#his collage work is really neat

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #2 by Juni Ba rambling about Gotham's fearsome hunter

added Jason to this issue's collage since it was mainly from his perspective!

ramble for issue #1 here!

starting with the cover again, but now in contrast to the first:

Dick and Barbara are presented as statues in the bg for the first cover where they’re established heroes in a secure time in their lives, and Damian is obviously the highlight! For #2's cover, the autumn leaves motif returns, but this time featuring Jason!! Apparently, Damian isn’t the only one to go through a “season of change” in this series, as Jason takes his own steps forward by the end of this story 🥺 also the literal layers on Jason - his angry Red Hood helmet and the beaten down Robin head...

The issue opens with Joe the robber and his hostage "Merle"! The glasses feels like a giveaway that this is Carrie(??) narrating Damian's story, so the final issue could end with her perspective for where Damian currently is in his journey as Robin and where she plays a part.

Jason as the "hunter" of this fairytale is such a cool concept, especially upon his introduction pages!! He's surrounded by his recent "prey" with a nice contrast of their fancy jackets, pinstripe pants, and dress shoes to Jason's own tattered hoodie, pants, and sneakers.

Just like the past issue (or just Ba's work in general lol), THE BACKGROUNDS ARE SO LOVINGLY DRAWN. Makes Jason's stroll through inner Gotham so enjoyable from the bustling activity of the people, shop signs, and advertising to the quieter area of the cemetery. It's so lived in, especially feels like each citizen in the bg has a story to tell!

some bits of interest to me: is that scaly lil arm reaching for the rat supposed to be Croc LOL; just neat visual of old Joker posters leering over Jason; the name of the cemetery a nod to Kevin Conroy? and from T. Wayne - Thomas Wayne?

Despite showing how much of an intimidating and hardened exterior the Red Hood has, there's plenty of suggestion that he has soft edges! from his act of revenge for a beloved member of the community, his familiarity with the people even greeting him, and down to his chocobar...

might be my overthinking but the layers of that close up shot of the chocobar really got me 😭 it's like such a piece of innocence when seen in his scarred hand, especially when "Wayne Sweets" is visible - is it more emphasis of Jason clinging to a safer time and Bruce Wayne himself?? or is this brand just his favorite lil treat

EITHER WAY, incredibly funny to me Jason seems to hide it once Damian shows up

Seeing Ba's storyboards has me even more curious about his process with O'Halloran - like, it's a small detail but the traffic light in the foreground being red! added emphasis on the red theme this issue, or a warning for these two to Stop heading into a trap? ANYWAY DAMIAN HESITANTLY ASKING ABOUT HIS MOTHER I'M THROWING UP AWWGH

also love critically acclaimed animated film "The Cheetah King" haha! ALTHOUGH, Jason's story does line up with Simba's - a lost prince that feels like he's failed his father. Even believed to be dead for a period of time lol

Rok the demon's design is so slick!! Seems to take after a peacock with how fanciful he is, plus his tail details in his other form! A dapper demon definitely ready for the gala!

A GLIMPSE OF BA'S HEAVIER ACTION ART!! THE POUNCE!! the Robins being entirely made up of motion lines, even the details for Jason's helmet; and i'm always a sucker for those light streaks from the eyes!! THE PUNCH!! the quick panel of Jason's fist before arcing into that POW!!

and i say a glimpse, because in just the two other books i've read from Ba so far, he draws so much more action. lil Monkey Meat promo BUT LOOK!! have i mentioned how much i love his sfx lettering...that "AAAH" getting motion lines when closer to the camera...crazy...

dropping another small element from one of his books, Djeliya! just a really cool visual of casting magic!!

I love this sequence leading up to the Joker vision! The shapely flames that dwindle into the shape of TEARS!! We don't get the extent of how deeply the Joker affected Jason until this moment and the man is terrified.

First thing Damian does after getting shot is insult Jason, DAMIAN IS SO FUNNY. Also absolutely love the wiggly woggly lines of EVERYTHING in this panel.

Considering what Damian said earlier: "We both know you'd rather not have to explain your failure to father if anything happens to me that you could have prevented." As if Jason didn't already feel like a failure before this!! of course he'd turn into jiggling jelly realizing what he's done.

After 27 pages of a narrow-eyed Red Hood, including an early tease of him about to take off the helmet for his snack, this full page of Jason unmasking himself is such a heavy reveal. Adding the aching piece of dialogue?? BRUTAL

Damian responds in kind to the vulnerability with his own confession and something Jason really needed to hear after burdening himself for so long with the idea of being a failure.

After Damian leaves, the camera pulls back to show The Door in the dark of the room. Damian quite literally presents Jason a window of opportunity to face his past, and it goes so hard. Just like the buildup of frowning mask-to-face reveal, Jason's few expressions have mostly looked sad. So the shadowed eyes before the glare of determination makes this quiet moment feel extra epic!! also reminiscent of the Red Hood mask he wears!!

Beyond the door of Jason's "past life" is complete darkness. Jason has been hoping for Batman to pull him out of it (as further suggested by the newspaper clippings), but in the final page, the door is leaking light!! Jason finds his own way forward :')

The first issue introduces the Robins with specific labels, and so far the narrative either delves deeper into those claims or challenges it. Damian is unimpressed by "kind and brave" Dick and even forms some kind of rivalry. By the end, Damian’s learned how those simple traits are essential to becoming the person and hero Dick has become and gains a newfound respect for him.

#2 deviates from #1 by following “brash and rageful” Jason's perspective! Damian is under pressure from the legacies of all the Robins before him, and even if he relates to Jason the most there's still tension. This time around, while Damian does learn what lies behind the mask, he's the one to impart some knowledge to his fellow Robin.

ending ramble with a panel of the small beans

"Look Damian, everything the light touches is our kingdom."

TBH this ramble took forever to start because after reading Djeliya and Monkey Meat, i was so floored by how much MORE Ba has to offer. Everything i raved about from the first issue of The Boy Wonder...Ba's done it all in his previous work and MORE SO?? on top of writing, whimsical paneling and lettering, fun action scenes, deliberate coloring, kickass character designs and worldbuilding... the man does it all?? 😭

Monkey Meat 🐒

Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic ✌️

Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber

i may save the last two books for after The Boy Wonder ends because imagining the end of the series makes me so sad LOLL orz i may cave just because Mobilis is a pleasantly giant book...praying for DC to give the collected edition of The Boy Wonder this treatment...his pages are brimming with energy they deserve to be blown up with an oversized printing 😭

[nondivisable]

Hi! I just saw your post about crocheting even though your hands hurt, and was hoping for some advice. I've had some sort of unspecified spondyloarthropathy for about 16 years, so I'm used to dealing with feet and knees and shoulders but all of a sudden it's in my hands too, and I'm terrified. Putting aside that I'm a musician and this threatens my livelihood and independence, I can't stand the idea that it's going to take away 90%of the things I do for fun, aka crafting. What do you do to keep crocheting through the pain -- or, even better, do you have any tips for working around it? Special hooks I can look for? I knit too, have you gotten into that enough to have needle or pattern recommendations? Do you do any sewing? I'm looking for help, but mostly I'm looking for hope.

if this makes little sense I'm sorry, I've had a migraine all day but I wanted to answer and not forget. I'll edit this later if it's necessary

compression gloves are the actual love of my life. they help my finger joints so much. kt tape as well, my shoulders start to kill me, specially when I started knitting.

for crochet, I know some people put tennis balls on the grips of their hooks to make them more ergonomic. there's also ergonomic hooks but I haven't tried them yet.

knitting: I usually hold my needle and knit (as in move the yarn) with my right hand. I find that this gives me cramps in my shoulder and hand. moving my yarn with my left hand and holding my needle with my right helps me relax both my hand and shoulder, as well as keep a straighter back. knitting is also way easier on my hands than purling since we're at it.

sewing: I absolutely love it, my joints don't. for sewing patches or smaller bits of fabric onto another what really helps me is keeping the fabric taut using an embroidery ring. it helps me make less of an effort with my hands. if you don't have a sewing machine but are looking to buy one, don't buy one of those small, portable ones. I did and I never use it because between having to squint my eyes and manouever with my hands, my body detests it

finger knitting is also really fun to keep your hands busy. if I'm having a really bad pain day but feel restless, I'll usually grab a thick yarn and make a finger knit panel. it can take me hours to finish a small square but it's quite pain free and makes me happy

collage is such a fun technique if you like drawing and painting but find that your hands are kind of failing you. for me, at least, it helps take off the pressure of having to make a neat, clean piece of art , you know

mostly, remember to stretch, take breaks, drink water, be kind to your body. there's no shame in doing your hobbies in bed, laying down, or in ways that aren't necessarily "pretty" or functional; it's okay to do your hobbies for the sake of having fun with them

hope this has helped you and not extremely confuse you <33

[zaceouiswriting]

A room never changes

Character: Theo Raeken x male reader

Universe: Somewhere in Teen Wolf

Warnings: Sad, mentioned death

With a heavy breath stuck in your throat, you slowly opened your boyfriend's bedroom door. It hadn't been long since you were there last, but this time was different. His mother stood behind you, her aura heavy and her features tired. She doesn't seem to have slept in days, maybe weeks. How could you blame her? You didn't have either. The two of you had searched for your boyfriend for days without sleeping, only to find him in a way neither expected. No one else wanted to help find him because he hadn't been the nicest to many people.

His mother and you stood in the open doorway, looking into Theo's bedroom. His bed was immaculately made, just the way he liked it. His room was perfectly organized. When you first saw him in the middle school hallways, you thought he was a typical boy who was disorganized and lived in filth. But he was a neat freak, not to a problematic extent, but he did use your dirty clothes to sleep once, just to make his point clear. You wouldn't say it helped really, but even in a moment like this, it could bring a smile to your face since it was the first time you'd seen dirty clothes on his floor.

