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snkpolls · 4 years ago

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SnK Episode 60 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 159 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

RATE THE EPISODE 130 Responses

And we’re back! An explosive premiere brings the series back. The vast majority seemed to enjoy the episode, with only 2.3% of folks giving it a score below a 3.

I thought some of the directing in the action scenes was odd and the music didn’t feel as well integrated/utilized as in past seasons.

If this season is consistently as good as this first episode, AOT will indeed end as a perfect masterpiece

ARE YOU HAPPY ABOUT THE CHANGE FROM WIT STUDIO TO MAPPA? 127 Responses

The Studio change from WIT Studio to MAPPA was a subject of much scrutiny and debate before the season’s release. With almost 61% showing some form of enthusiasm about a new studio’s take on the series. The opinion is not uniform, of course, with just over 18% stating their preference for WIT studio. Slightly less (17.3%) can’t give an answer yet and the rest don’t seem to care at all.

I wished MAPPA would make the latter episodes a little more vibrant and lessen the blur

mappa as some of my favorite shows (banana fish, yuri on ice, etc) so it was kinda cool to see they picked up AOT szn 4 ! i’m excitedly waiting to watch the next episode, (and with my ‘watch partner’ aka tumblr friend who discusses with me as we watch LOL).

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CGI TITANS? 127 Responses

If there’s one thing that’s rather controversial about the series’ animation adaptation, then it’s certainly the use of CGI (particularly when animating Titans). The opinion of the fanbase seems to be rather positive, nonetheless. 72.4% of responders gave the CGI some praise (be it more open or more reserved), while 18.2% were more negative about the use of CGI. At the bottom was 9.4% who stated that they preferred WIT’s style of CGI to the one utilized in the episode.

cgi wasn't bad but I was disappointed that it wasn't the 2d animation from the trailer

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEW OPENING? 128 Responses

When it came to the season’s opening, there was a positive response, with more than 72% expressing a favorable opinion. 21.1% didn’t seem to care for it and about 6% stated that they thoroughly disliked it.

OP is WAY too overrated, nowhere near as good as the original, too much glorification of the kind of nationalism that led to Nazi germany's rise to power

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEW ENDING? 130 Responses

The new ending received very similar scores, with a similar figure of more than 72% expressing a positive view of the ending and a little over a quarter not caring for it. The proportion disliking it was much lower however, with only 2.3% of folks expressing those thoughts.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE 4 YEAR TIME SKIP? 126 Responses

One of the grandest developments that came about in this episode is the fact that a 4 year time skip has occurred since the defeat of the Warriors in Shiganshina. Although there is a sizable minority expressing negative feelings (13.5%), the definitive majority is coming in with enthusiasm (70.6%). The rest are still thinking this change over.

wtf is going on? Who are these new people? Why are we supposed to care about them if they're from Marley? Where are the main characters? Yeah, I suppose Reiner and Zeke technically count as MCs, but there is an appalling lack of 104th characters that needs to be fixed asap!

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SETTING CHANGE? 125 Responses

In a similar vein, a remarkable new development is a change of setting. The majority (almost 61%) see it in a positive light, while 16% seem to dislike it. Just over 19% aren’t certain yet.

After what Reiner and co. did, I am not at all interested in their side of the story and just want Eren and co. to completely decimate these people

Fun to meet new characters but I'm eager to know whats going on with the characters we know

It feels a little disorienting but it's a logical progression of the story

Strange

Wouldnt mind the change of setting if we at least had it from the 104th's perspective

I wasn’t expecting it to be so focused on new characters, and I was disappointed at first but I’m indifferent now.

Not liking the new perspective. At least for this new batch of kids. If Reiner and Zeke are going to be a major focus for a while, wouldn't a short series of flashbacks for their pasta work better than a completely new spin-off from the main story?

WHICH NEW CHARACTER IS YOUR FAVORITE SO FAR? 125 Responses

As this episode introduced a lot of new characters, we got a colorful pie chart for this one. The plurality of responses (40%) chose the kind-hearted Falco, while 28% went with passionate Gabi. 14.4% chose the caring Colt and 13.6% went with the cool Jaw Titan holder. The last couple of responses picked out the stoic General Magath and the quiet Zofia. Poor Udo didn’t get a single vote!

I loved it. I love the new art style, my favorite scene was Gabi destroying the train, she's awesome. I really love Falco as well and Colt. Galliard's titan design is sick

I literally don't give a shit about these new kids, I don't care about their story, just bring back EMA and the 104th already!

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL INHERIT THE ARMORED TITAN? 125 Responses

Another colorful pie chart! An almost even split for the (possible) future inheritor of the Armored Titan. 37.6% believe Falco will take it, while 27.2% went with Gabi. 33.6% do not see any of the cadets inheriting Reiner’s titan and the last couple of votes went ahead to Zofia instead.

WHO HAD THE BETTER GLOW UP? 127 Responses

When drawing comparison to Reiner and Zeke’s looks in the previous season, there was a clear favorite among the responses - Reiner, with 74%. Zeke had the preference of 15% and those who didn’t feel like either of them “went through a glow up” took 11%.

can we acknowledge how good zeke, reiner, and [redacted] looked 😌🥰

REINER PLEASE FUCK ME

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE JAW TITAN? 126 Responses

New season, new setting, new titan! The vast majority of viewers seem hyped about the Jaw Titan and find its design really cool. 15.9% aren’t as thrilled about it, and 9.5% haven’t decided yet. Most of the write-in comments implied a connection with the Jaw Titan. But for the purpose of avoiding spoiling those who haven’t drawn the same conclusion, we won’t be publishing them. Just know we see you. ;)

i was lowkey scared lmao

CART TITAN - BETTER WITH ARMOR OR WITHOUT? 127 Responses

We are reunited with the eerie Cart Titan from S3, but this time flexing cool armor and machine guns on its back! The overwhelming majority of respondents prefer it better tricked out in its armor, over a small minority who appreciate its natural creepiness more.

MOST OF THE EPISODE FOCUSES ON GABI. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HER? 124 Responses

Gabi appears to be a point of controversy among anime viewers already, with 38.7% viewing her favorably, 37.9% viewing her less favorably, and 16.9% not sure how to feel about her yet. Some comments feel she is similar to Eren in some ways, while others found her annoying. And yes, she did break international law. :P

Eren, but smol and female xD

I hate her already

I think she’s awesome

She's like Eren was

she passionately creepy but i like her lol

shes annoying

Gabi is SO annoying istfg really hope Falco gets more focus than Gabi, he seems nicer and more relatable

FALCO MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT “FLYING AROUND WITH A SWORD” AND “ATTACKING TITANS.” WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? 126 Responses

Overall, no one seems to know what’s going on, though many are theorizing that this is related to the paths, titan powers/memory transfer, or Eren somehow. What could this mean for the future of Falco’s character?

Dig at anime viewers returning to S4

He saw the memories of a survey corps member

I have a couple theories, regarding the memories that intelligent Titans share back and forth

maybe he had one of those flashback/forward things that erens dad had

WHO DO YOU THINK WAS BUYING THE NEWSPAPER AT THE END? 126 Responses

Nearly 90% of respondents are certain that this mystery character is someone we know, while just a small handful of people believe it’s someone new, and about the same amount not ready to make a call one way or the other yet. Some write-ins on the poll had guessed specifically who the character may be already. But we won’t spoil you just yet. 👀

The end credits guy is definitely someone we know, but I highly doubt it's Eren

The sharp-looking dude at the end just HAS to be someone we know on Paradis, there's no way they'd just throw us in to this new cast of nobodies without some connection to the main characters

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ELDIANS BEING USED AS WAR FODDER? 126 Responses

The treatment of Eldians on the mainland is something that the majority of respondents see as detestable, with 87.3% finding the use of them as war fodder to be downright cruel. A smaller amount of people either felt it was a necessary evil, or didn’t feel strongly about it one way or the other.

