ones with a physical confrontation. i havent rly seen anyone talk about it and im not sure what point im trying to make here other than the roles for their characters clashed and complemented nicely.

[acrossthewavesoftime]

6, 11, 13, and 14 for the historical figures ask :)

Thanks for the ask! :)

6) Do you think that you and your favorite historical figure would be friends or enemies? Why?

Assuming I'd travel back in time and meet him in, say, the late 1770s or early 1780s, I think I would stand a chance at befriending him as I am not a fellow naval officer, or in any way, shape or form affiliated with the 4th Earl of Sandwich.

He appears to have been a very warm, approachable person outside of his profession.

11) What is your favorite portrayal of them in an artwork such as a painting or photograph?

Talking visual art, I really like the James Northcote-portrait that I analysed in this post.There are two other portraits of him, one of which shows him wearing his own hair instead of a wig, which I found quite interesting, but is otherwise quite dark as for the background, a burning enemy ship at night was chosen. Don't know if he was going for the "tough guy not looking at the explosion behind him"-mood or if he was aiming for a cozy (naval) campfire-vibe, but it just doesn't work either way for me. I prefer the Northcote-portrait as it seems to be a more genuine representation of him, by which I don't exclusively mean the fact that the artist managed to reproduce his face in a way that causes the portrait to recognisably depict the sitter, but particularly through the little, barely-there details such as the wig, sleeves and anchor that on a closer look may 'tell' us so much more about him.

13) Who is your favorite historical figure’s bestie? Who is their arch-nemesis?

For "bestie", the answer has to be his fellow naval captain John Simcoe, John Graves' dad. John very likely played cupid and introduced Samuel to his first wife, and later made him godfather of his baby son. When John died aboard his ship, Samuel took the business of being a godfather very seriously. That said, the argument could also be made that his wife was his closest friend as well, but since John died a decade before he met Margaret, I wanted to name both.

For "arch-nemesis", a couple of names come to mind: in Boston, he really, really did not get along with General Gage, and one of the latter's associates in the town, Benjamin Hallowell. The Gage-Graves rivalry was well-reported at the time, and also included their respective wives taking a stand to support their husbands.

The Earl of Sandwich was a former friend (or at least Samuel thought they had been friends) who washed his hands off Samuel very quickly when supporting the latter (if you can call not granting him any of the resources he routinely asked for call "support" at all) was no longer opportune. Samuel wasn't too pleased about the betrayal (naturally) and while Sandwich probably wasn't a super-villain-esque arch-nemesis, he felt that he had been let down by a person he had formerly trusted.

14) Did your favorite historical figure have any favorite past times or hobbies? If so, what were they?

Hands down the kids that weren't his, particularly when he had increasingly more time to do so following his recall from the North American Station in 1776. When the newly-wed Simcoes moved out, the empty nest was so strong, the Graves' invited the teenage daughter of a friend to stay with them for a 'holiday' only a couple of weeks later.

There are however also mentions of parties in Bath with his wife (the two apparently loved to host). He also appears to have been no stranger to the theatre, though given his wife preferred more serious topics, they probably didn't go to see comedies by Garrick or Sheridan (particularly not the latter, Margaret Graves hated his plays). While he doesn't seem to have been very musical, or musically interested, two of the three portraits of him were made by painters from the circle of Joshua Reynolds, so there's room to assume he had an opinion on contemporary visual art.

Thanks again for the asks, hope you have a nice day! :)

[alderandashco-blog]

First prints of "Mano Del Desierto" are drying 🌵👁⚡️🐍🐺🖤

[panpukinart]