You stretched your hand out to take the clothes far into the room but found yourself unable to step inside as you realized that wholesome moments like him making such a stupid point wouldn't happen again. Not because you suddenly became a neat freak though.

To your surprise, his mother encouraged you by gently placing her hand on your shoulder. You looked at her and placed your hand on hers. You always had a silent understanding with each other. However, she was initially disappointed that her only son was more interested in boys than girls, or rather, more interested in you than girls. She changed her mind when she met you and not only saw how fantastic a fit you were for her son but also brought out the best in him.

With the woman's encouragement, you finally exhaled. You had no idea how long you had been holding your breath, but it felt like you had released a chain holding you in place. With a single step into the room, you were immediately confronted with Theo's strong scent, deep as wood and sweet as a rose. Tears formed in the corners of your eyes. 

As soon as you stood in the room, you heard the door close behind you and an almost silent sob that distanced itself from it.

There were so many memories in this room, the posters on the walls, of cars, and the collage of pictures of your best moments with your boyfriend. You still fondly remember making fun of him because of it. At school he played the big bad boy, sometimes flirting with people just to piss you off, and yet in private he was a total sucker for you. Everything he did was about you. Whether it was about the songs he wrote in his little book or the pictures he took with his camera. Everything was about you as if you were the center of his universe.

You walk towards the single bed and place a hand on it. It's as soft as ever. Endless days of cuddling will never fade from your memory. The times you wordlessly placed your books on his muscular torso and lay between his legs while you worked on your homework you will always remember fondly. The first few times he was so confused about it looking at you like a beaten puppy, but you never told him why you did it. Maybe he realized that you could concentrate better when you touched him when you suddenly started becoming a perfect student, not getting a grade below an "A" since you started studying like that.

Theo was always your safe place. You knew, as long as he was close, nothing could hurt you. He had learned several martial arts since childhood but was best at boxing and kickboxing; his punches were hard enough to knock down veterans in the sport, and he was agile enough to rarely get hit.

Sitting on the bed, you let yourself get lost in the memories of his fights and how powerful he looked while fighting. His face was always contorted in concentration, while his entire body was tense. Even at a time like this, when sadness was overwhelming you, your body couldn't contain itself, remembering his wonderful body.

But the illusion of that memory shattered as the image of that day returned to your mind. All the subtle happiness disappeared. You remembered his empty hazel eyes that once could have illuminated any moment at any time of the day or night, full of life, love, and mischief.

Your body felt heavy, as did your soul. The salvation of both of them was no longer there, gone like the leaves of a tree in autumn, only he would never come back. His life was pointlessly wasted.

The tears you managed to hold back finally broke free from their bonds, followed by quiet sobs. At that moment, your eyes turned back to the clothes on the floor. He had been wearing one of these items, a black hoodie, late in the afternoon when you last saw him. When you picked it up, you thought you could still feel his lingering warmth, but you knew it was just wishful thinking. You took it in both arms and pressed it to you, Theo's intense scent wafting straight into your nose. You were astonished to find the origin of his heavy scent in such a small object. It overwhelmed you so much that you fell onto the bed, as all energy had left you.

Lying there, all you could do was cling to Theo's hoodie. Even though you tried to stay quiet as you mourned the love of your life that you lost in such a freaky accident, you couldn't. As you remember all those good times, sobs broke through your lips like water cascading down a cliff and breaking loudly on the ground. You sobbed and cried into the only part of him you had left, and when that wasn't even enough anymore, you screamed. you yelled and screamed some more. Until your voice failed and your body collapsed, right on the single bed, you and Theo had your first time on, your first kiss, and even your first fight, which was nothing more than a disagreement over whether or not Theo looked hot boxing. He was perfect for you and you for him. His loudest cheerleader and most loyal companion, while Theo was your protector, loyal lover, and idol.

You felt yourself falling asleep after exhausting yourself, only to be woken up by a rough but warm hand. The same one that had awakened you many times before. You didn't want to admit that it was probably just an illusion, but you refused to open your eyes because you didn't want it to end. But you could still hear a small, deep chuckle, the same one Theo let out every time you pretended you were still asleep even when you had already met his eyes.

The illusionary Theo didn't mention anything about it, just like the real one had. Instead, the same voice that proclaimed his undying love for you many times did it again, almost making you open your eyes. But knowing there was no way for him to be there, you held back, not wanting to wake up.

It wasn't until he mentioned loving his truck and asked what someone does when they love an object too much.

You suddenly woke up, bathed in sweat, and a shiver running down your spine. Glancing at the window, you saw that it was night and the moon was helplessly trying to shed some light in your dark thoughts, but all you could do was run your hands over your face, sighing heavily. You sat back up on his bed. As you placed your feet on the ground, you felt something strange. Looking down, you found a piece of paper you were sure wasn't there before. To your shock, it looked like a password. Your eyes subtly wandered to Theo's computer and wondered if that could be the case. You stood up and activated it. As you typed the words on the paper, the computer opened.

As the dream was fresh, you searched for anything related to his truck. You searched through all of his folders but couldn't find anything. It wasn't until you accidentally found a steamy folder of him and your activities in his truck that you saw something you'd never thought of before. Zooming in, you could read a name on the small object. When you typed it into the search machine, you realized it was a small camera, and as you investigated further, you found out it had a shared cloud. You didn't think you would get access, but you tried anyway. When it opened with the same password though, you could only roll your eyes, since Theo was always preaching cybersecurity but was doing stuff like that.

But that wasn't the point. Instead, you watched the videos. You saw him driving around with a big smile and singing along to one of your favorite songs. It was wholesome until he stopped the car at the side of the road, why you couldn't see, until he stumbled back into the car, fear and desperation in his eyes, as blood was all over him. A gasp escaped you as you watched what happened next. Thanks to your endless crying, it was too quiet for anyone else to hear.

“Those motherfuckers,” you muttered so angrily that a plan quickly molded in your head. “I will avenge you, Theo, my love. Even if it costs me my life, these bastards won't get away with it!" You swore to yourself and your love if he was there. "I will kill them all!"

You made as many copies as possible, sending some to your email address and others on USB sticks Theo had lying around that were empty or filled with useless junk. You chose not to show it to his grieving parents for now because you wanted to enact your revenge before anyone else knew about it.

They should never have fucked with you or your love. If they really thought Theo was the dangerous one, they've never known you. 

A sinister grin grew on your lips. As you licked your upper teeth, you felt your mind slipping. No one but Theo knew about your dark side - he helped you calm your murderous tendencies. One day - a few weeks after you started dating him - you just snapped and killed your bully in a nearby forest. Somehow he was there. Theo, instead of snitching on you, helped you get rid of the body; no one had found it until today. A few months later, you found out why, as he showed you his dark side. It was true; he tried to kill Scott through Liam and even instigated Stiles to kill someone even if it was in self-defense, but in your opinion, that didn't give them the right to take your love away, especially since there was no evidence that Theo tried or helped with any of this. He was too clever for this.

But you will ensure that they regret it, including their families. They will all see!

[Masterlist]

[atalossofwords]

YOU TASTE THE SILVER - IvanTill WIP (Part 5&6)

And we have two more POVs on this one! I was posting just one at a time to give myself a buffer to posting on AO3, but I wrote more than I expected haha.

That's right! The first chapter is now up on ao3 on this link. Please come by and leave some kudos!!

part one - part two - part three - part four

Things move on smoothly for Till. He's used to his new apartment, his set-up is pinterest-worthy if Hyuna has anything to say about it, and he's even opened his PO box again, warning his fans to only send letters and small packages, since he really enjoyed reading what everyone had to say.

(He's actually working on a collage of sorts, decking out one wall of his office with the letters. He always feels warm, looking at them. Kirby sent a really cute letter full of mongmong stickers, Bonbon's kid drew a really cute crayon rendition of his dad peering at his phone while vacuuming, and Jaewoon sent about 5 different drawings he treasures greatly.)

Leaving his PO box open, however, also means Navi has been sending a never-ending stream of little gifts. Almost none of them come with letters, or if they do, they're brief and printed from a computer. Apparently, since Till only comments on the contents of the gifts if he happens to wear them on-stream and said viewer comments on it, Navi decided that's the perfect excuse to spoil Till without making him lose his composure on-stream.

So far, Till has gotten; a new sweater, a varied collection of rings, a bundle of cellphone charms after he commented the string he looped through the case to hold his phone in case it falls frayed away.

Apparently, Navi also managed to walk around the "small package" limitation by sending gift cards for several stores. Till had no idea furniture stores even did gift cards.

He felt… sort of warm. If it was just an old man looking to spend his money or lure Till in, they'd probably insist on more diamonds or expensive stuff, right? Or insist Till comment on the gifts live, if it was some sort of sasaeng looking for attention.

Navi never did any of those things. After the diamonds, the gifts were never something Till would consider super expansive, unless you counted the frequency of them. The rings were silver, but none had jewels, the phone charms looked like something Till himself could get online, except the tags on them showed they were bought in Taiwan. The gift cards were weirder, but nothing more expensive than what Navi would donate over the course of one or two streams.

That is, until this latest gift.

Till stares at it, feeling the bottom of his stomach give out. He's in his kitchen, back from a supermarket run after he picked his latest batch of letters. He was going to read them while he ate lunch, but he feels 0 interest in his food right now.

He's holding two tickets for Mizi's concert, in the VIP section. One of those that comes attached to a meet-and-greet.

Clipped to them in an inconspicuous pink paperclip is a note.