Literally waiting for the 104th to show up and fuck shit up for these inhumane monsters

That's what happens in the real world. The persecuted minority gets used as war fodder.

i d k 👀

DO YOU THINK IT’S POSSIBLE FOR RELATIONS BETWEEN ELDIANS AND MARLEYANS TO IMPROVE? 123 Responses

Colorful opinions mean more colorful pie charts! Most viewers feel that there is no way for the relations between Eldians and Marleyans to improve (30.1%) or that relations will never improve, with the exception of a rare few who are sympathetic to Eldians (22.8%). A smaller amount (totalling 32.5%) feel that it’s possible for things to improve whether it be due to a change in Marleyan leadership or due to the two sides having to come together for the greater good. 14.6% of respondents stand in the middle ground, unsure of whether relations can improve or not.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Honestly at first it was very confusing but overall I enjoyed it

So when do we get to see the 104th again?

I figured there would be more modern technology involved in the story, but I'm not a fan at all of the direction it's going so far. Makes me worried the ultimate basement reveal was the peak of AoT's greatness.

it was action filled!!! although i was sad so see that there are 16 episodes n not like 24(i think), it means every episode is gonna deliver!!! off to a great start, op and ed are amazing. renier had a nice glow up and JEAN WAS THAT U AT THE END?? yessir!!! beast titan looked ugly asf but when was he not ugly?? LOL

Idk wtf that opening was but I kinda like the ending. Falco seems like a good kid. I just REALLY hope he doesn't end up doing anything to hurt the protagonists (I fully expect Gabi to, she's already a violent ax-crazy kid)

just give me some Armin

WHERE. IS. EREN?

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 124 Responses

Thanks again everyone for participating in the poll! We look forward to seeing your responses for next week’s episode!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk spoilers #snk s4 #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot

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semi-imaginary-place · 5 years ago

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ahhhh Madoka...

I remember when Madoka first came out in 2011. I slept on the series at first because i thought it was one of those cute girls doing cute things shows, i already had a bunch on my seasonal watch list (this was back in my anime watching peak years when I'd actually watch most of the new series), and the art style put me off. I remember every other day my friend would be like, "no, really, you should give it a try". Eventually I caved somewhere around episode 4, and every week after the 4-5 of us would talk madoka as the episodes came out. I really loved it, got pretty deep into the lore and theory crafting communities. It really was something back then, every week the anime community would be screaming.

and then came the pointlessly edgy snowclones. but just like the bakemonogatari clones, none since have managed to replicate the spark of the original, just superficial qualities

From what I remember most people did like it for some aspect of the execution. The visuals and animation were eyecatching, the characters likable, the story interesting. Remember that back is 2011 the ahh yes the lets-makes-girl-suffer-torture-porn subgenre wasn't as well known or as popular, that came in the years after, along side the other side of torture-porn post mirai nikki: killing games and violence for the sake of violence/cheap shock value. Part of what made it popular back then was also that it was something new and fresh. Anime has many troubling tropes, and a lot of them in one way or another have really icky treatment of women and minorities. The magical girl genre was originally for young girls, and then it was co-opted and perverted for the titillation of adult men and all because the creators of madoka wanted to be edgy. not that magical girl series didn't have problems before (shugo chara), but the cultural impact of madoka has been pretty negative.

death of the author: can you bring yourself to enjoy a series when the creators are shit? Yes, but you don't have to. My personal policy is to enjoy the work and ensure 0 of my money ends up in their pockets. But this is a personal moral question each person must find their own answer to.

Back in 2011 I was going through my edgelord nihilist nu-atheist phase (yes cringe), and I thought series that dealt with despair were the deepest most big brained stuff ever. Its the same reason I got into Dangan Ronpa back in 2010-2011 before the english release (I friend would sit there translating the game line by line for us).

What do you do in the face of the seemingly inevitable? Why continue to struggle when life is painful and pointless? How do you face the absurdity of the universe? Why do you live? (yeah 11-16 year old me was incredible edgy) I also remember there was massive debate then the first movie came out as to what gave the series a better ending, episode 12 or the movie? episode 12 was the more hopeful even if it was bitter sweet, but it was argued that the movie's ending was more tonally consistent with the rest of the series. Then there were the claims that everything after the anime was just corporations milking the cash cow, and, I mean, they aren't wrong.

It also had to do with niche. If you wanted to watch something about humanity coming together and building a better world, or the human ability to overcome adversity, you went and watched something else. Few people ever staked their entire morality to a single series. And then came the torture porn of young women subgenre and it became less a casual one off musing and more a habitual indulgence for some people.

and let's not forget the kyuubey memes. So many memes. And fan content maguca

oh and the post Madoka era also co-existed with the infiltration of the alt-right into "nerdy" spaces and subsequent radicalization. Let’s not forget that.

#madoka #puella magi madoka magica

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lizzybeth1986 · 6 years ago

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Quick Thoughts on DD Book 1 Chapter 5

• Content Warning: There are references to slut shaming while speaking about opera singers, and I speak about executions in the Hamid scene (I've not added grisly details or anything, but to me what I have included does sound a little macabre). I don't know if those warrant a warning, but I'd like to err on the side of caution and ensure that anyone comfortable with that knows this before they make the decision to proceed.

• Okay on with the QT!

• Why hello there, fancy hot looking Ottoman prince dude.

• Looks like not one but both of my MCs will be living the thot life.

• Apologies for the huge delay guys. There was a LOT to unpack this chapter, and it took me a while to actually explore, confirm my research and get a clear idea overall of how I wanted to approach this one. I'm hoping once TRR ends I can get these babies out earlier.

• You know what I realised? The Lady Grandma LIKES a sassy bitch. There are several times this chapter she's actually been more approving of my headstrong Marianne than she has been of my more mild-mannered Florence. See all of this:

She's mostly approving of this, however, when Henrietta is the recipient of this behaviour, but there are also points where she appreciates the MC's candor (if she chooses to show it) such as if the MC refers to the art of the fan as "ridiculous". If there is one thing that consistently gets on Dominique's nerves, it is occasions where the MC might speak of herself and her former background negatively, mostly out of annoyance because it shows she hasn't comfortably settled into her role yet, and Dominique needs the MC to do so if Edgewater is to stay within in the family and bloodline.

• Also I love the subtle streak of independence we get to see in Annabelle. She is someone who is doing what is expected of her, someone who tries to make the best of her circumstances the only way she knows how, but she is also refreshingly open about how stressful it is for her to go down this path, even in her free scenes. She is also playful and mischievous and doesn't take herself too seriously, which makes a lot of her scenes a joy to do.

• I also really really liked the option where you tell her she's the one you want to marry, and her reaction is both a disbelief that such a dream could come true alongside a receptiveness to the idea. It's soft and sweet and beautiful.

• So we start out with a crash course on the nobility we'll meet in London (Alfred Halloway, whose daughter Felicity is debuting this season, and the Barrymore family, who are related to the Halloways by marriage). Only this time, Annabelle wants to be a snarky little boss and fill the MC in on all the juicy gossip that Lady Grandmother won't give her.

• Lady Grandmother: Alfred Holloway is the viscount of Lochdale. His daughter, Felicity, will be coming from her estate at Bellington Hall to make her debut this season.

Miss Parsons: Alfred Holloway is an arrogant prig who looks like an Easter ham studded with cloves.

