#human subjecivity

[thinkingimages]

Erica BAUM

Untitled (Dragon-Flies) de la serie Frick, 1998 Tirage : éd. 1/6 + 2 EA

[davekat-sucks]

im having such a hard time writing my thoughts on this because im so frustrated but lets put it this way. This race war bullshit is so stupid. Let's say in my explination to illustrate how stupid this is, Jane and humanity represent white people, Meenah and her people represent black people. Some white people (humans) disagree with the subjecation of black people (trolls) so the white people help them. And then i guess the black people just decide to kill those white people too. So it will lead the audeince to think: why be a race traider? Why not stick with your own? Why betray humanity if the trolls are just going to kill you anyway? THIS IS NOT HOW YOU WRITE A STORY ABOUT RACISM HOLY SHIT.

Why even involve Consorts or Carapacians with this too? They shouldn't be involved when they have no ill will towards other Kingdoms. Were they threatened on both sides if they don't join? That their kind will be eliminated if they can't decide. Neutral doesn't seem like an option either.

[therhythmafterthesummer]

I have pack logistics questions so pardon me if this is nerdy but I’m a certified lore whore. Also it’s long…just like Channie’s..nose😊

1) for camping/pack runs, if there a general meal planned established then do select members go shopping? Does cooking responsibility switch each time or does it stay pretty consistent?Or is it kinda all for yourself bring your own food(even if everyone ends up sharing?

2) does the entire pack take off ever every single full moon? Do some of them get special accommodations if it happens during the week? Do any of the boys get a bit moody if their partner can’t join them for midweek runs?

3) does the pack as a consensus on the best season to run on or is it individual? If so what?

4) do packs in this universe have anything to physically show/establish them as being apart of a certain pack? Easily I think like a ring or necklace, little more permanent would be like a tattoo.

5) do you think the pack would struggle once/if the moved into individual homes? Like I can’t see them living across town from each other, but I can imagine living that close for that long and then not smelling or sensing all your mates might be jarring to a wolf.

5) wolves have a LOT of pride. Is Chan’s response stronger than anyone else’s (besides a mate’s) when one of his packmates are disrespected or hurt? Think like if he heard someone calling Min a “halfbreed/mutt” or picking/threatening jisung or Felix because they are male omegas. How quick is his wolf to violence in those cases?

6) Do they jokingly call the extra rooms where they can ride out ruts and heats “horny jail”

7) Do the pack parents keep maybe like a rough schedule (or specific if the individual is comfortable sharing it)of cycles for everyone that way they could predict when tempers might be higher?

8) besides others they are romantically involved with, do the wolves think about themselves as packmates in a “this is my friend” way or a “this is my sibling way”? For our humans, since they don’t have a wolf in their brain do they truly feel part of the pack? Like when they really soak in the moment with all of them do they think “I love my pack” or do they think “I love my friends/siblings”?

-🥝( I probably should have split this into multiple asks)

never apologise for this!! i love these questions skjdfhsjkdf

they try to plan what they're gonna eat on their days there. so, yes. they'll make a list of items and a few of the pack members will go to the grocery store to get the items (it's usually jeongin + autumn + changbin, but they might rotate every once in a while if the three of them aren't up for it). sometimes they prepare the meals and take them already ready just to re-heat, other times they just take the groceries and cook there. if they cook beforehand, tasks are split between households. if they cook during the trip, it's usually felix cooking, but others help frequently because he refuses to cook alone for that many people (not like other pack members would let him anyway kfjhskjf).

they always go together. i think Chris might be able to count the times they didn't with one hand (runs are very VERY important for werewolves, so missing one can get them a bit... cranky). for those that work in a supernatural environment (like Jisung), they probably just need to submit some paperwork at the beginning f the year with the nights they need and they always get them approved since it's a necessity. for those working in human spaces, they either call in sick or try to get days off. those with partners, they sulk if their partner can't come for one reason or another (Chris is the king of sulking whenever he has to spend a full moon without pretty nowadays. hell, even if it's just going out for a run and it's not a full moon, he'll sulk lol).

it's all personal preference. if i had to decide fave seasons for each ones: winter = chris, seungmin | autumn: changbin, ginger, jisung | summer = felix, jeongin | spring = minho, hyunjin (as usual, this is subject to change, it's just what i think at this present time lol).

some packs do (i like to think Moss' does. i just haven't decided what they have yet). Chris' doesn't, mostly because none of them has felt the need to have anything.

they would. i think it'll feel unnatural to not be close to each other, so moving too far away is just not an option. it's in their nature to live together and ensure everyone's well fed and taken care of (whatever this last bit entitles...). for Chris' pack, if they move out of their current den and into houses, i'm sure they'll only do it if they find adjacent houses. like, they literally need to be right next to each other/in front of each other or they won't move. it'd probably feel a bit weird at first since they're not in the same space, but i'm sure they'll get used to it eventually. but yeah, the closer together the houses are, the better.

it honestly depends. i feel like Chris particularly is heavily influenced by the moon cycle. depending on the phase of the moon he can either react very violently or very logically. he always tries to go the logical route because, you know, he's their Leader and he has to act all collected. but... yeah, i'm sure he's gotten in a few fights in his life over things like these lol. it can get pretty ugly if the full moon's close.

i love this actually. so, yes. yes they do.

of course. not only to be aware of mood changes, but also to make sure they're more or less available in case they're needed to help with anything (like getting them supplies and whatnot).

i think it goes beyond "this is my friend" and "this is my sibling". it's a type of bond that it's not easily explained, it's just... they're just pack members. and yes, humans that fully integrate into the pack feel this way, too. i suppose there could be humans that don't integrate completely, so they'd be more on the "these are my friends for life" kinda mindset, but it's not the case for Chris' pack. pretty and kitten are fully integrated into the dynamic.

hope these answers make sense, i'm super sleepy ksjdfhskjdf

[abimee]

I hope the language and spelling in this ask is correct. I agree with you. i love art of people specifically not like sexy magazine covers. seeing art like that often definitely made me like my own balding, crooked shoulders, and crooked smile because it's really just lovely normal human features. much more fun to draw too! don't need to worry about keeping the face perfectly symmetrical or making muscles look perfectly toned, i enjoy adding bad posture, skin blemishes, fat rolls, a big nose, and so on. by the way I really enjoy how you draw the ancients, especially althaea and erichthonios.

danke schoen anon isnt it a wonderful thing to know art truly can be whatever you want and if you wanna give your favorite character something you never seen drawn you can just do that. and not have to subjec yourself to the idea that its ugly but simply something people are and that makes it loveable and something great i love giving characters shitty eyebrows for this reason

[foreverrunningfree]

@czigonas wanted to see me answer those artist questions and I did them all so it’ll be under the cut

1. Art programs you have but don’t use?

As of rn I cannot draw on my laptop/tablet so technically paint tool SAI and photoshop(idk what version). But I guess I hadn’t used photoshop for /years/ back before my drawing hiatus. Sorry but SAI is so much nicer to look at and to use, for me personally.

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left,right, or forward?

I flip flop my canvas a ton to a) look at it for wonkiness and b) to get specific lines in a direction that feels good, but the actual act of drawing I typically like to have them looking left cause most the the lines flow from top right to bottom left which is nicer to do since I use my right hand to draw even tho I am ambidextrous.

