#if i were to write them dating it would be crucial that they feel immensely awkward and strange about it

[marigoidz]

I don't like Kate and Jamie as a romantic pairing not bc I think them being into each other is out of the question or anything but bc I think them Actually getting together would just not happen. Even if the feelings were mutual I don't think they'd ever come to light in a way that led to dating

[kirumod]

hello!! could i request headcanons for a gender neutral reader who is very energetic and optimistic, sort of like tenko, who is dating kirumi and wants to show her that her needs matter too? thanks so much in advance, have a wonderful day! your writing is amazing.

i appreciate getting requests with kirumi. as you may have guessed, she is very dear to my heart, so thank you for sending a request with her!

thank you so much for your kind words, anon! i loved writing this, it was very fun. it turned out to be very fluffy and cute. i hope you like it<3

The contrast between you and Kirumi is quite noticeable, and most are surprised to know that you are dating. Your optimism overshadows Kirumi's more realistic view on life— and pessimistic view regarding herself & her needs.

You recall the beginning of your relationship being quite dreary for you and exhausting for Kirumi. You used to compare talking with Kirumi to operating a machine; taking everything you say as a command. It was awkward at times, and 'conversations' often turned into one-sided chatter where your vitality outweighed her rigidity. You could not fathom why she seemingly had no concern for her own wants and needs, and you had to fight the impulse to ask her such a personal question. Despite this, you held immense respect for her steadfast conviction & unwavering resolve.

As for her, she was dazed by your relentless energy and occasionally found herself at a loss for words. Of course, she remained dignified and did not turn down your 'requests for conversation' as she put it, unless she had a crucial matter she needed to attend to. You were always one to initiate any interaction, but that is not to say that she disliked talking to you. Conversely, she admired your persistent positivity & incessant idealism, and as trust and understanding between you grew, she began prying about your attitude with curiosity and appreciation.

Every so often, you'd notice her neglecting even basic necessities such as eating in favor of taking care of others. Serving people overpowered her desires— or was it that serving people was her one desire? You found that difficult to believe. Either way, Kirumi was neglecting herself, and that bothered you. You weren't sure why you cared so much, and gradually, you found your thoughts preoccupied wondering about Kirumi.

True to your honest nature, you didn't attempt to hide your interest in Kirumi. You showed it with questions of concern such as "have you had lunch yet?" and "did you sleep well last night?", purposely phrased as questions instead of requests.

Then, the simple questions turned into lovingly made lunch boxes, walking through dimly lit streets, whispering good night wishes... You were a bit embarrassed by how attached you were to her, and spent many restless nights doubting that she felt the same. Hoping that she felt the same.

You remember the start of your relationship.

During a dinner with Kirumi in your house, you held back discomfort as Kirumi began cleaning up— something that you've begrudgingly grown used to. Ignoring her utterances that assured you she could take care of it, you followed her to the kitchen and waited for her to set down the platters she had. You watched her as she turned to you and felt your stomach turn over itself. Her confident gaze had wavered into a blank, soulless expression, and her upright posture trembled.

Then she collapsed. All your logic was muddied with dread, but you pushed through your clouded cognition and clutched Kirumi before her frail body fell to the ground. With no hint of hesitation in your actions, you carried her to bed and helped her with a glass of water followed by something sweet, concern evident from your sweating hands.

Thankfully, her condition improved soon after. She had been exhausted from countless days of overworking with very little sleep; you were grateful that nothing worse happened. That didn't stop you from sporadically scolding her with quick, jumbled sentences that stopped making sense at some point.

Kirumi stopped your erratic rambling to reassure you that all is well, but your worry only intensified. You subdued for a moment to wrap your hands around hers. Holding her breath, Kirumi waited for you to continue your scolding, startled to hear your next words spoken delicately yet desperately. "Please... Look after yourself,"

"You don't realize how much you mean to me– and how much you matter. You're important, Kirumi, not just to me or to your clients," you faltered for a bit before focusing your eyes on hers, "I hope you don't take this as a request. Because it's not! I just– I just want you to value yourself. You... Your needs are more essential than everything else– than everyone else." You continue staring into her bewildered eyes, stuttering more than ever before as you watch her. "So, please..."

Silence falls over the room, and you begin to let go of her hands. Before you can, though, she reaches out and holds your face in her palms, smiling as tears formed in her eyes. For once, Kirumi was at a loss for words, unable to do anything but try to keep her weak smile. You pull her head over your shoulder, wrapping yourself around her in a tight embrace, and her façade drops as she sobs.

Undignified, unseemly, inelegant- those were all words that could describe how she felt about herself in that moment. But she couldn't bring herself to stop, comforted by your warm affection & love.

After an eternity in your compassionate embrace, Kirumi leans back and speaks. "Thank you," she says, "S/O.. There is nothing I can say that may remain true to just how grateful I am to you. Your kindness, your affection, warmth... I am undeserving, S/O."

"I have avoided my feelings for so long, in fear of them becoming a hindrance to you or to my services. But, if I wish to honor your wishes..." she halts, before continuing with a genuine — and breathtaking — smile, "... If I wish to honor my wishes, I must be honest with you."

"I love you, S/O All this time, you've tried to care for me, concerned with my wellbeing, whilst treating me with kindness I've never felt before," she wipes her tears before continuing, "How could I not be infatuated with you?" she quietly chuckles.

It's your turn to hold her face between your arms, grinning and laughing. Kirumi is stunned, unsure whether or not she had said something wrong, but her worries fade when you lean into her and plant a soft kiss on her lips.

With your enthusiasm shining through stronger than ever, you call out, "I love you too! I love you so, so much! More than you can ever imagine! I love you, I love you, I love you!" It almost sounds like a spell, a declaration of your unending love, more fervent than any optimism could ever be; more passionate than any desire.

Overwhelmed by your intensity, she fell wordless again, but not before returning your kiss with one of her own; one that whispered all the love she could not describe, one that screamed her devotion and adoration like no words ever could.

Her resolute devotion and your paralyzing fervor were one, stemming from a fondness that would endure to become an eternal love.

You were not so different, after all.

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Dark Greetings this Spooky Season Ms. V. Can we get a list of your favorite Halloween movies and specials? I know you have seen *everything* and I am trying to go beyond my usual rewatches this holiday month.

V. AIMMYARROWSHIGH’S CRITERIA FOR HALLOWEEN EPISODES

Does the Halloween element combine convincingly with the usual universe of the show (ex: Lizzie McGuire 2x09 “Those Freaky McGuires” is not good as a Halloween episode because it changes the rules of the Lizzie McGuire universe, whereas Community 2x06 “Epidemiology” is a GREAT Halloween episode because it manages to logically introduce zombies to the regular Community universe)?

Does the Halloween element advance the plot of the episode/series (ex: the reason Boy Meets World 5x17 “And Then There Was Shawn” is literally the best Halloween episode ever made is that it uses the horror movie tropes it satirizes to provide a CRUCIAL turning-point to the plot of the show)?

Is the Halloween episode in the forefront enough that it’s clearly a holiday episode (ex: HAVING ONE JACK-O’LANTERN ON A DESK DOES NOT A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL MAKE, LAW & ORDER 16x03 “GHOSTS”! You gotta go ALL-IN, like Bob’s Burgers 3x02 “Full Bars”!)?

Does the Halloween theme balance well between spooky and warm-n-fuzzy (ex: Criminal Minds 11x21 “Mr. Scratch” is too fucking bleak, but Criminal Minds 12x06 “Elliott’s Pond” has a joyous/celebratory tone to the ending despite being a genuinely scary episode)?