(For the record, this is what a clove-studded Easter ham seems to look like:

Holy shit Annabelle you savage af)

Lady Grandmother: Miss Holloway's family is also tied by marriage to the Earl of Barrymore...

Miss Parsons: Oh, avoid the Earl of Barrymore. His bed has more traffic than Drury Lane!

Annabelle here must be referring to the crowd that tends to flock around the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which was popular as a source of entertainment for its plays and had a seating capacity of 3000 people.

• The free scene with Annabelle is important because it eases us gently into the main themes of her scene later on. The women get to speak about the whole concept of a "marriage market", and straight off the bat Annabelle lets us know how uncomfortable she is with having to go through a wedding to another man.

• She also speaks about what else - besides the fact that Harry was her closest friend - about his death affected her. Having been promised to Harry, Annabelle didn't have to go through the rigamarole of finding a husband. She had learned to settle with the idea of being married to someone who she knew and liked at least, if not loved. It's sad to us modern readers now that Annabelle would have to settle for less than passion or love, but back then I don't think she could have imagined a better deal. And now...and now she will have to settle for even less than what she had with Harry. This was a pretty neat way of easing us into the larger conversation she has with us in her diamond scene.

• A few days pass, and Briar is now helping us get ready for the trip to London. You have the option of encouraging her romance with Mr Woods, which...cmon. They cute 😊

•

Ooh so our House Colours are navy blue and gold! (considering that the Earl's default outfit itself is navy blue, I should have figured that would be a house colour). It's nice but MY NECK WHERE IS MY NECK.

Did You Know: that up until the middle of the 19th century, men's and women's riding habits were largely made by men in a distinctively masculine style. This is what Candice Hern's article "Regency Habits, Overview" on her website Regency World, says:

"Though the style and cut of riding habits changed with time and fashion, they continued to be tailored in a masculine style throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and into the early 19th century. In La Belle Assemblée in 1815, we read that: “Habits have, ever since they were first brought into fashion, been considered as decidedly calculated to give even the most delicate female a masculine appearance, and the wits of our grandmothers’ days were unmercifully severe on the waistcoat, cravat, and man’s hat which were then the indispensible appendages to a habit.”"

•

YOU'RE NOT COMING WTF DAD NO.

• WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'LL DO TO YOU WHILE I'M GONE.

• I'm having a sinking feeling about leaving my old dad around in this house while Henrietta is still there, Grandma had better be his bodyguard (or maybe not. Cordonians seem to have weird ideas of what constitutes a successful bodyguard *COUGHCOUGH Mara and Bastien COUGHCOUGH*).

• Like most of the fandom I have a feeling the Earl will die sooner than we think. @i-dream-so-i-write once mentioned that it could well be towards the end of the book, and I think that's a fitting dramatic turn this book would take into the next. I'm going to miss the hell outta this guy though 😟

• Henrietta sent Mr Marlcaster and Miss Sutton ahead of time so they can screw things up for us, so we will need to butter them up like no tomorrow when we reach there, apparently.

• Hello Luke! It's been exactly one chapter!

• Kinda like the bonding the MC and Luke have with regards to the horse. Their first real conversation began with Clover, so it is fitting that their bonding continues over her at least for their initial interactions.

• Aww man, Henrietta wants Clover the horse to be sold and they give you a diamond option to keep her, name her and get extra scenes with her. Florence calls her Moonstone, Marianne calls her Pepper. Moonstone suits Florence's particular sense of whimsy, and I figured Marianne would want something short and snappy and it helped that Luke gave the horse some salt before the diamond option came up 😂

It's a fairly nice scene I guess, but it drives me batty because this book is already taking astronomical sums of money early on in the book, and people are already beginning to get frustrated. Even TRR, which is a pretty expensive book, took more than half the book before they pushed forward the option to buy the Derby horse. It just is beginning to feel like too much too soon at this point.

• Of all the free scenes this chapter, my favourite has to be the exchange among the four in the picnic en route London.

I found this particularly interesting because all of these people, so far, have been outside the rigors of the Season in some way or other. Briar is the most outside of this system of doing things: she has grown up completely out of it and will probably always struggle to understand the way things work within the gentry. Luke has spent years in that environment (that of the gentry) so he knows some of it, but he still is and will always be an outsider. Annabelle has grown up in this environment and is perhaps the closest to it, but has never had to take active part due to her association with Harry and the Edgewater Estate. And the MC straddles both these worlds. She is an heiress, part of this high society, but she was born in and more familiar with Briar's worldview. And I love how this scene captures all this in just a few bits of dialogue.

• Also Luke's sensible response to Annabelle's question and Briar being a teasing little imp is super cute, I will fight anyone who disagrees with me on this 😂😂😂

• So many gems nestled in Annabelle's scene guys I can't even. There's so much going on in this one. So much.

•

The main thing this scene does is to - without a doubt - establish Annabelle as a closeted lesbian. She's still at the stage where she's aware and finds it odd that she doesn't hold any affection for any man, that the idea itself of marriage frustrates her, and her growing confusion that she's now feeling for a woman all that she "should" be feeling for a man. There are points where she almost welcomes it, like the scene I mentioned earlier, but she still is clearly struggling.

The MC has three ways of responding to this - one where she misses the point completely and says "you haven't found the right man yet" (Marianne, unfortunately), another where she states that she "understands" (which is left open - either it is a gesture of support from an ally, or it is from someone who understands her dilemma to...well...some extent. Florence is the second. She is bi, so her "I understand" was basically "I've fallen for some men sure but I also have a hard time figuring out what my sexuality is"). My favourite is the response where the MC speaks of facing a similar dilemma in her life and is an excellent choice if your MC is also a lesbian. I couldn't use this one for Florence or Marianne because it didn't ring true for either of them, but I did see the screenshots on tumblr and it's quite poignant.

Did You Know: Lesbian/sapphic relationships and sex were not as much seen as illegal as invisible...and this was an attitude that a later monarch, Queen Victoria, would uphold as well, refusing to sign a legislation to criminalize it by insisting that "women do not do such things". Obviously as we all know, she couldn't be any more wrong. Today we know of famous lesbian women of the Regency as Anne Lister, owner of Shibden Hall, and the Ladies of Llangollen - two women from Ireland named Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, who had a romantic relationship for over 50 years. Gail Eastwood, in an article titled "Queer in the Regency: a Slice of Once-Hidden LGBT History" says:

Defying their families, the two established an estate in Wales, called Plas Newydd, rather than enter into marriages with men they did not love. Though they incurred significant debt in order to have a staff, they survived on the generosity of friends until a fascinated Queen Charlotte convinced King George III to grant them a pension.

Plas Newydd became something of a haven for writers during the Regency era, especially since the couple living there could afford to keep it.

Part of me wonders if elements of this story may be found in the Annabelle x MC route. Or like Anne Lister, who was well-endowed enough financially that she could refrain from marriage and have relationships with women. Maybe, or - given the limitations of having to chart out a storyline that will suit every LI - maybe not. Whatever it is, I'd be very interested in finding out how they'll handle the MC's romance with Annabelle.

• The second most interesting thing is Annabelle speaking about her poetry, and the restrictions her father has kept on her talent. She mentions him looking down on women's poetry as being "all bad rhymes and flowery sentiment", and that - in keeping with the times - he prefers Romantic Age poets such as Wordsworth, and that famous influence on Romanticism, Shakespeare. If we choose to ask her about showing us her poetry, she tells us her writing is "of a...delicate nature" (get it, girl! 😀) and if we choose to encourage her instead, the MC makes references to Mary Wollstonecraft, whose ideas of gender equality were considered radical for the times, and who is seen as one of the earliest feminist icons.

