#i am not meant to be employed. i am meant to be a (successful!) creative weirdo

[carcarrot]

after another failed job search my only option is to now go back to working on my storyboards for my short film idea that i haven't worked in on months

[niamhsnationalproject]

Week 1

Monday

As I knew the previous local module did not receive all of my attention, I decided I would ensure to keep on top of my work this time around and push myself to create something better. Towards the end of the module I struggled to create a routine that left me in the right headspace to complete my work. I feel as though working in a group again will motivate me to prove that I can be an asset to the team.

From visiting Jason in September, I already knew he was involved in the turner prize has he spent one of the days in Eastbourne and mentioned his own project very briefly. this meant I could go into his presentation with some context.

[insert ideas for spaces/ notes from presentation]

After the presentation, we were able get into our groups to begin brainstorming. I am in a group with Liz, Rachel, Lewis and Viviene. While i have worked with Liz before (during the nature/performance lab), i have not worked with the others and think this could be interesting as Lewis and Viviene are from different creative backgrounds and this will be their first mandatory group project within this course. At first it was just me, Liz and Viviene there to discuss our ideas so we had a think about locations locally to explore different types of buildings. As a starting point, i suggested researching into Northampton as a location due to its extreme dying

From Jason's talk I thought it would be best to start my research by conducting a small generalised interview with my dad. He had worked in retail for over 30 years, starting on the shop floor of Primark and working his way up to senior director for northern Europe for adidas before being made redundant due to job cutbacks within retail. His role in adidas meant he saw many shop openings and pop up stores so I thought he would be good intel to see how pop up stores run as well as to ask him about the downfall of the high-street. Here are the questions and answers from my preliminary interview:

- how did pop ups run?

- what made a pop up successful?

- how did they decide on locations?

- what do you think contributed to the downfall of the high street?

"They did well but profitability depended on type of contract. As an example some “host stores” charged rent based on square footage and location within the store. Eg rent on the ground floor was more expensive than say the basement or first floor. Location on the floor also influenced rent. Eg by the escalator or stairs was usually more expensive. Some hosts charges a percentage of turnover, some charged less if the Brand employed and provided their own staff etc. so a lot was down to negotiation. Another factor was lifestyle in that it was better to be beside similar lifestyle product. Eg young fashion would be together. Etc We can talk about that later. Downfall of High Street was due to high rent and business rates. Also out of town shopping centres - free parking and usually a supermarket was the anchor store so those places became a one stop shop. Cheaper rents meant larger units so bigger customer offering. Slow withdrawal from the high street meant that as leases expired units became vacant and were not renewed and customers started to go elsewhere. Pop ups were used to create excitement short term leases were cheap in empty units - they made product accessible to a customer base that may not have had access to it before. Also the high street could not compete with on line purchases. However for customer service reasons they had to accept on line returns / refunds. In the early stages of on line the two routes to market had different revenue streams and profit and loss. Therefore operationally difficult to differentiate between in line revenue and bricks and mortar. Companies eventually brought them together but the high street was convenient for refunds which impacted top line sales and ultimately the margins and profitability"

Upon further talks with my dad, he said pop ups were more likely to be in a separate unit with its own door however brands would rent spaces in other stores on fixed term contracts or by commission. It was also good to know that in the earlier days of online retailers becoming a thing, the stores could be seen as doing significantly worse due to customers bringing their online returns to their local in person store. This would cause worsened reports of sales for the store and may make the store seem like it is failing to management as the data was not being differentiated.

Other factors to consider that caused the decline in high-street retail, specifically in the UK were hurdle rates and business taxes. Due to the UK having higher business taxes, companies decided it was okay to have lower hurdle rates of 10% rather than the 25% required in other areas of Europe for a venture to be considered successful. This was why areas such as Germany had more pop up stores (within adidas at least) as the company would receive a higher return.

He also suggested looking into goad maps and springboard. These provide data sets on footfall and optimal locations to place ventures within urban areas. From looking into these resources briefly, it seems data is easily accessed if being used for research purposes. Once we have decided on a city/town, it would be great to apply for the relevant data to help pick an abandoned unit to work with. Goad maps then lead me to the Consumer Data Research Centre which seems to have lots of research on retail, health and wellbeing, crime and emergency services, population housing and infrastructure, urban mobility, ethical and sustainable consumptions, and recent publications. Which all could be of great use to our project.

[insert ideas for spaces/ notes from presentation]

After the presentation, we were able get into our groups to begin brainstorming. I am in a group with Liz, Rachel, Lewis and Viviene. While i have worked with Liz before (during the nature/performance lab), i have not worked with the others and think this could be interesting as Lewis and Viviene are from different creative backgrounds and this will be their first mandatory group project within this course. At first it was just me, Liz and Viviene in the studio to discuss our ideas. We had a think about locations locally to explore different types of buildings. Then, as a starting point, i suggested researching into Northampton as a location due to its extreme dying high street. Northampton has a rich history that i am already familiar with that could be used to generate a relevant outcome for the centre. For Wednesday we decided to individually research different locations across the country to see if anywhere in specific stands out to us/ inspires us.

We then created a WhatsApp group to be able to communicate outside of timetabled studio sessions as well as a collaborative miro page to put all of our research and findings.

Wednesday

After arriving on Wednesday morning, it seemed the group were looking more towards remaining in Birmingham to propose a unit here. While I do see this as an idea with potential, I am concerned that we are disregarding the "national" element of the brief. I feel as though at this point in the project we should be exploring all of our options and seeing what inspires us as well as having a high street in need of a facelift rather than settling for a location because it is convenient. another reason why I feel this way is because our proposal can be quite speculative and if it isn't possible, we don't have to physically create the desired outcome.

I did feel as though we should explore other options, however, I also wanted to consider other group member's ideas. I was perhaps feeling slightly cornered into this idea which made me want to reject the whole project if I'm being honest. when asking if anyone had ideas on what we could put in an abandoned building, Lewis had suggested installing an exhibition. As his background is fine art, i feel as though this is expected. He may not know the other possibilities are to fill a space. I think if we are to create an exhibition, it would have to have another element to it that the user can interact with or have another layer to it rather than just having a lighting display.

Going along to explore this potential further, we spent the afternoon exploring Brindley place and other local areas to see if we could find some abandoned buildings. We were able to investigate deutsche bank, they have four floors of unoccupied spaces however were manned by security who were unable to provide us with any information. This could be a possible location as there are obviously still investors ensuring the place doesn't become derelict or overrun with squatters.

[reginarubie]

I saw you mentioned that you were thinking of writing a genderswapped Orpheus and Eurydice Jonsa meta. There was one thing I was wondering about, which is that the point of the Orpheus/Eurydice story in Ovid is that he fails.

I'm always interested when Orpheus/Eurydice is mentioned as a mythical parallel for a pairing, because compared to Osiris/Isis which has a successful resolution, by comparison the idea behind Orpheus/Eurydice is very different. It's very bittersweet, and not always a positive idea to see paralleled---Eurydice is meant to stay dead.

On the other hand, what you have going for your wonderfully written metas is that the fairytale motif of the Search for the Lost Husband has so much potential---as you've demonstrated---with Jonsa, that I'm wondering if Orpheus/Eurydice is a true parallel here. It's worth noting it's their wedding day that she dies, and I'm pretty sure if a Jonsa wedding happens it will be after Jon is transformed into a man again from a Beast.

Do you think Orpheus/Eurydice is an interesting parallel because Sansa might not be successful at saving Jon first, or potentially ever? Also, what do you think of other Search for the Lost Husband stories, like Ishtar's?

I would still really love to read what you have to say, because obviously you haven't written the post yet, and I wonder how ASOIAF would recontextualize the Orpheus/Eurydice myth. GRRM definitely has respect for the cycle of life/death---Lady Stoneheart's prolonged life and resurrection is a curse, but will allow her soul to be settled by her wayward daughter---and so I wonder what the exact characterisation will be of Jon's undeath. It's definitely appropriate to consider, because Orpheus/Eurydice is so beautiful, but it is heartbreaking. I guess that's the right tonal chord for GRRM. (:

If I've pre-empted what you're already going to write, no worries. I think I got a bit excited. Love your writings, and it's always sweet to see you add a foreword to your posts about the complexity of myth. I think the most important thing is to consider about GRRM himself would employ it, not just appreciating the complexity of mythic traditions as they are respected academically, and you completely cover that anyway, along with great overlooks. I especially liked how you connected Ishtar and Aphrodite.

Ciao anon!

So, first things first thank you for all your compliments, I am glad you find my metas interesting and worth reading (I know they are long and sometimes I fear tedious; anyway, digressing) 🙃 and I always enjoy when I see people enjoying ‘em.

Pertaining Orpheus and Eurydice peculiarities, it is an heartbreaking and bittersweet myth (I don’t remember if I have written it in the “get to know your author reply” — but I had written a reboot of this precise myth in high school during creative writing course in which Orpheus was not overcome by the need to look back, but actually did look back purposefully because he felt like Eurydices belonged to the dead instead of the living — anyway digressing) and due to this I feel compelled to say it might actually be even more fitting of the kind of story Martin is writing, like you said it seems to strike the exact chords of GRRM’s writing and as I feel the best feature of his creative style is making the psychological and historical motifs of his character plausible and real life is often bittersweet I do feel like I wouldn’t be surprised if he got inspired by bittersweet myths.

Actually I think Orpheus and Eurydice have more in common with Osiris and Isis than the meets of the eye — as whilst Isis does manage to put back together Osiris, her husband still belongs to the dead and thus leaves her to stay in the afterlife and it is only thanks to the sacrifice of one of Horus’ eyes that he gets enough strength to actually rule as king of the afterlife, it is bittersweet too as they are separated and while she managed to give him new life that life is not with her — so somewhat it is like Orpheus and Eurydice as Eurydice belongs to the dead and remains dead as Orpheus lives on.

So, since I believe that it’s totally possible that we get in the book Jon and Sansa as separate entities and we can grasp the pull they have on each other due the inner dialogue but not on acted on events these kind of myths seem to be fitting like a glove to Jonsa (both Osiris and Isis and Eurydice and Orpheus) especially as I think that the end might give us Jon going beyond the Wall for a time leaving the finale open for him to return to Sansa or acknowledging their feelings only due inner dialogue in the span-time of asoiaf whilst leaving open the possibility of them beyond ADOS into actual spring so beyond the events of asoiaf.

I actually have my theory about resurrection in asoiaf (I have spoken briefly about it in a darkDany post and I have planned a serie of metas focusing on each resurrected character and the differences and point in common of each to recognise a pattern) but I won’t digress here on it (tho I should really start working on it because it feels important to the other metas I have planned) but you can find it briefly explained here (in the second installment of my theory of resurrected Dany as darkDaenerys Targaryen).

Of course each myth must be contextualised and put in perspective trying to gather the author’s intention of employing it as an influence in his writing which is why it is imperative to try and consider all version reachable through our means of the same myth as we’ve discovered with the opposition of Venus and Astarte or Ishtar it can make a whole deal of difference especially when we are considering a well read man as Martin as an author.

Ah — don’t get me started on the motif of the Lost Spouse as we have it in asoiaf pertaining Tyrion (where do whores go?, part I it is actually a series of four replies on connecting matters but it does feature some details of the Lost Spouse applied to Tyrion’s toxicity) as well as foreshadowed for Sansa (and possibly Jon — Jonsa foreshadowing part III). I have merely touched the peak of the iceberg so to speak and there is so much still waiting to be searched, analysed and connected there…so much potential too (tho I have yet to research Ishtar’s lost Spouse, but I did said something about it when speaking of Sansa’s parallels with Günlod abandoned by Odin).

Too many foreshadowing context for Jonsa there!

I feel this parallel might be interesting because Sansa might manage to get Jon back to himself, however briefly, and as suggested by the show she may manage to save him (as Isis did) but that might mean for them to sacrifice their chance to be together to keep the other safe. Tho I hope it might be a temporary thing and that the author might give us the context to prove during spring they might actually go beyond that temporary separation.

Also, even tho I am praying for their happy ending (nor just a bitter sweet one) I try to be as unbiased as I can so I like to analyse even those hypothesis that might give us a different insight confronted to what we’d like to see. 👀 guess I like seeing my theories fall from time to time.

Failure to save a loved one is something Sansa struggles with since the end of AGOT when she tries her best to save Ned, thinks she got it resolved and actually has not — from thereon it’s an ongoing motif for her, she saves Dontos at first but is unable to save him later, and it keeps popping up with the theory of her discovering LF poisoning Robert and acting on her subtly overpowering LF by keeping Sweetrobin safe — so I feel that myths like these with partially resolved issue (Isis and Osiris, Günllod and Odin as well as Orpheus and Eurydice) are extremely pertaining to her character; so worth a shot so to speak even only to further analyse her character.

I hope I have replied to all you have asked and written, feel free to correct me if I am wrong and actually lost something in my reply, I end up always digressing and loosing track of the original pattern of the reply 😅. Thank you again for all the nice compliments, once I’ve written and posted the new meta I will be very excited to see what you think of it (if you want, always)!

I wish you a very wonderful day!

[uwua3]

hi! first off, congrats on the new blog!! i read that misumi piece and i really enjoyed it hehe,, if it's alright, may i request some domestic fluff with kazunari? mayb looking over old photo albums of each other from when they were kids and laughing and telling stories about what happened in the photos? thank you very much and i hope u have a nice day :D

hi!!! this made me so happy 🥺 thank you so much, i hope to keep this blog running for a long time! also, i saw your reblog of my jealousy hcs and i wanted to say thank you for your sweet comments!!! i go back to it whenever i need motivation, you inspire me to keep writing ♡ thank you! i hope to continue making you proud as a writer :D <3

summary: kazunari had to stop living in the past and make new memories outside of his yearbooks with you

author’s note: this is definitely a much happier piece than my others! this was refreshing to write and i treasure it dearly, it’s definitely much more on the humorous side! no angst today, folks!!! (ok just a little, but it’s barely noticeable!)

this is just a little look into a hoarder named kazunari and his sentimental, nostalgic personality ♡ i, myself, am a marie kondo supporter so i love decluttering! if you are a hoarder like kazunari, honestly go you! you keep those knick knacks that remind you of memories! do whatever makes you the happiest :D

word count: 2,151

music: make you mine – public, tongue tied – grouplove (this song is so Kazunari !!!)

nostalgia.

🌻🎨 miyoshi kazunari

it was that time of year again

kazunari hated spring cleaning with a passion. so what if his art supplies were all over the dorms? he knew where everything was! uh, mostly...

(if you ignore his daily panicked house searches which kept everyone up way too late if he couldn’t locate a very specific paint shade for a big project he definitely procrastinated)

so, it took, so much bribery to get kazunari to even consider cleaning out his entire dorm room

(muku was a very Good Boy and already had his side of the room perfectly dusted and organized)

yes, you had to promise to pose as a model for one of his paintings one day (hopefully, not the type of class you were thinking) (kazunari’s suggestive wink didn’t help)

the thing about kazunari was he was somewhat of a, putting it politely, hoarder

as an extremely sentimental person, it would take the whole mankai company to even force him to throw something away

(“no! it has a special meaning to me! i remember what happened when i got this~” kazunari would whine, holding the useless item between his hands with no intentions to ever look at it again)

so the boys employed you to be kazunari’s rational judgement when cleaning that day

(“please actually make him do something.” sakyo looked like he was on the border of begging; kazunari’s abundance of random knick knacks and shopaholic addiction problem was becoming an issue that affected everyone)

rule #1 of cleaning kazunari’s storage room: don’t open anything because kazunari will become very sentimental and nothing will get gone

so therefore, as a team, you two tackled the rather spotless room. the interior was minimal and modern, just like kazunari liked it with pops of color here and there

(he had one blank white wall and you realized it was the backdrop he used to film all his social media posts [dancing tik toks, fashion #ootds on instagram, daily vlogs on his growing youtube channel])

at first, you were confused where all his stuff went until you opened a closet against his terrible and unconvincing distractions

without time to react, you found yourself buried in tens of books you couldn’t even fathom how it all fit

(“i’ve played way too much tetris.” kazunari would admit later on when asked about his immaculate stacking)

“you’ve got to be kidding me!” you groaned, pushing your head above the surface of book covers that have either never been opened or were way too old to even be functionable

“i’m sorry~ please, forgive me!” kazunari pleaded, immediately pulling you out of his own mess and using all his cuteness to make you roll your eyes fondly at your best friend

you almost started ranting at him about the dangers of taking up too much closet space with useless items before you realized:

wait! stop! he’s trying to get you to forget about throwing these books out! you thought suddenly, crossing your arms as you stared at the pile, trying to figure out how to approach the situation

“you cannot distract me. we are going through this mound and you will be getting rid of something today.” you ordered, seeing his shoulders drop in defeat as he nodded solemnly, but accepting his fate without any arguments. thank god for that

you two bent down and organized all the books into categories. popular photography instruction guides, creative advice columns, and all his past art textbooks kazunari couldn’t sell were put into a seperate group because luckily, they were relevant to his art school

things like old newspapers with funny comics were recycled (you refused to let kazunari read them in fear of invoking some form of nostalgia) (also because he had the whackiest sense of humor ever and would die laughing)

it was going well, until you reached the thickest photo books of them all (you had almost forgotten what you and kazunari’s school mascot was)

but unsurprisingly, kazunari had every single yearbook from each year of his education all the way until his last year in high school piled high to his chest

even he looked somewhat shocked from his mass accumulation from his teen years

“ah! i’m so old now~ look at all this! what else can i do except die?!” kazunari dramatically flopped onto his bed, tired of lifting so much weight. hey! his arms weren’t meant for exercise, he was a painter!

