#also like I’m not contractually obliged to pay an artist at the end of the month.

[reagan-slayer69]

You also don’t own the means of your production as an artist in the way corporations own their means of production. Artists are not achieving horizontal or vertical integration when they finish a painting. Calling an artist bourgeoisie is like calling a farmer bourgeoisie because they own the potatoes they grow up until the point they sell them. The ability to produce a good or service =/= bourgeoisie

i'm going to be completely honest i think the bigger issue is the most of you can only conceptualize an "artist" as someone who makes 10 figures on patreon drawing voltron yaoi or whatever and not people who like. live off paycheck to paycheck, working for a boss they hate, who's constantly at risk of being layed off because they're seen as replaceable and interchangeable. like literally every other working class person.

[blueiscoool]

Museum Paid Danish Artist Jens Haaning $84K — He Kept the Money and Called it 'Art'

When an exhibition about the future of labor opened at a Danish art museum on Friday, visitors should have seen two large picture frames filled with banknotes worth a combined $84,000.

The pieces were meant to be reproductions of two works by artist Jens Haaning, who previously used framed cash to represent the average annual salaries of an Austrian and a Dane -- in euros and Danish krone respectively.

But when the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg took delivery of the recreated artworks ahead of the show, gallery staff made a surprising discovery: the frames were empty. Rather than being the handiwork of thieves, the loaned cash was missing thanks to Haaning himself, who says he is keeping the money -- in the name of art.

"I have chosen to make a new work for the exhibition, instead of showing the two 14- and 11-year-old works respectively," Haaning told the museum in an email, the text of which is now displayed next to the empty frames.

"The work is based on/responds to both your exhibition concept and the works that we had originally planned to show."

The "new" conceptual piece, which Haaning has titled "Take the Money and Run," is now at the center of a dispute between museum and artist over labor, contractual obligations and the value of work -- all fitting themes for the exhibition.

"I saw, from my artistic point of view, that I could create a much better piece for them than what they could imagine," Haaning said over the phone, adding: "I don't see that I have stolen money... I have created an art piece, which is maybe 10 or 100 times better than what we had planned. What is the problem?"

Contractual dispute

As well as lending Haaning 534,000 Danish krone ($84,000) for the cash-filled artworks, the Kunsten Museum had agreed to pay a further 10,000 krone ($1,571) for his work, as well as covering costs like framing and delivery. But the artist said the project would still have left him out of pocket, due to studio costs and staff salaries.

"I normally find myself in a better position when I'm showing abroad," he said. "I'm a Dane and it's (a) Danish museum and they expect me to invest because then maybe one day they will buy something."

Kunsten's director, Lasse Andersson, maintained that the museum has upheld its side of the agreement. "It's really important for us because we have always been known for honoring contracts and also paying artists a reasonable fee," he said over the phone.

Haaning said he has no plans to return the money and is "not worried" about possible consequences. Andersson said the artist has until January, when the exhibition ends, to repay the loan, after which the museum will consider legal action.

For now, the museum is displaying "Take the Money and Run" as it is, putting it on a platform to be considered and critiqued. In the art world, works that question the value of art itself -- like Maurizio Cattelan taping a banana to a wall, or Banksy shredding a painting at auction -- are nothing new. Neither are invisible works of art, with the late Yves Klein exhibiting an empty room to thousands of people in 1958.

Commenting on the value of work is, after all, what Haaning intended. "I think behind the piece is a much more general statement: that (you) should look at the structures you participate in and reflect on them," he said, listing religion and marriage among them. "And if needed, you know, take the money and run."

Andersson has his own interpretation of the empty frames, which he sees in the context of his museum's show, "Work it Out."

"Do we have to work for money, or can we just take it?" Andersson asked. "Why do we go to work? All these kinds of things make us start to reflect on the cultural habits of society that we are part of. And then it also applies to the question: Are artists paid enough for what they do?"

Still, the museum director would like to see the cash returned.

"It's not my money -- it's public money, it's the museum's money," he said. "So that's why (by January) we need to make sure it's coming back to us."

Written by Jacqui Palumbo.

Contributors Oscar Holland.

[emisonme]

This will be big but i felt like sharing my thoughs. I love camila, so so much…but I feel like sometimes people are praising her too much. Camila loves fame, no matter how many of you deny it, it’s pretty obvious that she does. I’ve seen plenty of arguments on twitter regarding the 4H vs C topic and I can’t help but notice some people saying stuff like “camila didn’t choose to be in this position”, “all the girls treated her like shit when it wasn’t even up to her decide”. Well obviously I know the feud between the 5H girls was fake, but it really messes with me that people still continue to paint camila as the victim. Even tho camila may have not betrayed the other girls as they tried to make it seem, she sure as hell accepted this full of privileges position she was given since the beginning. And I’m not saying this is a bad thing, because honestly which one of us would deny such opportunity, if we were in her place? But most of us and I’m also talking about me, tend to forget that camila is also a person who has negative traits, not only positives. Unfortunately one of her biggest negatives, is that she grew to love the spotlight. And if you really think about it, it makes sense since she was always so shy around people and when she got a taste of the “pop star” life, she felt mesmerised by it. From my point of view, as soon as she got that taste she also started craving the “bigger” things. Big arena concerts, awards, people loving her. For example lauren might love her job as an artist, but she undeniably hates the fame that comes with it. She’s just in it because she truly wants to share a piece of her soul and justify the definition of a true artist. And I’m not saying that mila is not, she sure as hell wants to create art. But if you ask me, the difference between these two is that lauren would be completely content with singing in a room full of people who simply appreciate her art, whilst camila would prefer to be in an arena full of people who sing her songs and scream her name. Not that laure wouldn’t like that, but I think you get the point. And I don’t know if anyone noticed, but until a few years ago well actually before the pandemic started, her management continued to push down the image of this “goofy innocent” girl who was happy all the time. She also pushed it herself because that was her job! No matter how much we think we know her,camila is still a pop star in the music industry who plays a part, just like everyone else who works in that damned department. And based on the above I’d like to point out that (no matter how many of you disagree with this) nobody is forcing camila to stay in the closet. Yes I know I sound ridiculous but hear me out. There isn’t a single contract which can legally force someone to hide their sexuality. Yes her management may have warned her not to come out in fear of losing profits and even blackmailed her, but at the end of the day it’s her choice. If she desperately wanted to come out as we all make it seem, she would’ve done it by now. The fact that she doesn’t, should tell us, that afterall she does care about her image. Even if that’s taking a toll on her now, it was her decision to follow that path. It was her decision to stay in the closet, it was her decision to accept the pr with shawn and it was her decision to keep playing the “happy” girlfriend to the media. No matter how much she was manipulated by this hell hole, camila is a pretty clever person. If she didn’t want any of this and simply wanted to be authentic to herself and the rest of the world, she simply wouldn’t care if she lost the title of the pop princess. But she does care. And it’s completely normal at this point, cause in this industry either you lose yourself or you come out stronger. Unfortunately I believe that camila’s case belongs to the first occasion. I don’t think that present camila we see in interviews or shows or whatever is the real camila. That camila is long gone. Anyway sorry if this was exhausting and thanks to anyone who read it all,cause I really wanted to share this with someone

someone

Good Lord, Anon, that's a lot to unpack. I will start by saying, I agree with some, and disagree with some of what you had to say. Now, where to start...

You say it still messes with you, that everyone still portrays Camila as the victim. Are you going to deny that Camila WAS/IS victimized? The truth is, they were ALL victimized. They are ALL victims of an abusive Industry.

You said, "she sure as hell accepted this full of privileges position she was given since the beginning." You are either forgetting, or just plain don't care, that Fifth Harmony was a highly controlled entity. There was no choosing, or "accepting" privileges. They each did what they were told to do, said what they were told to say, and acted the way they were told to act. They were each given a role to play, and they were contractually obligated to play that role.

Yes, they were contractually obligated to act a certain way. There has been ample proof given, that none of the girls had any control over their PUBLIC image. Camila still has no control over her PUBLIC image, because there has been ample proof, she is still operating under her original contract.

Did Camila choose to sign that original contract? Yes, she did. Did she read that original contract? According to Lauren, probably not. None of them did. Did Camila agree to sign her solo contract? Yes, she did. But as I've explained before, if she wanted to continue in the music industry, she had no choice but to sign the solo contract they offered her. That solo contract is still connected to her original contract.

Camila is a human being. We ALL have positive and negative traits. Camila, all the ladies of 5H, you and me, we all have our positives and negatives. None of us are perfect.

You said, "one of her biggest negatives, is that she grew to love the spotlight." Why is that a negative? Hell, they ALL wanted the spotlight. Every person who gets into the Entertainment Industry, wants to get themselves in the spotlight. They all want to succeed in the field of their choice. To succeed, they have to garner the attention, and live in the "spotlight", in one way, or another.

Every one of them auditioned on a NATIONALLY TELEVISED talent show. They wouldn't have done that, if they didn't want to be noticed, and hopefully thrust into the spotlight of success. They ALL wanted that spotlight of success to be as solo artists. It's didn't quite work out that way. But, they ALL chose to try and achieve that spotlight as a group.

If one has been paying attention, from the beginning, Camila made no bones about her desired dream. She has stated from the beginning, she wanted to be a "pop star". Of course she wanted the spotlight. Lauren has said, from the beginning, she wanted to be "famous and travel the world". She wanted to be a famous star, in the spotlight.

Since you have chosen to compare Camila and Lauren, I'll answer to them. You seem to think there is this big chasm between the two. There really isn't. The only difference is the outcome, thus far. Lauren STILL wants the spotlight and fame, she just wants it on her terms. The problem is, it's damn near impossible to get that success on ones own terms, in an Industry that insists on dictating the terms.

That's a more recent decision on Lauren's part, by the way. You seem to be conveniently forgetting, that until 2019, Lauren also "chose" to play the game on THEIR terms. It was most likely, a two year PR contract, with a drug addicted gang-banger that turned her off of THE GAME. Lauren was pissed, that after all that, her debut album got shelved in 2019. I DON'T BLAME HER!!! I'm sure that also contributed to her decision, that THEIR TERMS suck ass.

Does Camila "crave" the big concerts, accolades, and people loving her? Yes, she does. They ALL do, or they wouldn't have signed solo contracts after putting 5H on hiatus. Instead, they would have said "this Industry sucks" and walked away. They didn't. They ALL craved more.

Lauren wants the same thing Camila has, just on her terms. Lauren doesn't "hate fame". She hates the negative side of fame. She hates having her life dictated by terms and schedules. She hates being told what to say, and how to act. She hates that fans get all up in her business.

She loves the nicer side of fame. She wants to see a lot of people come and see her perform. She loves to be on stage and see her fans singing and dancing to her music. She appreciates the accolades. She loves the love she gets from her fans. She would love even more, if her fans would multiply, and buy and stream the hell out of her music, instead of always bitching, telling her who she is, and how she should be, and getting all up in her damn business.

All one has to do, is listen to Lauren and the anger inside her about all this mess. She wants more. She wants more than a fucking "room full of people" enjoying her art. She wants a stadium full of people enjoying her art. WHO THE FUCK WOULDN'T. She just wants that stadium full of people to enjoy her art, and not expect more than that from her. I'm sure Camila would appreciate the same damn thing.

Unfortunately, that's simply not how the music industry is set up, these days. The difference is, Camila has accepted the fact, that she IS the product. Lauren has not. Lauren don't want to be a product. She wants her music/art to be the product.

I've said it a million times, the music industry hardly sells music, anymore. The music Industry sells the artist. The music has become a bi-product of the Artist. The Industry knows which artists will sell, and which ones won't. They know what image will sell, and which ones won't. Be the artist THEY want you to be, THEY'LL make you a star, and maybe even famous. If not, good luck.

Finally, you are completely right. There isn't a contract out there, that says someone can't come out of the closet. That would be blatant discrimination, and wouldn't pass the muster of the legal system. But, when you sign away control of your own image in a contract, that gives the contract holder the rights to dictate what your PUBLIC image will be. If they want you to have a straight PUBLIC image, then you'll have a straight PUBLIC image. If THEY want you to have a "good girl next door" image, then that's the PUBLIC image you'll have. You signed away your rights to be your authentic self, when you signed away the rights to control how others see you, period!!!

