#gabriel reinvents her to be like. 18

[asukiess]

are there sentimonster emilie fics?

(there's 2k emilie fics and I'm going through the tag, feel free to send any my way if there are!)

assuming we go with the public lie of she disappeared rather than died.

gabriel and nathalie taking their grief and anger and whatever unnamed attractions and feelings they had toward each other to make emilie again. not their child, obviously, but the amalgamation of the love they both had for her.

(though, one can't deny the themes of it.)

they're reluctant at first--for gabriel, controlling a sentimonster has brief satisfaction. most times, he knows through correcting adrien's behavior, it's more hassle than it's worth. the steps of it: argue, give them a chance to correct themselves, control. sometimes, it's straight to step 3. for nathalie, it's a host of issues: confronting her feelings towards adrien being real vs. not real; would she control emilie, too, given the chance?; will she---no, could she, this copy, ever measure up?

is it the best for adrien to have her back?

reluctance gives way to what-ifs and memories. gives way to possibilities and what they remember about her. the things they loved, and the things they hated.

could they.... would they change those things?

(how does one exist in other perceptions? what do other people see in you, and what do they exaggerate due to their own intolerances? what is strikingly real and true? what is so foreign, like a copy of a copy of a copy, reduced to grainy degradation?)

so, both their hands clasped around the peacock miraculous (not without both of them separately thinking of another event that created life), they remake emilie.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

A Fox and a Guardian-Part 5

Hey guys! End part for this, but I do plan on a sequal- it’s just back burner while I work on other stuff for a while!! Also reminder: If anyone wants to be tagged for anything, you MUST message me. I’ve had some nasty comments sent to me that I forgot people and I’m done with it.

 Rain was always nice for a funeral. She just wishes it wasn’t happening. 

 Marinette watches with a stony face as the casket is lowered into the ground. Her hand grasps the shoulder of the boy in front of her, offering support and receiving it. Bruce stands next to her, watching with pained eyes himself. 

 She remembers. She remembers Ethiopia. She remembers trying to save the boys. She remembers the Joker. She remembers the explosion in the warehouse. She remembers holding a little body.

 When the funeral is done, she takes the boy in front of her by the hand. “Come on.”

 “Mari-“ Bruce tries but it’s not her who speaks.

 “I don’t want to go nowhere with you!” Jason snaps at him, shaking. “You… if you…” he sobs hard and rubs his face and Marinette doesn’t look at Bruce. She can’t, she can’t look into his face and see the man who knocked her aside when she was taking care of the Joker. She gets it- she does.

 It doesn’t mean she doesn’t want the clown’s blood on her hands or that she wouldn’t welcome it. 

 Marinette and Jason leave, followed by Barbara in her new chair, the girl having insisted on going to the funeral. 

 The story is that Jason and Tim had run off after an argument and had gotten into trouble. Tim saved Jason at the cost of his own life.

 It’s the truth. Just only part of it.

 Leaving the cemetery, Marinette closes her eyes. She shouldn’t take Jason with her, she shouldn’t let Babs stay with her while she recovers. The Miraculous only bring death it seems. Death and destruction.

 But she doesn’t want to be alone. Not anymore. 

-0-

 Time heals all wounds. That’s the saying.

 It’s not exactly true.

 Time does heal many wounds.

 But sometimes they stay there, half-healed and broken.

 For Jason losing Tim is like that. His two best friends were one person. One amazing person who was so kind, so sweet, so nice.

 He lost them when the boy had used his illusions to look like him when he realized things were going south.

 Jason had to attend his funeral.

 “I don’t want anyone hurt again,” he tells Marinette, shaking. Wayzz has taken a shine to him and it became obvious how suited he was for the Miraculous. “I want to protect people… I don’t know if I…”

 He doesn’t know if he can go out again. Not after that. Putting himself at risk puts others at risk and leaves them broken. 

 But a medic? A medic who can create a shield?

He likes that idea.

 Marinette does to and she gives him the bracelet and Babs gives him medical books while she also reinvents herself.