I don't know if you got tickets for yourself, but I won these and will be out of the country at the time. I hope you can enjoy them with someone else. If the staff needs any information about the VIP status, here's my number. (xx) xxx-xxx. - Navi.

It is a handwritten note, written with a black pen in a hurry, so much so Till has to squint to make some of it out. The handwriting looks like someone who's not used to writing, with lots of places where the pen left marks as it hovered over the page without gliding, except the signature, which looks practed and neat.

Till has no idea what to do about this.

He calls Hyuna.

"Hi, I'm live." She answers, and he swears. He forgot to account for her streaming hours. He must sound agitated enough it worries her, because there's the sound of a few buttons being pressed, probably muting herself. "Till?"

He takes a deep breath.

"Sorry, I can call later." He says, putting the tickets down carefully and taking his lunch to the sink. He won't finish it.

"It's fine, what happened?"

"Navi sent in another gift." He can practically feel her rolling her eyes equal parts exasperated and relieved.

"Till, if you called me to fawn over your potential sugar daddy–"

"It's two tickets to Mizi's concert, VIP, with a meet-and-greet. And a number to contact if there's problems getting in." He says quickly, interrupting her. He runs one hand through his hair, starting to get stressed. Is this a trick? Is Navi going to be waiting on the seat besides these, corner Till in the show? No, they wouldn't send two tickets if this was the case.

"Holy shit." Hyuna says, entirely surprised. He makes a little agreeable noise. "Holy shit, Till, these aren't just expensive, they're like, hard to get. Did you message them yet?"

Till shakes his head, then realizes she can't see it. "No, I didn't call or message. Should I?" On the other side of the line Hyuna makes a tsk sound.

"No, don't call or message it. Let me finish the stream normally, and then we can look into it, okay? You said two tickets right? If you decide to go, take me or Isaac, and it should be alright." Till hums his agreement, and lets Hyuna go to finish her stream. It's a good plan, Hyuna can and has punched guys who harassed her, and Isaac is built like a brick house, no way a weirdo is getting close to him with Isaac there.

Dewey is probably a bad idea, he's more likely to punch first and ask questions never.

Till sighs, puts the tickets back on the envelope and goes take a bath, hoping it'll help him relax and maybe bring back his appetite.

Ivan is taking a water break from rehearsals when his phone chimes with a notification from an unknown number.

He immediately feels dread, did his number get leaked? He sits up, putting his water bottle down and opening the message.

Unknown [ 3:24PM ] Is this Navi?

Ivan blinks at the message, not understanding it for a long second. And then he is hit with the memories of staying up at night some days ago, reviewing the footage from the day's shoot and going over the script time and time again, because his performance was horrible and the whole scene had to be scrapped and he was so frustrated, and…

And Sua sent a message asking if he'd meet her for Mandated Lunch Time before Mizi's concert next month, and he remembered he couldn't make it since he'd be shooting that day, and he thought.

Till likes Mizi. Ivan has Mizi tickets.

He doesn't even remember what he wrote on the damn letter, oh god, did he sign with his name? Plaster his address on it??

This is fine. Ivan is fine. He asks one of the fight coordinators for five minutes and heads into the bathroom.

You [ 3:25PM ] Yes, who is it?

Better to see what they know before saying anything incriminating.

Unknow [ 3:25PM ] This is Till. Did you really send me Mizi tickets? How did you even get them?

Okay. Deep breaths, Ivan. You can do it. Say this is Navi, you really sent the tickets and that it's no big deal, and you got them… How did you get them? You can't say your real name, and saying you bought them for Till would sound weird, these really are expansive.

Ivan takes a deep breath, and sits on the toilet's lid, crossing his legs to rest his elbows on his knees.

You [ 3:26PM ] Hyung, you always said you liked them, and I happened across these as a job perk. I'll be out of the country, so it was no problem to give them to you.

Unknow [ 3:26PM ] A job perk? Even if that's true, they can't have been cheap. I've already told you, there's no need to keep wasting money on me.

You [ 3:27PM ] It's not wasting money, hyung. I really enjoy your lives, and it makes me happy knowing you're enjoying yourself. I work in the industry, so I know some people who are much less talented than you with a lot more opportunities. I just wanted to give you something to enjoy.

Ivan's fingers are flying over the keyboard before he's even conscious of it, indignation flaring up in his chest. Till works so much, he produces and sings and plays the guitar and drums, he writes his own lyrics, he's so incredibly talented and it makes Ivan furious to know he doesn't see it.

Ivan's been in the spotlight since he was a child acting on toy commercials, met even more people when he and Sua acted together as the twins of a famous singer on a period drama, and there's so many of these so-called "idols" that have a pretty voice and body and nothing else to give. So many actors bank on their looks and have 0 dedication to the craft. It makes Ivan livid.

You [ 3:27PM ] Hyung is so hard-working, and I really wish you'd see it. Your music deserves to be sold on albums and people should praise you so much more for how good your lyrics are. The people I work with don't put half the effort Hyung does, and they get to go to shows and afterparties all the time. I just want to let Hyung see his Idol and have a good time, since I won't use the tickets anyway. Is that bad?

Ivan is… breathing hard. He's somehow lost his cool. He watches as the three dots appear and disappear, and decides to get up. He exits the stall, splashes some water on his face, combs his hair back. Does a breathing exercise his mother taught him and Sua when his father and Sua's mom were fighting, and looks back at his phone.

Unknow [ 3:28PM ] Thank you. I'll enjoy the show.

Unknow [ 3:29PM ] Can I still message this number after it?

Ivan lets out an entirely undignified squeal, and almost does a little victory dance, all previous frustration wipes clean. Till wants to keep talking! Till isn't rejecting him!! Ivan has Till's phone number!!

You [ 3:29PM ] Yes! Hyung can message me whenever <3 I'll do my best to answer!

Unknow [ 3:30PM ] Great. I'll let you know how the show goes, then.

Ivan may be getting ready for a heart attack at the tender age of 22, but he's never regretted anything, in his life, ever.

part seven

[kevin--of-desert-bluffs]

WTNV quick rundown - It Devours! - NV&Citizens facts

Click here for the plot points!

Click here for facts about Nilanjana!

Click here for facts about Darryl!

Click here for facts about the Joyous Congregation and it's members!

Click here for stuff about the other scientists!

Click here for misc interesting facts I found!

The structure of NV works like this - there is a ring of mountains around the desert with NV in the middle and (formerly DB) Red Mesa and Pine Cliffs elsewhere. Downtown NV is the towns center which contains city hall, the radio station, several hooded figures at all times, the library, a shimmering vortex blocked off by yellow police tape, dangerous stray dogs and propaganda loudspeakers on every corner.

Beyond downtown is Old Town NV, a residential and shopping district developed in the 1930's which fell into disrepair post-war but is seeing a regenesis of homeowners, shops, tall metal trees and predatory cats. Beyond OTNV are the sand wastes then the scrublands, then the used car lot, then Old Woman Josie's house and finally, Larry Leroy's house.

Larry is fairly old (though has become quicker with age) and has lived alone for as long as he can remember. He owns a phone (broken) and a wheeless car with an underground shed full of canned goods/bottled water and a years worth of preserved pork sausages hidden underneath. He got the car by trading his shotgun for it. Larry has never felt safe around guns after he got stung by a scorpion reaching for his dads hunting rifle on a father-son hunting trip. He is not scared of scorpions though and likes that they eat pests like squirrels.

Larry wants to be remembered not through the fleeting memories of offspring but the immortality he believes art brings. His fave thing to make is dioramas of historical events and famous scenes from books. All of these are ahistorical/alternate versions such as W.E.B. DuBois riding on the back of a five-headed dragon called Rachel McDaniels or Dorothy bombing Kansas from a war balloon. His parents used to tell him that history didn't exist because it wasn't happening any more. His heroes are; W.E.B. DuBois, Helen Keller, Redd Foxx, Luis Valdez and Toni Morrison. He also writes poetry and makes patchwork quilts.

Included in his will are letters and items to be distributed to Sarah Sultan (the dioramas), Leann Hart and Cecil (obituary he's written for himself) and Michelle Nyugen (polka music written and preformed by himself using a concertina and a microcassette recorder).

The vague yet menacing government agency creates and mails everyone an earthquake calender each month to tell them when the scheduled earthquakes are.

Carlos rarely invites people back into his private lab. He spends time in there doing science but also making construction paper collage love notes for Cecil and writing down his fave numbers.

Carlos takes days off work to be with Janice (as do Steve, Abby and Cecil) when Janice gets her frequent checkups on her eyes, kidneys and spine. When Cecil is in danger, Carlos goes into an unproductive worry stupor, pacing his office trying not to call into the station to ask if Cecil is okay. On date nights, Carlos puts gel in his hair and wears his most striking lab coat.

Carlos dislikes talking about his time in the DOW, despite which he's become obsessed with it. He eventually reveals that this is because he spent ten years there instead of the year he was gone in NV, not eating or drinking or really feeling like he was existing, just endlessly ringing the moutain unable to get anywhere and away from the people he loved.

Neat is one of Carlos' fave words. He doesn't get when a question is rhetorical, or a joke, and dislikes being touched including comforted physically. However, he does sometimes like it when Cecil strokes his ears but other times not. He has a hard time predicting his own responses to things and can't articulate his feelings via words or process them very well inside of himself. He also loses speech when overwhelmed.

Carlos says that the thing he found weirdest about NV was how nobody else thought it was weird, that Cecil helped him feel better and even fond of that aspect and that sometimes when Cecil wakes up he [Cecil] will mutter "how did I end up this lucky?"

Carlos likes mint ice cream. He's a heavy sleeper.

Most birds in NV are computers produced and owned by the government.

Helicopters in NV 'don't take fuel'.