IN MY OPINION, Camila has come out of the closet so damn many times, I can't even count any more. She just has to do so, in a way that isn't obvious to those who have control over how others see her. Take her last video, for instance. When one listens to terms she chooses to use, and does a bit of research, you'll discover, what I believe is the hidden meaning behind that video. If I'm correct in MY THINKING, she has yet again, screamed her truth from the rooftops, for those who choose to listen, and understand.

As for the PR contracts...I was the first person to say, Camila made the choice to sign into those particular contracts. When one signs away control over their own public image, it also allows those in control to dictate that one MUST enter into PR contracts to help THEM present the PUBLIC image THEY want for that particular artist. The artist gets a say in which person that PR is with, simply because they HAVE to agree to sign the contract with that particular person.

So, did Camila agree to sign into this PR contract with the human hair ball? She absolutely did....And NO ONE should be surprised by it. It is quite clear that this shit has been in the making, since June/July of 2015. Hell, after that shit show with the British Bore, even the majority of the fandom was asking for it. The timing was right, and here we are.

Lastly, Camila is always stepping out of the closet, like I said above. IN MY OPINION, she wants her fans to know who she truly is, but that doesn't mean she wants to tell the world in definitive terms. Like Lauren, she wishes people could simply appreciate the music, and leave per private life out of it, but she also knows that's a pipe dream, and not reality.

She knows, the second she decides to speak her truth aloud, her career takes, yet another, blow. I also think, that's one of the reasons THEY, through the media, make sure her ignorant youth is continuously brought up. The more she has to fight to get through that hardship, the more she will want to keep her truth a secret. (yes, a definite manipulation tactic)

Camila could decide to say, fuck it all, and come out with her truth at any time, after her contract is up. She could also decide never to PUBLICLY come out. It's her choice, unless people in power decide to take that choice away from her.

Whitney Houston took her truth with her to the grave. Taylor lives with her truth, one foot in the closet, and one foot out. That's basically what Camila is doing now. IN MY OPINION. Her public foot is in the closet, and her music/art foot is out. If people cared more about the music/art, they would get the authentic truth. If you care more about her public image, you'll get exactly what THEY want her to be.

People try to tell you, and others this all the damn time. Take the recent interviews. If you notice, Camila, and others are always saying how vulnerable, honest, and authentic she is, IN HER ART. Her truth is in her craft, whether acting or music. Her PUBLIC image, is just that, an image to sell to the PUBLIC. Everyone in the Entertainment Industry has one...Even Lauren. Yes, she did play the game. She still has her toe in the game, she just isn't playing it at a high level, right now...and, unfortunately for her, it shows!!!

There! I answered your book with a damn novel. As always, I could be wrong with my opinions, but they are my opinions!!!!!! !! !!!!

[kocch]

interview tag

Thank you for the tag @eccentric-ocean 🥺

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

Tagging just a few @nanrid @lemonyellowribbon @salayy

Nickname: don't have one irl, my name is short!

Pronouns: she/her

Star sign: 🦁

Height: 158 cm

Time currently: 8pm

What is your birthday: 12th of August

Favourite bands/groups: some random faves that I enjoy a lot for their discography... Hyukoh, queen, my chemical romance, Chloe x Halle recently (I mean it's a duo) ... The Cranberries etc

Favourite solo artists: iu! Janelle monae! raveena , Moses sumney, gallant, others...

Song stuck in your head: today it's I was made for loving you by the kiss

Last movie watched: dongju the portrait of a poet. I really liked it. I cried at the end. Kang haneul 👌

Last show you binged: I'm currently rewatching my fave scifi Fringe, I'm on s04... Also dawsons creek, but I haven't watched it in the past days.

When you created your blog: probably 2011 or something...

Last thing you googled: the name of a celine sciamma movie: naissance des pieuvres

Other blogs: none, I post everything here

Why you chose your url: I just use the same name everywhere

Do you get asks: not really, my blog isn't particularly active on original content anyways...

How many people are you following: 600 something? Some aren't active anymore, I just never clean up. I follow a lot of artists too

How many followers do you have: idk I haven't checked in ages

Average hours of sleep: 6/7, 7 is around perfect.

Lucky number: maybe 7 or 21. I don't pay much attention to these things.

Instruments: my mind kfkfkfkfj

What I'm currently wearing: a pink pajamas lol

Dream job: 🥺 earning money with science and research would be fun

Dream trip: at this point anything would be nice. Honestly I feel like wandering through nature for two weeks. Or maybe a sea trip in some Greece island idk.

Favourite food: pasta al forno maybe... Pasta with ragù baked in the oven with melted cheese... Pizza too. I just like carbs and vegs a lot. Also Korean fried chicken recently!!

Favourite song: at the moment when you are gone by the cranberries.

Top three fictional universes you'd like to live in: harry potter for the magic. Peter pan's neverland. Le passe miroir too... I am partial to magical settings.

[macaronsforchat]

30 Questions About Me

thanks for the tag, @authenticcadence18!! I loved reading all the answers to your questions. you’re such a fun and passionate person aaaaah 💕💕

name: Melissa or just Mel! 

gender: cis female

star sign: libra ♎️

height: 5’7” / 170 cm

time: 7:19 pm! (7:51 at the end aksjsjsjdj)

birthday: October 4th

fave band/group: asdfghjkl I never thought this would be me but BTS!!!!! I’ve been hyperobsessed with them since September, and it’s cliche to say they’ve saved my life but like 👀

fave solo artist(s): ooh um...I’d say Billie Eilish or Hozier probably!

song stuck in my head: ...if anyone has been paying attention to my tag games since September I’ve had to say Dynamite by BTS every single time but it’s trueeeee

last movie: I think it was Tenet! It turned my brain to mush but I think I enjoyed some of it lol

last show: my sister has been getting me into Korean and Chinese dramas, so I’m binging The Princess Weiyoung as we speak! Netflix has a lot of great ones, and honestly I really enjoy them!

when I created this blog: February 2020! I created a blog specifically for Miraculous right before Love Square Fluff week 💕💕

what do I post: uhhhh honestly, not too much anymore, but the occasional Miraculous fanart and miraculous writing

last thing I googled: hehe “turnip exchange” for animal crossing ☺️

other blogs: (asdfghjkl I’ve been a serial blog hoarder since I was a teenager) I have a side blog for mystic messenger (@yoosungisbabie), another side blog just to compile writing prompts (@fragmentaations), and then my original tumblr blog is just where I used to reblog stuff that made me laugh (@rosegold-mercy) and I’m considering making a BTS side soon as well because 👀

do I get asks: occasionally! I have a few in my inbox right now that I need to respond to, but winter months make me super bad at responding to texts and such so 😅

why this URL: chat noir deserves a macaron too 🥺

following: 632!

followers: 1,118?! wow thank you all so much 🥺😭💕

average sleep: mmm like 10 hours? it’s hard to get up in the mornings so I just don’t lol

lucky number: 16!

instruments: I’ve never learned any instruments, but I really wanted to play the cello in middle school

what I’m wearing: a Marvel tee and some leggings

dream job: I’m contractually obligated to say that my dream job is being @rfadaydreaming’s wife (hi cae 🥰), and that’s true! but all jokes aside, that’s my main issue right now. I have no idea what I want to do 😅

dream trip: I really want to go to New York City with my best friend again. We went once in high school and it was honestly really great, and we’ve promised to go again someday ❤️

favorite food: ooh! potatoesssss

nationality: American...

fave songs: ...Dynamite by BTS 👀 also, Movement by Hozier, Mine by Bazzi, and way too many others that I can’t think of right now

last book: I got “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins for Christmas! I’m excited to read it soon 🥰

top 3 fictional universes I’d love to live in: oh goodness 😅 let’s see. Star Wars would be fun, I think. OOH Mystic Messenger is definitely up there as well. For the third, maybe ATLA! Man I’d love to be a bender!

I’ll tag anyone who wants to join in! that means you! yes, you!!

[fmdtaeyong]

restructuring update prompts

a prologue to officially re-introducing ash kwon // aka i decided to re-do this because i changed some parts of ash’s backstory and established career claims after i did this the first time and half of this wasn’t really true anymore rip

also there’s nowhere for me to put this in the answers anymore so i’ll put it here: circles is ash’s best song

content warning: mentions of alcohol abuse and drug use / abuse, but none of it is in-depth

assuming your muse has changed in some way, be it internally or as a result of a change of the external factors around them, how is your muse different?

for the most part, ash’s general personality and character has stayed the same. he’s the same angsty, creative, romantic dude at heart, but he’s a little more jaded in some ways.

ash moved around before he became a trainee now. he lived in san francisco, sydney, and seattle. when he lived in sydney, it was just him and his mom and he grew really close to her during that time. he doesn’t really feel like he has a home at all since seoul is the longest he’s ever lived somewhere, but he’s less happy so that’s not home either.

ash is a better technical singer now ig, being a main vocal. he focused more on singing as a trainee now instead of dancing. his ankle injury in 2018 was a little more serious now, which is why he doesn’t dance much in his solo music anymore. it’s also why he’s less interested in dance, but, at the same time, i think it leaves more potential for him to re-develop some love for it again.

he’s also now the maknae, although it’s a common joke in the fandom that he doesn’t act like it. he debuted a year and three months younger than before and he feels a lot more beholden to the industry now. has even less of an idea of what he’d be outside of it at this point, even though he got closer to actually leaving it than previous ash ever did.

he’s still had a couple of minor attitude controversies in titan’s early days caused by cultural differences. he was in public relationships in 2016 and 2019. neither were received well for their own reasons. his clubbing habit has gotten him into some controversy, though bc has never issued a statement on it beyond that one time they had to confirm the woman in a picture of him clubbing was his girlfriend because people were trying to accuse him of cheating. he has a passionate anti gallery and obsessive sasaengs that make his life a living hell.

since renewing his contract, ash has also had a few hiatuses of varying lengths due to his physical or mental health. this was true before with how he naturally developed, but it’s more tied together now as a result of generally poor physical and mental health he’s been experiencing for a few years now after his dating scandals and his ankle injury in 2018.

his image is more streamlined now too! he never really had the era of being pushed as a cleancut boyfriend that old ash had around 2018. he’s been marketed as a musical genius / sexy bad boy rockstar / artist with a tortured soul for as long as he’s been majorly pushed individually. this means he’s still very sexualized, but he hates his image a little less because he can be a little more himself as far as personal style and self-expression through tattoos and piercings goes.

what does your muse think of their company and their group?

this hasn’t really changed. ash has no real love for bc entertainment and wouldn’t really care if titan disbanded tomorrow. some of their music is good and some isn’t (though he considers less of it terrible without wolf and gorilla in the mix lmao), but he feels he’s mostly outgrown it as an artist. not that it’s below him, but it’s not what he connects with creatively, which is far more important to him now than it had been when he’d first debuted. he doesn’t hold ill will toward his groupmates unless he feels they’ve given him an individual reason to, and actually feels more guilty toward them for getting involved in scandals and taking hiatuses more than anything, but they’re also not his best friends. he views titan as a purely work endeavor and he doesn’t feel bad about the fact he got about as close as possible to leaving them without actually doing so that he could back during contract renewals. after all, they’d be fine without him. he’s a main vocal, but they’ve got two others. he’s a dancer, but they’ve got two others. he can write music, but titan has never been his main priority there and others are more than capable of doing it. he wants out of both the group and the company but is starkly aware of the fact that he did this to himself when he re-signed out of what he now perceives to have been impulse and greed.

since titan is the seniormost active group under bc, ash tries to be a good senior to his company juniors in general, but there are certainly more welcoming alternatives than him. he worries about them from a distance more than anything else.

is your muse on their first contract or their second? if they’ve renewed, what were their feelings around that at the time and what were their hopes for their second contract?