 They can’t leave Gotham. And no matter how mad they are at Bruce they can’t let him die.

 He’s family.

-0-

Dick is… less angry. He’s still awkward but he’s trying now.

 Jason isn’t sure if he wants to let him. But Marinette’s stories of her and her family becoming close after long talks makes him want to try.

 It’s awkward and both are nervous but they try.

 Dick and Babs mend their friendship but not their relationship. Too much has changed. 

 And well, given Jason found her and Marinette making out he thinks she’s firmly moved on.

-0-

 Wounds heal. They stay sometimes but they heal.

 Marinette thinks it’s because of the fact she’s always known she’ll outlive Tim she managed to slowly heal from his death. Trixx had asked to remain with him for while and she plans to honour that. Trixx will come back when they feel it is time.

  Marinette has healed. Somewhat. It hurts still, she still cries but she finds peace in training Jason and being with Babs. She’d told Babs she would outlive her and Babs had accepted it.

 Babs even takes a Miraculous herself, Noroo happy with his new holder who rarely transforms and prefers to work behind a computer. 

 They’re okay. They’re better. Jason is working at school, learning first aid and first responder techniques. 

 They’re okay. Not healed but okay.

-0-

 A year passes and then a few months. Marinette begins to hear reports of something going on in Paris, but doesn’t pay attention- to raw- but does when there’s news of a body found, with a confession next to them.

 It’s Gabriel.

Tagged:

@graduatedmelon @moonwatcher04 @drarryismylife101 @ace-aro-agender @goggles-mcgee @soloshade-doobles @gaylord1027 @bee-wrecker @7-sage-7 @this-is-vander @thesunanditsangel @theyellowfeverexperience @peachedpocky @bleeding-heart-romantic @weird-pale-blonde-person @thequestionablyhuman @naoryllis @ginamarie1512 @dawnwave16 @wargraymon0709 @persephonescat @g-arya @alexresides @f0xylegs @dur55 @kuroko26 @18-fandoms-unite-08 @floralfi @witchsblackfox @fics-by-maria @virgil-is-a-cutie @anastasian-dreamer

[fakeyellow]

Repost because it got deleted?!?! (Not a new chapter)

After dinner, a Feral, and a multitude of passport photos, Kamilah finally connects the dots behind Anya’s true identity.

Summary: Kamilah and co. win the war against Gaius but at great personal cost. Fifty years have passed since their pyrrhic victory when a stranger, looking exactly like the woman they lost, enters their lives.  Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

“I’ll have the ribeye, rare,” Kamilah said smoothly as she handed him the menu she hadn’t bothered to open, “and bring us a bottle of the 1994 Châteauneuf du Pape.”

The waiter nodded and turned to Anya expectantly.

“I’ll have the same, thank you.”

When the waiter returned with the wine, Anya eagerly took a sip of it, glad to have something for her hands to do. A week had passed since she’d moved to New York and her days had been filled with the exhaustive task of cataloguing the CEO’s extensive collection of ancient artefacts; they were meticulously organised but mostly unlabeled.

But she hadn’t seen Kamilah since that very first day until she’d received an invitation for dinner via Gabriel earlier this day. Anya didn’t quite know what to do with herself.

“Enjoy the wine?” Kamilah asked with a hint of a smile and Anya blushed upon realising she’d drank the entire contents of her glass.

“I don’t really like wine but this is amazing,” Anya admitted, already feeling a bit flushed from the single glass of wine.

“I’m glad it’s to your taste,” Kamilah said as she poured more wine into her glass.

“So tell me about yourself,” There was something deliberately nonchalant and innocent about the question but this escaped Anya’s notice as she savoured the taste of the red wine, licking her lips in thought. 

“Mmm… I studied archaeology with a concentration in Egyptology at Cambridge but I didn’t feel quite ready to settle down or look for a job as a museum curator so I joined an archaeological dig in Egypt after I graduated. And now I’m here,” Anya finished plaintively, taking another generous sip from her glass. 

