#btw. not saying these issues in the industry are new. but i feel personally now its tenfold

[vengefulvermin]

Can i get more passage of time/music development yapping ☹️☹️☹️??? I give you official permission to yap the most you can im so interested

YES YES YES YES YES I LOVE THIS ASK

warning beneath the cut SCARY WALL OF TEXT WARNING 😱

decided to divide it into colored parts if you dont gaf about certain elements 😭

second warning all of this is unedited rambling so some points might contradict each other or just plain not make sense.

okay so for CONTEXTTTTT

i have diagnosed OCD, and like, roughly since the end of last year and the beginning of this one, the 'obsession' part of OCD that was negatively affecting me, was the concept of time. how fleeting it was. how it's basically unescapable ALL THINGS MUST PASS (get out of my head george harrison) that shit proper cold dead SCARED ME MAN. sleepless & haunting me in my dreams type shi. sometimes it still does. i try not to think about it too much

to cope, i found great comfort in the 70s-80s since at the time i was and still am hyperfixated on david bowie and that was sort of his prime (love his 90s-00s work tho.) i was also starting to think of how much parallels and similar experiences i have to previous generations and how it's not ALL that bad after all so far. i can still walk to a record store and roller skate if i really wanted to, or go to a diner.

okey here's where the life changing stuff happens. i decided i'd listen to pink floyd's the dark side of the moon. then TIME CAME ON. ohhhh god oh gosh golly god i was bawling and everything the whole song spoke to me on a molecular level. then i found out about DB's song also called time, and i ALSO crode to that. i was like. wow. i'm not alone on this feeling of utter desperation and helplessness as eventually all things Must Pass. (GEORGE HARRSION GTFO)

i used to be bitchy on how i whined i was part of the 'wrong generation.' i thought i was alone, but virtually everyone of almost every era has thought this. somebody who lived my dream life wished they had what i have now.

that's when i started to lowkey realize the parallels and oneness of human experience. i could go to a club in the 70s, and (granted the infrastructure and music remains similar) i could today. nothing would change on how i perceive events. there is no color filter on the past. unless you got huge TVs and stuff all over your house, you could walk around, and think it's the 80s. AND IT'S BASICALLY THE 80s. the way your parents or any other gen Xer saw the world with their *eyes* (not counting the changes in buildings and stuff) is the same as you today pretty much.

i already really enjoy subcultures, and particularly how they evolve and adapt. the indomitable human spirit prevails no matter how gentrified or 'banned' things become. nowadays i feel like there is No Youth Subcultures. at least, none that will pass the test of time and be memorable enough to be remembered in the books. nobody's gonna go to their child and proudly say: "when i was your age, i was a chav" or something. and i credit this to the lack of creativity allowed in the wider music industry.

HEAR ME OUT this is because 90% of youth subcultures had everything to do with music. and now, everything must be palatable. to be clear there's nothing inherently wrong with that type of music, but to me it speaks no soul. it has no risks. contemporary pop music is very much formulaic and this is because now more than ever entertainment (this also applies to movies btw) is more of an investment than passion. I WILL SPECIFY.

music production is so vastly different genre to genre, and we're not letting it flourish because of how much short form content is valued nowadays. LET ME COOK.

tiktoks are formulaic. algorithms are formulaic. WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. there must be an instant hook or rift in music if you want to 'go viral' as a musician. digitized fame doesn't mean SHIT (to me), since clearly monthly listeners don't equate real world fans. album sales are being replaced with streams, and because of how ASS spotify treats its artists, newer, less established acts need to GET ON THE GRIND INSTANTLY to earn Coin. that means that to be smart and work with the exploitative system they're given, they have to make albums filled with 1 minute 30 second songs. so you can technically give them the most amount of streams possible. i feel with this formulaic approach, you can't get 6 minute long gutwrenching guitar pieces. no more 4 minute drum solos, hell avant garde experimental works were 2 people shout their names out at each other for 20 minutes. THERE ARE NO MORE FRANK ZAPPAS.

i'm not going to be one of those sad assholes who claim there's 'no more good rock music' and how it'll never be the same. as corny as this is, the next beatles or nirvana could be right under our noses and we'll NEVER know because of how fame is distributed. it sucks to see a small band beg on tiktok for streams to kickstart their career. but this is what we gotta work with. if we want subcultures to be created and thrive, we gotta go looking underground again, except unlike in the past it's a kajillion times easier now AND everything gets gentrified in 2 tiktok weeks. but this is evolution. MUSIC EVOLUTION

the end honk shoo honk shoo (it's midnight)

[patamus-warmer]

Do you live in butte? It kinda seems like you’re treating my town like a poverty zoo for your art. Do you even know any of the people that frequent pissers palace? Why are you taking pictures of peoples homes like that? I get the maybe displaying capitalism decay in a town that was used and abused for its resources and then left for dead. But genuinely your photos feel a little cold to me. It just feels like we’re focusing more on the aesthetic of a decaying house (that btw people live in) and not like the humanity of the fact that people have to live there.

I’ve lived in uptown Butte for two years and no I don’t know any Pissers Palace regulars. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of friends here because I’m not the most socially adept person and Butte is the kind of town where it’s hard to make friends if you’re not from here. However, those facts don’t really matter considering the issues you raise, anon. I want to avoid addressing these valid concerns with some kind of PR-tailored bullshit statement and frankly there may not be much I can say that will satisfy you. So, I’ll try to do my best to answer as sincerely as I can.

I hope this ask isn't a troll because it was upsetting to read. Not due to my personal feelings, but because a member of the community feels like my photography is exploiting Butte by only seeing the decay caused by de-industrialization without seeing the broader community as it is, let alone the people. This is a fair criticism that I do think about with my work—probably not thoroughly enough—and one that’s at the heart of photography ethics (e.g. taking pictures of homeless people while doing nothing to change their material conditions). My interests and curiosity do gravitate towards darker aspects in society such as the consequences of late capitalism on communities. I’m not the first (or last) photographer to explore these phenomena, especially in Butte, but it’s what I often photograph. At the same time, this type of photography doesn’t do much to break cycles of exploitation and can create a myopic perception of places inviting gentrification. It definitely makes me consider what I photograph and why, particularly if the work is perceived as “cold” poverty aesthetics. I think one of my intentions with the photography is to help see the deep rooted history in the landscape of Butte that is out of time and special, especially compared to all the gentrified shit holes a lot of cities are now.

However, there’s also the issue you raise which is there’s much more to Butte than that and it’s not just aesthetics. Point taken. My last b&w post doesn’t exactly express positivity while probably coming off as cliche and annoying to people from Butte. Nobody wants to see the place they live in reduced to mindless social media posts. I’ve had a similar, yet inverse reaction many times seeing influencers portraying Montana as a new bastion of freedom while everyone who grew up in the state often view them more as rich, tax-dodging gentrifiers who don’t care about the people or the history. I think the other issue with the lack of humanity in the photography is the lack of portraits. It’s something I’m personally working on to be less shy and take portraits in a respectful manner—with the subject’s permission—without creating a dour perception. Also, I didn’t mean to disrespect the people living in any of the homes I took a picture of—I’d love to meet those people and talk with them.

The last thing I want to say is this: I have nothing but respect and admiration for Butte. And not to sound patronizing or condescending, I specifically admire the passion and dignity of this community that comes through in your ask, the town’s strong labor history and compassion for marginalized people. One event I attended last year was when after the public library gave into nazi demands to cancel a trans speaker, our local community radio station hosted her talk and the town came out in force to stand in solidarity with her. They did the same thing recently to make sure an ADA ramp wasn't defunded by the county commissioners.

I’ll never be from Butte, but I’m honored to live here and want to contribute to it respectfully. I see more beauty and the wonder of a place out of time in Butte than a decaying town to pity. You may see it differently in my photos and that’s fine.  If you want to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out: patrickwarnerphoto@gmail.com.

[zzencat]

here for the free mini readings!

🥳, Libra sun, A.D

my question(s) are:

When I do eventually publish (a book), will it have a good outcome?

will I meet my Fs before next year? (I keep getting mixed signals 💀)

what should I be focusing on right now?

thank you so much for your time and energy in advance ❤️ I hope you have a great day/night.

Hello AD!!! Thank you for joining me today! Get ready for a lot of reading bc damn…😳

Q. 1 + 3

Ok so first things first, I’m picking up aggressive energy, frustration towards this book. There’s an air of impatience and dissatisfaction. I’m getting the feeling that it’s less on creativity and more on what the public will enjoy. It sucks bc how the book gets received will bounce back and you may be prone to the negative criticism. “Is it even worth it? What’s the point anymore?” There has to have been inspiration before, but now there’s just a lot of conflict going thru your mind. I don’t think you’re going to publish it anytime soon bc there’s still a lot of dissatisfaction with it, and you’re still very stuck in a period of stagnancy and worrying. Even if you were to release it like “*shrugs* whatever- I’m just glad I got it over with,” you’re still gonna be unsatisfied with it. This could be due to the content of the book being heavily filtered or changed to fit what people would wanna read, instead of writing what you truly want to write about, raw creativity and everything you’d wanted to put in it. You’ll be struggling to find inspiration for a while and this stagnancy could last you well enough until financial issues finally get you in the gut. I have to tell you: put your soul into this project. Welcome your bouts of creativity. Anything can be as inspiration. A part of this huge bubble of stagnation is how competitive people can get in the creative industry, but don’t let that get you down too much either. Don’t worry about time, bc you will align with what you were meant to do if you truly sit down and listen to yourself. Stop worrying about the outcome and just write whatever you want. “Just fucking write.” I felt urged to say that 😂 There also has to be some kind of ego death happening in order for you to finish your book as yourself. Also, if you’re afraid of running out of time for whatever reason, don’t be. If you rush things, they’ll fall and crumble as fast as they were found. Good things take time. I’m urging you to keep that in mind!!

Additionally, if your time is reliant on financial needs, make sure you have something to support yourself on the side to gain extra.

Q. 2 + extra needed advice

Ok so the person who could be a person of love interest is possibly someone from the past (like someone you’d already had a relationship with, someone you knew of, or someone you just knew.) If this is not a returning person, it’s someone that you could’ve known from a past life. Don’t get fooled easily by people who come packed with money btw!

There are too many things atm to figure out, especially internally, before you meet a good future spouse. Otherwise, acting out of desperation and impatience to find the one will bring a worse outcome (especially someone who doesn’t take care of their finances well. Small hint.)

I would HEAVILY advise that if someone is toxic (past or new person) and you know it? Don’t chase after them. Also!!! Avoid possible swindlers or people who try to use/cheat you out of your money. Don’t make yourself vulnerable to these people, and don’t give yourself away so easily. Set boundaries and be more strict with the people around you. Don’t just let anyone in easily.

