#but I guess the language evolved hahaha

[notherpuppet]

so you hate top lucifer/bottom alastor like most fandom too

What da??? Who said det??? Anyway not true lol

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x02 - Explosive Evolution! Greymon! / The Birth of Greymon

Well, I want to be sleeping right now but Insomnia Night says no. So I guess it's time for the next episode.

Last time on Digimon Adventure, everybody was sent hurtling to their deaths by local wildlife. Hooray!

The newly Child-stage Digimon make an attempt to save their partners from falling to their doom, but they can't support an 11-year-old's body weight so this goes south immediately.

Notably, in the earlier fight with Kuwagamon, every Digimon got to show off their new Child-stage signature attack except Gomamon. This is because his move isn't usable when he's that far from a water source. He's kind of the Superfriends Aquaman of Digimon.

As the children plunge into the river, Gomamon gets to strut his signature attack: Marching Fishes.

Fun fact, Digimon call all of their attacks in English rather than Japanese because it's a cool, exotic language to scream attack names in, but one that everyone in Japan is familiar with.

Just as the kids think they're safe, Kuwagamon... uh... attacks?

For real, it honestly looks like they fell asleep standing up and then flopped over into the river. This looks much more like Kuwagamon falling than attacking, but it's played up like they're attacking. Both they and the rocks hit the water, sending up a massive tidal wave that gently carries the children to shore.

Haha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha. Sure, Yamato. Whatever helps you cope.

Gomamon takes a moment to explain that he controls fish at will. Dub Gomamon goes for a bit less mind-controlly explanation, saying he and those fish are pals and he asked them for a ride.

From there it's reintroductions to the new Child-stage Digimon, as well as explaining how evolution works. The dub splices in stock footage from the evolutions in the previous episode, just to make sure you got it.

This is where a really interesting shift in translation occurs. Where Koushiro focuses in on evolution as a concept and Tentomon confirms they're talking about similar things, Izzy instead describes it like this: "So Digivolving is what happens when they advance to the next level and become more powerful than before." The dub's emphasis is on increasing their battle strength.

We see something similar in how the stages are even referred to. In Japanese, we know these as Baby, Child, and Adult stages; in English, they're In-Training, Rookie, and Champion. The Japanese names reference life cycles, while the American ones are more evocative of developing warriors.

Agumon further explains that he hadn't been able to evolve by himself before. He speculates that evolving earlier had something to do with meeting Taichi, and the other Digimon corroborate that speculation with their own feelings towards their Partners. They don't really understand how it works; However, they all agree that the kids have something to do with it.

The dub tonally shifts this to Agumon explaining in totally certain terms that they were able to Digivolve by "sharing [the kids'] energy". It's not explained super clearly what that means and Izzy's left with questions for how the energy's harvested, which go unanswered.

Dub Joe is also inexplicably hostile about the whole thing. Jou expresses that this whole thing doesn't make sense to him, with Gomamon agreeing that he's confused too. Dub Joe instead snipes, "My folks warned me about strangers!" out of absolutely nowhere.

Once all that's settled, it's time to move on to next steps. There's a lot of changes happening in this scene.

Jou wants to go back up to where Kuwagamon was hunting them because they're supposed to stay put and wait for adults to come and get them. However, the group quickly agrees that climbing back up that cliff is an unreasonable plan.

The dub seems to really not like Jou's deference to general adult supervision because once again they scrub it out. Joe instead wants to find a pay phone to call the police, fire department, and his mom. Still adults and authority figures, to be fair, but not exactly the same vibe as "Let's stay where we are and wait for the adults to come get us." Rather, this is foreshadowing for later in the episode.

Jou is the group's senpai; He's responsible for their wellbeing but he has no idea how to be responsible for them. This is part of his character journey.

Yamato points out that this place doesn't look anything like the camp site they were at; Koushiro agrees, speculating based on local vegetation that they're somewhere in the subtropics. Matt wants to find a road leading to safety, but Izzy points out that navigation without a compass is hard.

Jou suggests they can find a road that might take them back up to where they arrived, still on that "Wait for adults to come get us" thing. Joe whines that his pants aren't good for hiking.

Sora then suggests that if they do go back up the cliff, they might find clues to how they got here; However, Mimi fears further attacks from creatures like Kuwagamon. The dub translates this part faithfully.

Taichi asks if there are any other humans around, but Agumon confirms that they're alone here. It's only DIgimon. This also gets translated faithfully.

From there, the group discusses File Island for a moment. Nobody has any idea where this place is, with Jou suggesting they might not even be in Japan anymore. The dub already blew the big reveal by saying "Digi-World" instead of "File Island" so their kids instead briefly question whether or not nighttime exists in this place. Izzy finds the topic ridiculous since it would be "unnatural" for nighttime not to exist, prompting Joe to ask what part of this is natural. Valid counterpoint.

Once all that's settled, Taichi takes charge and gets us moving. He saw the ocean when he was scouting before Kuwagamon's attack so we're heading that way. Though Jou takes one last chance to insist on his preferred course of action: We need to stay put and wait for adults to find us.

So the rest of the group just starts walking and tries to leave his ass here, with Gomamon calling out to get him moving too. XD

This joke does get somewhat faithfully translated. Joe wants to find a cave and hide, but "We keep our eyes open and when a camp counselor comes--" which is when Gomamon calls out to him.

It still works, but doesn't hit quite the same tone as when this is like his fifth time interjecting with this.

Once the group gets walking, they take another assessment of their surroundings. Koushiro revises his assessment of the flora being subtropical. Jou repeats that they're probably not in Japan. Then Yamato points out that the Digimon seem like a pretty big tipoff that something's weird about this place.

The dub gets as far as Izzy saying he thought the plants were subtropical, but they don't want to talk about being in Japan for localization reasons. So Joe instead derails the conversation to complain about his hay fever being aggravated, before Matt groans, "Is there anything you don't complain about!?"

As they make their way to the ocean, the kids take some time to get to know their partners. Patamon and Piyomon demonstrate that they can both fly, but not well. Then this hilarious bit happens.

Mimi: Palmon, you look kind of like a plant. Palmon: I am! I can even conduct photosynthesis. Mimi: That's so cool! Do it! Do it! Palmon: ...Mimi, do you know what photosynthesis is? Mimi: No, not really. What is it? Palmon: ...well, I don't really know either....

The dub wipes out this entire exchange and instead has Mimi inexplicably gush about Palmon's "hair". She wants to try and do Palmon's hair herself, to which Palmon accuses her of caring too much about appearances before rejecting her offer. For a second time, the dub is weirdly mean to Mimi for no apparent reason. She has done nothing but be nearby dressed in pink!

Once they arrive at the beach, they come upon a most unexpected sight.

Hey look, it's those pay phones that Dub Joe wanted! Joe is naturally ecstatic about this discovery.

The Japanese group takes a moment to agree among themselves that these are definitely pay phones, just like the ones you see around town. Jou takes this as confirmation that they're still in Japan, only to have his hopes utterly destroyed when Gomamon asks what this Japan thing he keeps talking about is.

In English, Izzy wildly speculates that aliens put these phones here as a trap. Matt wants to order a pizza; Mimi demands no anchovies. Again trying to avoid Japan as a topic, Joe instead suggests these phones are for calling your parents for a ride, at which point Gomamon asks what parents are.

Taichi gets impatient with standing around contemplating the mystery phones and decides to use them instead. As soon as he bites that bullet, the rest of the group flood into the phone booths to do the same.

As Koushiro hands his phone card over to Taichi, dub Izzy says, "Use my phone card; The aliens can bill me." Goddammit, XD.

It does not go well. On the other end of the phone, all they can get are seemingly prerecorded messages replying with absolute gibberish.

"The time is now 38:82:90 AM." "Tomorrow's weather will be sunny with occasional ice cream." "This phone is currently outside all service areas."

The dub fully understood the assignment on this one and even spices up a couple of them. Instead of 39 o'clock, the time is now 45 MPH... and 90 seconds. My favorite bad phone message is the dub's "To leave a message, press 1 now. To leave a fingerprint, press 2 now!"

As it becomes apparent that these phones aren't their salvation, Taichi and Yamato break into an argument over next steps. Taichi wants to give up on the phones and leave, but Yamato steamrolls him with logic.

1 - The phones were ringing earlier. Even if we can't call out, if we hang out here, someone might call us. 2 - Not to mention, the whole group is too tired to start marching again.

With Koushiro backing him up and pointing out that everyone's getting hungry, Taichi relents. We'll stay here and take a break.

Discussing food options, the group inspect their belongings and rediscover their Digivices. They'd completely forgotten about those things. Cool, but not edible so. Y'know. Questions for later.

Setting those aside for now, the group goes over what they have on them to see who's got something to eat.

Sora: First aid kit. Koushiro: Laptop, digital camera, and cell phone. All non-functional since arriving on File Island. Taichi: Mini telescope.

Takeru: JACKPOT

I mean, it's all sweets so it's not very nutritional. But you know what it's not? It's not starving to death on the beach of a deserted island.

Mimi, meanwhile, is decked out for wilderness survival. She was nervous about the camping trip so she plundered her dad's stuff without his knowledge - A decision that, the group agrees, may be what keeps them alive in this place.

The dub once again takes this opportunity to be mean to Mimi. She describes the Swiss Army Knife as "one of those knives with all the things", which I actually like. She's like 10, that's a fair description for a 10-year-old who doesn't go camping.

But then they cut out her explanation of why she has all this stuff. Instead, Matt brings up earlier in the dub when Izzy mentioned they don't have a compass and snaps at MImi for not telling them she had one; Mimi defends herself by saying she thought it'd be fun to see how far they can get without it.

Y'all, they seriously changed a line earlier so they'd have something to yell at Mimi for later. The dub is so mean to Mimi.

Fortunately Jou, who's been busy trying to get the phones to work and hasn't followed the conversation, has the solution to our food problem: A bag of emergency rations he's been trying to pass off to Mimi.

As the group begins divvying upon the food, Jou crunches the numbers. It's supposed to be enough food for three days, but Takeru wasn't supposed to be on this camping trip; He snuck in to spend time with Yamato. So that's an extra mouth. Furthermore, the Digimon are going to double their food consumption.

The Digimon chime in to say they can forage just fine. They've been fending for themselves in the wilderness all their lives; They don't need to eat the emergency rations. That will help extend their time.

The dub simplifies the math a bit by counting T.K. as having officially been part of the trip, so there's an even share of food for him already accounted for.

However, while this conversation is happening, Taichi and Agumon are already digging into the rations. Whoops.

Before anyone else has a chance to eat, the kids are under attack once more. A subterranean assailant destroys the phone booths and their reason for lingering on this beach.

This is the Adult-stage Shellmon. His name is in English so it's pretty easy to tell what it's supposed to reference. The Digimon try their best to defend the kids from Shellmon, but only one of them has any energy to fight.

Agumon's signature move is called Baby Flame 'cause he's just a little guy. The dub changes it to Pepper Breath, which admittedly sounds cool as heck.

It quickly becomes apparent that he's the only one with stamina to fight. That's. Uh. That's a problem because Shellmon is Adult-stage like Kuwagamon. It took the entire group to fight Kuwagamon. And they lost.

So. Y'know. Agumon doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of holding this line. But he's gonna have to.

Demonstrating the courage that will become such a defining aspect of his character, Taichi throws himself into the fray. He leaps into action to distract Shellmon and open him up to flanking shots from Agumon. He also tries to fight more directly.

It does not go well. Taichi has zero chance of winning a fistfight with a kaiju shellfish. However, his courage and boldness sparks the next stage of Agumon's evolution.

With the theme song roaring up again, Agumon SHINKAAAAAA!

Agumon's Adult stage is Greymon. A bit of an odd name for such a colorful creature. I'm of the understanding that it's based on a form of grey that means "ancient", because he's clearly a dinosaur. That, however, is not a usage of the word that I'm familiar with.

Greymon's evolution is slightly different between versions. Just before Agumon evolves, in Japanese, he screams Taichi's name out of desperation. "TAICHI!!!" he cries out, before suddenly evolving into Greymon and gaining the power to fight back.

In English, he instead shouts "Digivolve!" like a battle cry, making it seem a little more like he's in control and doing this on purpose.

Taking control of this situation, Greymon hurls Shellmon into the air and unveils his new attack: Mega Flame, the vastly more powerful counterpart to Baby Flame. The dub calls it Digi-Nova Blast.

Mega Flame launches Shellmon into the distance and sends him crashing into the ocean offshore from File Island. A much more decisive victory than their previous encounter with Kuwagamon, though Shellmon likely is still alive out there.

Given what just happened, the group decides to keep their Digimon well-fed rather than trying to preserve the rations. Also, to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. There's no reason to stay since the phones have been destroyed, and Shellmon could return at any moment.

Jou takes this opportunity to once more pitch returning to the woods they originally landed in, but he gets thoroughly outvoted. It's up a cliff, it's far away, no more Kuwagamon. Legit, in the dub, Mimi just frets about running into Kuwagamon again, but Japanese Mimi shrieks at Jou, "NO MORE KUWAGAMON!!!" XD I love that delivery.