3. What ideas come from when you were little?

This question confuses me on what it’s actually asking soooo? When I was like 12 I had to write a story for school so I did a story about a plane crash in which the survivor came face to face to a rat/bat/cat/dog creature thing? I’ve always wanted to redraw the creature, idk if I have the original drawing I did and I don’t feel up to digging to see if I kept it during all my moves.

4. Fave character/subject that’s a bitch to draw?

My favorite animal color patterns aka brindle, merle ,roan, spots/stripes. So time consuming. In terms of shape, human faces for sure.

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself?

Before hiatus, probably 90% /shared/. Currently, probably 75% /posted/cause I can’t post the porn to tumblr lmaoooo but I have shared them with like half a dozen friends.

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously?

I’m sure there’s a ton but if it’s subconsciously then how would I consciously know?🤔 ok serious answer, probably every single 2D animated movie or show I’ve ever seen, and all the various artists I follow. I mean, there’s parts of my style I can pinpoint you to what it’s inspired by.

7. A medium of art you don’t work in but appreciate?

I’ve never /seriously/ tried oil paint, acrylic paint, or pastels but that shit always looks so good. Also watercolor even though i have tried and enjoyed using watercolors but I am far far faaarrr from being proficient in them. Non drawing wise, I fucking love dioramas, especially those that are then filled in(?) with acrylic(?). I watch a lot of those videos on YouTube.

8. What’s an old project idea you’ve lost interest in?

Most of my old animal ocs I had in the same universe in my mind and had a comic planned that I never got around to. I still love and wanna revisit those ocs. But also my dragon age ocs who I’ve SERIOUSLY BEEN CONSIDERING drawing in @soaps-hoe-141 universe 👀

9. What are your file name conventions?

Before hiatus/ on my laptop, subject or character and whatever was happening in the pic. Now using procreate on my iPad? I don’t think I’ve named a single one lol.

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw?

Nothing, no clothes, nude, nakedness please and thank you. lol but I guess I do sorta enjoy figuring out clothing in general, folds and shit, getting that practice in. Like how it hangs and creases in poses since I’m not used to drawing it.

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing?

I don’t usually listen to /only/ music while drawing, I much prefer having a favorite movie playing in the background and/or a show I enjoy rewatching/am actively watching. I also watch a lot of gamer YouTubers I put on as background noise/short watch breaks that their voice is just soothing to me even if I’m not /watching/.

12. Easiest part of the body to draw?

I’m not sure… maybe boobs/pecs for humanoids. General body shape for animals?

13. A creator you admire but whose work isn’t your thing?

Honestly can’t think of a single one. I mean, plenty of artists do work(or with a medium) that I can’t or don’t want to do/use personally but I read the question of “isn’t your thing” as “subject you don’t enjoy”. If that’s correct, then idk what to tell you. I don’t follow or remember people who majority does things I can’t enjoy on some level.

14. Any fave motifs?

Quite a lot of religious imagery I guess ex. Circles around a persons head. Less serious answer is drawing characters in meme formats lol

15. Where do you draw?

Please don’t tell any physical therapists I live like this… on my back on my couch with my head on the arm rest while holding my iPad propped up on my chest like 8 inches away from my face lmao

16. Something you are good at but don’t really have fun doing?

Idk???? I do shit for my own enjoyment so I’m not sure? Maybe perhaps backgrounds? Like I could do something decent if i wanted to but I’m not into it so I usually just don’t?

17. Do you eat or drink while drawing?

I take breaks… but while actively drawing? I often drink aka let the horny demons out while I enjoy whiskey lol.

18. An estimate of how much art supplies you’ve broken?

Broken broken? Next to fucking none? some charcoal sticks but otherwise…. None… I majority do digital art so really nothing to break there lol

19. Fave inanimate objects to draw?

Idk? I like doing life charcoal drawings? Of whatever, but particularly statues if that counts? I usually have living beings as my subjects.

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy?

Ok, I hate this question, cause we are all good at different things. Maybe it’s just most of those I follow have different strengths than me???? But I guess if I had to pick, recreating from life(or picture) is a lot easier for me than some others(like making it life like/very accurate).

21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways?

Yooo, anything I’ve reblogged honestly. Love everyone.

22. What physical exercises do you do before drawing?

Absolutely none, again don’t let the pros know cause damn. But I will do stretches or take breaks as needed.

23. Do you use different layer modes?

Absolutely. Mostly for lighting and shading but yes, if I’m doing digital imma take advantage of it.

24. Do your references include stock images?

Yes? I don’t really understand what it’s asking?

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were not inspired by?

Idk? I don’t usually get feedback of that sort.

26. What’s a piece that’s viewed a wildly different interpretation from what you intended?

Again idk? I guess my shit is straight forward?

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff?

Almost never, again don’t let the pros know lol I do sometimes jump between pieces or start a new sketch before going to something farther along.

28. Any art events you have participated in, like zines?

Nope, wanted to and have tried before but I tend to NOT do something if I feel pressured to do it.

29. Media you love but doesn’t inspire you artistically?

Again I feel like this is a weird question or maybe it’s just my understanding of it but I can feel inspiration from all sort of artist shit even if it’s something I’ll never do(ex making a crochet animal or dioramas). I guess I can feel inspired to create from other creators even if it’s not direct inspiration/subject/medium.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated?

Underrated as in no one has seen aside from a few people irl would be my colored pencil pieces I did during afternoon naps when I worked at a daycare a few years ago.

[tristaspoetry]

Embers of Meaning

In the burning gates of an ushered gas chamber, the Subjecations of whorish saints and witchy humans occurred. 

For in this iron maiden of earthly desires and lustrous whims, our one true king prevailed. The king of our mind and the emperor of our hearts. 

Those slavish sadists could not betray the king. For he had meaning and a will to live. A vulnerable shattered sands type of love for himself and others.

This impenetrable will of the mind and this elusive meaning to life is sardonic in this nihilistic society. 

This philosopher stone of meaning in every heart embodies our being. It is to sing for the bards, love for the romanticists and create life for the doctors. Our meaning in life is uniquely ours like the snowflakes of a winter day.

check out my book http://bit.ly/Echoes-of-the-soul

[romantamsxiangshi]

Translation of Roman Tam's 1978 小李飞刀(Romantic Swordsman)

Lyrics by Lu Guozhan, instrumentals composed by Gu Jiahui

小李飞刀 is one of Roman Tam's most famous songs, written in reference to a fictional weapon from the 1978 TV adaptation of Ding Qing's and Gu Long's "Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword." The 小李飞刀, translated to "Little Li's Flying Dagger," is a famed sword made of ordinary steel. Its deadliness derives not from its physical properties, but from the mental strength and spiritual cultivation of its wielder.