That’s about it! Thank you for taking the time to send in an ask AD!! Best of luck 😎👍

[alightwhendarknessfell]

Recent Palaye Royale Issues

I am beyond disappointed in Palaye. Yet somehow not surprised. I feel like as fans, at this point. You only should be surprised at yourself…for trusting these male artists with a lot of privilege in life, from birth…to not be even worse. Once they gain even more privilege. The same story keeps happening over and over again. I think the lesson remains to same to all fans. We don’t really know them, so you can’t know they are a good person. Palaye Royale has had several chances over the years and blown them all. Now you have Emerson getting caught in a HUGE lie, while trying to defend himself against accusations he sent vulgar images to a minor. Well if he’s willing to lie about his life and the woman he was engaged to. You can’t trust anything they say. His fiancé btw just left him because of his lies. He said they were in an open relationship and just expected her to SUBMIT and go along with his deception to the bands fans. All because there was evidence of him sending nudes to someone between October of 2022 and now in March. That the person might be a minor. Then Sebastian went on a Twitter rampage trying to do the most desperate damage control, I have ever seen. ( He even had the audacity to try anc cheer on SceneQueen with her new song 18+) Then the accounts of people who tried to share the truth got attacked. The band going as far as to get a google docs account destroyed and deleted. Thinking they got rid of the evidence. Thankfully several people still have the receipts. Then Palaye Royale organized an emergency meeting of their most “loyal” fan via their super engaged discord. This is an obvious sign of grooming. This band grooms their entire fan base. Manipulates them and treats them like they are fools. Then, trying to future distract from their brother being exposed by his own future wife as a liar. Sebastian posts several times about his own wife and puppy…hoping to quiet the fan base. While Remington in a cordinated effort drops a not so causal photo in a shower, tagged with his new GF. That no one knew about for certain until now. Hell of a time for Remington to just drop that don’t you think? They are absolutely masters of their craft. Their craft is manipulating and I wish I trusted my gut years ago. Further more, Remington’s ex Kaylen is supporting Emerson’s now former fiancé Shy and they are in contact with eachother. As is Demerie. Kaylen went so far as to like a post from a BVB fan who talked about how Brandon Hoover’s ex tried to warn people weeks ago that Remington is just as bad as Brandon and that is why they were sticking together. What people don’t realize is that in Heidi’s case she was at PR’s house a lot with Hoover. Crown’s lead singer was their room mate for a long time until really this year. There were so many photos of all the little cliches together. Kaylen was also mistreated by Remington and fans didn’t want to face it back then. ( I didn’t realize until looking at Kaylen’s posts and pain) She has thankfully moved on and is having a child with someone that actually loves her! Palaye Royale are a unique band in the sense that they are brothers. All three brothers have shown everything from problematic behavior to now allegations from their former partners. It’s bad enough when a band has multiple issues without the members being from the same family. This is just too frequent. The more successful they have gotten, the more they lashed out at fans. Palaye Royale went so far as to lash out at fans when they got called out for working with a known trans/phone. ( Which I wish I had known sooner, so I could have left then) Like when there is smoke, there is fire and where their is fire, their is an inferno. Looking at which men are supporting each other in the industry when certain dudes are getting exposed. Is pretty eye opening once you start to look. Considering the effort of not only Emerson, but his brothers. Their corruption and deception is a family affair. If it wasn’t for Shy, so many people would have believed Emerson’s lies and I think that is terrifying. He was counting on a woman he disrespected and betrayed, to be publicly humiliated and lie for him. So he could get away with it. Then continue down the aisle with him? The audacity…

I’ve really LOOKED at PR for the first time and you know what they are all about the “PR”. Their gfs and wives are used as part of their branding and marketing. It became clear how not only Sebastian but then Remington weaponize interest in their personal lives to deflect from their brother’s exposure. Those women are beautiful accessories to vapid men. Those men weaponize mental illness, clothing and cool aesthetics to insight an emotional response and connection to their fans. Who also fall victim. So that you don’t see under the mask. They use interest in their personal lives to expand their mythos and engagement. Their wives and gfs like puppets. Well Shy cut her strings. She didn’t just say oh Emerson lied. She said he was TOXIC and that she was done. My heart aches for her. To be so publicly betrayed and treated like less than a person. She was just his alibi in the end. These women are as lovely as can be, more beautiful conventionally speaking than most ever will be. They still aren’t good enough for the toxic men of this scene. You can’t be good enough for a toxic man. I know you have posted about them in the past Ren and gone to their shows etc. I wasn’t sure if you were still that active with them anymore. I hope you see this if you are. It’s just awful and god if it’s not “all men will disappoint you” in the scene the last year few years…. It’s just endless

Oh and Ashley Purdy came up in all of this and Demerie actually responded to people making some comparison between Emerson and Ashley. She said there are even more VILE things Purdy did that still have never come to light. Even more?!!!! That he should be in jail for and that she is happy BVB kicked him out, at least. That ultimately he needs to be in JAIL though for what he has done.

Last thing for those wondering. If you look at the time line of tweets. You can see fans would say oh maybe he got hacked? Then Emerson is like oh I got hacked. Fans were like, oh he’s in an open relationship So Emerson goes, I’m in an open relationship ) which is how he gets caught in the lie) You can actually see his statement get built by fan theories hours before he made it. Then Sebastian gets sent the 18+ SQ song about bands that let underage girls on buses etc. Suddenly Sebastian, decides to engage with SQ. That kind of mirroring is usually seen with narcissism. Then fans are like oh well forget Emerson I’m music going to stan Seb and Rem. I’m sure they are great partners. Seb and Rem drop a bunch of content showing them as “loving” partners. I’m not a huge conspiracy nut but I’m also not blind either. At least now I don’t have to care about the Palaye Royale album I ordered…that Sumerian Records of course never sent me and basically stole my money. Which is pretty much the general experience with THAT label. You can’t look at anything around Sumerian Records, without the majorly of comments being like “ I ordered all of these things a year ago and I never got to them”.

The above is a submission 

Reply: I feel so bad for Shy, it’s not fair that Emerson lied about their relationship. My heart goes out to her. 

I do agree, that it seems like PR’s team is trying to sweep this under the rug as fast as they can. In my opinion, that’s not a good look because it makes it SO obvious that it’s what they’re doing. 

[riddleredcoats]

Do you think it's okay to return to Harry Potter once JK Rowling is (hopefully soon) dead? I've distanced myself from the series because of her but unfortunately I've attachment issues and keep hoping that at least I can return when she's no longer harming actual people. Btw I adore your Dragon Age fics.

First of all, thank you for reading my fics! It's such a niche subject in DA that I didn't think I'd get any readers much less the amount it seems to generate. I am glad you like them! 😊

Second of all, and I say this with all the love I have for a stranger on the internet, which is not insignificant, don't let people on the internet tell you what to do; not me, not anyone else, though I am somewhat strangely flattered that you thought to ask, lmao.

Seriously now, inform yourself, absolutely, but ultimately it is up to you to judge what you want to do and if any potential harm that it will cause is worth it. 

If you are asking me personally what I am going to do? I won't deny that every time that HP is mentioned it hurts me a lil bit - I mean, I wrote fanfic for this series, ones that I am slightly embarrassed about if only because I was such a new writer, but I did - and it had an impact in my life beyond just fandom as it helped me connect with people even when I was awkwardly shy. So, yeah, I get it. 

But, personally, I will not be buying and/or reading anything wrt Harry Potter again. The whole thing left a bitter taste in my mouth that has tainted the whole series for me, even looking at the books on my bookshelf makes me wince now; maybe if that didn't happen, when she died I would return to the books, but as it is, I doubt it. I admit to a morbid curiosity as to what the plot of the game is, as I cannot believe that the writers of the game would be unaware of all the controversy (even back when they started production of the game) surrounding goblins and would make a game revolving around that... So, I will probably read a review or two, just to see what it is all about, but I will promptly (try to) forget about it. I admit that I considered getting the game through... uh, some other means, but it would just hurt me more, so I decided against it in the end.

Ultimately, do I believe that the most she can do is while she is alive? Yes. Do I think that when she eventually fades away (either by death, by letting go of the rights (which is never going to happen, lmao) or some other way) there is an argument to go back to HP? Perhaps, I am not exactly fluent in these types of things, so I would recommend someone with a better insight of 1. The Industry and 2. The Major Issues At Large (transphobia and antisemitism) and 3. What is left of her Estate when she dies and what it will do, if you want an informed opinion.

Anyway, anon, most of all I am sorry that JKR  is a horrible TERF who appears to be revelling in the hate she gets and the harm she does, and I am sorry that you feel comforted by something you cannot really enjoy anymore. 

[lucidpantone]

Kind of annoys me you never include Omar when discussing their futures in the industry. Even though music is his focus, he has said that he wants to continue in the acting world. He is a great actor and has the versatility to star in spanish english and swedish movies/shows. Let’s not just focus on the white guy.

Firstly if you read the chain the beginning of the chain I didnt discuss omar because the initial anon a few anons back was strictly about edvin and then someone asked about malte and we kept on that line of conversation but since you asked about Omar I have thoughts about Omar actually. Firstly, I appreciate Omar has passion for acting but I do consider him a singer first and foremost. Thats been his profession for a long time (not saying he is a bad actor) am just saying thats Omar's established art form. I don't personally feel like there is enough roles for Omar in swedish media to allow him not to be pigeon holed into a particularly narrative. Now could Omar have a future in spanish speaking media?? Thats a tough call because there is a couple of things he would need to fix first. So Omar's accent is not one that is used in spanish speaking media often. I get it because I have one of these types of spanish accents too. Most spanish speaking media uses the mexican or the spanish style way of speaking so he would need to take some voice lessons which I am sure he could do. Also and i totally get it because Omar probably uses most of his spanish with family if he isnt on tour singing his songs. If you speak spanish and actually listen to him talk he doesnt have the most expansive vocabulary. Which I totally get because I have the same issue I speak fluently but I dont live in a spanish speaking country where am learning new words and expressions and so I tend to repeat sayings and things like that. Also most spanish media exist in madrid or mexico city and so unless he moved to one of these countries his audition opportunities are gonna be few and far between he would need to leave sweden and like really hit the ground running to work the indy spanish circuit and try to work with up and coming directors. Telenovela I think Omar could crush but once again most of those are distributed via Mexico city. I just feel like for now I could easily see Omar always be given the love interest role or the secondary role to a main character instead of being the main protagonist.

Like I just checked my netflix and filter through all the scandi languages and they are a few shows with diversity but its not super pronounced and I get its probably something thats being worked on in swedish media but just makes me wonder if Omar would have enough range in roles in Sweden and he would need to make some big life sacrifices to break into the latin market. BTW I think Omar would crush certain telenovela's and some latam netflix shows too. I just dont personally see swedish media being the best route for his big screen success.I think Omar has the talent to take a role on like what Gael Garcia's breakout role in Amores Perros. Like Omar would destroy a role like that but he just needs to move to an area in the world where that role is up for grabs imo.

[aplateoflasagna]

When I heard Mashidam went on hiatus all those months ago, I was devastated. I cried writing a tumblr post about what I was feeling at that moment. Seeing the news now about Mashidam leaving Treasure made me feel empty. it's wierd. Maybe it's because I was at my job and I coudn't really express how I felt and now that we're already 10 hours later and I've had to chance to think about it, rationalise it, and finally come to terms with it.

This is a much better reaction than I thought I would have btw. Like yeah, it hurts, but maybe, somehow, I already expected this news. Eventhough earlier this day, I was still thinking about the possibility of Mashiho and Yedam going on stage at the last day of Treasure's Japan tour and singing a duet together to announce their comeback haha... It feels silly now, but that's how I was coping I guess. I really believed they would come back, but knowing they won't maybe gave me some peace of mind. The uncertanty is gone, the waiting is over and now the healing process can begin.

We'll never know why exactly they left. We can only trust YGE's words that Mashiho decided to leave because of health issues and Yedam left because he wants to produce music instead of perform it. We'll never know what happened, so I'm choosing to believe Yedam and Mashiho shared their doubts with the company during Jikjin era and were put on haitus before they made their decision final. Mashi and Yedam had about 6 months to change their minds and they didn't.

The timing of the announcement is suspect ofcourse but I honestly think YGE made the best decision they could have to let fans get used to the idea of Treasure being a 10 member group. It worked for me. When their hiatus was announced I was so devastated + scared that Treasure wouldn't work as 10. Losing their main vocalist + main dancer/lead vocalist... I didn't think they could do it tbh... But now I've seen them perform their songs as 10 and they do it so well. They've had a successful comeback as OT10, they are still a unified group. And now I realise that's why i'll keep supporting them: They are still a group of people I fell in love with. I want to see them succeed and make more/new memories with them. I'll never forget them as 12 but I want to move forward with Treasure as they are now because I just don't have another choice. Not supporting them just isn't an option for me.

I'll miss Mashiho. I think he was born to be on stage. During Teuday and during Trace, I was in awe. He's so talented and passionate. He has all my respect and it breaks my heart that he has to say goodbye to his dream because of things that are out of his control. But his health should always be the number 1 priority and so I can only wish him the best and hope he's happy in Japan with his family.