lifting his head to see you were distracted from alphabetically sorting the first section lovingly dubbed, “art shit”, kazunari mischeviously grinned as he leaned down to snatch a random yearbook

flipping to a random page, kazunari smiled as he realized it was the first time he ever met you back in elementary

kazunari sang your name as he sat upwards, having a shit–eating look on his face as he started swinging his legs back and forth

oh no, he was up to something no good, you knew it but humored him anyways

“yes, kazu?” you turned your line of sight to the most horrible picture possible: you with the ugliest haircut in the entire world with kazunari’s black hair taking up the entire photo as you two sheepishly smiled for the camera. it was not a proud moment

okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, you just couldn’t help but shriek at the sight of your hair

“oh my god! you can’t just jumpscare me like that!” you laughed despite yourself. you knew you had to be serious and focused on decluttering, but one look at your past made you remember all the good times before so–called “adulthood”

“look at your hair!” you cackled, reaching up to playfully yank at his mullet as he yelped and lightly smacked your hand away. rubbing the back of his neck, kazunari huffed childishly and pouted like he was back in his youth

“come on! this was the pinnacle moment i realized, i should not be a hair dresser.” kazunari commented, making you remember how you just let a random 8–year–old boy waddle up to you with safety scissors and advertise his salon business like a professional

(yes, you bought into it right away. your teacher had a heart attack when she saw you with a majority of your hair on the floor and kazunari keeping small talk like an actual hair stylist)

thinking back after the haircut incident, you weren’t allowed to chat with the funny class clown anymore as you were forced to wear a hat every day

(it was either that or go completely bald to fix the job kazunari did to your head)

it wasn’t until you received a very creative and colorful apology letter with tons of sad faces drawn with waxy crayons that you snuck out to play with him on the swings in recess

“i can’t believe we became friends because i wanted free hair cuts for the rest of my life.” you added, staring at the picture with a sense of nostalgia. you kinda got where kazunari was coming from, memories were fun to look at every once and a while

at least, eleven years worth of memories after being inseperable from that moment forward

(maybe, you should’ve held onto it, you thought, not knowing that would be the first of many art pieces you would be gifted by him)

kazunari knew he won. excited, he dropped down to lay on his stomach as you leaned against the bed, watching as he thumbed through the pages with ease, leaning his head on yours comfortably

it was rare to find kazunari quiet, he must’ve been like this all the time when going through his stuff, you thought, at peace for once

lazily smiling, kazunari put his finger against your yearbook pictures as he reminisced on the past. something about everyone ever in your grade, how kazunari knew everyone and had a special memory with each person, no matter how big or small

“—and here, the teacher somehow caught a pic of us swinging wayyy too high for kids our age!” kazunari laughed, breaking your train of thought as you snickered at the absolute joy radiating from both your faces as you two competed to see who could reach the clouds

(kazu won. you fell off right after and had to get picked up from your parents after badly scraping your knee. it took another sorry letter and art of you two holding hands with a heart for your parents to forgive kazunari)

“let’s go back.” you interrupted him, making him sit up confused as you swung your keys out from your back pocket. it didn’t take any convincing for kazunari to nod right away and took the elementary yearbook into his arm

you two only had to exchange a secret look before formulating a plan to sneak out, leaving music on from kazunari’s speakers to act like kazunari was still cleaning

you two giggled amongst yourselves before clambering into your car, speeding off and laughing loudly from your successful getaway. the manager was none the wiser!

during the short car ride, you and kazunari played your favorite mixtape of all time

(“you kept this?!” kazunari yelled, giddily bouncing up and down from excitement when he discovered the mixtape stash)

he slipped the disc in as you two yelled along to childhood favorites with the windows rolled down, letting the entire neighborhood know the best duo were back in town

(seriously, there were so many you stashed away in your glove department. all labeled in sharpie with compelling titles connected to the inside jokes only you two found funny)

arriving at the destination, you two exited the vehicle to see the play pen was abandoned as the teaching staff went home for the day

the sun was setting and it felt like the playground was in another rift of time as you approached it, hearing the weak movement of the swings going back and forth on their own. you sat down, holding onto the chains. you hadn’t been back ever since you graduated. it hadn’t changed at all

kazunari opened the elementary yearbook back to the original page, pulling out his tripod and phone he always had on hand in his backpack as he set it up right across the swing set

“what are you doing?” you inquired, tilting your head as he fumbled around pressing different buttons and filters too complex for you to remember

looking up, kazunari grinned as he set a timer for 10 seconds before sprinting back to the swing next to you

“swing contest right now! i bet i could swing higher than you ever could!” kazunari challenged childishly, quickly kicking his legs for the momentum. you narrowed your eyes, refusing to lose as you two laughed over the sound of his phone taking a burst of photos

you realized what he was doing. he was re–creating your memories together

but you turned to look at him and your heart skipped a beat. you never remembered him looking this, different, in the purple lighting. for a flashing moment, you swore you saw the silhoutte of his black–haired, child self sit next to you before you blinked and saw him. kazunari was the same, just older now

you slowed down your swing by dragging your sneakers against the wood chipped ground. you grabbed both the swings’ chains to hold them together

you didn’t want to live in the past anymore. you wanted to grow up with him, too

“what—” kazunari started, matching your pace before being cut off by your lips against his, the phone going off for one last time

you pulled yourself in close enough just to smile. he smelled the exact same as he did when he discovered cologne for the first time. he never changed

you pulled away first even if he tried leaning forward for more, like he was waiting all these years just for that one moment. like he saw you in the same light, too

“i wanted to do that for years.” you confessed, watching as he took your hand carefully, like he was afraid you were going to leave. for once, he didn’t know what to do, which face to show

“me too...” kazunari agreed, seemingly speechless before straightening his back, like he was about to run away. the hair on your neck stood up, what was he about to do?

“i promise i won’t cut your hair anymore, unless?” kazunari winked dramatically, mimicking the shape of scissors with his fingers as he tried snipping at your hair

he laughed as you shoved him with all your might, hopping off the swing to chase him throughout the school parking lot

now this was a memory kazunari would never throw away, no matter what

(no one thought the two of you escaped until kazunari posted the pics on his instagram, both of you getting a scolding from sakyo this time)

(busted!)

[eltigreus]

what’s changed?

when I was younger (not that I now am old or anything), I used to tweet, livejournal, post, share, reblog (with vivacious commentary), and unabashedly expose my self and my expressions in whatever manner I could think of on a daily basis, wherever possible. multiple times a day, in fact. the epitome of screaming into the void - simply for the sake of assuring myself that I am alive and I have thoughts/feelings. but now...

I find myself: habitually/obsessively running my thoughts and opinions through judgement filters before even allowing myself to consider them; reactively scrutinizing the art and expressions of others for no good reason other than to be contradictory; scavenging the depths of my mind for good content and throwing out practically every seed I pull up before it even has a chance to be germinated; refusing to share anything of myself that feels underdeveloped or inadequate for this social platform or that; and (at times, desperately) looking for any minuscule moment of every day life interesting enough to capture on video that I could share with friends, family, followers, and anyone else that might help to contribute to the proliferation of vast opportunity for creation in the realm of entertainment for myself and my cohorts.

“What happened?”

how did that bombastically outspoken, overly-enthusiastic, naïvely ostentatious young artist end up this way?

a while ago, I spoke to a friend who told me,

“You’re all dusty? You used to be so much... shinier?”

to which I immediately shrunk in reaction. “life happened,” I thought to myself.

but, whose life is it? whose life are you leading? whose life are you aspiring towards? is it one of your own creation and desire or is it the one you were indoctrinated to believe is the only “true” option for success in your profession? the one with flagrantly rapid [commercial] success, un-stifled money flow, influential notoriety, and - of course - lots and lots of beautiful [men] of all shapes and sizes at the tips of your fingers awaiting your beck and call?

the reality of this enviable latter life is one only a privileged few get to lead in the business of entertainment; and it is apparent that a vast majority of those few don’t look like me, nor would they refer to themselves as “movement artists” - nor do they seem to register aloud their own contributions (or lack thereof) to the privilege of living this reality; that’s another tangent emotional pi.

“You’re all dusty?”

I’ve had the dirt kicked up on me quite a few times before that day when I met my friend. I had felt myself becoming much more dull in the months that preceded this meeting, but never was able to admit to myself what was happening until someone else was awake enough (and loved me enough) to point it out to me.

“You used to be so much... shiner? You can’t keep giving and giving your light away to other people. You have to replenish and recharge yourself if you want to have anything at all to give to someone else.”

these were some of the things my very conscious friend had said to me that day. he was/is right.

I love to give and I love to avoid myself. but, clearly, this wasn’t always the case. frequently, I attributed this development to the consistent loneliness I was experiencing (even before the quarantine). upon further reflection, I think it would actually be more accurate to say “this re-development” of myself. I think, perhaps, the reason that bombastic young artist was so unapologetically expressive was because he had the time to be so; he had the time to be bored enough to indulge in his own organically-sprouted curiosities and decided to respond to his findings aloud - to himself, to anyone who might hear in passing, to whomever.

the reality was that the make-up of his audience was of no importance; the importance was the act of sharing, the purity of expression - of earnestly recounting experience and emotion. not being concerned with how to indulge in dialogue but inherently knowing that the conversation must be started in order for one to begin to learn.

so how can I expect myself to be so suddenly inspired now when I never give myself enough time to relax and be bored?

quite probably possibly, the production mindset has skewed my view of [my] value. though the efficiency skills I now posses are very useful in a creative process when time is not on our side, the incessant need to constantly produce something in order to feel sufficient - to feel purposeful or worthwhile in any manner - can take irreversible tolls on the body and psyche.

“You’ve got to save some light for yourself.”

I have given my light to choreographers, directors, producers, employers, educators, entrepreneurs, puppet masters, and clowns all with varying degrees of mutual benefit as collaborators and acquaintances. you can tell the ones who are ready to reciprocate your efforts of light-giving from a mile off and - hopefully - you make the effort to ensure that you are able to stick around and continue trading frequencies/creative opportunities. but, why is it that one would choose to stick around when one’s intuition screams at them that their currently-involved endeavor is a one-way highway and all signs along the road offer (clearly threatening) admonitions of fines, tickets, and legal action against those that pick up... hitchhikers?

though you inherently know better, for some reason, you still hope the ones who are there to take what they need and then thank u, next themselves out of your realm of existence will somehow (miraculously) see you as something... special? some thing “worth” taking the time to get to know and grow with. unique enough to take a chance on for a fantastical project that is bound to be the next multi-million dollar franchise which will set you up to do whatever it is celebrities do when they’re not being famous... for the rest of your life? it sounds as ridiculous as it is.

it’s hilarious (and unsurprising), but my professional life and personal life have very closely mirrored parallels. to consider myself a “hitchhiker” in regards to my past methods of approach at forming relationships (romantic and otherwise) with humans is, unfortunately, fairly accurate. the co-dependent nature of matrimony which had been instilled in me since I was a young one has very undesirable affects when put into practice as an “independent adult.”

but how could you expect anything different when your focus is divided between your profession, your partner, your bills, your friends, your dog, your chores ... this list goes on and on. when do you turn your undivided attention inward to reflect on what it is you need/want? I’ve found that even when I am involuntarily alone, I tend to refuse avoid every opportunity for relaxation and self-consideration. (un)fortunately (for me), the Pandemic currently circulating our Mother Earth has removed virtually all possibilities for external distractions. (a moment of singularity is much more easily served surrounded by accessible bars, intoxicants, and unimaginably beautiful people, after all - no?)

before I run off my rails, I think I must pull this train of thought into the station. this lengthy rumination of my past experiences is not meant to serve as a “warning” for those interested in undertaking an artist’s life. I write this, first and foremost, to employ what I’ve criticized myself for not doing throughout this piece: I write this as an act of screaming into the void once again.

I write this to assure myself of my own ability to communicate emotions/thoughts and experiences, and to remind myself of how much I love to do so. I write this also to offer another perspective to others who may feel jaded or deceived along the current portion of their artistic journey. I write this as an act of defiance against my own insecurities.

I write this in the hopes of encouraging whomever might stumble upon it to give yourself a break and assess/pursue what it is that will bring you true fulfillment in this life.

I write this... because I wanted to? because I wanted to. because I wanted to express myself without being bogged down by the waterfall of irrelevance that my mind produces when it feels unsafe or exposed. because I am an expressive human who must allow room for expression when the motivation is pure.

because I’m trying to cure myself from this long-time build up of artistic epididymal hypertension.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[tsarisfanfiction]

Origin (Tales From The Heart)

Fandom: One Piece Rating: Gen Warnings: None Characters: Law, Franky

With the absence of one Monkey D. Luffy, Law had hoped that he would be at last permitted some peace and quiet, especially as he was now on board his own ship and therefore the captain in charge (while 'alliance' meant the captains were on equal terms, it was difficult not to feel on the back foot on board the Thousand Sunny, especially as her captain didn't follow traditional alliance rules anyway). He still had four of the Straw Hats with him, but in the grand scheme of things he thought peace and quiet still wasn't too much to ask for; Zoro-ya and Nico-ya preferred keeping their mouths shut anyway, Nose-ya was still terrified of him and Robo-ya…

Well, Robo-ya was turning out to be the problem. Law chided himself for not realising that the shipwright, who had built both the Thousand Sunny and its personal submarine, would be incredibly interested in the Polar Tang, which was a far more superior specimen than the Shark Submerge (although Law would admit the quirky submarine was well built for its size and purpose). In the confined space, the cries of SUUUUUUPERRRR reverberated nauseatingly, and no amount of creativity employed by the Heart Pirates (Law included) to block their ears was even remotely successful. Irritatingly, the other Straw Hats seemed totally deaf to his cries.

A sacrifice was required, and as Law looked around at those of his crew in the area, he realised he would have to be the victim. As difficult as it was to believe, his time with the Straw Hats had mildly desensitised him to their antics and he only had to take one look at Penguin and Shachi, concerningly out of sorts even before the cyborg's cries had begun, to realise that there was no way his crew would survive close quarters with the shipwright for any length of time with their sanity intact.

Choosing not to ponder what that implied of his own sanity, he followed the noise to find not just Robo-ya, but also Nose-ya prodding at the security lock of the engine room. Unnerved that no alarms had been set off at the intruders' attempt, and also relieved that Nami-ya wasn't around to assist otherwise they would have definitely succeeded in gaining entry unsupervised, he strode up to them and placed a hand over the passcode input.

"Torao-bro!" Robo-ya greeted cheerfully, not at all abashed to have been found trying to force entry into the most delicate part of a ship that wasn't his. Behind him, Nose-ya at least had the decency to cower. "Just the man! Show us around, would ya, bro? This girl's a SUUUUUUUPERRRRR beauty, yeah!"

Law wanted to refuse. As the ship's captain, he had every right (and with the absence of Mugiwara-ya he technically held captaincy over the four guests although he knew full well that only Nico-ya had any inclination to obey him and even that was on her own terms). However, these were Straw Hat Pirates. He had never, either through personal experience or the newspaper, heard of a single occasion when the Straw Hats didn't get their way in the end. The fact that the security alarm on the door had already been bypassed without his knowledge, and that they'd had no qualms about even trying in the first place, made it clear that sooner or later they'd be back, and he didn't really want to unduly punish his own crew by adding an extra watch to the rota (especially as he could quickly narrow down who had a chance of stopping the Straw Hats one-on-one to barely a quarter of the crew, including himself – there were reasons the entire crew had their own bounties, after all).

Thus, with a sigh he gestured for the two of them, apparently now three, as Zoro-ya had materialised while he was considering his options and (while Law was certain the swordsman hadn't intended to find his way there) was standing with all the poise of a man who was exactly where he wanted to be, to follow him to the nearby locker room, where he located boiler suits for them all.

"I am not treating you for stupid injuries," he ground out when all three looked at the Heart-emblazoned outfits dubiously. "The Polar Tang's machinery is far more dangerous than the Sunny's." Having seen both, he felt qualified to make such a claim (the Sunny ran on cola, for goodness' sake! Then again, with a captain like Mugiwara-ya, a child-safe mechanism was probably wise).

Nose-ya was first to cave, and Zoro-ya followed suit after Law began to pull his own on – a nice yellow colour, to distinguish him from the rest of the crew at a glance. He wasn't even sure what persuaded the cyborg to eventually pull on one of Jean Bart's spares, but he'd learnt to never look a gift horse in the mouth, especially not when the Straw Hats were involved.

Hoping he was not going to regret his decision, Law keyed in the code, making sure to block the others' line of sight to the passcode as he did so, and the door slid open with a quiet hydraulic hiss, revealing the heart of the Polar Tang.

Clione, the crew member currently tending the engine, looked up in surprise before looking at Law questioningly. Law simply shrugged as Robo-ya carefully advanced into the room, eyeing the equipment with a look Law couldn't quite name. It was almost as if it was what he'd expected, although Law was under the impression there were little to no other submarines of the type in existence. It was possible Robo-ya had the required genius to work out what was most likely, though, so he tried not to dwell as Nose-ya started asking questions. Law was glad for Clione's presence, as he didn't know the answer to many of the more technical ones (the Straw Hats had no room to comment on that, though, as Law was confident Mugiwara-ya knew about as much about the workings of the Thousand Sunny as he did the Polar Tang, if not less. Mugiwara-ya likely would proclaim it all a 'mystery' or simply point out it was Robo-ya's job to know).

Eventually, Clione became the main spokesperson and Law perched himself down on a bench near the entrance (Zoro-ya was sat on the same bench but closer to the door, and seemed unnervingly like a jailer; Law put the thought that he was being intentionally trapped far out of his mind, paranoia would do him no good). It was hot in the room, almost unbearably so to Law, who had never managed to shake his North Blue roots of preferring the cold, even if he hated winter, but Robo-ya and Nose-ya seemed a long way from running out of questions, so he endured in silence, watching the two like a hawk. Allies or not, unconventional allies or not, he refused to let them near the delicate part of his ship without strict supervision.