Is it generally a well-written, acted, and designed episode of television (ex: Saved by the Bell! 3x26 “Mystery Weekend” is seriously, not exaggerating, the worst thing I’ve ever watched in my life; Psych 1x15 “Scary Sherry, Or Bianca’s Toast” is a triumph of the medium)?

THE BEST, bar none, Halloween special ever made is Boy Meets World 5x17, “And Then There Was Shawn.” Period. There can be no argument, except MAYBE Community 3x06, “Epidemiology,” but I like “And Then There Was Shawn” better because the parody and homage as less… biting? And because I think it continues and addresses the emotional core of the regular BMW season better than “Epidemiology” does for Community s3. “Epi” DOES plant the seed (…heh) for the Season 3B major plot arc of Shirley’s pregnancy and Chang Deciding To Murder, but it gets some major minus points for mocking Yvette Nicole Brown’s weight with other characters’ responses to her costume, tbh. And “And Then There Was Shawn” is just fucking iconic. It is THE Halloween episode manual, IMO, if there were to be a textbook on how to write a perfect Halloween episode for your sitcom.

HOWEVER, I also have to give major props to Bob’s Burgers and Psych, as complete series, for their CONSISTENTLY excellent Halloween episodes. A lot of series that have multiple Halloween eps really phone it in after one or two, because they don’t have any more ideas for how to incorporate Halloween pastiches while maintaining the overall feeling of the series (tbh B99, while the Halloween Heists are excellent in general, is/has been coming very close to this line, and I think that if they HADN’T had to switch out the Heist to Cinco de Mayo in s6, they would have jumped their Heist Shark [and I think they know it, too, because it was lampshaded in the episode itself]) or they just straight-up don’t have any more ideas for what or how to have the characters they’re bound to parody or pay homage to a Halloween thing after they’ve already done one or two. And let’s be real: those one or two have probably been either The Shining or Rear Window, because those are pretty much the two that every show starts with.

Bob’s manages to make every Halloween episode feel very fresh and organic to the series, which I think they do have some leeway to do because of the nature of cartoons keeping the Belchers living a kind of loop of never aging, yk, but amazingly they’ve only done the “Tina feels too old to trick or treat, maybe? Nope, she’s not 14 yet, so there’s still time!” thing in a way that felt tropey once (in 3x02 Full Bars). They’ve been able to address Tina being 13/in 8th grade, and worrying about it being almost too late for her to keep trick or treating, in ways that were in-character and added to the overall episode in 4x02 Fort Night, 5x02 Tina and the Real Ghost, and 9x04 Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street, without me rolling my eyes at the screen and going “TINA, EVERY SINGLE SHOW WITH A TWEEN IN IT HAS ALREADY DECIDED THAT THE AGE AT WHICH YOU MUST STOP TRICK OR TREATING IS FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, COME ON NOW” which… at this point, is a Feat. Because like, I’ve POSTED over a thousand Halloween episodes, right? But I’ve watched and screencapped ::checks folder:: 3,905 Halloween episodes since 2014. Which is, um, a. lot. The ACTUAL BEST Bob’s Burgers Halloween episode is 6x03, “The Hauntening,” which is just… achingly perfect television. I know I’ve posted about it before (probably a couple times tbh) but the way that it aired originally back-to-back with The Simpsons 27x04, “Halloween of Horror,” so that the evening of Sunday cartoons juxtaposed eight-year-old Louise whose family worked so hard to scare her like she wanted with nine-year-old Lisa’s family working so hard to keep her from being too scared and make sure that she felt safe… reader, I FUCKIN CRIED. Little girls being deeply loved while also Spoopy Things!!!!!! IS WHAT HALLOWEEN SPECIALS ARE!!! FUCKIN!!!!!! ABOUT!!!!!!!

Psych, though, has the benefit of not really having any, like… central tone to the series? Beyond “friendship” and “having fun with joking,” tbh? So it’s able to do what a lot of series get docked “points” for in my Foolproof Halloween Special Ratings System That Is Completely Subjective To My Tastes And Mood, which is really just run full-tilt into parody and homage without really worrying about overall tonal connection to the rest of the season or series. 1x15, “Scary Sherry, or, Bianca’s Toast,” while it DOES fall victim to the way-too-common Halloween episode trap of making mental hospitals into a Scary Thing (they are a medical normality and a necessary thing for health for many people and should not be feared), is delightful Spooky Fun AND has the benefit of having Shannon Woodward in it.* We all know by now that if an episode of any show has Shannon Woodward as the guest star, it will by default end up being one of the best, if not THE best, episodes of that series. It’s just how having Shannon Woodward as your guest star rolls. I also really like, with Psych’s Halloween episodes, that quite a few of them understand the underlying thematic scope of Horror, which is “The Monstrous Feminine Is A Thing And All Horror Tropes Are Actually About Women’s Interior Lives Because Men Can’t Write Women And Fear Women Always,” yk, in a way that is neither TOO Actual Horror, which I am too afraid of to Do, or too trite and demeaning, which is the other basic trap that Halloween stuff falls into A Lot. Like, Scary Sherry is very much about women villainizing other women, avenging other women, and being in very specifically-female pain, even though Shawn & Gus are still the lens through which we solve the mystery, and so are 4x04 The Devil Is In The Details And The Upstairs Bedroom and 6x03 This Episode Sucks. But they give their Monstrous Females dignity and breadth, which is impressive, ESPECIALLY since they’re one-off guest characters. Also, 3x15 Tuesday the 17th is just plain funny and well-done, like, just give it props for the title alone.

*(Speaking of Shannon Woodward, another amazingly good Halloween episode is Raising Hope 4x07, “Murder, She Hoped,” which is among my very favorite Rear Window homage episodes and has probably the funniest gag in ANY Rear Window ep, in Martha Plimpton floating across the screen in the Grace Kelly silk nightgown and peignoir and announcing that it was on sale at Walmart, can you believe?! and honestly, yes. Perfection.)

Also excellent:

• The Addams Family (1991) + Addams Family Values (1993) • Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WERE GAY FOR SIBELLA AS A CHILD!) • Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE GAY BECAUSE THE HEX GIRLS!) • Halloweentown + Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge • Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire! • Z•O•M•B•I•E•S (to a lesser extent, Z•O•M•B•I•E•S 2) • Clue (1985) • Coraline • Corpse Bride • 6teen 2x00 Dude of the Dead • Arthur 21x00 Arthur and the Haunted Treehouse • Lamb-Chop in the Haunted Studio • Arthur 8x04A Fern-kenstein's Monster • Arthur 10x02 The Squirrels • WandaVision 1x06 The All-New Halloween Spooktacular (I KNOW YOU, SPECIFICALLY, DEAR @plavoptice, HATE MCU!WANDA AND I DON'T BLAME YOU, YOUR REASONS ARE VERY VALID! But this is a good Halloween special so I'm putting it on my list In General.) • Boy Meets World 2x06 Who's Afraid of Cory Wolf? • Ghostbusters (2016) • Gravity Falls 1x12 Summerween • Leverage 4x02 Ten L'il Grifters Job • The Loud House 2x40 Tricked! • Mockingbird Lane 1x00 Unaired Pilot • It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (Classic, etc.)

I'm SURE I'm forgetting some that I'll rewatch this year myself. I'm a big Halloween Baking Championship fan, tbh, which is on Discovery+ now so I recommend that if you like mostly-relaxing nice people baking cakes that look like bats and such.

I'm also IMMENSELY INTENSELY EXCITED for The Muppets' Haunted Mansion on Disney+ next week!!!

[funnuraba]

A Rough Moral Overview of Archie Comics: Teen Propaganda Machine

Part 1: The 1940s

1941: Archie first appears in a small feature near the end of PEP Comics #22. His popularity builds rapidly, with the audience apparently writing in to express immense interest in the short monthly Archie comic.