I'll miss Yedam. I'll miss his silly personality. The fact that he was still a little kid underneath all those responsibilities. I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that I might never hear Yedam sing again. His voice is truly something meant to be heard. Knowing he'll never be a part of Treasure again hurts, but the possibility of never hearing his voice again hurts even more. I can only hope that Yedam returns to singing someday. Even if it's little snippets on soundcloud, or covers posted anonymously or an album 10, 20 years from now, I'll gladly take it. We'll never know the reason behind Yedams decision but I have always worried about the pressure that has been put on him since he was 11 years old. Hearing him perform his unreleased song during Trace only ampilfied my worry. I could never quite listen to it again, because it sounded to personal

Somebody need help, somebody need love

Just living in endless loop of pressure

Shouting for help, looking for love all along

Yes, he trained the longest, has spent almost 10 years in the industry, but maybe being an Idol is what everyone expected of him, not what he actually wanted for himself. Or maybe being an Idol isn't what he thought it would be. I keep thinking about that one Tmap episode where a Teume told Jaehyuk 'If you decide that being an Idol is not what you want to do with your life, I'll still support you' and I can't help but feel the same way about Yedam. It's his decision and eventhough I'm sad, I'm happy for him. If this is what he wants then I'm happy for him.

Treasure will be alright. Teumes will be alright. Yedam and Mashiho will be alright. We all just need a little time right now to adjust to the new status quo.

I'm looking forward to the Seoul concert and the Japan tour, but most of all I'm looking forward to making new memories with Treasure

[hanggarae]

I think the biggest issue with kpop idols actively promoting brands on the BDS list is that there'll be stans defending them while claiming that these idols either didn't know or have no control both if which I call bs on. Idols like hoshi, doyoung, jennie, etc. have been a part of the industry for so long and have influence on their decisions because of their merits in the industry that saying "they didn't have a choice" makes zero sense. Jennie has a whole ass label now so what's her excuse exactly. Not to mention Somi who seems to always be online so she's inexcusable. The second thing is that these idols can't possibly be unaware of what's going on. All of them have social media and the news had to at least once mention the current events and there are literal protests happening in Seoul. These are not idols who minors or newly debuted these are grown adults and while I refuse to make assumptions that these idols are doing it for the money because Hoshi is one of my favorite kpop idols - he's damn near 30 and I don't actually know his personality outside of content. Sorry for the rant btw it's just aggravating because how is it 2023 and the world refuses to acknowledge Palestine especially a country like South Korea who's previously experienced colonization

yeah im honestly shocked that more just don’t support out of their own accord bc korea has been through similar things and ur feelings are 100% valid, i knew there wasn’t going to be much from speaking up from idols rn and they’ve always worked with pro-israel brands (ysl, puma, kenzo, lancome etc pretty much all fashion/makeup brands support israel) so again i wasn’t completely shocked but i was disappointed. im not trying to be dismissive of this bc like u said hoshi is one of our faves so it’s genuinely not bc of that, honestly i thought svt would speak up considering they are unesco ambassadors. it’s just that the main focus should always be the actual people of palestine and what we can do to support them no matter what, making hit tweets calling out kpop idols is not going to actually help anything, especially when the people making these hit tweets are not also giving resources to help. yes these people deserve to be called out but i feel like that can still take a backseat to it bc why am i seeing more about zionists than videos taken by palestinian journalists when i search it up on twitter. obviously it is still a huge issue these idols are promoting the brands bc it ultimately does lead to more sales but regardless it’s better to not give it attention at all bc starbucks and mcdonald’s wanted more people talking about them and that’s what they got bc most companies nowadays believe that any endorsement = good endorsement even if it is them being bashed for the most part. and dw ur more than welcome to rant anytime u want, like i said it’s completely valid to feel disappointed bc these are grown people in their 20s almost 30, however there’s a fine line between voicing ur disappointment and straight up shitting on them for fun (most of the times when people do this they will not include one link of a way u can help palestine 😭)

[kimberly-spirits13]

Batboys with Ambitious S/O HC:

Dick Grayson:

·      He met you one day while you were on the phone rushing to a meeting

·      Neither of you were paying attention

·      You bumped into each other and after apologizing and exchanging names cause both of you were both immediately like “hot damn” lol

·      Once you were finally out of your meeting, you saw that he had given you his number

·      It was dropped in his bag

·      Like Jesus you needed that trick with business cards or something

·      You texted him a few days later and he asked you out for a coffee

·      That was when he realized who he was dating

·      Your schedule was FULL and he understood that but like wow girl

·      Once you guys started dating he realized how dedicated you were with work

·      Was lo-key worried that you’d replace him with more work

·      You promised him, and yourself that you couldn’t do that

·      He’s really supportive

·      He is also always telling you to go tf to sleep

·      Doesn’t want you to end up like Bruce or Tim in that sense

·      Always there for moral support

·      Basically, like your personal cheerleader

·      The best person to go to when you get good news or even bad news but like

·      He goes nuts when you finally get where you’re going

·      Over all, a very supportive mother hen type, 10/10

Jason:

·      You guys had known each other before he died and were taken in together by Bruce

·      Needless to say, when Bruce found you and Jason, he had one wheel and you had the other

·      You guys had a great bond and he always knew you as the dreamer kind that always wanted more

·      You were so exciting to start school actually

·      You saw it as a step forward

·      Bruce knew about what you wanted to do because Jason would always talk about it

·      “Yeah Y/N wants to do *rambles for an hour*.”

·      Bruce wants the best for you and so he lets you do some more schooling first and then BOOM business is booming baby

·      Well sort of

·      I mean it obviously took a bit and then Jason died and that slowed things a TON

·      When Jay came back though, you were at the top

·      You hadn’t totally moved on from him at all and when he came back you were a mess for a few reasons

·      Took a vacation with him when schedule permitted

·      He doesn’t technically make you go to sleep

·      He just greatly encourages it

·      He is aggressively supportive

·      “Hell yeah Y/N, that’s my Gf/bf kicking the competition’s ass!”

·      “Jason, this is a formal event, don’t say that!”

·      “Sorry babe.”

·      You two are moved in together pretty much the moment he’s back

·      You two were best friends and always will be so yeah that was simple

Tim:

·      You wanted to make it big in the music industry

·      You’d come from a terrible position too

·      Grew up in Chicago with a very powerful family who was killed and went into an orphanage due to the mob

·      The moment you got out, you were making music

·      Good music too

·      You sky rocketed to the top of the charts

·      That’s when you started dating someone, got your heart broken and made a sad album and then after that a very independent kind of marching to the beat of your own drum album

·      He met you on the tour of that

·      You were his favorite singer and he related to you a lot

·      Met him as Red Robin when your hotel room got robbed in Gotham

·      He went to the next show to make sure you didn’t die or whatever and caught the bad guy sneaking on stage before taking him out

·      He got your number for that

·      After that you guys started dating and quickly you knew who Tim was

·      That’s when socials went W I L D when you posted a picture kissing his cheek

·      You dropped an album called “Lovely Little Mess” about catching feelings and whether or not it was a good thing or not

·      He goes to the studio with you and you have an apartment together

·      You’re both up late working whether it be you writing or planning out things

·      He helps pick album covers sometimes if you’re really stuck

·      Listening to new songs

·      He isn’t good with tour outfits or putting songs onto albums because he loves them all

·      Doing interviews together or always waiting for the other to get out of interviews

·      omg the pap LOSES it when you two go to events together

·      Actually, everyone loses it so yeah 🤷‍♀️

Damian:

·      You were class president of the grade you two were in at the time

·      You were the first student he met at Gotham Academy that he didn’t hate up front even if you didn’t catch that

·      You had to show him around the school

·      Came with curly, half up, half down hair, uniform pressed, and basically stood like a president or queen

·      He really expected you to be a pretentious snob but you were everything but

·      He noticed that even if you hated someone, you were still nice if they could give you a step up or anything really

·      “So, what else do you do L/N?” He asked as you two walked down one of the hallways when you were showing him around

·      “I’m not really a sports person, I have my own business about to start right now though.”

·      *shook*

·      “And are you class president because you want to be or is this also a step up?”

·      “You ask a lot of questions Wayne.” You laughed, “Actually I do like this position but it also helps me get more opportunities at GA. Even when other colleges come around, they like to look at the class officers.”

·      He started making sure he was outside when you would go on morning bike rides since you live in the same neighborhood that he does

·      Or close enough to bike at least

·      I mean, you saw that every successful business person has a good schedule so now you hold yourself to that especially during summer

·      Bike ride before 9 am, cold shower, breakfast, some reading for school, any summer school work if you get any, and basically just having a good day (This applies except for weekends)

·      He got to know you more and more and fell hard

·      You were the dreamer type and it was beautiful

·      You had this look in your eyes every time you’d talk about something you wanted

·      Genuine rare person and he loved that

·      You guys stay up late together but he does eventually make you go to sleep

·      Gets worried when you don’t

·      He thinks it’s incredible, the things you do on top of a busy as hell high school life

·      He likes to show that off about you a lot

·      “My beloved is class president, president of 4 different clubs, runs her own businesses, and she is an over -all genius and will probably take over the world.”

Duke:

·      Is very proud of you and tells you often

·      Basically, that very supportive best friend

·      He’s someone that you can just go to whenever you’re stressed or just need a quick break

·      Will always make sure that you’re okay even if it’s just ranting about work

·      Goes to everything with you

·      He also lets you network at galas and stuff and is there for moral support cause that crap gets annoying

·      Talks about you 24/7

·      If you two are working late, I stand by this that he’s either playing Lofi, Khalid, or just chill vibey music

·      He is overall the perfect breath of fresh air from everything that goes on in work life and just life in general

·      Whenever something works out you guys go to a cool coffee shop and celebrate

·      Or a date somewhere

·      He’s also always putting notes or music recommendations in your bag so you find them when you go to work

·      “I noticed you seemed nervous so listen to *song* today when you can.”

·      It’s always the perfect song btw

Luke:

·      Both of you are very smart and ambitious

·      You two are probably running something together

·      Both working late

·      Very competent people

·      Put together lives

·      Best planners

·      Everything

·      It’s couple goals whenever you’re around each other

·      Even when you’re not tbh

·      He loves that you’re a hard worker and are always aiming for the top like he is

·      Very supportive

·      You have a very mature but youthful relationship

·      I don’t think he could be with someone that was really lazy and didn’t do anything at all

·      You’re perfect

·      Probably planning to propose already

·      He just knows you’re the one

·      He introduces you to the Batfam after a while and his father approves of the relationship which is amazing

·      Tag team couple

·      If one of you is down the other automatically goes into pick up mode

·      It’s really nice just to have someone to help you bounce out if you burn out

·      He totally won’t judge you when it happens or you just want a break from running full speed

·      He totally gets it

I hope you guys are having a great day and have had a great week! I stayed up wayyyy to late last night but I was watching a Yale lecture, doing my wall stuff, and then I got an entrepreneur toolbox from Dave Ramsay and I was really excited to get into it so that happened. I’m also so ready to be off my woman issue time so that I can go on a bike riddeee. I miss being outside but I’ll probably go tomorrow, we’ll see. Anyways, I hope you’re all doing great

[ectonurites]

Batcest shippers read comics, actually. And they write them, and draw for them. Please continue to make a fool of yourself pretending otherwise.

i got ranty here so the tldr: yeah no shit, you’re taking something i tweeted entirely out of context, i’m well aware of those facts and im not ‘pretending’ anything lmao

onto my full response:

i see you must have come from my twitter! and yeah, i’m unfortunately aware there are people who ship batcest working for dc, its super upsetting! the person who designed the current red hood outfit just posted j*ydick on their twitter today, which is horrifying to see.

like listen im not... im not gonna go out and harass people for shipping batcest. I literally do not have the energy, and I know I’m not gonna be convincing anyone of anything bc the people who chose to ship batcest have made their choice there.

but I’m always gonna advocate for like, those people TAGGING THEIR SHIT so that especially minors but also anyone else who doesn’t want to see fuckin’ incest doesn’t need to. And like, the creation of lists of what creators are making that stuff so people can block and move on? I also think that’s good. Like I don’t think people should go harass anyone over this because its just... theres no point. But letting people who don’t want to see it know who to block so they can move on? that’s a good thing.