Translation:

难得一身好本领 Finally I have mastered the sword (1) 情关始终闯不过 Yet still my/your heart is closed (2) 闯不过 柔情蜜意 And I cannot break through to my/your love 乱挥刀剑无结果 Clumsily, desperately, I slash and struggle, but to no avail (3) 流水滔滔斩不断 This torrent cuts unceasingly 情丝百结冲不破 But my/your heart is a knot unbroken 刀锋冷 热情未冷 This blade is so cold, so why is my love so warm? (4) (5) 心底更是难过 My heart endures more grief than ever (6)

无情刀 永不知错 This heartless blade has never led me astray 无缘分 只叹奈何 But there is no such thing as fate, is there? The only thing left to me is a sigh 面对死不会惊怕 I have never been afraid to face death 离别心凄楚 Yet a goodbye fills my heart with grief

人生几许失意 If you would permit me a little dejection 何必偏偏选中我 I must ask, why did you choose me? (7) 挥刀剑 断盟约 And how might I break my covenant with this blade? 相识注定成大错 My friend, you know as I do that we are doomed (8) (9)

无情刀 永不知错 This heartless blade has never led me astray 无缘分 只叹奈何 But there is no such thing as fate, is there? The only thing left to me is a sigh 面对死不会惊怕 I have never been afraid to face death 离别心凄楚 Yet a goodbye fills my heart with grief

人生几许失意 If you would permit me a little dejection 何必偏偏选中我 I must ask, why did you choose me? 挥刀剑 断盟约 And how might I break my covenant with this blade? 相识注定成大错 My friend, you know as I do that we are doomed 挥刀剑 断盟约 How might I break my covenant with this blade? 相识注定成大错 My friend, you know as I do that we are doomed

Translation notes:

(1) There is no verb in this line: the swordsman is commenting on how rare his skills are, and how difficult it was to gain them. I chose "finally I have mastered the sword" as an expression of duration, as processes in English can really only be captured in verbs. I also chose to heighten the contrast between the swordsman's human process/struggle, and the seeming immutability of "heart" and "love" in the next few lines. Also, 身 (shen/body) implies a certain corporality: after so much training, his body is inseparable from skill, and his skill keeps him from his love.

(2) Two notes: first, 情关 (qing guan) is directedly translated to "love," but it is notably not the 爱 (ai) used commonly to denote heterosexual romance. 情 translates to a broader "affection," while 关 translates to "closed/barrier." Secondly, the absence of pronouns in this line offers a variety of translations: "your heart is still closed," "my heart is still closed," "love is still inaccessible." All of these are equally valid: it is not only his own heart/the other's heart that remains forbidden to him, but love itself.

(3) 乱挥刀: 乱 translates directly to "chaotically" or "clumsily," while 挥 implies an amateurishness to "waving" the sword. This stands in sharp contrast to his supposed mastery of the blade. None of the ways he's learned to use/control himself and his weapon can help him when it comes to the matters of the heart.

(4) 热情 translates directly to "warm affection" or "enthusiasm."

(5) My choice to convert some of these lines into questions (there is no "why" or "how" in this line) is entirely subjective. The swordsman seems to be very confused, and resigned to that confusion; questioning felt like the best way to describe it, especially when it comes to contradictions such as cold/hot.

(6) 心底 translates to "bottom of my heart," 难过 to "pain" but also to "it is difficult to endure." I tried to capture the struggle to endure in my translation.

(7) Two notes: first, that there is no subject in this question. We don't know who the swordsman is questioning: his sword? The person he speaks to? Secondly, 偏偏 translates both to "happily/deliberately," and to "contrary to what is expected." This entire song is built upon expectations and disillusionment, and the inability to confront or challenge them.

(8) 相识 translates literally to "acquaintance," but can be broken down into 相 "mutual/same," and 识 "knowledge." The swordsman is speaking to someone who knows what he does, and is the same as him.

(9) 成打错 translates to "making/made/will make a big mistake." The absence of tenses in Chinese means that this mistake can be located in any or all temporalities, and can be made by or done to any or all of the subjects in the song. Perhaps the mistake is his decision to train with the sword; perhaps the entire world is simply wrong. I thought the existential nature of this line was best captured by "we are doomed."

[mediculling]

👀 What do you think of grey's anatomy?

i+'s. no+ good. objec+ively. and subjec+ively. bu+ picking apar+. +he inaccuracies. and examining +he difference be+ween human. and +rollian medicull prac+ices. is en+er+aining enough. so i+ is. fine.

[wholeheartedlysirius]

Charles Leclerc masterlist

You are the universe expressing itself as a human for a while

main masterlist

🌸 = fluff

💔 = angst

🖤 = trigger warning/sensitive subjec

oneshots:

loading…

[valiente000]

Vie's Entrepreneurial Mind Journey: Final Blog( Final Pitching, Lecture Series and GEE 16 journey)

Final Pitching:

Last last week third day of May 2024,we had our final pitch for the SBS trash bin. We faced significant challenges because our prototype wasn't fully functional; one side of the bin had a malfunctioning servo motor. Additionally, our presenter, Daniel, struggled as he had a mock defense on the same day. Despite these difficulties, we managed to complete everything on time.

Before our preac, we struggled to prepare, feeling anxious and nervous as this presentation was the crux of our final for the GEE 16 course. Despite our initial nerves, once we began, Daniel and the rest of us presented confidently in front of the panel. Sir Reymark, our GEE 16 instructor, praised our presentation, calling it well-articulated, precise, and direct. One panelist questioned the purpose of our trash bin, noting that without auto-segregation, it seemed like an ordinary bin. She asked how we could convince her to choose our product, and we successfully addressed her concerns. Though there were additional questions, we managed to provide satisfactory answers. In summary, our final pitch was successful, even though our prototype was only partially functional.

Entrepreneurial Mind Lecture Series Program 2024.

Last 9th day of May 2024 1 pm to 5 pm a Lecture Series Program has been conducted with 4 sub topics, based to my memories the topics include, intellectual property rights, star-ups, business incubators and what must me the mind set of one entrepreneur. Honestly In the 1st part of the series I felt sleepy because of lack of sleep as I make an presentation for my mock proposal defense. But as a Series Lecture goes I really appreciate the information I got.

Honestly I did not have a photo in the Lecture Series and I got this Picture from my Instructor post Sir Reymark. The Entrepreneurial Mind Lecture Series in the "GEE 16 Lecture Series 2024" provided valuable insights into the importance of protecting ideas, understanding the startup ecosystem, and the necessity of patents. The program emphasized legal principles, data privacy, and innovation security. It highlighted that startups are unique ventures driven by innovation and resilience, with failure seen as a step toward success. The lectures equipped us with essential knowledge for initiating and managing our businesses, underlining the significance of intellectual property and a resilient mindset for entrepreneurial success. This is also What I comment to Sir Reymark post and this is the summary of what I had learned in the lecture series.

Here are the some slides to the of the lecture series...............

Entrepreneurial Mind Journey:

Before I took GEE 16 I am some what skeptical to my self as I not in a business enthusiast. As I invited in a google classroom My 1st impression to Sir Reymark is he is organized and informative to class as he had long paragraph class announcement. In the 1st class meeting I unfortunate did not attend due to personal matters and my classmate said that those who had not attend in the 1st meet can not get flat 1 grade, also they said that the absent will show their talent in the 2nd meeting, and i become anxious. But fortunately showcasing the talent did not happened and that is my memories in 1st week..... I also had a lot of new experiences and having knowledge on how to create an start up, as we start formulating our SBS trash bin up to the final pitching and making blogs out of it and as the classes goes on, I really appreciate the topics in Entrepreneurial mind specially on how our Instructor discussed in front. Even though I not lively in the classes but Sir Reymark is such an exceptional and enthusiast teacher. The one that I did not forget is that entrepreneurial mind is not just about business but about the innovation that bring the humanity in progress..... Over all this is my realization, The entrepreneurial mind subject has been a transformative experience for me, highlighting the importance of creativity, resilience, and strategic thinking not only business world but also in different fields in life. Through various challenges and projects, I have realized that being an entrepreneur is not just about having a great idea, but also about executing it effectively, adapting to unforeseen obstacles, and continuously seeking improvement. This course has taught me the value of teamwork, as collaboration often leads to more innovative solutions. It has also reinforced the necessity of effective communication and presentation skills, as these are crucial in persuading others to believe in your vision. Overall, the entrepreneurial mind subject has equipped me with a mindset that embraces innovation, problem-solving, and a relentless drive to turn ideas into reality.