It was probably an hour before their curiosity was sated, just in time for Ikkaku's shift to begin – she gave him a quizzical look as she entered to relieve Clione, which Law responded to with a pointed glance at their guests – and he managed to shepherd the three out of the room and into slightly cooler air.

It took no time at all for Zoro-ya and Nose-ya to strip out of their borrowed boiler suits and disperse back towards the living area of the Tang (Nose-ya kept tugging at Zoro-ya's sleeve when he tried to take a wrong turning), but Law waited for Robo-ya to finish as well before daring to leave. Robo-ya appeared to be being intentionally slow, and Law wasn't sure what to make of it as he folded his own boiler suit and put it away neatly.

"Torao-bro," Robo-ya began, uncharacteristically serious as he finally freed his legs from the suit. Law turned to give him his full attention. "Where did you get this girl?"

It was a loaded question, and Law wasn't sure he wanted to know why Robo-ya was asking. The cyborg had somehow positioned himself between Law and the door to the room, though, and while Law could teleport himself out with a Room, he didn't like the unusual behaviour. He was getting enough of it from his crew as it was, he didn't need the predictably-unpredictable Straw Hats adding to the headache.

"What does it matter?" he hedged. There was a click, and a compartment opened up in Robo-ya's arm. Rummaging around, the cyborg withdrew a wad of paper.

"Those two years," he began, and suddenly Law knew it was serious because the Straw Hats never talked about the years they'd vanished from the limelight, "I was on Karakuri Island – Vegapunk's home island. He'd left a lot of blueprints behind, and I thought they were all incomplete projects, so I took some with me when I left." He offered the paper – blueprints, Law realised – to him. "Seems like this isn't incomplete after all." Law took them and glanced down, only to freeze.

In his hands were the unmistakable blueprints of the Polar Tang.

[leonaesque]

Poetic Injustice: On Ateneo and Negotiating Complicity

To be a successful comprador is an art. Tony Tan Caktiong knows this. Given the scale at which multinational corporations influence Philippine culture, at this point, who are we to refute it? And how? Profit-seeking forces itself on us; to be recognized. Every mass-produced item of clothing featuring the pattern of an ever-smiling billion-dollar bee is indication enough: Art is execution. In fact, being the recipient of foreign capital requires deliberate hands able to maintain thousands upon thousands of labor-only contractual workers, despite their having worked at the same establishment for years on end. These workers produce what no middleman can. Yet a company will still view being bought-out by an industry giant as the ideal exit strategy. Each moving part makes for one striking image of monopoly– worthy, one might insist, of being featured in a gallery.

Jollibee Foods Corporations (JFC) acquires stakes or ownership of restaurant chains in order to expand, as it has done over the course of many years with local and foreign brands. Their current roster includes Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King PH, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Panda Express PH. The company also runs businesses internationally, such as Smashburgers in the United States, and Yonghe Dawang or Yonghe King in China.[1] Of course, the face of this massive undertaking remains the once tiny Magnolia-inspired ice cream store, Jollibee, now every business-oriented insect’s wet dream.

Ernesto Tanmiantong, brother and successor of Tony Tan Caktiong as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jollibee Foods Corporation, is the latest former Chairperson of the Ateneo de Manila University Board of Trustees.[2] One can even find his name, along with his wife’s, gracing a first-floor exhibit hall of the Ateneo Art Gallery, found inside the university’s so-called creative hub, the Arete. In the months before the start of the first semester of S.Y. 2018-2019, Tanmiantong’s adorable, marketing-committee-approved buddy in white gloves and a chef’s hat took a trip to the then-newly inaugurated art gallery for a photo-op. The mascot then posed with several installments and paintings, a couple of which depicted farmers and workers.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), JFC is one of the most notorious businesses with regards to the perpetuation of the practice of contractualization.[3] Contractual workers are, according to law, not employed by– and, therefore, not the responsibility of– the company they provide labor to. Because of this, these workers do not receive benefits or compensation, are often subject to abusive working conditions, and are vulnerable to the shameless practice of mass termination. No doubt, the Public Relations stunt with the Ateneo Art Gallery was ill-timed; right at the height of protests against the corporation, in the midst of its non-compliance with the DOLE’s order to regularize upwards of 6,000 of its workers– there was Jollibee: tone-deaf and taking pictures to post on his Facebook profile, The Atenean Way.  

Ironically, as the statement by Ateneo’s School of Humanities Sanggunian (which condemned the incident) pointed out, perhaps even the person inside that oversized blinking head of the Jollibee mascot was a contractual worker, posing in a space that he might never have been able to enter without the cartoon-bee-mask of his exploitation.[4] Surely, it does not matter whether or not the institutional faux pas was an intentional case of art-washing. At least, it should not. Is there such a thing as art for art for art’s sake?

---

There is this poem entitled “The Doomed” written by Mikael De Lara Co. A friend of mine recommended it to me once after a workshop session because my piece, he said, reminded him of it. I do not think my friend meant to insult me. Unless he did.

“The Doomed” is a poem about writing a poem, wherein the poet-persona is aware that, while he is writing poems about lilies, there is violence somewhere, which he is both physically and socially detached from. This violence is manifest into the shooting of Liberal Party supporter and candidate, Hamira Agcong, in 2010, as well as the infamous Ampatuan Massacre that occurred in 2009, where 58 people were kidnapped and killed.  

Where do poems fall under in the realm of social praxis (if at all)? “The Doomed” ends with the lines “I want to find beauty in suffering. / I want to fail.” Yet, the poem’s aestheticization of the murders via tone and imagery is blatant. The declarative rejection of an ideal like beauty or portraying beauty betrays the poet’s pretentiousness in what can only be his underlying conservativity. There is no attempt to avoid it. With lines like “You sit at your desk / to write a poem about lilies and a clip of 9mm’s / is emptied into the chest of a mother…” and “… a backhoe in Ampatuan crushes the spines of 57 / – I am trying to find another word for bodies”, it sounds as though these killings are more poetic material than actual, politically motivated deaths. Tell me, is the reader to blame for reading what is on the page? Mikael De Lara Co fails in failing, making the poem and its project a useless endeavor.

Despite the pointedly crafted grief into the persona’s voice, “The Doomed” does nothing to grieve the circumstances which brings about its dramatic situation. Why are people “doomed”, if not for the bureaucrat capitalists that viciously plot to stay in power? Could the poet not have addressed that, instead of weeping about his writing process? I do not believe that the poem would have failed that, at least, because all language inevitably fails in the face of social reality. That would be lazy, if it were not bullshit.

But I suppose that is why “The Doomed” fails, most of all: The poet believes it is fine to write speeches for a leader who allowed farmers and indigenous people to be harassed, as long as they could be tagged as members of the New People’s Army, the armed faction of the Communist Party of the Philippines. A text speaks, though the words are not on the page. So, the poet dooms.

Mikael De Lara Co has won many awards for his writing and translations, including the prestige-inducing Don Carlos Palanca Award for Literature. He graduated BS Environmental Science from Ateneo de Manila University, where he was once an editor of Heights, the school’s official literary publication. He has been published in many other magazines, literary journals, and the like, where his author’s notes proudly indicate all these accomplishments and more, such as having, himself, worked for the Liberal Party and once been a member of the former President Benigno Aquino III’s staff under the Presidential Communications Operations Office. Ergo, ghostwriter, alongside a number of other Ateneans who were also once part of Heights.

“Noynoy Aquino was a fascist” is a phrase that does not get said often enough. The Aquino administration, with its neoliberal policies the color of dehydrated piss, is credited with the starving thousands of farmers to death. Unsurprising, I suppose, for a family of landlords to inherit a disdain for the very hands that feed them. Corazon Cojuanco Aquino passed the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) during her regime, and her son amended it with an extension and reforms (CARPer), making it even easier for land owners not to have to redistribute their lands at all.

For all its “Kayo ang boss ko” and “Daang Matuwid” pandering, the Aquino administration did not skimp on its counterinsurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, which heavily drew from the U.S. Counterinsurgency Guide.[5] Here, it was farmers and Lumad, some of the most vulnerable sectors of Philippine society, that were tagged as rebels, terrorists, communists, etc., simply for knowing and standing for their rights, as the government failed to decimate actual armed revolutionaries in the countryside.

The massacre that took place under the Aquino administration occurred in Kidapawan, Cotabato on April 1, 2016. According to reports, among the group of 6,000 protesters that was mainly composed of farmers and activists, 116 were injured, 87 went missing, and 3 were killed.[6] Perhaps the lilies in “The Doomed” were a metaphor for De Lara Co’s beloved Noynoy.

---

Speaking of Ateneo: For an institution that makes yearly claims to combat historical revisionism and uphold the memory of the victims of human rights violations under the Martial Law era, this university loves to slurp on major Marcos ass. In 2014, President Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ drew flack for having rubbed elbows with the iron butterfly herself, Imelda Marcos, at an Ateneo scholars’ benefactors’ event.[7] The mere thought of Imelda posing as a charitable, bloated cockroach in a wig that feasts on all that is lavish and garish, while the university welcomes her to do so is nearly comical. I imagine the blood.  

In 2019, a similar incident ensued[8], this time with Imelda’s daughter, Irene, whose art connoisseur lifestyle she lives second-hand. It was during the inauguration of the Arete’s amphitheater, named after Ignacio B. Jimenez, a crony of the corrupt family themselves.[9] Community backlash forced the building’s executive director, Yael Buencamino, to resign and for University President, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ to issue a statement in response to the instance.

Yet, despite the triumph of Ateneans in demanding accountability for having the Marcoses at our literal and metaphorical dining table, there are also the Camposes, the Consunjis, the Lorenzos, and other local elite whose hands are stained with generational blood, that have established their presence in the campus with no near hopes of showing them out. Students could also be as loud as they pleased about the violations on workers’, farmers’, and national minorities’ rights that these families are frequently attached to, with only the answer of a warning that school organizations may lose sponsorship opportunities. What else can we expect? Of course, the names that line the halls that one studies in are the limits of academic freedom.

---

A few semesters ago, I wrote a poem to be workshopped by my co-English staffers in Heights as part of our membership retention requirements. It was not a good poem, I know. It was about my experience of integrating with the striking workers of Sumifru, a multinational Japanese company that produces fruit, whose union was called NAMASUFA (Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Suyapa Farm). After struggling to get word out of their plight and facing violent dispersals and harassment, 200 workers came all the way from Compostela Valley to Metro Manila via boat and plane, despite the difficulties of travel due to the imposition of Martial Law throughout Mindanao. Their objective was to pressure the DOLE and its Secretary, Silvestre Bello III, into action; that is, to be firm in enforcing Sumifru’s compliance to regularize their workers, which the company refused to do even though the DOLE had legally recognized them as their workers’ employer. The workers set up camp in various places, such as Mendiola, Liwasang Bonifacio, and beside the Commission on Human Rights inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, and often welcomed students who came to learn about their cause.  

During the workshop, the discussion began with a silence and an awkward laugh. Political realism was how my poem was diagnosed, for obvious reasons. However, the main critique that I remember was that my use of language– the words multinational corporation and bureaucrat capitalists, in particular– did not induce the feeling of the struggle that the workers went through. It was not the language workers used or would use. I refuted this claim, saying I had talked to the workers. That this is exactly what they say. No, it is not poetic. It is real.

I agree, though, with the verdict that my poem was not good, if the basis were form. I agree because I do not think poems need to be good to say what is needed. If the basis were factors other than form, I still do not think the poem is good. I mean, either way, it does not change the fact that, ultimately, I only wrote a poem for a workshop, despite any intention of bringing awareness to NAMASUFA. Is a poem going to save them their jobs? Does that make a difference? Did it make a difference?

The Sumifru workers returned to Mindanao last July, 2019. I have left Heights as well.

---

Within the Ateneo campus, a tarpaulin overlooks the red brick road that the entire Loyola Schools population traverses. The sign merits a purposeful, impossible-to-miss position on the old Rizal Library building, immortalizing the critique: “We find the Ateneo today irrelevant to the Philippine situation because it can do no more than to service the power elite.” Nothing could be more fitting, in my opinion. The Ateneo de Manila University’s commitment to performativity deserves to be blasted in our faces, if at least once a day.

This declaration was taken from the “Down from the Hill” manifesto published by The Guidon in November of 1968. The manifesto was written by a group of five students, namely Jose Luis Alcuaz, Gerardo Esguerra, Emmanuel Lacaba, Leonardo Montemayor and Alfredo Salanga, all of whom actively campaigned for an anti-imperialist orientation to nationalism.

I want to talk about Eman Lacaba. Throughout the Marcos regime, he was a student activist– a radical, so to speak, as disapproving administrative bodies might now label him. Presently, he is known for being a poet, revolutionary, guerilla, and a martyr during the Martial Law era. One of his most often discussed poems is “An Open Letter to Filipino Artists”, a piece that finds itself into syllabi like a de-fanged snake. The poem is a detailing of his experience as a cadre of the New People’s Army; the provinces he visits, his process of proletarianizing from a burgis boy to a communist rebel, and so forth. The epigraph of the work, a quote from Ho Chi Minh, affirms his praxis– “A poet must learn how to lead an attack.” The poem is the revolution that Lacaba takes up arms for. I guess now that he is dead, Ateneans can wholeheartedly claim him as one of their own.  

After the Martial Law era, Ateneo decided to create a body dedicated to the integration of its students with various disenfranchised sectors of society, as encouragement for their middle to upper-middle class youth to become more socially aware and active. The Office of Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI) is the current iteration of this. Their programs, from first year to fourth, require students to be socially involved enough to pass their Theology units. Commendable, no? Still. You can almost get sanctioned for so much as lighting candles for state-murdered farmers on the sidewalk by the gates outside of campus if it is not an Office of Student Activities-approved event– something I learned the hard way. I was not aware that bureaucracy was a key principle in Catholic Social Teaching.

So, does this mean the opposite of active non-violence is that which is inactively violent? The areas that OSCI allows their students to immerse in are carefully chosen, the interactions are prepared for in advance. In fact, they do not want to use the term “immerse” lest they be misconstrued with the damn leftists that climb mountains and “brainwash” unsuspecting poor people. You know, the ones that dare challenge the status-quo? Ateneo, or at the very least, its administration, will recognize the necessity of political action, but only to a certain extent. Nothing like Eman, the warrior-poet, whose militance is much too red to aestheticize.

The contradiction between what is said (marketed, poeticized, apologized for, etc.) and what is done should be scrutinized, instead of convincing ourselves that our interests are not merely our own. The dominant culture of a society will expose who supports those who hold political and economic power.  

[1] Cigaral (List: Brands operated by Jollibee Foods Corp.)

[2] (Leadership)

[3] Patinio (Jollibee tops list of firms engaged in labor-only contracting: DOLE)

[4] SOH Sanggunian (The Statement of the SOH Sanggunian on Jollibee's PR Stunt)

[5] Karapatan (OPLAN BAYANIHAN For Beginners)

[6] Caparas (WITH VIDEOS: 3 dead, 87 missing, 116 hurt as police fire on Cotabato human barricade)

[7] Francisco (Ateneo de Manila 'sorry' over Imelda's visit)

[8] Paris (Irene Marcos was invited to Ateneo, and students are up in arms)

[9] Rappler.com (Ateneo hit for art ampitheater named after Marcos 'dummy')

Works Cited

Caparas, Jeff. “WITH VIDEOS: 3 Dead, 87 Missing, 116 Hurt as Police Fire on Cotabato Human Barricade.” InterAksyon.com, 1 Apr. 2016, web.archive.org/web/20160402013745/interaksyon.com/article/125901/breaking--security-forces-open-fire-on-cotabato-human-barricade.

Cigaral, Ian Nicolas. “List: Brands Operated by Jollibee Foods Corp.” Philstar.com, The Philippine Star, 24 July 2019, www.philstar.com/business/2019/07/24/1937490/list-brands-operated-jollibee-foods-corp.

Francisco, Katerina. “Ateneo De Manila 'Sorry' over Imelda's Visit.” Rappler, 6 July 2014, www.rappler.com/nation/62549-ateneo-manila-imelda-marcos-apology.

Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights). OPLAN BAYANIHAN For Beginners, Karapatan, 2011.

“Leadership.” Leadership | Ateneo Global, global.ateneo.edu/about/leadership.

Paris, Janella. “Irene Marcos Was Invited to Ateneo, and Students Are up in Arms.” Rappler, 8 Apr. 2019, www.rappler.com/nation/227702-irene-marcos-invited-to-ateneo-students-protest-april-2019.

Patinio, Ferdinand. “Jollibee Tops List of Firms Engaged in Labor-Only Contracting: DOLE.” Philippine News Agency RSS, Philippine News Agency, 28 May 2018, www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1036679.

Rappler.com. “Ateneo Hit for Art Ampitheater Named after Marcos 'Dummy'.” Rappler, 21 Apr. 2019, www.rappler.com/nation/228633-ateneo-ignacio-gimenez-ampitheater-marcos-dummy.

“SOH Sanggunian.” SOH Sanggunian - The Statement of the SOH Sanggunian on..., 2 July 2018, www.facebook.com/sohsanggu/photos/a.157891440898864/1893103380710986/?type=3.

[a-trainers-tale]

(p.1) I'm Jan. I'm quite introverted and love doing this that indulge my creativity. I love animals. I just want to play with and protect them I can be quite stubborn. I'm polite and quiet on the surface but once I let you in I'm quite the jokester and am opinonated. I do tend to have a lot of anxiety (diagonosed with 2 panic disorders) so finding things or interests that calm me or comfort me is important. Mind you that all goes out the window if I see some kind of injustice. I tend to ....