The comments of mine I think you’re specifically talking about were about a specific but common type of fanon batcest shipper, because like... immabe real! its very clear a lot of the batfam community on here in general don’t read the comics, (like, as in many people will OPENLY ADMIT that they don’t) and thats not even an inherently bad thing, like people are allowed to interact with media how they want to! But when people get so divorced from canon by only reading fanworks or versions of characters that have been altered and their relationships altered, its easy for misconceptions about all of it to spread, and people to be shipping pairings that literally bear no resemblance to the canon versions/relations of the characters. This isn’t even exclusive to the people shipping batcest. However with the people shipping batcest like... its when those relationships in canon get blurred by just a fanon game of telephone that it becomes easier for them to justify shipping it, you know? That was the point I was trying to make on twitter (i think it was last night? this morning? i dont remember. its 1am rn time is fake)

but like, i’m sorry but in current canon Jason, Dick, Tim, and Damian all consider each other siblings (and Jason had even made a comment at one point in rhato about having four brothers, meaning he probably includes Duke too!). That is... canon. You can see multiple instances of this if you’re reading current comics. And while they have complicated relationships with Bruce, they do all consider him a father (even when Jason says he doesn’t- he literally flip flops on it depending on how he feels in a given day because of his trauma and stuff, but like there will be times only a few issues apart where he will or won’t admit Bruce is his dad). All of these characters have been adopted (or in Damian’s case obv adoption wasn’t necessary) by Bruce in canon at different times (and Cass also, but that’s only in pre new 52 as of right now)

If you are chosing to ship any of the siblings together (or any of them with bruce) you are chosing to ship incest. That is an active choice you are making, and you have to accept the consequences of that. Any judgement/backlash you face for shipping incest is something you are accepting by chosing to ship it.

And if you go “oh but they’re only adopted siblings not REAL siblings-“ you’re an asshole, because adopted siblings are real siblings. I don’t care if they didn’t grow up together, do you realize how invalidating that is towards like, real life people? The amount of people I’ve seen who are adopted themselves get insanely triggered and upset by that kind of content (not just in this fandom btw!) because it just shows people don’t see those familal bonds as being real? It’s not insignificant.

I know ‘media affects reality’ is a controvercial topic, and like obviously ‘i see this thing in media thus i will do it’ is NOT how it works, but the things you normalize/glorify in media you consume says a lot about your thoughts on the topics. Framing matters. Like obviously ‘haha i watch hannibal, gonna go eat people now-‘ is not the case. especially because that media doesn’t frame it as a good thing. That’s the thing I think people miss in these discussions a lot of the time. If you are like ‘i am going to explore how traumatizing incestual relationships could be through these characters’ with batcest? like go off! that could be interesting honestly, and that’s not glorifying it. But acting like ‘omg i just think its so romantic ❤️’ with stuff between characters who canonically are siblings... again you are accepting the judgement that may come your way by publicly doing that.

anyways, i’m well aware of how prevalent batcest is both in the comics industry and around here, i’m aware plenty of them do read comics, and you definitely missed the context in my tweets of me saying things like “a lot” “it feels like many” etc when saying batcest shippers don’t read comics. Context matters my dude ✌️ (also wanna point out, a lot of really gross people work in comics. Racist people, antisemetic people [even today there was some controversy abt that in some hulk comic i believe?] these people being in those industries is... not a good thing even if its normalized???)

But really I think its kinda funny to uh call me a ‘fool’ for something you think I’m doing because you took my words out of context. And maybe you weren’t trying to come off as smug but you absolutely do here and it just strikes me as very funny that you like... are acting like you’re smarter than me or better than me for being okay with incest being normalized in a fandom for superhero comics, a type of media that MANY KIDS READ AND PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION ABOUT, while I’m bothered by it.

I don’t talk about this stuff much on here because again, I don’t want to fight about it, I’m not gonna go out of my way to try to change people’s minds on any of it because I know that won’t accomplish anything, I much prefer to just... ignore the content I don’t want to see, maybe warn other people especially minors who also don’t want to see it, and move on with my life. You really didn’t need to bring this to my inbox here, but like go off I guess 🤷

editing this quick just to add in the tweets i made i think this anon is referencing that i very clearly started with ‘so many of them’, not me saying it applies to all of them

[not-xpr-art]

Art Deep Dives #2 - The History of Fanart

Hi everyone!

This post is part of my Art Deep Dives tag, where I ramble about art-y things, often with some relation to art history in some way. 

just so you know, these essays aren’t formal in anyway lol! I just do them for fun & to hopefully be interesting in some way to someone!

This week I’ll be talking about the history and importance of fanart! It’s not the entire history of fanart, just some key moments and points in it that I feel are important!

(this essay is about 2500 words long btw!)

Part 1 - What even is fanart?

I think when a lot of people hear about ‘fanart’, they often think of it as a new thing, something that came along at some point in the last century when media begun to be mass circulated around the world.

But, of course, fanart has existed long before media like Star Wars or Doctor Who were created, and even long before photography was invented, even if it wasn’t necessarily referred to as ‘fanart’ at that time since the concept of ‘intellectual property’ hadn’t been introduced at that point. 

So I think at first we need to define what we even mean when we refer to ‘fanart’... 

Put simply, it’s artwork made by people who are interested in something created by someone else, such as a TV show, film, book, podcast, video game etc. However, by this definition, where do original characters created by the fans as part of franchises fit into the picture? Or celebrity fanart? Or artists who use famous people’s appearances as the base for their own characters? Or what of artworks of media that have long since passed copyright laws (such as Shakespeare works, Austen works, etc)? And where do illustrations of books fit into this?

So perhaps a wider description would be, artworks made by fans of and inspired by something “belonging” to someone else (either a piece of media or... themselves). The issue of this description is that most portraiture would fit into this. So... are we about to call Thomas Gainsborough or Joshua Reynolds, two of the most famous British portrait painters of the 18th century, fanartists? 

I think a lot of people in the art world would scoff at this concept, because even now the feelings surrounding fanart are pretty negative. They see it as less of a valid form of art and instead as ‘derivative’ and ‘unoriginal’. I’ve heard both non-artists and artists alike talk about fanart as ‘not real art’, and then in the next breath they’re praising portraits made by Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh. 

I also think it’s important to note that fanart isn’t exclusively portraiture too. Often artists will draw landscapes, still life works or even abstract pieces based on their favourite media. And as previously mention, a lot of artists and writers create their own characters within a world created by another person. So, for all intents and purposes, that is a form of original art, but it is often still put down in comparison to people who make up an entirely new story and world for their characters. 

Part 2 - Renaissance artists and Bible fanart!?

One of the most common defences I’ve seen for fanart is that Renaissance artists’ basically did Bible and Mythology fanart, and their artwork is considered ‘masterpieces’ so... that’s that!

Right?

Well, if we’re sticking with the definition of fanart being something based on a series of characters or concepts owned by someone else, then Religious or Mythological based art would definitely fit into this. 

(Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, currently being held in the National Gallery in London).

But I think it’s important to note that the art world was a very different place in Renaissance Europe. Concepts and characters didn’t belong to any one person or group of people, instead everything was a lot more homogenised. There’s a reason why when we think of figures like Jesus or the Virgin Mary, we have a very particular idea of what they look like (a very white-washed idea, I might add). The same thing goes for portrayals of figures from Greek or Roman mythology. There were often motifs associated with these deities that dated back to Antiquity, and Renaissance artists looked back to this for their inspiration. But there was no one specific point of reference for these ‘characters’ other than the Bible, which didn’t actually ‘belong’ to anyone, not even the church.  

So, I think it’s valid to bring up Renaissance artists and how the modern concept of ‘originality’ in art was less important to artists or patrons, and much of the art they did was exclusively works based on something the artist did not come up with. In my first Art Deep Dive, I talked about how History paintings (which were often Religious or Mythology based) were valued for being the product of an ‘artistic genius’ and their connection to spirituality in comparison to portraits or landscapes that depicted the real contemporary world. 

But do I think it was actually fanart? 

... Probably not... Although I wouldn’t begrudge anyone believing it is, because in a way it does somewhat fit into the definition of fanart. Instead this was to look at how society’s relationship to art has changed drastically in the hundreds of years since that era, as has the purpose of art itself.

And I think it does bring up some interesting discussions of why we are so obsessed with ‘originality’ in art at the moment when it’s not something that was really important before, though! 

Part 3 - What about portraiture? 

So... What about portraiture huh? 

Now, portraiture has existed for as long as art has, essentially, but it took until the Renaissance era and beyond for it to be associated with patrons. Portraiture was more than just ‘old-timey photography’, since it was linked distinctively to a sign of wealth. I mentioned Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds earlier, who were two very influential portrait artists of the 18th century, who both fed into a market of middle and upper class patrons wanting their portraits done in this era. 

(This is a piece by Reynolds of the Actress Mrs Siddons as the Tragic Muse).

And in a way this makes portraiture probably the earliest example of fanart as we see it today. 

Except, a part of fanart that people who do it (including myself) often bring up is how it’s connected to a sense of passion and love for something. In a way, portraits done purely as commissions for an aristocrat for profit doesn’t necessarily fit into our modern notion of fanart. 

This brings us back to that darn description of fanart again. Because in our current world fanart can be defined as work of celebrities done as commissions. Except, perhaps, if you’re a known portrait painter (no one says the designer of the postage stamp did fanart of Queen Elizabeth, despite the fact that it... kind of is?). 

So, why is it that a portrait of the Queen is simply a portrait, but one of Billie Eilish is ‘fanart’? Who decides these parameters? And also who decides which one is more ‘worthy’ or ‘valuable’?

Places like the National Portrait Gallery are filled with portraits of famous people from history. But it’s never referred to as the ‘National Fanart Gallery’. I think in a way this boils down to who is doing the art, who the art is of and why they’re painting it. It is funny, though, that the distinction between fanart and portraiture of famous people is so similar that it requires such detailed specifications as to which is which.  

So, I think it’s clear to see that where portraiture fits in the history of fanart is a contentious one... 

Part 4 - Shakespeare, Fairy Paintings and other 18th/19th Century Curiosities...

From the late 18th until the late 19th century essentially saw the birth to what we now know as ‘fanart’, in a way. The growth of middle-class audiences in the early part of the 1800′s meant that there was a new found desire for landscape, genre and portrait art. And coupled with the growth of secularism, history paintings in their traditional sense had lost appeal. 

There was also the small matter of media being so much more accessible and wide spread to bigger audiences due to the industrial revolution. Books were being printed more easily and sold and a reasonable price, not to mention that a significant portion of the population could now actually read, or at the very least were given some form of education. More travel and trade (and also colonialism) also lead to an increase of new kinds of media being explored. Birth of the Gothic genre, Science Fiction, Fantasy, etc, all forms of fiction that we’re very familiar with now were only just entering the public’s consciousness at this point.

Much like now, technological advances were both a blessing and curse to the people of this era. And also like now, art was used as a way to express what was happening in the world. A great example of this is JMW Turner’s Flying ,,, which shows an old ship being transported into harbour by a steamboat, something that was very new to this era. It spoke of the new technologies overpowering the old, and the fears a lot of people had because of this.

This lead to the development of Fairy Paintings, to move to a new time of history painting that was more based on folktales and works of fiction by writers like Shakespeare, and were often used as a form of escapism. William Blake is a prominent figure in this type of painting, along with some Pre-Raphaelite painters. 

This is a piece directly based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth by Henry Fuseli and is completely undoubtedly fanart in essentially every way. Many of his works, and the works of his contemporaries, were based on the works of writers like Shakespeare. 

This piece, along with most of his other works, was also exhibited in the Tate Gallery way back in the early 19th century. Fanart like this was openly welcomed into galleries in this era, something that’s a far cry from my art teachers in school and college actively discouraging us from doing any kind of fanart for our projects. 

The mass appeal of these kinds of art lasted well into the 20th century and even after the advent of photography, which created an entirely new kind of media to be consumed. 