Koushiro has a better plan: Phones imply the existence of people who installed them, so let's be proactive and go look for those people. Jou is once more outvoted.

With that settled, we have a little bit of food, we have a plan, and the group sets off to pursue this thin thread of hope that they've found.

[missingn000]

HI!!! This is not a real question(unless you count the dumb one), but since I guess it will be more possible for my words to reach to you by tumblr rather than Ao3, I undusted my account hahaha

This comment its about tpg, because I have a REALLY big hyperfixation on it right now, just you know

First - I FUCKING LOVE YOUR WRITING

I think I have never seen anyone use literary resources son damm well, you got me shouting and laughing in total silence in the same paragraph, just to my mouth being wide open with shock the next second- I could speak for hours about thisssss

Second - YOUR CHARACTERSS

How you make them ALL charismatic???Even the ones I cant stand in canon, I will read about them with joy

To take a character that its already as deep as a lake, and make the as deep as the mariana trench, amazing as shit

And the character development??No words.

Third - SUKUNA AND YUUJI

They were my favourite characters before reading your ff, but you see, I really wanted to explore their dynamic, wich is already complex but could be a LOT better, so I look for a ff with that

Then I found tfg, wich is that and MOREE

I could literally read a million words long ff ONLY about them, their back storyes and how they interact with each other, and would never get tired if you were the one to write it

I could never fucking shut up about them, like, never.

Literally me about them ↓↓↓

Btw, can I imagine Sukuna with a terrible british accent? It just makes him more funny in my head lmao

I would say more, but its 2 am in Spain and I need some sleep, maybe tomorrow idk

(If I had any mistakes im sorry, its a mix of my being unable of writing to words correctly unless I do it with a pencil and English being my second language)

HIII OH MY GOODNESS first off, i apologize for taking so long to get back to you -- i've been rotting under a massive pile of Overwhelmed lately, but this message was like a glimmering ray of sunshine in the back of my mind and i'm glad i've finally got the energy to get to it!

AHH I AM SO OVER THE MOON TO HEAR YOU LIKE TPG SO MUCH <33 my writing style has certainly evolved throughout the story, and i've gotten better at waging literary devices like weapons at my readers. it's very fun and i'm happy it has you on a rollercoaster of emotions with every chapter, because believe me, i feel exactly the same

and MAN, IT'S FUN TO KNOW THAT SUKUNA & YUUJI HAS THE SAME GRIP ON YOU THAT THEY HAVE ON ME....i've absolutely loved exploring their dynamic and making it even more deranged, and i look forward to developing it further as we finally reach the comfort in hurt/comfort between these two. thanks for your patience and for sticking around while i'm on break from this, i'll get back to it in time!! and thanks for this kind message, i truly appreciate it <333

[goofatron]

OC Personality Sheet

Tagged by: @skullharvester​ and @coraptedata​  Tagging: Anyone really lol

Trelane Powers

Alias: Trey, Lanny, Powergirl,

Gender: Female

Race: Black-White Biracial

Nationality: American

Age: 19 (in AU); 46 (in 2021)

DOB: May 12th 1975

Species: Human

Zodiac: Taurus; Rabbit (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents: Speaks like a million languages, can jerry rig even the most hopeless machines into working again, in tune with nature (speaks for the trees and all that), excellent marksmanship with her rifle (gift from her late father)

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: A free spirit (doesn't actually follow any religious code)

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English, Spanish (mainly Mexican variant), French, Japanese, German, Chinese Mandarin, Italian, and Korean.

Family: Robert (Bob, Bobby) Powers (father; deceased); Olivia Jones (mother; left at birth); Louie and Joyce Mitchell (foster family after father was murdered)

Friends: Erick Rothstein; Donovan Ross

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other (cursed with heterochromia)

Skin: pale / fair (but tanned) / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 5'5" / ~167cm

Weight: 120lbs. / ~54kg

Scars: One giant scar going down her back from left shoulder blade to right hip - a single swipe from a large grizzly bear she and her dad ran into on their property in Alaska. She still has the paw from the bear who nearly killed her and loves to brag about it.

Facial Features: Oval face, freckles all over, soft-Nubian nose, average-thick brows, big lips = big smiles :)

Tattoos: none (though Erick keeps pestering her about it)

Dogs or Cats? Dogs for all eternity. She has 2: a golden retriever named, Emily; a german shepard named, Vengeance. They’re the same age but she rescued them at different times.  

Birds or Nugs? birds cus she doesnt know wtf a nug even is???

Snakes or Spiders? snakes though she doesnt mind spiders as long as they stay in their spaces.

Coffee or Tea? bean water 

Ice Cream or Cake? ice cream. she likes to bite through it to freak out her friends.

Fruits or Vegetables? vegetables, as she grew up learning how to farm. Fruits can be too sugary for her if they’re from a Super Market. 

Sandwich or Soup? Soups, as they’re hearty and good for the soul <3

Magic or Melee? Why is ranged not a choice?? >:I

Sword or Bow? oh there it is! Bow if she had to choose, but if it ever were an option: Gun. Always Gun. Gunbow perhaps?

Summer or Winter? Evolved with the capabilities to survive Alaskan winters in shorts and a tank top in a cabin with no internal heating system.

Spring or Autumn? Spring brings out new life and that means new meat to hunt!

The Past or The Future? Preferably the future. She doesn't like to look back because for her, it’s more bad memories than good. 

Erick Rothstein 

Alias: just Erick. don't call him ‘Rick’. 

Gender: Male

Race: White

Nationality:  German-American immigrant

Age: 18 in AU; 45 in 2021

DOB: September 11th 1975

Species: Human

Zodiac: Virgo; Rabbit (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents: Beautiful singing voice; voice actor; bendable; double-jointed

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: Agnostic if anything

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English, German, Spanish (as far as high school Spanish goes)

Family: Conrad Rothstein (Father; Incarcerated); Fernanda Brandt (Mother; Incarcerated); Alvaro/Louie Rothstein Mitchell(Paternal Uncle; Disowned runaway); Joyce Mitchell (Aunt by marriage); Kimberly Mitchell (Cousin); Chad Mitchell (Cousin)

Friends: Trelane Powers; Donovan Ross

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other (ginger)

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other

Skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 5'10" / ~155cm

Weight: 155lbs. / ~70kg

Scars: Do mental scars count? He does have scars on his back and legs all from a leather strap used by his parents. A few scars where his left kidney used to be when he got stabbed in the 90s after exiting a gay bar.

Facial Features: Oval and firm face, still got baby fat in some areas even in his 30s (lol), traditional Germanic pointed nose™

Tattoos: none (but he does want to get matching ones w/ Trey)

Dogs or Cats? Cats 100% as he is deathly afraid of dogs as they were used to torment him as a child. He does make an exception for both of Trey’s dogs, Emily and Vengeance however. 

Birds or Nugs? tf is a nug?? Birds, he guesses.

Snakes or Spiders? Neither (same reason as dogs)

Coffee or Tea? coffee 80% of the time. He’ll save tea for when he’s sick and on really chilly nights.

Ice Cream or Cake? Cake. His teeth are far too sensitive for ice cream unless it’s in the form of ice cream bars.

Fruits or Vegetables? he’ll consume fruit for days. hates green vegetables, only likes the colorful ones.

Sandwich or Soup? both. likes small sandwiches to dip into hot soup. gooood shit.

Magic or Melee? if he can use magic to fashion himself a guitar out of existance, he’s sure to win the battle through sonnets.

Sword or Bow? Why the violence? :c Why cant we all sing together? (he’s a bard at heart if it wasn't clear enough)

Summer or Winter? Summer is nice and warm; winter is numb and cold :c

Spring or Autumn? Spring! Though he does love the color changes that Autumn brings. Not so much the beginning of chilled air though.

The Past or The Future? Past? what past? there is not passst hahaha only the future with friends and new family :’) 

Donovan Ross

Alias: Donny, Don, D-man, Ross (school faculty)

Gender: Male

Race: Black

Nationality:  American

Age: 21 in AU; 47 in 2021

DOB: August 1st 1973

Species: Human

Zodiac: Leo; Ox (Chinese)

Abilities/Talents: 

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: Christianity 

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility/ justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English

Family: James Ross (Father); Roberta Wilson (Mother); Trixie Ross (Sister)

Friends: Trelane Powers; Donovan Ross; Elaina Heckathorne (Girlfriend)

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship Status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating / it’s complicated

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese / stocky

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other 

Eyes: brown / blue-gray / green / black / other

Skin: pale / fair (but tanned) / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: 6'2" / ~188cm

Weight: 164lbs. / ~74kg

Scars:

Facial Features: baby fat all through childhood, then chiseled features with a square jaw in adult hood. Wide and slightly bulbous nose.

Tattoos: None

Dogs or Cats? Dogs, but only small or medium sized.

Birds or Nugs? uh, birds? the heck are nugs?

Snakes or Spiders? Neither!

Coffee or Tea? gotta be decafe, but either works

Ice Cream or Cake? why isnt pie an option? :c

Fruits or Vegetables? Veggies. He has to be careful w/ fruits cus he’s allergic to most citrus fruits and bananas.

Sandwich or Soup? A nice, big, fat sandwich to fill ‘er up B)

Magic or Melee? Magic. As big and athletic he seems, he’s more into using his brains than brawn.

Sword or Bow? Short sword if nothing else, maybe even a dagger as he can just pull it out quickly for some fast jabbing action.

Summer or Winter? despite being born in the dead of summer, he’s a wintery boy

Spring or Autumn? Autumn for the same reason as a lot of people. Loves the changes in both color and the air.

The Past or The Future? He always looks forward to a brighter future, but is fond of looking back on his past. He’s made some really good memories with the people he’s met. :) 

[itsnotsaneitsnotsane]

 1. Do you bite or lick ice cream? Lick

 2. What is home to you? Alabama:/

 3. What was the last lie you told? I couldnt tell you

 4. Does everyone deserve the truth? Maybe not?

 6. Describe a moment in which you did something unacceptable in a bad situation. Walk away, move states..

 7. List two things that are more easily done than said. (No, I didn't mix them up.) Being alone & fuck irdk

 8. When was the last time you worked really hard to achieve something? Mhm 4 years ago.

 9. How many all nighters have you pulled? A lotttt haha

 10. If humans didn't evolve to laugh or smile, how would we express our happiness instead? Woah people express that? no but humans would probably bone all the time.

 11. How many romantic "things" or "flings" have you had? Only 2 (technically 3) serious relationships. Many flings.

 12. What is your paradise? I dont have one :(

 13. What is your favorite background noise? (Ex. Water dripping, people talking.) Music

 14. How many hearts do you think you have broken? Only 1... maybe 2 soon. (not you hehe.)

 15. What is the most important thing about electronics? What does this say about you? Finding friendships through social media or other platforms. And mhm probably that im a lonely pos

 16. Why do people care about celebrities? Do you care about celebrities? Because they're pretty. Not really.

 17. What is the most annoying thing someone can do to you? Chew loud.

 18. Do you overexaggerate? What are the pros and cons of this? Eh, yeah. And I cant think of any pros.

 19. Have you played any instruments before? Which instruments? Piano, saxophone

 20. Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not? No. I stare at it until i hate it.

 21. List 3 things you like about yourself?

 22. What is the best advice someone has ever given you? To not give up. As simple as that sounds.

 23. Do you have what it takes to raise a child? Why or why not? No. Dont you need to be mentally stable- i would hope so..

 24. How do you cheer yourself up after a bad day? Play games for hours.

 25. When was the last time you felt awkward? Ha. Literally 5 minutes ago.

 26. Are you introverted or extroverted? Or a mixture of both? Introverted x100000

 27. What constitutes a good friend? Someone who doesnt give up on you amd atleast tries to understand.

 28. Would you rather have a lot of friends to hang out with or just one best friend? One best friend.

 29. In a regular day, what do you not want to hear? 'Hey hows your day going'

 30. What is your dream job? Fuck, is this still a question.. to be a homicide detective in the biggest city i can think of.

 31. Is it better to be lazy but smart or hardworking but unintelligent? Lazy and smart DUH

 32. What is a truth about yourself that others find hard to believe?

 33. What have you always wondered about the other gender? What it feels like to GET OFF. DUH.

 34. Which fantasy world would you like to visit the most? Um my own dreams i guess.

 35. Describe the worst friend you have ever befriended. Im not wasting my time describing that.

 36. Imagine that you have switched bodies with someone you don't know. You can't switch back. What do you do? Live it up. I think id feel happy honestly.

 37. If you found the recipe for immortality, would you sell it or would you burn it? Mh. Sell it, their problem now and im rich.

 38. What is the most important, applicable class you have ever taken? Current events.

 39. Name the last book you read. Dammed- chuck palahniuk

 40. Imagine that you are unable to express emotion. How would this affect your world? No change

 41. When was the last time you made the first move? Um never..

 42. What is your opinion on electronic music such as dubstep or trap? Trash

 43. What was the last tv show youve watched? Rick and Morty.

 44. Do you like and appreciate your life? I appreciate what i am trying to do.

 45. Do you like and appreciate yourself?

 46. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday

 47. What are you scared of? Heights.

 48. What is the most embarrassing, cringe-worthy thing you have ever done? Um live my life everyday probably.

 49. What are some of your hobbies? .... literally WORSE question. I smoke cigs. Is that a hobby?

 50. What is a superficial yet annoying mistake you constantly make?

 51. Are you a good friend? What makes you a good friend? If not, what makes you a bad friend? I feel like i am both. I try to be there for them. But also, im so hard to get so i feel like i might come off the wrong way a lot.