This is Marvie C. Valiente a BS Physics student signing-off to this blog journey

May 15, 2024

"An entrepreneurial mind is not just about seeing opportunities where others see obstacles, but also about having the courage and resilience to pursue those opportunities despite the obstacles."

[wortzentriert]

Now the position of Calvinism is diametrically opposed to all

this. It does not deny that religion has also its human and subjec-

tive side; it does not dispute the fact that religion is promoted, en-

couraged and strengthened by our disposition to seek help in time

of need and spiritual elevation in the face of sensual passions; but

it maintains that it reverses the proper order of things to seek, in

these accidental motives, the essence and the very purpose of re-

ligion. The Calvinist values all of these as fruits which are pro-

duced by religion, or as props which gave it support, but he re-

fuses to honor them as the reason for its existence. Of course, re-

ligion, as such, produces also a blessing for man, but it does not

exist for the sake of man. It is not God who exists for the sake

of His creation,;—the creation exists for the sake of God. For, as

the Scripture says, He has created all things for Himself.

For this reason God even impressed a religious expression on

the whole of unconscious nature,—on plants, on animals and also

on children. "The whole earth is full of His glory." "How excel-

lent is Thy Name, God, in all the earth." "The Heavens declare

the glory of God and the firmament sheweth His handiwork."

"Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast ordained

praise." Frost and hail, snow and vapor, the abyss and the hurri-

cane—everything does praise God. But just as the entire creation

reaches its culminating point in man, so also religion finds its clear

expression only in man who is made in the image of God, and

this not because man seeks it, but because God Himself implanted

in man's nature the real essential religious expression, by means

Lectures on Calvinism p 46 Kuyper

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

which fairytale archetype are you?

the boy king

The boy king has a huge burden placed on his shoulders. With a dead father who perished in battle or was poisoned, a shrewd and scheming mother, an abundance of homicidal relations, and a nation to rule, he can either become a puppet or the most formidable ruler a nation has seen.

the long-suffering knight

“Lancelot is: […] Probably sadistic or he would not have taken such frightful care to be gentle. […] 6. Ferociously punitive to his own body. He denies it and slave-drives it. 7. Devoted to ‘honour,’ which he regards as keeping promises and ‘having a Word.’ He tries to be consistent. 8. Curiously tolerant of other people who do not follow his own standards. He was nor shocked by the lady who was naked as a needle. 9. Not without a sense of humour. It was a good joke dressing up as Kay. And he often says amusing things. 10. Fond of being alone. 11. Humble about his athleticism: not false modesty. 12. Self-critical. Aware of some big lack in himself. What was it? 13. Subject to pity, cf. no. 3. 14. Emotional. He is the only person Mallory mentions as crying from relief. 15. Highly strung: subject to nervous breakdowns. 16. Yet practical. He ends by dealing with the Guinevere situation pretty well. He is a good man to have with you in a tight corner. […]18. Human. He firmly believes that for him, it is a choice between God and Guinevere, and he takes Guinevere. He says: This is wrong and against my will, but I can’t help it. […] People he was like: 1. Lawrence of Arabia, 2. A nice captain of the cricket, 3. Parnell, 4. Sir W Raleigh, 5. Hamlet, 6. Me, 7. Prince Rufant, 8. Montros, 9. Tony Ireland or Von Simm […] or whatever, 10. Any mad man, 11. Adam.” — TH White. Torn between guilt and devotion, he represents the late medieval anxiety of whether equal devotion to one's lady and one's liege is possible. He loves both, so he must lose both. He can only end the story happy if he either refuses to indulge his temptation or leaves this world – either for heaven or the fairy realm.

the boy king

The boy king has a huge burden placed on his shoulders. With a dead father who perished in battle or was poisoned, a shrewd and scheming mother, an abundance of homicidal relations, and a nation to rule, he can either become a puppet or the most formidable ruler a nation has seen.

the monstrous bride

“Just as the ultimate goal of Arthurian quest finally defines itself as the Holy Grail, the object that can never be assimilated into the real world, so the ultimate woman of romance is a fairy mistress, or fairy queen.” — Helen Cooper The monstrous bride is not necessarily monstrous, but she is, by definition, inhuman, which is part of her je ne sais quoi. Her happiness often depends on whether her groom knows her inhuman. If he does not, he is bound to find out before the story concludes, at which point he will either be repulsed by his wife's deceit and leave her, or attempt to make the relationship work, but fail, because he is operating under a misinterpretation of her nature. If he is aware of her inhuman identity, it will often be one of the factors leading to his attraction to her, and he will be rewarded with her love – but often at the cost of abandoning his previous life completely.

the long-suffering knight

“Lancelot is: […] Probably sadistic or he would not have taken such frightful care to be gentle. […] 6. Ferociously punitive to his own body. He denies it and slave-drives it. 7. Devoted to ‘honour,’ which he regards as keeping promises and ‘having a Word.’ He tries to be consistent. 8. Curiously tolerant of other people who do not follow his own standards. He was nor shocked by the lady who was naked as a needle. 9. Not without a sense of humour. It was a good joke dressing up as Kay. And he often says amusing things. 10. Fond of being alone. 11. Humble about his athleticism: not false modesty. 12. Self-critical. Aware of some big lack in himself. What was it? 13. Subject to pity, cf. no. 3. 14. Emotional. He is the only person Mallory mentions as crying from relief. 15. Highly strung: subject to nervous breakdowns. 16. Yet practical. He ends by dealing with the Guinevere situation pretty well. He is a good man to have with you in a tight corner. […]18. Human. He firmly believes that for him, it is a choice between God and Guinevere, and he takes Guinevere. He says: This is wrong and against my will, but I can’t help it. […] People he was like: 1. Lawrence of Arabia, 2. A nice captain of the cricket, 3. Parnell, 4. Sir W Raleigh, 5. Hamlet, 6. Me, 7. Prince Rufant, 8. Montros, 9. Tony Ireland or Von Simm […] or whatever, 10. Any mad man, 11. Adam.” — TH White. Torn between guilt and devotion, he represents the late medieval anxiety of whether equal devotion to one's lady and one's liege is possible. He loves both, so he must lose both. He can only end the story happy if he either refuses to indulge his temptation or leaves this world – either for heaven or the fairy realm.