I actually think that a lot of this animosity towards fanart stems from a lot of fanart being born from drawing from photos as references, which is why I think artworks that are fanart from an pre-photography era are valued above artworks done now.

Part 5 - The Beginnings of Intellectual Property and Copyright Hell... 

Earlier I mentioned how fanart could be defined as work done inspired by media belonging to someone else. However, this begs the question whether a single person or company can actually own such things as characters and story concepts.

Copyright as we know it today essentially originated in the 18th century. Now, I’m not going to go into all the history of copyright here (partly because it’s confusing af), but essentially throughout the 18th and 19th century all across the world, intellectual property laws were brought in for books & later extended to other media types. They basically prevented any other person or publisher being able to copy, distribute or adapt the piece of media. As many may know, copyright laws run out after a certain amount of time (I believe either between 70 or 100 years), by which time they enter the Public Domain and are free to be used in anyway by anyone. 

Copyright laws can be a real detriment to fanartists, however, particularly when large companies like Disney cracking down on any small hint of one of their characters in the last few years. This feels particularly insidious to me given how most Disney films are based on old fairy-tales and legends. But in using these centuries old stories and giving them the ‘Disney flavour’, they have been able to essentially repackage the original story for their own profit. Disney of course aren’t the only company to do this, but given how Disney own basically everything media-wise now, they are the biggest perpetrator of this at the moment. 

It’s important to note that to this day, copyright doesn’t extend to ideas or themes. As well as this, copyrighted media can be used by people who don’t own it either by asking for permission or via ‘fair use’. But as a lot of Youtubers would tell you, this is often something that is ignored by large companies in favour of holding monopoly over the entire thing. 

This is of course not to say that copyright can’t be a good thing. I believe that artists and creators deserve to have the rights to their individual works. The issue is surrounding big conglomerate companies using copyright not as a way of protecting and supporting their in-house artists, but as a way of boosting profits. 

My thoughts are that copyright laws should exist to prevent other people or companies from stealing or overtly copying/adapting a work made by someone else, not preventing a small freelance artist from selling a couple prints of a drawing from a film Disney made 20+ years ago based on a stories written hundreds of years ago. 

(I know it’s not as simple as this, but you get what I mean lol)

In a big way, copyright laws were what created our modern notion of fanart, since prior to that no-one really had ownership of their works in the same way that copyright allows you. So, even thought I’ve been quite pessimistic about it, fanart really wouldn’t exist without it so... it’s not all bad lol?

Part 6 - Why is any of this important??

I realise that this is a strange question to ask at the end of this essay, but I really wanted to leave my true personal thoughts until the end in order to keep at least a vague sense of being objective through this lol...

To me, fanart is something that made me fall in love with art in the first place, particularly digital art. I was able to find communities of like minded people and make some really good friends, all because of fanart. 

I’ve also spoken to other artists who say how fanart allows them to connect to their favourite shows or characters or celebrities, and a way of expressing their love for something! It’s also often a gateway for artists to get into art as children, and some have said how fanart has allowed them to be more creative in general! 

Fanart is something so intrinsic to fandom culture, so much so that it has existed for as long as people have loved things (even long before the internet). And I know that a lot of public figures who receive fanart, either of themselves or of works they’ve created, often express genuine happiness of being the inspiration for someone else... 

So, fanart is important to us because it’s escapism, it’s freedom, and it brings us together in such a genuine way! 

I wrote this essay because I wanted to truly explore where fanart actually came from, and what I ended up discovering is that the artworld has never been clean-cut separated into ‘original art’ and ‘fanart’! 

The history of fanart is messy, confusing, but one thing is very clear to me: it doesn’t just run parallel to the history of art as a lot of people assume, it is instead interwoven into the fabric of all art! 