Heyo, guys!⁣ ⁣ As some of you might know, I decided to participate in the #Unrealbjornament3 this year after a friend made me aware of its existence. If you want to know more about what the Tournament is, you can look it up on the Firemagazine Forums! ⁣ ⁣ The prompt for the first round was "It came from nature", this is what I came up with. This piece is something far out of my comfort zone, it might be one of the biggest paintings I've done in quite a while! ⁣ ⁣ I am simply too lazy to write a longer caption tbh- I really am just vibing. The piece went through many concepts and poses before getting to its current stage- I'm very glad I was able to solve all those problems in time!! I was paired up with 3D artist Joshua Gilbreath, you can easily look him up online if you're interested. ⁣ The results of this round are gonna be public this Sunday- Maybe I'll drop out in the first round, maybe I'll live to participate in the second one!! I'll update you when the time comes :)⁣ ⁣ #drawing #art #traditionalart #painting #anatomy #anatomydrawing #draw #artwork #sketch #sketching #artistsoninstagram⁣ #drawing🎨 #drawings #ink #Unrealbjornament #colour #traditionalartwork #paint #paintings #conceptart #lineart #fanart #illustration #artistsofinstagram #sketchbook #artgallery #fantasypainting #artist (hier: Leipzig, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Azib2DcT0/?igshid=2smj51kmb11v

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 November 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman & The Outsiders #7 throws some further ramifications of Ra’s al Ghul and his minions meddling with Duke and Sofia. Some particularly disturbing transformations going on with Duke that should be interesting. The level of intrigue that Bryan Hill is keeping in the story is gripping.

| Published by DC Comics

The Batman’s Grave #2 is another excellent issue. A little more packed with action than the first one, allowing Bryan Hitch to cut loose with some of the sequences. Also, I’m loving the humour that Warren Ellis is giving us between Alfred and Bruce. That acerbic wit is something we’ve seen from Alfred a lot and Ellis just nails the voice.

| Published by DC Comics

Battlepug #3 is more fun from Mike Norton, Allen Passalaqua, and Crank! Some really nice stuff here as Bryony cuts loose on Nobody’s Ponies. I absolutely love the mix of traditional sword and sorcery storytelling with rather over-the-top humour that basically lampoons it at the same time.

| Published by Image

Black Cat Annual #1 is a fun tale of a heist on the Maggia by Black Cat and Spider-Man from Jed MacKay, Joey Vazquez, Natacha Bustos, Juan Gedeon, Brian Reber, and Ferran Delgado. It features the usual humour and action that we see in the series and I quite like how the artists are broken up each following one particular aspect of the story. Though it’s all one narrative, it gives a nice differing feel to each part.

| Published by Marvel

Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice #5 concludes what has been an excellent series from Jeff Lemire, Michael Walsh, and Nate Piekos. Ultimately, this has reminded me of the old JLA/JSA crossovers of old, and just feels great as an overall story. Plus the possibility of seeing a sequel.

| Published by Dark Horse & DC Comics

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #3 begins “God Loves, Moon Kills”, another two-parter for this series, from Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Craig Yeung, Marcio Menyz, Federico Blee, and Joe Sabino. I love this story format, giving us essentially quick-hit missions dealing with a problem and then moving on. It’s yielded some pretty tight storytelling and some fascinating situations.

| Published by Marvel

Black Stars Above #1 is another incredible debut for Vault, with Lonnie Nadler, Jenna Cha, Brad Simpson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou delivering an incredibly deep and unique horror story. It centres around a young woman in a family of fur traders, as the trade itself begins to die in Canada, and it’s impressive as to how real the characters and their struggle feels. The artwork from Cha and Simpson is exquisite.

| Published by Vault

Buffy + Angel: Hellmouth #2 continues Buffy and Angel’s descent through hell. It’s much more cerebral than you’d expect, with the demons trying to get into Buffy and Angel’s respective heads in order to manipulate and destroy them. Plus, a rather interesting surprise. Jordie Bellaire, Jeremy Lambert, Eleonora Carlini, Cris Peter, and Ed Dukeshire are doing some great work with the core of this event.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Collapser #5 somehow gets even stranger in this penultimate issue as Liam creates a “perfect” world to run away from the problems he’s having in the real world. The real world bleeding through and a revelation of his girlfriend’s true intentions just ratchet up the strangeness further. Mikey Way, Shaun Simon, Ilias Kyriazis, Cris Peter, and Simon Bowland are just doing amazing work here.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