(p.2) defend others far more than I defend myself. My hobbies are arts n' crafts , mbti/enneagram (INFP 4 here), animation (big supporter of self employed artists), movies. I do collect things of sentimental value. For a perfectionist I'm quite messy but when stressed (and well enough to be active) I can clean up quite a bit. My geeky nature can help me overcome my shy side if I find out we have similar interests. I can be quite insecure and sensitive. Passionate & a walking contridiction XD.

*(p.3) I just realized I forgot rule 2 XD. I like Pokemon because I love cute little animals/monsters and the bonds you forge with them. Why I'd be a trainer .... well, I don't think I'd be a successful one XD. If the games taught me anything is it's that I have a hard time seeing them fight and get hurt. However I'm surprisingly competitive. *raises hands* Like I said I'm a walking contradiction. I would not be a number one trainer but successful enough to quelch my secret ambitious side.

Thank you for opting to do the paid version! :D let me know if you don’t like anything I did and I can redo it :) I hope you like it!

Trainer class: Pokefan

You are pulled to Pokemon for different reasons than most other trainers. Your life does not revolve around battling with them, but living with them. You are a fan of Pokemon in every way, you love bonding with them and looking at how cute they are and bringing out their happiness which in turn brings out your own. You have an easy time relating to your pokemon and you love spending time with them since they never tire you out. You started off as a competitive trainer, but as you bonded with pokemon you decided to go a different direction. You and your pokemon enjoy a more casual life together and you are able to enjoy consuming products of your pokemon as well, giving you that outlet. Your relationship with your pokemon is solely fun and soothing, and they help you keep yourself more calm than you can when you are alone. 

Starter: Chikorita

Your starter pokemon was chikorita! You bonded easily with chikorita as it is a very calm but stubborn pokemon. It is determined to constantly prove itself, but it also prefers to be at peace with those around it so it doesn't usually start fights on its own. Chikorita is more outgoing and feisty than you, so you often got in trouble because of it running off or messing with someone or another pokemon. Your love for chikorita grew stronger as you both grew up together and though it never did much intense battling, it still feels a strong urge to protect you from any possible threats and stay with you always.

Partner: Mienshao

Mienshao is a very powerful and very beautiful pokemon. It has a rather large competitive streak and likes to be the center of attention as often as possible. Mienshao acts as somewhat of a lightning rod for you, it pulls attention to itself and absorbs any stress that might come your way by taking it onto itself. It knows how much anxiety you experience, so it loves being able to help you in this way, though it might be somewhat indirect and a bit self serving. Mienshao loves you deeply and also loves that you give it so many opportunities to shine and show how amazing it is. Keep Mienshao close and rely it it as much as possible.

Team: Meganium (starter), Drampa, Musharna, Swalot, Venomoth

Hometown: Lilycove City, Hoenn

Your hometown is Lilycove City in the Hoenn region. Lilycove does not have a gym, which might have contibuted to your feelings of mild discomfort with battling and gym training. Lilycove does, however, have a contest hall that allowed you to experience the kind of creative pursuits present in contest training from an early age. Lilycove is rather peaceful but also has a lot of tourism due to the comfortable lifestyle, contest hall, and connection to the ocean. 

Battle style: Contest trainer

You are not a traditional trainer in the sense that you do not seek out the usual battles and gym matches. What you do instead is train your pokemon to bring out their strengths for pokemon contests. These contests are meant to show a pokemon's cuteness, coolness, beauty, cleverness, and toughness. You use your creativity to develop outfits and routines that show how amazing your pokemon are and you work hard to make snacks and foods for your pokemon and training regimens that allow your pokemon to get better at what they do best. This works for you better than battling with your pokemon because you are able to engage in your creativity and competitiveness in a safer environment that doesn't involve your friends getting hurt.

Thank you so much!!!~

[thekeyissue]

Reflections from a NYCC Panel: Chronic Illness, Disability, and the Comics Industry

During “The Creative Community, Disability, and Chronic Illness” panel at New York Comic Con this year, two overhead lights flickered nonstop, directly over the seated panelists. For most this was an annoyance – but for the presenter living with epilepsy, it made for a dangerous and unsafe environment. He had to wear sunglasses to avoid a potential seizure and participate in the panel meant to address this exact kind of issue.

It was embarrassing for everyone, and a perfect encapsulation of the state of support that the comics industry provides professionals who live with chronic illness and/or are differently abled. Giving conversations like this space and time at large events like NYCC is absolutely to be applauded, but clearly we are far from properly hearing, implementing feedback, and accommodating this community.

                                                                 *            *            *

The panel itself took place in the early afternoon on Friday of NYCC weekend in one of the smaller designated panel/screening spaces. Six panelists and a moderator, all of whom live with conditions that complicate their work, spoke to each other and a room that was about a third full (I’d guess around 50/60 people watching – not a bad turn out).

I slipped into the back of the audience right before the panel kicked off, deciding to attend somewhat at the last minute. I have a family member who lives with a chronic illness (but does not work in comics) - it can be burdensome for her (or any differently-abled or chronically ill person) to explain her day-to-day challenges on top of facing them – so I took this as an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of what her life and coping may be like, while also learning about comic-specific issues. I mention the context of my attendance only because I believe the majority of the audience at the panel also had a direct or adjacent relationship with disability or chronic illness as well (this assumption comes from audience reactions I observed – nodding at points being made, voiced agreement, questions asked). To some degree that’s a shame – like many things, increasing awareness can be a huge catalyst for change, especially when many of the accommodations that would help this community stem directly from individuals’ awareness.

From the panel’s first minute a steady stream of personal blind spots were revealed to me – a both satisfying (learning more is so helpful) and disheartening (feeling inconsiderate/like a failure at having missed them) process that continued throughout the session. Helpfully, the panelists were all amazing speakers, projecting positivity and a clear desire to educate and spread awareness, even while recounting emotionally-charged, disrespectful, and challenging situations they’d experienced.

The hour-long conversation they held was serious, funny, charming, poignant, sad, hopeful, informative, and too short – but more than anything, it illustrated each panelist’s tenacity and bravery. Recounting difficult personal anecdotes and sharing emotional vulnerability in front of one person can be challenging – this group did it in front of an audience in the service of their community, a demonstration of toughness and grit that should be celebrated. I was surprised to learn that participating in the panel brought with it a potential risk and necessary braveness in and of itself. Many creators who fit the criteria for the panel turned it down to avoid publically revealing their condition, fearing companies and editors might subsequently not “risk” working with them. While examples of those who had treated the panelists with understanding and accommodation were given, the prevalent fear of losing work & money due to their conditions clearly suggests that decent companies/editors are more exception than rule. The world is already ill-suited to fit the needs of those who are differently abled or living with a chronic illness simply because they are not the majority – it’s a sad reality that this disadvantage is topped off with an increased risk of losing or not being able to find employment. It’s easy to see why this community is so tough and brave – they have no other choice.

The challenge of the comic convention setting was another major topic of conversation during the panel. Attending conventions is necessary to make (or try to make) a living wage in this industry, but most comic cons do a poor job of accommodating the differently-abled and chronically ill.  Surprisingly, even those that do offer a range of accommodations typically fail to adequately communicate the resources they’re providing. More than once a panelist would mention an accommodation NYCC provided that other members of the panel were not aware of. What’s the point of these accommodations if the people who need them the most are not actively told they exist? And failing that, shouldn’t this information be easily found? As time quickly ran out, it felt like the entire room was disappointed – we had only scratched the surface of the topic (not a huge surprise given the complexity of the subject matter) and there was an incredible amount that still hadn’t been addressed – but I left with a bunch of simple, actionable, convention-specific advice that I’d like to summarize below in the spirit of others joining in to support this community:

- Dedicated, easily accessible entrances, bathrooms, and elevators should be provided at conventions for the differently-abled to reduce the body stress this setting creates. - Designated quiet spaces should be accessible and large enough to accommodate anyone who needs them. - Often accommodations are limited. Do your best to not unnecessarily take up an accommodation that someone might truly need to get through their day (if you do not need it in such a way). - Be wary of your surroundings and those behind you when walking. It’s difficult and painful for someone in a chair/with a walker/etc. to have to move to avoid you, and they may not be able to. Don’t stop suddenly in front of someone, be understanding of their level to the ground, and prioritize their difficulty moving through crowds if it eclipses your own. - Remember that a creator might find crowds and constant (or any) social interaction challenging. Some may need breaks/alone/quiet time to not be overwhelmed with anxiety. Some may literally not be able to recognize or remember faces/pair them with names. Some may lack the ability to pick up on social cues that seem obvious to you. - Accommodations should be clearly communicated to anyone who might need them. The information should be actively given and easily/clearly accessible. - No one owes you a disclosure of their condition – be patient, understanding, and assume everyone’s best intentions – and don’t ask for or demand explanations.

                                                                *            *            *

I’d like to wish a huge, gracious and appreciative thank you to the participants from this year’s panel for all they so bravely shared and taught. I have not included their names (which can be easily found) because – and I am honestly not sure whether or not this is the right inclination – I’d hope their work is appreciated before the challenges they live with. It would distress me if sharing this experience and advice resulted in the panelists becoming more known for the condition they live with than their work – all of which is interesting and fantastic, and inherently deserves attention without further context. On the off chance one of the panelists reads this and would like to be identified, I’d happily edit their name(s) in.

Also - I’ve done my best to understand and properly use language around being differently-abled and living with chronic illness, but if I’ve messed up please let me know so I can correct and apologize.

                                                                *            *            *

Thanks for taking the time to read. Below please find the NYCC “The Creative Community, Disability, and Chronic Illness” panel’s official description:

Disabilities, both visible and invisible, can make working in the deadline-intensive, yet creatively rewarding fields of comics/gaming/geek culture especially challenging. Managing energy, coping with pain, depression or other mental health issues, and the added cost of being self employed (no employer benefits) are all candidly discussed in this panel which features professional creators who all have disabilities or chronic health concerns. They will not only share their challenges, but their strategies for success, while being open and honest about their work and their lives, and the way they are perceived by clients. Brandon Kazen-Maddox will provide ASL translation services.

[popscenery]

Passion Pit, »Take a Walk«

by Jessica Doyle

In the summer of 2010, when I took a leave of absence from my PhD program, my dissertation was a helpless non-thing without a subject. In December 2018, I officially got my PhD, because my dissertation was done: written, revised, defended, revised again, approved, copied, formatted, distributed, carefully archived, accepted as an actual work of scholarship. It is arguably my most important professional accomplishment of the decade, and also arguably entirely inconsequential. The claim that 90 percent of academic papers go uncited is mostly untrue, but it is true for my dissertation, and I have the gaping void of a Google Scholar search return to prove it.

Trust me: as bitter and self-deprecating post-graduate students might be about their research (see previous paragraph), none of us start out planning to write something inconsequential. Certainly the subject of my dissertation was not inconsequential at all. “Take a Walk” is not my favorite song of the past decade, but it is the song that kept reminding me that the topic was worth writing about.

My dissertation examined what makes starting and maintaining a business easier or harder for Latino entrepreneurs in different American cities. Take Miami as an example, where 47% of all businesses are Latino-owned. That’s much higher than the national average (12 percent) and higher than the percentage in other cities with large Latino populations: New York, Los Angeles, Houston. So what’s so special about Miami? Is it because the Cuban population that arrived in the 1960s were often landowners or merchants fleeing Castro, and made wealth-building a priority in their new city? Is it the geographic proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean? Is starting a business in Miami easier than elsewhere? Is it something about Miami’s economy in general, or Florida’s? Finally (and more to the point), if policy-makers in another city wanted to put in policies that would help local Latino entrepreneurs flourish, what would Miami’s example offer as guidance?

To make a 295-page story short: it is much easier to turn immigrants into successful business owners if they come to the country with business experience and/or capital already at hand; and if the local immigrant population doesn’t start with those advantages, then policy-makers should focus on providing business education and access to financing, especially the latter. Latino immigrants in the United States who want to start businesses are more likely than native-born white entrepreneurs to use their own cash (which takes a while to accumulate), credit cards (which charge higher interest rates than do bank loans), or loans from family or friends (which means that loved ones, rather than banks with larger cushions, bear the risks). I’d say read the whole dissertation, but in all frankness you’d be better off checking out the research being published by the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, including this report. (It’s more concise and their data is more robust than mine was.)

This all assumes, of course, that you want to encourage Latinos, or other immigrants, or anyone at all, to start their own business. A lot of us--including me; including Michael Angelakos, the artist behind Passion Pit--have immigrant entrepreneurs in our family lineage. In interviews to promote the album Gossamer, Angelakos described “Take a Walk,” the lead single, as about different members of his family. The first verse’s portrait is a classic rags-to-riches, grateful-to-be-in-America immigrant story: I love this country dearly / I can feel the ladder clearly. But in the second verse, the story shifts to a new narrator, and so does the tone: I watch my little children / Play some board game in the kitchen / And I sit and pray they never feel my strife. The final narrator is eventually undone...

I think I borrowed just too much We had taxes, we had bills We had a lifestyle to front

...yet still insists on his participation in the American dream:

Tomorrow you'll cook dinner For the neighbors and their kids We can rip apart those socialists And all their damn taxes You see, I am no criminal I'm down on both bad knees I'm just too much a coward To admit when I'm in need

Apparently at one point a Fox News reporter failed to hear the irony, and asked Angelakos if the song was anti-socialist. But Angelakos told MTV News, “It's about very specific family members, the male hierarchy, and how the men in my family have always dealt with money.... All these men were very conservative; socially very liberal but for some reason, they all came here for capitalism, and they all ended up kind of being prey to capitalism.” He told a different interviewer, “These are all true stories; this is my grandfather and so on.”

Angelakos’s ambivalence is understandable. (Several of the pieces that greeted “Take a Walk” identified it as a direct reponse to the 2008 financial crisis, an interpretation he rejected.) The idea that anyone can come to the United States, start a business, and work their way to financial security and political freedom is an old one--the history of immigrants employing at higher rates than native-born Americans goes as far back as the Census Bureau has been keeping track of such things. But even for the successful it has its costs. The narrators of “Take a Walk” are estranged from their families, anxious about their ability to keep wealth. The theme of risk runs through the song. No one worries about getting fired; they have market investments, business partners, endless complaints about taxes (as one might if one has to pay both ends of the Social Security and Medicare taxes single-handedly.) The risk allows the narrators to make comfortable lives for themselves and their family, and yet Angelakos isn’t convinced, looking back, that they were better off.

Historically, if you were running for any sort of higher political office in the United States and were from a major party, you made sure to say nice things about small businesses and entrepreneurship, especially the immigrant kind. To some degree this is still true: Elizabeth Warren’s campaign platform includes a Small Business Equity Fund that would give grants to minority entrepreneurs. That said, I’m not sure the current dominant political energy on either the American left or right favors small businesses, who tend to hate tariffs. If you read the Green New Deal resolution, though it calls for a more equitable distribution of available financing to such smaller-scale lenders as community banks and credit unions, a lot of what it wants it can only get at a certain scale. It’s easier for a larger company to retool its supply chains to lower environmental costs than it is for ten small businesses to do the same. It’s easier for a firm with a thousand employees to absorb the cost of any one employee needing a higher wage to make rent, or a longer maternity leave, or extended absences due to illness, than it is for a firm with five.

And Music Tumblr in particular can be forgiven for not thinking highly of entrepreneurship. Most creative people--artists, musicians, writers--end up as entrepreneurs simply because decent-paying employment in those fields has never been easy to find. (In 2017, Angelakos spoke of dealing with venture capitalists and deciding to run his mental-health-focused initiative, Wishart, as a combination of for-profit and non-profit.) But no loan officer with a nickel’s worth of sense would approve a loan to enter a market so saturated that marginal revenue is typically zero or close enough, or where thousands if not millions of people seem thoroughly committed to proving themselves, in Samuel Johnson’s eyes, blockheads. Upon hearing, “You can do what you love, but the market won’t reward you,” a lot of people will reply, “To hell with markets, then.”

It all comes down to how you feel about risk. For a long time the dominant American thinking was that higher risk was the price entrepreneurs paid to have the chance to succeed on their own terms. (There’s an ongoing debate in the immigrant-entrepreneurship academic literature about whether any one particular group of entrepreneurs is “pushed” into entrepreneurship--as in, they only start businesses as the best of a bad set of money-making options--or “pulled,” starting businesses because they want to.) More recently has emerged the critique that not all experiences of risk are created equal, and that in championing immigrant or minority entrepreneurship we offload risk onto those people with smaller financial or even emotional cushions. The heightened experience of risk, and its attendant anxiety and feeling of constant scarcity, may be what Angelakos meant when he described his relatives as “kind of being prey to capitalism.”

I personally agree with that critique, and would throw in that the general perception of Latino immigrants as not-entrepreneurial denies them a road to acceptance (or bourgeois respectability, if you prefer) that their Swedish, German, Jewish, Italian, and more recently Korean predecessors have been able to walk. That was why I wanted to write about Latino entrepreneurship in the first place, and why I ended up writing about North Carolina’s Latino Community Credit Union and associated initiatives as a promising case study. But I would caution against crossing the line from wanting to reduce risk for vulnerable minorities to regarding asking them to bear any kind of risk as imperialist and offensive. Risk can’t be eliminated altogether, and there are costs to scaling risk to higher levels of human activity and trying to diffuse it. A small business committed to a bad idea does a lot less damage than a government policy committed to a bad idea, even if the latter is more equitable in the range and number of people it effects.