The steaks arrived at that moment and they fell into a pleasant silence as they began eating. Kamilah broke the silence after raising the glass to her own lips for what Anya realised was the first time.

“I was hoping to get to know you beyond what I’d read on your resume,” She said with a small smile before asking with an almost hesitant air of curiosity, “Was it hard moving to America?... Did you have to leave anyone behind?”

“No,” Anya admitted and she wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the strange familiarity she felt with Kamilah or the exorbitant amount of wine she’d drank, but she continued, “I don’t really date.”

“Oh?”

Anya quickly said, “Well, I mean I tried in college. My friends tried to set me up with someone once but… it just never felt right. She liked me more than I could like her.”

Kamilah stared at her with an intensity that made Anya flush deeply with an unknown emotion and Anya hurriedly broke their eye contact, “I do have a very close friend though. She was an immense help after my accident and I don’t know how I’d survive without her. Actually, I have to call her soon. I moved so suddenly that I wasn’t able to tell her and I’ve just been so busy lately.”

“Accident?” Kamilah asked, her eyes sharpening at the word.

“I was in a pretty bad car accident five years ago,” Anya answered with the patience of someone who had explained the story numerous times, “I don’t have any memories of the first 18 years of my life.”

She let out a small, bitter laugh and shook her head before repeating in a lighter tone, “I don’t know what I would have done without Sera…”

But Kamilah had stopped paying attention, her mind whirring furiously as she strove to make sense of this new information. Nothing seemed to fit. A 22-year-old with no memories of her past and the appearance of a woman who had died fifty years ago.

What was she missing? 

—-

Anya hadn’t meant to walk so far from the restaurant- she’d simply been waiting outside as Kamilah made a call before they walked back to the company building together.

But the streets of New York had called out to her, and she’d found her legs taking her on a path that she didn’t recognise and yet somehow felt familiar. The crisp air was a balm against her still flushed skin and Anya exhaled. It still didn’t feel real that she was in New York, living in her dream apartment and working her dream job. Not to mention the mystery and alluringness of her new boss.

There was a guttural growl and Anya snapped around just as a gaunt figure melted out of the shadows. It was a grotesque monster of a being with its mottled, pallid grey skin that barely seemed to cover its bony figure. Anya took a slow step back as it came even closer to her, and in their proximity, Anya saw the bright red of its eyes and its salivating, fang-filled mouth.

Panic consumed her throat and she felt the need to scream or run or do something before she was killed when suddenly a freezing calm washed over her.  

“You dare? Your blood is mine, your soul is mine,” she hissed and she reached out her hand. 

The being froze in its tracks, and as her hand closed into a fist, she watched mercilessly as it fell to its knees. It let out a horrible, keening wail as its body began to contort around itself until finally, it crumbled away into ash. 

—-

“Anya?” Kamilah said warily and Anya jerked out of her stupor at the feeling of the hand on her shoulder.

“Huh?” Anya asked, momentarily confused before she began to reassure the woman that she was fine, simply taking a break in the cool New York City air. 

But Kamilah’s frown didn’t go away.

Because for a split second, Anya’s eyes had been red.

—-

(3 days later)

Kamilah stared at the three blown up ID photos Gabriel had spread on her desk.

They were all of Laia although her hair was different in each one: from long black tresses to deep crimson waves to straight platinum blonde locks. After allowing her a brief moment of silence, Gabriel continued.

“These are the passport photos of Eden Auclair, Celia Favre, and Amanda Klein. Eden Auclair was a French citizen from 2019-2034, Celia Favre was a Swiss citizen from 2034-2049, and Amanda Klein was a German citizen from 2049-2064. Each woman lived for approximately fifteen years before dying in their early 30’s… It seems that Anya Altomare is the newest reiteration.”

And Kamilah could deny it no longer. There was no doubt that these pictures were all of Laia. Which meant that Kamilah had seen correctly: she’d seen Anya’s eyes turn red that night at the restaurant. 

Which meant that Anya had been a vampire for the past 50 years.