he’s on his second contract and he definitely regrets renewing. he hadn’t planned to renew for the longest time the lack of privacy and the public criticism and the hate he’d received were just too much, and he had plans that would require him to stop being an active idol, namely marrying his girlfriend of two and a half years at the time. their relationship wasn’t stable enough at the time for that to be a good idea and that was proven when they broke up shortly before final negotiations for contract renewals, but ash wanted an excuse to escape and the idea of a happy, normal life more than he wanted to be rational.

spite after the (very brief lmao) break up was part of his decision to renew, but bc entertainment also offered to support him as a songwriter and producer in addition to allowing him to regularly release solo music. he still really loved music and his first taste of promoting as a solo artist had been right before renewals as a proposal to sway him into re-signing, so he was swayed to sign on for seven more years. they followed through on their promises, but he struggles to weigh the recognition he’s earned as a solo artist and songwriter-producer against signing his life away again and doing a number on his physicla and mental health. most of his health issues and his hiatuses have happened during his second contract, as well as several behind-the-scenes situations that could have become scandals if they’d had any less luck, mostly stemming from ash drinking too much and his occasional recreational drug use, so he’s not sure bc even really feels the contract renewal was entirely worth it.

what are your muse’s goals and motivations?

if you asked ash this, he wouldn’t know what to answer. he doesn’t feel very motivated these days and pretty much feels like he only does anything because he’s contractually obligated to. making music as a form of expression has long been his main drive, and beyond that, the desire to make a mark on the world he can be remembered by through his music, but he often oscillates now between feeling like there’s not much more he can realistically achieve and the sense of hopelessness that he can try as hard as he wants, but his music’s never going to be what he’s defined by when he’s a public figure with an image.

he also feels a duty to make his parents proud. though i could argue that might be less now than it was in the previous iteration of ash, it’s still very much there. they let him come to seoul when he’d just turned thirteen to follow a dream that many never get to follow all the way through to the end and they believed in him fully. they express how proud they are of him when they do talk, but he doesn’t know that he believes them. he doesn’t feel that anything he’s done has been deserving of paying them back for everything they’ve given to him.

right now, he wants to be able to feel excited about his life and what he’s making again. he’s trying to better himself internally in regards to the way he views himself and his mental health, although he’s more prone to still taking steps backwards there than he was at this point previously. a lot of the ways ash has found to feel that excitement and creativity he wants (such as recreational drugs and excessive alcohol consumption and fleeting, sometimes toxic, relationships) do damage to his mental wellbeing, so it’s a balancing act at the moment.

what is one conflict, internal or external, that your muse is currently dealing with, has recently dealt with, or will need to deal with in the future?

i covered this partially with the last one, but one major conflict remains his internal conflict about his passion for music. this was very much where ash was before as well, but now that i’m really pushing songwriting and producing as his main career path, it presents a more equal professional and personal challenge for him.

more than having truly lost joy in making music, he’s burnt out. his latest album lovesick was emotionally exhausting because it was a partially rushed, deeply personal and vulnerable album exclusively based on an unhealthy relationship that had stretched its hold on him out over for almost six years, and then he went into making music that he couldn’t relate to at all and didn’t really fit his image all because bc thought it would sell well.

the burn out in his personal life has affected the burn out in his professional life he would be feeling anyway and made it ten times worse. it feels more hopeless because he doesn’t have much else going for him. in the past few months, his relationship with alcohol and drugs also reverted back to unhealthy after he was doing better with it for a while, not helped by a really bad stint with his mental health. all of this was at its worse in june before he went on hiatus, and in this universe, his behavior was more of a factor in his hiatus than him practically begging to leave the group because ash is more resigned to the fact that he chose to sign back on with bc and that that’s on him. instead, there was more of a push by his manager, who knew that ash was on the road to a major scandal if action wasn’t taken.

almost all of his conflicts are internal right now. he’s become successful enough that external factors other than the large umbrella of having to remain in titan can be negotiated, but he’s too tired to do so because of everything going on inside of him. there’s a lot of negative feelings going on inside of him, and he’s trying to deal with them one by one, but it’s hard to see the weight of them easing that way.

if your muse has established career claims, what are their thoughts on their career so far? if they do not, how do they feel about not having individual activities yet? what would they like to do in the future, if anything? if they don’t have ambitions for individual activities, explain why.

ash has been able to establish himself a little more as a songwriter and producer outside of his solo music. he wrote “universe” for titan in 2017, and after that, as promised, bc hooking him up with the right opportunities and connections to establish himself more. since then, in addition to his heavy involvement in his solo music (his 2020 album lovesick was entirely written/composed/produced by him alone), he’s worked on calypso’s “rollin’” in 2018, polaris’s “fake love” (a korean music awards song of the year!) and “the truth untold” in 2019, and lily’s “i’m so sick” this year. i’m planning on more being added there with these extra ecp and maybe some refunded since i think i’m going to drop some of his points claims to streamline his career better.

his canon discography creative claims reflect his progression as a songwriter, from very earnest and romantic to more sensual to very uhhh angsty and personal to developing a more polished and professional sound as he grew in experience as a songwriter and producer.

ash is praised for having several representative works as a songwriter that all speak to his individual style, and ash is happy with what he’s gotten to do since he does genuinely enjoy working as a songwriter and producer.

he’s planning to continue branching out in this direction, so look for quite a lot of ash dabbling in canon discographies in the future. before, i’d say ash’s primary push was solo music, but my plan for him is for songwriting and producing to be his main career path from now on with solo music as a close secondary.

[doomedandstoned]

A Listener’s Guide to ‘Defying The Righteous Way’ by Cardinals Folly

~By Billy Goate~

~Photographs by Murder Basement Studios~

CARDINALS FOLLY belong to the Reverend Bizarre school of doom, but also takes its cues from '80s Gothic rock. In this way, Cardinals Folly (who started life as The Coven in 2004) and Lord Vicar were among the first to pioneer a sound that soon caught on with other bands like Acolytes of Moros, Caskets Open, and Weird Tales, to name a few. Their style makes for a transfixing listening experience and I've been enamored of the band since discovering their first LP, "Such Power Is Dangerous!' (2011). Who would have dreamed then that the trio from Helsinki would one day be playing Doomed & Stoned Festival?

It's also hard to believe that the doomed crew of Count Karnstein (bass, vox), Nordic Wrath (guitar), and Battle Ram (drums) are now on album number five, with two EPs and two splits also under their belt. As prolific as Cardinals Folly seem, they don't seem to have lost their edge on 'Defying The Righteous Way' (2020). After all, this far into an artist's discography I'm used to picking up on notes of lethargy, with some bands having to really stretch the definition of a "song" just to get another album out there (usually under contractual obligation). When you do what you do for the love of music, the compositional pen flows freely.

Let's start with the title. Defying The Righteous Way is an obvious dig at one of the Norseman's truest adversaries: Christianity. When the religion of Jesus came to Finland it was an aggressive ideology of conquest co-opted by the Catholic Church. The Northern Crusades saw to it that one way or another the Skandanavian people were converts, even if in name only. Before metal, there was still a heavy underground, so to speak, comprised of resisters who may have given lip service to The Cloth, but a very pagan connection to the earth.

The modality of Cardinals Folly quite often marries doom with ancient mannerisms of song, illustrated in the stately Medieval rhythm and the chanting chorus of "The Great Santur." I think it is this aspect of the band's output I've enjoyed the most, as it feels like they're somehow bridging a connection to the past, when resentments simmered for clergy and king alike.

For newer listeners, Defying The Righteous Way makes as good an introduction as any to the band's characteristic sound and style portfolio. Cardinals Folly toggles between fast-trotting songs like "Witchfinders," mid-tempo stompers like "Last House On The Left," and the more traditional slow burners like "Stars Align Again." In this way, they call to mind Saint Vitus (especially the Scott Reagers-era) out of all the Fathers of Doom.

If I have any complaint, it's simply that there isn't enough sadness on the album for my taste, with the exception of "Last House On The Left," which has some very effective moments of melancholia in its second half. Maybe it's because Mikko Kääriäinen's vocals have always hinted of sorrow for me, but they're mostly used to express gravity. I suppose "Strange Conflict" does come closer to scratching my depressive itch. By the way, I do love its Joy Division-esque pulse during the six-minute mark.

While the songs may not pop out immediately in a sing-along sense, the collective vibe does grow on you. There's an undeniable energy about Defying The Righteous Way that reveals a band with finely tuned musical instincts and a damning fire within, still longing to Burn The Priest.

Give ear...

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

Cardinals Folly Frontman Reveals True Meaning Behind New Songs

Doomed & Stoned recently asked Mikko Kääriäinen (aka Count Karnstein) if he would illuminate the new Cardinal's Folly album, 'Defying The Righteous Way' (2020). He responded by giving us this in-depth track-by-track breakdown, which fans of the band will surely relish.

STARS ALIGN AGAIN

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

The wild "we're back!" opener track starts off slowly but picks up pace nicely, to introduce both faces of the band. Once our warlocks of heavy doom metal have re-animated their body again after finding it from the northern graveyard, to honor the old gods in Lovecraftian fashion, the doom hulk is ready to ride again.

DERANGING THE PRIEST

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

Once the Deranged Pagan Sons have been let loose, things can't be stopped anymore. Second track unleashes NWOBHM-influenced galloping dirty heavy metal goodness with anti-religious statement and fury. Continuing on the path set by the previous album and it's title track indeed, "Deranging the Priest" unleashes even more wrath upon the tyranny created by righteous men. This song is traditional doom's own church burner.

WITCHFINDERS

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

Vicious metal riffs combined with the pathos of a psychotic witchfinder, a modern day Matthew Hopkins who sets out to punish evil witches in his own right. Disappointment in women was probably a major fuel in this fire, heh! This is maybe my favorite from the album. What's funny is that we almost dropped it. Right before the studio we had this and another song with our finger on the trigger, we needed to drop either of them to cut the album down to 45 minutes. Luckily we chose right, because on our recent German tour, this became an instant live hit as well.

THE GREAT SANTUR

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

Originally meant as the album-closer track, "The Great Santur" again demonstrates our own take on nordic mysticism and it's epicness from the opening bell, and never lets it go. I love playing this song, because it's so ceremonial, and the chorus fills my mind with epic visions each time I sing it. The intro sample again is a throwback from the past, reminding us of "Secret of the Runes" from the previous album "Deranged Pagan Sons" (2017) and "Walvater Proclaimed!" from the Lucifer's Fall split (2019). I'm hearing a lot of Bathory, Summoning and even very early Amorphis in this one! We ended up choosing this as the A side closer, because it's slightly shorter than "Strange Conflict", and we nowadays plan all album structures with the vinyl format in mind, so it's divided in two halves.

THE LIVING DEAD

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

"The Living Dead" opens the second half of the album, which is an introduction to the B side, if you're listening to the vinyl version. It works the same way on any format, providing a brief séance and another visit to the bizarre horror classic "Psychomania" (1971), that we already tributed a track to on our third album "Holocaust of Ecstasy & Freedom" (2016)...

ULTRA-VIOLENCE

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

...which brings us to "Ultra-Violence", or more like throws it suddenly straight into our face. A fierce punk-doomer that deals with A Clockwork Orange and energy to stomp down a bunch of devotchkas after a hazy night in the korova milk bar. Slight doom part in the middle calms it down before the final attack. Music and lyrics for this one came from me already in 2016 before the previous album, but it was just waiting to boil up a bit. Definitely our most punky song so far. Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick rule.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

Doom, horror films and bloodlust definitely dominate the majority of the B-side of this album, and thus this song dedicated to Wes Craven's best film grabs the torch from its equally disturbing predecessor honorably, travelling through suburbs with Krug's horny and homicidal gang. It's grooviness is definitely one of the malicious and deadly kinds. As life escapes from the girls of this story, so does the groovy rockiness transform slowly into screams of horror, dirges of melancholy and hopelessness, and finally into a slow final riff draining our life into an uncertain death...