 52. Do you honestly learn from your mistakes? Honestly; nope.

 53. What have you learned the hard way? Not to care what people think. After wasting my whole life. Im starting to realize it doesnt matter.

 54. What is the most important thing to have in order to attain happiness? Follow your heart

 56. Are you a creative or a logical thinker? Both but probably logical.

 57. What is the smartest thing you have ever done?

 58. What is your ideal meal? Fuckk probably so good ass chicken with some gooooood asssssss mac and cheese. As lame as that sounds hahaha.

 59. What is the worst thing someone could do on a date? 1. Go on date with me

 60. Do you like animals? Which kind is your favorite? Yeah and dogs are cute but i love elephants.

 61. If you could turn one legal thing illegal, what would it be? Christmas.

 62. Do you have any guilty pleasures? Of courseeeee (;

 63. What is the best thing that the internet has ever created? Video games.

 64. Do you like playing video games? Which video games? Woah you read my mind of sum? Shooter games.

 65. What is your opinion on beauty in today's society? Bullshit

 66. Are you a morning person? When do you usually wake up? No not really and like 5pm nowadays.

 67. Do you have a favorite Disney movie? Character? No

 68. Would you rather live in the city or in the countryside? City but i love the countryside

 69. Would you rather live near the ocean or in the mountains? Mountains

 70. What are the best things about winter? Cold. Even though i hate it. Snow. Even if i dont see it. Trees dying.

 71. What scares you most about the future? Literally everything.

 72. What makes you feel old? Doing nothing.

 73. How many hours do you spend on the computer or phone on average? Idk like 5.

 74. What are some of your New Year's resolutions? Be a better me.

 75. What is your life story in 6 words?

 76. Describe yourself in one word. Awkward.

 77. What bad habits do you do? Smoking

 78. What genre of music do you listen to? everything

 79. Most prominent childhood memory? I would say, but its embarrassing that that's the memory.

 80. Imagine if you had an older brother. If you already have one, what is it like? If you don't, how would this change your life? My life would be so different. Maybe i would have someone to talk to.

 81. Spirit animal?

 82. Do you believe in horoscopes? Yes

 83. What is the worst advice you've ever been given?

 84. List the 3 most important people in your life right now. 1. Fox 2. Fox 3. Fox

 85. Favorite memory of your family. :/

 86. What do you look for in a relationship? Happiness

 87. Do you have a role model? Why or why not? No. I dont need it. But now that i think about it i have one role model.

 88. What is your opinion on social media? Dumb

 89. Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Pessimest

 90. List some things that you think are overpriced? Food

 91. What is your worst memory or creepiest experience? ..

 92. What superpower would ruin the world? Any of them

 93. What is something you swore you would never do when you grew up, but you did anyway? Exactly what im doing now. Nothing. Giving up. Dropping out

 94. What lessons have you learned from movies and which movies were they? Dont trust yourself when you know you arent okay. Fight club

 95. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Europe

 96. How do you approach people? I dont but i guess a smile.

 97. What is your opinion on first impressions? I think theyre okay. Only if you dont judge.

 98. What are some things you did as a child that you no longer do? Lol play with imaginary friends

 99. What languages can you speak? English

 100. What do you think society will be like in 30 years? Lol hopefully ill be dead bc that shit sounds terrible

 101. What do you do on your lazy days? Play games.

 102. What ended your last relationship? I had enough.

 103. Favorite food? Soul food

 104. What is the most terrifying dream you've ever had? Fuck im not saying.

 105. When was the last time you got seriously angry? Last night

 106. What was the last friendship you broke? My friend Ashley:(

 107. Do you have any pet peeves? Close minded people

 108. Who was the last person you gave a hug to? Zack

 109. When was the last time you got seriously stressed? Last night

 110. What part of your personality do you want to change? I dont have one.

 111. Who is the most positively influential person in your life right now? My sister Grace.

 112. What is your biggest motivation? My siblings. Faith & Grace.

 113. What did you want to be when you were little? Honestly i never knew.

 114. What are some things that you are good at? Smokin weed

 115. What is one thing you want to be good at? Social skills

 116. What distracts you the most, especially when you're trying to work? My mind

 117. How important is privacy to you? Eh pretty significant i guess.

 118. If you could create one social norm, what would it be? Be friends with everybody.

 119. What's the craziest lie you've ever told? Um.. i told my 2nd grade teacher my family died in a car crash.

 120. What story do you like to tell about yourself at parties? I dont go to parties haaha

 121. What is the lamest thing that you have seen someone do? have friends and socialize too much like woah calm down you know youre still alone.. right. Like its only you. Hahah jk. But irdk.

 122. What is the stupidest thing you've done to impress someone? a guy invited me over and ive never done anything sexual before so i pretended like i knew and i hurt his dick like bad. (We didnt have sex)

 123. What is your morning routine? Wake up, wash face, brush teeth, get dressed, and then boom feel sad

 124. What's the last thing you did that is worth remembering?

 125. If karma was coming back to you, would it help or hurt you? Help

 126. What is your opinion on playing "hard to get?" Being sort of isolated like not opening up. Which is okay bc if they want you they'll wait.

 127. What are the pros and cons of straightforward? Cons, you may hurt feelings. Pro, you know yourself and what you want to say congratulations

 128. What do you consider "leading" someone on? Being fake happy.

 129. Are you the friendzoner or the friendzoned? Friendzoner

 130. What do you admire most about your friends? How beautiful he is. Inside & out.

 131. What do you admire most about your family? They're still here.

 132. What is your opinion on "going with the flow?" You may forget where you are trying to go. Or who you are.

 133. Do you enjoy talking or listening? Listening.

 134. When is it time to end a friendship? Idk

 135. What is the worst excuse you've ever come up with? Lol too many.

 136. If GPA didn't matter, what courses would you have taken? Doesnt matter.

 137. What are your favorite baby names? Ive always liked Riley for a girl name and idk havent thought Bout a boys name.

 138. When was the last time you had a deep conversation with someone? Maybe a week or so ago. Or a few days ago.

 139. What instantly ruins a conversation? Lack of excitement

 140. Biggest turn ons and turn on offs. Affection. And idk

 143. When did you last do something outside of your comfort zone? God every day.

 147. What do you like about the 21st century? ???

 141. Biggest disappointment. Myself

 142. Do you have any self-restraint? A little.

 144. Prized possession(s)? little things

 145. What is your opinion on second chances? They might seem okay but idk.... depends i guess

 146. Text or call? Both, depends on whom im texting or callin

 148. What advice would you give to yourself 5 years ago? Life is hard and stupid but choices you make will stay with you forever so what are you gonna do, follow your heart or head? (head is better hope)

 149. How organized are you? Eh not really anymore.

 150. Favorite mode of transportation. My car

[purplesurveys]

494

Do you own a pink toaster? No, I don’t. I probably won’t get one either even though I like the color pink. Do you live by yourself? No. I still live with my family at home and would probably live like this until a couple years into my first job when I can afford to move out. Do you shower everyday? If I have to be in school, yes. But on my off days I let myself skip a day. Is English your native language? No. I was raised in a Filipino-speaking home, so I learned English in school, by reading, or from cartoons. Do you like cleaning? If it doesn’t feel like a chore.

Who is your favorite character from Harry Potter? Do you hear any music now? Nope, I just hear my really loud aircon. Do you watch PewDiePie? He’s my go-to channel when I’m upset and need lots of cheering up, but right now I’m not as updated with his material. Are you married? Nope, that’s quite a long way from here my friend hahaha. Do you like Despacito? I never really liked songs I couldn’t understand. Do you drink coffee? As much as I can. It’s my bloodstream. Do you know any Swedish words? Only cuss words because PewDiePie used to swear in Swedish in his old videos lmfao. He did also use to say “sluta,” which I think he translated to “stop” or “stop it.” Maybe @badsurveyshit can help me out! Hahaha. Do you play Pokemon Go? Only when it was like crazy popular three years ago. My phone died soon after that and when I got a new one, I couldn’t be bothered to revisit it. Do you think you're fat? No, but I think I’m too thin. Did you ever color your hair pink? I haven’t and I dunno if I would. Do you press Caps Lock or hold Shift for capital letters? I do Caps Lock. I never did get used to just holding Shift. Do you own any pop figures? Nope. But I’ve given it as a gift. All of the possible spaces in my room are just kinda filled up at the moment and I’m not sure if a Funko will stand out here. Do you like Dr. Phil? I like his show, mostly because PewDiePie will sometimes do reaction videos to ridiculous bratty guests from the show. Do you prefer to be inside or outside? Depends on my mood. I can be both, really. Do you drink energy drinks? No. They smell like pure sugar and it’s super sticky and I feel like my body would implode if I drink a bottle lmao. Do you eat meat? Yep. Do you need to do the dishes? Nope. Do you have any posters in your room? I have one. But I also have several frames of Audrey Hepburn and one painting that Gabie bought me me, and another painting that she herself made. How old were you in 2010? I was 12. Are you scared of clowns? I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one IRL...they always seem to be like a Western media thing. We don’t have circuses or anything like that, and parents don’t usually get clowns for their kids’s parties. Who is your favorite youtuber? Probably Shane Dawson because he’s so goddamn versatile and is great at being it. He’s managed to evolve from comedy skits to watching things explode in the microwave and making giant pumpkin spice milkshakes to explainers for conspiracy theories and alien sightings to casual vlogs to full fucking length documentaries about real-life people and said conspiracies. Do you have any subscribers on YouTube? No. I don’t want to have any, I just use my channel so that YouTube knows what material I’m into haha. Do you believe in ghosts? I do. Do you salt your popcorn? Yessssss. The more the better. Do you like McDonalds? I can take it or leave it. They have a really boring menu. Do you have a Steam account? I don’t. Is the sun shining right now? It’s a little cloudy at the moment but I’m sure it’ll peak out in a minute or two. What time is it? 8:59 AM while I’m typing this down. How much battery do you have on your phone? 16%, oops. What device are you using while taking this survey? I’m always on my laptop when taking surveys. Do you brush your teeth everyday? Yes, but I’ll occasionally forget. Do you bite your nails? Only if I’m starting to get increasingly anxious or overwhelmed over something. Do you like gaming? I like *watching* people play (which stems back to my childhood when ALL the boys and men in the house knew how to play video games and it would always be a bonding thing for us), but I can’t figure out video games myself to save my life. What's the first word that comes to your mind if I say: Boop! Hannah Hart. What month is it? It’s already July, what the hell? Do you like reading books? I used to...I think I mostly got disinterested because there was a time when the popular books that kept coming out were all fantasy or dystopian, e.g. Percy Jackson, I Am Number Four, The Hunger Games. By the time the more IRL-based fictional works came out, like the John Green works, reading had already become a little boring for me. Have you ever played Five Nights at Freddy's? Nope. And I don’t think I would want to lol. Watching people play it is enough. Do you like horror movies? Love them, it used to be my favorite genre until the industry just kept making a bunch of remakes of already-great horror flicks. Is your favorite animal a dog? Yes. Do you have a pet cat? My sister does, but since she’s living in a dorm for college all of us have at home have to take care of her. Do you like chicken nuggets? Meh, I can also take it or leave it. I like chicken fingers better. What color is the ceiling in the room? White. Do you own a car? I drive one, but my parents bought it. What age do you turn on your next birthday? 22. Do you like religion? Not really. Have you ever tried Akinator? Yes. I used it a whole lot when it was new. Tbh I’d still pass by it sometimes these days if I was in the mood for it to guess what I was thinking. Do you like Grand Theft Auto V? Yes, there’s always something to do on that game haha.

Are you wearing socks right now? I am not, but I probably will later when I head out to school.

Do you have a headache? Not right now. Do you cry a lot? Hahahaha yep, I really do. Can you twerk? I never tried. Do you like dabbing? Nope. Name four things in the room. An electric fan, a pack of microwavable popcorn, a plate of sisig, and a glass of water. Can money buy you happiness? It definitely could. What was the last country you visited? China. Do you like fishing? I’ve never fished before. Do you want to be famous? It’s a nice thought, but I don’t actively want it. Do you have any siblings? Yes. Have you ever been to a funeral? No. I’ve been to wakes though. Do you have a Spotify account? I have my own, but I stopped using the one meant for me because Gabie lets me use her premium account. Have you heard of Blizzard Entertainment? I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about them. Do you drink milk? I can’t drink milk. Are you tired? A little bit, yes. Do you like bananas? I don’t like fruits. Are you addicted to anything? Nope. Are you in love? Sure. What's the temperature outside? It looks like it’ll be humid today. Do you like snow? I’ve never seen it. Where are you from? Manila. Would you rather Play, Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward or Stop? Fast forward. Do you know your phone number? ??? Yes I do. What do you think of Fifty Shades of Grey? Never cared for it. Do you swear in front of children? Nope. Is my grammar fine? Sure.