Which meant that Anya was Laia.

But why did she show no recognition of Kamilah? Why did she continuously reinvent herself every fifteen years? What had happened to make Laia forget or at least pretend to forget all of her past memories? 

And then Kamilah froze.    

She’d dismissed the rest of Anya’s words as soon as she’d heard about her 18 years’ worth of missing memories. She’d thought Anya had been talking about a mere mortal friend.

But she’d been wrong. She’d focused on the wrong information.

Because Anya hadn’t been talking of a Sarah. She’d been talking of Sera.

Serafine. 

—-

A/N: So I have no idea what happened but for some reason, my original post is gone... Which is fucking annoying because I have a bad habit of doing all my final edits on Tumblr instead of on the doc itself. 

I tried to fix what I could remember but I’m not sure if I got everything so I’m sorry for any mistakes. SIGH.

Again, there should be one more long chapter unless I decide to split it up into two.

Thanks for the support

[twinkletwinkle-little-star11]

So it all started when all YOU had was me. Your first kid died before I was even born and you didn't even expected or wanted me but here I am. And you were happy because I was the only person left with you since my father cheated on you while you were pregnant. I on the other hand, had you and grandma even if you 2 weren't talking because of all the mistakes you made in the past. Usually the grandma is always a kid's favourite but you were my hero, mom. You were my everything. I was scared of everything, silent all the time and dreamy because you use to do and choose everything for me.

One day a new man came into our lives and you disappeared with him to travel the world. That was the first time you abandoned me but it's ok, grandma was there to take care of everything. When you finally came back all I wanted to do was to hug you all day long even if I was feeling left out. I wasn't mad.. I was happy that you were happy. You introduced me to the man who later on became a father to me.

Growing up I started to invent and find myself but I was growing different from what you wanted me to be. Maybe because I had different life bases, the ones grandma thought me while you weren't there. In fact, you hated this. I remember I was 7 and I use to climb up every tree, standing there for hours like a monkey. I was the girl playing in the mud. I was the talkative kid, always smiling but shy with strangers. I was the friendly and sensitive one, crying whenever you didn't let me build a little shelter for the street animals or whenever you didn't let me spend my savings for animal food.

We grew apart from each other, mom. You were all into fine things, money and classy stuffs. You wanted me to be your little princess but I wanted to be a knight who takes care of everyone around. Anything I did was wrong for you. You became my enemy and since you couldn't make me be the silent kid again you just let your new husband deal with me. But that's alright, he became my new best friend. He already had 3 sons and knew how to raise a kid. He never criticized me. Actually he and grandma were the only ones to let me be however I wanted to be. He used to build bird houses with me while you were shopping for clothes and jewelry. He was there for me when I was bullied in class for being too skinny. And then, when I got overweight he was there to help me lose weight. All you did mom was criticising but I don't blame you, that's all you had to deal with all your life too. Everyone always criticized YOU for your mistakes instead of helping you out. It's ok...

When grandad died I was so sad. I was spending my days with grandma taking care of the house and the dog for her. She was so broken...

I saw my real father after a looooong time again at the funeral. He was just a stranger to me so I didn't gave him that much of an importance since I barely saw him in 11 years.

After a few months the dog died too and grandma got ill. I spent almost everyday with her helping out. I've noticed tho that something was strange, something wasn't right. One day I came home and you told me that dad had to go back to Germany and he will be gone for a while because he wasn't feeling very well. And you had to go away too. Again.

Honestly I didn't actually care about you leaving me, I was worried about dad.

I moved in with grandma definitely and we were good. She gave me indications with what to do and I was doing everything. It was so much fun but I was still worried because nobody was telling me what was going on.

A few months had passed and you finally came home. I'm sorry to say this but I wasn't feeling very excited to see you... I don't know why, I just wasn't. I didn't really care because I was more familiar with your absence than with your presence. The only thing that made me jump on you and hug you was the fact that your face was aged. You looked awful, like you were in pain. I could feel your bones while I was holding you and I could feel your tears on my shoulder. That's how I found out what was going on.