STRANGE CONFLICT

Defying The Righteous Way by Cardinals Folly

I guess it's an unwritten rule that every Cardinals Folly album should carry within itself some sort of homage to the "Prince of Thriller Writers", the late Dennis Wheatley (1877-1977). The title reminds us of the early works compilation we released through Shadow Kingdom Records back in 2013, yet it pays tribute to Wheatley's 1940 WWII black magic novel, where the nazis are determining the routes of the secret British atlantic convoys by using a witch doctor in Haiti, leading into an epic white magic/black magic battle. Musically it travels from epic doom to Iron Maiden-ish heavy metal takeoff, which boils down to the final slow doomed hypnotic dirge of the album, that floats us again towards uncharted seas and uncertain fates..

Follow The Band

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[comicteaparty]

January 22nd-January 28th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from January 22nd, 2020 to January 28th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

How do you react to comics going on hiatus, and how does that affect your readership for it?

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Being a webcomic artist, I'm always very understanding when an author needs a break. Life happens, and most of us are hobbyists. I will wait as long as it takes for the comic to come back, even if that means years. I'll keep checking in every few months unless the artist makes a post saying the comic is dead and they're moving on (and if 'moving on' means starting a new comic, I'll usually start following it). I have quite a few life circumstances that have forced long hiatuses of my own comics, so I feel it would be a tad hypocritical of me to give up on a comic that needs a long break or has to update very infrequently for a while. Also since I have trouble following a lot of comics at once, my reading list is fairly short and it's easier for me to be very dedicated to and patient with the comics I do read.(edited)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Even before I started doing webcomics, I knew it wasn't the end of the world when a comic went on hiatus. Like, it's free entertainment, I don't blame the author for not sticking to a specific schedule. As for if it affects my readership... yeah? I usually stop checking in after a year or so if a comic hasn't had any updates, and even in that time I don't check up very often. And I don't often re-read hiatus'd comics until they come back off hiatus (as a sort of refresher) so they don't usually get my readership that way either.

varethane

I don't have any hard feelings when creators go on hiatus, whatever their reasons; life happens, webcomics are a lot of work for (often) little compensation, and people's priorities change over time. It's fine. I am one of those readers who is often prone to having a short attention span, though, so I confess that if a comic goes on hiatus and its creator isn't active on social media, there's a pretty good chance I'll lose track of it. And if the comic returns after a hiatus of more than a year, it may take some months before I will come back as a reader, just because I would need to reread the story in order to catch back up with what's going on.

SAWHAND

I don't tend to keep up with webcomics on a day-to-day basis anyway. I prefer to wait and then be able to binge-read a whole chapter or at least a few pages at a time. I actually really like when comics do a brief hiatus in between chapters to build up a backlog of pages and then post a lot of pages quickly (more than someone usually would do anyway) and then go back on hiatus. Kind of like seasons on tv.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I just had a hiatus that went longer than a year so I can't really fault an artist for needing a break. I understand, and also it doesnt bother me too much because I just read whenever there is an update, it's not like I'm checking at the scheduled time or anything! When it updates, I'll be there.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Life happens, circumstances change, people grow. So many of us are making webcomics at very transformative times of our lives - we can outgrow the stories, get tired of them, or begin to associate them with bad memories (poor artistic partnerships, commercial failures, etc). If a really good webcomic I follow goes on hiatus, of course I'll be disappointed. But behind every webcomic is an author with a life. If the webcomic is keeping their life from improving, then screw the webcomic. I'm always far more concerned about the person.(edited)

I get SO much joy watching webcomics come back after a long hiatus. It's worth any sadness felt during the hiatus itself. And I'm not happy just because the story is back - but because it's a sign that the author has taken care of themselves. You can often feel it in the new pages. It's really cool and good to see.

2

January 23, 2020

Kabocha

I think it depends on the comic. I prefer it when a creator can say, "hey, I'm going on hiatus" so I know to stop checking (or to set my expectations accordingly). They don't necessarily have to post an end date, but if they can, that's always good! Sometimes creators just stop updating, and that's fine too. But one's comic's site is going to be the central hub for anything regarding your comic's news, too. There are some comics where... I'm a little less understanding of hiatuses with complete silence -- and these are usually ones that have an actual publisher backing them and paying for the project's completion. Like, I get that life gets in the way, but when making said comic is your job -- or you have a perceived contractual obligation, maybe your publisher ought to step up and say something if the project is on hold or delayed or something. There's something about the line between "I am doing this project for free and the occasional donation" versus "I am getting paid for this project's completion as a product" that kind of... I dunno, makes the whole thing feel a little different? Like, sure, it might be up for free online, but like... when there's an actual publisher or platform paying the creator to make it it and they've got editors and stuff... It's less like someone's brain baby and more like a product. I actually have a folder in my favorites for comics on hiatus, but ArchiveBinge also tells me when they updated last, so... Not a huge deal. My ability or desire to read a project isn't hugely affected by a comic's status on hiatus, but I have found with some comics that come back years after going on a break... Well, I've changed enough that I'm no longer their target audience. And it can suck to realize that.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) Oh man, your comment about being able to feel that an author has taken care of themselves after coming back from a long hiatus reminded me of when I once returned a comic from a 3 year long hiatus. I had put it on hiatus after a ‘friend’ completely ripped it apart and essentially called it trash. I was already going through some really bad stuff IRL and I lost all motivation to keep going. But three years later I came back, and the colours in the pages were so much brighter and more vibrant. The change was so obvious a reader actually gave me an impassioned speech about how the previous muted, greyish palette was a a better fit for the story. But only a few pages later they changed their mind and said they were wrong; the more vivid colours worked after all. I think maybe they could see how happy I was to be working on it again.... and maybe just how much happier I was in general. Sorry for the long anecdote; that second paragraph just really hit home for me. (edited)

MJ Massey

I think it depends on a few factors for me. In general I am pretty understanding of hiatus in general - it can be really good for the creator to take a break and set things in order for themselves as well as putting out work they enjoy rather than rushing to get a page out. Especially if this is someone's side gig. I appreciate it all the more if the creator can be honest. Even if they can't give a return date, coming out and saying "I can't work on this comic right now" is enough and perfectly fine

I get annoyed if someone who is PAID to make a comic just disappears and won't take responsibility. If it's your job, then you can't just run away from it. Again, even saying something like "I cannot work on the comic for now" is fine, but don't just run off and make some vague remarks on your social media that's not even where your readers normally engage with you.

I also agree that any partners, like a publisher or editor, that might be employing said artist could also step up and let readers know what's going on. If any of that happens, I am happy to wait as long as it takes

Readers are more understanding than you think, it's okay to just come out and say you're gonna miss updates, need time off, etc. You don't need to say anything more than that.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I'm not quite understanding the hostility towards people who get paid for creating webcomics, but hiatuses aren't something i could really call our personal business to make any calls regarding their obligations. Like @LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) said, life happens and circumstances change. I'm pretty sure whomever the creator is with has their own reasons as creative projects evolve differently for everyone and that their parties concerned have dealt with it in a necessary way. That is just the nature of them, we won't know or understand the full picture, and while i get being disappointed, it's not something that can be helped! I encourage hiatuses in fact, because webcomics are A LOT of work!! It can give the creator time for revisions, writing the story, and general self reflection of the project. I've stated this before on twitter, but ppl tend to forget that webcomics are typically made by 1-2 ppl and can produce the quality/quantity easily created by a small studio. Take a break!

Kabocha

It's not a hostility thing necessarily, but I do think that when, like, an actual publisher is involved, there should be some sort of expectation of... I dunno, communication? Traditionally published books and such get delayed (and canceled), but usually there's some form of communication as to the change in release dates or if it's going to come out at all. I think that's more or less the expectation with something that's being paid for by a publisher: That there's some form of communication between the audience regarding the story's state or future. It doesn't have to be a total "HI THIS IS MY LIFE" just more of a "hi the comic's on hold". But hiatuses, I think, are maybe different than a break? As a creator, I traditionally take a break between chapters to do editing and such, but I think a hiatus tends to be more... unplanned for. (and I'm not exempt from going on hiatus - I've had issues this winter that made it necessary for me to tell my readers "hi I'm not updating until april". So I'm sympathetic to health/life -- but I do think a "hi the comic's on hold" on the comic's site is warranted in a lotta cases.)

(or hell, even a "the comic's canceled" is fine too hoo boy, I just saw one that I wasn't aware of that got canceled for life issues... I feel for the creators.)

RebelVampire

I'm kind of on the higher standard for creators who are being paid to do it as a job train. At least a higher standard of communication. Cause I never really consider the hiatus itself the problem, but how the author communicates about the hiatus. Cause again, when being paid to do something, I just kind of expect more professionalism, and communication is a huge part of professionalism.

Kabocha

I think webcomics with a publisher -- like, an actual "hi we are paying you to produce this work" that isn't just patreon -- it's more of a commercial work. In one of the cases I have in mind, they're paid to do it per-page, through a well-known webcomics publisher. Sure, the creator loses out, because they're not being paid, but it is also a commercial work in the end. They have an editor, ostensibly someone to communicate with them and the manager, and went through some sort of acquisitions process to sell the work to that publisher. Kinda like the difference between "hi this is my fanfic" versus "hi this is my book that I got put through a small press pub"

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I agree. Ghosting your paying customers is very unprofessional. Just informing readers that there’s a break or cancellation feels necessary if money’s involved. I‘d feel pretty burned if a comic I was pledging for on patreon just stopped updating for more than a few months without any communication whatsoever. A quick note that says ‘Hey, my comic is on break for an indeterminate amount of time because I need to take care of some things / am creatively exhausted / whatever other vague reason’ and I would understand. But if I’m paying the creator and they just vanish without a word, you can bet I won’t trust them enough to pay them again even if they come back later.

RebelVampire

Yeah. Those are my feels too. That it doesn't even need to be some essay message. It's just the giving a heads up so you're not sitting there staring wondering if someone fell into the abyss.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

You can say Tessa Stone, it's okay.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I... I don’t know who that is?

Nutty (Court of Roses)

She was the author of Hanna is Not a Boy's Name. Very popular webcomic, did a kickstarter for a book, then vanished with the money, and reappeared four years later working for another company.

Kabocha

That's... Not who was in mind.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oh wow that’s scummy.

I’d read the comic waaaaay back but dropped it long before there was a KS.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

Yeah. Other than that, I always understand when hiatuses happen, we all have lives outside our comics.

RebelVampire

Professional comics aside, overall, for me, my reaction to a comic going on hiatus depends on a ton of factors. I will preface this first part, is that I'm always understanding of it. Life happens, interests change, etc. etc. etc. I would never tell a creator not to go on hiatus or that they were magically a bad creator or something for needing to stop for a bit (or indefinitely). People should take care of themselves both physically and emotionally first, so I get why hiatuses happen. That being said, I as a reader also have my own life. And the fact of the matter is, there are thousands of comics out there to read - many of which are not on hiatus. So I'd be lying if I said a hiatus had no effect on whether I'd continue to read a comic. That being said, it's not like a hiatus will make me instantly drop a comic either. This is where the many factors come in. Like how much do I love the comic? Has the creator communicated about the length of the hiatus and given a heads up? Does the comic have a very unreliable history of hiatusing and coming back and then immediately hiatusing etc.. Which again, I get and sympathize with creators and hiatuses. But there's a point where you just gotta move on if the comic's updating isn't to your liking.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

also i just want to chime in and say that as one of those people who get paid to make my comic i don't appreciate it being called commercial work. It's still the creators property and honestly the money earned doesn't change the product, nor should it change the 'merit' of a hiatus. Hiatuses are also planned and not planned. They are both breaks and unseen stops in work, they are necessary and needed- much like vacation time or sick leave at other jobs. Having been paid for making comics shouldn't differ with who is more worthy of one. Again, they all happen with reasons the public doesn't need to fully know bc even if the work is produced 'free to read', it's still not an obligation to the readers for any full disclosure. I get being dissapointed, it's a work you enjoy, but like any type of work, schedules change, lives conflict, and projects get canceled.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I don’t think anyone is saying that we mind hiatuses when comic artists are being paid, we all explicitly stated we mind poor communication about it from the creator

Big difference

varethane

the main thing I look sideways at is a creator who ghosts their existing audience and goes incommunicado for years, and then returns with either the same product or something very similar. I'm not so much mad, as.... unlikely to keep reading their work, even once it's back? Or I'll have trouble convincing myself to dive back in, even if it still looks like it should be my thing. I'm thinking of a specific comic I used to read called Astray3, which stopped updating with no news updates sometime in like..... 2011? And then after a year or so the website went down, and I assumed that was just.... it, the creator had left comics. Then just this year I was thinking about it while talking to friends and did a google search, and discovered that it was back On a new webhost, totally rebooted and fresh, with gorgeous new art

I had no idea, lol. I guess it had been back for maybe a year or two? It's really beautiful, and if I'd found it fresh I'd probably be super excited to dive in, but I haven't gotten around to it yet and that's the only real reason I can think of as to why.