Writing a dissertation is a humbling process. I’ve never written and recorded a song, but I imagine that process humbles too. (When “Take a Walk” came out Angelakos was not shy about disliking it, though he seems to have grown fonder of it as time goes on: “I like that it’s so uncharacteristic of me,” he said in 2017.) You work and work and work, all the while knowing you have no control over how your audience will hear your message, or if there will even be an audience. You can never be sure that you read enough, or chose the right method of analysis, or treated your subjects with sufficient respect. You’ll never know if you’re actually on the side of the angels. If the “angels” are metaphorical--if you don’t actually believe in a god, or God, whose love is greater than your human tendency to error and self-deception and treachery--then the risk is even higher. And yet, without that risk, how would you ever be able to say anything worth saying?

[alanalacyart]

Week 6, Monday: Klaus Voormann

Today Andy assigned us our next brief upon the completion and submission of our last one on Friday. Our third assignment, “Ask me anything!”, requires us to identify a historically significant artist, designer, architect, art-movement, design-object, or even a typeface; then interview one of these with 5 questions of our choice. We will then present the interview as a digital publication.

This assignment immediately sparked an endless range of creative possibilities of who or what I could interview, and the many mediums of digital publication for which I could creatively present my findings. I have recently been playing with the principles of creating my own personal zine recently, which I have loved doing and am becoming more familiar with, so I now feel that format was meant to be pursued for this project.

Hanging out in isolation means I spent most of my time cooped up in my makeshift studio, painting and drawing, fuelled by music. I’ve always been an avid fan and appreciator of both the Beatles’ music and also their creative direction, which was very breakthrough and ‘avant-garde’, or ‘experimentalist’, considering the cultural and historical context of the 1960′s. I have recently been revisiting their records again, and now with some newfound knowledge of communication design and its sub genres upon the entry of this course, I became even more-so than I was before invested into the design of their album covers, which in my opinion are amongst the best ever to have represented the music industry. 

I love them all, however the one that strikes me most in terms of intricate design and artistic direction input and mixed mediums was “Revolver” (1966). See below to check it out. I get lost for 10 minutes exploring every inch of it; maybe it’s because it’s a fine, ultra detailed artwork in itself, but I think it really draws and invites its viewers in to explore its contents and is thus, successful design!

“Revolver” album cover art, Klaus Voormann, fineliner ink and collage, 1966.

A vintage advertisement I found at the “Revolutions” exhibition at Melbourne Museum last year, encouraging Beatles fans of the time to buy Revolver.

I naturally did more research: Who made this incredible artwork/design? What was his relationship or affiliation with the Beatles? Did he do any more work? Is he still alive? 

He is a German artist, graphic designer and musician named Klaus Voorman, now 81. In summary, he shared a flat with George Harrison and Ringo Starr of the Beatles within the early sixties, forming a solid association with the group as both a business partner in the corporate visual design team, and as simply a very close and fond friend of the foursome. In 1965, Klaus was commissioned by John Lennon to design the sleeve for the album Revolver. Voormann had a style of "scrapbook collage" art in mind, using part fineliner and part collage for the work, which would go on to be his signature style as an artist. Voormann placed various photos taken within 1964-65 within the tangle of hair that connects the four faces. The drawings show each Beatle "in another state of consciousness". The cover won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts, 1966.

Klaus Voorman, pictured left, hangin’ out with George Harrison on the right (my favourite Beatle!)

Upon the Revolver cover, his artistic affiliation with the Beatles extended. These are some of the many other absolutely wonderful artworks he has created of the group in his creative vision and incredible technical skill which have intensely inspired me. 

The original concept for the album, which was originally called “Remember” before it was changed to “Revolver”. It was developed only a bit more within the portrayal of the details of each band members portrait.

“Flight to Toronto” (couldn’t find what year this one was originally created unfortunately) 

“Decade of Eternity” 

“George in the Ocean of Waving Grass”; I think this one may just be in graphite -- so beautiful though, one of my favourites. He remained good friends with especially George until the end of his life, and worked with him during his solo career.

Klaus Voormann also designed the Beatles anthology album covers, which were released in the nineties. Still employing the collage technique, using picture only however. 

Similarly to George, he worked with John Lennon on the design on his visual content. John particularly made many political statements on social justice issues towards the late sixties and early seventies, and so the format of a newspaper allowed Klaus to experiment with layout and font/typeface design. 

[hobiheavenly]

Karma’s Cravings

✧ Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

✧ Multichapter, Coffee Shop AU, E2L

✧ Word Count: 3.9k 

✧Summary: Your life is going idyllically with your business with the exception of having to work with Min Yoongi who disapproves of your comercial tactics. but when one day a medium tells you he is to be the love of your life you are quick to shut her down but running away from fate can come with cause consequences.  

✧ A.N: Ok so I know I promised a Hobi fic to be my first but I had this idea and I just had to develop it. I edited this from a fic I did years ago but I knew Yoongi would fill this au with ease! hope you enjoy it <3

Part 1

Life was blissful. It was the morning peace that filled your heart with happiness as you prepared a fresh batch of new cookies. You felt proud of yourself for the idyllic peace you had manage to create. not just because you were doing what you loved but also because you were doing it on your own. even when it wasn’t easy to get to where you were you had finally reached that part of life you wanted to be.

At a young age and with the help of your best friend Seokjin, you started your dream of owning your very own coffee shop. Seokjin was the one who cooked and you were the one who made the designs and the names as well. To many, especially your parents, this was just a ridiculous idea. That you would go broke in a matter of weeks. Turns out, that same  business they doubted from the start was rising and booming with clients. And even the name of the shop appealed to them, "Constant Cravings".

When you searched for the best spot, you found a great space located near your home and was located in the best location for people who needed sweets and caffeine in their daily lives. One bad part, your new boss. Well he wasn't your boss, but he was the manager of the space where you had your coffee shop. His name was so bittersweet and the only mention of it made have the chills, Min Yoongi.

But today was not the day to think about the sourman that is your boss. Today you had a big gig to complete. You were offered the chance to make cookies for a big party that the owners of the space had every year for Valentines Day. You were especially excited since you would earn a lot of money that day. Bad news was, Seokjin reported sick that day so there was no one to replace him and you were left with all the work. Luckily enough you knew the recipe by heart and all you needed to do was bake all the batches for the party.

Once you got to the party, you put all the cookies in display and all of the most important people were there. The owner of the space was there, along with his son. There were many new people you hadn't seen before, great NEW customers! There was a woman in a big red tent, outside was a sign that read, "The Grand Madame Karma, she sees it all and knows it all".

"Yeah sure, all I need to know right now is if this thing is going to work or not, I really need the money"  you thought.

The day went on and the party seemed tranquil, and by that I meant boring. "Don't these people know how to party? All they talk about is business and money. Its Valentines Day! A time of love and caring, well if I had a boyfriend it would. Well, who needs a man when you have a successful shop?" you thought. Normally you’d speak your mind and not let any opinion inside you, but seeing that you would risk potential new customers so you kept your mouth shut.

It was almost over everyone was moving on from the event and really nothing interesting really happened. The red tent was still standing tall in front. Maybe it was curiosity or maybe it’s the excitement of the unknown but you were still curious about Madame Karma. To make an excuse to go inside you went to give her one of her famous cookies and a cup of steaming coffee. You might not get a reading but at least a cookie never hurt anybody. Inside there was a woman, black long hair, around her 50s with long red nails to match her the red cape and on the table with the crystal ball right at the center. Typical. You gave a pleasant smile to the woman, offering her the cookie and beverage. Madame Karma smiled tenderly and felt relieved.

“Thanks a million my dear! Today is a cold day and a cookie is just what I need to get my romantic flow going. All I see in these people, or what they ask, is how their business will be. It’s Valentines Day and no one has asked me about romance!”

“Maybe because they are too stuck up to even think beyond their stupid computers. I call them "Informal Clones" they are too serious and superficial” you giggled.

“Now there is a great opinion I've been waiting to hear all day!” said Madame Karma, she looked at you and up and down “you know I used to have legs like yours, when I was your age.”

“Well you are going to love this cookie, it's called “Legs For Days", plus it's the shape of a cute high heel” You felt proud for your cookie naming abilities it was cute and sassy just like your brand was.

“Oh, god this is the most delicious cookie I have eaten, and trust me I have eaten too many cookies in my life” the medium laughed “What’s your name dear?”

“It’s ___, and I’m assuming you’re Madame Karma?”

“The one, the only, knows all, sees all!” she praised herself raising her arms up dramatically and laughed loudly at her over the top performance. “so tell me ___ how much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house! I was going to bring it to you earlier, but as you can see my business is full.”

“I always give something in return. Tell you what, how about I read you your fortune as payment for such a wonderful cookie”

“Sounds good” you shrugged. As you sat in front of Madame Karma you started to feel rather giddy. You had always been curious to find out about her future, but never had the time to go to an actual medium.

“You have a bright aura, my dear. It has a tight connection” Madame Karma took out a stack of cards and put them on the table “I will employ the card with you, pick out 6 cards with your left hand” You did as told and gave her the cards. After that Madame Karma put them in groups of three and began to read the first group “This represents your past. I see three people, two men and a woman, I'm guessing they are your mother and father and brother, am I right?” You nodded, lucky guess. “Well I see disapproval in them, especially your father. He didn't want you to open your shop.”

You nodded once more. “He felt that I should go to college and I said I wanted to do a project with a friend. That really didn’t sit well with him being that I was supposed to become a lawyer or even an administrator of a huge company. I never cared for math, I even sucked at it in school so it wasn't great. I went on to this business because it was something I enjoyed.”

“Well just as you mention  I saw that decision in here! Now let’s go to your present. I see a great success in your business, although I see a presence of someone that pulls you down, like a big spine on your back.”

Immediately you thought of the pompous arrogant Min Yoongi that always criticized your business place calling it a waste of time and that the names of your creations were too scandalous. What did that jerk know about creativity?

“what will happen to that spine? Will he go away?”

“Patience, my dear” said Madame “wait till I get to the future. Right now we are in your present. Even though your professional life is boosting with great things, I see your personal life is a bit contrary to it. I see loneliness. No masculine company, but…..”

Oh she knew how to peak your interest… “But what?”

“I see someone on the horizon…”

“Please tell me it someone nice”you begged. It has been a while since you had been on a date, and the last one was a total lame waste of time!

“I see, someone who is hooked into your professional life. Now lets see the last row, that represents your instant future” after reading the last row Madame Karma looked at you with a half smile “do you remember when we talked about that spine up your ass? I can see he is a man, close to you although not in a personal way. Maybe a work partner” she looked at you with a gleam in her eye “do you know who Im talking about?”

“I can think of one man that I consider a spine up my ass” you rolled your eyes “He is the one who takes care of the building.”

“Yes I see he is a man of power.”

“Yeah, a powerful idiot!”

“What's his name?”

“Min Yoongi” you answered “Can you tell me if he will leave soon? Tell me he is going to be transferred to Siberia? Antarctica? Africa?”

“No. On the contrary. His connection with you will change completely. He will change from "pain in my ass" to "I can’t live without him".”

You dropped your jaw and began to laugh your guts off “ Oh that’s a good one! You must be talking about another spine up my ass, because I know it’s not him.

“Sweetheart, I assure you that he is. These are the cards, and Karma doesn't lie. Plus, you can’t escape Karma. If you try to escape from it, you will be forever cursed. And trust me, you don't want that to happen” Madame Karma grabbed your hands and looked at you in the eyes “Min Yoongi, even when you think he is the most insufferable man in the world, is the love of your life.”

_____________________________

Min Yoongi  was looking at you from across the garden and as he saw you, he felt his body feeling tense. There was just something about you that didn't feel right, at least not for him. He didn't understand what it was, but you were strange and you always got to his head making him irritated. Surely it was because of your notorious shop with all those extravagant and sensual names plus the way that you decorated the place was not exactly decent. I mean, who ever called a cookie "Chocolate Orgasm" or a coffee called "Hot, wet, and wild"?

The first day the store opened he went inside for a cappuccino so he could go to work, when suddenly you came to the counter with a great smile and asked him if he wanted the specialty of the day, "A Slow Trip To Pleasure". That happened less than a year a go and he still remember the way he had jumped when he saw such an innocent looking girl pronounce those words. But it was more the amazement of the tone in your voice and the spark in your eye that seemed to invite him as he had stood in shock. He had never been so nervous with a woman in all his life than he had been that day in the coffee shop.

If it weren't for the fact that "Constant Cravings" was the shop that produced more profits in the entire space, he would have canceled your contract a long time ago. Having you around caused too much problems. Especially since you were a complete opposite of him. You were outgoing and outspoken, while he was a calm person who minded his business and just prefered the silence. He preferred the calm of having a boss than doing all by yourself. Every time he would tell you that the way you sold things were too extravagant, but you would just laugh and tell him that it was exactly that extravagance, or more likely the sex appeal, is what sold your items the most.

True it as it may be, it was just too much and there were rules in the contract that established that you must control her decorations, but since no one ever complained things stayed as they were. But soon would come the day that you would regret this, since every time you changed your front window decoration you exploited more and more the theme of sexuality.

He looked around and saw you standing outside of the tent of the medium he had assigned for entertainment for the party. He saw your eyes, looking like two big crystals that shine like the sky in a hot spring day after a great storm. He tried to look away but instead he looked at you up and down looking at every centimeter of your body. You were far from looking sexy compared to the other business women in the party. In fact you were in your uniform, a white blouse and black pants. So then why did he feel so strange? It was ridiculous to feel attracted to a woman who he didn't even know on a personal field. But every time he saw you he imagine your lips moving slowly on him offering him a "Slow Trip To Pleasure".

“Are you going to visit the Medium?”

Yoongi shook his head, as if coming out of a trance and looked beside him. There standing was Hoseok, his best friend, with a cookie in his hand and a great smile, since he was always optimistic.

“Excuse me?” asked Yoongi.

“I said, are you going to go see the medium?”

“Naa! I don't believe in that gibberish!”

“Why don't you calm yourself down and have a good time? It’s your party!” Hoseok cheered him. It was true, he had organized everything to impress the owner of the space who wasn't especially fond of having a party, but seeing the opportunity to get new customers and keep happy his investors. He left Yoongi with the job and he put it in himself to make the best party ever.

Hoseok gave a small punch in his ribs and gave a sneaky smile to Yoongi “Seems like ____ is getting her cards read.”

“You know her?” Yoongi asked surprised.

“How can I not know the owner of the coffee shop that is close to my office? She is a very sweet gal.”

“Sweet wouldn't be the right term to describe her” said Yoongi smirking.

“You're right, the correct term would be "Intensely Hot"” Hoseok said with a seductive smile. A certain sense of jealousy began to grow in Yoongi's stomach but he didn't listen to it and looked at you.

“Hot? You think so?”

“Are you kidding? You're the manager of the space and you haven't noticed her?”

“ I've noticed her” Yoongi said deffensively

“And haven't you noticed that ____ is a hotty with a body? I mean she is so hot she could make a pool go on fire!”

“Well that may be true but her products and her technique for selling them left much to be desired.”

“Well its those product of hers that keep me alive! Yesterday I tried this new cookie called "Sugar kiss" and I'm telling you, that woman can make a grown man cry with them! They are extremely delicious! I wished she could make this cookie called "Wild Sex In The Back Seat Of A Car", I would sure try that…..with her.”

Yoongi looked at his best friend with a death glare and  Hoseok smiled innocently “Sorry dude, I forgot I was walking on your turf.”

“What in blazes are you talking about?”

“Dude, you gave me the death glare! That means you are interested in her. Plus you haven't stopped looking at her since she went into the tent. For one thing I'm happy that you finally are into a girl that isn't a total stuck up. Bad thing for me is now don't have a chance. Maybe she has a sister.”

“Ok I am NOT interested in _____! First of all, if I'm looking at her it’s because I'm trying to see what she is going to do next because she always wants to irritate me by doing something out of the ordinary. Second of all, I am not always interested in stuck up girls. And third of all, if you want her you can have her.”

“If you continue to say that I'm going to end up believing that, and just so you know you do date uptight, stuck up women, all the time! Every girl is a copy of the other! Boring to hell too. But ___ is not boring in any way! Good thing you don't like her cause I've been hitting on her all week and she has been sweet but just that, sweet. Could be she has a boyfriend.”

Yoongi got relieved that you didn't pay attention to Hoseok’s advances but suddenly felt frustrated that there was a possibility you could have a formal boyfriend. Wait, why the hell was he worrying? He didn't care for you personal life!

“Come on, lets get your future read! Maybe we can find out if there is a woman that can shake your chubber! I bet it’s ___!”

“Why don't you go and see about yourself” Yoongi said “You need a woman more than me.”

“I already got a date with a girl I met in the supermarket, her name is Momo and she was talking about Broccoli when I met her.”

“But you hate Broccoli.”

“Well for that babe, it was well worth it. You should’ve seen her body to know what I'm talking about. Besides you need a spin around the town, meet a girl that you can have a good time. When is the last time you had sex?”

“I am not telling you” the last thing Yoongi needed was his best friend laughing at his dried up sex life. He would die of laughter if he knew.

“Yoongi, either you tell me, or I'm going directly to _____ and telling her that you want her.”

“God you're like the nosy brother I never wanted! Two months! There! Happy?”

Hoseok’s jaw dropped “ DUDE! Your dick is going to fall off if you don't do something about it!”

“Oh brother! Do you always think about this or is the Valentines Day spirit swelling you mind and apparently your dick too?” Yoongi rolled his eyes “I am going to see if I can get a girl if it will get you off my case!”

“Ok, but let's have fun tonight, go see the medium, she can tell you about your love life! Maybe ____ can get it to be more fun.”

“NOT HER!”