Detective Comics #1015 takes an interesting turn as Nora decides that she likes being a villain. Through this, Peter J. Tomasi is definitely showing an interesting side to Mr. Freeze, emphasizing again that he’s a rather conflicted villain, only doing the various heinous actions to save his wife. Who now doesn’t need him.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Mirage #4 features more incredibly beautiful, inventive artwork from Nick Robles and Jordie Bellaire. The visual storytelling as Shan faces the Embalmer is just incredible. Magdalene Visaggio, Robles, Bellaire, and Dave Sharpe continue to deliver magic with this penultimate issue.

| Published by Valiant

Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror: Season Two #2 is another entertaining issue. The lead tale from Tom Peyer, Greg Scott, Lee Loughridge, and Rob Steen has traditional EC Comics horror vibes, as a scientist tries to communicate with our worm overlords. In one of the comics back-ups Mark Russell, Peter Snejbjerg, and Steen revisit the world of the breakfast cereal monsters. And there’s the usual prose pieces, poetry, and Hunt Emerson’s Black Cat. 

| Published by Ahoy

Event Leviathan #6 concludes this series from Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Josh Reed. How much you enjoy it will hinge on how much you enjoy Maleev’s art and the realization that most of this tale is about moving one person off the board and the reveal of Leviathan to set up further stories. Also, Bendis paints a Batman who is ridiculously terrible at hiding his secret identity.

| Published by DC Comics

Fallen Angels #1 is the final new first issue of this first wave of “Dawn of X” titles and in many ways it’s more personal than the other X-titles, even Excalibur, delving into Psylocke (the former Kwannon, not Betsy Braddock) and her past. Bryan Hill, Szymon Kudranski, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Sabino deliver an interesting story with hooks on the darker side of the X-world, including some ominous bits from Magneto and Sinister, but I question the inclusion of X-23 and Cable. They don’t exactly seem to fit the roles they’ve been put into here.

| Published by Marvel

Family Tree #1 is a phenomenal debut from Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, Ryan Cody, and Steve Wands. This first issue perfectly captures that insidious nature of family drama mixed with creeping terror and body horror as a bizarre plague begins spreading across America.

| Published by Image

Far Sector #1 is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read in a long time. NK Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, and Deron Bennett create a rich new world in the City Enduring and a compelling character in the new Green Lantern, Sojourner Mullein. The murder mystery that ties everything together is just the icing on the cake. Incredible world-building here and drop dead gorgeous artwork. Do not miss this.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

The Flash #82 is part one of “Rogues’ Reign” from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto, and Steve Wands. It features a Central City taken over by the Rogues, transformed into their own personal playgrounds, as the Flash is nowhere to be found. It’s not bad, but the amount you’re going to like it may be relative to how much you’re also enjoying “City of Bane” and the recently concluded similar arc involving the Trickster.

| Published by DC Comics

Folklords #1 is off to a fantastic start from Matt Kindt, Matt Smith, Chris O’Halloran, and Jim Campbell. It starts off with a precocious kid in a fantasy world who’s been having visions of what essentially amounts to our world, whose quest sets out a rather draconian lockdown on their society when the Librarians rein in everyone from illicit action, like finding the Folklords. Highly recommended.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Forgotten Home #2 reveals more about Jannada, its history and society, and how an unjust queen was brought to rule through racial warfare. Love the artwork from Marika Cresta and Matt Emmons.

| Published by Vices Press

Gideon Falls #18 unleashes the Laughing Man on reality in part two of “The Pentoculus”. Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, and Steve Wands are beautifully unfolding this twisted and horrific flower of a story.

| Published by Image

Gotham City Monsters #3 adds another element of DC lore to the series as Melmoth claims a particular prize. I really quite like how Steve Orlando, Amancay Nahuelpan, Trish Mulvihill, and Tom Napolitano are pulling together disparate bits of Gotham and beyond to craft this story.

| Published by DC Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy #11 is the penultimate issue of this series from Donny Cate, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel, and Cory Petit. It’s basically a big fight between the remaining Guardians and everyone else. It doesn’t go so well.

| Published by Marvel

Hawkman #18 takes a somewhat different approach to Hawkman’s infection than what we’ve seen of the others so far. Rather than being a dark reflection of Hawkman’s own desires, he’s taken over by an Earth-3 incarnation in Sky Tyrant. Robert Venditti, Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft instead use that to play the spirit of our Hawkman against.