[ketzwrites]

marieruby respondeu seu post “I’m bored and I can’t write. Does any nonny or non-nonny want to talk?

How do you write so well in English? I mean, Portuguese is also my native language, but I almost exclusively write in English. Sometimes I think I'm doing a great job with my fics, and other times I just... baffled at the English language and everything seems wrong. Tips? Advices? Any general nonsense to help a gal out hahaha #socorro

dflksvd;ksa; assim você me deixa sem jeito

That feeling of “sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s garbage”? I think every bilingual person has it. I certainly do. Sometimes I look at the sentences I write and I question my entire existence.

The best thing to do is read things written by native speakers and watch movies/TV shows in English with the subtitles in English. The subtitles, in this case, help a lot to grasp the finer details of each sentence structure. Soon enough, I’ll be able to reproduce what you read/hear. Want to know what’s funny? When you notice the subtitle in English is not what is being said. Or that the subtitle in Portuguese is simply wrong. Happens more often than it should.

The thing about languages is that they each have their own logic. Take the positioning of adjectives, for example. in Portuguese, it goes after the noun. In English, it’s always before.When you start to actively notice these differences, you start to internalize them.

although I will never ever be able to say “I don’t think so” instead of “I think not”

I guess the best tip/advice I can give is to keep writing in English, You shouldn’t worry if you’re doing it perfectly or not. We’re always learning and evolving anyway, so if someone has a problem with how you write in English now, they are welcome to talk to you about in Portuguese. Let’s see how well they fair ;)

Don’t forget that, as writers, we each have our own styles. Sometimes the mix of our native language and the language we’re writing in results in an amazing style that isn’t technically correct but it’s still fascinating to read. In writing, there isn’t always a right or wrong.

[shoma-uno]

“Like elder brother and younger brother”

(Shoma and Keiji’s interview in Quadruple 2017 Extra magazine. Thanks to @chestnutskating for the scans! Please do not repost this translation without permission.)

Shoma Uno and Keiji Tanaka have been leading Japanese men’s figure skating since they were juniors, and they finished gold and silver at this season’s Japanese Nationals. Their joint interview became a reality after they finished their segments at Worlds. We got a sneak peak into the 19 and 23 year olds’ raw, true selves which we do not get to see most of the time.

-- Well done at the World Championships. Were you in the same room this time?

K + S: Nope, we weren’t.

S: We haven’t roomed together much since we became seniors right?

K: Nope, not normally.

-- You roomed together frequently when you were juniors.

S: Yep, that’s right.

K: We did room a lot when we were juniors.

-- Has your relationship changed since you were juniors?

K: Nope, it hasn’t changed a single bit! (laughs)

S: It hasn’t changed! (laughs) We haven’t grown at all. (laughs)

K: Ahahaha. (laughs)

S: The first thing I have to do when I enter his room is to take my shoes off. He forced me to make that a habit of mine at the very beginning.

K: “He forced me”. (laughs)

-- Keiji, you do this everyday then.

K: Yep. I take my shoes off the moment I enter my room.

S: And I get a slap from him if I do the “bed dive”! (laughs)

K: Ahahahaha. (laughs)

-- What do you mean!?

K: I don’t allow him to dive onto my bed.

S: If I dive onto his bed, dust flutters around, so I was told “Do not dive onto my bed!” at the beginning. (laughs)

-- In a strict way?

K: Nah, I think I said it in a normal way. (laughs)

S: Ahahaha. (laughs)

K: It was normal! It was normal!

S: That’s right, that did happen back then.

-- Was Shoma mischievous?

K: Rather than mischievous, he was full of energy. And also, something that hasn’t changed since before is that he ‘explodes’!

S: Hahaha! (laughs) I used to take a Febreeze with me back then. (laughs)

K: I also used to make him take away the smell by making him flap the door open and close.

S: He still makes me do that.

K: I made you do that two years ago at 4CC in Taipei.

S: ! (laughs)

-- Is it okay if this conversation is published?

K: If it’s put as “explosion” then it’s okay. (laughs)

S: It’s no problem for me (if you publish this). Just a problem for everyone else. (laughs)

-- What type of senpai-kouhai relationship* do you have?

K: Hmmm, I’ve never really thought of our relationship in that way.

S: I don’t really think of him as a senpai either. (laughs)

-- Do you feel more like friends?

S: Yep. (laughs)

K: My own brother is the same age as Shoma’s so he’s never felt like a kouhai to me either.

-- Since he feels like a ‘younger brother’ to you, are you strict with him regarding attitude?

K: That’s true. I teach him the basics. (laughs)

S: Ahahaha! (laughs)

-- What type of presence is Keiji to you, Shoma?

S: I play against him in video games. Normally, whenever I interact with my other senpais, my language is a lot more respectful, but Keiji was quite loose with me, so I naturally say things like “Do you want to go for dinner?”, something like that. (laughs) I kinda followed him around all the time. (laughs)

K: Ahahaha. (laughs) He is naturally a respectful person, since he says “Do you want to go for dinner?” instead of “Let’s go eat dinner!”. So it’s completely fine.

S: It’s still respect I guess… but it feels closer (with him). (laughs)

K: It’s a perfect balance.

-- You two always get along so well. At last season’s 4CC, there was one scene when you (Shoma) sat on your (Keiji’s) lap in the green room.

K + S: Ahahaha. (laughs)

S: Was I just casually sitting there?

K: Yep, it was normal. I was thinking, “He’s gonna come sit on my lap isn’t he”, and just like that, he sat on my lap. (laughs)

-- That scene was broadcasted live on TV. Were there any reactions from people?

K: There were a lot of reactions. (laughs)

S: There was so much reaction from the fans. We were told, “You two get along so well”. (laughs)

K: Yeah.

-- Do you get relaxed when you’re with Keiji?

S: I do get relaxed. I’m usually alone in Nagoya, so when Keiji comes to Chukyo University or we get together during overseas competitions, I think, “I have someone to hang out with!”

K: Ahahaha. (laughs)

S: I always look forward to that. (laughs)

-- How do you both switch between on and off**?

S: I’m always off.

K: I’m only on on-ice. Only on-ice and inside the competition arena.

S: I am off until the last minute. (laughs)

K: We both change when we step onto the ice. Until then, we honestly don’t change at all.

S: Ahahaha. (laughs)

-- Since we are talking about competitions now, were there any skaters whom you were blown away by at this World Championships?

K: We actually watched the ladies together in the hotel room.

S: Everyone was so good in the ladies segment.

-- Which one of your rooms did you guys watch in?

K: Shoma’s room.

S: Recently, we get together normally in my room. My room is messy from the start, so I don’t really care if it gets messier.

K: I’m not complaining. (laughs) When we watched the ladies in Shoma’s room, I thought, “Their mentalities are so strong”.

-- Which skaters were the most memorable?

S: I was, of course, blown away by Evgenia Medvedeva. She always skates without making any mistakes. The fact that no matter the condition, she always does a perfect performance, is intriguing to me.

K: I personally was most taken aback by Team Japan. All of them were giving it their all, and even though this applies to me as well, this was many of their first times at Worlds. I had my free skate the next day, so I thought, “I will give it my all too!”

-- After making a mistake in the short, Mai Mihara did an amazing performance in the free.

K: It was truly incredible.

S: Yes yes.

K: I was so happy her practices paid off since our practices sometimes overlap with one another.

S: Even though Rika, Wakaba, and Mai, as Team Japan, may have had some feelings of frustration, they were in smiles when I saw them afterwards, so I was just glad about that. Last year, I was very down for a while after the competition, so I really didn’t want anyone to be feeling that way. When I saw Mai’s sad face after her short, I thought, “I think it’ll all be okay in her free skate”, and after seeing her amazing free performance, I thought, “The ladies really do have a strong mentality.” For me, I was able to end Worlds by just truly enjoying it.

-- Worlds is over, and now lies ahead a season which determines your chance at the Olympics. Do you have any thoughts about that?

S: I would like to move forward without thinking much about the Olympics, by working hard at every competition and giving it my all in everything.

K: That is the same for me, but I have to level-up to be able to go to the Olympics, not only focusing on every competition. I want to keep evolving while feeling like I’m growing.

-- What do you two feel about each others’ skating?

S: I’ve felt this since I was young, but Keiji can pull off any expressions. I tend to stay in the same genre, but Keiji is so good at any genre, and that intrigues me. During practices since I was very young, I thought, “He is so good. This is how good his expressions are.” This isn’t an insult or anything, but he gets a bit stiff when he has to skate at competitions. (laughs)

K: Ahahaha! (laughs)

S: I’m always like, “What happened!?”

K: That’s exactly how it is. (laughs)

-- Was it like that during this competition’s short?

S: During the short, according to him, his legs were shaking apparently.

K: Ahahaha. (laughs)

S: But it felt as if he got distracted after the first jump because he was too nervous rather than his body stopped moving because he was too nervous. On top of that, he was selected randomly for a doping test, so I thought ‘welp, sorry about that!’. (laughs)

-- What about you, Keiji (your thoughts on Shoma’s performances)?

K: I really felt his continuous growth this year in his competitions and ice shows. In order to see that, I go to Chukyo and I get stimulus from watching his practices.

-- When you first competed at Junior Worlds together, your height difference was also a lot more drastic. When was it that you started to feel that Shoma was becoming a phenomenal skater?

K: Well, his expression and jumps have been great since he was very young. The speed in which he learned new jumps after landing the triple axel was something no other skaters were able to do. I am able to see this speedy learning by watching his practices at Chukyo, which is a benefit for me since I get a lot of motivation from it.

S: I actually always look forward to the weekends as well. (laughs) From Mondays to Thursdays, I always practice alone, so I always think, “I can’t wait for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to come.” The atmosphere is so much better when everyone is there, so I look forward to it every week.

-- Your relationship is wonderful. Finally, please say a message for your fans.

K: Since the season is over, I would like to quickly create a new program, and show you all something better. This feeling comes from all of the frustration throughout this season, so I will work hard to challenge myself more. Please continue to support me.

S: I think I was able to achieve my goal of ‘smiling at the end of the competition that I ended last year with tears’ in a fantastic shape. I would like to continue with my feel, ‘to attack’, without changing anything from the goals I had until today.

-- Will your ‘theme’ for next season also be ‘to attack’?

S: Yes, I would like to emphasize that. A part of me uses that in order to tell myself to continue attacking, but I do my best when I think, “I will attack!” when I’m feeling very lost. I would like to continue thinking that way.

------------

* = Senpai is used to describe someone who is older or more experienced in a field from a younger/less experienced person’s perspective. Kouhai is used the other way around (to describe the younger/less experienced person). In Japanese culture, Kouhais treat Senpais with a great deal of respect, by using certain words and formatting generally known as ‘keigo’. Most senpais and kouhais do not view each other as friends.

** = ‘On’ in Japanese generally means to be focused, serious, and in the case of figure skating, to be in character. Being ‘off’ means to be one’s ‘natural’ self, usually less serious and carefree.

[s3venpounds]

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ASK MEE RIDICULOUSLY PERSONAL THINGSSSSSSSSSSSS YEEEEEEEEEEEE i love this shit

thanks for the ask anon, at this point im sure yall already know everything about me but hey whats a couple more questions c:

1.) what’s a song you depict with your childhood?

YIKES tough right off the bat huh? it would have to be the opening to digimon frontier ayyyyyyyyyy i still listen to that shit every fucking month. its that or disney’s hercules i can go the distance that shit was just MMMMMMM good shit2.) did you have a memorable childhood pet?

yep a blue and white love bird my family called quick silver we taught it to do adorable little tricks like pick up our pencils when we do homework and it rolls away3.) have you ever been drunk?

hehe yeah fun times4.) have you ever tried drugs?

yup! curious about trying more hard drugs but also i dont wanna get addicted or like idk die/get arrested5.) have you ever completely regretted what you’ve said?

ALL THE FUCKING TIME. infact at work i told a customer we didnt have a thing and the customer was like whats that right behind u, and it was the thing they were looking for i felt so stupid lmao6.) have you ever made someone cry?

yeah.7.) has someone ever made you cry?

yeah.8.) have you ever been in love? if so, describe the moment you knew it.

honestly idk if i ever have been in love. I would think that i have but yknow you never know what the future holds so looking back something in the past could pale in comparison to something in the future9.) which came first the chicken or the egg?

the chicken, evolved from some other bird10.) are you part of the lgbtq+ community? do you support them?

dunno if im part of the community by status but i wholeheartedly approve and support them. speaking just for myself though I just think I’m me and nothing else. whether im non binary or male or female or something else doesn’t matter to me. im attracted to who im attracted to, feel what i feel, and do what i want with a hint of salt. If plants can have like 10 000 genders or whatever, then anyone can be whatever they want unless its something fucked up like age fluid lmao if youre 60 youre 60 even if you have the “mind of a 14 year old”11.) how many siblings do you have?