Big Rico's real name is Richie Goldblum. His brother is the mailman, Arnie Goldblum (who is two years older). They had a hard time growing up Jewish in NV as it's 'not exactly brimming with Jews' and Arnie believes that his brother changed his name to better fit in and distance himself from his culture. They also used to tease him for being small despite not being small, so the 'big' part is a play on that. Big Rico also pretty much admits to murdering competitors and feeding them to the worms he keeps in his basement.

Basimah Bishara, scared of the sudden pits and weary of the dangers of NV, decides to go to college in California. Mab, the bus driver, was almost swallowed and witnessed the sinking of Big Rico's and the full light that came from it which stung her skin. Terry Williams, age 7, was traumitised by seeing Big Rico's sink but wouldn't feel any full effects until he moved out of NV and at age 33 had a break down in a restaurant parking lot.

Jackie Fierro has decided to skip to 25. She is dating Sheriff Sam.

The Tourniquet bartender, Arjun, has been given near infinite knowledge of the universe which is shattering his mind. He also spies for the city council. He wears 'cool vintage prohibition era clothes' aka a snuggie and a mesh trucker hat. He can carve ice with his teeth.

Sex in NV is highly regulated. You have to fill out forms in triplicate providing a medical history then enter your individual Sex PIN to verify identity and interest. Then the forms have to be notorised and various blood tests and results gotten before sex.

There is a 'reincarnation programme' at the NV zoo where they will teach an animal of your choice to act like you (for a huge fee). Results are middling but the richest of citizens often sign up.

Janice doesn't like science, she likes sports but Carlos assures her that sports are science.

Cecil and Carlos think that tarantulas are adorable.

Pamela drives a purple PT cruiser.

Cecil has at least some chest hair, which Carlos likes to bury his face in when he's upset.

Josh Crayton is dating a boy called Grant.

Hank, a sentient patch of haze, works at the Staples.

[quirkwizard]

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I really wanna know your thoughts on the newest chapter, 368.

I can try to give my thoughts on it, along with Chapter 369 because I have some stuff to say about that as well. And if you are wondering about Izuku’s new Quirk, I’m still collecting my thoughts on that and want to cover it in another post.

There isn’t a lot to say about Chapter 368. Outside showing off the new Quirk, a lot of the dialogue is just reaffirming what we know, like Tomura current condition with All For One. Though it is nice to see Nana being the one to confirm that Tomura is still in there by noticing the faces of her family. Otherwise, it’s mostly a fight scene. It’s really well drawn and it’s fun to see Izuku air juggle Tomura like it’s a game of Tekken after everything he’s done, but it’s hard to talk about anything interesting with a fight. Especially since most of the fight is just Izuku beating up Tomura without much of him fighting back. I guess it was neat to see all the modular nature of the battlefield being used with the flying platforms, something that was mostly missing in the previous chapters. However, it finally shows off something I’ve been waiting for years now: Izuku using the other Quirks together. It’s always frustrated me that Izuku never used the Quirks together, because it felt like untapped potential for the power. He uses the Quirks in tandem with each other, like using "Fa Jin" and "Black Whip" to achieve the Faux 100% Percent, but not in the ways that characters like All For One or Tomura use Quirks together. Sure, "Fa Jin" and "Black Whip" may be one of the more boring options, but I still like to see it.

Now there is more to say with Chapter 369. A good chunk of it is just a continuation of the last fight scene, but it has some more meat in between and during the beat down. Aside from seeing Izuku do a spin dash, it was cool to see him explain how exactly all the Quirks are working. It shows how much he’s mastered the power and the inner workings of his fighting style rather than just being a collage of visuals. I really liked the Second User’s speech about Quirks and people’s intent with them. It helps reinforce that people are more then there abilities seem and that a person and their Quirk have a deep connection, especially with how it contrasts with the flashback of All For One defeating him and insulting his Quirk. It’s made even better with how much of a contrast there is now between that All For One and the petty punk All For One that is fighting Izuku. Under all that villainous swagger, he’s just as angry and vindictive as Tomura. It’s always been there, but it’s really gratifying to see it come out like this. I’m curious to see what’s going to go down with Spinner. Out of all the fights, his conflict at the hospital has been getting the least amount of attention, but it could be that Hori was saving him for now. My best guess now is that Spinner has or is trying to free Kurogiri in order for Tomura to escape. My only other guess is that he’s somehow trying to summon his minions to his location to get him out, but that could still tie into getting Kurogiri.

[thundercrack]

March book round-up! I ended up reading more than I anticipated - busy month!

The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee

Random pick. Just wanted something easy and quick. Honestly, I hardly remember what happened in this book, so that isn't very high praise. His taxi was a real piece of garbage.

Dead Astronauts by Jeff Vandermeer

Vandermeer is more famous for his Southern Reach trilogy -- of which I literally own the first and haven't yet read it -- but I definitely see why he's considered...interesting. This book was...weird. But I liked it!!!!! Strange and shifting and at times deeply unclear, Vandermeer creates a like, weird collage of an apocalyptic corporate future mixed with ecological experimentation and connection. Very neat!

A Ballet of Lepers: A Novel and Stories by Leonard Cohen

Well, I can see why these didn't get published before. Prior to this, I hadn't actually read any of Leonard Cohen's published works, but I have read Matters of Vital Interest: A Forty-Year Friendship with Leonard Cohen by Eric Werner which I didn't think was very good or very interesting. I just grabbed this off the new books display though, so it was fun to run into. I found it pretty interesting though to see Cohen explore some of the same themes he does in his albums in these early writings. I liked the novel more than any of the short stories. At times he is a very compelling writer, but the characters often were quite flat. Kind of fun to read! If I run into Beautiful Losers, I'd probably read it. But I'll be sticking most closely to his 1967-74 run of albums.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I read Clarke's books backwards -- I really liked Piranesi, so I tracked back and read this one, though I think it's the more famous of her two novels. It was also WAY longer than I expected (to its own detriment, I think). I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I did really enjoy her sort-of mimic of 19th c. writing styles (and all the footnotes. I love a book with some fun footnotes). To some degree, I think I was missing some of the ideas she was playing off of, especially with regards to the North and South of England and what they represent. I did enjoy the system of magic she was playing with, but I thought, despite the heavy focus on past-and-plot, it kind of fell a little short for me at the end. I also thought it was unfortunate that in this book, which has a pretty heavy focus at times on the Napoleonic Wars in France, Britain as an Empire goes fairly unmentioned. Honestly, though I mostly enjoyed it and she's a good enough writer, I think I liked it less than Piranesi and I ended it vaguely dissatisfied. I didn't think about it at all after finishing.

The Tatami Galaxy by Tomohiko Morimi (trans. Emily Balistrieri)

There's an anime based off this book, but I haven't watched the anime (I don't have anything against it, I just hardly watch TV!). I just picked this up off the "New Books" rack at my library. Well, the book isn't new, but the translation is. I really enjoy these sort of parallel-universe stories, especially when they play with the idea of convergence rather than divergence. I really liked the more fantastical elements, such as the narrator finding himself in a labyrinth of 4-1/2 tatami mat rooms. The New York Times review ends with the line "There is no time loop quite like self-pity." Ha! I liked it, anyhow!

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

If I liked the last book, I really liked this one! I think it's almost difficult to say why other than it was a very good, very well-written book. She really captures the setting and the family and just...everything. The main character, Esch, thinks about Medea a lot. I think I read Ward's memoir Men We Reaped several years ago, which I also liked. I feel like I should have more to say here, and maybe I do, but mostly I thought this was a great book and I was texting my friends telling them to read it, which is rare.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori)

We're on a roll here! I liked this one too; I read it for my book club. I found the main character, Keiko, who has worked in a convenience store since college and feels it is the only place, she fits in. She's almost one with the store! A lot of the reviews focused on how odd Keiko was, but I didn't really get that. In her attempt to get everyone off her back, she takes this horrible man as a lodger. They both are trying to escape society in different ways (but man is that guy awful). It's sort of interesting how the book -- and Keiko -- play with ideas of exploitation, of fitting in, of misogyny, and so on. I really liked this book and translation. There was a really seducing rhythm to it. I quite enjoyed this interview with the author as well.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Another book I liked?? What has come over me! Set in southern Nigeria, Emezi weaves the story of the death of Vivek Oji in with all of the different ways he has been loved. How Vivek died only comes out at the end of the book, but it didn't particularly read like a traditional mystery or crime novel which is probably part of why I liked it. The book also deals with self-identity and the stigma of being gay/gender non-conforming in Nigeria. Just a very good, very interesting book!

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (trans. William Weaver)

Okay, back to being a hater. Read this for my book club. Did NOT enjoy. There are a few reasons here, mostly just related to my categorical taste (Don't like mystery/detective stories, don't like historical fiction...). There definitely was a LOT here....some of which probably went 1,000ft over my head. Some of the conversations and little theological debates were fun to read, and I did like the ending well-enough....but not enough to ever feel any urge to read another Eco book. I guess I'm glad I read it, at the very least so that I never feel the urge to read it again.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Wowwww this book was really good!! I more-recently (like, last week recently) read The Underground Railroad, which was also really good. I really liked the twist at the end. I don't know -- this book was interesting and brutal and very felt. The way it played back and forth between past-and-present was interesting, and the ideas the different boys represent....yeah. Based off a real story about a Florida state-run school for boys that only ended in 2011....the past is the present. Books that make me question how on earth Less by Andrew Sean Greer won a fiction Pulitzer. I thought it was good but not good like either of Whitehead's Pulitzer winning books are good.