| Published by DC Comics

Hit-Girl: Season Two #10 is part two of “India”. The artwork from Alison Sampson and Tríona Farrell is impressive, given an amazing level of detail to bringing Mumbai to life. Brutal and rich in colour.

| Published by Image

House of Whispers #15 takes a new twist as the Corinthian finds the House of Watchers, takes over, and everything changes. Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Dominike “Dono” Stanton, Zac Atkinson, and AndWorld Design kick off some new terrors as even Erzulie’s status quo is upended, and we get another guest appearance of John Constantine’s homecoming.

| Published by DC Comics - Black Label / The Sandman Universe

Invaders #11 pushes deeper into Steve and Namor’s history and relationship, as Steve refuses to give up on his old friend. There’s some very heavy, very good character work here as we head into the final issue. Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue to astonish at the incredibly high bar they’ve set for this story.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #15 is a fun tale from Dan Abnett, Will Conrad, Rain Beredo, Pete Pantazis, and AndWorld Design. Jessica Cruz leading a rag tag band of villains (and Orion) against Darkseid and the previous JLO turned evil is unfolding as a very entertaining story with some interesting twists. Also, Dex-Starr is awesome.

| Published by DC Comics

Morbius #1 isn’t a bad start from Vita Ayala, Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Clayton Cowles. This first issue is largely just action as Morbius sets out on his quest to cure himself, again, but it’s not bad. The art from Ferreira, Poggi, and Sánchez-Almara is very nice.

| Published by Marvel

Oblivion Song #21 continues the slowburn investigation and reconnaissance of the Faceless Men’s base, as Marco tries to map it out and discover where they’re holding all of the people who decided to stay in Oblivion. Gorgeous artwork from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni as we see more of the Faceless Men’s technology.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Psi-Lords #6 does a bit more world-building as we find out more about the Psi-Lords and the Starwatchers, even as the four Earthers are beset by the other Marked in a bizarre farce of a trial. Fred Van Lente, Renato Guedes, and Dave Sharpe are telling a pretty great sci-fi adventure tale here. It largely stands alone in the greater Valiant universe framework and deserves more attention than its getting.

| Published by Valiant

Punisher: Soviet #1 is another welcome return to the Punisher by Garth Ennis, stepping back into Frank’s adventures like he never left. Ennis, Jacen Burrows, Guillermo Ortego, Nolan Woodard, and Rob Steen deliver a brutal and bloody beginning as Frank chases down someone who everyone seems to think is him.

| Published by Marvel / MAX

Reaver #5 is a fairly impressive spotlight for Breaker as he does what he really didn’t want to do again in order to help his “friends”. Justin Jordan, Rebekah Isaacs, Alex Guimarães, and Clayton Cowles present a number of twists and surprises in one of the most brutal issues yet.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Ronin Island #8 sees the remaining islanders largely stand together as they try to both stand up to and flee from the Shogun’s soldiers and madness. With a terrible occurrence that looks like it’s going to cause even more problems for the survivors. Giannis Milonogiannis and Irma Kniivila’s art continues to be everything.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Sea of Stars #5 very nicely puts the pieces together as a disconsolate Gil has been captured and basically given up thinking Kadyn dead is brought to the world where his son is about to be gutted. Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum, Stephen Green, Rico Renzi, and Jared K. Fletcher are telling an incredible story here and this issue throws even more twists at the reader.

| Published by Image

Seven Days #2 unfolds some of the fallout of people learning that they only have seven days left, as the superhero community is enlisted to try to stop whatever the shiny harbinger things are. Gail Simone, José Luís, Jonas Trinidade, Michelle Madsen, and Saida Temofonte are continuing to build an intriguing story here as we get more and more of the breadth of the Catalyst Prime universe.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Superman #17 is kind of a housekeeping issue from Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin Maguire, Paul Mounts, and Dave Sharpe, acting as a prologue to “The Truth”. A bit of reflection on the Unity Saga, Event Leviathan, and Year of the Villain.