412.) have you ever been in love with someone you couldn’t love?

yeah in fact just recently13.) are you a good cook?

fuck no. i fucking wish tho, not even a good cook i just wanna be able to copy recipes on tasty’s facebook page hahaha14.) what is your favorite tv show?

right now i dont have one and i definitely dont watch tv shows often unless you count anime then haikyuu!! or My hero Academia15.) what is the last movie you cried during?

i think it was a tyler perry movie something about a funeral and a family reunion honestly i cry when any movie has a really strong family sorta bonding specially if the family was broken at first and they all healed together and became closer as a result16.) what are songs you’ve cried to when you first heard them? (if any)

none, i did cry whe i was listening to wild wild love by GRL and pitbull for some reason? 17.) do you have a middle name?

nope i do have a nickname given to me by distant relatives18.) have you been out of your country?

yeah thankfully ive been out of canada multiple times19.) are you a chocolate fan or not?

love chocolate in fact im drinking hot chocolate right now, little cold going on so i need it20.) how many people have you kissed?

lips? less than 15, in general no matter where? couldnt count21.) what is your favorite album?

the only album i loved in its entirety has been marianas trench master piece theatre22.) what is your dream car?

2003 dodge viper23.) what is your lucky/favorite number?

i always wanted to be ironic and say 13 but i’ve kinda been leaning towards 10 like hinata’s jersey number24.) what is your favorite flower?

lilacs cuz the color25.) books or movies, why?

movies, less thinking for me26.) have you ever been on a blind date?

nope but i’d love to try it27.) has one of your friends ever backstabbed you?

yep28.) have you ever backstabbed one of your friends?

i dont think i have? not consciously.29.) what thing do you symbolize love with?

an act of self sacrifice or something handmade or personally tailored to the individual receiving30.) do you have neat handwriting?

i adore neat handwriting! its like a breath of fresh air, simple and precise to read, and it feels like you can read faster when it is31.) do you have a friend with benefits?

nope but i’d love to have one!32.) do you want a friend with benefits?

just said but yeah i’d love one!33.) if you could be anything in the world, what would you be?

A hero.34.) have you ever been blackout drunk?

nope but my body refuses to drink any more alcohol once i get to my good buzz point. like all alcohol makes me wanna throw up the second i get past the point its almost like my mind and body are two seperate beings lmao35.) have you ever met someone famous?

i think i have? one time when i went bowling with some relatives, there was a crowd gathering around this blonde dude who was playing house of the dead and this one guy in the crowd approached me saying “ do you know who he is? hes famous?” and then i blanked out after that because i just wanted to watch someone play and mentally check out for an hour36.) how many concerts have you been to?

3 concerts! all which were very fun !37.) which concerts have you been to?

one was an ed sheeran concert for his divide album, another was a marianas trench concert in klondike days edmonton, and the last was a country concert im not sure who it was my sister wanted me to go with her38.) do you have a hidden talent?

i can match any generation 1 pokemon just from their cries some generation 2 but beyond that only a handful from each other generation39.) what do you do when you’re stressed?

masturbate. honestly its the only sure fire thing i’ve done that clears my head for the longest time and relaxes me lmao40.) do you think money can buy love?

of course! just depends how you use it! like if youre just throwing money at random people like “hey love me” itll be fake, but if you say, pay off a struggling student’s loans in full and give em a good fresh start im sure theyll be grateful to you for years to come. or if you pay for someone to get super super expensive surgery so they can die from old age rather than a disease or something then yeah they’d love you forever41.) how old would you date?

honestly not sure, i havent really tried dating anyone a lot older than me i usually date within 4-5 years older or younger? though i dont think i’d see a problem dating someone 10 years older than me42.) have you ever done something illegal?

hehe. ye.43.) what is your biggest fear?

death. too long to elaborate44.) what is an unusual fear you have?

fear of what happens after death45.) can you drive?

nope but i plan to learn how to and take my exam within the next 2 ish months46.) do you believe in supernatural creatures?

of course! as many evolutions that were made common place theres bound to be evolutions that somehow spurred legends and mysteries47.) do you believe in karma?

of course! 100% of the time i expect some stranger to just walk up to me and start slapping me or punching me or throwing water or soda in my face for something i did, though i also prepare myself to say” okay i probably deserved that but can i ask why?”48.) what is one quality you need in your partner?

need to love physical affection, if not i dont think i can last with them, physical affection is so important to me its just as important as saying i love you, it like reassures me that theyre there with me in that moment and that theyre happy and just. physical stuff tells me a lot ok49.) do looks matter?

on first impression? oh hell yeah. keep in mind strictly first impression. im not gonna cut off a potential friendship or relationship because someones not my type or whatever i cut people off if they do something fucked up and horrible50.) does size matter?

to some people im not one of them51.) who is the last person you forgave?

I can’t really remember, i forgive people for small stuff all the time but with big personal mistakes i usually hold grudges52.) what is your favorite ice cream flavor?

French Vanilla53.) what languages can you speak besides english?

none but i plan to learn sign language eventually that and visaya54.) ever been on a plane?

yep! i’ve been out of the country so that definitely means by plane i dont know anyone who goes on roadtrips long enough to get out of the country55.) ever been on a boat?

yeah! i thought i’d be seasick but turns out i enjoy being on the water its kinda calming56.) is there anyone you’ve lost touch with that you wish you hadn’t?

yeah my childhood friend ralph, cool dude but our friend groups and interests just kinda diverged57.) are there any friendships you regret?

yeah..58.) are there any friendships you wish you could make?

oh hell yeah! there was this one girl who always ate at the same cafeteria as me and my friend group and i regret not inviting her over and being her friend59.) have you ever stayed awake for 24 (+) hours?

yeah! specially during summer it really sucks and i only do that when my mental state is at a record low self punishment i spose60.) have you ever walked outside after 12 am?

hell to the yeah! its the best! like a music video or adventure but it really just helps me clear my mind. oh wait i guess that kinda counts for the calms me down thing so late night walks and masturbating bahahaha61.) have you ever seen a sunrise completely through?

yep! one time with an ex girlfriend! we stayed from 2 am till 10 am i think singing songs and talking and cuddling on those big swings with a bowl at the bottom62.) are you scared of rollercoasters?

NO !!! I LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS!!!! im kind of an adrenaline junkie!63.) on a scale of 1-10 how stressed are you usually?

i personally feel like a 3 but thats probably because im already used to a 7 because of old issues i need sorted out that i’ve just kinda grown to live with the stress64.) do you have any plans this weekend?

considering its sunday? no, next weekend? im working65.) do you miss anyone right now?

yeah. i miss em a lot.66.) who do you wish you were talking to right now?

K,Z, and C i miss em67.) if you could have any superpower, what would it be?

the power to fly or have wings that can make me fly. I associate flying with true freedom. 68.) who is your favorite superhero?

All Might69.) are you dirty minded?

ridiculously70.) what is your favorite song from every decade starting at that 80’s?

im too lazy for that shit bro…71.) how many kids, if any, do you want?

2 preferably? 72.) who is your biggest OTP?

im not super into shipping just cause it can get pretty toxic but asami and korra73.) what is your favorite food?

aw man im too much of a carnivore to pick just one thing man. uhh fried chicken or this one pork dish my mom makes thats super easy to make its like canned beans with this orange sweet kinda sauce and pork belly slices and potato chunks omggggg i eat so much of that. the last time my mom made that i actually ate the whole thing and i had to make more for everyone else lmao74.) do you want to be married one day?

yeah. it’d be nice not to have to worry about being alone for the rest of my life75.) dogs or cats?

dogs are great and so are cats though i have more patience for cats than i do for dogs. dogs to me are like energetic little kids and thats fine as long as im not dealing with them for an extended period amount of time i get drained pretty easy. cats are like roommates show you love and attention when they want but arent opposed to keeping you company the whole day76.) do you drink enough water daily?

i have no fukcing clue i literally just drink water whenever i have an excuse to drink.77.) have you ever seen a shooting star?

not that i know of? like theres a few times i think i did but i wanna see one thats like unmistakably a shooting star or comet thatd be neat too78.) if you had the opportunity to go to the moon, would you?

not long term? yeah id love to, just to feel what zero g feels like and the view of earth

79.) how many best friends do you have?

3 ish……..80.) when was the last time you cried?

a few nights ago when they stopped talking to me i cried like a little baby lmao ahhhhhhhhhh yikes81.) have you ever laughed so hard you peed yourself?

nope82.) have you ever made anyone laugh so hard they peed?

i think? there was this one dude who literally thought everything i said was genuinely funny though to this day i have no idea if he was serious or not. i also have not seen that dude ever since83.) if you could travel any where in the world, where would you go?

Venice Italy.84.) what are 3 words you would use to describe yourself?

Lonely, Filth, dependant85.) do you consider yourself a loyal person?

no, if my loyalty gets in the way of what i think is the right thing to do then i disregard the loyalty86.) what is your favorite season and why?

Winter. for some reason growing up i always felt like winter was unappreciated and i had this train of thought like “ even the cold needs to be loved” that and most of my wardrobe is just winter stuff. plus midnight walks feel so much nicer since its so cold out you know for a fact no one else would be walking around because whos gonna wait in a dark alley at -30 to mug, rape or kidnap someone.87.) have you ever told anyone you loved them, and didn’t mean it?

nope. if i ever said it i meant it.88.) do you know how to play any instruments?

not reliably. like i know some songs on guitar from youtube tutorials but i can’t play the guitar in all circumstances yknow like i learned the song without mastering the basics89.) do like like falling asleep to music or not?

nope. i need like silence to sleep but ambient noise is preferred. music gives my brain something to focus on and thus stay awake90.) what are you allergic to?

pet fur or feathers and stuff. my eyes get puffy, my nose clogs up and my skin itches91.) have you ever wanted to be someone else for a day just so you could see what there life is like?

a sad, extremely rich person and a happy, extremely poor person. to show me what to be grateful for92.) if you could be any character from your favorite tv show would you, and if so, who would you be?

huh, thats tough… if its haikyuu i’d love to be daichi, if its my hero academia its hawks or deku93.) if you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why

Gal Gadot, I feel like she’d be such a positive influence on my life and that thing she does to people who are shorter than her where she cups their face in her hands omg i’d melt everytime. i just kinda wanna be like a little brother to her lol

94.) are you outgoing?

i would say i am?95.) have you ever wanted to kiss someone, but weren’t brave enough to?

oh fuck yeah im fucking gutless96.) are you a good flirt?

nope. awkward and weird af97.) have you ever been turned down, or have you ever turned anyone down?

yup all the time. part of life98.) which planet is your favorite?

never really thought about planets much but i do stan pluto as a planet99.) are you superstitious?

to an extent100.) are you a good listener?

i’d like to think i am101.) are you a good kisser

also like to think i am probs not102.) would you kiss any of your friends?

all of them honestly well not all of them. mostly cuz yknow theyre taken or theyd probably hate me if i did some of them are super defensive about physical intimacy

[t--o--f--u-blog]

☼☼☼☼☼ also think tank a white lecturer using the n-word when quoting literature in a lecture? I think she used it once outside of quotation as well certainly not meant in a disrespectful way, just seems unnecessary

☐☐☐☐☐ better have a justification at least but if you just use it out of the blue it always seems like some attempt at provocation 'i can say this because my interests are purely academic'

☼☼☼☼☼ mmmmm we're reading uncle tom's cabin, so it's hard to avoid

☐☐☐☐☐ should only be quoted verbatim if absolutely necessary, if there's no alternative I think

☼☼☼☼☼ yeah seems like she could have avoided it pretty easily

☐☐☐☐☐ if she's making no acknowledgement of the word's relationship to her privilege, that's rly not good

☼☼☼☼☼ yeah she's older so there might just be an outdated perspective there 'I'm just quoting the text, it was anti-slavery so I'm fine' sort of mentality maybe?

☐☐☐☐☐ still she would know about the contemporary attitude to the word and she should at least mention that! ugh like it doesn't sound malicious or super super racist, but eh

☼☼☼☼☼ Yeah I feel iffffy about it

☐☐☐☐☐ should mention it!

☼☼☼☼☼ Trying to work out if I should send email and if so how to word it

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ be interesting to actually properly discuss it

☐☐☐☐☐ yep

☍☍☍☍☍ heck I’d be interested to know more of a history of the word basically teach properly why its offensive

☼☼☼☼☼ Yeah, I might bring it up in the tutorial different teacher, but maybe good discussion

☐☐☐☐☐ mm that seems appropriate i'd love to hear how that goes

☍☍☍☍☍ uhhh there was someone who used it at Bar Oussou  the host reallllly should’ve said something and I normally would but just too tired for confrontation

☼☼☼☼☼ Yeah ☐☐☐☐☐ was telling me Sounded very cringe

☐☐☐☐☐ v unfortunate most disappointed in yhe host tbh

☐☐☐☐☐ he maybe had a old-worldy attitude to it and didn't mind or was too cowardly lol which do u think?