The love of your life was dying of cancer. Seeing you like that I realized you weren't that superficial as i thought. I felt like my heart was breaking and the pieces scratched my chest on the inside.

Christmas came but it felt like the worst one ever. You 2 were in Germany for his chemotherapy and at home, all the food me and grandma made was just standing there, touched by nobody. I could hear her talking in her sleep saying grandad's name a few times that night.

Since I couldn't stand all the sadness anymore I went to the kitchen, ate the hell out of that food just to throw up everything right after. After that I cried all night in the livingroom. That was the first sleepless night I had in my life.

My birthday was yet to come but that was better I guess. I wasn't in the mood to celebrate but grandma made me bring a few friend from school home and play some games. My 12th bday was ok, absolutely better than the Christmas.

You finally came home with dad for Easter later in April. He was looking good.. different but good. The hair wasn't there anymore and he was thinner but he looked pretty normal. We had that huge party with lots of people and I sat with him and Linxy on the couch all evening talking. So much that I felt asleep and woke up in his arms still on the couch. He was awake but he didn't move. The tv was on the greek programs and as I looked up a bit confused to him he said "I just wanted to hold you like when you were little. You were sleeping so peaceful I really didn't want to wake you."

You were dead sleeping like a rock but we went to get breakfast and I finally saw the secret place where he always got the amazing chocolate and amarena cake. After that we went to the public garden for a little walk and that's where he started crying saying he was so sorry that we didn't brought my new bike he got for me from Germany. "Such a sunny day today.. I'm so sorry I didn't think to bring the bike. I'll teach you next time I come home, I promise."

That day was great. We went to the restaurant for lunch and even if we saw the doctor who diagnosed him with just a cold when he was actually in the second stage of cancer, it was still a good day. That was a sign I think and you know what I'm talking about.

He promised me to come back for the Christmas holidays and I believed that. I believed that because you also wanted to believe that, mom.

When he died in October you were devastated. Depressed. I held you crying for nights. I was taking care of you and grandma during the day and when you finally felt asleep thanks to the pills i uae to go to my room and cry my eyes out for hours. In silence. You were already hurt enough so I was supposed to be tough in front of you so you won't see me sad and feel even worse for me too. I got along on my own, for you.

After 3 months you suddenly decided to go to italy with your friend Gabriele. I knew you weren't just visiting Italy. I knew you were running away, again. I didn't say a word because I was too broken. I really wanted you to leave.

Funny how for the first time, you actually asked me to visit you 2. I was ready to spend a Summer with my mom and her ...boyfriend (?) In Italy, I was ready for a break. Little did I knew, you were lying.

You brought me here because you were getting married in August and you knew I wouldn't have ever come to the wedding. And that wasn't enough for you. You also lied about the holiday. You wanted to keep me here. And so you did. And so I started school here. Being bullied because I was the "romanian girl" and the "gipsy". You took me away from the little things I had left. My friends, my true family. You took that away from me without even asking. My only friend was my english teacher. I got overweight again because I was stress eating. So i got bullied for that too. Then highschool time came. I wanted to reinvent myself. I wanted to start fresh. I wanted to study languages.

That wasn't ok with you. You made me choose chemestry. By force. Because you didn't finish the medical school and you were sorry. But that was your mistake mom, not mine.

But you made sure to make it mine too.

I got depression and anxiety and I started sleepi g and going out a lot with my new friends. Things got worst and worst. We were fighting everyday till you kicked me out of the house. I found a refugee in toxic friendships.. i started doing bad things for fun. I wasn't thinking. It felt so good not to think anymore. It felt so easy and good.

You asked me to come back home and I said with 1 condition: make me change schools. Let me study languages.

Obviously you lied to me again. And I believed you..

I lost the school year because of the low grades and because i tried to kill myself. You found out that your husband was cheating at the time so you didn't really had time to watch over me huh? It was so easy... finding the drugs in the house was so easy.