Did You Know: that in a time when female education was mainly geared to prepare women for their domestic roles, Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for women to receive an education that would help them survive beyond the home and the marriage market, stating that the one real barrier in the way of gender equality was the disparity in the education women received compared to men. She says, "this homage to women’s attractions has distorted their understanding to such an extent that almost all the civilized women of the present century are anxious only to inspire love, when they ought to have the nobler aim of getting respect for their abilities and virtues".

Her daughter, Mary Shelley, would write the famous novel Frankenstein in 1818, two years following the events of Desire and Decorum.

• Within this scene also lies a little tidbit that will hold some importance in Chapter 7: the MC tells Annabelle that her mother used to sing in the opera:

So this could be the root of some of the snarky remarks Henrietta makes about the MC's mother. She has close pretty darn close to calling her a "prostitute" on more than one occasion, and her comment after the MC sang along with Annabelle in chapter 3 about how it was "no wonder" that the MC could sing, given her mother's profession.

Did You Know: Opera singers had a very different reputation in the Regency era, not all of it very positive. Shana Galen, who is described as a Regency adventure author, speaks about how opera singers were viewed at the time: Of course, it was perfectly acceptable for a young lady to show her talents on the pianoforte or to sing in front of a small group of family and friends, but performing on the stage at Drury Lane or Covent Garden were frowned upon.

Female performers, especially, were shunned by society. One example of this sort of attitude was seen in the ridicule faced by a singer named Dorothea Jordan, who had an long-running affair with a Duke, bore him ten children, and who was the subject of a "satirical cartoon that showed her in her bedroom, gazing adoringly at a duchess’ coronet, which she hopes someday to wear by marrying her lover. A map on the wall purports to show the route from “Strolling Lane” (i.e. prostitution) through “Old Drury Common” all the way to “Derbyshire Peak.” A genealogical chart of the nobility lies on her dressing table, and her bed-hangings are crowned by a Phrygian cap, symbol of the French Revolution. The latter is intended to ridicule her pretensions to nobility; as a common woman, let alone an actress, she should know her place" ("Glimpse at Opera during Jane Austen's Lifetime" by Maggi Andersen, for the blog Historical Hearts).

• Luke's scene on the other hand is lighter in content but is important if you look at it from the viewpoint of establishing his role in the MC's life before they reach London. As a neutral friend, he is happy to serve her and considers her a vast improvement over Countess Henrietta. He tells her that she possesses what Henrietta lacks, understands something that Henrietta would never understand in several lifetimes: that looking down on people she believes as her 'inferiors' will leave her at a disadvantage eventually.

But if you hint at having feelings for Luke, the entire mood of the scene changes, and you see him feeling torn between his growing affections for her and his recognition that any relationship beyond the professional will end badly for them all.

• The thing with both Luke and Annabelle is that to not fall for them is to maintain the status quo. So even if there is an element of attraction, the MC not reciprocating does not tip the delicate balance that governs their lives at Edgewater over. But when she does...it gives rise both to moments of joy...and moments of fear.

• Ooh I love the animation for the train!!

I mean...just...look at this!

• The MC and Briar get to react in awe to their first sight of London before they get down from the carriage. We find out that we're pretty much stranded on the streets of London and no one has come to pick us up. Gee thanks, stepbro.

• Not gonna lie, but seeing Prince Hamid's shocked!face on his full-body shot made me giggle a little.

• He introduces himself as Imperial Prince Hamid, cousin to "his Imperial Majesty Mahmoud the Second, Caliph of Islam, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Custodian of the Two Mosques (the last especially was used in royal titles for many Islamic rulers, and refers to the Al-Haram Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) of Mecca, and the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid An-Nabawī) of Medina).

• In a sense he kinda reminds me of Kamilah: he is a fictional character positioned as being related to an actual historical figure, so they will give us plenty of background about the countries they were from (Egypt and Turkey [Istanbul in this case], respectively) but keep the actual historical figure at a distance. Making the fictional character a cousin and a person of an important position in that court is a smart choice to make: they're important enough to represent the royals of the times but distanced enough that it doesn't seem unnatural if they aren't that close and ergo can't tell you personal details about said historical figure.

• Did You Know: Sultan Mahmud II (the cousin Hamid mentions) was seen as quite a progressive ruler of his times. 1829 onwards, he tried to bring many, many reforms into the Ottoman empire, including (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica article on him) "adopting the cabinet system of government, provided for a census and a land survey, and inaugurated a postal service (1834), introducing compulsory primary education, opening a medical school, and sending students to Europe. In addition, the sultan’s right to confiscate the property of deceased officials was abolished, and European dress was introduced". It looks like some elements of this way of thought could be reflected in Hamid, from his talk of diplomacy in his diamond scene.

• Hamid not only positions himself as a bit of an outsider to England but also as a man who travels: talk of travelling and seeing the world is his ice-breaker when they get into the carriage. This will allow him not only to help familiarize the MC with London, and his home Constantinople, but also give her (and us) a view of what the world looks like at this point. For instance, if the MC speaks of even London is unfamiliar territory to her, he mentions the Blue Mosque, the construction of which was completed exactly 200 years prior to the events of the story.

• The other very essential point of this scene is to provide a bit of a parallel to Luke, but also as a counterpoint. Luke is disadvantaged both by his class and his race - ergo he has a very layered perspective. Hamid has privileges, but he is also aware of and in some ways used to the reception he gets in England, and has figured out how he wants to respond. Both Luke and Hamid find their ways to cope with their situation, and the MC is allowed - according to the ethnicity chosen for her - to relate to both.

Florence, for instance, relates heavily to this as someone is visibly a foreigner even though England is the only home she has ever known. Marianne does not fully understand this, but she can tell him like any decent human being would that she thinks it's wrong of people to treat him that way.

• Just prior to this the two manage to see the Tower of London, notorious for the imprisonment and execution of many, many people including royals and nobles. There is a short but rather poignant conversation on the "many people tortured and murdered over who had the right to sit on the throne" (among the people executed, you will find names like Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Lady Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes and Walter Raliegh).

• Did You Know: For a long long time in England, executions were seen as a bit of a spectator sport. The more unusual the criminal, the bigger the crowd. The Capital Punishment UK blog speaks of the kind of atmosphere usually present around the time:

In many counties, executions were held on market days to enable the largest number of people to see them and school parties would be made to attend as a moral lesson, something which is certainly recorded as happening at Lancaster Castle. Public houses and gin shops always did a very brisk trade on a hanging day.

However, attitudes towards executions experienced a shift around the late 18th-early 19th century, and by 1864 Parliament established a Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, with a declaration that executions would take place inside the prisons rather than in public.

I'm not sure if this was intentional, but possibly the MC's and Hamid's reactions to the tower may be reflective of their times.

• Interestingly, Annabelle is shown to look jealous if you've been romancing her, and giving you a sly grin if you're just friends. I quite liked that little touch. Luke meanwhile is a little less open about how he feels at this point: whether you're romancing him or not, he is described as "watching you carefully" during your exchange with Hamid.

• So Mr Marlcaster got the letter from the Duchess to send a groom for picking the MC, but didn't...as per his mother's demands, surely. But AT LEAST you should have been a little prepared to answer me in case I dropped by anyway, dude? Instead of just standing there and staring at me like a scandalized goldfish.

• Looks like Edmund is still going to try screwing things up for us, and we'll need to find a way to get him on our side. After all, we get relationship points with both him and Theresa Sutton, and Lady Grandmother did tell us we could find a way to get them to be with us rather than against us.

• I'm looking forward to Chapter 5...but it's Chapter 6 I REALLY want to see. We're going to learn a bit more about the MC's mother's background!