☍☍☍☍☍ I think he thought it was in the context of the poem she didn’t use it to degrade someone directly, but the word itself is degrading

☐☐☐☐☐ ugh but the poem is in the context of fuckin oussou yep ppl need to have a think before using words

☍☍☍☍☍ I just think its great to have a stage to do emotional work, but it can cross a line into normalising shitty white behaviour

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ I went to a coloured school so I can’t b racist wah wah wah

☐☐☐☐☐ and you have to consider your audience if your rant is dehumanising or brushes aside/causes suffering u gotta reconsider felt pretty ashamed on behalf of bartender/various black audience members not saying that dumb white shit would be acceptable with a different audience, but her obliviousness was kinda astounding

☼☼☼☼☼ wow yeah cringefest

☍☍☍☍☍ lol spoken word scene as a whole can b so lame haha rings true to why I/we left

☐☐☐☐☐ mm so macho! that's what I liked about talkbox some sensitivity there, gentleness

☍☍☍☍☍ still, I just wish people read more lok *lol

☐☐☐☐☐ yep I wish I read more

☍☍☍☍☍ like the stylistic range is generally pretty lame

☐☐☐☐☐ I guess that's why anyone reads mmm

☍☍☍☍☍ I wish I read more too

☐☐☐☐☐ hahahaha

☼☼☼☼☼ :')

☍☍☍☍☍ don’t mean to shit on everyon, I just think the scene as a whole and the conception of poetry is lacklustre - it doesn’t seem like the time for poetry, sometimes

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ ppl too distracted by netflix uwu sounds like phones but too much

☐☐☐☐☐ doesn't seem like the time for art, sometimes! hahhh

☍☍☍☍☍ its definitely a time for music

☼☼☼☼☼ I think there's a place for poetry It's just raps and memes

☍☍☍☍☍ yeh but I play dat long game there might not b a place now but I’mma fkn make one whether you like it or not lol

☼☼☼☼☼ Oh yeah fair go 4 it

☐☐☐☐☐ loll

☍☍☍☍☍ I just mean that I think 'poetry' has evolved into other forms, and now the traditional form is struggling to find a place I mean does anyone pay attention to Victorian satirical cartoons? I don’t I think it’s also tho that the low brow is more apparent in the moment, the high brow more apparent from a distance the shit sinks, basically

☼☼☼☼☼ elaborate?

☍☍☍☍☍ time brings forward higher brow material while a lot of lower brow stuff falls back or like there’s an art for getting through your days, and there’s an art for elaborate long form spiritual liberation

☼☼☼☼☼ so u don't mind about a lack of audience now if your work has staying power?

☍☍☍☍☍ different works have different digestion time and yes that is what I’m saying

☼☼☼☼☼ hmmmmmmm

☍☍☍☍☍ hmmmmmmmm?

☐☐☐☐☐ personally I don't know whether I'm prioritising the reception of my work or its value to me right now i feel poetry/art in general are useful tools for thinking about the world useful philosophical tools i guess and idk whether i'm learning for the sake of my own knowledge/making 'better' art or learning so what I put out into the world is better received I suppose the two aren't mutually exclusive but yeah - feeling fairly indifferent to the idea of creating work that will persist right now part of me feels more comfortable with being lost forever lol or at least that I should become comfortable with that, bc that is what will happen inevitably

☍☍☍☍☍ I just think in this atmosphere of complete denial of the arts as an important component of society, as well as the stigmatisation of ritual and other mystical practices that used to house what we now might describe as an artist, its important that we follow our intuition rather than give in to a system that routinely prevents us having access to basic resources like I want to be there for whoever is there when this period comes to end and those peoples are looking for anything to rudder them, whether or not I’m alive

☐☐☐☐☐ you want to add to the cultural record?

☍☍☍☍☍ I want provide a map for future generations is how I would put it

☐☐☐☐☐ mm how do you feel one can ensure the persistence of their own work? or are you just hoping it'll be around for others I suppose whether or not anything lasts is out of ur control past a certain point

☍☍☍☍☍ for one I make an effort to give away a lot of work

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ I also store it all and make sure that that stockpile is kept w care but I also think there’s something to be said that I try and operate within many pre-existing canons I also it’s important to use the more meme-y, short stay work to bring attention to the slower works yeah, re: canons, like tanka and before that wakka as poetic forms stem back as far as a thousand years - perhaps more by putting myself in conversation with the ancients... idk it feels a bit like entering a cultural refrigerator haha

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ sometimes I find it better to see my individual works as modules that make up a whole more prescient than its parts (Morton lolz) soo... maybe my work won’t carry the same weight until I finish, so to speak who knowsss but this how I think about it lol

☐☐☐☐☐ best to try and contribute something I spose rather than do nothing w ur resources

☍☍☍☍☍ I’m weird with this shit u don’t have to be

☐☐☐☐☐ mm it seems fairly simple to me and not that weird

☍☍☍☍☍ not everyone should spend their life tending their gravestone it’s a job for a particular type of person, and I am it

☐☐☐☐☐ but in a sense everyone does anyway everyone does things with the future in mind or without it in mind I suppose

☐☐☐☐☐ and i guess that influences what you leave when you die eheh, whether you do it consciously or unconsciously

☍☍☍☍☍ I just am particularly stubborn that I have something to offer - I think its partially a result of being denied that a lot in school, I found other ways to have social bonds that were more... non linear bonds with past peoples, and inadvertently bonds with future people

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ I find it frustrating that its seen as arrogant to suggest your work should be read after you die - if anything its remarkably humble as I'm acknowledging that I will never properly see the fruits of my labour it's a ridiculously isolating position to find oneself in, where your best friends - books, music, content - have no form of human intimacy with you and completely defy all survivalistic, lizard-brain humanity plus you're just on a total different dimension from most people you meet

☐☐☐☐☐ mm you're in a very specific position here

☍☍☍☍☍ lol goodluck catching up ☼☼☼☼☼

☼☼☼☼☼ unrelated btw

(☼☼☼☼☼ posts a meme in chat)

☍☍☍☍☍ see y'all @ da rally (in reference to the meme)

☐☐☐☐☐ where and when is this? oh oops thought you meant a real one

☼☼☼☼☼ hahaha

☍☍☍☍☍ xD

☼☼☼☼☼ structurally is the meme ok ? took the photo the other day, and just added the text.

☍☍☍☍☍ yes are u going to weigh in on the conversation tho lol

☼☼☼☼☼ nah not really

☍☍☍☍☍ meme fine

☼☼☼☼☼ I have so little to add

☍☍☍☍☍ well hm why make memes? why not write novel? do memes have staying power?

☐☐☐☐☐ it's a question of what timescale is important to you at any given time maybe

☍☍☍☍☍ oh absolutely - not trying to infer a hierarchy here, I just think there are different approaches for different problems

☐☐☐☐☐ sometimes I'll say something to someone so they'll remember it for tomorrow, sometimes I'll say something to someone and hope they'll remember forever lol mm I don't think I care about staying power that much

☐☐☐☐☐ memes have such a short lifetime, they're like cultural mayflies haha

☼☼☼☼☼ Yeah defs

☍☍☍☍☍ why tho lol

☼☼☼☼☼ Because the art itself can date while still inspiring change

☍☍☍☍☍ yeah so using it pragmatically like a single use tissue

☼☼☼☼☼ If you create something short lived, it (with the help of other artists producing similar work) is able to push art and society in a specific direction The butterfly effect I guess

☍☍☍☍☍ it's true that you have more effect in the current conversation

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ but that conversation draws intensively on a language formed by the ancients so the two are dependent on each other, a back and forth

☐☐☐☐☐ and that's dependent on their work's longevity?

☍☍☍☍☍ not following ur question

☐☐☐☐☐ not following your point haha hmm

☼☼☼☼☼ so you're suggesting a works longevity is crucial in that it helps reinforce and update the ancient language in which short term work of the future will be influenced by?

☐☐☐☐☐ mm also - what if of all the work you make, it's only a meme that survives the passage of time?

☍☍☍☍☍ basically... like you're just reiterating points that have been made more in depth in 'higher' brow culture - that's definitely how I feel when writing raps

☐☐☐☐☐ like Roman graffiti surviving on the walls or whatever

☍☍☍☍☍ did you a hear copy of the I Ching, the Chinese numerology classic more than a thousand years old, was found in the 70s and had a heap more sections and a different order? effectively completely changing the understanding of the I Ching gotta get those nice lead storage chambers ayyyyy ahahaha it was found buried in a coffin, obvs haha

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ a lot of Chinese philosophers only exist in so much as someone else described them

☼☼☼☼☼ But what does that changing of contexts of that piece actually mean for us? Is updated Ching from the coffin helping us in any way?

☍☍☍☍☍ I think for me finding the I Ching and looking over it is like a person in a thousand years finding a functional iPhone it gives great insight into human impulses regardless of time and offers a way of writing the past a new, which in turn presents a new future (thinking of the cowboy article you sent me) reconceptualizing the past IS the future look at 'Make America Great Again' or calls to restore the caliphate both are founded on histories that have more to do with our current state than the actual happenings of the past

☼☼☼☼☼ I do see where you're coming from I like the idea that it's important to preserve our work for understand the past better And I hope that someone in the future will have a clearer understanding of our time through your well preserved works But what fucking future is it

☍☍☍☍☍ haha but like looking back we see people been asking that for a veeery long time I get it seems on a new scale but we're on a new scale too

☼☼☼☼☼ It does seem that yes Also if we do survive and keep on teching on

☍☍☍☍☍ I'm for an integration of the human/natural binary where we properly acknowledge our mutual codependency, the earth and humanity that is

☼☼☼☼☼ Are we even going to be translatable? Is the functioning iPhone found by the future person going to even be able to be translated? Or will it be meaningless because everyone is already part of the grid

☍☍☍☍☍ where artificially effecting the climate for the benefit of 'nature' isn't seen as strange but completely akin to Aboriginal burn back practices

☐☐☐☐☐ i guess it's productive to hope that it will be translatable

☍☍☍☍☍ we've always interfered in the running of nature

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ ehhh idk we translated fucking hieroglyphics

☼☼☼☼☼ Or future tech can look into the past and someone is watching our lives as we type this now, constantly being understood through our context in a way we can't comprehend through our recording processes shrugs

☍☍☍☍☍ I mean yeah, imagine if the internet was even vaguely archived

☼☼☼☼☼ You probably have a better understanding of how the future will pan out than I do tho

☍☍☍☍☍ even if 0.1 % was kept, it would be a massive resource

☼☼☼☼☼ No sass intended there, I'm sincere

☍☍☍☍☍ lol idk I just try to see a bigger picture and it keeps me calm remember me old saying? we survived the plague and nukes lol

☼☼☼☼☼ I just don't see the issue with creating short term work, especially if it is preserved

☍☍☍☍☍ oh neither do I

☼☼☼☼☼ Like a meme may have more impact than a novel rn

☐☐☐☐☐ well it could be argued that we're yet to survive nukes but I see your point impact on various timescales

☼☼☼☼☼ I've heard the plague make be thinking of making a comeback too haha

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☍☍☍☍☍ oh duh peasantry is fully hip rn

☐☐☐☐☐ but like

☍☍☍☍☍ bring back the boils, they look great with my Balenciaga sneakers

☐☐☐☐☐ lol bubonic chic

☼☼☼☼☼ Pretty close to heroin chic tbh haha

☍☍☍☍☍ not jking that was tb

☐☐☐☐☐ but like, I don't find a huge amount of solace in the fact that we survived the plague

☍☍☍☍☍ "The Victorians romanticized the disease and the effects it caused in the gradual build to death. For decades, many beauty standards emulated or highlighted these effects. And as scientists gained greater understanding of the disease and how it was spread, the disease continued to keep its hold on fashion. and the severity of the corsets was known to harm the lungs in such a way that would increase the likelihood of transmission LOOOL

☐☐☐☐☐ mm Balenciaga look out idk it's a question of what capacity we survive in

☼☼☼☼☼ lollllll

☐☐☐☐☐ quite depressing to think about

☍☍☍☍☍ eating disorders have a pretense

☐☐☐☐☐ what if ecocide leaves a few insular eco fascist regimes who gradually diminish over centuries always engaged in pointless wars of attrition with one another lol

☍☍☍☍☍ I mean you could probably say the same thing of colonial regimes now

☐☐☐☐☐ just because we can survive, doesn't mean my outlook should b at all rosy :((

☍☍☍☍☍ point is its a big ol' world that has plenty of room for pain AND love any future pain you think is imminent probably already is happening, and nonetheless breakfast tasted good this morning

☼☼☼☼☼ 'The hipster middle class would dress with raggedy beards and large jackets and refuse to use deodorant, perhaps to reflect the look of people suffering from homelessness at the time. It is suspected that this made them less likely to be hired, and therefore more likely to become homeless themselves.'  ☍☍☍☍☍ ahahaha

☐☐☐☐☐ mm that's true hahhh

☼☼☼☼☼ Planning on making this into a full essay. Might not be popular now, but I think it has staying power? Soz for shitposting haha

☍☍☍☍☍ I was talking with ☲☲☲☲☲ a while back, and something struck me - she said, "I never thought this age would have its own fleet of particular medical conditions." (or something like that lol, translated via my nerd brain)

☼☼☼☼☼ Yeah that didn't quite sound like her But that sentiment is great

☍☍☍☍☍ 'fleet'

☼☼☼☼☼ In that ofc there is, but also wow yeah ofc!