the long-suffering knight

“Lancelot is: […] Probably sadistic or he would not have taken such frightful care to be gentle. […] 6. Ferociously punitive to his own body. He denies it and slave-drives it. 7. Devoted to ‘honour,’ which he regards as keeping promises and ‘having a Word.’ He tries to be consistent. 8. Curiously tolerant of other people who do not follow his own standards. He was nor shocked by the lady who was naked as a needle. 9. Not without a sense of humour. It was a good joke dressing up as Kay. And he often says amusing things. 10. Fond of being alone. 11. Humble about his athleticism: not false modesty. 12. Self-critical. Aware of some big lack in himself. What was it? 13. Subject to pity, cf. no. 3. 14. Emotional. He is the only person Mallory mentions as crying from relief. 15. Highly strung: subject to nervous breakdowns. 16. Yet practical. He ends by dealing with the Guinevere situation pretty well. He is a good man to have with you in a tight corner. […]18. Human. He firmly believes that for him, it is a choice between God and Guinevere, and he takes Guinevere. He says: This is wrong and against my will, but I can’t help it. […] People he was like: 1. Lawrence of Arabia, 2. A nice captain of the cricket, 3. Parnell, 4. Sir W Raleigh, 5. Hamlet, 6. Me, 7. Prince Rufant, 8. Montros, 9. Tony Ireland or Von Simm […] or whatever, 10. Any mad man, 11. Adam.” — TH White. Torn between guilt and devotion, he represents the late medieval anxiety of whether equal devotion to one's lady and one's liege is possible. He loves both, so he must lose both. He can only end the story happy if he either refuses to indulge his temptation or leaves this world – either for heaven or the fairy realm.

the boy king

The boy king has a huge burden placed on his shoulders. With a dead father who perished in battle or was poisoned, a shrewd and scheming mother, an abundance of homicidal relations, and a nation to rule, he can either become a puppet or the most formidable ruler a nation has seen.

tagged by: @torntruth​ tagging: Anyone that wants to do this one! 

[astranemus]

For the last 400 years or so science has relied on an «objectivity» provided by rational thinking and measurements. The empirical method introduced by the British philoso­pher William Bacon had done away with scholastic speculation even though empiri­cism retained a discursive way of communicating arguments. But as the preceding chapters suggest, an «objective science» is incomplete because it fails to take into account the living human observer. If it is to be more reliable and insightful, science needs to go a step further and include shared embodied experience in its method­ology. It should continue to rely on third-person «objective» methods of empirical observation and intellectual reasoning, but it must also introduce irreducible subjec­tive meaning as a necessary element.

...

Enlivenment means to profoundly rethink our relationship to the world, to the whole – and to other individuals who are selves like us. It means to overcome the dualistic gap that stands at the base of so many annoying, unnecessary dichotomies of thought and feeling that are deeply engrained in our epoch. Dualistic thinking prevents us from coming into contact with reality and understanding it – on both the empirical and semiotic side of our existence. Enlivenment, by contrast, puts the life into the centre. It begins with the foundational premise that we are embodied selves and therefore we know what it means to be animated parts of a living world. We know how it feels to be in the world and to be an individual. This is the deepest knowledge that we can access. Why should such inquiries be off-limits to science and banished from economics and public policy?

Andreas Weber, Enlivenment: Towards a fundamental shift in the concepts of nature, culture and politics

[miamayhemthespider]

Okay so, I disagree with your opinion that a woman being an adult human female is a circular definition. Being a female doesn’t automatically mean “woman”. Looking up the definition of female is proof enough of that. Like, there are female dogs, female cats, female (insert mammal here), etc.

Also saying that being a woman is someone who “exists better” as a woman, socially or r biologically, is just... so subjective. Like what exactly does that mean? Tbh if the history of misogyny has anything to show, it’s that most people don’t exist better as being women.

Ok cool couple of points here. 1 I hear you on the animal thing but it may be of intest to point out that curtain animal groups have also demonstrated trans gender tendencys so perhaps it is not as clear as you are saying but beyond that.

Yes it is subjective. I think eveyone one can agree that the experince of gender is subjecive. What being a women means to one cis woman is diffrent then another cis woman.

But lets adress the last point too. 1 historically women would have gotten a lot of social cache from beeing men but if they were taking t as well they would have suffered physicaly to an extent. As well as strugled with social dysphora. These are document things. I would never say that women are treated better then men I am just referring to a nuanced idea.

[iwanthermidnightz]

“Not a shot. Not a single chance. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Taylor Swift — who, at 30, has reached a Zen state of cheerful realism — laughs as she leans into a pillow she’s placed over her crossed legs inside her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, leaning further still into her infinitesimal odds of winning a Golden Globe, which will zero out when she heads down to the televised ball in a few hours.

Never mind whether or not the tune she co-wrote, “Beautiful Ghosts,” might actually have been worthy of a trophy for best original song (or shortlisted for an Oscar, which it was not). Since the Globe nominations were revealed, voters could hardly have been immune to how quickly the film it’s a part of, “Cats,” in which she also co-stars, became a whipping boy for jokes about costly Hollywood miscalculations and creative disasters. Not that you’ll hear Swift utter a discouraging word about it all. “I’m happy to be here, happy to be nominated, and I had a really great time working on that weird-ass movie,” she declares. “I’m not gonna retroactively decide that it wasn’t the best experience. I never would have met Andrew Lloyd Webber or gotten to see how he works, and now he’s my buddy. I got to work with the sickest dancers and performers. No complaints.”

If this leads you to believe that the pop superstar is in the business of sugarcoating things, consider her other new movie — a vastly more significant documentary that presents Swift not just sans digital fur but without a whole lot of the varnish of the celebrity-industrial complex. The Netflix-produced “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana” has a prestige slot as the Jan. 23 opening night gala premiere of the Sundance Film Festival before it reaches the world as a day-and-date theatrical release and potential streaming monster on Jan. 31.

The doc spends much of its opening act juxtaposing the joys of creation with the aggravations of global stardom — the grist of many a pop doc, if rendered in especially intimate detail — before taking a more provocative turn in its last reel to focus more tightly on how and why Swift became a political animal. It’s the story of an earnest young woman with a self-described “good girl” fixation working through her last remaining fears of being shamed as she comes to embrace her claws, and her causes.

Given that the film portrays how gradually, and sometimes reluctantly, Swift came to place herself into service as a social commentator, “Miss Americana” is a portrait of the birth of an activist. Director Lana Wilson sets the movie up so that it pivots on a couple of big letdowns for its subject. The first comes early in the film, and early in the morning, when Swift’s publicist calls to update her on how many of the top three Grammy categories her 2017 album “Reputation” is nominated for: zilch. She’s clearly bummed about the record’s brushoff by the awards’ nominating committee, as just about anyone who’d previously won album of the year twice would be, and determinedly tells her rep that she’s just going to make a better record.

But she suffers what feels like a more meaningful blow toward the end of the film. In the fall of 2018, Swift finally comes out of the closet politically to intervene on behalf of Democrats in a midterm election in her home state of Tennessee. As the Washington Post put it, this announcement “fell like a hammer across the Trump-worshipping subforums of the far-right Internet, where people had convinced themselves… that the world-famous pop star was a secret MAGA fan.” Donald Trump goes on camera to smirk that he now likes Swift’s music a little less. The singer is successful in enlisting tens of thousands of young people to register to vote, but her senatorial candidate of choice, Democrat Phil Bredesen, loses to Republican Marsha Blackburn, whom she’d called out as a flagrant enemy of feminism and gay rights.

“Definitely, that was a bigger disappointment for me,” Swift says, pitting the midterm snub against the Grammy snub. “I think what’s going on out in the world is bigger than who gets a prize at the party.”

It was not always thus for Swift — as the detractors who dragged her for staying quiet during the last presidential election eagerly pointed out. If you had to pick the most embarrassing or regrettable moment in “Miss Americana,” it might be the TV clip from “The Late Show With David Letterman” in which the host brings up politics and gets Swift to essentially advocate the “Shut up and sing” mantra. As the studio audience roars approval of her vow to stay apolitical, Letterman gives her what now looks like history’s most dated fist bump.