That was the year we didn't spoke a word to each other. When I finally turned 18 I changed schools and I chose the one I'm attending now. I don't know if I made the right choice but at least it was my decision. Since I stopped trying to be what you wanted me to be and since I stopped doing what you wanted me to do, thing went for the better for me.

I'm tired to hear everyone saying "stop acting like a mom, you are the child and your mom needs to wake up!"

But I'm not you. And since all you have is ME, I won't leave you like you left me more than once.

With love, your daughter.

[forkskidshq]

ACCEPTED! Congratulations, Ellie, Gabriel ‘ Gabe’ Martin is our GOODY TWO SHOES. Please send in your character account within the next 24 hours and IM us for the discord link! 

Name/Alias, age, timezone, pronouns: ellie, 22, cst, she/her

Chosen Skeleton: the goody two shoes

Name: Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Martin Gender: Cismale Pronouns: He/him Faceclaim: Aubrey Joseph Age: 18 Grade: Senior Positive Traits: Dependable, organized, selfless Negative Traits: Pushover, gullible, judgmental

Character Bio:

·  gabe was born in seattle, washington. his family moved when he turned 5, right before he started kindergarten, in hopes of finding a smaller, closer-knit community to raise their only child. living in the city was great at first, but his parents quickly realized it held too many influences that could be damaging to their son’s future. forks was much smaller and quieter, so they settled in quickly with the community. his parents were both devout protestants and gabe was raised to be such. his father quickly moved up the rankings of the church, becoming perhaps the most important person in the church aside from the pastor.

·  involvement in the church quickly led to other aspects of the male’s life. it’s never been a secret that gabe’s a natural-born leader. in fourth grade, he petitioned to bring back apple juice after a healthy foods initiative had dropped the beverage from the menu (it failed, much to his dismay). in sixth grade, he organized a track and field day to give the students a chance to have extra recess. 

·  while elementary school was relatively smooth-sailing for him, middle school had a few more issues. it was then that gabe realized how different his family was from most others living living in forks. the pressure to fit in began to seep into gabriel’s mind. he didn’t want to be the weird, religious kid, so in an attempt to fit in, gabe joined any club he could think of. he thought he would have a friend anywhere he turned, but the gesture backfired and left the male spread thin with fewer friends than he’d hoped. 

·  despite how poorly his idea worked out previously, extracurriculars became an even larger part of his life after starting high school. his parents encouraged it and saw the clubs as a way to keep their son out of trouble. as long as he still showed up for the time at church, all was well in their minds. a seat on student council quickly turned into student body president. gabe joined the debate team and attempted to be a member of the mathletes… until he realized it wasn’t his strong suit. every week, bible study is led by gabe in the basement of the church.

·  the threat of rebellion has always been lingering beneath the surface. he’s done a good job keeping it at bay, consistently reminding himself about all of the commitments he has to his family and the church. gabe is beginning to get burnt out, however. there’s only so much he can do in the time he has, and at this point, he’s positive he’s overwhelmed himself. additionally, with college nearing, he can’t help but be a little antsy about what the future has in store. moving away is a huge opportunity to reinvent his persona. currently, gabe’s normal commitments have been slipping as his interest in other activities grows… like investigating the disappearance of bella swan.

[savetopnow]

2018-03-13 02 BUSINESS now

BUSINESS

Business Insider

5 reasons why Disney's fantasy epic 'A Wrinkle in Time' failed at the box office

Inside London's wizarding bar where you mix your own cocktails in a cauldron and pour beers using a magic wand

Meghan Markle's clever packing hack for keeping clothes fresh while traveling only costs $8

Meghan Markle just proved her dominance over Kate Middleton — and it could be worth up to $1.4 billion to the British economy

Here's the mysterious illness that's plaguing Father Gabriel on 'The Walking Dead'

Harvard Business Review

Research: The Upsides of Disclosing Your Religion, Sexual Orientation, or Parental Status at Work

The Swedish CEO Who Runs His Company Like a CrossFit Gym

Making Better Use of Health Care Data

Is #MeToo Backlash Hurting Women’s Opportunities in Finance?