“Ok but at least she can give us a clue to whom” Hoseok patted him on his shoulder and got him close to the tent and they saw you coming out. You looked at Yoongi and then quickly turned to Hoseok, almost avoiding his gaze.

“Hobi, I'm glad to see you” you smiled tenderly “Are you missing my double coffee with no foam?”

“That and your cookies” he smiled back and winked “they are the best things I have ever had in my life!”

You smiled back and Yoongi could have sworn that seemed to be the most seductive thing. Damn! He loved contagious smiles and particularly this woman had the sexiest contagious smile ever! Curse his bad luck!

“Min Yoongi” You said in a serious voice.

“_____” he greeted.

Seeing Hoseok and Yoongi was an odd match considering the fact that they looked like polar opposites, “Are you acquainted?”

“Yes we are very good friends since high school”  the manager said all serious.

“Now that's something you don't see every day” You laughed.

“It seems you are surprised to see that I have friends.”

“Well at least one who is very charming.”

“I can be charming. I am just not that patient with people who live to irritate me daily with their over the top decorations to a shop that leaves very little to the imagination. The mannequins I saw in the morning on the front window of your shop were completely naked!”

“I'm sorry but my mannequins are completely dressed” you began to protest.

“In an evident way like a slap.”

“Is that an invitation?” your eyes sparked with a flame of anger.

“I didn't know you had violent tendencies.”

“Only with people who irritate me and put me nervous”

“Speaking of nervous” he pointed with her index finger “your front window is….”

“Provocative? Interesting?”

“ Excessive!”

“Thanks for the compliment!” You smiled.

“THAT WAS NOT A COMPLIMENT!”

“Coming from you, the fact that you actually noticed the front window is a compliment in itself. Tell me did you really just look at it or were you so wrapped in yourself that when you were looking at your reflection you accidentally saw it?”

“Evidently our last conversation about the decoration was but alas forgotten” he rolled his eyes, his signature move, “Seeing as how you have such a short attention spam”

“Don't you dare insult my intellect! I know what you said! I know what I said! Don't come up to me with those airs of superiority and insult me.”

“Well if you can remember then you must have not heard”.

“I know how to hear and to remember, but I also know this exquisite word called "ignore" if you want I can get a dictionary for you so you can look it up! Oh and FYI you wouldn't know creativity even if it bit you up the ass!”

“You obviously don't know me”

“Oh I know you very well, Mr. Informal Clone!” you looked at him up and down with certain air of despise.

“I have that feeling too, Miss. I dont ever listen to my boss!” he said ironically, “how lucky for both of us.”

“I wouldn't employ that term in this case. But I see we finally agree in something!”

“I think it is the first time” he smirked.

“Maybe you should come by my shop, I just made a new cookie in the shape of a pair of lips” you smiled before adding “It's called, "BITE ME!"

Hoseok tried his hardest not to laugh but obviously it was in vain. Yoongi turned around and glared at his friend. Damn, he had forgotten about his friend and of Madame Karma as well, who was standing behind you. He scoweled at you and went to Madame Karma

“No thanks, I'm not in the mood for coffee. But maybe you can give hobi, seeing how he LOOOVES your coffee and cookies” then he turned to Madame Karma and shook her hand “Madame Karma I am….”

“Min Yoongi” she whispered amazed.

“Yes, well I came to see if you can tell me my future” he said without showing surprise as to how she could know his name.

“Your aura is bright…. exceptionally bright” Madame Karma said as she saw Yoongi's hand then she turned to you and made a movement with her head “____, dear, please leave. Mr. Min and I have a lot to talk about.”

Yoongi couldn't think of anything he had to ask Madame Karma in particulat. He was guessing that she would read some plain old cards say some mumbo jumbo and he would just nod. Then he would thank her and leave. How bad could it be?

Life was blissful. It was the morning peace that filled your heart with happiness as you prepared a fresh batch of new cookies. You felt proud of yourself for the idyllic peace you had manage to create. not just because you were doing what you loved but also because you were doing it on your own. even when it wasn’t easy to get to where you were you had finally reached that part of life you wanted to be.

At a young age and with the help of your best friend Seokjin, you started your dream of owning your very own coffee shop. Seokjin was the one who cooked and you were the one who made the designs and the names as well. To many, especially your parents, this was just a ridiculous idea. That you would go broke in a matter of weeks. Turns out, that same  business they doubted from the start was rising and booming with clients. And even the name of the shop appealed to them, "Constant Cravings".

When you searched for the best spot, you found a great space located near your home and was located in the best location for people who needed sweets and caffeine in their daily lives. One bad part, your new boss. Well he wasn't your boss, but he was the manager of the space where you had your coffee shop. His name was so bittersweet and the only mention of it made have the chills, Min Yoongi.

But today was not the day to think about the sourman that is your boss. Today you had a big gig to complete. You were offered the chance to make cookies for a big party that the owners of the space had every year for Valentines Day. You were especially excited since you would earn a lot of money that day. Bad news was, Seokjin reported sick that day so there was no one to replace him and you were left with all the work. Luckily enough you knew the recipe by heart and all you needed to do was bake all the batches for the party.

Once you got to the party, you put all the cookies in display and all of the most important people were there. The owner of the space was there, along with his son. There were many new people you hadn't seen before, great NEW customers! There was a woman in a big red tent, outside was a sign that read, "The Grand Madame Karma, she sees it all and knows it all".

"Yeah sure, all I need to know right now is if this thing is going to work or not, I really need the money"  you thought.

The day went on and the party seemed tranquil, and by that I meant boring. "Don't these people know how to party? All they talk about is business and money. Its Valentines Day! A time of love and caring, well if I had a boyfriend it would. Well, who needs a man when you have a successful shop?" you thought. Normally you’d speak your mind and not let any opinion inside you, but seeing that you would risk potential new customers so you kept your mouth shut.

It was almost over everyone was moving on from the event and really nothing interesting really happened. The red tent was still standing tall in front. Maybe it was curiosity or maybe it’s the excitement of the unknown but you were still curious about Madame Karma. To make an excuse to go inside you went to give her one of her famous cookies and a cup of steaming coffee. You might not get a reading but at least a cookie never hurt anybody. Inside there was a woman, black long hair, around her 50s with long red nails to match her the red cape and on the table with the crystal ball right at the center. Typical. You gave a pleasant smile to the woman, offering her the cookie and beverage. Madame Karma smiled tenderly and felt relieved.

“Thanks a million my dear! Today is a cold day and a cookie is just what I need to get my romantic flow going. All I see in these people, or what they ask, is how their business will be. It’s Valentines Day and no one has asked me about romance!”

“Maybe because they are too stuck up to even think beyond their stupid computers. I call them "Informal Clones" they are too serious and superficial” you giggled.

“Now there is a great opinion I've been waiting to hear all day!” said Madame Karma, she looked at you and up and down “you know I used to have legs like yours, when I was your age.”

“Well you are going to love this cookie, it's called “Legs For Days", plus it's the shape of a cute high heel” You felt proud for your cookie naming abilities it was cute and sassy just like your brand was.

“Oh, god this is the most delicious cookie I have eaten, and trust me I have eaten too many cookies in my life” the medium laughed “What’s your name dear?”

“It’s ___, and I’m assuming you’re Madame Karma?”

“The one, the only, knows all, sees all!” she praised herself raising her arms up dramatically and laughed loudly at her over the top performance. “so tell me ___ how much do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house! I was going to bring it to you earlier, but as you can see my business is full.”

“I always give something in return. Tell you what, how about I read you your fortune as payment for such a wonderful cookie”

“Sounds good” you shrugged. As you sat in front of Madame Karma you started to feel rather giddy. You had always been curious to find out about her future, but never had the time to go to an actual medium.

“You have a bright aura, my dear. It has a tight connection” Madame Karma took out a stack of cards and put them on the table “I will employ the card with you, pick out 6 cards with your left hand” You did as told and gave her the cards. After that Madame Karma put them in groups of three and began to read the first group “This represents your past. I see three people, two men and a woman, I'm guessing they are your mother and father and brother, am I right?” You nodded, lucky guess. “Well I see disapproval in them, especially your father. He didn't want you to open your shop.”

You nodded once more. “He felt that I should go to college and I said I wanted to do a project with a friend. That really didn’t sit well with him being that I was supposed to become a lawyer or even an administrator of a huge company. I never cared for math, I even sucked at it in school so it wasn't great. I went on to this business because it was something I enjoyed.”

“Well just as you mention  I saw that decision in here! Now let’s go to your present. I see a great success in your business, although I see a presence of someone that pulls you down, like a big spine on your back.”

Immediately you thought of the pompous arrogant Min Yoongi that always criticized your business place calling it a waste of time and that the names of your creations were too scandalous. What did that jerk know about creativity?

“what will happen to that spine? Will he go away?”

“Patience, my dear” said Madame “wait till I get to the future. Right now we are in your present. Even though your professional life is boosting with great things, I see your personal life is a bit contrary to it. I see loneliness. No masculine company, but…..”

Oh she knew how to peak your interest… “But what?”

“I see someone on the horizon…”

“Please tell me it someone nice”you begged. It has been a while since you had been on a date, and the last one was a total lame waste of time!

“I see, someone who is hooked into your professional life. Now lets see the last row, that represents your instant future” after reading the last row Madame Karma looked at you with a half smile “do you remember when we talked about that spine up your ass? I can see he is a man, close to you although not in a personal way. Maybe a work partner” she looked at you with a gleam in her eye “do you know who Im talking about?”

“I can think of one man that I consider a spine up my ass” you rolled your eyes “He is the one who takes care of the building.”

“Yes I see he is a man of power.”

“Yeah, a powerful idiot!”

“What's his name?”

“Min Yoongi” you answered “Can you tell me if he will leave soon? Tell me he is going to be transferred to Siberia? Antarctica? Africa?”

“No. On the contrary. His connection with you will change completely. He will change from "pain in my ass" to "I can’t live without him".”

You dropped your jaw and began to laugh your guts off “ Oh that’s a good one! You must be talking about another spine up my ass, because I know it’s not him.

“Sweetheart, I assure you that he is. These are the cards, and Karma doesn't lie. Plus, you can’t escape Karma. If you try to escape from it, you will be forever cursed. And trust me, you don't want that to happen” Madame Karma grabbed your hands and looked at you in the eyes “Min Yoongi, even when you think he is the most insufferable man in the world, is the love of your life.”

_____________________________

Min Yoongi  was looking at you from across the garden and as he saw you, he felt his body feeling tense. There was just something about you that didn't feel right, at least not for him. He didn't understand what it was, but you were strange and you always got to his head making him irritated. Surely it was because of your notorious shop with all those extravagant and sensual names plus the way that you decorated the place was not exactly decent. I mean, who ever called a cookie "Chocolate Orgasm" or a coffee called "Hot, wet, and wild"?

The first day the store opened he went inside for a cappuccino so he could go to work, when suddenly you came to the counter with a great smile and asked him if he wanted the specialty of the day, "A Slow Trip To Pleasure". That happened less than a year a go and he still remember the way he had jumped when he saw such an innocent looking girl pronounce those words. But it was more the amazement of the tone in your voice and the spark in your eye that seemed to invite him as he had stood in shock. He had never been so nervous with a woman in all his life than he had been that day in the coffee shop.

If it weren't for the fact that "Constant Cravings" was the shop that produced more profits in the entire space, he would have canceled your contract a long time ago. Having you around caused too much problems. Especially since you were a complete opposite of him. You were outgoing and outspoken, while he was a calm person who minded his business and just prefered the silence. He preferred the calm of having a boss than doing all by yourself. Every time he would tell you that the way you sold things were too extravagant, but you would just laugh and tell him that it was exactly that extravagance, or more likely the sex appeal, is what sold your items the most.

True it as it may be, it was just too much and there were rules in the contract that established that you must control her decorations, but since no one ever complained things stayed as they were. But soon would come the day that you would regret this, since every time you changed your front window decoration you exploited more and more the theme of sexuality.

He looked around and saw you standing outside of the tent of the medium he had assigned for entertainment for the party. He saw your eyes, looking like two big crystals that shine like the sky in a hot spring day after a great storm. He tried to look away but instead he looked at you up and down looking at every centimeter of your body. You were far from looking sexy compared to the other business women in the party. In fact you were in your uniform, a white blouse and black pants. So then why did he feel so strange? It was ridiculous to feel attracted to a woman who he didn't even know on a personal field. But every time he saw you he imagine your lips moving slowly on him offering him a "Slow Trip To Pleasure".

“Are you going to visit the Medium?”

Yoongi shook his head, as if coming out of a trance and looked beside him. There standing was Hoseok, his best friend, with a cookie in his hand and a great smile, since he was always optimistic.

“Excuse me?” asked Yoongi.

“I said, are you going to go see the medium?”

“Naa! I don't believe in that gibberish!”

“Why don't you calm yourself down and have a good time? It’s your party!” Hoseok cheered him. It was true, he had organized everything to impress the owner of the space who wasn't especially fond of having a party, but seeing the opportunity to get new customers and keep happy his investors. He left Yoongi with the job and he put it in himself to make the best party ever.

Hoseok gave a small punch in his ribs and gave a sneaky smile to Yoongi “Seems like ____ is getting her cards read.”

“You know her?” Yoongi asked surprised.

“How can I not know the owner of the coffee shop that is close to my office? She is a very sweet gal.”

“Sweet wouldn't be the right term to describe her” said Yoongi smirking.

“You're right, the correct term would be "Intensely Hot"” Hoseok said with a seductive smile. A certain sense of jealousy began to grow in Yoongi's stomach but he didn't listen to it and looked at you.

“Hot? You think so?”

“Are you kidding? You're the manager of the space and you haven't noticed her?”

“ I've noticed her” Yoongi said deffensively

“And haven't you noticed that ____ is a hotty with a body? I mean she is so hot she could make a pool go on fire!”

“Well that may be true but her products and her technique for selling them left much to be desired.”

“Well its those product of hers that keep me alive! Yesterday I tried this new cookie called "Sugar kiss" and I'm telling you, that woman can make a grown man cry with them! They are extremely delicious! I wished she could make this cookie called "Wild Sex In The Back Seat Of A Car", I would sure try that…..with her.”

Yoongi looked at his best friend with a death glare and  Hoseok smiled innocently “Sorry dude, I forgot I was walking on your turf.”

“What in blazes are you talking about?”

“Dude, you gave me the death glare! That means you are interested in her. Plus you haven't stopped looking at her since she went into the tent. For one thing I'm happy that you finally are into a girl that isn't a total stuck up. Bad thing for me is now don't have a chance. Maybe she has a sister.”

“Ok I am NOT interested in _____! First of all, if I'm looking at her it’s because I'm trying to see what she is going to do next because she always wants to irritate me by doing something out of the ordinary. Second of all, I am not always interested in stuck up girls. And third of all, if you want her you can have her.”

“If you continue to say that I'm going to end up believing that, and just so you know you do date uptight, stuck up women, all the time! Every girl is a copy of the other! Boring to hell too. But ___ is not boring in any way! Good thing you don't like her cause I've been hitting on her all week and she has been sweet but just that, sweet. Could be she has a boyfriend.”

Yoongi got relieved that you didn't pay attention to Hoseok’s advances but suddenly felt frustrated that there was a possibility you could have a formal boyfriend. Wait, why the hell was he worrying? He didn't care for you personal life!

“Come on, lets get your future read! Maybe we can find out if there is a woman that can shake your chubber! I bet it’s ___!”

“Why don't you go and see about yourself” Yoongi said “You need a woman more than me.”

“I already got a date with a girl I met in the supermarket, her name is Momo and she was talking about Broccoli when I met her.”

“But you hate Broccoli.”

“Well for that babe, it was well worth it. You should’ve seen her body to know what I'm talking about. Besides you need a spin around the town, meet a girl that you can have a good time. When is the last time you had sex?”

“I am not telling you” the last thing Yoongi needed was his best friend laughing at his dried up sex life. He would die of laughter if he knew.

“Yoongi, either you tell me, or I'm going directly to _____ and telling her that you want her.”

“God you're like the nosy brother I never wanted! Two months! There! Happy?”

Hoseok’s jaw dropped “ DUDE! Your dick is going to fall off if you don't do something about it!”

“Oh brother! Do you always think about this or is the Valentines Day spirit swelling you mind and apparently your dick too?” Yoongi rolled his eyes “I am going to see if I can get a girl if it will get you off my case!”

“Ok, but let's have fun tonight, go see the medium, she can tell you about your love life! Maybe ____ can get it to be more fun.”

“NOT HER!”

“Ok but at least she can give us a clue to whom” Hoseok patted him on his shoulder and got him close to the tent and they saw you coming out. You looked at Yoongi and then quickly turned to Hoseok, almost avoiding his gaze.

“Hobi, I'm glad to see you” you smiled tenderl “Are you missing my double coffee with no foam?”

“That and your cookies” he smiled back and winked “they are the best things I have ever had in my life!”

You smiled back and Yoongi could have sworn that seemed to be the most seductive thing. Damn! He loved contagious smiles and particularly this woman had the sexiest contagious smile ever! Curse his bad luck!

“Min Yoongi” You said in a serious voice.

“_____” he greeted.

Seeing Hoseok and Yoongi was an odd match considering the fact that they looked like polar opposites, “Are you acquainted?”

“Yes we are very good friends since high school”  the manager said all serious.

“Now that's something you don't see every day” You laughed.

“It seems you are surprised to see that I have friends.”

“Well at least one who is very charming.”

“I can be charming. I am just not that patient with people who live to irritate me daily with their over the top decorations to a shop that leaves very little to the imagination. The mannequins I saw in the morning on the front window of your shop were completely naked!”

“I'm sorry but my mannequins are completely dressed” you began to protest.