Satantango by Lazlo Krasznahorkai (trans. George Szirtes)

You might be getting the sense that sometimes I just pick up books because I like the cover....and you would be correct. This one was cool and funky!!!!!!!!! I always think it's interesting when a book has no paragraph breaks, and it worked well here. I will say I sort of didn't know what was going on. It was set in an unclearly situated village in which all the residents give up...everything to follow (a possible con-man and/or religious leader?) Irmias. There were some very visceral moments like when this little girl kills her cat. It was pretty interesting, and also weird, and also a bit freaky at times.

[spacedreamerz]

Gord Vendome Headcanons!

Gord is practically a fashion guru.

 He can put together an outfit for just about every circumstance.

Gord puts a lot of pressure on himself. He doesn’t want to let his parents.

He finds poor people very interesting. 

His father kind of runs his life. Gord does whatever his father tells him to. Even if he doesn’t really like it. 

He fakes his trans-Atlantic accent to sound more sophisticated. 

He’s working really hard to get into law school.

He studies a lot. 

He knits himself and his friends scarves.

He does embroidery. 

He likes to make pillows with cool little designs on them.

Secretly, Gord quite likes baking. He’s really good at it too. He makes stuff for his friends and tells them that he got the dessert from a high-class bakery. He doesn’t tell his friends about his hobby since he thinks they’ll make fun of him for doing a “poor person’s hobby.”

He’s an excellent student.

Derby can be a bit mean to Gord. 

He’s quite perceptive.

He likes listening to jazz and 50s-60s music. 

He sings a lot and rather well. He kind of has a 50s Paul Anka-type quality to his voice. 

He can play the violin.

He totally used to be in Boy Scouts when he was younger.

He likes creating collages.

He collects ceramics.

He’s at Bullworth due to his family having a bit of a history there. His parents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents have attended Bullworth.

Though he thinks it’s bad to gossip and talk about people, he does it a lot.

He has a Lipizzan horse named Lady. he got her when he was 14. His father has a friend that owns a horse ranch and he first saw Lady when he and his father were visiting. He immediately fell in love with her and told his father that he wanted her. His father and his friend talked it over. Then, Lady was officially his. He doesn’t get to see her much though since he’s busy a lot. Though he tries to visit her every weekend.

He’s a rather organized person. Like he has planners and everything.

He’s a bit of a neat freak.

He thinks smelling good is VERY important. He does not joke about his cologne. In fact, he has a huge collection of cologne.

Gord likes to swim. He refuses to go to a public pool (because of poor people germs), but he luckily has a pool at his house. He’s an amazing swimmer. 

Personally, his favorite time of year is autumn. He thinks Autumn has the perfect weather and the most beautiful scenery. 

Gord LOVES the beach. He’s been to Hawaii multiple times with his parents and he fell in love with the waves, sand, and the sound of the ocean. He wouldn’t mind living in a beach house. 

Gord’s rather interested in interior design and architecture. 

He’s a boss at Badminton. Like he could probably win a championship.

Gord has a diary that he keeps up with. He chronicles his day-to-day life to alleviate some stress. He started doing this when he first came to Bullworth.

He started boxing when he was 10 just to have something to do with his friends.

His dad allows him to drink wine, so he sometimes hits up a vineyard (that Derby’s dad owns) with his friends. 

Lola had been pretty attracted to Lola since he first saw her, though he didn’t act on anything. Lola noticed him too, and that’s when everything went down. 

He really cares about what his friends, especially Derby, think about him. 

He finds himself oddly attracted to the lower class people. This upsets him since he knows that his dad will never approve of him dating someone that’s lower class. 

Outside of Lola, Gord has had another partner. Let’s just say the relationship didn’t end on a good note. It just ended with Gord heartbroken and being depressed for like a month. 

Gord can fluently speak French and Spanish. He can also speak a bit of German.

He actually lived in France for about a few months when he was like 8. His mom was on a business trip. He had begged his mom to let him come.

He collects and buys a lot of vintage things. 

He’s an affectionate person.

He has rather high expectations for himself.

He takes rejection really hard. Though he tries his best to brush it off, it never really works.

His dad has put a lot of pressure on him to attend law school.

He likes looking at stars. He thinks they're really pretty.

After what happened with Lola, Gord is kind of traumatized. He's nervous to date anyone lower-class again.

Part of him would like to associate more with the lower class if it didn't hurt his reputation.

[explosionshark]

Okay so my trilogy of new Faithwatch episodes starts naturally with Superstar that works great as a followup to Who Are You and gets to be qualified as part of Faithwatch on three great fronts. Firstly tone, it works great as an emotional cool down following Who Are You they had a ton of fun making this episode, great set design, great sound design. Secondly there is follow up between Buffy and Riley from the event of Who Am I. And thirdly and what is the biggest thing for me is that its at its a core a low stakes redo of Who Am I, both Faith and Johnathan effectively took the role of Buffy for their respective episodes but because Buffy's not as close to it and its a lot lower stakes she can actually offer a sympathetic touch to Johnathan in that closing scene and give him advice to get through it.

Also tangents from this episode, love Anya's shrimp metaphor for alternate universes, Willow and Tara's Johnathan collage and Riley's signed poster of him are very strong gags and shout out I guess to Adam for his scene explaining why he's not affected by the universe swap because he's fully aware of every atom of his being. Also something neat from that scene is him explaining that he exists for chaos (which sure I've barely seen anything from him that really suggests that but I'll believe him) made me realise there's an unintended but neat cycle going on with, Master: Order, Angelus: Chaos, Mayor: Order, Adam: Chaos. Alliterative and repeating, I think I know the last Big Bad is The First Evil which alas does not fit this accidental sequence but there's still two left that might fit it. Oh I can't believe I forgot the OP, just as it started I thought oh it'd be great if they filled this with shots of Johnathan and then they did, it was incredible, I can't believe they still prompted me to skip it.

Five by Five is excellent, love how hard it goes into the Angel is Faith parallels. Love the recontexualising it can give the whole episode that this whole thing was Faith's sucide by Angel attempt. Like throughout the episode I was just assuming this was Faith fully unhinged and off the chain, she's not got trying to look like she's not a murderer, she's not got the Mayor, she's not got having to pretend to be Buffy so she's burying everything she'd been feeling as deep as she could and going for whatever makes her feel good. But with the added context she's just proving she's bad so she can prove she has to die which is a perfect continuation from her status at the end of Who Am I and that closing exchange between Riley and Buffy on her "She's had her fun" "Yeah . . . Fun" the dichotomy of Faith. The best one being the scene with Wolfram and Hart hiring her for the Angel hit the way she lights up, the initial first reading is an easy Angel and her have shared history with Buffy this is a great stab at her and she gets paid and she gets away from her consequences, the second reading this is someone who can kill her. Also she looks so sad and wet at the end there, I'd say the saddest she's ever looked but then Sanctuary starts up and she looks even sadder and more pathetic I loved it. But she was also having a great time clubbing I also loved that. Also I totally thought she'd just killed that guy when she got off the bus but good for her Sanctuary lets us know she just mugged him.

So Sanctuary the saddest and most pathetic Faith's ever been in that opening scene of Angel walking her into Angel Investigations (I love her). This episode felt like it was the culimation of a lot of groundwork laid with Angel in s3, the Amends dynamic flipped here where is Angel talking Faith through how she can carry on through the guilt of everything she's done, the follow through of Angel as Faith's murder sponsor as in Consequences and Enemies, there's a lot exchanges I really like in this episode but one of them in particular was the "Right. And you've been doing this for a hundred years! I'm not gonna make it through the next ten minutes." "So make it through the next five, the next minute." which was just before the other of my favourites of "Faith, this isn't about Buffy" before Angel proceeds to get sidetracked about Buffy.

Speaking of I really enjoyed Buffy in this episode it's like it feels there's a different level of range given to her when she's not the protagonist I dunno? Like she's still clearly Buffy but because of the way that the framing is that this is Angel the Series not Buffy the Vampire the Slayer, it's different it feels like a fresh direction. Anyway "Apologise and I'll beat you to death," "Go ahead," Iconic. Along with another of those Angel Buffy communications failures coupled with the Angel is Faith so of course he's on her side she has to be worthy of redemption because otherwise he isn't versus Buffy is too close and too hurt to what Faith's done that she can't be (which I think is a neat contrast to Superstar's lower stakes and that Johnathan obviously isn't as important). Anyway Faith and Buffy's talk on the roof is so good with Buffy so hurt by Faith and Faith so desperate to appease her before she does snap and defends herself when Buffy says "but nobody else has ever made me a victim," which you could read as her just deflecting with a my life was hard too approach (I'll admit I have vague memories of discourse about this along these lines) but that's not really how Faith deflects she deflects away from her trauma rather than with it you know even when she uses it like "You tried to gut me, Blondie" its more playful, so I'm reading as her reaching the actual instrospection that Angel's been guiding her to, she's not so much deflecting she's opening up and being honest especially closing with "Just tell me how to make it better," and how she ends up in jail voluntarily (which I guess this means this is the last I'll be seeing of Faith until the first time I ever saw Faith which I think was in S4 of Angel (That's soooo far away)). Also really enjoyed those closing barbs between Angel and Buffy.

Sanctuary sidenotes, its absolutely not intended but knowing what I know about the future of Lilah and Wesley's trajectories with eachother its fun that they had to back to back handshake deals Lilah with Assassin number 2 and Wesley with the Council's fixers. And while great for Cordelia getting that paid time off, get out of that situation, she's probably gonna come back to an Angel Investigations with the power cut off, Angel and Wesley aren't gonna be finding paying jobs and even if they luck into it they're not gonna chase them up to get paid, it'll be way more work for her to get everything back shipshape. And I'll admit my first thought with Wesley throwing that syringe into Weatherby's (I think) neck was "Really?" before instantly realising they had actually set it up with the darts and resignedly admitting I gotta give it to Wesley (Then he instantly said "180" and my goodwill was squandered).