How Volvo Reinvented Itself Through Hiring

Inc

Being a Good Leader Can Actually Make Your Employees Healthier. Here's How

7 Things You Must Do Every Morning If You Want to Be Successful

You're Probably Not as Busy as You Say You Are. Here's How to Be Truly Productive

Starting a New Job? Here Are 6 Ways to Get Off on the Right Foot

Building Your Business Requires a Lot of Travel. Here Are 7 Ways to Stay Sane

New York Times Business

Your Money Adviser: Interest on Home Equity Loans Is Still Deductible, but With a Big Caveat

William Pulte, Pathbreaking Home Builder, Is Dead at 85

Dow Turns Lower as Industrial Stocks Weigh

Goldman Sachs’s Heir Apparent — David Solomon: DealBook Briefing

Stormy Daniels Offers to Return Payment to End Deal for Her Silence

Reddit Business

Stormy Daniels Offers to Return Payment to End Deal for Her Silence

Uber's brand chief Bozoma Saint John is fixing the brand by driving for Uber Pool herself

Spotify to List Shares on New York Stock Exchange the Week of April 2

Big Tech Already Behaves Like a Big Bank

JA Solar gets closer to NASDAQ de-listing

Reddit Startup

At what point, did you decide to shut down your company?

Postpone the signup/ login

This $8 Million SaaS Company Nails Customer Service

How to automate Track & trace numbers sent to customers?

Weekly Feedback and Support Thread

The Economist Business and Finance

Will British airlines lose their rights to fly to America after Brexit?

Pakistan’s Murree Brewery shrugs off restrictions on its products

A Chinese oil baron is reportedly detained by the authorities

Mining data on cab rides to show how business information flows

America’s companies have binged on debt; a reckoning looms

Wall Street Journal Business

CFIUS Suggests It May Soon Recommend Against Broadcom Bid for Qualcomm

Miners Fight to Protect Commodity Gains From Rising Costs

Trump Tariffs May Threaten U.S. Auto Jobs, European Executives Warn

Why Tariffs Mean Your Next Car Might Cost $300 More

Insurers Game Medicare System to Boost Federal Bonus Payments

Yahoo Finance

Corrected: Dropbox sees IPO price between $16 and $18 per share

More civilians leave Syrian rebel enclave as army advances

Will Kim Jong Un give Trump a mulligan?

Trump's Quote-Unquote 'Good Week' Was Mostly Good For China

New York helicopter crash: Pilot's mayday call before fatal New York helicopter crash released

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: The Futile Effort of Differentiating Fine Art from Design

Ryan Fenchel, “Sidereal Procession, the Adept In Public” (2017), acrylic, oil, chalk, pencil on canvas, 155 x 41 inches (all images courtesy the Landing and the artists)

LOS ANGELES — If you ever admired Eero Saarinen’s modernist Tulip chair, a mid-20th-century industrial design icon, and thought it made for better sculpture than whatever you just saw in the art gallery down the street, you will enjoy The Useful and the Decorative at the Landing. The group exhibition explores the relationship between fine art and design, and how the lines blur between them. Comprising seven artists — unfortunately, only two of them women and all of them white — it explores the relationship between fine art and design, and how the lines blur between them. Underlying this investigation is the suggestion that these two arenas are distinguished by their use-value: design is explicitly utilitarian in its reinventions of items such as silverware, furniture, lighting, etc, while artworks are made without any practical function in mind, their central utility being conceptual. This exhibit is a nice opportunity to consider whether or not you buy that argument.

The strongest works are by Ryan Fenchel and Don Edler. But while the former identifies himself as a painter, and the latter as straddling between fine art and design, these considerations had no impact on my experience of their work. Fenchel paints vessels from his imagination, including vases, amphoras, jugs, and the like, taking liberties with their shapes and surfaces. His best piece in the gallery is “Sidereal Procession, the Adept In Public” (2017), a 12-foot-long frieze of 10 vessels set in vivid chroma. The connection between the image and its title is far from clear, but there is richness and delight in the orchestration of shapes and hues, some anthropomorphic, some like human organs, some resembling antique Chinese porcelain.