General Thoughts:

• OMG so much was there to unpack this chapter!! A lot of it to do with Annabelle and Hamid, and Luke has taken a bit of a backseat this chapter but I'm hoping that's a taster of what's to come in his case.

• Look I love this story but IT COSTS SO MUCH. WTF. Keeping Clover was a nice option but it really added nothing to this chapter and could have easily been shifted elsewhere. I want this book to do well. I'm happy with how they're writing it, the effort they're putting into their research and into their characters so far...and I would hate for it to not be appreciated because they made it so hard for people to get into the book by making it this expensive so early.

• Florence is going for Annabelle and Luke (leaning more towards Annabelle at this point), and Marianne for Hamid and Sinclaire (I'm not sure yet but Hamid is a very very strong contender!!). Who would have thought I'd have my first polyam MCs in a book on Regency Era England!! Who woulda thunk!

• Annabelle particularly intrigues me at this point. She is clearly established as both inside and outside of this system, and vocally critical of it at least to the MC. She writes about her desires against the chargin of her father, and states that she doesn't want to merely settle into a 'safe' relationship like her mother, not unless she can know and trust that person (which is mostly why she agreed to the match with Harry even if she didn't love him). She is confused, and open and honest about her confusion. I really think the foundation of this character is immensely strong, but they really need to keep working on her and not just drop their efforts on her halfway. And I've seen that happen enough times with female LIs to be afraid.

• At this point, we now have three male LIs (one Master of Horse who is African-American, one family-approved eligible bachelor and one prince of the Ottoman Empire) and one female love interest. Is there space for one more confirmed female LI? I sure hope so but at the same time I don't want keep my hopes up.

However...IF the plan is to keep just one female LI, then they'd better do a pretty darn phenomenal job of her. If you're not going to give wlw players other options it's only fair to make sure the only option is given really, really good writing - consistently. They're doing a good job so far...but there's a long long way to go before I can fully trust PB to do justice to her.

• That's it for now! On to Chapter 6!

• Tagged: @boneandfur @liamraines @thespiritpanda @alanakusumastan @ernestsinclairs @private-investigator-nazario @bcdollplace @thedepthsremember @mcbangle @queenodysseia @novaelaras

If you'd like to be tagged on these QTs, do let me know! 😀

#desire and decorum #long post #annabelle x mc #luke x mc #hamid x mc #annabelle parsons #luke harper #imperial prince hamid #dnd quick thoughts #quick thoughts

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industryhbo · 6 years ago

Text

notes: all the things she said

Table of Contents

Inspiration & Overview

Things this fic includes

Chapter Summaries

‘I thought this was about Buzzfeed!’

Anxiety

The Bold Type

“All the Things She Said”

“Moving Parts” and One Stone

Socialist Flower Power: Soviet Hippie Culture

Fashion References

Anxiety (spoilers)

“Moving Parts” (spoilers)

Read all the things she said here!

Inspiration & Overview

My philosophy about media and art and comedy is that everything is a product of everything that came before it, so I could literally list every Trixya fic I've read as inspiration for this. I do subconsciously pull elements from other people's stories, but I think everyone does. Consciously and unconsciously, this combined a whole bunch of things: wanting Katya to be the one with a dude who doesn’t know she’s gay, wanting Katya to be a nerd about Russian gymnasts, listening to One Stone on repeat, The Bold Type, my own struggles with anxiety and sexuality. I also sort of see this as a love letter to myself about listening to your body, connecting with the people around you, and not settling.

I’m just going to say it: this is not that good. I don’t know anything about L.A.. But it has a beginning (which I love) a middle and an end, three (3) whole smut scenes, jokes, gay shit, the works. If I was writing a novel to be published, I would make the themes and structure so much more consistent and yada yada yada… I love writing and a lot of this was hard to write but it’s also been very rewarding. So thank you for reading it!

Things this fic includes

(some elements of real life & some fun fanfic things)

Digital news outlet Everything.com (because i am what? creative)

Bob the music column editor

Alyssa Edwards and Blair St. Clair

Brianna Cracker liking baseball

Minimal Violet Chachki and Pearl, mentions of them together

Mentions of Kim Chi the beauty vlogger

Editor in chief RuPaul

Mentions of Ross Matthews the sports writer

'honey' unironically being Trixie's go-to pet name

Gratuitous explanations of things that aren't that important to the plot, just because I write like I'm transcribing a movie and I'm obsessed with operations & how things work

Katya's love for Russian gymnasts and studying video in college

Trixie's music, country music, current music likes, hippie fashion sense

Thorough depictions of anxiety and panic attacks

Throwaway original characters

Chapter Summaries

I wanted the chapter titles to be a line of dialogue that Trixie says when the chapter is written from Katya’s POV, and vice versa, to reflect the idea of “all the things she said,” but I couldn’t get some of them short enough to make sense. So I gave up and stuck them in the chapter summaries.

‘I thought this was about Buzzfeed!’

I did describe this as a 'Buzzfeed AU' occasionally without thinking too much about how people would interpret that. They're all writers for a digital news site—think less ‘Unsolved’ and more The Bold Type. If you want Trixie and Katya goofing off on camera UNHhhh style, there might be something in the works. The mores kudos and comments you leave, the more I write :) And that’s not a challenge! Just psychology!

Anxiety

The only other thing i’ll say about anxiety here is that it manifests in a way that people perhaps don’t usually associate with anxiety, but it makes sense to me, and I’ve tried to show how it works.

This section is continued with more detail below, but it does contain spoilers for the plot.

The Bold Type

I love this show! It’s about people who work at magazines and digital news outlets, so I took a lot of the operations of Everything.com from that.

“All the Things She Said”

“Ya Soshla S Uma” (or “All the Things She Said” in English) is a song by Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. about a gay awakening. The music video features the two women of the duo, who have never been in a relationship together and are not gay, dressed in schoolgirl uniforms and making out. The song has been released in Russian and English. You can see Katya recreate the video here and lipsync to it solo here (both with the Russian lyrics). Here is the English lyric video (that I used to jam to in 2012).

When I wanted to write Katya not knowing she was gay, I liked the idea of her obsessing over things that friendly neighbourhood lesbian Trixie Mattel said to her. All the things [Trixie] said, running through [Katya’s] head, as the song says. I ran with it.

“Moving Parts” and One Stone

I absolutely love “Moving Parts” and the idea behind it. Trixie presents it in a karmic way, that good and bad things literally move in and out of our lives. I think there are many real-life experiences that could be explained by this idea. I also believe it in more of a psychological sense that has to do with perception. I think we will always perceive good and bad, no matter how good our lives gets. We will always find something to complain about.

This section is continued with more detail below, but it does contain spoilers for the plot.

“Soldier”: I love this song. While writing the later chapters, I had to skip this song when it came on shuffle because I kept getting distracted by my emotions. This song is used in this fic, in exactly the way you would expect it to be used.

“Red Side of the Moon”: I love this song, and how similar the lyrics are to “Soldier” 👀 Anyways, I talk about Dolly Parton and Judy Ogle in the fic, only because I listened to this song and wanted to know what it was about.

Socialist Flower Power: Soviet Hippie Culture

This is a real exhibit at a real museum in LA right now. I described it as true to the real thing as I could. I think it works.

Fashion References

You probably know the outfits I’m referring to, but here they are anyways, in order of appearance. I literally spent two hours just looking at Trixie’s instagram for fun, and then another two hours trying to find these links for no reason at all, and I regret all of that equally. It was also so worth it.