So for my fellow fanartists, keep on doing what you’re doing, because your passion and love is palpable in your work, and really isn’t that what fanart is all about anyway??

~~~

Phew... Can you believe I actually did try and keep this short lol?

Anyway, thank you for reaching the end! And a special thank you to the people over at Artfolapp (my username is dangerliesbeforeyou over there btw!) who gave me their thoughts on fanart! 

As always, my ask box is open for anyone who’s interested in discussing this further, and I also have an Art Advice Tag if you need help on improving your art!

[omoi-no-hoka]

I read your post on how you got started in the translation industry and I was wondering if it is possible to get an entry/basic level translation gigs in Japan with N3-level proficiency or if even those want at least N2 proficiency. Also since you've been living and working in Japan for a long time, what advice would you give those wanting to work in Japan in regards to avoiding black companies?

Finding Translation Work in Japan

Hi there! Thank you for your ask. 

To be honest, “translation” is so very broad that I can’t give you a simple “yes” or “no” as an answer. My answer is “Maybe” with the following caveats. For the sake of this post, I’m going to assume that your native language is English, or that you have native-level proficiency, and you plan to do English↔Japanese translation in a Japanese workplace.

Field of Translation

This is perhaps the biggest factor. I understand that in order to translate legal or medical things, there is a particular certification that you must obtain. This requires N1/native level proficiency in both languages. I have thought of attempting to obtain the medical one, but I’m not ready for it. I would need to study a LOT of terminology in both English and Japanese.

As for other fields, I think it really depends on the company and how much they are willing to teach you on the job. Also, depending on the field, many field-specific terminology may be katakana words derived from English, meaning that while they will be new Japanese words for you, they will not be entirely new words.

But if I were to work in, say, the banking industry doing translation, I would certainly have a hard time learning all the words, especially if I didn’t already have some sort of background in banking in English.

For example, I specifically work as a translator for a company that provides services to other very big companies that you have heard of. Technically, I work for an anti-malware software company and the technical support aspect of it. When a product is updated, I will translate internal manuals and things like that. I also translate the Big Wig conversations, which are done in English since the client and our company’s HQs are in America, so that our local guys know what’s going on. I also create/translate/edit/take minutes for presentations given to Big Wigs. I also handle all IT issues in our project, because our IT ticketing system is 100% in English. ANYTHING English-related is funneled to me.

Contractually-speaking, I do not work for any other clients. But since I’m the only translator in our company in Hokkaido capable of interpretation as well, I am often asked to assist under the table. (Translation and interpretation are two entirely different beasts, btw.) 

While I don’t have a background in IT or computers or anything like that, since most of the terminology is in katakana and I’m not absolutely clueless about computers, my learning curve wasn’t too sharp. I struggled more with bullshit corporate acronyms and the formalities of Business Japanese (sonkeigo and kenjougo). 

A person holding an N2 is considered capable of Business Japanese. Even if you have extensive knowledge in the field of translation, you will have a VERY difficult time adjusting to the Japanese-language workplace if you are not good with Business Japanese. From that standpoint, I cannot recommend someone at N3 to enter a Japanese company to do translation. It will be grueling. I was N1 when I joined the company, and I still had difficulty composing emails and other workplace-related words I hadn’t come across. 

Start with Freelance Translation/Proofreading

There was a year or so where I had N1 but was still teaching English. I found freelance English-Japanese translation jobs online. Lots of them were one-shot things, like “translate this brochure about our little tiny town” or “I am a researcher who has written a paper on Persian-French relations during the 16th century, and I need someone to proofread my English.” Lol that one was pretty specific and paid very handsomely. By doing well on a job, I established a relationship with that client and I would get more work either from them or someone they knew. Prices are fixed before translation. 

The average price for translation is 3-7 yen per character (if the original text is in Japanese) or per word (if the original text is in English). The price increases depending on the complexity of the material. The brochure about the little town was 4 yen per character, but the research paper was 9 yen word (despite the fact I was only proofreading instead of translating because it was incredibly complex). 

Proofreading goes alongside translation. I didn’t really do much of that, but you can see a price range of 1-5 yen per character/word. If you are N3, proofreading is great way to get your feet wet!

NOTE: Do not take on proofreading or translation jobs for a language that is not your native language. No matter how good you think your Japanese is, it will not be good enough to proofread. Even if you have an N1, you will miss things. Even I, as a translator with almost 3 years experience in my field, always have a Japanese coworker proofread everything I translate into Japanese, and 9 times out of 10 they fix at least one thing. 

How to Avoid Black Companies

In Japan, some companies are labeled ブラック企業 “black kigyou,” which means that they violate labor laws in some heinous fashion. Denying pay, benefits, or leave, forcing employees to do grueling amounts of overtime that can lead to 過労死 karoushi (death by overwork), etc. These companies will rob you of your sanity at best and your life at worst, and are to be avoided at all costs. 

When I was searching for a position teaching English, I googled reviews of each big Eikaiwa school, like AEON or whatever else there is. Many previous teachers air their grievances on places like glassdoor.com. It was easy to learn which schools I should avoid.

Also, I applied online to many different big Eikaiwas. Three of them (sorry, I can’t remember which) immediately emailed me back and said I was hired, without an interview or anything. That should be a HUGE red flag to you right there. Why are they so desperate to hire that they’ll take you without even giving you an interview? And even if they do later say, “Your hiring is dependent upon an interview,” that means that their initial contact email was fraudulent. 

Research the company as best you can. See if you can find someone who has worked for them. Beware of smaller, private companies. They tend to fly under the radar and are prone to be even shittier. Then again, there was a woman who died of death by over work a few years ago and she worked for the biggest advertising firm in Japan.

Here’s an article from Business Insider about karoushi and black companies.

A 2016 report examining karoshi cases and their cause of death found that more than 20% of people in a survey of 10,000 Japanese workers said they worked at least 80 hours of overtime a month.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry defines the threshold for karoushi as greater than 80 hours of overtime a month. Since this article was posted in 2018, a new law regarding overtime has been implemented by the Japanese government. Now there is a legal cap on overtime of 100 hours per month (and 720/year) for busier months, with the general upper limit set at 45 hours per month (360 hours/year). 

Even if a company isn’t black, be prepared for overtime. My company makes sure that every employee adheres to the 45 hours per month limit...as best they can. If you follow this blog you know that I have done 60 and 70 hours of overtime in certain months, because I am our only translator and when shit hits the fan I’m the only one who can handle it. 

However, my company is very good about making sure that I receive all of my overtime pay. Every single minute of overtime I do is properly reimbursed. Sometimes this means that if I work 60 hours one month, I will only report 45 that month, and then report 15 extra hours the next month. Or I will take a couple days off but claim that I worked (with my bosses’ approval, of course). 

I can’t speak for other companies for sure, but I fear that when this law was introduced in 2019, many companies did not change their business models and instead forbid employees from reporting overtime that exceeded legal limits, meaning they would be going without compensation. 

So be aware that if you are going to work in a Japanese company, you are likely to have overtime. Some people don’t, and congratulations to them! But it is an extremely real possibility. Make sure that you can handle it physically and mentally, and that you are being properly compensated. After my first month of Big Overtime, my boss told me, “I’m surprised that you managed to do all that. I thought that Americans had a poor work ethic compared to Japanese people, but now I see that’s not true.”

kinda racist, but thx

If you have an interview and it goes well and you receive a contract, ask to take the contract and have time to think about it. Then, have a Japanese person you trust read the contract and make sure there is nothing shady hidden in there. Contracts and legalese are difficult enough in my own native language--I don’t trust myself to catch something in Japanese. 

If your friend thinks that the contract is fair as well, and if you feel like the company has a good atmosphere, take the job. That is what I did, and I am glad I did.

Translation and Interpretation

A lot of people don’t know the difference between “translation” and “interpretation” and use them interchangeably, but they are actually entirely different tasks that require different skills. 

Translation: the conversion of written text from one language to another.

Interpretation: the conversion of spoken word from one language to another.

You will most likely be hired as a translator, because translation is much cheaper than interpretation. However, if your company is like mine, you will have interpretation work to do as well. You may be asked to take part in meetings and facilitate communication between the English-speaking and Japanese-speaking people, or act as a guide to a client from American headquarters, for example.

With translation, you usually have the blessing of time. You can look up a word you don’t know, you can think about the grammar, you can think about tone. 

But with interpretation, you need to be:

Listening to Speaker A’s English and mentally summarizing their words

Starting to say Speaker A’s words in Japanese while holding on to the bits that will come later because English and Japanese word order is so different

Continuing to listen to added speech from Speaker A as you concurrently are relaying their previous speech in to Japanese and retaining the parts that you can’t say yet because of word order.

Then do it all for again for Speaker B’s reply, and repeat. 

Basically, your mind has to be doing three things at once. Does your head hurt? Mine does. If I have to do simultaneous interpretation like that for more than a couple hours I literally develop a headache. 

I will NEVER recommend an N3 person attempt interpretation in a business setting. Nor N2 for that matter. It is hard and you do not have the benefit of time to think and double-check things.

Also, many people don’t understand exactly how difficult it is to do interpretation. I have to sometimes just say “Sorry, pause” to the speaker because my head can’t retain any more, especially if figures and data and dates are referred to. Thankfully my coworkers have come to understand my method and are just happy that I can facilitate communication for them. 

If you have any other questions regarding job hunting, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to offer what advice I have! 💖

[closer-stars]

Gut Feeling (1)

Member: San Genre: Fluff??? Slice of Life it’s just light hearted stuff for the most part Requested: Yes Word Count: 4k Content: Reader is starting out as a manager for ATEEZ, food, mentions of injuries. Honestly this is just all over the place since it’s just introducing reader to the group and the job.  Note: GOD, i struggled with the starting parts the most... Even went as far as looking at their schedules + making a playlist to have some sort of direction. It’s been way too long since I wrote something so this is Rusty. This happens way before KCON:tact btw lmao. Also I just gave their other managers different last names cause idk their names anyways lol. awkward jazz hands. the next parts will be better i hope aaaa. Proof reading when I wake up bec my laptop is dying already lol. HELLO I FORGOT TO SAY THIS WILL BE CHAPTERED FOR SURE

Three pairs of footsteps echo through the hallway. The male on your left is their manager, Manager Hwang as you would call him, on your right is the CEO. What are you doing here? You’re the new manager who would take care of the eight boys while Manager Hwang next to you attends to personal issues for the next few months or so. From stories of your friends who work in the same field as you, they were surprised the CEO would even assist you as you ease into the new environment. You were surprised too but having to stay on his good side was more important than questioning his actions for the first day. 

The two men explain to you where your work space will be first, then the conference rooms, the eating area, and so on. They explain other things that you may need to know immediately and anything else can be asked to the other two managers, Yoon and Bae, who are taking care of preparations for their next promotions, Hwang even steps up to the plate, offering his help.  “Are you sure?” You ask carefully. While it is your first time to handle eight boys, you didn’t want to be a burden. 

“Positive! The boys can be a handful sometimes but they’re very respectful.” You don’t detect any sense of false sincerity in his words so you nod in thanks. You weren’t sure though on what he meant by sometimes. 

The three of you stop outside the dance studio, you can hear pairs of feet hitting the flooring in careful timing. That sounded a lot more than just eight of them. The first one to enter was the CEO, then you were ushered in by their manager. The three of you quietly watch them dance through the song, their choreographer watching at the opposite end of the room. The choreographer notices the new presences in the room and stands up to greet the three of you, followed by the eight who do their signature greeting. 

“It’s good to see you boys working hard.” He praises with a small smile. The past few months have hit everyone hard, this upcoming promotion was just one of the ways to make the most out of what can be made. “I’m sure your manager has told you of his upcoming leave for the next few months,” he starts, and the boys softly answer in a chorus of yes and dismayed whines at the reminder. “So I would like to introduce your new manager for the next few months.” His hand places itself on your shoulder and you take that as your cue to introduce yourself to them.

“Hello, I hope we can work together smoothly.” You start, telling them your name then a quick rundown of your work history. You cut to the chase and tell them you’re not that far from their age to avoid any air of awkwardness down the line. 

The boys slowly introduce themselves one by one to you, starting with Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung then Jongho. Bless your sharp memory because you manage to remember each and every face to the right name. After the formalities, the CEO takes his leave, to have you and their manager familiarize yourself with the new work environment and requirements. This brings the rest of the boys to go back to their positions in the studio. The choreographer invites the two of you to sit in the front with him to watch them dance. The manager doesn’t give you the chance to say no. “Take this chance to see them in their zone.” You understand what he means so you take the chance, sitting down carefully on the cool floor. 

“One doing!” The choreographer says then the music starts. The way they perform the song even in just regular training clothes and bare faces takes your breath away. One minute ago they were just boys in their 20s working hard to reach their dreams, now they’re a whole different person. While you had to take care of these boys and their schedules, you were at awe at their professionalism at such a young age. Soft, youthful features hardened to sharp, dark looks as they practice the song, until they reach the end. You notice that Jongho sits just a little farther from the rest of them but still gives his all in his singing, you can only imagine just how much he misses performing. The only thing that could be heard by the end were the heavy breathings and the claps from you and their manager. The clapping causes them to bow gratefully to the two of you as they catch their breath. 

The male looks at his watch then stands up. “Let’s go, I’ll show you where we get their meals.” You bid them goodbye and wish them luck in their practice before following the older male out the studio. 

It’s rather a good thing that the place where the boys get their meal plans wasn’t too far from where you were. Regardless, the walk there was filled with the manager telling you stories of ATEEZ being boys and being idols, both types of stories giving you tips of how to handle each boy especially when the stress rings high. 

“It’s usually at the height towards the tail end of promotions that they start to wear out, though things are going to be a little different this time considering what we’re going through.” He mumbles, and while his words were muffled by his hushed manner of speaking, it was muffled much more by his mask. You carry four packs of food, and he does the same along with your meals. You already got the calendar of activities of the confirmed activities and some of the days already tire you from the mere thought. 

“I’m kind of worried of that honestly.” You admit as you place the containers on the table. The manager looks at his phone for the details per container. He hands you a marker to write each member’s name on each container, while some of them were for all eight of them, the others were for specific members only. Hongjoong’s low tolerance to spicy food stuck to you, reminding you dearly of your best friend. Seonghwa’s brown rice and chicken meal reminds you of your cousin who was conscious of their food intake and so on. Some of the specifics were slipping through your memory, too much to take in that you had to ask him to send the details to your kakao. 