At first the Archie story isn’t even mentioned on the cover, but Archie himself slowly starts appearing on the cover, always with PEP’s big star at the time, The Shield. The Shield on the cover is at first much larger than Archie, but he shrinks over time, and after Veronica’s introduction, she and Betty start to feature on covers as well. The Shield continues shrinking...

And by issue #49, the magazine is PEP Comics: Starring Archie Andrews! Archie quickly becomes its own imprint, and the only one of PEP’s lineup that survives into the present day. Ads in the magazine advertise an Archie radio show that was spurred by what was a apparently a massive outpouring of interest from PEP’s teenage subscribers. The concept of teenagerhood itself was a new invention dating from 1944. Archie’s reality included things like school, dating, and modern teen problems like trying to maintain a car and deal with wartime rationing.

Also, sending your dog to fight Nazis. (Note: the above are two separate stories; no Nazis ever actually invaded Riverdale. Oscar, Archie’s dog, gave birth on at least two occasions, including during her army tour, and eventually faded from existence.)

At this stage, minstrel-style caricatures of black men appear on occasion in Riverdale (as train attendants and no-account bums who steal clothing out of the trash), and Yellow Peril-style caricatures of Japanese people are a regular fixture in other PEP features like “Captain Commando and the Boy Soldiers”. As a side note, Chinese people are depicted quite differently in Captain Commando. At this point in US history, they were seen as important potential allies in the war against the Japanese. In Captain Commando, they’re drawn like actual humans in comparison to Japanese soldiers. One story shows a Chinese warrior who’s been bamboozled by foolish Buddhist ideals of peace, but finally snaps out of it and gets his followers to join up with US forces in resisting Japanese occupiers. Chinese-Americans were depicted less frequently, but also running in PEP for a time was a rather remarkable depiction (for the time) of a Chinese-American hero: Fu Chang, International Detective. Chinese people would later be collapsed into the Yellow Peril phenomenon in US pop culture and there were some very racist depictions within Archie Comics, but in the 40s there was a different perspective on display for a while.

(Captain Commando and his Boy Soldiers have since lapsed into the public domain; evidently the heroic quality of child soldiers lost its gleam after WWII and reviving the property was never deemed profitable.)

Also in the 40s, many, many stories end with a quite literal punchline in which Archie gets taken out to the woodshed and beaten by his father for causing trouble. This was PEP’s light-hearted humorous fare that apparently spoke quite deeply to a teenage audience of this era. The depiction of corporal punishment is neither “pro” nor “anti”, it’s simply an unavoidable consequence handed down from on high. Archie’s misadventures lead inevitably to physical punishment from an authority figure, no matter how much or how little he’s to blame for things going wrong. Mr. Andrews himself is sometimes a figure of fun during this period, but the 40s and 50s are the time when he most often feels like a self-insert for the writers and artists, who would have been closer to his position in life than Archie’s.

Archie’s position, though, isn’t entirely as the object of abuse. It’s pretty safe to assume that the writers and artists also grew up with corporal punishment and can sympathize with the experience--though they’ve now entered the stage of life where they understand that it was done only for their own good. Archie at the end of these stories is both resentful and rueful; he wishes it hadn’t happened, but there’s no room in the pages of PEP to contemplate a world where it doesn’t have to.

Violence was much more accepted in the 40s, including against the girls themselves--for their own good, in this case, but it’s still jarring to see a man give Betty and Veronica black eyes. Their crime in this case was, of course, being so silly and man-crazy that they nearly drowned him and themselves.

Often the violence was more cartoonish in nature, but it was only in the 40s that you’d see Betty showing up at Veronica’s door with Moe Szyslak’s weapon of choice.

The porter in this panel is one of the kindest portrayals of a black man in this period; the others (and the one depiction of a black woman that I noticed) are frankly unreproducible without heavy content warnings. Also in the 40s, fat and/or ugly women exist only as an object of fun or outright cruelty.

Vague “reducing plans” were advertised in the pages of Archie in the 1940s. This particular method was, as the name suggests, seaweed pills that were also marketed as chewing gum.

You may notice in some stories that the “ugly” and undesirable woman has very nearly the same face as Archie himself; the irony here is very likely unintentional. It’s rarely (seriously) suggested that there’s anything morally wrong with Archie aspiring to a girl much prettier than he is, but an ugly girl expressing interest in any boy is a figure of fun right up into... well, the present day. The Gabby pictured in the panel above her was a semi-recurring character, one of the only plus-size recurring characters ever depicted in Archie. As her name suggests, she was a gossip and one of the undesirable girls, but she was sometimes allowed to be friendly with Veronica or Betty without immediate karmic punishment. She’s also notable because she’s not only one of the only plus-size characters, she’s one of the very few plus-size female or teenage characters. Mr. Andrews, Mr. Weatherbee and Pop Tate all survived the 40s, but Gabby didn’t.

Betty at the inception of “Archie” (the comic) was just Girl. She rather liked Archie and he liked her, and he would try to impress/date her but end up having his monthly funny adventure. But only once Veronica was introduced did she start to gain more dimension, this time as Other Girl. Veronica was rather nice to begin with and it took a short while for them to start getting played off each other as “characters”. There was still little difference. Veronica was always rich and as a result became snooty fairly quickly, but her flaws were the flaws of an object. They existed to create difficulties for Archie, in his struggle to impress her, and Betty was differentiated only by not being snooty.

When Betty and Veronica were allies, it was because Archie had blown it somehow, and they were naturally compelled to be allies by virtue of both being girls. (When they didn’t like each other, it was also because they were both girls, and such was the natural state of being girls.) The panel above--both in the same pose, their identical faces lifted in scorn towards all men--would be echoed in other later stories, whether by chance or by accident.

Their posing in the 40s was frankly pretty ludicrous and transparent in its intentions.

Sexual attraction wasn’t explicitly commented on in the 40s comics in the way we understand “explicit” today, but it’s allowed to exist more openly than in later years. The va-va-voom effect highlighting the breasts would have to become more euphemistic as the decades passed.

In general, there was very little pretense in the 40s.

Artists had no qualms about showing the girls nearly in the nude (I cropped out a panel of Veronica in the bath above), nor about showing adult men leering at them. Even Mr. Weatherbee was occasionally moved by their charms. Generally adult men were “punished” for showing visible attraction, but only in humorous ways. It was more common for the teenage boys to drool over the girls, but the only disapproval shown when grown men did it came from women their own age, playing the role of scold or prudish spinster. There was also the occasional gag in which an adult man was misunderstood as a “masher” or peeper and received undeserved punishment from the supposed target.

There were various write-ups of celebrity activity in the 40s and 50s, and there too the attitudes towards women were pretty much what you’d expect, but even in the late 1940s the realities of life were not entirely veiled from teenage eyes. There was room for what would now be considered adult jokes.

Also in the 40s, Archie cross-dressed, like, a lot, in a way that noticeably vanished once the 50s rolls around. It’s always as a gag, and it’s usually noted that he makes an ugly girl, but in this era it seems to have been an idea that could be poked fun at without threatening the moral fiber of all America by the mere suggestion.

In fact, one semi-famous 1948 story, “The Battle of the Jitterbugs” (reproduced more fully elsewhere) revolves entirely around the girls and the boys competing in a “fair contest’ to see which sex is better at dancing--since boys only lead and girls only follow, it’s impossible to determine who can dance better overall. The obvious solution is for two girls to dance with each other and two boys to dance with each other.

Crucially, the idea is suggested by Reggie, the prankster of the group, framing it as a joke from its inception. Archie, the main character, follows through with it as a means of asserting male superiority. There’s also no possibility that two boys could dance, or two girls could dance, without the conceit of one performing the role of the opposite gender. But in practice, the whole thing does involve a lengthy depiction of two boys dancing together, and indeed, jokingly flirting with each other.