☐☐☐☐☐ mmm hahh these conversations should be recorded so we can all think about em without scrolling up endlessly

☼☼☼☼☼ I do like the idea of people reading these works in the future tho

☐☐☐☐☐ and also so that they can be preserved for 10,000+ years of course

☼☼☼☼☼ In the same way we read the letters sent between dead artists now

☐☐☐☐☐ mm very true

☍☍☍☍☍ mmm

☐☐☐☐☐ messenger is not a particularly stable storage medium and also is more vulnerable to third party scrutiny although the fact we're reading artists letters now means that medium is also pretty fucking vulnerable to scrutiny lol

☍☍☍☍☍ I fucking found the word! (sorry was searching for it so hard) Neurasthenia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurasthenia

☼☼☼☼☼ Americanitis lol

☍☍☍☍☍ uhh the page doesn't rly talk about this, but its like a condition of over-working effectively, and people would try and get prescribed the pills to treat it as a way of signalling they were a dedicated worker its total hokey

☐☐☐☐☐ wow yeah you mentioned this a while back

☼☼☼☼☼ oh I've heard a similar thing in Japan were workers will pretend to fall asleep at their desks to show how hard they're working No idea the trust behind it tho

☍☍☍☍☍ to this day, "In Japan, shinkei-suijaku is treated with Morita therapy involving mandatory rest and isolation, followed by progressively more difficult work, and a resumption of a previous social role. The diagnosis is sometimes used as a disguise for serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders." a dignified mental illness uwu none of that lower class shit I'm a classy fuck with money, I don't get the same mental conditions as the poor lolol reminds me of now: I don't have shitty parents, I just have adhd (not to deligitimise all uses of adhd, just over diagnosed)

☼☼☼☼☼ mmmmm i feel u yes this has been a wild ride

☍☍☍☍☍ yes I’m leaving to get late lunch uwu have a good day in this cosmic spider web lololol

☼☼☼☼☼ :')

☍☍☍☍☍ Like the burning of this charcoal fire, our years too will soon expire Kobayashi Issa listening to Krista Tippet talk with Maria Popova, this particular phrase resonated with our conversation: we live in a world where disruption over-fetishised; we need cultural stewardship to help along new waves of disruption

☼☼☼☼☼ How would u define cultural stewardship in a practical sense?

☍☍☍☍☍ caring for the legacy of those past as a means of refreshing their insight for a new age a very straightforward example would b the importance of new translations, in this regard - as our understanding and depth of connection to Japanese society has deepened, so too have our translations dusting off the books so to speak in some sense I see that in our music too or reappropriating to a new context

☼☼☼☼☼ Well remasters are a time terry literal example Fuck

☍☍☍☍☍ time terry

☼☼☼☼☼ Pretty* not time terry lol

☼☼☼☼☼ lime berry yeah exactly

☼☼☼☼☼ Slime Jerry

☍☍☍☍☍ I mean rereleasing is an obvs example mhm but more abstract examples are how I’ve exported into both your brains Bridle/Steyerl/Haraway via conversation and art lolol I’m helping it move from one place to another same w Zappa lol

☐☐☐☐☐ also - looking after artist friends being generous I feel these are acts of pre-emptive cultural stewardship

☍☍☍☍☍ haha yeah definitely different time scales it could function on

☐☐☐☐☐ looking after and maintain communities

☍☍☍☍☍ hosting open mics lol helping teach ppl poetry lollll

☐☐☐☐☐ not allowing hate speech to creep into open mics lol

☼☼☼☼☼ Truuuuu Or anywhere for that matter

☐☐☐☐☐ not becoming so dusty that you actually have a detrimental impact on cultural progression

☍☍☍☍☍ I think religions only exist in so far as they have active practitioners

☐☐☐☐☐ mm

☼☼☼☼☼ Tru

☍☍☍☍☍ I think my sense is, in religion, this same argument plays out with orthodoxy versus mysticism Maintenance of buildings is in there too for religion People being assigned paid positions as the keepers and givers of religious knowledge oh yeah thinking a lot here of Shanzai, ☐☐☐☐☐, and the idea of an object as a lived practice

☐☐☐☐☐ when home I'm gonna do my best to archive this conversation mmm

☍☍☍☍☍ you’re going to steward our conversation bout stewardship ...

☐☐☐☐☐ this is all going in

☍☍☍☍☍ ...the tv where I am says “The comedian getting behind ‘Know Thy Nuts’” and there are big walnuts on the screen

☐☐☐☐☐ ???????

☍☍☍☍☍ “I didn’t realise chemotherapy would be such great comedic material!”

☐☐☐☐☐ ¿¿¿¿¿¿

☼☼☼☼☼ Huhhhh

☍☍☍☍☍ lol highly recommend https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/on-being-with-krista-tippett/id150892556?mt=2&i=1000429408054https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/on-being-with-krista-tippett/id150892556?mt=2&i=1000429408054

[vertigoambrosia]

16 carat finale

lmao matt riddle

everyone else is doing these totally passionate promos and he’s just...matt riddle

bless

oh yeah bones is fucking losing there’d be a riot otherwise

if the finals is ilya/riddle that will be such fire

suicide suplex jfc

i adore how alan’s description of ilya/thatcher is basically ‘they held hands and tried to murder each other’

lol at the ‘bad bones sucks’ banner

and the dude chanting invincible right in bones’ face

YAAAAAAAAS my boy

why is matt riddle the way he is

hahaha rico is so hoarse i thought he was jurn for a bit

aaaaaa holy shit walter

matt babe don’t forget to sell the ankle

rip bro, died under a giant austrian man

bobby gunns totally deserves this and it’s great

i adore the commentator disgust for bobby gunns

holy shit the fans are so close bobby couldn’t roll to the floor after that over the rope armbar

‘if the ref doesn’t sees it, it’s not cheating’ dragan.....

booooo

lol i guess i shouldn’t be whining about up and coming young dude beaing the winner

francis!!!

chris colen looks like a tall austin aries

i feel likc i should like mack a lot more than i do

that being said, he and paul london make an unexpectedly really good team

nice teamwork

‘the academic without remorse’ is such a goofy wrestling thing but i love it

adjunct professor by day, former dark magic enthusiast/wrestler by night

almost every time someone does a low or standing SSP , for a split second i think they’re gonna land on their neck

every time

i kinda wanna look on twitter to see if marius or someone posted the full extent of marius’ injury, but i know i’d totally regret it

marius :(

[it occurs to me that this could be completely kayfabe, but idk man]

ok that ringkampf simultanoeus stripping was hot

but they are being BAD MEN right now and you know it’s cmj plotting!

someone do a run in!

what are the rules right now

i wonder if tim knows rico (and alexander james) is in love with him

man i’m so happy tim’s taking time every once in a while to be a dick; not giving a fuck about the crowd was a big reason of why people began to hate him in evolve, so it’s good to see him actively be heel

marius! gives no fucks! no bullshit, no fucks!

oh christian that was not smart

oh ok that’s def a kayfabe injury

i hope

i get the feeling karsten’s gonna be back in the ring at some point in the future; this is the second event in the row where he’s taken a bump in the head

DISGUSTING

i don[’t relaly know that much about kim ray except the unfortunate fact that kim is almost never a man’s name in the states anymore

but he is obviously on the side of good and not EVIL

i’m glad kim ray is one of those people who knows how to do a promo where you can get the gist across even through languages

cause i still don’t understand german but i did get enought o know that he likes and respects karsten and thinks cmj is gross and will fight on the side of good and that’s what matters

hi david!!!! <3

he and jurn are fun together

god emil is such a douche it’s beautiful what a good heel

oh and here’s fake heel cody

awww jurn that was sweet

tag match?

ok no that’s ok i guess

ugh i hope they don’t put it on cody but they might

emil u little shit

YOU MADE DAVID SAD

don’t worry, david; he’ll never defend it as valiantly as you

i will tell you this in april

what does marius and kevin’s former tag name mean? reich and schon, i think?

no ropes matches are kinda insane

i saw the ‘squared circle of survival’ match at evolve between thatcher and gulak; it started off kinda weird and then escalated real quick until they were suplexing each other on fucking bare planks

in retrospect it was a very weird first time to see thatcher wrestle

oh also thatcher got a real bad concussion from it; i remember i was chilling with someone after the show in the venue and they were pretty much carrying him out and drew galloway was yelling at everyone to get out of the way

this is very different from thatcher/gulak. probably because there are more props and less ring destruction

tbh i was more invested in melanie getting revenge against marius than kevin (probably because i wasn’t watching before 16th anni) so this isn’t as compelling for me as it should be

aaaa ok mella bringing the crutch is great

u fucked up marius

and now you’re dead

our sweet boy kevin has become a man

oh another tag match? well, ok

that black/orange/gold actually looks really good on dijak

oh ach finally finished his snack BEFORE his match

so cody’s a manager now? or did he just wanna show off his fresh business attire

wow that cartwheel/high kick was fucking great

i heard speedball can’t fight in the US because of visa bullshit; i doubt that shit’ll be solved easily with our current administration, but if it is i hope they bring him to evolve

ok refs ach has done that twice before, you should probably be skeptical when he expresses surprise at something over there

did alan just say ‘precious cody’? i have the sound real low cause i’m not at home so i can’t tell

holy shit that finishing sequence!

*DRAMATIC MUSIC* dance battle

YEAH HERE’S THE FINALE

lookit that pretty trophy

i hate that he’s ringside at this match but goddd tim looks so good in that suitttt

ilya has to win, right? i think oberhausen might riot otherwise

o shit you can see bruises on walter from the last match

axel and tim hold the ropes open for each other how polite

haha i havce the sound way down but rico’s voice sounds so destroyed

torpedo moscow is kind of a weird finisher because ilya has many other moves that look like they hit harder

...and walter might kill him

ilya’s favorite color: the shade of red a man’s chest turns when you chop him super hard

JESUS those welts on ilya

that was a really good nearfall; not as much becauase of the closeness as because of how heavy walter pinned him and ilya had to flail to get the shoulder up

HOLY SHIT THAT BOOT

ILYA NO DO NOT PASS OUT

ok this may be enough chops boys

*ilya voice* i don’t need this skin over these welts

YESSSSSSSS HE DID IT!!!! HE DID IT!!!!

you know a dude’s real over when he can make the crowd quiet with a gesture

i can’t understand you, my perfect boy! but i am very proud of you!

[allthislove]

Why are men on Twitter constantly trying to prove they're smarter than me?

It's 100% of the time men, and usually they're in my mentions trying to convince me that I'm wrong about something I'm right about and that my hard won education, one that I earned by studying various subjects extremely hard, getting straight As, and proving to institutions that I have the exact level of intelligence that would make me a wonderful fit for their university, suddenly means nothing. "Well, getting degrees means nothing. Anyone can get a degree. "

Well I graduated Summa Cum Laude. "Well, anybody can get straight As in college." Then why don't they?

Usually it's about racism or how evil Donald Trump is (which usually leads to their main argument being "Hahaha you're stupid!" Or "You just don't know what's good for you. Democ6 tricked Black people")

But today, it's some dude saying "chile" is slang and not AAVE, that Black people remove ending consonants to "sound folksy" and that typing "chile" is not fair to Chilean activists who "have to create special hashtags because search Chile brings up people saying chile."

Which... every movement uses special hashtags. Imagine if Black Lives Matter just relied on searching USA... it would be inefficient.

So, I'm telling this guy that AAVE is a dialect (and so are other people.)

He says it's not, and he knows because he's an English major.

Y'all. I started as an English major. But beyond that, I have a BA and an MFA.

Being a sophomore English major right now does not prove you know more than me. I literally studied linguistics (which I didn't tell him, because I shouldn't have to prove my intellect to strangers online) and I speak 4 or 5 languages.

AAVE is a dialect and Black people have been saying "chile" for centuries, not because we think it sound cool, but because dropped final consonants are a common feature of AAVE.

Chile is child. Foo is fool. And so on.

In fact, "chile" is even often pronounced "chah".

Not because Black people decided it sounded cool and purposefully invented it, but because our ancestors were literally not permitted to learn to formally read and write English, so their pronunciation and grammar retained African features. Over time, of course, it evolved and expanded, but this is why it's a dialect.

Dialects are versions of the main language that evolved unique features based on cultural groups or physical boundaries.

It's why scientists who go study at the South Pole develop their own unique accent and dialect completely naturally because of being in close proximity with each other and having no other human contact for months.

Anyways, he was wrong, and he kept trying to convince me his obviously wrong point was correct.

Then, he said Chad Ocho-Cinco popularized "chile" on the internet.

Y'all. I haven't heard the name Chad Ocho-Cinco in a decade. I'm pretty sure a large selection of Gen-Z don't even know who he is.

The original conversation was about non-Black Gen-Z kids claiming AAVE terms are "Gen-Z words" or "stan language". The video in question is of a girl explaining that it's okay if she quotes that Nicki Minaj meme because it's stan culture.

I'm 3000% the white girls and gays didn't get "chile" from a former NFL player who changed his name to two Spanish numbers.

When I know for sure Gen-Z got it from Black femmes and gays.

He says Ocho-Cinco been saying it since the early 00s. To which I replied "Yes, and probably longer, because he's a Black man."

It's not that nobody ever feared a celebrity use chile before Nicki Minaj. It's that Nicki Minaj is a world famous pop icon, and Gen-Z share memes featuring her far more often than they Google Chad Ocho-Cinco because they by and large don't know who he is.