“Call the boys over in ten minutes yeah?” The manager says as he looks at the clock, you can see him trying to visualize their schedule for the day. 

“Got it!” You return as you look through their schedule for the day: lunch, bring them home to get some rest then back to the studio to practice. You take the chance to ask him about any possible things to deal with but before you could, a voice causes the two of you to look at the source. 

“Hi!” It was San greeting the two of you, still breathless from the training. 

The manager looks at his phone. “Oh, finished early?” He asks. You take this chance to watch them converse, you are still new to this environment, it would be better to see how things play out first. 

“Yeah, Hyung let us off early since we already finished the agenda for today.” San explains as he takes his seat at the sight of food. The other members start to enter the room, relieved by the sight of their meals. You figured that this would be the time where you leave them to eat, while you eat elsewhere. “Manager-nim, haven’t you eaten?” San asks once he notices you turn on your heel. 

You look over at the boys when you realize he was talking to you. By surprise, you glance at Hwang, unsure of how to approach this. Usually, you leave the talents alone as they eat, while the rest of the staff eat with each other elsewhere. At least, that’s how it was for you. That was what you were used to so your own hand reaches up to the back of your neck, hesitant. “Yes, I thought it would be better to let you boys be as you eat.” Your reply still carries the polite tone you use among artists, maybe handling some nightmares have ingrained some habits in you. 

“Why not eat with us? We’re not scary.” Hongjoong invites you, and when you look over at their manager, already eating with the boys, some of them are already joking around with him. Guess you didn’t really have much of a choice. You slide into the seat in between San and Hongjoong. They ask questions about the artists you’ve handled in the past, your interests and the like, all while making sure to not cross any lines. 

“Ah manager-nim, how was it like working there?” San seemed to be most curious about your other work environments. The way he makes himself look so scary as he performs yet becomes an inquisitive kind soul off stage is enough to disorient you. 

You give him an amused look as you try to gather your thoughts, looking for the right words. “Well, it was an experience. I’m a lot happier now though.” You let them figure it out from there, you were the last to gossip about previous work experiences anyways. In this industry, word travels fast, a careless slip of the tongue can turn into disastrous proportions. 

As you eat with them, you take this chance to observe their mannerisms and relationships with each other. While it is your first day on the job, you had a feeling working with these boys would end up in the books. 

--------

The day goes by fast, everything’s settled by now. The last thing Hwang does for you and for the boys was to give the nine of you a ride home. The older male showing the usual path back to the dorms. The rest of the boys are fast asleep in their seats, slouched over one another, exhausted by their rigorous training the past few weeks. One by one they wake up as the car slows to a stop in the parking lot. Of course, San was the last one to wake up so you take up the job to wake him up. It starts with gentle nudges, only getting whines of protest as a response. Hwang and the rest of the boys watch for a few moments, entertained by the idea of San embarrassing himself. 

“Yunhooo, just let me sleep..” He mumbles and as he wriggles in his seat, he falls over the empty seat next to him. That’s when he realizes that he’s the only one left in the car, he sits up from his spot, greeted by a wide eyed you, with the rest of the boys watching in amusement. Was Wooyoung taking a video of the entire thing? He unbuckles his seatbelt immediately and picks up his bag, apologizing over and over. 

You give way for him to hop over to the rest of his group, and you stare at Hwang. “I’m guessing it’s harder to wake him up in the mornings?” 

“He really isn’t a morning person.” He says as he lets the boys enter the elevator first then the two of you. The ride to their floor was a quiet one, though with some giggles from some of the boys as they try to expose one another for their sleep habits to you. You did the same about yourself to ease any shyness from them. That’s one way you gained the trust of the talents you handled in the past: showing that you’re just like them, a human with flaws. 

The two managers drop the boys outside their dorm, and they start to become reluctant to enter, reasoning their stubbornness with them missing Hwang soon. “Boys, I promise I’ll be okay.” He reassures much to the pouting and whines from them. He makes it a point as well to tell them to behave especially with the schedule looming around the corner. You knew what that meant: Music Bank special and the KCON:Tact stage. 

“Sleep well boys, you guys deserve some rest.” You say, bidding them a good night as you head to your own apartment. 

--------

The next few days were routine: wake up, bring them to the company, eat, bring them to the stylists for preparations for their next promotions, back to the company, eat, dorm, sleep, repeat. It’s a bit of relief to know that the boys do their best to make it easy for you, the energy bounces from you to them and vice versa. You had to admit, you’ve come to appreciate them for their work ethic, their professional attitude and the fact they haven’t really lost themselves to the industry. Given that it’s been roughly two years for them, you hope it doesn’t change too soon. 

You slip away from the practice room, already on the way to the restaurant down the road to get their lunch. “Ah! Manager Yoon!” You exclaim, surprised to see him already with their food. You rush over to him, relieving him of the struggle of carrying roughly ten meals. 

He reasons as you fumble around with a bag. “I was already on my way so I figured I might as well get their meals.” 

The two of you then bring the meals up to the kitchen. By now, you’ve already memorized their food preferences and their little habits. Yeosang often fumbles with the tape and tight packaging, Seonghwa’s preference for meat over chicken whenever possible (at least today’s lunch was his cheat meal), San whose appetite seems unreal but makes sense with his regimen. You were relieved knowing they were eating well at least. 

As you busy yourself with your own meal, you suddenly feel an arm over your shoulders. “Manager-nim~” The voice sings as the still unknown culprit leans their weight on you. It’s when you look up that you realize it’s San playing with you. 

“San, I’m not strong like you..” You wheeze out as you try to keep yourself up as he drapes himself over you. While you know they are eating good, you aren’t quite sure what goes on for them to be this tall. This makes him giggle and get off you, sliding onto the seat next to yours. Some of them trickle into the room, and you make a headcount for the sake of your own peace. “Is Seonghwa still in practice?” 

“Yep, he’ll be here in an hour i think.” Wooyoung says before taking a spoonful of his meal. 

“His food is going to get cold.” You mumble to no one in particular as you eye the oldest’s meal. 

An hour passes by and Seonghwa has yet to appear. San senses your unease, even he’s confused as to what’s taking him so long. Seonghwa’s the last person who would miss meals even because of training. Your phone buzzes, bringing you out of your thoughts. 

[ Manager Yoon ] : had to bring Seonghwa to get his injury checked. Hongjoong’s with me. It’s nothing serious, doctor’s just ordering him to not do anything strenuous. 

[ You ] : what happened? 

[ Manager Yoon ] : injury while doing a dance class. Hongjoong said he’ll be the one to tell the boys. 

You read the rest of the messages and sigh softly. There isn’t much to do except make sure Seonghwa gets enough rest and treatment in order to recover in time for their comeback. You do the math; still enough time. 

You feel San’s gaze on you and you can already tell what’s on his mind. Words run through your mind and having to find the right ones without being pressed for more questions is a challenge in itself. “It’s just Manager Yoon giving me updates.” Not the entire truth, not an entire lie. Wooyoung had already gone to the gym to work out with Yunho and Jongho, leaving you and San alone. Yeosang and Mingi were in their studios, practicing their vocals for their performances. 

“On our schedules?”

“Just wait until he comes.” You say softly, making sure to not leave any room for him to press. He can tell you wanted to tell him of what was happening but you were bound by something. Just then, his phone rings. You had a feeling it was Hongjoong. 

[ Hongjoong ] : We’re practicing in the studio until 2AM today. Block changes for our performances on MuBank and KCON. 

[ Yunho ] : ??

[ Wooyoung ] : huh?

[ Yeosang ] : what?

[ Mingi ] : what happened?

San raises his eyes and he sees you looking at him. “What happened?” He’s not an idiot, whatever Manager Yoon told you had to be related to why Hongjoong’s telling them they’re staying in the studio until 2AM. 

[ Hongjoong ] : Seonghwa can’t dance. Doctor’s orders. Injury isn’t that serious but considering the timeline for our promotions, he needs to recover quickly. 

His eyes scan the message, once, twice, until the news sets in. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” He asks. The question didn’t seem to be directed at anyone but you’re the manager. It’s also up to you to stabilize the talents when things go left. “He will be. You guys have gone through a lot together, he’ll recover soon.” 

“It feels weird performing without a member already, what more two?” 

You couldn’t blame him for his worries. Everything’s been pushed back because of the virus. While you never performed, you understand the worry of a member being missing in action. It just messes up the energy. “As long as you guys practice diligently, you’ll overcome it. I don’t think Seonghwa would want you guys to be held back by worry either…” 

This was the tricky part of being a manager. While you are there to well, manage, their schedules and work loads, you also have to be their rock when things get rough. 

“Come on, You got a few hours of free time and personal training until tonight’s training.” 

He looks at the time, roughly four hours. He can take a nap then head back to the company in time for personal training and tonight’s block changes. With that in mind, he rises from his seat. “Is it possible to bring me back to the dorms?” 

“Let’s go then. We can buy some coffee for all of you on the way back here.” 

--------

It’s already 11PM. They’ve been revising and fixing the choreography since 6PM. Their dinner would be ready in half an hour. Jongho and Seonghwa sat on the bench with you with a small ice pack against his hip. The discomfort causes him to squirm from time to time. Even in his current situation, he does his best to provide his input to the choreography changes. You had to give him credit for finding ways to keep working. Jongho too provided comments, managing to see things you would’ve missed. You notice Seonghwa’s consistent discomfort in his sitting position. “Hold on.. Stand up a bit?” You ask, offering your arm for him to pull himself up slowly. You quickly rearrange the makeshift pillow for him before letting him sit down again. The relieved whine tells you it works. 

[ You ] : Can we buy Seonghwa something soft to sit on for the next few days? 

[ Manager Bae ] : already did, don’t worry. It’ll arrive tomorrow in their dorm. 

---------

Time passes by quickly and everyone’s in the car, heading back home. Everyone’s fast asleep but you and Jongho. You hear him humming softly behind you and you glance at the rear view mirror for a moment as you carefully drive through the streets. “Not yet sleepy, Jongho?” You ask, making sure your voice doesn’t wake up Hongjoong. 

“Not yet… I didn’t get to dance much for today’s rehearsal. It’s going to be like this for the next few days too.” Jongho readjusts his seat, just so he could talk without waking up the others. “How do you find the work though?”

“Work as your manager? Well..” You drift off from your initial thought as you drive carefully through the empty streets. It’s only when you slow down at a red light that you continue. “... It’s doable. I’m not complaining about the workload, it does seem hectic and stressful but it is something I signed up for right?” 

The younger male lets out a soft sound of agreement at your words. “You don’t find our energy to be overwhelming?”

“Jongho, I don’t mind it one bit. It makes my work a little more fun.” You return in a light tone. Your word choice makes him chuckle softly. “You guys listen well too. I don’t mind it.” He murmurs his thanks for your kind words, and you let out a soft sing-songy ‘yes’. 

---------

A soft sound slips through your lips as you slowly arrive in the parking lot of the apartment complex. “We’re here, guys.” You say as you gently shake Hongjoong awake. Jongho wakes the others up, the members slowly spilling out the van. You were about to check on San when you find him stretching for a moment before hopping out of the car. “I guess you got good sleep for you to wake up with ease.” You joke as you lock the car up. 

“I still want my sleep..” He points out with a pout. As you walk with him to the elevator with the rest of the group, they notice that you weren’t making any move to leave. Confusion washes over those who were wide awake now. 

“Are you bringing us to our dorm too?” Seonghwa asks, his head tilting in the process. 

“Do you want me to…?” You return, the question catching you off guard. “I live here too.. “ You add softly, your fingers fiddling against your sleeve. They seemed to be more exhausted than they show, you clearly remember dropping them off as well outside their dorm with Manager Hwang. The realization sets in and so does the memory. 

“Oh crap, right!” Exclaims the youngest, much to the oldest’s mild distaste. 

The elevator rings and the doors slide open. It was Hongjoong who made sure all of you fit in the lift, reasoning that being on your own at this hour wasn’t safe. You don’t tell them where your apartment is, wanting to have them get their rest first. No matter how persistent their pleas were, even Mingi pulled some cute antics to get you to cave, but none of them worked. “Guys, I mean it. You guys need more rest than I do.” Once you arrive at their floor, you wave them off. “Now, shoo! Wash up and sleep! It’s the same schedule tomorrow.” 

The last they see of you for the day is you pressing a button for your floor and waving them good bye. As they walk down the hall, murmurs about you arise from them. Questions of how they found you, their first impressions, and other questions. None of them were met with pessimism though. In fact, each question was met with optimism and realistic approaches. 

“Is it bad I kind of hope they stay for the long run? They seem like they’re cool with things too.” asks Yeosang as they kick off their shoes by the door. 

“Nope, I mean she’s able to handle us calmly even when we’re stressing over things.” Seonghwa reminds him. 

Hongjoong points out, “Also, the near lack of age gap makes it easier for us to talk with them.” He makes it a point for Seonghwa to shower first. “Anyways, you heard them, same schedule as today for tomorrow.” He quickly catches up to San who was already on his way to his room. “Also, San?” 

“Yes?”

“Please, use an alarm. You woke up easy with them earlier but they aren’t living with us...so please… alarm…” 

The mentioned male feels his neck burn in embarrassment as he whines in defense. “Yes, Hyung..” He sneaks a look at Yunho with a pleading look in his eyes, a quiet favor for the coming morning. 

“I’m still waking you up even with that alarm.”

“I’ll hard carry our team in the next match.”

“Deal.”

---

part 2 

[reyeslonestar]

Personally I wish that Mateo and Paul, especially Paul, have some more screen time but also just give us more of them. Why didn’t Paul or Mateo say anything during the intervention? Maybe because they didn’t want to offend Owen? Idk just a guess but i just am kind of over those two getting little to nothing if this makes sense. Marjan, too, but she gets a little bit more than them. Story wise, dialogue wise and most of everything else. Mateo had more screen time this week which I loved because he’s great, too and I’m glad we got to see a little bit more of his life outside of work. But they said nothing in the intervention and also they literally barely ever show Mateo doing anything on calls. Like where is he lol is he still a probie? How long does that last maybe I’m dumb as missed some part of that probie storyline and if I did my bad excuse this part lol but if I didn’t then???? And Paul was gonna climb the ladder in the last episode but Owen was like nah I can do it. Why not let Paul do it????? I know this is silly because some scenes are purposely structured to show how Owen and others like TK or someone else will react and move their storylines forward but this is getting kind of annoying. Does this make sense? Why create all of these diverse and interesting characters with so much potential and literally do almost nothing with them. Seriously I know we are just scratching the surface with Mateo and Paul and Marjan. We are lucky to be getting this much Grace and Judd, especially Grace with the car crash plot line because before we didn’t get much Grace aside from short calls either. I just want more and I know we’re slowly getting it but this is so annoying to see some of these characters being wasted and ignored for the most part

hi! yeah, I would love more screentime for that little trio - the actors have obviously put a lot of work into building that dynamic and I love it so much - now give us more @ lone star!! however, something that @howtosingit noted here about the screen time is that the ‘top 3s′ are almost exactly following billing order currently. its worth remembering that Brian, Natacha and Julian are lower billed actors, they are not going to have the same amount of screen time as Rob, Gina and Ronen. (personally I think its sus that Gina is lower than where she should be for that but I guess theres still time before the end of the season) of course we will always like to have more of the characters that aren’t Owen, but realistically the order does reflect the industry convention of how billing relates to screentime.