Again, the joke-flirting comes in the form of mocking from Reggie, both en femme and en homme. Archie, the protagonist and everyman, is uncomfortable throughout and finally throws Reggie right out Pop Tate’s door after Reggie goes too far in impugning his masculinity.

At this stage, the usual band of crones step in to punish him for imagined crimes against women, and he finishes the story sitting in bed with a broken leg, making a pronouncement that stands out rather sharply to the modern eye: “Confidentially, Jug! I’m no longer interested in women... or dancing!”

Veronica and Betty are significantly more comfortable with each other. In fact, it’s a rare 1940s story where they don’t quarrel with each other at all! Veronica’s femininity is seemingly unthreatened by the hat and pants, even though Archie Comics would continue issuing dire warnings against women in pants up through the mid-1970s.

It’s hard to imagine they lost after this! The tone of this page is downright celebratory, a rare occasion of early Betty and Veronica working together and coming out the victors of the story, not by one of them winning Archie, but by both of them showing their own skill at something without trying to show the other up. “Battle of the Jitterbugs” is a true rarity in these early years, a depiction of female triumph that doesn’t exactly defy the era’s pop culture as a whole--women were creating their own art even in the 1940s--but it does defy nearly every other Archie story up to the mid-1970s.

[path-of-my-childhood]

Taylor Swift is the artist of the decade

By: Courteney Larocca for Insider Date: December 16th 2019

Not only has Swift been putting out No. 1 hit after No. 1 hit this decade, but her music has latched onto its listeners in deeply intimate ways. The singer has also been actively using her platform as a successful artist to shed light on injustices within the music industry to ensure a younger generation of musicians can thrive in an environment that cares about their work, as opposed to commodifies it.

Taylor Swift knows that if you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room. Oddly enough, Swift usually is the smartest person in any room.

While the casual observer may see Swift as nothing more than a pop star, she's one of the few people who has actively been making her industry - and the lives of her fans - better in irreversible and notable ways throughout the decade.

Swift was barely 20 years old when she became the youngest artist to ever win album of the year at the Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010, for her sophomore album, "Fearless." While the album came out in late 2008, it set Swift up to become an international phenomenon over the course of the 2010s; it even landed at No. 98 on this decade's overall Billboard Hot 200 list.

Her early success made sense - audiences love a wunderkind, plus there was something so incredibly relatable about a teenager telling her crush, "you belong with me."

But for me, and other fans of Swift, it was more than that. She was someone we could see ourselves in as we navigated our own lives and romances. And with the release of "Speak Now," in late 2010, Swift proved she wasn't capable of just reinventing optimistic love stories, she had a complete grasp on heartbreak and pain, too.

Swift demonstrated her songwriting prowess early on, and her music only continued to get stronger all the way through her 2019 album, 'Lover'

"Speak Now" is an entirely self-written album that charted on the Billboard Hot 200 for 137 weeks, which was not only a huge middle finger to critics who claimed Swift didn't write her own music, but also proof she was one of the most promising songwriters of her generation.

Arming herself with lyrics like "I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe," and "The lingering question kept me up / Two a.m., who do you love?" Swift created a bulletproof foundation for a career built around her uncanny ability to pinpoint crucial moments of intimacy and turn them into universal anthems of heartbreak, love, and loss that became soundtracks to real fans' lives.

Obviously, the stellar music never stopped coming. With 2012 came "Red," an album that's aged so gracefully that it's landed on numerous best albums of the 2010s lists.

Swift dropped her pop masterpiece, "1989," in 2014 - an album that boasts her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, "Shake It Off," which stayed on the chart for 50 consecutive weeks. "1989" also earned Swift another album of the year win at the Grammys, making her the first woman to ever be honored with that award twice.

Swift continued her career growth with "Reputation" in 2017, which helped her break The Rolling Stones' record for highest-grossing US tour in history by earning a whopping $266.1 million. Then, capping off the decade came 2019's "Lover," an album that showcased all of Swift's immense musical talents, but stands out in her catalog as the first album that she outright owns - a triumph that goes far beyond the music itself.

It's important to note, though, that there is no singular album that can easily be delegated as the "fan favorite," largely because each album is so special within Swift's discography. If you picked seven different fans off the street, they could very easily all have a different answer to the question, "What is your favorite Taylor Swift album?"

Even critics can't fully answer that question. While "Red" is known for being critically beloved (and is my own personal favorite), Billboard had six of its writers argue for one of her first six studio albums as being her best. Also, when I ranked Swift's best and worst songs for Insider earlier this year, songs from every single one of her albums made the "best" list.

One of the reasons Swift's fans constantly latched onto her music this decade - leading to her chart-topping dominance - was because her lyrics always felt so personal, yet relatable at the same time.

Take "All Too Well," for instance. It was a deep cut tucked cleverly away at track No. 5 on "Red." It was never released as a single, but this mighty pop-rock ballad became the sort of musical zenith most artists only dream about writing.

Hearing Swift weave in intimate details about listening to her ill-fated lover's mother tell stories about his childhood or leaving her scarf at his sister's house might seem too specific to reach a larger audience outside of her piano room, but it's exactly that candor that makes Swift's best songs feel so ubiquitous.

Swift's relatability proved crucial in 2017 when it came to her impacts on societal shifts outside of the music industry

Two months before the New York Times exposé of Harvey Weinstein was published, Swift stood up in a Denver courthouse against an ex-radio DJ who groped her at a 2013 meet-and-greet and then had the gall to sue her for damages after he was fired from his job.

The phrases from her testimony, "I'm critical of your client sticking his hand under my skirt and grabbing my a--," and "I'm not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault," will forever be ingrained in Swift's fans' minds alongside the lyrics she wrote in her high school diaries.

After she won her symbolic $1, which she sought out for "anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault," The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, or RAINN, told ABC that its national hotline saw a 35% increase in calls over the weekend following her testimony.

"Seeing someone that they respect, that they identify with [state they've been assaulted], has a big impact," RAINN's president Scott Berkowitz told ABC News at the time.

It's easy to look at a statistic and not think about the people behind it, but I can say that for myself, Swift played a pivotal role in how I viewed my own sexual assault.

Even before her fearless testimony, I turned to her 2010 ballad, "Dear John," for validation that I wasn't the only woman who ever counted her footsteps, praying the floor won't fall through again while dating a man with a "sick need to take love away." I later found solace in "Clean," the atmospheric "1989" closer that promises its listener that they'll one day be able to finally breathe after a roller-coaster relationship.

There's no doubt in my mind that I'm not the only one who saw their own pain reflected in Swift's lyrics, allowing them to grieve. After all, she wouldn't have become the artist with the highest-ever amount of American Music Awards, which is a fully fan-voted show, if her music was just OK.

Swift has also made strides at bettering the music industry for her fellow artists as well as herself

I won't rehash the recent legal woes brought on by Scott Borchetta selling Swift's former label Big Machine Records - and thus, all of Swift's catalog up through 2017's "Reputation" - to Scooter Braun (because who needs Big Machine anyway?). I will say that Swift fighting to own her art, and by proximity her fight for all artists to own their art, is just one example of the work she's done this decade to protect artists' rights.

You may remember that she got endlessly dragged for taking her music off Spotify or writing a letter to Apple condemning its policy of not paying artists during a three-month free trial period of Apple Music. But underneath all of the misogynistic, "she's only out for money" criticisms spat at her, you'll find she did those things to bring light to issues within her industry that hurt up-and-coming artists who don't have the millions of dollars that Swift has. Within less than 24 hours, Swift received a direct response to her open letter to Apple, saying the company had decided to reverse its decision.