| Published by DC Comics

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 might well be the best of these one-shots yet. Tim Seeley, Kyle Hotz, Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki, David Baron, Allen Passalaqua, and Tom Napolitano give us a bleak look at a world where Sinestro chose not to share the power of the White Lantern light and essentially everything fell to Nekron and the Black Lanterns. It’s a very unique take on the zombie apocalypse on its own, made more interesting as a fallen Sinestro, Lobo, and Dove try to save this universe. The art from Hotz, Vines, Wong, Miki, Baron, and Passalaqua is perfect.

| Published by DC Comics

Trees: Three Fates #3 continues to build up the weird atmosphere from last issue, then turns around and focuses on more of the gritty aspects of Oleg, Mik, and Nina. Gorgeous artwork all throughout from Jason Howard and Dee Cunniffe.

| Published by Image

Triage #3 shifts to Commander Marco’s reality as the group flee from the Hunter. I really like what Phillip Sevy and Frank Cvetkovic have been doing with this story. Great high concept, but the interpersonal relationships are where it’s really at.

| Published by Dark Horse

Usagi Yojimbo #6 is a beautiful updating and embellishment of the very first story of Usagi from Albedo by Stan Sakai and Tom Luth. This single issue story really captures the spirit and magic of all of Sakai’s stories, wonderfully portraying his mix of action and folklore.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella/Red Sonja #3 explores more of what the Russians were doing in regards to Drakulon and more. More very nice humour from Jordie Bellaire in the interactions between Vampirella and Sonja.

| Published by Dynamite

Wonder Woman #82 begins “The Wild Hunt” from the new creative team of Steve Orlando, Kieran McKeown, Scott Hanna, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau. It very much continues on from the plot threads and elements of the previous run, continuing to build on the current conflict between Wonder Woman and Cheetah.

| Published by DC Comics

X-Men #2 is pretty damn great, going back to the big and wild ideas bringing new elements into the X-universe, all while Cyclops gives some of the strangest parenting. Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Garry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles give us a new mystery with the arrival of Arakko and the first of -|A|-’s missing original horsemen.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of Conan: Valeria #4, Agents of Atlas #4, Catwoman #17, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special #1, The Dollhouse Family #1, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #10, Firefly: The Sting, Future Foundation #4, Ghosted in LA #5, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #268, Girl on Film, Go Go Power Rangers #25, Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #3, History of the Marvel Universe #5, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #11, Midnight Vista #3, Moonshine #13, Runaways #27, RWBY (print) #2, RWBY (digital) #6, Savage Sword of Conan #11, Star Wars #74, Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4, Star Wars: Target Vader #5, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #50

Recommended Collections: Babyteeth - Volume 3, Dark Red - Volume 1, Fallen World, GLOW - Volume 1: Versus the Star Primas, Justice League - Volume 4: The Sixth Dimension, Savage Avengers - Volume 1: City of Sickles, Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Heroes, Star Wars Adventures - Volume 7: Pomp and Circumstance, Wonder Twins - Volume 1: Activate

d. emerson eddy can hear the scratching at the walls of reality.

[ridingbensolooooo]

Thanks for the tag @discordiavonsin it’s just what I needed to forget about stats for a little bit :) 

Put your music on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist.

Name of Artist:  Panic! At The Disco

What genre are they ? um honestly who actually knows at this point. 

How long have they been active ? since 2004 I believe

Have you ever heard them on the radio ? yeah high hopes still gets played every now and then around here 

Have they released any new music within the last year or two ? Yeah, Pray for the Wicked! Love that album to death, I’ve decided “Hey look ma I made it” is going to be my graduation song when I finish uni at the end of the year!! 

Do they have a male or female vocalist ? Male - Brendon Urie aka Beebop

Name of Artist: BTS

Would you recommend them ? Fuck yeah they’re my favourite band kids

What is your favourite lyric of theirs ? “The dawn right before the sun rises is darkest” I’m gonna get it tattooed when I save up enough money. I’ve wanted that as a tattoo for nearly 5 years now so I’m sure of my decision lmao just need money. 

What are their album artworks like ? Pretty but never over the top which is nice. The last few album sets have made a pattern if you buy all 4 versions and line them up which I have to saw I am a big fan of. 