“In an evident way like a slap.”

“Is that an invitation?” your eyes sparked with a flame of anger.

“I didn't know you had violent tendencies.”

“Only with people who irritate me and put me nervous”

“Speaking of nervous” he pointed with her index finger “your front window is….”

“Provocative? Interesting?”

“ Excessive!”

“Thanks for the compliment!” You smiled.

“THAT WAS NOT A COMPLIMENT!”

“Coming from you, the fact that you actually noticed the front window is a compliment in itself. Tell me did you really just look at it or were you so wrapped in yourself that when you were looking at your reflection you accidentally saw it?”

“Evidently our last conversation about the decoration was but alas forgotten” he rolled his eyes, his signature move, “Seeing as how you have such a short attention spam”

“Don't you dare insult my intellect! I know what you said! I know what I said! Don't come up to me with those airs of superiority and insult me.”

“Well if you can remember then you must have not heard”.

“I know how to hear and to remember, but I also know this exquisite word called "ignore" if you want I can get a dictionary for you so you can look it up! Oh and FYI you wouldn't know creativity even if it bit you up the ass!”

“You obviously don't know me”

“Oh I know you very well, Mr. Informal Clone!” you looked at him up and down with certain air of despise.

“I have that feeling too, Miss. I dont ever listen to my boss!” he said ironically, “how lucky for both of us.”

“I wouldn't employ that term in this case. But I see we finally agree in something!”

“I think it is the first time” he smirked.

“Maybe you should come by my shop, I just made a new cookie in the shape of a pair of lips” you smiled before adding “It's called, "BITE ME!"

Hoseok tried his hardest not to laugh but obviously it was in vain. Yoongi turned around and glared at his friend. Damn, he had forgotten about his friend and of Madame Karma as well, who was standing behind you. He scoweled at you and went to Madame Karma

“No thanks, I'm not in the mood for coffee. But maybe you can give hobi, seeing how he LOOOVES your coffee and cookies” then he turned to Madame Karma and shook her hand “Madame Karma I am….”

“Min Yoongi” she whispered amazed.

“Yes, well I came to see if you can tell me my future” he said without showing surprise as to how she could know his name.

“Your aura is bright…. exceptionally bright” Madame Karma said as she saw Yoongi's hand then she turned to you and made a movement with her head “____, dear, please leave. Mr. Min and I have a lot to talk about.”

Yoongi couldn't think of anything he had to ask Madame Karma in particular. He was guessing that she would read some plain old cards say some mumbo jumbo and he would just nod. Then he would thank her and leave. How bad could it be?

[virtual-lara]

AVault - Philip Campbell Interview - Tomb Raider 1: Unfinished Business

Interview appeared on AVault website, dated sometime 1998. Article was written by David Laprad.

On Friday, March 20, Eidos Interactive gave legions of Lara Croft fans a very nice thank you in the form of four free add-on levels for the original game. Called Tomb Raider Gold, these never-before-seen levels were designed by Phil Campbell, producer and designer for a number of Eidos titles. The new levels are split into two sections: Unfinished Business and The Shadow of the Cat. Unfinished Business consists of two expert levels chronicling Lara's dramatic return to Atlantis, where she must destroy a hidden alien hatchery. The Shadow of the Cat levels take players back to the City of Khamoon to embark on an all-new adventure. The Adrenaline Vault was able to catch up with a busy Campbell and get his insight into the Tomb Raider Gold design process and all things Lara Croft.

AVault:

Thank you for taking time to speak with us. How long have you been involved with the world of Tomb Raider?

Philip Campbell:

I have been doing Tomb Raider-related work since March of last year. I was not involved with the original game at all. When Jeremy and Adrian Smith saw my work on another Eidos project, they asked me if I would like to design some expert levels. I worked at Core in England for a couple months creating concepts for a number of possible levels. Subsequently, I designed and built the two Unfinished Business levels. Later, I designed the Shadow of the Cat levels with the help of Rebecca Shearin, a senior artist here at Eidos.

AVault:

What other game development experience do you have?

Philip Campbell:

I started work at Domark in San Mateo a few years ago. Before that, I had been an architect for 15 years. Initially, I was art director on a couple of projects, and now I am handling producer and designer roles on a number of projects. Currently, I am working on Vermin with Kronos Digital and Omikron with Quantic Dream. I guess I am the office handyman! I try to get involved in all design related projects, ranging from external development to Tomb Raider publications, comics, and merchandising.

AVault:

Where does your work take you?

Philip Campbell:

Technically, I am a senior producer and designer working for Eidos USA and based in San Francisco. However, my current schedule has me spending six weeks in Paris working on Omikron and two weeks in Los Angeles working on Vermin. In Paris, I just completed the recording and motion capture sessions, and am currently concentrating on level designs. Although I work for the publisher, I supplement the Omikron design team. On Vermin, Tom Marx and I form a production team, helping the external developers with design issues. We have been very involved with this project from the beginning and are trying to break down the traditional concept of publisher and developer relationships by working closely with the team on all aspects of the game. Back in the U.S., I am currently designing a marketing, packaging, and website campaign for Omikron with the marketing department, and working on another Tomb Raider product.

AVault:

Working on another Tomb Raider product? Do tell!

Philip Campbell:

[to the sounds of his hands being tied by public relations] Soon! Very soon!

AVault:

Why is Eidos publishing Tomb Raider again, this time with extra levels?

Philip Campbell:

Tomb Raider Gold is an added value product. The four new levels, extra goodies, and the low price make it a great deal. There are probably a lot of new converts to Tomb Raider following Tomb Raider 2, and we wanted to make it easy for them to pick up the rest of the story.

AVault:

It is rumored the Unfinished Business levels are for expert players only. What special challenges confront players in these levels?

Philip Campbell:

The two levels that detail Lara's return to Atlantis are meant to follow directly from the end of the original game; therefore, we had to make sure the difficulty was as high, or higher, than the preceding levels. I do not think they are that difficult, but the player who really wants a test should play them before the Shadow of the Cat levels to limit the number of pickups and weapons.

AVault:

You do realize cruelty in game design is a punishable crime.

Philip Campbell:

I do not think we are being cruel! Devious, yes. Even sneaky. Hard, but fair. I think the levels reward careful play. No enemies materialize from thin air, nor are there random deaths, except for that one situation....

AVault:

Do the new levels concentrate on adventure-style puzzles, similar to the King Midas brain-buster from the original, or are they more focused on action, like the sequel?

Philip Campbell:

Both, although there may be a slight emphasis on action. The nature of the Atlantean foes makes them very tough enemies. On the other hand, the first Unfinished Business level is like a puzzle box. You must have an understanding of where rooms are in relation to one another. The Shadow of the Cat levels are more focused on mystery and mysterious puzzles. The player can get cat visions, and some objects transform. I loosely based a series of room puzzles on the Nine Lives of the Cat, an Egyptian hierarchy of gods. For instance, there is the Sun God room, where everything looks like it has been bleached out by the intense rays.

AVault:

Describe the conceptual development of these levels. Did you do any special research, and run into any unique design problems? I imagine you drew upon your experience as an architect.

Philip Campbell:

The Unfinished Business levels are based around a tight architectural construct. There are a lot of transparencies highlighting the connections between the various spaces. I imagined a giant underground hatchery, built out of the synthesis of a crumbling ancient architecture and a horrific kind of gunk. This is why you will find some very organic areas growing out of some fairly formal sets of rooms. Of course, everything is built upon the fiery red lava, and I wanted the lava to be constantly bubbling and popping throughout the levels. I worked around a lot of concepts I felt constituted good level design, such as foreshadowing events, allowing the player overall tactical views before a confrontation, building up the intensity as the action progresses, all the time considering dramatic camera angles and dramatically designed spaces. I did the Shadow of the Cat levels because I loved the Egyptian look in the original game, and wanted to add to the mythology of Khamoon. I did do a bit of research into Egyptian lore and culture, but mostly I imagined huge outside spaces, vast expanses of desert, and gigantic pyramids.

AVault:

Describe the actual dynamics of constructing the levels.

Philip Campbell:

The editor was a joy to work with. Rather than feeling like I was building models, plane by plane, vector by vector, I felt as though I was sculpting space, taking a solid block of matter and carving out an environment. Designing Tomb Raider levels involves a lot of late nights, on-the-spot testing, and subsequent tweaking and rebuilding. One of the great advantages of the editor is you can test as you go along.

AVault:

How easy was it to pick up the editing tools?

Philip Campbell:

The tools are geared to results, and I think part of the success of the original game is due to the quality of the level editor. It is very simple to build, test, and revise. The original did have some limitations, but these tended to focus the design rather than hinder it. Of course, my challenge was to build levels with the same high quality as the original, and I hope players find the maps challenging, compelling, and enjoyable.

AVault:

Do you think the editing tools could be mastered by the Internet community? What are the chances of them being freely released?

Philip Campbell:

Anyone with a creative eye could build playable levels, and I hope you will soon have a chance to do just that.

AVault:

You mentioned working with Rebecca Shearin on the Shadow of the Cat levels. Is there new art in Tomb Raider Gold?

Philip Campbell:

Rebecca and I came up with some concept designs the Shadow of the Cat levels, and she made some great new textures, many of which have a feline flavor. We had to stick very closely with the original textures for the Atlantean levels for continuity's sake, but I had a free hand as far as structures and constructs were concerned. For the Egyptian areas, I started out with pretty much the same texture set as the original, then gradually introduced new material as the mystery progressed. We were also aiming for more dramatic outside spaces than the original, so the levels ended up being pretty huge.

AVault:

What is your take on the Lara Croft phenomenon? Do you feel there have been any missteps along the way?

Philip Campbell:

Of course not! The whole Lara Croft and Tomb Raider franchise is the current preoccupation of many talented people at Eidos and Core. Everything is carefully geared to respond to our audience's wishes, and each step is meticulously planned. With a movie deal now in the works, it is critical for us to generate a quality script. Eidos makes sure experts are employed to deal with every conceivable expansion area for the franchise.

AVault:

Where do you see the franchise going?

Philip Campbell:

Tomb Raider is both a series and a franchise, and has potential to develop in many directions. The movie is an exciting opportunity, and as long as people want Lara Croft games, we will continue making them.

AVault:

Describe Vermin and Omikron, as you are able.

Philip Campbell:

Briefly, Vermin is an exciting 3D arcade action game, and Omikron is a real-time action and adventure title. Both look to be potentially great games, and we will be releasing more details as they develop. Certainly, they will both be featured at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year, alongside our many other titles.

All rights belong to AVault and/or their affiliated companies. I only intend to introduce people to old articles and preserve them before they are lost.

[harry-leroy]

Hey, local English major who has somehow never read Wilde in her life here, first of all I need to get on that but second of all I would love to hear more about your plot/ideas for the Lady Windermere's Fan prequel and how you got inspired for it! Your creativity never ceases to impress me, this project seems like so much fun.

Thank you so much for this, Macy! (And thank you for all your kind words, I really don’t deserve friends like you). And tagging @princess-of-france because writing projects (I hope you’re doing well!) 

(Enjoy a Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde gif…) 

The Selby Roses is a working title for a prequel to one of Oscar Wilde’s comedy plays, Lady Windermere’s Fan, that I’ve been working on for roughly a month - the project has just begun, and the road will be long, but I’m excited to go on this journey with it! 

Quickly before I get into The Selby Roses, I’ll give a quick synopsis of LWF if you’d like some context. On Lady Windermere’s 21st birthday, news is brought to her that for the past six months, her husband has been giving enormous sums of money to a mysterious woman by the name of Mrs. Erlynne. In a moment of desperation, her husband invites this woman to his wife’s birthday party. Is Lord Windermere having an affair? And how will the young Lady Windermere handle it if he were? In one dazzlingly disastrous night, our characters confront love, loss, lust, misguided intentions, confessions, drunken fights, and some terrible confusion about a particular fan. You can click here to see the cast of the 2018 Vaudeville production try and summarize it in under one minute! 

A line in Act IV of LWF prompts the story of The Selby Roses: “Let us go to Selby.  In the Rose Garden at Selby the roses are white and red.” A highly fond memory of Lady Windermere’s that reminds her of the root of her love for her husband, and thus sets the stage for our prequel play. 

Set in the summer of 1888, The Selby Roses tells the story of the budding romance of Lord Arthur Hudson and Lady Margaret Kendal (our eventual Lord and Lady Windermere in LWF). The play begins the day of a country party out in the Windermere’s country home in Selby. Arthur’s father, having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, wishes to see his eldest son married before he dies. All is in order for Arthur’s courtship of the charming Lady Emma Carlisle, but a mysterious Lady Kendal arrives at the party and takes Arthur’s heart unexpectedly. However, Arthur is not the only one smitten by her, and even if she loves him in return, love isn’t their only obstacle. The night spins into one of chaos, a Victorian high-society Wars of the Roses where a woman’s heart becomes as valuable as a kingdom. Hearts will be won, lost, broken, but all is fair in love and war… 

The main cast is as follows (I’ll indicate original canon characters vs new characters). I’m going to leave them under a cut so this post doesn’t get too long! 

Women: 

Lady Margaret Kendal (19 y/o) - (Lady Windermere in LWF). Invited by Alexander to the party without the permission of his parents. Bold, spirited, highly principled, although she is rather sheltered. She finds herself confused between several lovers who cross her path over the evening, but finds consolation in becoming friends with the other women. 

Alice Hudson, Marchioness of Windermere (50s) - Arthur and Alexander’s mother, a good friend of the Duchess of Berwick. She intends for this courtship between Arthur and the Duchess’s daughter to go smoothly, but runs into several distractions set up by her sons and their friends. Witty, honest, somewhat overprotective and dotes on her boys. (prequel add-in: the line “you fancy because I have no father or mother that I am alone in the world, and that you can treat me as you choose” from Lady Windermere in the original play gave me the idea that Arthur has at least one living parent by the time LWF rolls around, unlike his wife.) 

Lady Julia Kendal (40s) - Margaret’s aunt and governess. She has raised Margaret ever since the child was eight years old, raising her with Puritan ideals, hoping she’ll be different than her nearly scandalized parents. She comes to the party with Margaret, and wants her to stay away from the men, but love will have a way. (She is mentioned by Lady Windermere in LWF, but is never seen in that play). 

Margaret Erlynne (late 30s/early 40s)- This infamous woman of LWF doesn’t appear until the end of The Selby Roses, clearly to make her intentions with the Windermere household in Oscar Wilde’s play, but also to recount on her past mistakes and regrets. 

Laura Ford (early 20s) - (Lady Plymdale in LWF) University student in London, she attends the party on her own while her brother takes care of her ailing mother at home. She has been offered a proposal several times by Lord Albert Plymdale, but she finds her heart pining for the Byronic writer, George Dumby. It’s been like that for years, how could tonight possibly change anything? Bold, mature, incredibly smart, but her heart is absolutely aching. 

Lady Beatrice Marley (20 y/o) - Arthur and Alexander’s cousin, Alice’s niece. She becomes a good acquaintance of the young Lady Kendal along with the other women of the play who help her go after the hopelessly lovestruck Arthur. She finds herself being chased around by Dumby, who finds her to be his new muse. Kind, sharp, with a charitable spirit. (An add-in. There was no particular line in the play that inspired her creation, but rather Dumby’s somewhat womanizing character and his relationship with Laura prompted me just as well.) 

Arabella Carlisle, Duchess of Berwick (50s) - (Duchess of Berwick in LWF) Like Alice, she intends for the night to run smoothly and for Athur to make a proposal to her daughter by the end of the night. However, she gets caught up in the younger generation’s antics to turn that notion completely upside-down. Gossipy, somewhat of a control freak, highly talkative. 

Emma Carlisle of Berwick (20 y/o) - The third youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick. She is the intended lover of Arthur Hudson. However, she finds herself falling more and more in love with his younger brother, Alexander. Over the course of the night, she must choose between love and honoring her parents’ wishes, all the while making sense of these obnoxious men and avoiding scandal. She is charming, highly attractive, a free-thinker, independent. (An add in: the line “but I think that a mother who doesn’t part with a daughter every season has no real affection” from the Duchess of Berwick in the original play inspired the idea to give the Duke and Duchess six wonderfully bright daughters, and one son who makes himself an intentional failure). 

Ida Carlisle of Berwick (18 y/o) - The second youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick. The first of the women that Lady Kendal befriends. She is incredibly bright, catching on quite fully to the antics of the men (especially her own brother’s). (an add-in) 

Men: 

Arthur Hudson, 5th Marquess of Windermere (early 20s) - (Lord Windermere in LWF) This party is thrown so he may propose to the Duchess’s daughter by the end of the night, but he instead falls for Lady Kendal. He employs his godfather, Lord Augustus, and his best friend, Cecil Graham to create a distraction so that he is able to speak with her. He’s not the only one with the same plan. Tense, shy, nearly incapable of saying “no”. (Although most Victorian men don’t get married until their late 20s or early 30s, I decided to make Arthur younger as he is the only one of his friends in LWF who is married.) 

Edward Hudson, 4th Marquess of Windermere (50s) - The elderly Lord Windermere who wishes to secure a future for his family line before he dies. He hopes that his son will choose Lady Carlisle, insisting that his wife be his son’s constant chaperone. Somewhat terrified for his own death, wants everything to be in control. (an add-in). 

Alexander Hudson (early 20s) - Arthur’s younger brother by a year and a half. Alexander finds himself absolutely head over heels for Lady Carlisle, the woman that his brother is meant to be marrying. He employs Dumby and the young Henry Carlisle to help keep up a lie that he is someone else for the evening in order to avoid the Duchess, who would rather have her daughter marry anyone but him. Unlike his brother, Alexander is charming, outgoing, mischievous, and handsome beyond compare. (an add-in: Arthur is so incredibly worried all the time, I thought it would be funny to give him a brother who is his total opposite). 