When Swift chose to leave Big Machine behind in 2018, she didn't just leave for the sake of leaving. She instead negotiated a deal with Universal Music Group that not only granted her the rights to everything she would create under the label but also included a clause in her contract stipulating that "any sale of [UMG's] Spotify shares result in a distribution of money to their artists, non-recoupable."

She also said the label had agreed to this "at what they believe will be much better terms than paid out previously by other major labels."

That means that with her contract, Swift made sure other favorite artists of this decade, like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Kanye West, will benefit from the revenue their art brings in. The same goes for lesser-known and newer artists signed to the label.  

Even other artists have given credit to Swift for the way she changed the way we consume pop music

It's hard to imagine today's pop stars like Ariana Grande would be able to name-check their former lovers in songs like "Thank U, Next," and have them be the successful hits we know today if Swift hadn't previously crafted breakup songs like 2010's "Dear John" and 2014's "Style" that made it clear who the tracks were about - John Mayer and Harry Styles - right there in the titles.

Halsey, another artist who rose to prominence this decade, has even lionized Swift as one of her songwriting heroes, notably for her smart bridges.

"The bridge [of a song] is a fortune cookie. It pulls the whole thing together, it's the punchline, it's one of the most important parts of a song. Ask Taylor Swift, she writes the best ones in history," Halsey said in a November 2019 interview with Capital FM.

Anyone who's listened to "Out of the Woods," "Don't Blame Me," or "Lover" knows this to be true.

Swift deserves to be the artist of the decade because her music validated women while she simultaneously fought for a younger generation to make new music in a better environment

It took 13 years for Swift to come out with a track contemplating the misogynist double standards she's had to face as a woman in the music industry, and it's easy to agree with her sentiment: If Swift were a man, then she would, no doubt, be "The Man."

But while she maybe would have faced fewer obstacles and overtly sexist criticisms throughout her career if she were a man, she may not have touched as many women's lives with her music.

Being someone who has idolized Swift since I was 11 years old, I can say that the reason she matters is because not only does she produce beautifully-worded tracks that resonate with fans on extremely personal levels, but she also wants to make the world a better, fairer place - one music contract, open letter, and song lyric at a time.

And that's something that should never be shaken off.

[hong-kong-art-man]

“The Artistic Lawyer or the Lawyerlike Artist?”

(acknowledgement: Interview of Hong Kong Lawyer, publication of The Law Society of Hong Kong, with Maurice Lee) (by Sonali Khemka)

There is a widely accepted theory that people are either left-brained or right-brained, meaning that one side of their brain is dominant. If you are mostly analytical and methodical in your thinking, you are said to be left-brained. If you tend to be more creative or artistic, you are thought to be right-brained. In Maurice Lee’s case however, the equal dominance of both sides has shaped him into the person he is today – a lawyer with the soul of an artist.

Writing Right

Lee enjoyed writing from as early as his teenage years, when he would take part in and win several writing competitions in high school. Encouraged by these victories, he applied for an after-school-scriptwriting class organised by Hong Kong TVB in 1978 – a class that only had twenty spots and over 3,000 applicants. At the age of seventeen and still in high school, Lee managed to bag a place as the youngest member of the class. “The classes were intense. They were held five times a week in the evenings and for three hours each,” he recalls. His immense enjoyment of the activity and aptitude for it led him to not only complete the course but also work part-time as a scriptwriter for TVB for few years after graduating from high school. At the time, his heart was set on becoming a professional scriptwriter or director.

However, the left side of his brain nudged at this point and Lee was tempted to pursue a university degree and career that was more academically sound and commercially viable. “My family told me that if you are in the creative field in the early 80s, you will face a very rocky path with many ups and downs. But if you are a lawyer, you have a safe landing,” he shares. After an internal battle between the left and right side of his brain, Lee eventually accepted his place in The University of Hong Kong’s School of Law. Not keen on giving up on his creative side, he continued working as a part-time scriptwriter for TVB throughout his four years in law school, focusing primarily on hour-long dramas and eventually switching to comedy. “I was good at writing dramas, but the producer told me I was not emotionally mature for the material in the drama shows,” he recalls amusingly. “I wasn’t at the appropriate age to write about passionate love affairs and dramatic struggles, so I switched to comedy,” he adds.

Lee’s creative career has taken different shapes and forms – a result of his willingness to not over plan and make the most of any worthy opportunity. In the mid-1980s, he wrote as a columnist for local newspapers, contributing 500-word prose pieces in Chinese on various topics and in the 1990s, Lee even garnered a fair amount of fame as a program host for a talk show for Commercial Radio Hong Kong. Around the same time, he was invited to write fiction literature by Cosmos Books and channeled his very own John Grisham by opting to write legal fictions. His present creative career, which commenced around six years ago, stems from an invitation from two online news platforms – HK01 and Orange News – to write critiques on different forms of art and culture, varying from movies and plays to visual arts and cultural trends. He supplements this with his own Facebook page, named “HKArtMan” where he shares his views on the same in a personal capacity. In addition, Lee also takes on the role of performance organiser when time permits and has previously organised a play and a concert – something he believes Hong Kong is in more need of.

Hong Kong’s Art Scene

Lee believes that prior to the 2000s, the city’s art and cultural scene was plagued by apathy and was a severely overlooked area. In the 2000s, Lee feels the situation has improved but not enough. “There is more curiosity and awareness, but people do not do enough to support the development of art and culture. There is too much financial reliance on the government only,” he shares. “Hong Kong is in a serious need for rebranding,” he adds. “We are currently just a financial center – like Zurich or Luxembourg and relying too much on old industries like logistics and trading,” he explains. Lee envisions a Hong Kong that is on par with global cultural and financial hubs like London or New York City and believes moving towards intangible assets or intangible intellectual property such as the arts is crucial. “We need commercial energy to be put into the art and cultural circles and more money from private companies and investors. That way more people will feel encouraged to pursue artistic careers because they can earn a decent income, which will in turn drive Hong Kong’s art and cultural scene,” he shares. His ultimate dream is what he calls an “Art Economy for Hong Kong,” an environment whereby art becomes more than just a leisurely activity and can be pursued as a commercially viable career.

In order to help realise his vision for a more art-savvy Hong Kong, he plans on putting together a concert and a musical for export to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) next year. “If they are staged only in Hong Kong, there can be less than five shows. However, if I export them to eleven cities in the GBA region, I can stage sixty shows – it makes more sense as an economically sustainable activity,” he explains. Lee believes exporting Hong Kong’s artistic talent is key, if financial prosperity in the arts and cultures is to be achieved. He recalls Hong Kong’s former status as “Hollywood of the East”, a time when films made in the city were enjoyed fervently beyond the borders. Similarly, he is hopeful that other forms of home-made art will also someday be appreciated in different markets.

Critically Creative

For Lee himself, he is content with how his career and personality have shaped out to be. “People tell me as a lawyer I talk like an artist, and as an artist I talk like a lawyer,” he shares. “As a lawyer, I am more sentimental, humanitarian and expressive and as an artist, I always have a mental framework. Artists can be quite unorganised. I am very organised. I put bits and pieces under different headings and am good at fulfilling long-term artistic projects because as a lawyer you are always handling long term cases. You have to be systematic and strategic,” he explains.

Lee encourages lawyers to pursue a creative side too, albeit on a personal level – something he believes would only make them more professionally sought-after. “People think lawyers are checklist animals, I think they are more than that. There is a lot of creativeness and criticality involved in being a lawyer when we handle a case and we should keep those sides alive,” he shares. “There are two minds in demand nowadays – the creative mind and the critical mind. No matter what profession you are in, you should have both,” he adds. He is aware that evolving from executors who merely follow instructions to critical thinkers who ask questions and initiate change can cause adverse reactions – “People find this type of person to be very maa faan (annoying/troublesome), they know too much and ask too much,” he shares with a grin. “But it is important to stand out, both minds will help each other,” he adds.