Thinking back on it, Swift is incredulous. “Every time I didn’t speak up about politics as a young person, I was applauded for it,” she says. “It was wild. I said, ‘I’m a 22-year-old girl — people don’t want to hear what I have to say about politics.’ And people would just be like, ‘Yeahhhhh!’”

At that point, Swift was already starting to record isolated pop tracks, taking baby steps that would soon turn into full strides away from her initial genre. But whether she had designs on switching lanes or not, the lesson of the Dixie Chicks’ forced exile after Natalie Maines’ comment against then-President George W. Bush had branded itself onto her brain at an earlier age, when she’d just planted her young-teen flag in Nashville and overheard a lot of the lamentations of older Music Row songwriters about how the Chicks had thrown it all away.

“I saw how one comment ended such a powerful reign, and it terrified me,” says Swift. “These days, with social media, people can be so mad about something one day and then forget what they were mad about a couple weeks later. That’s fake outrage. But what happened to the Dixie Chicks was real outrage. I registered it — that you’re always one comment away from being done being able to make music.”

Maybe the most transfixing scene in “Miss Americana” is one where Swift argues with her father and other members of her team about the statement she’s about to release coming out against Blackburn and — it’s clear from her references to White House opposition to the Equality Act — Donald Trump too. The comments were so spontaneous that Wilson wasn’t there to film the moment, but the director had asked people to turn on the camera if anything interesting transpired, and here it most certainly did.

“For 12 years, we’ve not got involved in politics or religion,” an unnamed associate says to Swift, suggesting that going down the road of standing against a president as well as Republican gubernatorial and Senate candidates could have the effect of halving her audience on tour. Her father chimes in: “I’ve read the entire [statement] and … right now, I’m terrified. I’m the guy that went out and bought armored cars.”

“I needed to get to a point where I was ready, able and willing to call out bullshit rather than just smiling my way through it.” TAYLOR SWIFT

But Swift is adamant about pressing the button to send a nearly internet-breaking Instagram post, saying that Blackburn has voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act as well as LGBTQ-friendly bills: “I can’t see another commercial [with] her disguising these policies behind the words ‘Tennessee Christian values.’ I live in Tennessee. I am Christian. That’s not what we stand for.” Pushing back tears, she laments not having come out against Trump two years earlier, “but I can’t change that. … I need to be on the right side of history. … Dad, I need you to forgive me for doing it, because I’m doing it.”

Says Swift now, “This was a situation where, from a humanity perspective, and from what my moral compass was telling me I needed to do, I knew I was right, and I really didn’t care about repercussions.” She understands why she faced such heated opposition in the room: “My dad is terrified of threats against my safety and my life, and he has to see how many stalkers we deal with on a daily basis, and know that this is his kid. It’s where he comes from.”

Swift was recently announced as the recipient of a Vanguard Award from GLAAD, and she name-checked the org in her basher-bashing single “You Need to Calm Down,” which was released as one of the teaser tracks for last fall’s more outwardly directed and socially conscious “Lover” album. Part of her politicization, she says, is feeling it would be hypocritical to hang out with her gay friends while leaving them to their own devices politically. In the film, she says, “I think it is so frilly and spineless of me to stand onstage and go ‘Happy Pride Month, you guys,’ and then not say this, when someone’s literally coming for their neck.”

A year and a half later, she elaborates: “To celebrate but not advocate felt wrong for me. Using my voice to try to advocate was the only choice to make. Because I’ve talked about equality and sung about it in songs like ‘Welcome to New York,’ but we are at a point where human rights are being violated. When you’re saying that certain people can be kicked out of a restaurant because of who they love or how they identify, and these are actual policies that certain politicians vocally stand behind, and they disguise them as family values, that is sinister. So, so dark.”

Her increasing alignment with the LGBTQ community wasn’t the only thing raising her consciousness to a breaking — i.e., speaking — point. So did the sexual assault trial in which judgment was rendered that she had been groped by a DJ in a backstage photo op (for financial restitution, Swift had asked for $1).

Her experience with the trial was crucial, she says, in finding herself “needing to speak up about beliefs I’d always had, because it felt like an opportunity to shed light on what those trials are like. I experienced it as a person with extreme privilege, so I can only imagine what it’s like when you don’t have that. And I think one theme that ended up emerging in the film is what happens when you are not just a people pleaser but someone who’s always been respectful of authority figures, doing what you were supposed to do, being polite at all costs. I still think it’s important to be polite, but not at all costs,” she says. “Not when you’re being pushed beyond your limits, and not when people are walking all over you. I needed to get to a point where I was ready, able and willing to call out bulls— rather than just smiling my way through it.”

That came into play when Kanye West stepped into her life and publicly shamed her a second time. In the video Kim Kardashian released in 2016, you can hear the people-pleasing Swift on the other end of the line sheepishly thanking him for letting her know about the “Me and Taylor might still have sex” line he plans to include about her in a song — only to regret it later when the eventual track also includes the claim “Why? I made that bitch famous.” The boast, of course, referred back to the moment when he interrupted her and stole her spotlight at the MTV VMAs six years earlier as she was in the middle of an acceptance speech. West’s is not a name that ever publicly escapes Swift’s lips, so it might be surprising to fans that these events are recapped in “Miss Americana,” although Swift says the filmic decisions were all up to the director, who explains that Swift’s reaction to the episode was important to include.

“With the 2009 VMAs, it surprised me that when she talked about how the whole crowd was booing, she thought that they were booing her, and how devastating that was,” says Wilson. “That was something I hadn’t thought about or heard before, and made it much more relatable and understandable to anyone.”

“I see the movie as looking at the flip side of being America’s sweetheart.” LANA WILSON, DIRECTOR OF “TAYLOR SWIFT: MISS AMERICANA”

Swift acknowledges how formative both incidents have been in her life, for ill and good. “As a teenager who had only been in country music, attending my very first pop awards show,” she says now, “somebody stood up and sent me the message: ‘You are not respected here. You shouldn’t be here on this stage.’ That message was received, and it burrowed into my psyche more than anyone knew. … That can push you one of two ways: I could have just curled up and decided I’m never going to one of those events ever again, or it could make me work harder than anyone expects me to, and try things no one expected, and crave that respect — and hopefully one day get it.

“But then when that person who sparked all of those feelings comes back into your life, as he did in 2015, and I felt like I finally got that respect (from West), but then soon realized that for him it was about him creating some revisionist history where he was right all along, and it was correct, right and decent for him to get up and do that to a teenage girl…” She sighs. “I understand why Lana put it in.”

Adds the woman who started her recent “Lover” album with a West-allusive romp that’s pointedly called “I Forgot That You Existed”: “I don’t think too hard about this stuff now.”

What’s not in the film is any mention of her other most famous nemeses — Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records, with whom she’s scrapped publicly for several months. “The Big Machine stuff happened pretty late in our process,” says Wilson. “We weren’t that far from picture lock. But there’s also not much to say that isn’t publicly known. I feel like Taylor’s put the story out there in her own words already, and it’s been widely covered. I was interested in telling the story that hadn’t been told before, that would be surprising and emotionally powerful to audiences whether they were music industry people or not.”

Still, the way Swift has been willing to stand up politically for others parallels the manner in which she stood up for herself in regard to Braun, et al., at the recent Billboard Women in Music Awards, where she gave an altogether blistering speech, naming names and taking no prisoners, going after the men who now control her six-album Big Machine back catalog. Certainly Swift was aware that, along with supporters, there were many friends and business associates of Braun among the VIPs in the Hollywood Palladium who would not be pleased with what this very reformed people-pleaser had to say.