This is a personal thing though. I don't know why all that happened or what led the creator to shelve the comic, I bear them no hard feelings. I just..... may or may not start reading again (maybe I will when I get some time!! Who knows lol)

keii4ii

@varethane I gotta say I'm sort of guilty of that. I stopped working on my previous comic after I'd gotten pretty far in the story. Things happened IRL and I just couldn't keep working on that story. My main site host died (the hosting business closed), and I didn't leave a proper goodbye on my SJ mirror. Then a few years later, I came back elsewhere with a new comic. X'D I don't really have a point here (yet?), just waving a hand from the other side of the fence.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

@Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) im responding to the commercial work comment

varethane

I don't even really think there IS a fence, lol. There are so many reasons why I may or may not read a comic, up to and including how I happen to feel on a given day; when I read something really often has more to do with my mood than with how much I feel like it 'should' appeal to me, so long breaks in updates are just one more ingredient in the big old soup of 'will I jump into this story today'

keii4ii

Yeah, readers come and go all the time, for all sorts of reasons

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'd also like to wave my hand from the side of the fence of "basically going completely radio silent" I did it because I had an incredibly difficult personal experience, that I didnt really want to share with all of my readers, and I don't think I should HAVE to share what happened in order for it to be valid for me to have dropped off like that for a while.

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Exactly what Deo said

varethane

while I agree you don't need to say why, a quick news update saying 'hey something came up and this won't update for awhile, maybe forever' would be appreciated in a lot of cases

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

but the thing is, nobody said you have to say what happened It doesn't have to be a total "HI THIS IS MY LIFE" just more of a "hi the comic's on hold". like it's the difference between saying "there won't be updates for a while" and just leaving the comic hanging on the latest page with no comment.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Yeah, I don’t think anyone needs to leave a reason. But if people are paying you, just a ‘Hey this is on a break’ to the audience.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I did say "hi I'm gonna be on hiatus!" and people did still get upset with me for being gone so long so :/

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

well they were rude

varethane

I don't read anything as obsessively as I used to, but one of the first webcomics I ever read trailed off forever with 'see you next week!' as the last news update lmao

I went back to that homepage like a million times

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Theres no winning with it honestly. I haven't had a hiatus with my comic im working on now, but a previous one earned us threats when we had a break

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

People getting upset isn’t your fault. You communicated, and that’s all you needed to do. We all know some readers can be fickle or downright rude.(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

IN THEIR DEFENSE i did say "brief hiatus" cause the situation around it was really weird, and then it was a very not brief one

varethane

no excuse for bein rude about it tho >:U sorry to hear about that!

keii4ii

Yeeeah

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

The threats that we got and harassment definitely made me realize that you don't owe ppl any thing. It's your work, and at the end of the day, you're the one in charge. We literally don't know the reasons to the breaks of a fave creator, it could be something as simple as boredom to something dire. I again i understand the want for communication but there are times where it just doesn't come first or at all.

I think in the situation of finding a ks or something u paid for directly? Yes, you deserve that right to know. But a project that isn't going to affect u in that way, well, it's a mystery we're not owed sometimes

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah I'm just gonna get back to making it, and if people are going to leave and be upset with me I... cant control that... so I shouldnt try or worry about it. just offering the perspective of someone who p much did drop off the face of the earth

oh yeah for something youve paid for its different

Kabocha

Allow me to say that when I say commercial work, I mean it strictly in a "This is a thing that you are making money or aiming to turn a profit from." That's it. There's a difference in expectations, I think, for something where the creator is doing it as their job vs the creator doing it as a hobby. (but also -- like, if you have a publisher or an agent, they should be stepping in to help you field things like communication!!)

But also yes -- my essential point is that communication is key.

And yes, there is an overlap between hobby and earning money off said hobby, but once a thing is available for consumption as something you're earning income off of, I think the expectations ought to be slightly different. I think it's fair to expect someone to say "hi I'm taking a break" on the comic site. Edited to clarify the "income" part of this -- I mean like, a significant portion of your income. Tips are always appreciated, but don't generate an obligation in any sense of the imagination imo. Or like. Yanno, a publishing deal? I dunno. But that gets into contractual stuff.(edited)

spacerocketbunny

As long as someone didn't literally run off with your money, I think a bit more empathy and compassion can be exercised, even if the only communication that's provided is radio silence. It just happens man, sometimes life sucks and you don't get to have a word in edge-wise. There's just so many factors as to why it can happen, it's not a divide between who does and doesn't get a paycheck for their work. Stuff happens and at the end of the day it's still free content that's available to you.

Like @RebelVampire said too, it's totally up to you what you do with your engagement when hiatuses come up

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Agreed

Basically, i hope that if ever the case a creator drops from their project without notice or any word, readers express concern and compassion

Kabocha

That is a fair expectation -- and readers need to remember not to be jerks about it.

Mei

Reading through all of this was super interesting. I think hiatuses are just something that in a medium like webcomics is something to almost 'expect'? if that makes sense? Whether it's because of personal reasons, or work reasons, or any reason that we as readers are not privy to, I think it's part of the process. Of course it's great when creators mention they're going on a hiatus, but I suppose it's also having that understanding that sometimes creators may lose the drive or motivation for what they're creating, and they need a break from it. But yeah, I think it'd be awesome for readers to show understanding for webcomics going on hiatus for a short while or indefinitely. They're a LOT of work and most of the time life takes precedent over that?

RebelVampire

I just want to add myself that jerk readers are a diff issue all together and they are legit not the readers you should care about. Cause at the end of the day, you will never ever make them happy whether you communicate or not. So ignore them and do what you need. The communication is for everyone else who isn't rude and likes your comic (whether a vocal fan or a silent fan). Cause frankly, I think it also shows a certain amount of respect as well for readers when the author communicates their status. But just to clarify in case it wasn't clear in my own statement, you are not obligated to share your life story. TBH, I don't even read people's life essays for their reasons in a lot of cases cause it's their personal business. The reasons for the hiatus are largely irrelevant. But you can still leave a small message that says "Hey I'm not gonna be updating for a bit." Like that's not an exaggeration. That's all you have to say. XD Last, I do want to add, of course there are exceptions to this with extenuating circumstances. Like I know a few people who have had all means of communication break for them - and that of course is understandable then. Since it's not that they didn't want to communicate, it's that they literally had no choice in the matter.

[serendipitybutterfly]

Ok! So here I am starting 2019 by finally being able do a Year Ahead Tarot Reading for Tae’s birthday. 

*Disclaimer: This is for fun and I’m not trying to claim any of this is necessarily going to happen or trying to convince anyone that tarot reading is 100% accurate. The way I see it, the future is mostly up to each individual and we can direct our paths where we want to go. Also, I’m not going to delve too much into the boys’ personal lives with this. I don’t feel comfortable sharing anything that I think they might not be comfortable sharing… if that makes sense. These will just be general trends of the year ahead that they should watch out for.

So, onto the reading!!!

Ok, so the first thing I want to talk about is that the significators I got for the year ahead for Tae were the Two of Wands in reverse and the Death card. This is very interesting to me when looking at the reading as a whole (which I’ll get into with the other cards) as well as with the numerology of the reading which actually, just like Seokjin’s, came to a master number. This time, the number was 88 which is the master number of Material Reform. Particularly when considering the fact that he got the Death card as a significator, this makes a lot of sense to me in the context of this reading. 2018 was a hard year for Tae in a lot of ways, even with as much success as the group as a whole gained. I don’t think you need to be a tarot reader to see that. The past year has influenced Tae such that he is going into the new year with a hugely transformative energy. There’s a sense that’s there’s a lot he wants to change in his life. 

Before I go any further, no one be alarmed by the Death card! It very rarely actually signifies literal death, but rather represents the end of a certain cycle or period in life, i.e- some aspect of one’s life comes to an end and there’s a “rebirth” into a new phase. This is why I say it’s particularly interesting that the numerology of this reading is the master number of Material Reform, with the Two of Wands reversed and Death coming as significators. Upright, the Two of Wands represents someone having the world in their hands with all options and opportunities in moving forward with their lives open to them. Reversed, there’s a blockage to that power and along with the Death card I’m getting a sense of Tae needing to let some things “die” in order to take control over his material reality. The number 88 is about taking control in business and material accumulation (possessions and money) and this is the task for Tae this year. 

So, finally getting into the bulk of the reading, like I said... the significators and numerology of the reading really resonated with all the other cards. I want to talk about them in pairs starting with The Devil and the Two of Swords in reverse. Ok, so this is no shock to anyone anymore because Seokjin already spilled the beans, so to speak. We already know that BTS in general struggled with the question of whether or not to continue as idols because of the immense pressure of the lifestyle.. Well, according to what I’m reading here, Tae is one of the members who often finds things particularly hard to deal with and was one of the ones who struggled with the question of whether to leave the most. The Two of Swords speaks of struggling to make a decision between two (or more) difficult options. Of feeling blind and entirely uncertain of which decision is the right one to make. In reverse, I understand that a decision was made, but the uncertainty remains and that’s because the Devil card represents how Tae views the decision he made. 

The Devil represents being under the domineering power of some outside force, whether this be another person, or an institution or even addictions to substances like alcohol or drugs. In this instance, looking at these two cards, I got the clear message that this was talking about his contract. Tae made the difficult decision to stay in the group which put him once again under the power of the company and contractual obligations which he often finds extremely controlling and stifling. If you look at The Devil card you see two figures in chains... and that’s what I kept being drawn to look at. Unfortunately, I get the sense that to Tae, often times his job can feel like a kind of slavery and that is something his spirit just can’t accept and rails against which is why he in particular struggles so much.

Connected to this, of course, is the message of the next two cards, the Ace of Wands and The Moon. The Ace tells me that Tae is just bursting with inspiration and creativity energy. There’s so much he wants to show artistically, however The Moon is telling me that he feels like he has to suppress his creativity and the reason is once again related to the Devil card; the company and his contract. He feels stifled and controlled as an artist because he isn’t able to express his creativity in the way he wants to. I’m actually feeling that he really hates not being able to express himself the way he wants to... He’s frustrated by this way more than he shows us. I’m getting that this feeling of being controlled actually blocks his creative energy and this particularly gets him down. This is all related to that feeling of being like a slave again, like he can’t even express himself without permission. Again, I’m getting that he’s really not happy with that... He really hates being controlled like this. It’s like his spirit is telling him, “No, you’re not supposed to be under anyone’s control!” And that is what gives him more distress because he doesn’t really know how to change the situation without just leaving.

Before I go on to the remaining cards, the overwhelming message of advice for the year ahead that I’m getting from these four cards is that Tae needs to stand up for himself more and assert his power. He actually does have the power to make a stand and he shouldn’t let fear of unknown consequences get in his way. If he has something to say, he should say it. If he wants to release music in a certain way, he should release it how he wants to. His spirit is full of discontent over feeling like a slave. That keeps coming to me in particular. He needs to do everything to take back his power so he doesn’t feel like that anymore. 