Don Edler, “Anthropocentric Tablet and Chablet Tair” (2017), plywood, OSB, hydrocal, styrofoam, iphone, calculator, pingpong paddle, credit card, sunglasses, liquid nails, paint roller, latex, and surf wax, 120 x 110 x 2 inches and 30 x 24 x 20 inches

Don Edler presents cartoonishly chunky chairs in pastels muted by an application of surf wax, but the piece that held my attention was “Anthropocentric Tablet and Chablet Tair” (2017), involving one of his curious seats placed beside a nearly 10-foot-square, gray tablet hanging on a wall and covered with markings reminiscent of the Rosetta Stone; a desultory collection of objects is embedded in its surface, including an iphone, ping pong paddle, credit card, and sunglasses. We are to imagine ourselves encountering this thing in the distant future, when the attached items might be as inscrutable as the glyphs alongside. Even without this conceit, the color and surface are seductive, and the inscribed shapes suggest something primal and strange.

Installation view of at The Useful and the Decorative at the Landing, featuring furniture by Garry Knox Bennett

The remaining works in this exhibit don’t pack much of a punch, and the curatorial framework is not enough to redeem them. They suffer from lack of vision, or heavy debts to canonical creators before them. Gabrielle Garland paints domestic interiors that include artworks or celebrated furniture, such as an Eames Lounge Chair. Her paintings recall the photographs of Louise Lawler, but lack Lawler’s elegance or critical bite. If anything, Garland’s portrayals seem reverential, leavened by distortions that occasionally make an overstuffed chair resemble the 80-year-old grandmother you would imagine sitting in it.

A number of works in the show focus on domestic items, using furniture both as imagery and in functional ways, including plates and chairs. Alexandra Hedison presents two photographs of domestic items wrapped in plastic (furniture and a chandelier), both of which come off as melodramatic. The exhibition also features a series of ceramic plates made by Myrton Purkiss in 1948, presenting them as wall-based art, highlighting their pattern of concentric circles that dimly recall Marcel Duchamp’s Rotoreliefs but fail to impress. Garry Knox Bennett’s contribution to the exhibit is a mixed bag, with some unimaginative pieces in which famous designs such as Eames chairs are bisected and mounted to protrude from the canvas, which is then painted with faux cast shadows. When Bennett makes furniture, however, he can be charmingly inventive, as in his toy-like handcrafted side table (2006), the very first thing one sees entering the gallery, and one of the better things in the show.

Alexandra Hedison, “Shroud II” (2005/2012), Inkjet print, 31 x 41 inches, framed

Which brings us back to the question of utility: How helpful is it as a lens through which to think about art or design? Broad categories are cognitive shortcuts that help us navigate the world efficiently, but upon close inspection they tend to disintegrate. The Greek vases and African masks we admire in museums had both daily and ritual uses. Duchamp placed a urinal on a pedestal in 1917, arguing that what really matters is not the object, but the gallery or museum context that frames it as an artwork. Isamu Noguchi was a giant of 20th-century-sculpture who designed furniture, lighting, and ceramics, any of which give stiff competition to the art of his time. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention Maurizio Cattelan’s “America” (2016), an 18-karat solid gold toilet that does everything a toilet is supposed to do, with the added bonus of being a succinct visualization of the shit hole Americans find ourselves in since Donald Trump’s election, shortly after the golden loo was installed at the Guggenheim museum. What concerns me more than categories or the overlapping spaces between them is an object’s ability to stop me in my tracks, generating a powerful aesthetic encounter that provides something to consider long after the work exists only as an experience in memory. If a Noguchi coffee table can do that (and it can), you can call it whatever you want.

The Useful and the Decorative continues at the Landing through September 2.

The post The Futile Effort of Differentiating Fine Art from Design appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2wIx2wt via IFTTT