One thing everyone who was in the room agrees on is that you could hear a pin drop as Swift used the speech to get even bolder about the meat of these disputes. Some would say it’s because they were riveted by her boldness in speaking truth to power, others because they just felt uncomfortable. Says one fellow honoree who works in a high position in the industry (and who’s worked with some high-profile Braun clients): “People were excited for her at the beginning of the speech. But once she started going in a negative direction at an event that is supposed to be celebrating accomplishments and rah-rah for women, I felt it fell flat with a good portion of the room, because it wasn’t the appropriate place to be saying it.”

Wasn’t it intimidating for Swift, knowing she might be polarizing an auditorium full of the most powerful people in the business? “Well, I do sleep well at night knowing that I’m right,” she responds, “and knowing that in 10 years it will have been a good thing that I spoke about artists’ rights to their art, and that we bring up conversations like: Should record deals maybe be for a shorter term, or how are we really helping artists if we’re not giving them the first right of refusal to purchase their work if they want to?”

“Obviously, anytime you’re standing up against or for anything, you’re never going to receive unanimous praise. But that’s what forces you to be brave. And that’s what’s different about the way I live my life now.” (Braun’s camp did not respond to a request for comment.)

One thing Taylor Swift can’t bend to her determined will is her family’s health. She revealed a few years ago that her mother, Andrea, a beloved figure among the thousands of fans who’ve met her at road shows, is battling breast cancer. Swift addressed the uncertainty of that struggle in an anguished song on her latest album, “Soon You’ll Get Better.” Many who view “Miss Americana” will look for signs of how her mom is doing. The subject comes up in a section of the film that includes a relatively light-hearted scene in in which it’s shown that one of Andrea Swift’s ways of saying “eff you” to cancer recently was to break the mold and bring a canine — her “cancer dog” — into a famously feline-friendly family.

The real answer may come in Swift’s touring activity for “Lover.” Whereas typically she’d spend nine months in the year after an album release on the road, she plans to limit herself to four stadium dates in America this summer and a trip around the festival circuit in Europe. This may not be 100% for personal reasons: “I wanted to be able to perform in places that I hadn’t performed in as much, and to do things I hadn’t done before, like Glastonbury,” she says. “I feel like I haven’t done festivals, really, since early in my career — they’re fun and bring people together in a really cool way. But I also wanted to be able to work as much as I can handle right now, with everything that’s going on at home. And I wanted to figure out a way that I could do both those things.”

Is being able to be there for her mother the main concern? “Yeah, that’s it. That’s the reason,” she says. “I mean, we don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know what treatment we’re going to choose. It just was the decision to make at the time, for right now, for what’s going on.”

In her case, it’s as if her manager had taken seriously ill as well as the person she’s always been closest to, all at once. “Everyone loves their mom; everyone’s got an important mom,” she allows. “But for me, she’s really the guiding force. Almost every decision I make, I talk to her about it first. So obviously it was a really big deal to ever speak about her illness.” During filming, when Andrea’s breast cancer had returned for a second time, “she was going through chemo, and that’s a hard enough thing for a person to go through.” Then it got harder. Speaking about this latest development publicly for the first time, Swift quietly reveals: “While she was going through treatment, they found a brain tumor. And the symptoms of what a person goes through when they have a brain tumor is nothing like what we’ve ever been through with her cancer before. So it’s just been a really hard time for us as a family.”

Compared with that, nearly any other topic the movie might address would pale. But it finds weightiness in addressing other kinds of unhealthiness, like the physical expectations that are placed on women in general and celebrity women specifically, Swift being no exception. In this department, she has her own heroines. “I love people like Jameela Jamil, because he way she speaks about body image, it’s almost like she speaks in a hook. Women are held to such a ridiculous standard of beauty, and we’re seeing so much on social media that makes us feel like we are less than, or we’re not what we should be, that you kind of need a mantra to repeat in your head when you start to have unhealthy thoughts. I swear the way Jameela speaks is like lyrics — it gets stuck in my head and it calms me down.”

Swift’s collaborator in this messaging, Wilson, was on a list of potential directors Netflix gave her when she expressed interest in possibly doing a documentary to follow the concert special that premiered on the service just over a year ago. You could discern a feminist message, if you chose to, in the fact that Swift chose a director most well known for a documentary about abortion providers, “After Tiller.” Swift says she was most impressed, though, that Wilson’s docs look for nuance and subtlety in addressing subjects that do lend themselves to soapboxes, and their first conversation was about their mutual desire to avoid “propaganda” in any form.

If there’s a feminist agenda in “Miss Americana,” Wilson and Swift wanted it to emerge naturally, although the director admits it was pretty blatant from the outset, given that she set up the film (which is co-produced by Morgan Neville, the director’s “sounding board”) with an all-female crew. Or nearly all-female, says Wilson, laughing, “I will say that we did always have male production assistants, because I like trying to show people that men can fetch coffee for women.”

Adds Wilson, “When I started filming, it was before she’d come out politically. She knew that she was coming out of a very dark period, and wanted collaborate on something that captured what she was going through and that was really raw and honest and emotionally intimate.” The political awakening, the director says, “was a profound decision for her to make. In that, I saw this feminist coming of age story that I personally connected with, and that I really think women and girls around the world will see themselves in.”

“The bigger your career gets, the more you struggle with the idea that a lot of people see you the same way they see an iPhone or a Starbucks.” TAYLOR SWIFT

The film borrows its title from a song on the “Lover” album, “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” that’s maybe the one fully allegorical song Swift has ever released — and, in its fashion, is a great protest song. The entire lyric is a metaphor for how Swift grew up as an unblinking patriot and has had to reluctantly leave behind her naiveté in the age of Trump. Her partner on that track, as well as other message songs like “You Need to Calm Down” and “The Man,” was a co-writer and co-producer new to her stable of collaborators this time around, Joel Little.

With the song “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” although the lyrics are cloaked in metaphor, “We like to think it was a very clear statement,” Little says. “There are lots of little hidden messages within that song that are all pointing toward the way that she thinks and feels about politics and the United States. I love that it uses a lot of classic Taylor Swift imagery, in terms of the songwriting topics of high school and cheerleaders, as a clever nod to what she’s done in the past, but tied in with a heavy political message.”

“Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” doesn’t actually appear in the documentary, but the director says the film’s title is understood by fans as an obvious reference to political themes in the number. “Even if you don’t know the song,” Wilson says, “I see the movie as looking at the flip side of being America’s sweetheart, so I like how the title evokes that too.”

The doc doesn’t lack for its own protest songs though. In the wake of her midterm disappointment, Swift is seen writing an anthem for millennials who might have come away disillusioned with the political process. That previously unheard song, “Only the Young,” is seen being demo-ed before it plays in full over the end credits; it’ll be released as a digital single in conjunction with the doc. Key lyric: ““You did all that you could do / The game was rigged, the ref got tricked/ The wrong ones think they’re right / We were outnumbered — this time.”

“One thing I think is amazing about her,” says Wilson, “is that she goes to the studio and to songwriting as a place to process what she’s going through. I loved how, when she got the Grammy news (about “Reputation”), this isn’t someone who’s going to feel sorry for herself or say ‘That wasn’t right.’ She’s like, ‘Okay, I’m going to work even harder.’ You see her strength of character in that moment when she gets that news. And then with the election results, I loved how she channeled so many of her thoughts and feelings into ‘Only the Young.’ It was a great way to kind of show how stuff that happens in her life goes directly into the songs; you get to witness that in both cases.