Gerard Kendal, 3rd Earl of Kendal (deceased - mentioned in name only) - Lady Kendal’s father. He committed suicide before the play began over the loss of his first wife, Margaret’s mother. His suicide was swept up by Lady Julia, his sister, to look like it came of natural causes, even though she knows the truth, she keeps it from Margaret to maintain reputation. (he is also mentioned in LWF, being the namesake for the Windermere’s son, and said by Margaret to have “really died of a broken heart”). 

Cecil Graham (20s) - (same character in LWF) Employed by Arthur to keep his mother away from him, along with Lord Augustus. He is a member of the House of Commons, and a great friend of Arthur. The two went to Eton together as well as to Trinity College, Oxford. Gossipy, witty, thinks he knows more than he actually does. 

George Dumby (late 20s) - (simply known as “Dumby” in LWF) Employed by the younger Hudson and by Lord Darlington to keep up two separate distractions. Finding the prospect amusing, he takes on the challenge. He also becomes tangled in his own love life, deciding to flirt with Lady Beatrice Marley while the true love of his life, Laura Ford, slips from his grasp. Having also met Arthur and Cecil at Oxford, Dumby is reimagined in this play as a writer with a Byronic complex, having come to high society through the success of his novels. He is adventurous, eloquent, mischievous, but also incredibly lost. 

Lord Augustus Lorton (late 40s/early 50s) - (same character in LWF) Employed by his godson to distract his sister, the Duchess, from paying much attention to her daughter during the course of the evening, which works well in Alexander’s favor. A little slow, likes to indulge, but he always has good intentions. 

George Carlisle, 3rd Duke of Berwick (50s) - (mentioned in LWF) His daughter, Emma, is intended to be married to Arthur Hudson. He is somewhat intimidating, tough, over-protective of his daughters’ reputations, feels somewhat emasculated because he has a poor excuse for an heir. 

Henry Carlisle of Berwick (early 20s) - The only son of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick, Henry has taken to a life of indulgence and riot. He attends Magdalen College, Oxford. He is employed by Alexander Hudson to keep up a lie about his identity for the night, and he is also employed by Lord Darlington to keep Lady Julia distracted, only adding to the game of antics for the night, which is highly appealing to him. Incorrigible, riotous, the youngest man in the play, somewhat of a follower. (he is mentioned as the Duchess’s son in LWF, but not given a name, so took liberty to do so). 

John Vernon, 13th Baron of Darlington (late 20s) - (Lord Darlington in LWF) A good friend of Arthur’s, having met him the previous summer through a mutual friend. Believing that Arthur is meant to be wooing Lady Carlisle, John pursues Lady Kendal, but finds himself against Lady Julia. He employs Dumby and Henry Carlisle to keep her distracted. Never takes himself seriously, except around those that he cares about. Somewhat of a casanova. 

Taylor (40s-60s) - Lord Windermere’s valet. He is able to catch on quite well to Alexander and Arthur’s affections and decides to aid on his own for the cause of love, at the possible risk to his reputation and his job. Polite, gentle, knows what’s right and what’s wrong. (an add-in: his eventual replacement is Parker from LWF).  

And that’s it for now! I’ve got a couple of excerpt posts drafted, so I will share those in due time! I hope you enjoyed, or were at least mildly amused :) Thank you for your constant support! Best wishes:)

[southeastasianists]

Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar is making moves in a surging industry. He directed the first season of HBO Asia’s Jakarta-set supernatural series Halfworlds and some episodes of its new horror series Folklore. He joins other local auteurs enjoying both domestic and international acclaim for movies like last year’s Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, directed by Mouly Surya. The so-called “satay Western” about a wronged woman out for revenge won raves at 2017’s Cannes Film Festival, and is the nation’s pick to compete for Best Foreign Language Film at next year’s Academy Awards.

Filmmaking in Indonesia dates back more than a century, and movies were first shown there in 1900. The current resurgence comes after last century’s bumpy journey for an art form that never totally took hold of audiences’ imagination.

“We hear about a once-rich Indonesian cinema culture, but it was an illusion,” Anwar told Southeast Asia Globe.

He’s referring to the sagas of Sundanese legends that were popular with Indonesian audiences in the 1920s, but were told from the point of view of the Dutch directors who made them on location in what was then the Dutch East Indies. In the early 1930s, elaborate romantic melodramas were all the rage, but they were created by Chinese entrepreneurs who were flush from the Shanghai movie boom and extending their market around the region. Heavily financed foreign productions discouraged local film production, which was scattershot and based mainly in Jakarta. The Great Depression and Dutch taxes made this dream all but impossible by the mid-1930s.

A handful of enterprising filmmakers dipped their toes in the water in the 1940s – just before film production was banned under the Japanese occupation. Government-approved political films saturated the post-Independence era until a string of indie domestic films enjoyed huge success in the 1980s. The 1988 political biopic Tjoet Nja’ Dhien was the first Indonesian film to be invited to Cannes. Soon after that victory, local filmmaking took a big hit when the government lifted a ban on the screening of foreign films. Indonesian moviemakers couldn’t compete with blockbusters from Hollywood and Hong Kong. During Southeast Asia’s economic crisis of 1997, Indonesia’s economy tanked, along with box office sales and investment in domestic film production. Just six movies were made in Indonesia in 1999.

The industry has been recovering since the mid-2000s, and in most Indonesian cities, air-conditioned multiplexes are seeing relatively healthy sales. John Riady, an Indonesian entrepreneur and editor at large of the Jakarta Globe, describes Indonesia as “the most invisible country in the world”, referring to the rarity of good English writing about the country and poor tourism marketing. It’s home to a quarter of a billion people, and its capital, Jakarta, is a gargantuan tech-obsessed metropolis that sends more tweets daily than any other city on the planet. Metrics like that are impressive, but local cinema isn’t quite keeping pace.

“Indonesians used to have a closer emotional relationship with movies and cinemas, mainly because there weren’t many alternatives to movie-watching at that time, and cinemas were not in high-end shopping malls,” explained Anwar. “Today, going to a cinema requires more effort since most of them are inside places which the average Indonesian person – someone who lives outside of Jakarta, for example, or the average Jakartan who doesn’t visit luxury malls – has no access to.”

Anwar, 42, is a solidly built man who dresses and talks with the confidence of someone who tours the international film-festival circuit and enjoys a lucrative career. He grew up in a poor part of Sumatra and spent much of his childhood watching horror and kung-fu movies. In 2003, he wrote Indonesia’s first gay-themed film, Arisan!, and went on to write and direct a slew of films throughout the 2000s. His 2007 film, Kala, was lauded at the New York Asian Film Festival. His 2009 thriller, Forbidden Door, was screened at film festivals all over the world, and the Hollywood Reporter compared it to the work of Alfred Hitchcock.

The biggest challenge faced by Indonesian cinema is getting audiences in seats, Anwar explained.

“There are too few cinemas, compared to the increasing interest in cinema-going. For the past three years, Indonesia has enjoyed a [rise in] ticket sales for locally produced films, and it seems like we are going to surpass that also this year. However, ticket prices have crept up to keep pace with demand, and this puts a visit to the cinema out of the reach of most Indonesians, who either don’t have or can’t justify spending that kind of money on a movie ticket. There’s also the fact that the older traditions of movie-going are gone, and so unless you’re an upwardly mobile Jakartan, cinema isn’t on your radar at all. You watch TV. You talk to your family.”

Anwar then produced something unexpected: the 2015 dystopian A Copy of My Mind, set in Jakarta during the tense 2014 presidential elections. The urban drama and love story about a low-rent salon worker and a guy who writes subtitles for pirated DVDs featured Jakarta as a character more than a setting.

“My vision of Jakarta in A Copy of My Mind was meant to be a love letter to the city I moved to 20 years ago,” said Anwar. “Back then, I was penniless but I fell in love with the city right away. It was a very diverse place and people were more tolerant. Preachers weren’t spreading hate in mosques. Nightlife was colourful. We even had a gay film festival – imagine that, in the world’s most Muslim-populated country!”

Unlike the Hong Kong of Wong Kar-wai or the Madrid of Almodóvar, Anwar’s Jakarta wasn’t venerated, there was no background razzle-dazzle. In A Copy of My Mind, Jakarta is a bleak and ominous place, akin to the Phnom Penh of the Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh.

“Now, it feels like I don’t know Jakarta anymore. I believe that the 2014 presidential campaign started a kind of hateful atmosphere in the city, and in the country,” he said. “There were so many black campaigns launched, and they seriously damaged our capability for logic and cultural expression. Now hate has been normalised: you hear it from religious preachers, on the street, even in schools by teachers. With A Copy of My Mind, I guess I wanted to make a time capsule of that one particular year so 20 years from now, when things get better or worse, we can watch that film and remember what happened, and reflect.”

There are no film schools in Indonesia, but it does have five filmmaking education programmes at universities and institutes. It has just over 1,000 cinema screens, compared to nearly 15,000 in the comparable economy of India, which has a robust national cinema culture. In the Philippines, the industry employs a quarter of a million people and 50 million Filipinos go to the movies every year.

So why does Indonesia lag behind?

“First of all, good and entertaining movies in Indonesia are so rare that momentum in viewership can’t be sustained,” said Anwar. “This makes it hard to argue for financing, it makes it hard to motivate people to join the industry or take up training, and human resources in Indonesian filmmaking are already so rare. This results in a lot of untrained people making well-intentioned but poor-quality films. But most films are likely to get a theatrical release to fill cinema schedules, thus glutting the market with low-grade product – and this turns audiences off even further.”

Anwar hopes the current successes signal a turning point. He spoke of the increase in new movie theatres and educational opportunities, including the workshops and training offered through the government’s Creative Economy Agency.

When Southeast Asia Globe caught up with him, Anwar was in post-production after a long shoot on location in Jakarta and West Java for his next film, Gundala, based on 1980s Indonesian superhero comic books. Promo shots and poster art for it are plastered on Indonesian Facebook pages and in that deluge of Jakartan tweets.

After his work with HBO Asia, it seemed possible that Anwar would follow the money and work internationally, but Gundala suggests the exact opposite.

“I believe what’s important is making films that you can inject your own personality into, your views of life,” he said. “I think I will be happy making movies anywhere, as long as I am doing movies which I care about, with stories that I believe in, and with interesting characters. It still has to be a personal experience for me. As long as I’m allowed to do that, making movies anywhere will still be bliss.”

[primary-colour-hair]

Academy Director, Educator, Assessor, Master Colourist, Hairdresser & Photographer, these are some of the accolades of SRH & Master Craftsman Loretta O’Connell who has been a State Registered Hairdresser for over 15 years and a qualified stylist for 30 years. Despite living & working overseas for half of her career she actively maintains her Wella Master Colour Expert status and State Registered Hairdresser & Master Craftsman status. She is an advocate for continuing education, mandatory licensing & registration for the hairdressing & barbering industry.

During her extensive career she has grown her skills & knowledge internationally working as a stylist & educator in Bermuda for over 7 years and is currently The Education & Academy Director at the prestigious ARROJO Academy & ARROJO Cosmetology schools owned by celebrity stylist Nick Arrojo in NYC where she has lived for over 10 years.

ARROJO Cosmetology School recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary early 2019 and Loretta shared these snippets & photos with us.

Congratulations on 10 years of ARROJO Cosmetology School, how was the party?

Thanks! The party was amazing, it was a full house of staff, graduates, students, friends and hairstylists past, present & future. The energy was fantastic and the graduate presentation was inspiring; for many of them it was their first time presenting on stage so there was lot of love in the room for them. Nick gave a speech and got several key staff up on the stage to say a few words including me.

Tell us, how did you manage to get such a great job in NYC?

I always wanted to live in New York City since I first visited in 1995. I did tons of research and visited several times a year while living in Bermuda (1996-2003) and spoke to many salon owners, product companies and educators to gather knowledge and find the best companies around. Nick’s name kept coming up and everyone had such good things to say about him and the brand so I applied.

Timing is everything and he was already very focused on education as part of the brand and was looking to start a Cosmetology School where students could come to learn their craft and become licensed (qualified) I had teaching experience and my eagerness came across in my lengthy application and supporting documentation, plus we both come from the North of England and have a similar background so it seemed like a good fit for both. 

I owe my greatest success to Nick for taking a chance on me to create and grow his school & education culture and trusting me to run with it, thankfully it worked out very well for both of us!

Did you write the programs for the school?

I got the school licensed & accredited, wrote all of the Cosmetology & Barbering fundamental & advanced curriculums in cutting, colouring, styling & American Wave, hired & trained all of the staff and created all of the systems. As this was a first for the brand I had to research outside sources & organisations to build myself a team of mentors to guide, help and support me as I am responsible for every aspect of the school to the outside sources that allow the school to open & operate. Nick has a very clear vision on where he wants his school to go, how it should run and standards to uphold so it gave me a blueprint to work from. It was and continues to be the biggest learning experience of my life and I am amazed at the snippets of information I have filed away over the last 10 years.

What do you love most about New York?

I love the vibrancy & energy generated by NYC plus it is the epic centre of fashion, beauty and creativity so there is no better place to be involved in the hair industry than here. I am also a photographer so it is the perfect backdrop for capturing inspiring shots and wandering aimlessly during weekends.

Bermuda, wow how was that?

It was an amazing experience. I made some of my best friends there who are still great friends today. Hairdressing is completely different there due to the semi tropical climate and intense heat. Products react differently in high humidity so less is more, most colour services are colour correction due to the sun and the first question I asked my clients was “do you ride a bike?” (moped) as the hair needed to be either short enough to sit under the helmet or long enough to tie up, no in-between lengths! I learned to work with different hair types & textures and the true meaning of running out of colour when there was none to be found on the island! 

10 years is quite an achievement, looking back how was it?

I cannot believe it has been 10 years as at times it still feels brand new but then I look at how much the school has grown and the successes of the graduates and I can’t imagine it ever not being there. I have learned so much about topics I had no idea I needed to know about.

The graduates are my proudest moments and every day I am thankful for the amazing students who have come through the doors and trusted us for their education. I see many graduates daily as they are now part of the ARROJO Studio team (ARROJO Studio has 3 salons in NYC offering professional services for over 18 years) and to see them progress from assistant to stylist and eventually educator is truly a testament to an intense fundamentals education and working immersed in a strong education culture with structure, growth & opportunity

It didn’t happen by chance though and my strong education background meant I knew there had to be rules, regulations and discipline to create a structure for progression, growth, accountability & success. Maintaining standardization as the team & facilities grown ensures I have to continuously find new ways to connect with my team, inspire & educate them and provide opportunities for growth while holding them accountable professionally.

The school started off with a team of 2 including me and is now a 2 school facility with over 20 full time talented, enthusiastic staff & access and support from over 100 licensed stylists in 3 salons. We are proud to offer employment to so many staff in a variety of roles, have 3 fantastic salons to offer consideration for employment options to high achieving graduates plus a network of over 500+ salons as a career option for graduates depending upon what they are looking for.

You won an Award recently, tell us about that?

I was awarded the Women Making Waves Award for my contribution to the industry and my photograph is displayed in the ARROJO Tribeca Heroes Hallway alongside Nick’s industry Heroes & Mentors such as Vidal Sassoon, Horst Rechelbacher, Vivienne Mackinder, Annie Humphries and more, it is a huge honour and I am eternally grateful for the amazing opportunities my career has allowed me and proud to play such a pivotal role at ARROJO. 

How different is American hairdressing education than British?

American hairdressers need a license to practice and work towards a final state board written & practical exam upon graduation whereas British hairdressers work towards a qualification through continuous assessment.

Every state has different requirements for topics taught, guided learning hours to be clocked and criteria for completion. In New York a Cosmetology student must clock 1000 hours of learning (8 months) covering 13 different topics and pass a written & practical exam to obtain a license to work as a hairdresser. A salon is not allowed to employ anyone to touch the hair without a license therefore even shampoo assistants need to be licensed.

I worked in a local, well-known salon from the age of 16 and went to college for 2 years when I was training and felt like a “real hairdresser” when I was qualified. I then worked as an assistant for a further 12 months before being full time on the salon floor by the age of 19. I worked there for a total of 10 years and am ever Thankful for aspiring to work at quality salons that value ongoing training. 

I believe that the status of being qualified (or licensed) gives a stylist a level of quality to continually aspire to meet and exceed which is why I believe in mandatory registration to uphold & maintain standards and for quality assurance.

What is next for the ARROJO Brand?

ARROJO has been around as a brand for almost 20 years and is well known & respected throughout North America as an education brand, product company, quality brand salon and for extensive skills in razor cutting. Since I joined the team over 10 years ago the number of salons has tripled from 1 to 3, the team has more than doubled in size, there are 3 product lines within the brand and plans for growth across all aspects. Safe to say there is never a dull moment, always something happening and always opportunity for growth.

And what is next for you?

I am working on training up a team of Directors to manage all aspects of running 2 schools and expanding the team to meet the demands of a growing school facility with teaching & support team to allow me to focus on other educational aspects of the brand. 

The Advanced Education market is changing with the popularity of online education plus ARROJO now has multiple distributors who service the 500+ ARROJO Ambassador accounts across the USA to provide product & education. Currently the ARROJO Studio salon staff education team travel to multiple states on a weekly basis to teach InSalon classes & events, we are in the process of also growing an Art team from our Ambassador Salons to offer more opportunities, more local education and brand growth while maintaining quality and standards.

Personally I am also growing my photography brand to supply images to independent consumers and local businesses.  

www.picturethisphotographynyc.com

Thanks for chatting today Loretta, Congrats again, here’s to the next 10 years!