Katya’s hair (atomic bland / this)

long-sleeved jumpsuit in a purple 70s print, with a matching strip of fabric

red dress, a knee-length corduroy thing with long sleeves (not exactly what I dreamed up in my mind, but close)

short, yellow and pink paisley print dress with poofy sleeves that gathered in elastics at her wrists

four large pink flowers crowned her brow

white shirt wrinkled underneath sleek black dress...thick-soled combat boots

short, silk dress with long sleeves and peplums in a soft blush (my absolute favourite trixie look now) (it’s actually a shirt that she wears the pink pencil skirt under but my dream is that it’s a slim dress with like 4 peplums)

flowy blouse and pencil skirt

short dress in a busy red flower print

short-sleeved white cotton “dress”: i literally can’t find what I mean but you know how trixie wears just nightgowns all the time

NYE Party: Katya Alyssa Brianna (1) (2) Bob RuPaul Trixie (below, just easier to upload this one) (there are spoilers below this picture!)

Anxiety (spoilers)

I am going to try and warn you against romanticizing the role of anxiety in this story. I put a similar warning on my other fic ‘Soldier’ and people still missed the point, but here goes nothing. This is NOT a story about how a declaration of love cures someone's anxiety, and I did my best to depict that. This is a story about a romance, and how one person's journey with an anxiety disorder affects and is affected by that romance. The romance ultimately sees a happy ending because Katya eventually treats and manages her anxiety, made possible through medication, psychiatrists, immense personal effort on Katya's part, and ongoing support from Katya's friends and loved ones, including Trixie, her parents, her work friends, etc.

“Moving Parts” (spoilers)

I absolutely love “Moving Parts” and the idea behind it. Trixie presents it in a karmic way, that good and bad things literally move in and out of our lives. I have deliberately employed this in a very literal sense in this story. When Katya realizes she’s falling in love with Trixie and attempts to pursue a relationship with her, her anxiety begins to negatively and drastically affect her everyday life. This is a major part of the plot because I want story to explicitly reflect the song, NOT because I want to conflate suffering with being bisexual/being gay/falling in love with a woman. On that note, I have personally experienced a lot of anxiety trying to figure out and navigate my sexuality and gender.

#notes

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elliegratrick-blog · 5 years ago

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5 Guest Speakers

Al Murphy

Al Murphy gave a light hearted and honest look at where his creative journey has taken him, showing both the high and lows. He was funny and eased my stresses about life after graduation. He reassured that we don’t need to have it all figured out in three years. It’s a constant learning process of growing and improving, building on your skills. If you do make a piece of work, in six months you’ll probably hate it! The strong message throughout his talk is to be maintain your own individuality, be yourself rather than catering to what you THINK people will like. Most of the time it will end up looking like shit! This is what he explained happened during his ‘art school wobble’, which I think all of us creatives go through at some point. The advice he gave that its ok to not know where you’re headed I think gave the room some relief. It took him 5 years to finally have the eureka moment and have confidence in his own style and perspective. Something I found useful what he said is that what YOU like drawing can be translated into a professional setting like an editorial or advertising. This I felt was reassurance as sometimes I worry my work is too ‘weird’ looking for mainstream consumers and won’t get me hired in future. It eases these worries and affirmation I should keep drawing these bizarre looking characters and that they can work for both the personal or professional. Some of his personal work he created which was huge billboard advertisements led to him being hired to create a mural in a bar. Still doing what he loves but getting out of his space and taking a risk with these billboards expanded his creative and professional horizons.

A lot of the companies he worked with like Specsavers and Perrier I would never have thought about being involved in the creative sphere. Again, this is an affirmation that there are many jobs in the creative industry, despite what your (insert family member that hates art) might say!

Simon Spilsbury

Without saying much, Simon Spilsbury just started manically drawing to the Foo Fighters. It was quite a shock as you don’t often see many illustrators with the confidence to draw live in front of an audience. He seemed quite negative with the rhetoric of ‘young people= Instagram obsessed’. I didn’t agree with this view point, I enjoy being inspired by other creatives work from across the country and world and engaging with them, creating a positive space. I feel possibly this comes from a generational gap and traditional upbringing. From an upbringing in fine art, realistic copying transitioning into illustration later in life. This resonated with how my creative path has gone: believing ‘good art’ was how well you could replicate a photograph with oil paint transitioning to a more freeing and expressive illustrative style. He stressed how important it is to always draw. I have personally noticed this difference in my own style when I draw most days compared to when I hardly drew at all. Simon started in his first job for advertising that then led on to illustrating.What he learnt from advertising was a lesson in collaboration, a future skill necessary for all creative for working with brands, customers and art directors.

A nice way of saying it was that he was ‘honest’ about life in the creative industry. There wasn't many positives which for some may have been worrying. I also found that explaining how to draw wasn’t that relevant as many of us have our own personal voice which his instructions didn’t relate to. I needed more process/professional advice.

I found the way he explained ideas creation interesting, I could never put it into words myself. Take one idea and feed them into something else, collisions of separate ideas. E.g a normal chair but then combine it with a frog= a froggy chair. You shouldn’t have any preconceived ideas before you start. Thinking freely means a wobby line can become a skeleton for a character which you can build the figure on top. I feel this is a useful tip as a lot of illustrators including myself overthink “is it right?”. You define it for yourself. His talk ended with a ‘rap’. I say rap lightly… maybe just keep it for Christmas when you’ve had one too many!

Lyndon Hayes

Lyndon has been our tutor this module, travelling up from London every Thursday to come chat to us and see our work. Lyndon does a lot of editorial illustrations and reportage style illustrations. He did a talk for us, explaining his work and the advice that comes from being in the industry 20 years. He has a passion for painting (which he still does in his spare time) which is where his work started. Creating pieces on found surfaces, wood, textures anything you can find in the skips with his painted figures. Many of his paintings including ones done at a boxing club, had this exposed sections without paint, highlighting the found material’s surface texture. I found these pieces really exciting as I seem to always be drawn to texture and painting was always my first love. You can see his inspirations of Hockey in these pieces. These paintings began to catch the attention of various newspapers who wanted this painterly style in their editorials. This is what most of his portfolio consists of. His illustrations are now digitally done but still have the painterly quality. They have a bolder line and often more paired down background with a restricted colour palette.

He told us the importance of keeping drawing for yourself, in his spare time he does observational drawings around London, a more reportage style. By building up his sketchbook and regularly posting these on Instagram and his own website lead to professional work. Keeping things fresh may lead to opportunities you’d never expect.

He said there are high and lows, sometimes there is lots of commissions sometimes there are lulls. These lulls are times to maintain your own personal projects. One of the regular commissions he gets is to illustrate Observer Food Monthly where a celebrity is interviewed on their favourite place to eat. These regular jobs provide steady incomes.

It’s reassuring that there can be (some) stability in a career and some creatives’ rent money is just made up of commission work. (If you can get it!)

Kirk Brown

Kirk Brown was a recently graduated alumni of the University. Finishing his degree in graphic design only a couple of years ago. Whilst at uni, he said he entered into all the competitions he could, putting in hard work to do well both in his uni projects but other personal projects as well. He spoke of the usefulness of Linkedin in finding commissioned work whilst still studying. I’d never really thought it was for creatives, more for people in ‘business’ but it couldn’t hurt to put myself on there. If nothing comes from it, I’ve not lost out anything. Since graduating he has gone from graphic design to being a Creative Lead at SQN: a PR, sponsorship and marketing agency in areas such as sport, technology and automotives. This didn’t happen overnight. He mentioned how he worked for a couple of years at a smaller company before moving to this larger one. He says that smaller companies there is more creative control compared to larger ones there are stricter boundaries but more budget avaliable. I wasn’t sure if this talk was going to be relevant to me however this information was useful. For example if I was hired as an inhouse illustrator depending on the company size would depend on the creative control I could utilise. Businesses that I may not ever imagine I would work for may commission work like how areas such as racing/ sports etc needs creative teams to help them!