So is the film aimed at satisfying the fan base or teasing the unconvinced hordes who might dial it up as a free stream? “I think it’s a little bit of both,” Swift says. “I chose Netflix because it’s a very vast, accessible medium to people who are just like, ‘Hey, what’s this? I’m bored.’ I love that, because I do so many things that cater specifically to fans that like my music, I think it’s important to put yourself out there to people who don’t care at all about you.”

In the wake of the last round of Kanye-gate, stung by the backlash of those who took his side, Swift took a three-year break from interviews. The mantra of her 2017 album “Reputation” and subsequent tour was “No explanations.” But her Beyoncé-style press blackout was a passing phase. With “Lover” and now, especially, the documentary, she could hardly be more about the explanations. Although this interview is the only one she currently plans to do about the documentary, it’s clear that she’s come back into a season of openness, and that she considers it her natural habitat.

“I really like the whole discussion around music. And during ‘Reputation,’ it never felt like it was ever going to be about music, no matter what I said or did,” she says. “I approach albums differently, in how I want to show them to the world or what I feel comfortable with at that time in my life.” Being more transparent “feels great with this album. I really feel like I could just keep making stuff — it’s that vibe right now. I don’t think I’ve ever written this much. That’s exhibited in ‘Lover’ having the most songs that I’ve ever had on an album” (18, to be exact). “But even after I made the album, I kept writing and going in the studio. That’s a new thing I’ve experienced this time around. That openness kind of feels like you finally got the lid off a jar you’ve been working at for years.”

Cipher-dom never could have stood for long for someone who’s established herself as one of the most accomplished confessional singer-songwriters in pop history. “I don’t really operate very well as an enigma,” she says. “It’s not fulfilling to me. It works really well in a lot of pop careers, but I think that it makes me feel completely unable to do what I had gotten in this to do, which is to communicate to people. I live for the feeling of standing on a stage and saying, ‘I feel this way,’ and the crowd responding with ‘We do too!’ And me being like, ‘Really?’ And they’re like, ‘Yes!’”

Swift believes talking things up again isn’t a form of giving in to narcissism — it’s a way of warding off commodification.

“The bigger your career gets, the more you struggle with the idea that a lot of people see you the same way they see an iPhone or a Starbucks,” she muses. “They’ve been inundated with your name in the media, and you become a brand. That’s inevitable for me, but I do think that it’s really necessary to feel like I can still communicate with people. And as a songwriter, it’s really important to still feel human and process things in a human way. The through line of all that is humanity, and reaching out and talking to people and having them see things that aren’t cute.

[ahalal-uralma]

The 3 Manifestations of The Morning Star (Lucifer)

Manifestation of Fire / The Light Bringer

Star God Archetype : Lord of Summer

The Mentor / The Guardian

Of Air & Fire

He arrives as a non-corporeal being of fire; in this form, he is as bewildering and violent as the sun. You may not look directly upon his light—to do so is to subjecate yourself to a most painful burning from which you may never recover.

He arrives in this form when he is in the great throes of vehemence or passion; sometimes, there is little distinction between the two. His purpose isn’t to be seen, but understood. Patience is not his greatest virtue, but wraith most certainly is his greatest sin: do not anger him or waste his time. He considers his time limited and valuable. Remember that it is his form of enlightenment: there is a lesson to be learned, and you better learn it! He did not manifest with frivolous intent. His presence is not without reason. Understand the reason. Don’t know the reason? You better figure it out immediately.

Symbolism or telepathy are your pathways of communication here. You may not speak to him aloud. He is sensitive to your noise. Still your mind so he may touch it. If you are so brave or so foolish, you may still catch a glimpse of his blistering wings; but, that does not come recommended; there may be a cure for your ignorance, but you will have to live with your blindness.

Manifestation of Ice / The Horned God

Fairy King Archetype : Lord of Winter

The Trickster / The Seducer

Of Air & Water

He arrives as a corporeal being of ice: in this form, he begins to physically manifest with a beauty that chills you like a frosty morning. When he looks upon you, he cuts you with a gaze as sharp as ice crystals. You shiver, but find you can not turn away.

He arrives in this form when he is calculating and scheming; he is up to his plotting, and you are invited to his plans. He will trick you into a twisted bargain or plot of revenge. Lust is his greatest sin and this sin will present itself in unexpected ways. He is very cunning and charming. He will stab you in the back and convince you that you’re the attacker; and shockingly, you will believe him; because, how else did you end up with the dagger in your hand? Or perhaps in another scenario: you find yourself the guest of a grandiose masquerade of which he has asked you to dance; and so you do so for many hours, all the while entranced by his warm words and delicate movements; but, be careful where you decide to plant your feet, for you might never stop dancing. You are always at the mercy of his amusement.

Be honest and direct with your words when communicating with this form. Honesty is policy. Sincerity is his most cherished virtue. He does not respect a liar. He can’t tell a lie and neither should you; however, he can manipulate perceptions and reality to his liking. If you lie, lie with intregity. Calculate the risks for there are many. If you have to lie, lie with acceptance for the consequences. Be prepared for accountability, because he will hold you accountable. Do nothing you are not ready to commit to: to work with the trickster is a commitment. Know your convictions, before he decides them for you.

Manifestation of Abyss / The Destroyer

The Devil Archetype: Lord of Autumn/Spring

The Adversary / The Accuser

Of Earth & The Spirit

He arrives as a corporeal being of death: in this form, he takes the shape of your worst dreams. He is a beautiful interpretation of your most wicked nightmares. He may appear with void-black eyes and a fleshless face; or as a beautiful wraith, pale-skinned, with sharp horns upon his crown. Roses wither from his caress. You look upon him with sheer terror and awe. He looks upon you with a dismal expression of indifference. What did you expect when you are so painfully mundane and human?

Do not lose heart: it only takes a selfless act to shake up his hardened exterior, and he is not as scary as he first seems....or is he? If he bares you his fangs, trust that there is no emptiness to his bite; this Lucifer knows how to put up a good fight, for he has fought in battles and survived wars you can’t possibly imagine. His reasons for arriving in this form are one and many; he does not need to explain them to you—it is bold to assume his arrival has anything to do with you; in fact, it seems you are quite entitled to the knowledge of his presence. You think he has an agenda; but maybe, consider there might not be one—isn’t it enough for him to exist? If there’s one thing he consistently detests it’s the need to justify his existence.

Be brave and empathetic when you are communicating with this form. It does not matter in what form you speak so long as it comes with genuine compassion and humility. Compassion is everything, but do not insult him with your pity. He is not weak! His greatest virtue is love; but, his greatest sin is pride. He will hold his pride closer to him than any lover. It’s up to you if you make a great ally or enemy of The Devil. You must earn his trust. You are not entitled to his trust. Or his love. He does not love easily. Love is earned. Aside from his ego, love is of great importance to him—so much so, he has endured damnation for it; and many seek it from him without offering true understanding. He is not a perfect being, far from it, but he will not tolerate inauthenticity. He will smite you for falsehood; and doubly so, if it’s with hateful intent. Remember that he is not a foe you wish to earn—he lords over the fiery abyss and punishes souls on the regular. Respect his soul and he will have respect for yours.