If they stopped making music, would you be sad ? I would be absolutely devastated. They’re my favourite band! They said in an awards acceptance speech not too long ago that they were considering disbanding at the start of last year and I honest to god burst into tears right then and there. I’d be crushed. 

If you didn’t know what they look like, based off their music, what you guess they looked like ? I’d just have a stereotypical picture of pretty idol boys in mind. Which isn’t far off tbh but they’re so much more than that too. 

Name of Artist: Twenty One Pilots

How popular are they ? Depends on who you ask. They’ve had some very popular songs but people seem to forget about them when they’re not releasing new stuff? 

Have you ever seen them perform live ? I’ve seen them twice actually! Which is surprising, because I live in Australia and not a lot of bands make the trip here very often, so I’m very glad I’ve got to see them as many times as I have. They have an incredible energy when live, Tyler commands the space and Josh is fucking awesome on drums irl too.  

How did you find out about them ? I heard about them ages before I actually got into them, back in 2013 when my friend showed me this cover he was super obsessed with, and it was top’s cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love. 

What is their sexuality, if known ? They’re both in relationships with women so I’ll say straight but who knows really. 

Is their music easy to dance to ? Most of it is! They’ve got some really good beats in most of their songs, but also some of them are very slow and you just want to feel the music, not really dance. 

Name of Artist: GOT7

What instrument is the most prominent in their music ? Umm they’re a kpop band so computer?? Idk how pop music is made. 

Does your family listen to them ? Not at all, I’m the only one in my family who listens to kpop. They only listen when I make them lmao. 

Are they still making music today ? Yes! They’re coming to Australia to promote their new album which is fucking awesome because kpop bands barely EVER come here. Like I thought American and British artists didn’t come here often, but it seems like they’re here every 2 weeks compared to kpop artists TT.TT

Would you want to meet them ? I would love to! I’ve been learning korean but I’m not very good, but they have 3 members who speak fluent english so I’m sure we could manage a chat

How represented is this artist in your saved music / collection ? All of their albums are spread over like 4 or 5 playlists lmao 

Name of Artist: My Chemical Romance

When did you discover them ? I was very young, my mum is super into them and she used to play the black parade album all the time when I was a kid. I literally can’t remember when I heard them for the first time lmao. 

How many albums do they have ? 4 :( 

Which member of the band is closest to your ‘type’ / do you find the most attractive ? Frank Iero could punch me in the face and I’d thank him and tell him his tattoos look really nice that close. 

Have they gone through any line-up changes ? Um, fuck Bob. Enough said. 

Is their music more fun or serious ? The first 3 albums of theirs were very angsty and serious and like rock opera-y but Danger Days has very different vibes. More like, let’s make fun of how shit the world can be instead of wallowing in a pit of despair. 

Name of Artist: Fall Out Boy

Is the type of music / genre they play something you would typically enjoy or is their sound different for you ? Yeah man, I’ve never left my emo phase and I love their sound even as it continues to evolve. 

Based off of their sound, what would a human version of their music look like ? Hmm, depends which era you’re talking about. Early fob is emo Pete Wentz at his peak, but now their sound sort of reminds me of this instagram model I like, Vanja Jagnic.

Could you see yourself getting along with the members personally ? I feel like I would get along with them all very easily! I have it on good authority I’m a nice person, so hopefully that would carry through. 

Did somebody recommend this band to you ? Does my mum count? She likes fall out boy too and used to play them when I was younger as well, so I guess she recommended them to me in a way. 

Name of Artist: BLACKPINK

How many people are in this band/group ? 4 

When did they start making music ? 2016, I didn’t realise it’s been so long already! 

Do they have any well known songs, if so, which one(s) ? Umm not sure in western countries, maybe Jennie’s solo song? They’re pretty popular in Korea though. 

Do you listen to this artist regularly ? My housemate is obsessed with them so yeah I do listen quite a bit. 

How would you describe their music ? Pretty typical of kpop, they’re way more “edgy” than most girl groups though which I like. I’m not a fan of the cute/sexy/infant vibe that a lot of other girl groups have going on. 