as for their dialogue during the intervention, i think it kinda does make sense  why they didn’t speak much:

a, Marjan and Paul don’t really have personal experience of seeing Owen off the rails, they’ve only really heard it second-hand from Mateo - Paul, Mr Observational, says during the rescue for the kid on the roof that he can’t notice anything apparently wrong with Owen and Marjan was obviously very underprepared for being asked to speak.

b, Owen kind of derailed the intervention before they got around to everyone being able to speak, so Mateo wasn’t able to properly give his thoughts.

(btw Mateo is no longer on probation, he passed his exam during s1 but I suspect he’ll always be probie to the firefam, it’s more an affectionate nickname than an indicator of his experience. he’ll probably still be probie until they get a new probationer, which might be a long time away skjdgjk)

I completely get your frustration at the lack of exploration of these really interesting characters, especially for the benefit of white male characters. I would love for them to really tap into the potential they have and understand that that would create a far more engaging show, as well as a more inclusive one. I have to admit though, this episode was not actually one that fuelled that frustration for me. I actually enjoyed owen’s storyline in this and I think it incorporated the other characters really well and also allowed them a couple subplots of their own.

I don't mind them using Owen as the main character when they give him interesting plots that actually develop his character - in the past, he’s been frustrating to see on screen because the narrative framing validated everything he did rather than challenging him, and so it became far more preferable to have him offscreen. I thought Owen taking over from Paul was quite interesting - it was a parallel to 1.04 when Owen went into the collapsed house instead of TK, and he did it for the same reason - to feel powerful after being confronted with his flaws. in 1.04 it was being faced with a man potentially losing his son reminding Owen of his own mortality, and this ep it was the team discussing his mental health over the radio. the reason why I liked this episode way more is the framing. 1.04 framed Owen as this hero, doing good things for other people and didnt really address why it was a stupid thing to do. 2x10 shows Owen as avoiding his problems by doing things that make him seem heroic but actually are just a symptom of his issues, especially when he started telling a child all about his problems go to therapy Owen istg.

but yeah, you make total sense. as much as I understand that the way the show works is a reflection of industry standards and conventions, doesn’t mean we have to like it or accept it as good enough. Im sure the fact that Carlos, grace, Paul, Mateo and Marjan are characters of colour is part of why the producers dont give them as much attention - film and tv production is built on the same racist structures that the rest of American society is (and like, the rest of the western world especially the uk, but trying to stay on track here) and lone star is not free from that. the fact that they have these characters is awesome, but now they need to use them properly and fairly.

idk if this reply really makes sense, but basically, yeah, we’d like more Mateo, Marjan and Paul and when we have to have the Owen plots, make them actually mean something for the character. 

[seyaryminamoto]

Why do u wanna leave Venezuela? I'm 'new' here and didn't know about everything that happened in Venezuela and ur circumstances. Could u enlighten me?

Oof... it’s a pretty long story. A story that literally began before I was born :’D

Venezuela used to be one of the most prosperous countries in South America, mainly because of our surprisingly massive oil reserves. Once those were discovered, back 1928, we went from old-school rural country to the hub of development and modernity in South America. Everything looked poised to continue progressing...! But then it didn’t. Slowly but surely, government mismanagement resulted in bad decisions that started Venezuela’s downfall. At the time, those decisions appeared catastrophic. In retrospect, they weren’t even a hint of the hell we would experience during my lifetime.

One president, a rather controversial one, decided he’d raise the cost of gasoline in the country, back in 1989. It may sound pretty casual, but it wasn’t: Venezuela, hub of oil, had always taken advantage of subsidized oil for its citizens. Meaning, gasoline was cheaper than water for us. I’m not even joking, it literally was. But the president at the time thought this couldn’t be sustainable and increased prices.

This resulted in a popular backlash against this decision, which resulted in considerable lootings over the course of a few days, as well as murders, violent protests, all sorts of chaos... eventually, this event became the perfect excuse for a certain, powerhungry, military “leader” to take advantage of and stage a coup to overthrow that president. This military leader’s coup didn’t work, and he was sent to jail (not before him and his cronies killed, in cold blood, an undefined number that ranges between 100 and 300 people in their attempts to overthrow the government).

A few years after the coup attempt, the military leader in question... was released. Despite being the intellectual artificer of the deaths of a number ranging around 100-300 people.

By now, he can be held responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people instead :’)

And that graphic is for outright murder. That’s not accounting for the people who died because of food or medicine shortages, it’s not accounting for the many people the current government numbers have covered up... it’s not all the people who have had to pay with their lives for the absolutely dreadful mismanagement of the country in current times. And what does that military leader have to do with all these deaths? Why would I hold HIM responsible?

Why, because he became president of Venezuela in the year of 1998. That’s why :’)

There’s no easy way of summing up everything going downhill in this country. You could, however, say that every hardship we’ve had to deal with here is a consequence of the absolutely horrid, corrupt, criminal decisions of a government that has zero interest in governing a country. All they want is to line their pockets with blood money and pay for none of the crimes they’ve committed while in power. And they’ll ally themselves with as many dangerous countries and regimes as they possibly can to get away with it, regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum (they’re best buddies with far-right and far-left regimes just the same. Kinda says something, doesn’t it?).

Just to put things in context: Chavez, the military leader who became president, committed thousands of awful decisions. He rewrote the Constitution, he set up his goons to handle our Electoral College so that they’d rig the system and ensure he got away with victories in all the elections that mattered, he set up huge restrictions on international trade, to the point where people COULDN’T do any sorts of operations with foreign currency without asking his government for permission first, which became a HUGE source of corruption...

But the likely worst part of it all is what affects everyone, from day to day, all throughout the country. And that is the government’s monopoly over EVERY BASIC NEED INDUSTRY in this country.

Currently, as I type this? My building has had running water for 3 days straight, in the middle of a pandemic (and that’s just my personal experience, there’s a HUGE lot of people who haven’t had running water for MONTHS and have to collect water on rivers or hire water trucks that are more and more expensive with every passing day). Me and my parents are living off water reserves that we must constantly collect whenever the water comes back, because these water cuts happen at RANDOM, with ZERO WARNING, with NO EXPLANATION and you have no right to protest to the water company (if you did, you’d go ignored. If you don’t go ignored, you go jailed. That’s your full spectrum of choices in this situation).

And of course, the vital question: who has the monopoly over the water companies throughout the country? The State.

Currently, as I type this? My WiFi is unstable (heck, it crashed just as I was typing this answer, the irony is strong!), and only three devices can be connected at a time. No, it’s not the router’s fault, because while it could sound as the obvious answer, it’s not configurated to limit the number of users. Only a month ago, all devices you felt like connecting could connect indeed, though the network was unstable anyhow. By now, the network is still unstable, and it can’t support all the devices we should have online.

Who runs the phone/internet company I use? The State.

A little over a year ago, a spree of nation-wide blackouts plagued the country. We spent whole days offline, completely isolated from the world, because not even cellphone networks would function if the cellphone towers were down too. All we could do was listen to radio, and ONLY if you had battery-powered radios. Even then, most radio stations weren’t even offering real information on what was going on, and the one that was got kicked offline earlier this year I think? Because their permit to operate in the country was revoked (the truth? the government has been taking advantage of ANY excuse to get rid of media that doesn’t report about them favorably since 2008, at least).

Who runs the electrical company that supplies THE ENTIRE COUNTRY? The State.

And I could go on, and on, and on... but I think you’ll get the picture by now. Basically, every single issue you find in this country (in 2013, we were ranked the most insecure country in the world, in 2019 the most MISERABLE country in the world) goes back to the people in charge, who have only made choices to benefit themselves and seldom to help the “people” they’ve always claimed to be working for. They’ve broken the laws they wrote themselves, they’ve become internationally persecuted criminals for helming drug trafficking networks, for crimes as outlandish as supplying Venezuelan passports to known, persecuted terrorists (while, btw, making actual Venezuelan people pay about $200 for a passport... when our minimum wage, MONTHLY, is around $1.3? No, that’s not a miscalculation or an exaggeration, it’s further evidence of what I said up there regarding being the most miserable country in the world), they’ve imprisoned and exiled countless members of their political opposition under fabricated charges, commited outright crimes of torture, including sexual torture, on peaceful protesters who were taken (sometimes just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time) by the national guards or police, 98% of actual crime goes unpunished in this country because the government outright instigates, encourages and even SUPPLIES criminals, since they’re basically a perfect method to keep the population at bay...?

Living in Venezuela has rendered me incapable of enjoying pretty much any form of dystopic storytelling. This mess began when I was 3-years-old, and it gets worse and worse and worse with every day that goes by. There’s no end in sight, no likely improvements, no solutions because nothing that has been tried has been any closer to succeeding at liberating this country from the nightmare clutches it’s in.

And of course, the worldwide pandemic only makes matters worse because, while I wasn’t going to be able to leave the country just yet anyhow, I had hoped to get out this year. By now, hell knows when I’ll be able to leave at all.

*sigh* And there you have it. I’m sure, if you’re curious, you can look up some more on the subject, though there’s a lot of false BS online, propaganda trying to paint the government as victims of the international community when that couldn’t be further from the truth, so if you have anything else you’d like to know... feel free to ask :’)

(Found this article too, it seems to do a relatively better overview than I did to explain why we’re in the ninth circle of hell... it’s a longer read than this ask, I suspect, but it ought to answer any lingering questions anyhow)

[dark-academia-newsroom]

Advice for early career and student journalists

I’m making this post because students will often reach out to me for advice. I’m always happy to chat, but thought I would do a brain dump on tumblr as an easy-to-share resource. I’ll continue adding things as I think of them. 

First, who I am: Right now, I’m the audience engagement editor at the Center for Public Integrity, one of America’s oldest, Pulitzer-prize winning, nonprofit newsrooms. I handle digital strategy, social media, partnerships, crowdsourced investigations, newsletters, metrics, SEO and help with membership building. I also sometimes report when I can. -whew- Before that, I was doing audience engagement at POLITICO. I hope my experience can be useful to you! ✨

Low-hanging fruit: 

Network but IRL: I feel like I could have done this more when I was an undergraduate student. There are a ton of groups that regularly host events like the Online News Association, Society of Professional Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, National Association for Black Journalists, National Association for Hispanic Journalists and more. I personally like smaller events so that you can get to know people on a more intimate level. Conferences are sometimes intimidating but special tracts or scholarships for students are really great opportunities that you should take advantage of. 

Reach out to people you admire: First, they might actually end up being your colleague or superior one day. It’s also great to get advice from journalists you want to emulate. If you want a similar career, learn from the best! 

Have a portfolio: It doesn’t have to be fancy –– my first portfolio was on tumblr! It helps to have your work in one place so employers can have your information and experience on hand. 

Build your social presence: It doesn’t just help with clout. Employers can get a sense of who you are and based on what you tweet (since journalist Twitter is still a thing), it shows that you’re thinking critically about the conversations going on in the industry. 

Keep up with industry news: Read Nieman Lab, Poynter, Pew research etc. You’ll be remembered not just for reporting, but for executing journalism smartly. Plugging into tough conversations in the industry also helps build your news judgement. 

Be active at your campus paper: It’ll help you get experience and internships which lead to jobs!

P.S. A job interview starts the minute you walk through the door or pick up a phone, not when you’re sitting down across from the hiring manager. Use every minute you have with them to impress. 

For the workplace: 

Journalism is best when it’s collaborative: Aim to work with people who will elevate your journalism. They might be on a different team from yours entirely. 

Go the extra mile, but know your limits: This one is pretty self explanatory. If you can do something, say yes. But if your plate is full you should communicate that to your editor and they will help you reprioritize. They should work with you, especially if you’re still in school. 

Ask questions: I still sometimes hesitate to ask my director questions. But it’s important to make sure you have your ducks in a row. Depending on the story, asking questions might even be a matter of safety. 

Speak up: If you have an idea you want to spitball, share it with your editor or at the all staff meeting. It might be intimidating, but it’s better to be generous with your ideas. You can’t build from nothing. Btw, you might know something that other people don’t –– even if you feel you’re the least experienced because of your age. You have something to contribute and people should recognize that. 

Roll with the punches: Don’t beat yourself up too badly when you make a mistake. I sometimes think back on errors I’ve made, especially while covering breaking news. I learned from those mistakes and did better the next time. That’s what counts. 

Join your diversity committee: If you care about an equitable world, start with your newsroom. If you don’t have a diversity committee, start one! 

Join your coworkers for drinks or hangs: Camaraderie amongst coworkers builds a strong team. I'm not promoting alcoholism...but journalists do have strong livers for a reason.

Keep your receipts: If there’s ever an issue with senior management, write the incident down, export your emails and screenshot your messages. The first thing HR will ask for is proof. Also, don’t send anything you don’t want other people to see.

For reporting: 

Think outside the box: With interactives, video, graphics and social media, there’s a ton of ways to experiment with different forms of storytelling and soliciting feedback from audiences to help inform your work. You’ll be remembered for implementing something new. 

Don’t get attached: Editing is a bitch, no matter what the medium. You’re gonna see a lot of red lines or cuts. Don’t be discouraged. It’s normal! Unless you can make a case for why something is really strong or necessary to include, you might want to check yourself and see if you’re being too precious about your work. I found that my editors were wise enough to make decisions that strengthened my copy.

Listen humbly: Always consider the possibility that the story that you originally had in mind could be completely wrong. Journalists are not experts at everything. Be flexible and report on what you find. Treat people with dignity and compassion.

Journalism is a service: Before you report a story, ask yourself who you’re serving by reporting it. How are you contributing to the narrative? What impact do you hope this will make? Who are you holding accountable? How are you lifting people up? Who isn’t being heard? 

Diversify your sources: Make sure POC, women, LGBTQ+ are represented in your work, even if they’re not explicitly talking about their identities, you’re highlighting their voices and expertise. 

General advice: 

You are your best hype-man: No award or accomplishment is too small. Celebrate! And #humblebrag.  

Question everything: Even your editor and yourself! 

Know your worth: Don’t let anyone drag you down. And if you can’t afford it, don’t work for free. 

Objectivity isn’t real: “Both sides” journalism is not it. Why? It fails to acknowledge injustice and structural inequalities our country is built on. The role of media is to use it’s power and influence to inform and hold people accountable for upholding those structures. If something is wrong, call it out. 

Wellp, these are all the things that I can think of off the top of my head. Let me know if I missed anything! :’)