The one thing that I don't really like about Five by Five and Sanctuary is sort of a nitpick but also like I don't like how it rewrites Faith and Wesley's history. Like I get it he's the only one who can take advantage of such a dynamic so it makes sense they'd change things up to give it to him, but like Wesley's not really Faith's Watcher. They try to use it like Giles was Buffy's and Wesley was Faith's but it wasn't like that, Faith had three Watchers, she had Giles a lot longer than she had Wesley and she had Diana (presumably) even longer than that. Even Gwendolyne Post had arguably more of an impact on her as a Watcher than Wesley did. Like Wesley managed to have one sentence with her before she killed a guy and went rogue, he was Buffy's Watcher for longer than he was Faith's. And like that's not to diminish things he was bad for her and handled a lot poorly that was the final straw in pushing her into darkness but I think it's enough that he messed up that they didn't need to say he was this persistent source of all failures with handling Faith when he was really just the latest in a chain that makes the way they frame their dynamic across the episodes feel a bit unearned. Also it kinda frames Giles' dynamic as Watcher as a bit toothless sanding it down y'know like he was the good one and didn't make mistakes when he did I like that about him and Buffy he's not perfect.

Okay so rapid fire other episodes because I've been typing for too long. Where the Wild Things Are?????????????? Buffy and Riley have so much sex the house becomes haunted????? Good for her??? I think this was the wildest premise in a fair while? But anyway I was kinda expecting from the previously it'd be like a movement forwards for the big three relationships of BuffyRiley, WillowTara and XanderAnya but it was more of a holding position by the end? Fairly concretely putting Willow and Tara into the same type of relationship rather than just magic subtext was appreciated though which goes in with New Moon Rising which was good, they really sell the Oz return great with its impact on Willow it has some good setup for a rift between Riley and Buffy with him having that kneejerk reaction against Willow being with a werewolf (I assume Riley/Buffy is not long for this world, I know she needs at least one series of Spike and I think there's some guy who's gimmick is that he's just a normal guy?). Initiative are dangerously close to having something interesting ne done with them, with moving once more towards the "hey isn't it kinda messed up the military have a bunch of demons in cages underground?" rather than just be there so I assume Adam's gonna open all the cages so they die via demons and we don't have to think about a way Buffy could deal with a government demon program.

I think Eternity is my favourite Angel episode that doesn't rely on Buffy or Faith I think each of the three acts are great and the fact that the premise of the episode only works because of the core concept of Angel really adds to it, like a lot of other episodes you could pluck out and put into a different show it'd broadly be the same, but this one directly plays with the moment of true happiness aspect in a way that it can't really be an episode of another show. Really enjoyed Rebecca Lowell's dynamic with Angel and like I say with the three acts of, Rebecca's being bodyguarded by Angel, Rebecca wants to be turned into a Vampire, Angel gets a moment of happiness via drugging with the undercurrent in the first two thirds of if Angel and her really do hit it off he might lose his soul (which obviously he won't but its still neat). I do think the Angelus performance was a bit hammy (at first I thought it was deliberate because he was playing it up just to frighten her). Oh yeah and I enjoyed the line of "What are the odds he'll find it with an actress" given that Angel/Cordelia is coming at some point.

Oh yeah also I noticed on the episode synopses that it says the finale of S4 is Buffy facing The Cheese Man? Now S1 had this issue where the synopsis for Prophecy Girl was just a different synopsis for Out of Sight, Out of Mind so that could be happening here as well but The Cheese Man? Adam buried.

Also I haven't said it lately but I really enjoy this correspondence, love chatting with you like this, I honestly don't think I'd be enjoying the show to the extreme level that I am if not for these updates of hey this is the stuff that I loved!

Superstar is to TYG/Who Are You as Earshot is to Enemies. Imo. Post Local-Girl Ruins Everything episodes that are kind of all about Faith despite her not being in them. Also hard agree, the shrimp bit always gets me.

(also i dropped the ball when we were talking about the body swap episodes by not linking you to the absolute very best fic that's tackled a different (but still entirely satisfying!) version of those episodes je me souviens by zulu. okay back to the rest of the reply)

FIVE BY FIVE AND SANCTUARY ARE SO MEATY. Top tier Faith episodes, much to dig into, you already highlighted a lot of what I like about these episodes. Just an absolutely brilliant use of the crossover potential of the shows. I think it makes sense that Faith and Buffy are too close to each other's trauma (and especially with the body swap and all the violation that entails being so recent) it would take a third party to diffuse things. Faith's rock bottom coinciding with her hurting Buffy past the point of Buffy wanting anything to do with her both makes sense and is a great opportunity for Angel to actually succeed in getting through to her. It literally took until the options were 'die or try to do better' for Faith to be able to accept that help, but that helped to sell it for me.

The ways Angel, Buffy, and Faith all project onto each other are always fascinating to me, especially the times that puts them in conflict with each other. So much of btvs s3 was Faith trying to become Angel(us) so she could mean what he means to Buffy, and these two episodes are Faith actually doing it, but in a way she never anticipated. If that makes sense. Like her being so off the map that she needs his explicit guidance to figure out how to being a path to redemption felt right for me. Also in funny/fucked up Angel/Faith parallels - the fact that every single thing they do kind of IS about Buffy even when it shouldn't be. I think there's something kind of bittersweet about how that used to be a thing Faith resented about Angel, but it ended up as one of the other things she related to him about. Idk. Their whole relationship is so fucked up and good, I love it.

Agree re: Wesley. It would have been good if they'd pushed that angle more in s3 if this was where they were going - but I think Wesley was honestly meant to stand in more as a symbol for the council at large/authority figures in general who Faith felt exploited/failed by. The torture scene is so fucked up and dark - I gotta admit I love her in the middle of a downward spiral. "Brings out the mother in me" as she's literally pressing on his wounds always gets me. Jesus christ, Faith.

"Demons in cages underground" also highlights one of the biggest ways the Initiative fails for me as a faction - like that is SUCH an ethical horror show. The existence and operation of the Initiative feels like it should change the way the whole universe of the show operates but it... kinda doesn't really? I would nitpick less if they weren't such a big deal all season.

Eternity is definitely one of the stronger episodes in ATS s1 imo. Where the Wild Things are.... is not that for BTVS s4 but that's okay. Points for sheer whackness, I guess.

Anyway dude yeah - Adam's got nothing on The Cheese Man. You're not ready.

I've also been enjoying subletting my blog for your btvs/ats watch updates! very fun for me! you are, of course, welcome to come off anon at any point but no pressure - enjoying our silly little correspondence either way <3

[threeriversforge]

A gent in the UK is working hard to keep some of the old ways alive and when he posted this nice collage, I thought it was a perfect illustration of why tradition, heritage, and culture are so very important.

I know a lot of people think that doing things “the old way” is a trivial thing, a cutesy pastime or something that entertains people at the local fairs.  But how many actually stop to think about the bigger picture?  How many of us have taken a minute to think outside the box and really consider what happens when you do, or don’t, keep to the Traditions?

Hedgerows and Tended Woodlots have been a part of our history for more years than we can imagine, but we weren't doing such things just because it struck our fancy. No, we did it because the woods and hedges served our needs just as we served their needs. It was a symbiotic relationship until it was rent asunder only a short while ago.

Of course, by that time, most people had completely forgotten all that the hedgerows did for them, they’d long since taken it all for granted.  The fancy good coming from the giant factories seemed simply too good to pass up.  Too cheap.  Too “affordable”, they said.  

Sadly, it's not that life is all the poorer for having fewer coopers and bodgers around, but because of the opportunities lost. Lessons of life learned by our youngest as they build skills and confidence in themselves. Pride in their people, in their accomplishments and abilities, developed over long hours spent listening to the old men grumble and groan while working under a small roof.

That's what's lost when the Traditions are abandoned.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, let this collage from a gent in the UK speak to you. We can speak of the benefits of revitalizing the hedgerow or thinning the woodlot. We can wax poetic about the benefits of a "lower carbon footprint" that you get by using a wooden rake rather than a mass-produced plastic and steel contraption.

However, the true value is there in that boy's eyes. It's the pride in himself and his family, in the memories he'll make and the tales he'll hear. It's the skill and the patience which, now learned, he can carry with him for the rest of his life.

When you support the craftsman, this is what it means. You're not buying a product but investing in the future of your culture. And that smiling boy is the Return on your Investment. Plus, you get a pretty neat rake!

[stealthnoodle]

I'd love to hear more about your fic Cross Contamination. I read it after I wrote my contagion series and thought it was neat how we kind of explored a lot of the same things about the Bakurae but still came with different perspectives. What was some of the inspiration? The writing style was absolutely A+++.

Thank you! My brain has so many bits of Bakurae headcanon stuffed into it (actual canon has so much room for interpretation that I can't help myself), and Cross-Contamination was sort of me making a collage out of it all! The way that the various Bakurae pieces interact in the Memory World arc is fucking wild, with the bit of YB that was sealed into the Puzzle bowing to Zorked!Akhenaden being my personal "sir how do you WORK" moment. Tfw when you have internal hierarchies of yourself, by yourself, for yourself. It's also always been very interesting to me that TKB's quest to avenge Kul Elna ends up entangling him with the entity that needed the Millennium Items to be created in order for it to exist in the world. Classic "uh-oh babygirl you played yourself."