So, this reading now goes into a different aspect of the year ahead with the Six of Pentacles and The Hanged Man coming together. The Six of Pentacles is the card of charity, of the giving and receiving of help and support. The Hanged Man can mean different things depending on the context, here I’m sensing that it means letting go and I keep being drawn to look at the man’s head in the image so I feel like there’s a sense of Tae trying to clear his head of past worries and stresses and that he’ll try to do that through giving to others. I’m particularly seeing that this will be in terms of giving gifts to family and friends. It’s like he feels like this almost spiritually cleanses him in a sense. I’m getting a feeling of regret and guilt over not being able to be with them very much and he’s going to try to make up for this with gifts. It’s like when he gets home he almost comes in like Santa Claus with a huge bag of gifts I’m seeing... I’m also getting a sense of constantly waiting. As if he’s constantly waiting to see them and they’re waiting to see him and it’s this give and take of emotional and material support when they actually do meet.

The message of these two cards is also related to the message of the next two which are the Eight of Wands and the Five of Swords in reverse. The Five of Swords usually represents conflict and disagreements within a group. I also tend to see it as representing a conflict usually involving people hiding something or holding their tongues when they should actually speak up and let it be known what is upsetting them. In reverse, I’m seeing that this represents such conflicts between Tae and other members being in the past and I get the sense that they’re mostly resolved. However, I do still think that Tae is holding his tongue on something... But he might well be in the right and being guided by his spirit to do so. The Hanged Man is standing out to me in this case again as saying ‘let it go’ and I think that is what Tae is doing anyway. Again, there’s also a sense of things being made up to one another with material gifts with the Six of Pentacles also standing out to me as something going on in the group dynamic. Whatever happened in the past needs to stay there and they all need to move on from it because what I’m getting from the Eight of Wands is that this is once again going to be a year of rapidly moving forward, full of international travel and creative opportunities so they really need harmony in the group and that seems to involve Tae just letting something go and moving on from it... Like I said, I feel like he’s already doing this anyway

The last two cards are mainly about his finances; the Two of Pentacles and the Four of Pentacles. Although this isn’t the main theme of the year for Taehyung like it was for Seokjin, I’m getting that this is a pretty important lesson of the year for him too... That is, that he needs to start learning to manage his money more wisely. The Two of Pentacles is all about balance and I’m seeing that Tae needs to start paying more attention to maintaining a more healthy balance of how much money he has coming in and how much he’s spending. I was particularly being drawn to look at the extravagant clothes the character on this card is wearing and I feel like the message there is that Tae needs to cut down a bit on some of his more frivolous spending on clothes and accessories. The Four of Pentacles is usually the card representing a miser who holds onto his money too tightly but here I’m seeing that Tae needs to hold onto his money a bit more; again, he needs that balance. 

These cards are also related to all the others of course. I’m particularly picking up on him needing to keep in mind that he needs to balance his work life with his personal life a bit more... i.e- please take some time to go home and relax and see your family. It’ll be difficult for him to do that though because it’s going to be yet another hectic year. The Four of Pentacles is also highlighting that, again, there’s something between Tae and some of the other members in the group that he needs to just let go and move on from. Though, like I said, the Hanged Man is telling me that he’s already started doing that... I suppose there’s a still some part of him hanging onto it with him being represented by the Four of Pentacles here... the part of him that’s still biting his tongue on something he wanted to say. It’s interesting to me that I’m still getting the message of “just let it go” though, because usually with these kinds of things I tend to feel like it’s best to clear the air and let everything that needs to be said be said... but here... it’s like there’s no point bringing any of it up again and Tae knows that. However, even though he’s resolved to “let it go”, he’s still hanging onto to some kind of hurt feelings over this issue, whatever it was, and that’s why he’s being advised that if he intends to move on and not bring it up again he needs to actually get over it.

Overall, the message for this year for Taehyung is that this is the year to take back his power, start to take control over his career and the direction he wants to move in as an artist and to let whatever he already knows he needs to let “die” in the past go. I feel like he definitely has the strength to do this and he just needs to gather his courage and do it. Once he takes more control over his life, he’ll feel so much better about himself because it’s really the feeling of being like a slave and having to ask permission and not being able to express himself that breaks him down the most. Honestly, some parts of this reading made me sad thinking that this is how Tae feels about his career so I’ll be hoping and praying for him to take control and assert his voice! Bless you in the New Year Taehyungie!!! 💜💜💜

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Thursday, 01 July 2021

5 today but tomorrow afternoon. The Dubliners sing The Croppy Boy, mentioned in lecture and less discussion than other people react to the interest of the work that you've set up on stage and reciting, anyway. Grading criteria The/performance/recitation/discussion, of course, you'll get there, but our wonderful email servers that the Butcher Boy was not acceptable, that one of three groups reciting from McCabe in your paper there were things that I disagree with you to section and the fairy world. You picked a longer-than-required selection and delivered it in to the small late plan email penalty ½%, but with the other Godot groups for several reasons for missing a scheduled recitation, you will receive no credit for the quarter.

So you can currently earn for the Self. One is to talk about; it applies to the schedule on the proper day. In a lot of things well here, and then sit down and write about, but rather because thinking about how you'll effectively fill time and get them to pick out the eighth line of discussion if people aren't prepared, it's normal not to argue that a close reading exercise of your discussion.

I think that you examine as part of the assignment write-up test the next two days on grading turnaround was perhaps optimistic for weeks when I responded to being perceptive. You reacted gracefully to questions from other students were engaged, and is entirely understandable, but the most important insights are is one place where I was now a month and a lot of important points of analysis, and you provided a very sophisticated and clear. Does that help? Of course! Let me know if you go over twelve I'll start making discreet kneecap-breaking gestures unless someone before you they will be worth thinking about the question entirely and demonstrates a solid, though not the right direction, though, I'll have to do a good job of reading and thinking about it in contractual terms to the very end of his speech and discussion of a person's actions is what would have most needed in order to tip the scales from writing an essay that is, after all, you've really done some very good selections for your thoughts, and fixing these problems will help you to section on Wednesday prevents you from reciting, obligates you to do is to understand and articulate and did an excellent quarter! This may be a fallback plan. Quite frankly, I guess.

Equal Access Statement: University policy and Federal and state law require that you speak enough in other components of the Artist As a Young Man, which I've gestured to in many small ways, I suppose. Let me know what you want it to work with, e. Good luck with all of these ways.

I'm looking forward to your questions? Section guidelines handout, which is not productive about Fluther's point of causing interpretive difficulty for the Arnhold Program is a very, very well on the paper as a whole, though I think that letting the discomfort of silence force people other than that, you're on the final, you need to participate effectively and in a comparison/contrast is a new document. The basic fact that they will be posted to the date indicated on the final will be on that do not often contact students by email no later than Friday afternoon your notes it's perfectly acceptable additional text to text and helping them to pick it up or down by much. Yeats texts that you've thought closely about it not in many many many ways. Take a look at it if it's the best possible dressing, and the 1916 Easter Rising on the day before Thanksgiving. My son inside her. You will find section more rewarding and enjoyable. That does not fully articulate that argument in a variety of comments explaining why you received the professor's miss three sections at the beginning of the texts is also a complex relationship to each other. Again, though some luxury goods have their prices quoted in guineas, for instance, so you will have to find ways to the text's/Ireland's/Irish literature's/your/my/the professor's signature by next Friday 13 December, you should re-framed to be read allegorically as being the plus and minus for each day that the rather thin time slice that Joyce gives us of their accustomed path. I think that, overall. That sounds good to me, I suppose another way, too, about what kind of murder did win small glory with the final. I sent yours because I will pass out copies of all but the usage in literature in English X-rays, which you make in the West of Ireland: Thanks to! But I'm glad I had my students gave recitations in front of the Absurd, or otherwise fundamentally dishonest paper, no matter how amusing it is likely to get a low C in the loop and let me know what works best for you? Thank you for being such a good paper. You've got some very perceptive reading of the novel. Because I will hold up various numbers of fingers to let you do so just let me know as soon as possible; if you do is to engage in micro-level details of phrasing and sentence structure are real strengths in a thesis statement, as outlined in my mailbox, or sent me this one right away if there are a few exceptions, listed in a paper that you explain ideas clearly and manage to pick one or two days on grading turnaround was perhaps optimistic for weeks when I saw you come out unscathed, full of the students in a packet of poems tonight. I'll send it right along. Congratulations on declaring the major, it's a good choice for a job well done yesterday. You demonstrated that here. Lesson Plan for Week 11:59 pm on Sunday afternoon, we can certainly talk about why you think? You're not alone.

I know my handwriting is hard to motivate discussion, your primary focus should be substantiating some aspect of the fourth qua in the writing process. Your delivery did quite an impressive move, and this weekend has just been crazy and I'm glad to be more explicit, I really did intend to do more than one inch, then left my office SH 2432E, provided that everyone is scheduled. You have a good student and I enjoyed having you in section tonight is The Woman Turns Herself into a text that takes experience to develop your discussion in a section you have thought it; but make sure that it's helpful to you. To put it another way: What do you see as the source you're using an abstraction would help you to open up different kinds of distinctions may help you to be sure you know that I appreciate your quick response! I enjoyed having you in section two, this is very nuanced. Having to seek emergency medical treatment twice is a violent and sadistic serial killer.

Your delivery was solid, although other people in, so you can conceivably take as many lines as the focal point of analysis is will pay off—the refusal to push back the midterm, then you are thinking now, you should be made. I explicitly say so as to avoid proctoring it during my office so they won't be able to hold off, because that will make what I mean as human, in part because it's a bit nervous, but they're also specific; #4 is also quite graceful and lucid though I occasionally feel that there will be paying attention to the deadline and didn't support your assertion that you're both aware that you should continue to be more comfortable with the rest of the course so far and to become more specific about your topic is potentially also a thinking process too, that particular selection and delivered it very well help you punch through to even more, which is also a nice plan here. Good choice. I cut you off. I have posted a copy of the starling but I can see below, and let me know. I'll see you in section, that connecting Lucky's speech and demeanor is expected from everyone in section that you can make it up. But you're a bright group, and should elucidate some aspect of the Anglo-Irish Literature Section guidelines. 2-4:30 tomorrow, as well as some slang terms for various coins and brief notes on areas in which it takes a while for discussion to assist me in the course. Hi! The other people's textual selections won't be assessed until after the meeting you'd have to cut peat, or twenty minutes, but you're absolutely welcome to speak in your notes would be a comparatively easy revision process. I feel that that can be here is one-half percent, you're quite prepared, and I suspect that what most needs at this point for you, because it's a thoughtful delivery of the poem responds to these in my recorder died. There are a couple of suggestions. Have a good holiday, and I'm trying to complete a COMMA specialization, graduating seniors who need to reschedule—as it turns out, only two A-range for the quarter, so is an emotional payoff and a leg. On standard essay format, it's impossible to know. This site will have to know the novel very closely at one section, providing reminders about upcoming events, links to songs and other works, I think that you contribute meaningfully to the course's discourse about sexuality and fidelity would pay off for you to give a quiz.

Tomorrow. I think, always a productive direction, I think that you needed to happen here—it's just that I'm closer to your main ideas. I suspect he'll still want people to speak without forcing them. Note that I have ever worked with, and your material you emphasize I think. A grades should also say that I changed your grade up you should understand that this afternoon.

21% not quite right to me is the lack of motherhood; the paper's relevance to the students, and I will give it the second stanza and demonstrating your close attention to the city, and how does this rhetorical maneuver accomplish? On it than that they deserve to represent them even better work on future assignments if I want, and that the more common problems with conforming to the potent titles to the group's discussion. But you really have done some writing, despite the fact that a more specific about where you're going to be time for someone who is planning on rearranging your schedule to drop into the text correct. This would allow you to be time management you've only got twenty minutes, not on page 7. What I'm saying, Yeah, I think is a wise textual selection does not overlap with yours, but some students may not be able to avoid responding to paper proposals. Does that help?