Name of Artist:  Seventeen 

If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s) ? Wow this is really the wrong band for this. Okay so, S.Coups is Seungcheol, Jeonghan goes by Jeonghan, Joshua has a korean name but Joshua is his birth name so idk if it counts (it’s Jisoo though), Jun is Junhwi, Hoshi is Soonyoung, Wonwoo is Wonwoo so that’s easy, Woozi is Jihoon, DK is Seokmin, Mingyu is just Mingyu, The8 is Minghao, Seungkwan is Seungkwan although people do call him MC Boo (not sure that counts as a stage name), Vernon also has a korean name but Vernon is his birth name (Hansol is the korean name though) and Dino is Chan. Phew.

Do they regularly make pop charts ? They do in korea! They’re mid range popular, but they’re steadily getting more popular each year. 

Have you ever met them ? No, I wish lmao.

If they toured in your city, would you go see them ? I would! They did come to Australia, but I’m broke and couldn’t afford to go all the way to Melbourne to see them. 

Name of Artist: Red Velvet

Are they known for anything else besides music? Not really sure, maybe being from one of the big 3 companies in Korea? 

What is their nationality ? Korean! 

Are they a guilty pleasure ? A bit yeah lmao, I don’t listen to all of their stuff because a lot of it is not my taste at all, but the songs of theirs I do listen to fall into the category of annoyingly catchy. 

Which age group is this artist most popular with? My age and a bit younger I would say.

Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? Nah, SM artists don’t come here. 

Name of Artist: Falling in Reverse

Do you think it’s necessary or important to know about their personal life to ‘understand’ their music ? I feel like some of their songs are directly related to things that have happened in Ronnie’s life, so yeah to a certain extent, but a lot of the time you can get it from the vibe of the song. 

Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return ? I’m not sure actually, I don’t follow them that closely. 

What instruments do they use ? Guitar, drums, bass, vocals, synth/keys.

What city are they from ? Las Vegas

What are your experiences with fans of this artist? I don’t really know anyone who has them as their favourite band so I’m not really sure what die hard fans are like, but everyone I know who is a causal fan seems super chill. 

I don’t really have that many people to tag lmao so I’ll just tag people in my activity recently @samanddean-winchesthair @unfade @blue-roses-and-red-rubbies @classylaughs have fun if y’all decide to do this! 

[jensnonprofit]

The following is in an email conversation held between Joshua Abelow and Jens Pettersen in anticipation of Hob Gob which opens October 29th at Helen's Costume in Portland, Oregon.

You live and work in Harris, New York. I’ve heard it’s desolate, especially around this time of year. Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by strange energy? Do you even believe in that stuff? Whenever I am in places of isolation, especially in nature, I always get the sense I am seeing weird stuff out of the corners of my eye. Is this true for you and does it channel back to your paintings?

Abelow: I'd say the vibe where I live is unique. It's a forgotten kind of place. The heyday of the area was in the 1950s and 60s when New Yorkers came to spend their summers at resorts like Kutcher's, Grossinger's, or The Concord.  At one time there were hundreds of resorts, but now they are ruins or missing altogether. There are definitely ghosts here. I think the strange beauty of this particular area has informed my painting practice a great deal. It teaches me to look at what's been forgotten or overlooked and to remember that nothing is permanent.

Helen’s Costume is situated in a garage, and you are known to exhibit in some ‘non-traditional’ spaces. How do you feel your works shift or transform between formal and more ‘casual’ settings? Recently in the show Overlook Mountain House Ruins in Woodstock, all the works were exhibited outside. Perhaps casual is the wrong word too, is ‘outside’ casual or dead-serious?

Abelow: In general, I'd say the emergent art world consistently supports my work while the established commercial art world ignores or overlooks my work. As a result, I've been open to exhibition opportunities outside of white cubes in large cities. When artworks are exhibited in traditional gallery spaces there is the issue of money and how it informs the work. I find that many contemporary galleries function primarily as luxury shops with expensive items for rich people to buy. In this context, any legitimate conversation about art is undermined. Exhibiting outside of the traditional gallery

context is a way to sidestep this issue and, in doing so, becomes a subversive act that cannot be separated from the meaning of the art object itself. I'm interested in this.