So I like that idea that Yami Bakura being a muddle of Zork and Thief King Bakura creates a fundamentally conflicted entity that wakes up functional and cohesive after a few millennia of stewing in the Ring, then starts to fracture as those component pieces regain their memories and senses of self. There's sure something going on with reincarnation in this series, and in the cases of Yuugi and Ryou Bakura, I like to think it's the result of most of the pieces of their souls getting sealed into Millennial Items, but not all of them, and then some pretty intense resonance when the bits that got reincarnated come into contact with the bits that got sealed. This is mostly because I really like the idea of the TKB portion of YB eventually puzzling some of the situation out, and it adds a little extra flavor to the way that YB uses himself as a tool--not just because Zork thinks of YB as just another piece of itself that is disposable once it serves its purpose, but also because TKB would be more than happy to destroy the entity he constitutes half of in pursuit of his revenge.

Anyway, we get to see the influence that Yuugi has on YY over the course of series (ilu, gleefully violent vengeance gremlin era), and I think there's a lot of fun to be had with Ryou Bakura being enmeshed in his own weirder way with the TKB part of YB. The parallels are pretty intense!

Style-wise, I've written several short fics that play around with a narrator struggling to stay fixed in time, so upgrading that to a narrator struggling to stay fixed in identity was a blast, especially when the various identities actively fight each other. Executive dysfunction, but make it a contact sport.

I still need to read your Contagion series (my Marked for Later list is... out of control, and this summer is kicking the ass of my free time), but I am VERY excited to see how you tackle the Bakurae situation! They're a fucking disaster and I love them.

[itriedwritingandhereiam]

I chimed in with a 'Haven't you people, closing the goddamn door?" ~ a miraculous fi

The skies couldn’t be brighter for the occasion. It was supposed to be rain scheduled for the afternoon but oh well, who could really trust the weather forecasting system? On the bright side, less rain meant the mood should be lighter. 

Ha.

no.

“ Hah, ” the ravenette  exhaled, staring up at the structure. ‘ This was ridiculous ’ she thought to herself as she stared down at her outfit. 

She’d spent over two months on it which was quite some time, considering the plan itself had only been formulated three months prior. She’d exchanged the original blood red coat for a much paler shaded pink, silver shoulder pieces topped all off.. The vest below her silver accentuated coat was a dull grey, frills working their way up her neck from the white dress shirt below. And finally, was a pretty silver bow-tie around her neck. She’d better get her money’s worth from these clowns.

“Alright,” she looked down at her watch, “we have two minutes to reach inside before we’re considered fashionably late,” she grinned. With a gesture of her gloved hand, her companions enthusiastically walked ahead of her, the arched doors burst open. She just hoped her heels wouldn’t kill her during her number.

“Let’s go defang a snake,”

It's a picturesque location for the ceremony. A church standing tall and proud in its grandeur. The inner walls are decorated with themed gold ribbons and roses.  With her d.i.y. cane in hand, she strutted down the main hall.

~

His leg was shaking as he stood at the altar. He’d managed to keep his shoe from making those tap-tap noises they were making before but now, he had the urge to wipe his brow as the priest was making his declarations. A piece of hair kept dangling in front of his eyes, refusing to stay slicked back like the rest of his hair and it was frustrating the hell out of him. Was it normal to feel butterflies on your big day? He didn’t do well with nausea.

Then there was his bride. His beautiful beautiful bride. Her bronze skin practically glowed as she smiled brightly at him. Her olive eyes gleamed in the light. The dress was, in his honest opinion, rather excessive. With a plunging neckline and low shoulder straps, the skirt flared outwards with a train at least seven feet dragging behind her. The entire bodice was covered in lace and intricate pearl beading, on her neck was what he would only assume was heavy, a large diamond embedded necklace, matching the flower patterned ones on her ears. Her hair was rather simplistic compared to her dress, in a neat braided bun, her veil attached to a tiara.

On the bride’s half of the benches were many faces he had yet to be acquainted with. What baffled him, was the complete absence of everyone he’d invited, (All of which accepted mind you)

The benches were barren and the present guests were becoming impatient.

Then the music started,it started off with an instrumental of strings. It echoes through the room and whispers follow. 

“Oh…well imagine,” a sweet and hushed voice sounds.

The doors burst open and a collage of colours moved forward.

“What the fuck,” his bride cursed, sneering at the scene.

 ‘ There went composure.’ he thought, ‘Though Lila had always been hot headed,’

First, two pin-striped men on stilts ducked down and entered, bowing with tipped hats and walking forward. 

“As I’m pacing the pews in a church corridor and I can't help but to hear, no I can’t help but to hear an exchange of words,” the singer continues. 

Behind the men on stilts, two girls dressed in unitards cartwheel in. Felix squinted, trying to make out their faces at the other end of the room and Kwami bless him if he was wrong. The one on the right dressed in a black an white suit with a faux fur neckline was Chloe bourgeois.

“What a beautiful wedding!” the other exclaimed.

“ What a beautiful wedding says the bridesmaid to the waiter,” the original singer continues.

“And yes, but what a shame,”

Chloe poses, “what a shame the bride’s groom is a whore,” she grinned, feigning surprise and holding a hand to her mouth. Gasps arised from the seated crowd at the foul language and blatant insult. Even Felix's eyes opened widely at the proclamation.

Three more rows of pinstriped and unitards wearing folks danced into the hall and then confetti popped. The circus act parted and there, in the centre of the chaos stood a female figure with a top hat obscuring her face.

“ I chimed in with a ‘Haven’t you people ever heard of, closing the goddamn door?” she sang.

“No, It’s much better to look at these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality,” the second ‘trapeze artist’ added, unlike Chloe her face was completely painted with red and gold. Her costume follows the scheme with red ruffles in her skirt and gold accents.

“Oh…” her bee themed counterpart cuts her off.

“ Well in fact, ” the ringmaster removed her top hat. Below, hidden by wildly curled raven hair was a familiar parisian. Even from far, it wasn’t difficult to make out her exaggerated eyeliner and red lips.

“ MARINETTE?” Lila shrieked, her expression, horror struck.

“Marinette what are you doing,” Felix growled at the same time.

Much to his aggravation, she ignored his protest and continued her lyric, “Well, we’ll look at it this way,”

“I mean technically our marriage is saved,” one of the pinstriped men stepped out of the crowd, taking the ringmaster by her hand. He wore a comedy mask, Thalia was it called? And his attire was much more formal than the others. Behind the mask was untamed blonde hair and green eyes-

Fucking Adrien Agreste.

“Well this calls for a toast! So pour the champagne,” he pulled out a bottle from seemingly nowhere.

“So pour the champagne!” the crowd of hooligans repeated.

And on command, multiple bottles appeared in the performers’ hands and popped without warning.

It sprayed everywhere.

In a moment, the bride started crying .

“Lila-” Felix tried, his hand reaching out to comfort her, but she slapped his hand away and ran. She ran off the altar and through the side exit.

But. But! To his furthered despair, a man from her side of the benches jumped over the chair and ran after her. The English man just stood there, dumbstruck and bemused. Felix just looked at the crowd of circus themed intruders and cried, “What the hell are you all doing!”

The ringmaster walked towards him, all eyes on her. Staring into his despair-filled gaze she offered a lopsided smile. Then she grabbed his hand without warning and dragged him toward the door. Without word, she placed a finger over his lips and quietly creaked the door open.

“It’s alright Lila,” the man from earlier hushed her. Felix practically fumed at the sight of the two. The man, a tall brunette with the dullest grey eyes he’d seen to date, was embracing his bride-to-be while she cried into his vest. Felix watched silently as he caressed Lila’s cheek and pulled her in for a kiss.

“What a shame the poor groom’s bride is a whore,” Marinette shook her head disappointedly.

The lovers jumped apart in surprise. 

“F-Felix?” the italian stuttered, scrambling to compose herself.

The blonde inhaled deeply and walked up to the two.

“ Felix I love you, ” he imitated.

“Fe-”

“ Felix you’re the only one for me, ” he ignored her.

“Please let me explain-”

“ Felix, Yes! OF course I’ll marry you! ” He sucked his teeth.

He stopped short in front of the stuttering green eyed snake and grabbed her hand, yanking off the ring she’d so boldly wore and walked away.

“Haven’t you people ever heard of, closing the goddamn door?” Marinette grinned at the lovers before running after Felix.

~

It took her a minute or two, but she managed to catch up with the groom. It wasn't hard to find a black-suited blonde in a park full of casually dressed people. He’d been hunched over on a wooden bench, wiping his eyes.

“Ello there,” (she cringed at her poor attempt at a British accent)

“Here to break my heart again Dupain Cheng?” he asked sarcastically.

The ravenette frowned and sat down next to him.

“Now that’s not fare, it was Chloe who called her a whore first,”

A choked laugh escaped his lips.

“I suppose so,” he hummed. Silence settled and Marinette decided to be bold. Taking off her pink coat, she draped it hopelessly over his shoulders (in retrospect, considering he was sizably larger than her, she should have known it wouldn’t fit)

Taking the coat tail, she wiped his face and-

“Goddamnit Felix you got makeup on my costume,” she cursed.

“No one told you to use it as a rag Dupain-Cheng,” he retorted. 

She flicked his head in retaliation and pouted.

“And here I was trying to comfort you, I’ll have you know I spent two all-nighters giving this coat its flare!” he hummed in response. The two stared off into the scenery. There was nothing extraordinary about it, there was dull grass and the midday sun, one or two families in picnic blankets and kids running around. Somehow, Felix’s head found its way onto Marinette’s shoulder despite her being a head shorter.

“Take a nap vanilla-cracker, it’s the on and off switch of the human body,”

With a sniffle he replied, “I just might,”

Author's note: Hi Hi! so um, I wrote this on a whim and it's not beta read AND I'm not used to posting on tumblr, you can also find this on ao3. I'd love to hear your opinions on this short fic

[k00288088]

Research

''Still Life with five objects'', 1956 by Giorgio Morandi, from www.wikiart.org

In my pencils and painting works i tried to look for the delicacy and softness inspired by the artist. I paid attention to the line that the artist uses and expression preserved in a still life.