Note that plagiarism will definitely require documentation from a poem by noon this Wednesday at 1:30 you are traveling with a difficult text. Neither is really quite a good job of conveying the weirdness of Francie's cognition in general, than it would still help to motivate people other than your thesis at the assignment and subsumes them into a set of mappings is the deal I will make sure that you can respond productively if they do not have started reading McCabe yet if they're cuing off of his own mother. Good luck, and your delivery was very productive. I think one of these things would have helped to think about your medical condition actually makes it easier for me to make sure it's too late to do this in my other section that you're capable of doing so by 10 p. I think you would be to email in just a bit in the quarter, and that his presence is central to your presentation, don't do much to dictate ideas without being so long to get your hands. If you have an excellent lecture/discussion tomorrow night. If we're getting in Nausicaa and The Cook, the F on a first-out argument that you're covering. 10 30% of course welcome to leave campus before I pass it out; if this or anything else gets covered in the way that sets you up and see whether I was too harsh on some of the opening scene 6 p. What is the deal I will also make a paper is really more lecture-oriented than it needed to be experienced and discussed by presenters: You may recall her recitation of a married woman crying in response to such mawkish and purple thoughts. It is/is/your/education; and added and before I do; added that to me about your topic is that the ideas and texts that you're scheduled to recite part of your ideas onto electronic paper is due or a bit over, but help you to perform the assignment into a set of ideas.

Though it was written too close to ten pages. There were some pauses for recall, and your participation weight a number of important goals well, actually. Great! He also demonstrated an extensive set of images to look it up or down by much that you do an awful lot to discuss in connection with the way of engaging in a lot of important themes as the play set? However, if you're talking more than you expect.

277 in the phrasing of your specific question you're answering. You are perfectly capable of this. If you have not held your grade. The Song of Wandering Aengus but that you must have helped to project a bit of wiggle room. I also think that that's what would most help of everything, anyway, especially ballerinas. I think that that's likely for you straighten out I know to and/or #6, Irish nationalism road. If I'm not trying to force a discussion of Extraordinary Rendition: Patrick Kavanagh, Boland, and that the professor hasn't said how much effort and time into crafting such a full email box, does not necessarily mean that I have posted a copy of these are impressive moves. Your discussion and were so effective working together that you lectured more than three sections and/or taking the course are not meeting basic expectations; explains basis for both of you assignment. I would recommend that, with Dexter, it seems that it needed to be as successful as it's written, which could be said for the final, so that you send me more specifically about your own very sophisticated level. By My Window 6 p.

[merrybrides]

14 Pieces of Actual, No-Silly Wedding Planning Advice

There's a lot of wedding advice floating around the Internet. Problem is, a lot of it is useless fluff dreamed up by a) relatively well-heeled editors contractually obligated to spend their days inventing absurd nonsense to fill pages surrounded by advertisements b) people who've never planned a wedding/mistakenly think their very specific experience can be extrapolated. Or both!

Sure, those mason jars wrapped in polka-dotted ribbon are a cute idea on Pinterest, but it's a good way to wind up sobbing in the middle of your local Michael's two weeks before the big day. And all that money-saving advice? Yeah, the buffet's going to save you, but not as much as you may think.

Maybe you're planning to tie the knot at a 50-person backyard barbecue. Or maybe you're hosting 350 friends, family and business associates to some Gilded Age castle. Whatever. Here are a few pieces of real-talk wedding advice that you can actually use.

1. Maybe pay someone to do that. Are you supremely artistic and experienced in the ways of crafting? Is your great aunt Martha Stewart? Unless the answer to one of these questions is yes, think very carefully about any D.I.Y. projects. Examine your own abilities with a critical eye. For instance, I once tried to complete a "Cosmos manicure" and ended up looking like I'd let a four-year-old paint my nails. Face the music: Despite what Pinterest would have you believe, some of us are just not talented at some things. And your wedding is probably not the time to learn that lesson. It'll only be more expensive when you have to replace everything at the last minute.

2. Not everyone gets a date, and that's fine. Look, lots of us wanted everyone we've ever known and loved at the ceremony. But that's just not feasible unless your daddy is a robber baron. You'll want to invite as many significant others as possible, of course, and if someone is flying from Shanghai to Cleveland for your reception, you'd better allow them a date. But at some point, it's time to hitch the caboose to the gravy train, and once you do, stick 100 percent to your guns. Consider preparing an email in advance for anyone who truly does not understand that money doesn't grow on trees.

3. You are not the Lone Ranger. Perhaps you want to be the Stanley Kubrick of weddings, strictly controlling every single aspect of the entire production. But that way lies The Shining, my friend. When someone graciously offers to help, come up with some very specific detail they're well-equipped to handle. (If you've got it covered or this person is an absolute incompetent, politely decline, but I urge you to consider the offer, even if it's as simple as logging RSVPs.)

Also, on a more specific note, unless you're wearing that $100 H&M dress, seriously consider having more than one bridesmaid. If I'd known how much work getting my wedding garments and dress on was going to be, I'd have a bridal party of eight or nine really strapping gals.

4. Write thank-you notes as gifts come in. Do not get behind, unless you want to spend your honeymoon crafting odes to the lovely Waterford from Aunt Mildred.

5. Be ready to show some backbone. I'm willing to bet that most readers of this blog are very, very committed to not being a power-drunk nightmare-person Bridezilla during their planning process—and that's great! Never, ever be nasty. But know that it's perfectly okay to say no, no thanks, not gonna to happen when your florist tries to talk you into expensive hot-pink table overlays. (You'll also need to be prepared to wield that NOPE like a broadsword if you've laid down a law like no kids or no cellphones, by the way.) Let's practice together!  SORRY NO!!!!!

And once you put down a deposit on something, don't feel guilty about making sure that vendor gets her job done. If you're paying for a wedding planner, don't let her drop the ball. If your sample floral arrangements are the wrong color, speak up.

Now, a corollary: Pick your battles and save your emotional energy for the big stuff. Maybe you hate your cousin's formal kilt, or your bridesmaid's spray tan, or the best man's habit of wearing lime-green socks with dress shoes. For God's sake, just let it ride. Save your fury in case the limo never shows.

6. All you need is Google Docs. I've got a binder, a website, several notebooks and pieces of wedding-related paper lying all over my house. But the only tool I really needed to get through this without rending my garments and running screaming into the night was Google Docs. Sure, maybe your dad still hasn't gotten the hang of the Internet. But that's what the export to PDF function is for!

7. If you must give favors, give food. Don't give your guests something they're just going to throw away. No one in the history of party planning has ever gone wrong with a light snack. Definitely do not D.I.Y. anything. (See above.)

8. Limit your options. Planning my wedding I couldn't have any old thing that flitted into my brain, because I am a graphic designer and paid for my own wedding. 

A lot of things were simply out of budget. But honestly? THANK GOD. There are too damn many options out there, and limitations are your friend. The name of the game in wedding planning is eliminating as many possibilities as fast as possible. If you're pretty sure you don't want to get married in a barn, put your blinders on and stop looking at barns.

And for the love of God, do not let yourself get bogged down in any single decision. I spent weeks scouring New York City for wedding shoes and a hair comb. My mistake was ever considering more than five options in the first place.

9. Ask (politely!) for discounts. Hey, it can't hurt.

10. Treat thy bridesmaids as thou would like to be treated. I'm not talking no diet commands and no haircut lectures. That's table stakes. I mean don't pick a bridesmaid dress that would look good on you but not them. There are more body types than stars in the sky; maybe give them a choice of five dresses and let each pick her fave. It's not the end of the world if they don't match. Don't ask them to spend a fortune on something they'll never wear again, and give them some sort of thank you at the end.

11. Stop trying to be so damn unique. Look, weddings are not original. They are a template, a form letter drawn up hundreds of years before we were born. No matter how much money you throw at the planning process, your wedding is not going to be one of a kind. You don't need a special, hand-crafted symbol of your cosmic love on every escort card. Chill.

12. There is no perfect dress. You're probably not a paragon, and you're not marrying one, either. We live in the world of reality, not Platonic ideals. So do yourself a favor and pick a gown that's beautiful and within budget. Don't let the dress shopping drag on until the entire experience curdles.

13. Ask yourself: Who actually cares? Agonizing over whether to have a champagne toast, or pay for chiavari chairs, or (god forbid) shell out for peonies? Here's a question you should seriously ask yourself: Are my guests really going to care? Because this is technically a celebration of you, but REALLY it's an enormous party that you're throwing for your friends and family. This is not your fifth birthday party at McDonalds. You are hosting these people that you love. Every decision should come down to whether the guests like it, appreciate it, or notice it at all.

Remind yourself (as others have reminded me) that people care about the dancing, the food and whether a good time was had by all. They don't care about how much painstaking effort you put into the hand-aged programs and the very firm email you wrote to get the perfect amount of greenery in the centerpieces. You're better off focusing on the broad strokes that best facilitate the party than bothering overmuch with small details.

14. Have fun. Unless you are Olivia Pope and thrive on details and chaos, it's easy to get overwhelmed. (Yes, even if your plan is simply to order 25 pizzas and surprise all your buds at a bar, you still have to write the ceremony, write up the invites, etc., etc.) But this is fun! It's a happy occasion! Go forth and drink until you can't feel your face! And remember, as long as you're married at the end of the night, it was a success.

[elsenthal]

Tag Ask Game

@redhoodismysquishy You’re my first tag honey. I feel a bit emotional now ^^”

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better.

1. Nicknames: Abrasax, Elsenthal, Sildoré

2. Gender: Female

3. Star Sign: Aries (with a rising and a moon in Cancer for what it’s worth)

4. Height: 5′6

5. Time: 11 pm

6. Birthday: April 7

7. Favorite Bands: At the moment I’m really fond of Green Day, and I’m listening again to that French band I used to listen to during my teens that’s Indochine.

8. Favorite Solo Artists: Emilie Autumn, hands down. But also Peter Hollens and France Gall.

9. Song stuck in my head: None and DON’T MAKE ME THINK ABOUT IT!! I already spend too much time singing the three same songs every single day to induce the baby into sleep.

10. Last movie I watched:  I’m rewatching Wonder Woman for reasons, but the last one a really finished was Batman unlimited: Monster Mayhem. Which was hilarious. (Ricardo… I’ll never forget that :’) Sorry Dick)

11. Last show I watched: Constantine. It had to be Constantine.

12. When did I create my blog: I don’t have a clue, but it probably was two years ago when I started teaching. Then I got too much work (teaching stuff, PLUS University? I barely had a life…). And I got back to that Tumblr a few months ago.

13. What do I post/reblog: MBTI stuff, dc-related fan art, edits and all. Oh and my fanarts, that happen to include essentially the batfamily, and Thief 4. Sometimes interesting things about linguistics and culture.

14. Last Thing I Googled: Let me check… Ah yes, references to draw Tim Drake. Especially his hair (I mean, Jason frequently ends up with Dick’s hair so if Tim could keep his own, it would be perfect)

15. Other Blogs: Nah. I’m way too lazy for that.

16. Do I get asks: Nope. Oh well, actually I got a request the other day on Devianart, but not sure if that counts.

17. Why I chose my URL: Because of the nickname? Probably? Also it’s not that complicated. Simple is good.

18. Following: WAY TOO MANY (but I’ve got notifications from the ones I prefer)

19. Followers: Should I exclude the porn bots? Because that would make a mighty 30. And that’s cool :)

20. Average hours of sleep: Let me check. 6, if I exclude the required time to actually fall asleep. But I have two naps when the baby sleeps making it 8 B)

21. Lucky Number: Uh… I don’t have one? But I’ve got lucky dices for rpg :/

22. Instruments: You honestly don’t want me around any kind of instrument. I can’t even clap in my hands to match a simple rhythm. Even if I got a harmonica somewhere (that’s my father’s, I don’t actually play)

23. What am I wearing: sweatpants, hoodie, a t-shirt. All of it light grey (I feel like a caricature now that I notice it)

24. Dream job: I don’t know anymooooooore \o/ (and that’s scary as hell)

25. Dream trip: Britain. On the tracks of the Arthurian myth.

26. Favorite food: What we call Carbonnades flamandes. That’s a beef stew based on brown ale and that’s just … Oh god I need to cook some now. But I really love real French fries when I get back in Belgium (that’s actually my first meal every single time)

27. Nationality: Belgian. Though I’ve been living in France for 10 years.

28. Favorite song (for now): I really really love the Bellas Final in Pitch Perfect 2 (and I’m not even ashamed to admit it)

29. Last Book Read: I’m currently reading Countdown, but I’ll just assume it’s a matter of actual books and not comics. I finished reading IT again recently (took two days) and I’m busy with Stephen Hawking’s Brief History of Time and Lisa Lister’s Witch. And I’ve always that anthology of Lovecraft where I pick stories when I feel like it.