But this 8-5 fan would not stop doubling down that this hetero hypermasculine somehow spread "his" word "chile" to gay kids in drag bars...who then say it on TikTik or Insta... who then spread it to their girl friends, who then hear Nicki Minaj say it and think they can use it freely because it's "stan culture"?

Anyway, this guy goes on and on for hours. Then he got super angry when I said Ocho-Cinco isn't even the most popular NFL player (and pointed out that it's probably that Republican scummy Tom Brady), and probably isn't anywhere near the top.

He's known. But mostly for his name and antics.

Now, he's in my mentions yelling at me about football.

(I also told him the most popular athlete in the world is probably a soccer player like Neymar or something.)

And like... why is his pride so strong he can't admit he doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about, with AAVE and the word "chile" specifically?

Why is this man now talking to me about football?

(Oh, also this man lied about with several dramatic works and being a sports analyst for I guess a publication??? Every time I gave him an answer he couldn't refute, he'd change his credentials.)

It's been totally weird, but also, this always happens and it's always men. And they always fall over themselves to argue with me.

I'm definitely smarter than them. And they always point out my skin color, or my pretty face or both and use those to stereotype me and make big assumptions and it's literally just misogynoir. "Black so stupid, cute so vapid, woman so dumber than man".

Fuckwits.

Men have tiny egos and I think they think arguing with women who are clearly smarter than them will make them feel better about their tiny, ugly little lives.

They also think saying the most words makes them more right.

Little do they know, I am a piece of shit and will literally fuck with them until they deactivate.

I grew up with all boys. I'm used to dealing with boys. These little halfwits don't fucking scare me. At least my brothers are all smart.

[calartscinemotion]

Kersti Jan Werdal Interviews Nina Menkes

Nina Menkes has completed seven feature films in which she controlled all aspects of production, including directing, writing, shooting, as well as editing picture and sound on her own productions. She has worked in various media including Super-8, 16mm, 35mm and lately HD. Her films have often met with hostility, as she confronts and expresses violence in an unusual way, creating and following her own rules. Menkes is presently on faculty in the

Film/Video Program at California Institute of the Arts.

Menkes’s article published in October 2017 titled “The Visual Language of Oppression: Harvey Weinstein Wasn’t Working in a Vacuum” can be found on Filmmaker Magazine’s website. Her recent presentation at Sundance 2018 was titled “Sex and Power: the Visual Language of Oppression”.

KJW: I want to first hear a little bit about where you’re from, and how you came to filmmaking as a medium?

NM: I grew up in Berkeley California in the 60’s-70’s, and as a teenager I was pretty serious about dance, and I also was always a photographer.  I had a camera and I would take pictures, back in the days before digital. You actually had to develop the film, and print in a dark room. It was really different, now it’s so instant! The first film I made was, I guess you could call it a dance film. I choreographed a dance, set it to sound, and shot it on 16mm. I think that this background in many ways helped define my filmic style because I wasn’t coming to film from the base idea of dialogue. It was more about movement and space and sound. I actually made two dance films before I started making my own stories. To this day I am not interested in dialogue as a main way to tell stories.

KJW: Thinking of the body and dance reminds me of the rooftop scene in your film Dissolution, where the camera is locked down in a long shot from the protagonist as he moves around the roof. This scene is very quiet without any music, but conveys so much energy. I really love that scene.

NM: Thank you! That scene was funny because the actor requested music. He wanted to listen to a rock and roll track. The first take he was jumping around like Michael Jackson, and I was like “No no no no no!” so I turned off the music. Later when I was editing it he wanted there to be music in that scene, and I said “Nope, that’ll ruin it.” I love that scene too, so thank you I’m glad you appreciate the use of silence.

KJW: So back to how you came to filmmaking, what was your next step after the two dance films?

NM: I was dancing in a performance which I myself had choreographed, in high school. The guy I was dancing with, well, we were supposed to jump up into a Grand Jete and then come down and go into the splits on the ground. We were supposed to do it at the same time and for whatever reason I was slightly ahead of him. I went down first and then he came down straight onto my knee. He was 175lbs, so that kind of destroyed my knee and that was the end of my dance career. But I really think I’m a much better filmmaker than I ever would have been, at my best, a dancer. It’s just my calling, I know it.  I also worked for a couple years in television doing camera for a Spanish language TV station, and that’s when I got really good at camera because you have to do things fast. And I just didn’t want to work at a job, I wanted to be a creative artist. I felt that I’d rather die than have a 9-5 job. I still don’t like having a job, I wish I could just win the lottery.

I was ecstatic when I got into the to the UCLA film school and our first assignment was to make a super 8 film, with non-sync sound, so I created a sound environment which is something I’ve continued to do with all my films. I’ve continued to have dialogue be low on my priority list.  

In fact dialog in movies usually bugs me, especially when there’s a lot of it.

KJW: I want to talk about the article you published in Filmmaker Magazine back in October called “The Visual Language of Oppression: Harvey Weinstein Wasn’t Working in a Vacuum”. I found it interesting in the article that you redirect the conversation of sexual oppression in the film industry to also include the framing and lighting of the picture itself - not just how the characters are written into the script. For example, the way many filmmakers include shots of women as sex-objects that do not serve the narrative or story whatsoever. It made me reflect on my own work, wondering what ways I’ve also fallen into these traps that are now most likely imbedded into my psyche. I was wondering what kind of feedback or responses you received from women of any age in the industry, but also men?

NM: Well, I got more responses from women than from men. But people from all ages seem to respond to it really strongly. Its funny because the lecture I ended up giving at Sundance is not very different than one I give to my students. This is a talk that I’ve been giving, with variations, for many years. No one prior to Harvey was really interested in it, and then suddenly it became a high interest topic! My article was the most popular article of the year in Filmmaker Magazine, it’s crazy! So, who knew feminism suddenly got interesting? The #MeToo movement and the fall of Harvey Weinstein and all this stuff is quite astonishing. As a feminist and as a filmmaker and as a teacher I’ve been talking about all this for years and years and years. And who cared? Nobody cared. Now suddenly everybody cares. I’m glad and I don’t really know why now, but it seems to be the right time.

KJW: Do you have specific ideas in mind of real action that can be taken in the industry to shift consciousness? And do you think we are in a moment of it evolving right now?

NM: There’s two main things. Because of severe discrimination in the field of cinema, women have not had the same opportunities. We’re not hired to be DP’s and we’re not hired to be Directors. So you have these unbelievable statistics of men and women coming out of the top film schools at 50/50 and then being hired into the industry or getting their films financed [at different rates] depending on the budget: the higher the budget the lower number of women, hahaha. Even in the lower budget films its like 85% men to 15% women. And if you go into the higher budget films its more like 93% men and 7% women [receiving financing]. So the first thing that has to happen is hiring practices have to change. The point of my article and talk is that where do people get the idea that women are not really full-on subjects, that they’re sexual objects? Well this idea comes from many, many places, but one big place that it comes from is all the media that we see around us. If we see images of sexualized women 25 times a day or 2500 times a day, when you’re a DP on set people don’t defer to you, because you represent a sex-object and not authority or a director of photography. It’s so ingrained and that is the point of my talk. When I gave my presentation last month at Sundance I included a clip of Carrie by Brian de Palma. At the beginning of Carrie there’s this very long sequence where all these women are running around in the locker room, naked, for absolutely no reason. Then there’s a long sequence of close-ups of Sissy Spacek’s naked body. It has nothing to do with the story and it just goes on and on and on. A number of people spoke to me about it and said “I’ve always loved that move and I did not notice”. And I thought, “You did not notice? That was a five minute scene of naked women!”  But the fact they didn’t notice is the whole point. It’s like the air that we breathe. You don’t notice that you’re breathing, but you would notice if there’s no air. But as long as there’s air you just breathe it. And naked women and women as sex-objects is like the air that we breath. You only notice if it’s taken out. And boy you get a lot of shit if you take it out, which is what I’ve experienced with my films because I take it out. I’ve gotten a lot of hostile reaction to my films. I have not gotten work financed even though I’ve received major awards and major critical acclaim. No one in Hollywood wanted to give me big money because I’m not going to have naked women prancing around all cute and sweet in steamy locker rooms.

KJW: What was the nature of the talk at Sundance, were you and Julie Dash leading the discussion together?

NM: It was actually a presentation that started with a woman called Gwen Wynne. She is creating a new fund called the EOS World Fund that aims to support innovative women directors. She talked about her fund and then she introduced me, I gave my 75minute talk, and then after that, Julie Dash and Rachel Watanabe-Baton (who’s producing for Julie) and I led a panel discussion.

KJW: Were there any things that people in the audience said during the panel discussion that stuck with you afterwards?

NM: I think that people felt like “oh my god we knew this, we know it, we live with it” but when you see the clips one after the other it just looks ridiculous. A number of people said, “it looks like a joke”. When you watch Carrie you don’t notice, but when you watch this film and that film, one after another, it’s almost laughable. But of course it’s not laughable because it has very serious negative repercussions in our lives. “Its like a joke. Really? You’re just panning down this woman’s naked body again and again and again!?” — that I heard from a number of people.

KJW: Did you see any films at Sundance that you thought were good?

NM: I saw one film which was made by a Jennifer Fox called The Tale. It’s an autobiographical narrative feature about her [the filmmaker’s] experience of sexual abuse as a little girl. That was pretty intense. I think that its more intense because you know it’s her, she uses her real name for the main character. The girl in the film is called Jennifer Fox, so the director makes it very explicit that it’s about her. It’s disturbing in a good way.

KJW: I read that EOS Fund is financing your next film Minotaur Rex. Is it in pre-production?

NM: They are bringing part of the financing, but we still have to get more funding. If you consider my stellar critical track record it’s kind of depressing that it’s so difficult to get financing. But that is part of the problem that we’re talking about. They say, “a woman has to be ten times as good to go half as far,” and that is absolutely correct.

KJW: Can you talk about the premise of Minotaur Rex?

NM: Well, the premise is that everyone has to face their inner self. I’m a bit of a Buddhist and I’ve done Jungian Psychoanalysis. I finished analysis a while ago but I did it for a very long time: 17 years to be exact. The basic idea is to look within and face yourself, which doesn’t mean that you don’t acknowledge external political realities, but you do look inside to see how you might in some way be participating to undermine yourself. It’s harder to change somebody else. Better to start within-- inside with yourself. So the idea of the Minotaur is a metaphor. The main character has to confront the Minotaur and transform the Minotaur. The Minotaur is his own inner pain, violence, and rage. It’s both a political allegory for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and it also uses the Minotaur as a symbol for the self; you have to face the scary parts within yourself in order to transform. That’s the basic idea.

KJW: You’ve shot three or more movies in the Middle East.

NM: Yeah, it’s three or more.

KJW: Do you have any personal connection to the Middle East or Israel that brought you to make works there?

NM:  Oh yeah I do. My family is from there. My mother and father immigrated, and came to the United States through Ellis Island. They were held there for quite a while before they were admitted into the US. So, my parents are immigrants and I’m a first generation American. I speak fluent Hebrew and I’ve been struggling with Arabic for a very long time, I’m still not even close to fluent in Arabic... but I do speak Hebrew very well. When I was growing up we went to Israel every summer to visit my mother’s parents. My father had no parents because his family was murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. So, I have a very strong tie to Israel. I have a number of very close friends there and I go there often. I care about it and it’s a core part of my life.

KJW: I have one more question for you. As a female new to filmmaking, do you have any insight or mantra to offer for those who are entering the industry right now in order to stay positive and focused and not be discouraged through negative experience, whether its from a person in power or people not paying attention to you because you’re a woman who made that work, and so forth?

NM: Well the first thing I have to say is I don’t really know. I don’t know what its like now but I think that actually it’s a little better. There’s more awareness and we’ll see if the statistics actually change. We will see if when you graduate you’ll have a different and more even playing field. I don’t know what you’re facing versus what I faced. What I faced was extreme discrimination. So my way of keeping going was just being deeply deeply committed to what I wanted to do, and not looking left or right. If you wont give me money then I’ll do it on a shoestring, and if you don’t give me a shoestring I’ll do it for free and I’ll just find a way to do it. So I kept going for a long time until I got tired. I probably got tired after 30 years of non-stop struggle. Now I feel tired.

Very, very tired.

But, I’m not sure what you actually are facing today. I think you have a better chance and slightly more opportunities…maybe. But I don’t know, we don’t know. We’ll see if this whole #MeToo thing actually changes employment statistics and actually changes how many women get their films financed. Maybe it will. I hope it will, but we don’t know.

Is this just going to be the groovy #MeToo movement and then, back to business as usual? Or is something really going to change? That remains to be seen.

Considering that women constitute 51% of the population, we are silenced and treated like shit on many levels. You’re paid less than your male peers, you have less opportunities, and again, the saying that you have to be “ten times as good to go half as far” is true. It sucks. But maybe it’s going to change now. We’ll see.

WATCH “Dissolution” and select other Menkes films online: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/filmsbyninamenkes Follow Nina on twitter @menkesfilm For more information: www.ninamenkes.com