You often work with the same motif or image multiple times. Do you consider these images part of a ‘network’ that you are creating? As in – are the witches related to the worms, or is E.T. connected to the falling stick-man character. Do these figures interact, or do you view the structure of the paintings as a sort of confinement for these figures? Like a St. Elsewhere snow globe situation.

Abelow: All the motifs in my work, including the geometric abstractions, are characters in an abstract non-linear novel. A sustained painting practice is conducive to this sort of thing because it is cyclical - you leave a little behind when you venture into new

territory and when the new territory becomes more familiar you go back and bring what you were doing before and introduce it. In this way, new situations are created. This is the way I move forward in painting. It's a research project that involves a great deal of

intuition. Your use of the word "network" makes me think of that essay, Painting Beside Itself (2009), by David Joselit. I think I read it around that time and found it very interesting.

I was thinking of the Joselit essay! I also think the idea of 'the network' becomes interesting when it comes time to archive or 'systemize'. I love that you mention everything as being part of the abstract novel. In my own practice I'm thinking of the same issue, but I keep coming back to the idea of a stage play. However, this performance also exists in a very abstract space. As if it was never documented, it just happened. In a way I'm trying to work backwards and rearrange whatever this play was. I think of Trisha Donnelly's 2002 performance at Casey Kaplan where she rode in on a horse, then swiftly left. The 'documentation' of this only exists as word of mouth renditions, like old folk tales. Perhaps there is not any particular question I am trying to ask, but how 'open' is this novel, does it function to archive your work? Does it tell a narrative, or is it metaphorical?

Abelow: Yes yes I love the idea of a stage play too. Makes me think of Samuel Beckett. Back in 2007/2008 I was thinking a lot about Bruce Nauman's work (particularly the early work from the 60s) and how he was so interested in art as activity and how the documentation of the activity essentially becomes the art. I think what is particularly interesting is the way social media platforms have turned all of us into public performers. Collectively, as a society, we "show" the public what we have curated and arranged all day long via our twitter, facebook, instagram, and tik tok accounts. 

I think of art making as a kind of game that I am playing with myself but also with an imagined audience. It's a bit like chess - the rules of the game remain the same, but there are an infinite number of variations. The complexity of the game evolves as the player develops their skill. The novel is very open. I think most good paintings allow a lot of room for a viewer to project their own ideas and experiences onto them. If a painting is too didactic it doesn't allow for the projection I am talking about. It's important to create images (abstract or not) that point to ideas or feelings without explaining them. I think this is the sweet spot. 

There is a hobgoblin whose name is Robin Goodfellow and who is featured in a lot of 16th and 17th century English literature. Goodfellow is not necessarily one ‘guy’ but an entity that shifts through time and might be several people. He is portrayed as a lively trickster that could shape-shift to confuse the people he encounters and uses his shapeshifting to play cruel jokes on people. He’s a helper, but also a disruptor. I interpret your paintings as sometimes referencing a sort of shapeshifting, or shifting of personas, you often refer to yourself and your own name in your work, is that a shapeshifting tactic? Is the “Abelow” who is referenced in the paintings different from you as a person, and how are they different?

Abelow: I wasn't familiar with Goodfellow until you brought him up, but I'd say there is a strong connection between Abelow and Goodfellow. I love this idea that Goodfellow is an entity who shifts through time and might be several other people. That is very much how I think about "Abelow." Goodfellow also relates to Freddy Krueger, the

unofficial protagonist of my curatorial endeavor. The best way I can try to answer your question is to say that as a person I'm not interesting. I'm extremely limited by my gender, personal experiences, financial situation, genetics, location, education, etc. Similar to creating an online persona, painting allows us to expand ourselves into any shape, form, or idea we can imagine. It allows us to commune with the dead and to invent the future. But it's important to note that painting is not entertainment. Entertainment is the industry of sedation. Its intent is to lull society into a state of passivity as an escape from reality. Art is intended to wake us up ("Don't fall asleep!"), to inspire with limited means. The same means that have been available to human beings since the birth of civilization.