When presenting ideas he recommends putting up a substantial amount to give clients a variety to choose from as well as a wildcard that pushes client guidelines. They may even pick it! Be precious about work as if you bodge an idea and its not so good, a client may pick it and you’ll be stuck working with it. This is something to take forward. Don’t just half arse an idea to make up the numbers. Take care and to think about what you’re coming up with.

Neil Sheakey

Neil Sheakey is a design director at Uniform in Liverpool. It is a multidisciplinary creative agency where all work is done in house. It’s made up of a global family of diverse backgrounds. There was a lot of waffling and jargon and what I got from it is that is a PR agency that uses creative solutions, branding, design and advertising to make businesses stand out in a world that is all morphing into one. The talk lasted a long time with my back going into some other worldly pain so it was a bit difficult to concentrate in this talk.

He spoke a lot about his life before graduating and the journey that took him to Uniform. The creative process they use there is empathy-perspective-direction-creative-action. This means taking the time to consider clients and businesses and their perspectives. To start creative ideas the team mood board initial ideas as well as those related to the concept. The benefit of working in a team of people each with different disciplines is that they all have unique perspectives of how to tackle a project. Combining these all together creates successful pieces of work such as Mitre football designs (for what football competition? League? Game? I have no idea?).

What he recommends for our time at university is to make the most of our time. Getting our work out there on places like Behance or even Instagram is going to benefit you. By exploring, experimenting with techniques and process at uni we can find our voice, collaborate with others and there is no pressure like you would have in an agency once you graduate. What I found the most useful piece of advice is that you need to look after yourself, be yourself and enjoy it! At the end of the day you are the most important person in your life, you won’t make your best work if you are not caring for yourself.

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tentaryn-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

Marcus Moody:

Shot by Esther Lee and Myself

Styled by Marcus Moody and Myself

Body Paint by Esther Lee and Myself

In my first installment of the “Directory” series, I got the chance to style, shoot and chat with the amazing Marcus Moody. At 23 He’s the Marketing Director of Words, Beats and Life and the founder of the University of Maryland’s Hip Hop Orchestra. Check out my interview with the artist below where we talk about the triumphs and trials of running an orchestra, how he got his start in music and more.

Taryn : What is your name? Who are you? Marcus : My name is Marcus Moody, I’m 23 years old, I’m the director of marketing at Words, Beats and Life. Self-taught drum player, currently learning the bass and the piano…

T: Self-taught composer? M: And I’m a self-taught composer! Thanks for reminding me

T: Is your stage name the same as your name? M: My stage name right now is Moody but I feel like that’s gonna change for personal reasons. Um, it might get a little lighter. I just feel like when you say Moody people associate it with bad thoughts, negativity and depression. And I went through all that but I don’t want to focus too much on that. I kinda wanna live in the now… live in the “Shmood”. So maybe one day it’ll be Shmood.

T: What kind or kinds of art do you make? M: I’m a musician. And I haven’t started owning that until recently.

T: What kind of music do you make? M: I like cinematic Hip Hop. I like hip hop where the production and the lyricism kind of take you on a ride. And right now, I’m into these sorts of ambient, spacey, shooting star type sounds or like vibey, chill music with some stank on it. You know a little “Unnnh” a little bass.

T: You mentioned that you were learning the bass earlier. How does that fit into your work? M: I feel like I need an instrument that allows me to move around and talk to people on stage. I just had a show that went really well but I feel like I really didn’t get to perform too much. I introduced the EP that I just released and I really just pressed play and nodded my head while other people rapped over my songs. But I love performing I love being able to play and channel that emotion live while something I’ve created is being presented to people. I just love living in that bubble of sound.

T: How did you get your start in making music? M: I got my start in third grade. I played and still play the viola. I actually picked it on accident thinking it was a cello. And when the person at Music and Arts put it on the table I was extremely disappointed and then pointed to the instrument I thought it was and the man was like “nah bro that’s a cello. You got a viola.” Of course, at that point my mom had already paid for the viola soo..

T: So, that’s what you’re playing. M: Yeah it was a wrap. I remember it was $888.16. I’ll never forget that shit. Huge purchase. But it actually changed my life. It gave me a new perspective on music. Because the viola never gets the melody and it never really has a funky bassline. It just sort of fills in the space. And you’ll notice if you hear an orchestra with a weak viola section, it just won’t hit the same. It doesn’t feel right… it feels incomplete. And it just kind of warped my perspective on music noticing that the melody or the hook or that addictive thing that you really focus on is only a small piece of the puzzle. There’s always a lot more and I always want to figure out what that more is.

T: So, tell me about your experience with founding the Hip Hop Orchestra. M: Well essentially I felt like I couldn’t find a group that would let me express what I’d been doing with music throughout grade school. I felt sort of empty until I joined Sneaker Cartel, a Hip Hop entrepreneurship organization. We had producers, sneaker heads, people who want to go into fashion…. But the main idea behind it was to do something and create something. And that really motivated me to create the place I wanted to be and that was the Hip Hop Orchestra. Luckily I had friends who played instruments and were excited and interested in what I was working on. Working with them really stretched my skill set and introduced me to a whole new realm of communication. More and more people started joining and we ended up performing at the Kennedy Center, Afropunk Semi Finals, Art Attack opening up for T Pain. We’ve been in New York, Richmond, Arlington, DC and it’s been a blast. I’ve been able to write and compose about 6 or 7 original scores. I’ve been able to work with at least 75 people over the years and I’ve grown in ways I never thought I would. If not for the orchestra I probably would have dropped out of school and would never be where I am today. But because of it I’ve really been able to build a life for myself and I want to encourage other people to do that as well. Even if your idea is the most outlandish thing, if you see something or you feel something or have an idea that sticks with you and doesn’t go away follow it.

T: Being that you had to organize so many people and connect with so many people on a creative level, how do you feel like you kept your Creative Confidence up and what does it mean to you to have Creative Confidence? M: I think with the orchestra there’s a lot more openness than I anticipated there to be. In a traditional orchestra, the conductor is the ringleader and they just tell people what to play and they play their part as its written and move on. I think with me it was different because I really didn’t know how to communicate a lot of the parts to people, and so I was relying on them to just get what I was trying to say when I didn’t have the full intelligence or knowledge to communicate it. So, I think that really opened me up from the beginning to accepting criticisms, additions, suggestions, rearrangements – entire rearrangements of entire parts- and really accepting input from others, while still being focused on what I wanted it to feel and sound like. I know what I wanted it to feel like and I know I wasn’t the only person who could make that happen…

T: And you couldn’t make it happen by yourself? M: Right, I knew I couldn’t make it happen by myself, period. And I’m working with my peers. I was never an expert and I never wanted to come off like that. Because I realized how vulnerable I am to the interest of all the amazing people that joined HHO; I’m at their mercy, and if they choose one day to join another orchestra I can’t say ‘Hey wait you’re under contract’ you know, so people just do what they gotta do… And I think that motivated me to make the best music I possibly could, and pushed me to go as far as I possibly could. I feel like I never had a problem with creative control and autonomy because people really put their trust in what I wanted to create. I never really had to battle for autonomy because I was already trusted and I think that’s really the biggest thing that kept me going. Even when we sucked. And you know we went through that phase multiple times and you gotta own that. Or else you’ll never get better…

T: Right, everybody has to go through that phase M: Right and there’s turnover, like there have been three completely different Hip Hop Orchestra’s. The one you’re in is like the latest…