"Still Life", 1946 by Giorgio Morandi, from www.Tate.org.uk

"Self Portrait", 1903 by Stanisław Wyspiański, from www.niezlasztuka.net

I really like how the artist combines different media in his art, in these works are pastels and pencil. The composition of the contour/line and the colors added to it; together with the perfect chiaroscuro, persuaded me to use his art as inspiration. Despite the hardness of the media he used, his works still look realistic and natural.

"Józio Feldman", 1905 by Stanisław Wyspiański from www.wikipedia.org

Collage, 1935 by Kurt Schwitters, from www.architectural-review.com

The artist used various media to create a collage, in this work he used different fractures of paper and clippings of newspaper. In my collage i tried not to limit myself and experiment with different media such as this artists, and I also used pencil and painting. In Schwitters's works i like the expressions, combining various textures and colors. The composition takes on an interesting illustration.

Collage, 1937 by Kurt Schwitters, from www.tate.org.uk

"Remember Uncle August, the Unhappy Inventor", 1919 collage by Georg Grosz, from www.bridgemanimages.com

It is a portrait composed of various elements. The artist is not limited to only one medium, but various types of objects to create a whole face. The work is neat and aesthetic, I wanted to keep the same creativity and neatness in my work.

[majortomyourcurcuitsdead]

sashaaaaa HI how about...

6, 10, 21, 39, AND 40 OF COURSE

HII CHRISSIEE OK I did it, that’s gonna be long but here you goo

6. What do you use to keep your place when you’re reading a book?

HMM WELL if it’s meant here what object do I use to mark a page where I stopped reading, then most often it’s a paper bookmark. Either one of those which I got in one Paris museum/gallery this year which I REALLY loved visiting, or some simpler ones which are usually given together with a book purchases at stores. I love the former ones so much, they’re very neat; they are basically fragments of works which I loved seeing irl, and I like matching them with the books where I use them. I also recalled about one plastic holographic bookmark with nebulas which I had a while ago and which was VERY neat, but I think it’s somewhere in my books which are either in storage, or in a Kyiv flat where I still haven’t returned to since my family left it after an invasion

10. What’s your favorite kind of uquiz question? (Lyric, color, aesthetic, etc)

SJJSJS This one is tough cause I don’t think I remember now all which I’ve seen bUt honestly all of the mentioned above actually seem good to me shsjjsjsj

21. What’s your favorite period in art history, your favorite famous work and/or your favorite style of art? If you don’t know any that’s ok!

Oohhoh WEll I absolutely adore works by Alphonse Mucha, also William Morrisʼs prints. And I like different elements of art nouveau and art deco, some Renaissance elements in architecture too.. Some brutalist architecture is interesting to me as well; so honestly I love a lot of different bits and pieces from different time periods and cultures. I also really like some of the classicism paintings, OH and dutch floral still-life paintings I’m obsessed with them. I love some of Andy Warhol’s prints too, especially some of his traced drawings and works with a smaller color palette. I looove antique statues, I always want to draw them lol; omg Gustav Dore’s illustrations are gorgeous. I love collages a LoT too, especially those from the times when they were just starting to become a thing. I like vintage concert and some movie posters a lot too. It’s a lot truly, I’m pretty sure I forgot about something here ahhhah

39. What was the best part of your day today?

Well I started writing the response to this yesterday so I will just continue the trend sjsjjks

There were two best parts for me yesterday; the first one was when I was sitting together with my family while we were waiting for our orders, and I thought that it’s actually the first time that we are all (parents and my sister) are reunited after being separated since we left Kyiv in February 2022; dad can’t leave the country while the stupid war is still ongoing. I visited him separately last year, and so did my sister this year, but yes it’s actually the first time that we are all actually together since that time; and even though because of my parents’ divorce it’s a somewhat different, it’s still a very nice feeling. When we don’t fight snsnjsjsjsnsj These are the people I grew up with, it’s something that’s definitely a huge part of who I am today too

The second moment was when I came home after finding a pair of really nice trousers; the thing is, there’s one factory here which makes clothes for different clients worldwide. And sometimes, when certain details in some items aren’t done as they should have been done, according to client’s request (like, for instance a different type of a thread used for stitching), they are just sold in a store by a factory. So as I’ve mentioned I’ve found a pair of dark brown wide trousers yesterday and a dark blue shirt; SO when I came home, I took a closer look at the trousers and.. buttons on them had a brand name which definitely doesn’t sell their trousers for 15 euros sO that made me happy sjsjsjsjjs I do think that the trousers turned out to be of that brand, I think it’s the zipper which originally was supposed to be different

40. What’s your favorite kind of tree?

OH since I was a kid I LOVED trees which I can climb and where I can sit. I remember having a soft spot for willows; they can be climbed easily and also their long supple branches are therapeutic to look at or to touch. I also like huge old trees with big strong low-hanging branches where, yes, you can sit. Also, I love big fruit trees under which you can sit in a shade in summers. OH I almost forgot about blooming trees, sakuras especially. Like please tell me how can you not like them

[k00294120]

SEMINAR RESPONSE

Drawing seminar

During this seminar Des taught me that drawing is really the centre point of everything we do. He asked a lot of questions to get us thinking, such as what is drawing ?

To me drawing is how we interpret the things and world around us. Since childhood drawing has been a crucial part of who I am and how I articulate myself.

Des then asked the question what makes a good drawing? We looked at example artists such as Pierre Bonnard.

These might not be the most accurate or neat drawings but they encapsulate a feeling of nostalgia for me and that’s what I think makes a good drawing. The ability to communicate a feeling. Although traditional styles of drawing have diminished, drawings such as Michelangelo’s

Drawing has become a language; a way of communicating.

Des talked about an artist called Grace Perry who does collage work.

His drawings combine everything. Facts and stories and different parts of his life. Des taught me that drawing is not just a way of depicting something , it’s a passionate act and a dedication to an image or memory. The ability to convey information and feeling to the viewer.

You draw and make from your own unique experiences.

We then looked at some historical drawings.

Left : Picasso Right : Otto Dix

These two drawings prove that everything that’s depicted from historical drawings gives us an insight into the interactions of daily like at these times . The humour the clothing the relationships the background , even the style of the drawing.

Picassos drawing is clean, concise and measured, like the subject matter. In comparison to Ottos charcoal drawing of the sailor and prostitute. It’s scratched and scuffed like the world they occupy. Damaged compared to the pristine condition of the left drawing.

This proves that in drawing you are constantly making choices. The way an artist makes their art and the materials they use is very reflective of their subject matter.

This is something that I didn’t even think about when I was drawing it always just came naturally. Even in my disrupt project , I choose colours that reflect the emotions I feel about my subject matter .

Donald Teskey is a great example of this aswell.

Teskeys drawings aren’t just depictions of a landscape. They carry the essence of the west of Ireland. He uses a blade and scratches back into the surface of the charcoal which captures a certain rawness to the drawing.

Des talked about lots of artists work but one that stuck with me in particular was Brian Fitzgerald.

Des talks about how sometimes it’s important to focus on what people have left out of their drawings instead. In this, Brian has left out the building behind the clothes line but it’s still such a powerful piece. It proves sometimes less is more. I love the human quality this piece has. It’s so normal .

This seminar has taught me to be more aware of all the choices that need to be made while drawing. And how it’s unique to everybody.

[lomemarsupial]

Hi Hey I was really without sleep for some days and under the weath a bit, so I didn't want my mug to be recorded. But I wanted to play some songs. And get some riffs and drafts recorded. So I carved about 4 pumpkins in 2 days. Decided a lantern head is the best option to this situation. As I wanted these song drafts or ideas recorded to re-work later.

The latter end of this was uploaded a few ago as a separate vid. But I stuck it into here as a music journal I guess you'd say. Playing on a yamaha fg830 10/21/2023 improvising some tracks.

video archives added over with closes local files randomly added as a "media collage randomization" technique that Burroughs I think used via in text and some authors and artists and musicians used a good bit in a popularization revival of it in the early 70s. So I do that with some footage if editing drafts such as this.

Hey so spirits or persona souls kind of dip into the world and collect certain inspirations so some of those in the playing are a bit of Sumeria, Bohemia, American Blues, Irish poetry, earlier style rock'n'roll. It's really a nasty and annoying game to niche and genre stuff though I have trouble with that. I realize I magnet in people that get more pyssed or judgy about what I do than people who like it, haw haw haw, but that's life in the modern web world. But it feels uplifting and healing to play, no matter that thing, and when playing its very true that rock or that spirit of rock music playing is a soulful and imminent visitation to some kind of experience. Which comes to answer "why improvise songs all the time?" I think its fun to let them live in their direct and needed moment. and if played again later on then its fine. But there's some pallette of a spiritual experience where others yell at ya to go to church or believe their whole this thing or that thing. Like, well, I'd rather bond with this wood instrument and do this it's one of the few things that make me happy.

I'll have the two files of this onto https://www.patreon.com/posts/jack-o-lantern-i-91422674

even if they're constructing or b-side material. I put a lot of projects and full albums up there. Gas money to next shows or hard drives to store more stuff on or re-signing up to distrokid. Get creative online and we all become beggars aye? Shyte I mean its economic apocalypse, very neat. spotify is https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kBvq9fPHQivusr4ZjdAiG Main site https://www.lomemarsupial.com not sparming all the rest of the links.

Going to try to rest up better so I dont have to stuff a jack o lantern over my head, thanks have a noice weekend.

This post was posted by automated webjackal.