As a consumer or spectator, his favourite types or forms of art include ballet, paintings by American artist Edward Hopper and the diminishing art of Cantonese opera. “I admire ballet because it is so physically challenging and difficult. I like paintings by Edward Hopper because they make me feel sad – his pieces are very poignant. And I treasure Cantonese opera because it is sadly disappearing. They use old Shakespearean style Chinese dialect which might someday vanish completely,” he explains.

Having enjoyed a rewarding career so far, with ups and downs, with legal wins and creative commendations in abundance, Lee has a particular memory that still lingers vividly. “Fifteen years ago, I was the Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. At that time, the famous movie director Johnnie To and I organised the first outdoor media art exhibition outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. The idea was to do some artistic projections on the external wall of the cultural centre and these projections were shut off by 11:00pm. I was at the exhibition till closing on the first day when a young boy came up to me, shortly past 11:00pm. He was 14-15 years old and he begged me to allow him into the exhibition area. He said his family is poor and he works at McDonalds at night. He lives in Tai Po and has come all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui to view the exhibition because he was so interested in what it might be like,” Lee recalls. Moved by the young boy’s passion and determination, he allowed him in as an exception. Till this date, Lee wonders what became of that young boy and whether he ended up pursuing something artistic. “I was so touched and amazed and I wonder how many boys and girls or men and women in Hong Kong have that kind of passion for something non-commercial, something artistic and spiritual,” he muses. If it fortunately turns out to be that the boy is one of our readers, Lee would be delighted to hear from you.

The Law Society of Hong Kong Journal

MLee

中文版 Chinese Version: 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/wo-de-2021nian-53673006?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare

"Youth Dance"  Acknowledgement - 中國有嘻哈 official   https://youtu.be/PNlC__GiqaY

Movie: “Time” Trailer  Acknowledgement-安樂影片 Edko Films Ltd https://youtu.be/g0TT_mwq-DI

Interview of Petrina Fung and Patrick Tse  Acknowledgement – ATV 亞視數碼媒體  https://youtu.be/BJnMtmaLzwQ

[elsiesmith672]

10 Basic Principles of Visual Design

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast and heard someone who was about to ask a question saying something along the lines of "..long time fan, first time caller…" and for some reason that got me thinking about Medium. I've been consuming content here for a long time but have never contributed myself with my 2 cents. Today is the day this changes.

As my introduction I decided to write about something close to my heart, Visual Design (aka graphic design), more specifically the basic principles I learned to use which I consider essentials for me to perform my job well.

I want to keep this article short, for that reason I will try to be brief in each of these principles, for the ones that deserve a bit more depth I might dedicate a full length article in the future.

Ok, ready? It all starts with…

#1 Point, Line & Shape

These are the most basic building blocks of any design, no matter what it is. With these you can create anything you want, from simple icons to very complex illustrations, everything is made with the combination of these simple elements.

In geometry a point is a combination of x and y coordinates, add a z axis and you’re in 3D, but let's stick with 2 dimensions for this article.

If you connect two points you'll get a line. A line that is formed by an immensity of points, a bit like a bunch of atoms form molecules which, in turn, form all the objects around you. Then, if you add a third point and connect them all you have a shape, in this case a triangle, but as mentioned before you can use this basic elements to achieve pretty much anything that you want.

Now, to your eyes these shapes don't really exist until you add something to it…

#2 Color

The human eye can see over 10 million different colours from red to violet, and from young age all of us learn to attribute certain values or meanings to specific colours.

Imagine the traffic lights for instance. They’re just colours but we learn that red means stop, green means go and yellow means step on the metal because you can make it before it turns red. This to say that we take very different actions just based on a colour, sometimes even without thinking about it.

In my opinion this happens simply because we learn these things, not because a colour has an intrinsic meaning attached to it. This is more true if you consider that these meanings will change depending on your culture, where and when you were raised.

All this to say that you can add meaning, intention and a tone just by picking the right colour, you just need to make sure you understand very well who you're designing for.

Now that you can see your triangle, how about making it more interesting…

#3 Typography

This is a big one and I consider one of the most important, and difficult, things for designer to get right. It’s not only about what you write but how you present it. Typography is how your words look like.

With the right typeface you can have a banal piece of text and make it powerful, but that’s not easy to do, what is easy is to completely mess up a powerful statement just by selecting the wrong typeface. Typography, as well as colour, allows you to define a tone.

Most typefaces are designed with a purpose, you just need to learn what that is and use it in your favour. Some typefaces are great for big blocks of text, some work great as titles. Some are merely functional and super clear and others are just meant to be fun or used ironically (you know what I'm talking about).

There are thousands of different typefaces to choose from but unless you need something whimsical or you're trying to make something very specific I would always advise to stick with the classics. However, if you're felling bold you can even design your own typeface, although I think that is one of the most challenging things to do properly as a designer, but if you think you’re up for the task one thing that you can't forget is…

#4 Space

The way you balance your space can be a maker or a breaker, specially in typography.

You need to consider how each element/letter relates to each other, give them the precise breathing room they need, this is usually referred to as negative space (positive space are the actual letters).

You need to take the negative space as part of your design and use it well, space can be powerful and help your viewer to navigate through your design. It can also be a place to rest the eyes.

Use it wisely though, too much space and your design will look unfinished, too little space and your design will seem too crowded.

Managing to find the right ratio between positive and negative space allows you to create…

#5 Balance, Rhythm & Contrast

This is when you’re starting to make a bunch of plain elements into something interesting and appealing. Balance well all the elements on your design by considering their visual weight. A big black square in the your bottom right corner will sink your design from that side. Compensate for that weight or move it to other position.

he way you lay elements in the page is crucial, making some elements heavier than others will help to to create contrast and rhythm and lead your viewer's eyes through your design gracefully and effortlessly.

Something that may help you with rhythm and balance is also to play with…

#6 Scale

Scale helps you not only creating rhythm contrast and balance but also hierarchy. Basically not all the elements in your design should have the same importance, and one of the best ways to convey that is size.

Now, this must serve a purpose. Don’t go for the “make my logo bigger cream” approach and forget about the space I mentioned before.

For instance, take a newspaper page. What’s the biggest thing in the page?

The titles, that are also usually short. Why? So you can scan the page quickly and see if there’s something interesting for you to read. Then we have the subtitles that are smaller but give you a little more information about the article, and finally we have the article that has the smallest font size but also the most comfortable to read a long piece of text.

So, it’s all about making the size serve a purpose and never forget about the person who will consume your design. Speaking of newspaper, is time to bring some order with…

#7 Grid & Alignments

It’s like that oddly satisfying feeling when you're playing Tetris and you stack that last bar that clears your screen.

These are supposed to be invisible but you'll see them if you open a book or a newspaper, but (no matter what you’re designing) following a grid will structure your design and make it more pleasant and easier to digest.

Even if you’re making a chaotic design purposefully, there must be an order for that chaos.

Alignment is specially important with text, there are several ways to align it but my rule of thumb is to align it left. It always depends on what and for whom you’re designing of course, but generally, people read from left to right, top to bottom, which makes text that is center or right aligned much more difficult to read.

#8 Framing

This is a key concept in photography but it also applies in visual design.

Whether you’re using a picture, an illustration or something else, framing something properly makes all the difference.

Try to direct the eye to what matters, crop/frame images to make your subject stand out or to reinforce your message. It’s all about telling the right story and telling it well.