T: I know we miss you! Come back! M: I miss ya’ll too but…

T: No, I get it. You know it’s just not the time anymore. M: And I want to really clear that up for people; I’m not leaving because I don’t want to be there. I want to be there and create and have the time to do it on this level but the turnover for HHO is just way too high. There have been at least three different orchestras and I have to hope that each group will be able to learn the music so fast and so well that we can actually do something. Luckily I had people there who were willing to grow with me and were really invested. HHO was a journey though, met a bunch of crazy people, got a lot of different opportunities because of it, for example my job. HHO was a huge thing on my resume. And it’s been a great ride, but I think it’s time to go, so I’m throwing a farewell show

T: Yes! Farewell show! I’ll be singing. M: Hopefully sometime in November or December. Keep an ear out because It’s gonna be a great show. It’s our Farewell show and there’s no way I’m gonna let it suck because I love HHO. And I’m partly doing this just to say thank you because HHO and all the people in it really changed my life. Like consistently, for years. And I’m glad that I got to experience those four years of growth where I was put in so many positions to learn. Because sociology taught me that thriving isn’t reaching some plateau, thriving is growth. And if I never took the leap to start HHO, call student services and ask how to do this I don’t know where my life would be. So, moral of the story is create kids. Just do it, just create. And when you do you realize you can make anything you want.

T: This is a good point for the next question which is do you have any advice for people who want to get a start in making art, or have never done art? M: Talk to your friends in the arts. Get to know what the real struggles of art are. Don’t just run through the starving artist narrative. Because there are various types of artists out there, from established artists to people who are just starting out. So, you gotta really know what’s going on because the artists’ life is a lot more work than a nine to five would be. But you get to do it on your own terms. So, get to know an artist. Create and get your work ethic up. Because if you can’t produce work you won’t be taken seriously.

T: Speaking of work, plug some of your own work M: I got a new project coming soon so keep an ear out, but you can peep my first project at http://soundcloud.com/shmoody93/sets/moody-ep It's beautiful.

T: And what are some of your favorite albums that came out this year? M: DAMN by Kendrick of course, Green Twins by Nick Hakim, Sampha’s album Process and CTRL by SZA.

T: Great! Well that’s all the questions I’ve got for you. Thank you so much for sitting for my little interview. M: No problem!

#directory #tentaryn

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mikeyd1986 · 7 years ago

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MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 88, January 2018

On Sunday night, Mum and I made our way down to Bairnsdale via the Princes Highway. We stopped briefly at the Yarragon Hotel for a meal. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how lovely the hospitality was for a pub with the waitress refilling our glasses of water and asking me if I’d like another beer. I guess that’s pretty much the norm when it comes to the East Gippsland area. Everyone seems to be very laid back and friendly in the community.

We arrived at our motel room around 10pm, staying for two nights at Mitchell on Main right next to KFC on the main street of Bairnsdale. Finding our room and getting the door open were both annoying challenges at that time of night but thankfully the motel did have an emergency contact number that we could ring. The door didn’t seem to budge no matter which way I turned the key.

After a few minutes, the manager came down to help and all we had to do was pull the door towards us to release the seal. So glad that we didn’t have to end up sleeping in our car instead. https://www.mitchellonmain.com.au/

On Monday morning, Mum and I went down to the restaurant for a buffet-styled continental breakfast. They had cereal, toast, fruit, orange juice, tea, coffee and milk all available as well as hot breakfasts that could be purchased separately. The motel managers were both very warm and inviting during our stay there.

Later that morning, we started exploring a few of the attractions in the township. We visited St. Mary's Church, a towering Romanesque-styled Catholic church build back in 1913. A man named Bruno gave us a brief history and tour of the church, which features painted murals on the ceiling and walls, stained glass windows and statues of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ. It felt like I was walking into the Sistine Chapel, looking up at that impressive intricate work. http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/...

In the afternoon, we dropped into Bairnsdale Aquatic & Recreation Centre and had a look around at the pools, gym and group fitness classes they had on offer before having lunch at the Bairnsdale RSL Sub Branch Inc. That night, Mum and I had dinner together at the Mitchell on Main restaurant. I ordered the salt and pepper squid with chips and salad which was really delicious.

On Tuesday morning, we visited the local art gallery, East Gippsland Art Gallery, opposite Coles and next to the old Court House building. Their current exhibition was called the EGAG WRAP 2017 featuring a selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures from artists in the East Gippsland area. They also had a smaller exhibition called “Girls + Cats + Green Shoes” by Rachael Pollac featuring mixed media works of paper cut out characters. https://www.eastgippslandartgallery.org.au/...

Later on, Mum and I had brunch together at the Cells Cafe. This particular cafe has an interesting history as it used to be a former police station. It features striking blue and white decor and logos as well as a large metal cell bar wall. The cafe is run by Noweyung participants who are part of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). The service and food are both excellent. I’d highly recommend going there if you’re ever in the area. https://noweyung.org.au/the-cells-c...

On Thursday morning, I drove down to Carrum Beach to meet up with clients and personal trainers from The Yard Strength & Fitness for a workout session. I’ve driven through Carrum several times before but never really visited there directly. Of course, as I’m quickly learning, parking in one of the bays off Nepean Highway will require buying a parking ticket ($3.50 an hour from yours truly City of Kingston council *kaching kaching*). Luckily I still had some leftover coins from the Alanis concert on Tuesday night so I could cover myself. http://www.melbourneplaygrounds.com.au/...

It was only a small group of us today consisting of Mandi Herauville, Charlie L Degen, Jo and myself. We all ran/walked/jogged along the beach from the carpark to the concrete barge and back again. As I’m not experienced in running in the sand, I decided to only run some parts of it but I’m glad that I at least made the effort to do it. Later on we had a coffee together at the nearby cafe. https://beachsafe.org.au/beach/vic/...

We had some interesting discussions to say the least about ex-husbands, sex and poo of all things but it made us all laugh which was the main thing. I’m learning to cope better with my social anxiety by practicing present moment awareness or mindfulness meditation. Basically just focusing on the sounds, smells and visual things that I’m experiencing in that moment. Plus I feel comfortable being around these ladies and don’t have to explain why I don’t say much, why I’m introverted, why I’m anxious or anything really. I’m just accepted as I am. https://www.facebook.com/TheYardStr...

On Friday morning (Australia Day), I attended an RPM class at YMCA Casey RACE in Cranbourne East. I was still feeling a bit frazzled and emotional from some things that got posted on social media related to Australia Day and vegans. I got myself really upset and depressed over it when really I shouldn’t care. People are always going to get offended and pissed off no matter what I say or do. That’s life. I can’t please everyone and not everyone is going to like me.

When I got to the RPM cycle studio, I realised that I’d left my drink bottle behind in the fridge at home. “Now what am I gonna do?” I thought. But then I remembered I had some loose change in my coin wallet and so I decided to buy a bottle of water from the cafe. Sadly I was 40 cents short and I felt really annoyed at myself but the lady let me purchase the bottle anyway. I felt so grateful in that moment. I really didn’t want a moment of forgetfulness to ruin my day.

Back in the studio, people were being so nice to me. It was refreshing after the negative barrage of comments I’d endured last night. I was feeling very isolated and rejected like I didn’t have many friends left. But it was time to let all that shit go and focus on the workout. The fitness instructor Damaris who had a cute Russian accent definitely made this morning’s class a lot of fun. We cycled through a mixture of tracks including Bruno Mars’ Treasure, Santana feat. Chad Kroeger’s Into The Night and Real Life’s Send Me An Angel. https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/f...

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