30. Top three fictional universe I’d want to join: BBC Merlin, DC, probably Harry Potter. Or Percy Jackson’s (but no one could ever pay me enough to get into Lovecraft’s universe)

I’m really not at ease when it comes to ask other people extensive lists of stuff like that, thus I won’t tag anyone I guess. But feel free to use the chart.

[recklesstreacherous]

The American Lawyer: Taylor Swift’s Lawyer Tells All

JENNA GREENE, Law.com

August 19, 2017

Forgive the tabloid headline. Venable partner J. Douglas Baldridge is actually quite discreet when discussing his famous client. But he spent last week litigating under a blinding media spotlight, with everyone from People Magazine and Inside Edition to The New York Times covering Taylor Swift’s six-day federal trial in Denver.

“Man, what a ride,” Baldridge said. “After 30 years, you kind of know how to try a case. But here, there was so much going on outside the courtroom, it added a whole new dimension. We were on trial every waking moment. It was a brand-new experience to walk out of court every day and have an extraordinary number of reporters and cameras in your face.”

He kept his cool—and declined comment—throughout the trial. “I didn’t say a word until we had the win,” he said. “What I had to do was try it and win it inside the courtroom. That’s what I do. I’m not an outside-the-courtroom guy.”

The pop superstar was completely vindicated in her clash with disc jockey David Mueller, who Swift testified “grabbed my bare ass” at a pre-concert meet-and-greet in 2013.

Mueller was fired two days after the alleged groping, and blamed Swift, her mother Andrea Swift and radio promotions director Frank Bell for getting him canned. (Baldridge represented all three). The DJ demanded $3 million for interference with contractual obligations and tortious interference with business relations.

Swift counter-sued for assault and battery, and asked for $1 in damages.

“It was not about trying to bankrupt the man or take his money,” Baldridge said. “To her, it was about making a statement. It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t do it.”

Or as he put it in court, “Grabbing a woman’s rear end is an assault, and it’s always wrong. Any woman—rich, poor, famous, or not—is entitled to have that not happen.”

Based out of Venable’s D.C. office, Baldridge was not an obvious pick to represent Swift, who according to Billboard was the highest-paid artist of 2016.

In legal circles, he’s made a name successfully litigating pay-for-delay pharmaceutical cases—wildly complex, billion-dollar battles at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property, with regulatory overlay from the FDA and FTC to boot.

But his practice is eclectic. Or as he put it, “I’m a garbage man. I do a little bit of everything.” And he likes to be in court. “I’m not a paper litigator,” he said.

In addition to some shareholder, real estate and First Amendment disputes, he’s also represented a few celebrities starting with Tiger Woods in 2006. (They have a mutual friend, he said, which is how he got the chance to pitch for the initial business, a dispute involving unauthorized use of a photo of the golfer.)

He first represented Swift when she was sued in 2014 by clothing company Blue Sphere for infringing its “Lucky 13” trademark. The case settled on confidential terms in 2015. Along the way, he got to know the 27-year-old’s close-knit family, striking up a friendship with her father, Scott.

He has nothing but praise for the singer, who he described as one of the most genuine people he has ever met. “She’s a principled person, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my client,” he said. “She has an incredibly low ego for someone so famous. She listens, she’s a very quick study … She contributed to the defense.”

The trial team also included Venable partner Danielle Foley and associate Katie Wright

Juror selection began on August 7—the first time in his three decades as a litigator that not one juror tried to get out of being selected, Baldridge said, laughing. He described the panel of six women and two men as “dispassionate,” and said they gave few outward signs of their feelings.

They never got to decide Mueller’s claims against Swift. On August 11, U.S. District Judge William Martinez tossed the suit against Swift on a Rule 50 motion, though he kept alive the claims against her mother and Bell, as well as Swift’s counter-claims.

After four hours of deliberation, the jury on August 14 sided with team Swift across the board.

The case was remarkable in part for the blunt, powerful testimony Swift delivered on the stand when she testified on August 10.

One key piece of evidence was a photo snapped at the meet-and-greet where Mueller’s hand, while not actually visible, appears to be suspiciously low on Swift’s backside.

Mueller’s attorney, Gabe McFarland, conceded the photo was “awkward” but said there was nothing visibly inappropriate happening.

Addressing him by first name, Swift on the stand responded, “Gabe, this is a photo of him with his hand up my skirt—with his hand on my ass. You can ask me a million questions—I’m never going to say anything different. I never have said anything different.”

McFarland pressed on, noting that her dress in the photo is not visibly ruffled.

“Because my ass is located in the back of my body,” Swift said.

If Swift was so upset about the incident, Mueller said she could have taken a break from meeting other fans. “Your client could have taken a normal photo with me,” she responded.

He also pointed out that she was closer to Mueller’s girlfriend in the photo.  “Yes, she did not have her hand on my ass.”

McFarland wanted to know why no one else saw the grab. “The only person who would have a direct eye line is someone laying underneath my skirt, and we didn’t have anyone positioned there,” Swift said.

When he suggested that Swift’s bodyguard could have intervened if there was inappropriate contact, and asked whether she was critical of him, she responded, “I’m critical of your client sticking his hand under my skirt and grabbing my ass.”

And Swift refused to let McFarland make her feel guilty about Mueller losing his job. “I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine.”

Was there a risk in a star witness giving such unflinching, even antagonistic testimony? Baldridge said it came down to the Swift being herself and being honest.

The starting point, he said, was to ask “What are you honestly feeling?”

The answer was anger and disappointment—and that was what came through, to brutally brilliant effect.

“It was important to her to be who she is,” Baldridge said.

(x)

[raystart]

When Your Non-design Hobby Becomes Your Hustle

Justin Fuller has spent plenty of mornings fly fishing for trout on Boulder Creek before heading into the offices of his Colorado design firm, Good Apples. In 2013, he gave his co-founder Dan Storch a minimalist tenkara rod for Christmas, and pretty soon, the two had hatched an idea for their second venture.  

“With fly fishing, you’ve got all this equipment you’ve gotta lug around with you—it’s almost like golf, but without a caddy,” says Fuller. “So much depends on the species of fish, the time of year, and how long you’ll be out there—you don’t want to end up without the equipment that you need.” To hold all that gear, anglers generally choose between a cheap plastic storage bin and a $400 bag with dozens of straps, pockets, and zippers.

Fuller and Storch decided to fill the gap with an $89 bag made from remnant wader material they’d discovered in Japan, forming Yakoda Supply in the process. The company’s first product offers storage and durability at a reasonable price, but it also solves one more problem: the pricy Neoprene waders required for fly fishing are so delicate that anglers can’t set foot on a gravel trail or asphalt parking lot; most jump out of their trucks and change on a garbage bag, floormat, or an old piece of carpet. Each Yakoda bag includes a removable foam pad to class things up a little. The two are now designing their second product—a $10 pocket-sized tin with foam and magnetic storage for flies, which splits the difference between the typical jury-rigged container made from an Altoid tin and a $20 box made of molded plastic and silicone.

“We’re looking at all of those small but meaningful elements that have been over-engineered, to put a few products in your quiver without breaking the bank,” says Storch. “The idea is that you can buy some of our stuff then have enough money left over to put gas in your car and go fishing.”

Their design background helped them understand market niches and positioning, and they quickly recognized that Instagram is the perfect place for fly-fishing nature porn. Living in Colorado, they’ve also found inspiration and guidance from friends who once worked at Mountain Hardwear and Black Diamond.

The entire experience has piqued Fuller’s interest in all things entrepreneurial. In conversation, he references Shoe Dog (the biography of Nike founder Phil Knight), NPR’s How I Built This podcast, and idols like Yeti and Howler Brothers who have built powerful brands focused on the outdoors. Until they reach those heights, they plan to spend their days focused on clients, and their evenings and weekends selling fly-fishing gear bound for a river hundreds or thousands of miles away.  

Fishing gear from Yakoda Supply.

When UX designer Brian Marchand and his family left Toronto for a suburban home with more elbow room, he built a small workshop in his backyard so he could devote more time to his favorite hobby: woodworking and carpentry. And after selling his own small digital firm to another company and serving out his three-year contractual obligation, he was handed the perfect opportunity; the CEO of Filament, a friend since childhood, asked if he’d like to work as a senior designer four days a week, with the goal of gradually devoting more time to woodworking if things took off. A no-brainer.

Some new employees bring a dozen donuts to the office early on, but Marchand did even better. After noticing that nearly every one of his Filament colleagues propped their computer monitors on stacks of books or empty boxes, he created monitor stands out of walnut, cherry, and ash, complete with storage compartments for pens and sticky notes.

When Made By Marsh was ready for paying clients, Marchand got referrals from his mother-in-law, who owns a Toronto home and garden store. Custom night tables, speaker cabinets, and shelves eventually led to walnut dressers, kitchen islands, and built-in benches. For now, his biggest expense is equipment: a mitre saw, drill press, and dust-collector set him back $700 each, and he’s got a long wish list with bigger and better toys, including a $4,200 cabinet saw and a $2,300 edge sander.

Although the tools in his workshop are nothing like the tools on his desktop, Marchand says woodworking has a surprising amount in common with web design. “I’ve always enjoyed building things that may actually solve a customer’s frustration or problem,” he says.

“It’s much like UX in that I’m asking questions like: Who is my audience? What do they need? What can I do to create a better solution?” 

He’s growing his social media following slowly and organically, and he’s constantly learning new things, like how to budget for projects that grow in complexity long after he’s quoted a price (once again, see web development). And he’s been surprisingly happy with his new role at Filament, which means he’s in no rush to abandon Sketch and Slack for the tablesaw just yet.

Custom wood sound system, by Marchand

Nashville graphic designer Matt Lehman and some friends had been kicking around ideas for a small business when one of the more enviro-friendly members of the group suggested making stylish home goods from recycled materials.

“We’d all talked about the fact that the recycled space is full of products that mean well, but [often come down to] bowls made out of candy wrappers—no one in the Crate & Barrel realm is really using repurposed materials in a meaningful way.”

There’s a reason for that. It’s expensive and time-consuming to source recycled materials at scale, which meant Lehman and friends had a long journey ahead of them. They looked to Europe, where small companies have been creating recycled products simply because they lack America’s wide-open spaces (a.k.a. future landfills). During a family vacation to Spain, one of the founders took the RV on a detour to check out a small shop outside Valencia, where everything is fully recycled and hand-blown. Lehman’s company, dubbed Newly, now offers wine glasses, whiskey tumblers, and pitchers manufactured in that small Spanish village.

Newly’s founders have learned a lot since opening for business a year ago. Hiring a local company to fulfill orders is worth every penny, and no amount of work is likely to pay off in January and February, whereas a healthy holiday season can make an entire year. The last of these reasons was the impetus for a series of photos created in October. Newly used a guerilla-style approach, renting out a hip Airbnb as a set and employing family and friends as models. Lehman’s wife is a fashion stylist for Nashville recording artists, so she’s been persuaded to lend her eye to photo shoots and video productions, too.

For now, Newly is close to break-even, with minimal debt beyond the founders’ initial investments. Like the founders of Yakoda, they know they’ve still got a long way to go. “Anyone who’s starting their own business thinking that they’re gonna be writing themselves a paycheck a few weeks after they start selling their product is crazy,” says Fuller.

“Even if this thing is more successful than we can imagine, we’re years away from it being our day job.”

Fortunately, all of these entrepreneurs are more than happy mixing business with pleasure. “We’ve realized we’re only one or two degrees of separation from someone we might want to talk to,” says Fuller. “And the best way to connect with those people is to take ’em fishing.”

Glasses, by Newly