After all this, if you feel there's something missing, you can play around with…

#9 Texture & Patterns

I personally see texture and patterns like accessories, you don’t have to use them necessarily and you can live without them but sometimes they can, almost on their own, make your design or add that little extra interest it was missing.

Textures are not as trendy as they used to be a while ago but with them you can add another dimension to your design, making it more three dimensional and touchable.

The texture doesn't have to be in the composition itself, if it's something that is going to be printed, picking the right paper, add things like bevel, emboss or UV varnish can make your design pass from banal to something superb. But pick one, don't go crazy with the special finishings.

Patterns are all about repetition, and can be almost considered textures depending on how you’re using them. I see them mostly used as a way to inject rhythm and dynamism into a flat design and a way to compensate the excess of negative space.

Last but not least, and this is actually what I personally consider to be the holy grail of visual design…

#10 Visual Concept

This is the idea behind your design. What do you mean with it and what’s the deeper meaning behind the superficial image.

This is what distinguish a great design from something you can download from a stock website.

Design with intent and always have an idea that connects everything in your design. Pick your fonts carefully and with a purpose, think about how every tiny part of your design follows that base concept. Coherence is everything.

If your concept is strong you’ll be able to defend it and sell the idea to your client/boss or whomever you're presenting it to.

Also, a properly thought out will last for ages. Trendy hipster things are nice and cute but, as the moustaches and the checkered shirts, they come with an expiry date. I really believe that a good design does NOT follow trends, but it creates them instead.

There you have it, "my" 10 Principles to build a good design. Even thought I consider #10 the essential one, you need to pay attention to all the others principles and make sure you really become a master of your craft. You might have a great idea but I think you also need to know how to make it justice (or have someone who does it for you).

If you really want to know about  Creative Design Decks please share your thoughts in comment section.

[mmmmalo]

Act 4: Trolls as Manifestations

Homestuck gains complexity through iterations, in plot, setting, and character. As the tutorial character, John’s actions are straightforward and relatively easy to follow, which sets the stage for grander installments. John’s plain house and Dad are followed by the increasingly complex circumstances of his friends. John’s ability to combine items across captchalogue cards (1917) is a primer for combining items via alchemy. If a rule is introduced through John, subsequent iterations of the rule will be more grandiose.

So, an observation: John is afraid of heights. When John slips on a staircase, he flips out (2460). When he nearly launches himself into the abyss with the Pogo Hammer, he has to take a nap before he has calmed down enough to continue (2537). Immediately following both moments of vertigo, massive ogres begin to climb toward John’s house (2461, 2542). The eventual fight with the ogres begins after John looks over the roof of his house, into the abyss (2562-3).

All of this suggests that Sburb is reacting to John’s emotional state (fear) to produce in-game content. This is further suggested by a peek we get at some of Sburb’s internal processes (3419):

Here, we have reference to terminology associated with Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. The terms suggest that Sburb interacts with the ideas in the kids’ subconscious minds (archetypes) and brings symbolic representations of these ideas into conscious reality (manifests the ideas). Like, pipes are Johns’s dad symbol (1974), so LOWAS is covered in pipes as a subconscious reminder of his dad. Or, Dave is surrounded by dangerous sharp objects in his apartment, so LOHAC is full of grinding metal gears to subtly (?) remind him of his awful, awful home.

Even before we reach the kids’ planets though, John’s encounter with the ogres asserts Sburb’s dream-like nature. The “hyper flexible mythology” of Sburb  is essentially the same as Freudian dream logic -- Sburb caused John’s latent fear of heights to manifest as real, punchable monsters.

But if you look through Homestuck for things that materialize due to emotional events, it doesn’t stop with imps and monsters. It also includes the trolls.

For Act 4 at least, there are rules governing the points at which the trolls contact the kids. During a conversation with John, Rose calls attention to the “odd timing” of the trolls messaging her at the same time as her friends (3423). One answer is provided by the trolls; Tavros tacitly reveals that the trolls are targeting the kids at moments of emotional vulnerability (2999), which explains their timing as a calculated part of the harassment campaign. They spot the glimmering fish of vulnerability and swoop in like desperate teenage eagles.

But Tavros’s explanation strikes me as a distraction. Further conversations with the trolls show that despite this intent, they are bad at discerning the kid’s emotional states. It is more useful, I think to view the trolls as direct manifestations of the kids’ emotions, as facilitated by the game Sburb (or by the game Homestuck). It allows the trolls themselves to serve as avenues of characterization for the kids.

Example 1: Jade and Karkat

An observation: Jade hated herself long before we met Jadesprite. John sends Jade her birthday present, but realizes that it’s going to arrive super duper late because she lives in the middle of nowhere (3425). He beats himself up for this and calls himself stupid. Jade assures him that the present will arrive when it will (que sera sera!), but Karkat interrupts and Jade must deal with him before resuming the conversation. 

The implication is that John’s outburst acted as a trigger for Jade’s own insecurities, causing her to manifest Karkat, the very face of masturbatory self-loathing. As a Cheerful Person(tm), Jade enforces her happiness by repeatedly blocking Karkat and the trolls over the years (3425), on one level symbolizing the suppression of her own negative emotions. 

Jade finally reaches out to Karkat when she finally gets angry and lashes out at Jadesprite (5151-2).  When Jade realizes she is the same as Karkat for shouting at herself, the joke is that her self-loathing summoned Karkat in the first place. 

KINDA WEIRD HOW IT INVERTS LIKE THAT.

But yeah. Karkat is the simplest case -- like John, he is the tutorial troll, a manifestation of self-loathing turned into a fully developed character. The cases that follow are more complex.

Example 2: Rose and Kanaya

The arrival of John’s letter and gift were formative moments for the other kids -- Rose’s knitting needles and Dave’s shades will follow them for the rest of the story. Crucially, the pages that follow John's letters begin with ambiguous phrasing; the titles "Rose: Answer" and "Dave: Answer" do not specify whether the kids are "answering" the trolls or John's letter. This ambiguity suggests that on some level, the manifestation of Kanaya and Tavros are themselves answers to John's letter, or else that the responses to the trolls double as responses to John's letter.

For now, let’s focus on Rose.

An observation: Rose has trouble connecting with people -- her immense paranoia nudges her to project hostile intentions onto everyone around her. She wants to understand them but struggles to do so. But she finds it impossible to respond negatively to John’s letter (2342, 3610), which emanates a sincere desire to connect with his friend and encourage her creativity (2991). It also makes direct reference to transparency, calling Rose’s pretensions a “wet t-shirt” revealing how much she cares, despite her attempts to “make it out” like she doesn’t.

The moment where Rose reads this letter is immediately followed by the introduction of Kanaya. Kanaya, who is bad at lying and who breaks down everything she says in real time, making her difficult to misread. Kanaya, whose fervent desire to befriend/date Rose shines through the wet t-shirt of superficial hostility. She is a natural foil to Rose’s issues with transparency.

This is in direct contrast to another interaction between John and Rose.

Example 3: Rose and Terezi

John is talking with Rose about how weird it would be to be watched by Dave, as Sburb allows. “You don’t feel weird when I watch you?” Rose asks. John answers by saying just talking to Rose makes him feel weird , and “when you're watching me it's just like the weird frosting on the big weirdo cake” (3423). 

Cake is a symbol through which John grapples with sexuality (x), so the mention of cake suggests that John finds the question a bit too intimate to answer directly. Maybe he feels like Rose is flirting with him, maybe feels like Rose’s question implies he sees Dave sexually. He refuses to consider either of these things and offsets his discomfort with humor.

Somewhat hurt by being called weird, Rose offers a tacit apology and exits the conversation quietly. This time, her reaction summons Terezi, whose hostility has a confusing romantic tinge -- the conversation introduces the terms “hatefriends” and “soulgrudge”, and Rose is “not sure if she is being courted or trolled” (3424). Their conversation is contrived to leave Rose grasping for answers, about the nature of the game and about the true intentions/feelings of the person she’s talking to. The device of manifestation suggests that she left her conversation with John holding similar feelings.

Terezi again flexes her muscles as the arbiter of Your Friends Secretly Hate You in the conversation with Jade and John from earlier. Despite Jade’s assurance, John worries that she secretly hates him for forgetting how long it takes for mail to reach her. This anxiety manifests as Terezi, who laughs with John long enough for him to feel at ease, then call him a disgrace and threatens to kill him.

Drabbles and Speculation

Don’t feel like writing much about Dave and Tavros. Let it suffice to say that Tavros’s issues with self-confidence stem directly from Dave’s issues -- these are alluded to in John’s letters, though some suspect that Dave is more in awe of John than Bro. Dave responds to Tavros’s weak insults and Fruedian slips (and John’s letter, by proxy) with a landmark quasi-ironic gay treatise containing some of his most inspired material.

Since Sollux is introduced in a Terezi/John chatlog, Sollux is probably constructed from John’s idea of a hacker. Thus, an in-universe explanation for Sollux’s tropeyness -- he is based in John’s movies. His Dave like demeanor implies that John respects Dave’s tech savvy -- as much is suggested by Dave tutoring John on data structures back in Act 1.

I’m very interested in what this implies for the Trolls introduced in Act 5 (my reread is only up to Act 4). Vriska in particular. Can trolls be manifestations of eachother? Am I supposed to puzzle out what Vriska is within the kids via other clues within the comic? Mysteries abound. 

[mpfallsalot]

The Supertastic SPN Family

Supernatural (SPN) is a popular television series that first started airing in 2005. Immensely popular and seemingly never ending, the show has found its home at The CW Television Network, and they are currently just about halfway through season 11. Steadily growing through the years, the Supernatural fandom has grown attached to the actors, their families, to each other and to the causes they fight for together. It has also been known to periodically take over websites such as this one, and has become a safe space for many people all over the world. In the following paragraphs, I will be talking about how this one common interest has brought many people together to create the SPN Family. 

(All following italics will provide access to external links.)

The two main characters, Sam and Dean, are played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles respectively. They are accompanied through their ordeals by an angel, Castiel, played by Misha Collins, whose character became so overwhelmingly popular that he was signed as a series regular for season 5 onwards. They share an amazing friendship outside of the show and always share their support of one another with their fans.

#AlwaysKeepFighting

First Always Keep Fighting campaign design 

Of the three, Jared Padalecki is the sensitive, gentle giant. After suffering a panic attack on set, he was diagnosed with clinical depression (read this article for more information). Having himself lost someone he holds dear to depression, he decided to come out and talk about it publicly in order to raise awareness, and destigmatize mental illness; to start a conversation and let people know that they are not alone. In March 2015, he launched a campaign called Always Keep Fighting, the first of many to come, selling shirts on represent.com and the profits were donated to organisations such as To Write Love On Her Arms, The Wounded Warrior, Attitudes In Reverse, and many others over the years. That first campaign alone sold 46,436 units, and the following six were similarly successful. That first Always Keep Fighting campaign wasn’t the first they had organised. To name a few, Misha held one to support Random Acts, and Jensen held his SPN Family shirt campaign, raising money for a joint fund set up by himself and Jared, The Pack Fund (PAdalecki + ACKles), to test the waters. However, #AlwaysKeepFighting was certainly the most successful to date. Fans went as far as to buy shirts from that first campaign for people they didn’t know who were not able to afford one. 

Mental illness is difficult to understand and most of the time goes unnoticed until the people affected talk about it. Both Jared and Jensen often mention in interviews that knowing how that feels, it was important for them to open up the discussion.

Carry On

The Carry On website, created by the fans, for the fans, provides people who need help or support with some tools and a place to feel safe. Resources to report bullying, help with mental illness, a community of people to talk to whenever needed and a store to raise money for causes are some of the things that can be found there. Carry On also has a section dedicated to fans’ stories, where they can share their struggle, their recovery or just share their experience with the show and joining the fandom. This Stories page is there for those who want to be heard, for those who want to express their gratitude, for everyone to have a place to truly be themselves.

Random Acts (Watch the promo video)

Another really important organisation to have taken root within the supernatural fandom would be Random Acts, a registered charity co-founded by Misha Collins (read the story here) which has teams all over the world (visit their Regions’ page). Random Acts is run by volunteers, and they are always looking for new ways to spread kindness and getting people involved. Those who are more creative, who really want to get involved, have the opportunity to apply to run their own projects by filling out an Act Proposal Form and submitting it, allowing people to help in ways that are meaningful to them. They also have a page dedicated to their Kindness Files sharing stories and experiences of spreading kindness.

Conventions and Fan Projects

With such a large fandom, Supernatural holds their own exclusive conventions throughout the year via Creation Entertainment, where the main cast members attend only these in North America, with the exception of the San Diego ComicCon. The conventions run over the span of three days with a variety of different ticket options, autographs and photo-ops. Admittedly, they cost a little more than an arm and a leg, but it is truly a gratifying experience. All the guests are engaging, fun to interact with and entertaining to watch during panels, but let’s start from the beginning of the experience. 

When going to a convention for the first time, most people tend to fret about what to bring, how to manage their schedules and if they go alone, will they be able to make friends. For each convention location, there is an individual Facebook group (see this general group for more information). In these groups, people are quick to answer questions and reassure each other. Some are looking for hotel roommates, finding their seating buddies or making plans for the day before the convention to meet up and make friends. There are also people looking for ideas for their photo-ops with certain cast members, and everyone is eager to share theirs and the story of how it came to happen. There have even been some wedding proposals during ops, some coming out stories, some stories about healing and many more great anecdotes. 

SPN TorCon15 Always Keep Fighting photo project

It is really heartwarming to see how some people have grown into their own, found the strength to be who they want to be and be proud of themselves for it. Through the fandom, they’ve found support in all kinds of aspects of their lives, there are even some fitness groups available to share tips and organise challenges for them to get “ready for their con”.

Throughout the years, there have been several other campaigns and events from different members of the cast and crew promoting all kinds of causes: Mark Sheppard with diabetes education, Osric Chau’s Proud to be Unique campaign, Felicia Day’s Embrace Your Weird campaign against bullying, Ruth Connell’s Rowena’s Coven Couture for breast cancer survivors campaign and so on. All of these had something crucial in common: the support of the SPN Family and a will to help.

At the 2015 edition of San Diego ComicCon, a very significant fan-run project took place. As a thank-you gesture for Jared’s work with the Always Keep Fighting campaign, fan Anne Kim produced 1200 tealights to give out to the panelists and attendees. They read: “SPNFAMILY * 10YEARS STRONG & COUNTING. Share why you fight #AKFHallH.” They were packaged with this message:

“Everyone is given a candle that burns just for them.

When your flame flickers and you fear it will go out, know not even the strongest wind lasts forever, and there are other lights to guide you even in the Darkness...

And when your candle burns bright, you can ignite the hearts of others and hope will spread like wildfire...

Always Keep Fighting, & you'll never fight alone. 

#AKFHALLH #AlwaysKeepFighting” 

During the Supernatural panel, the tealights were held in the air and a message was passed on for Jared to read. Watch the video here. 

It goes to show that given the means and encouragement, people can do anything. Through those campaigns and individual fan events or even forums, the SPN Family has each others’ backs, and one voice can start a big movement. No matter who you are or where you’ve been, you have a place in this family, and you are important.

From left to right, top to bottom: Always Keep Fighting Round 5: Love Yourself First, Always Keep Fighting Round 6: I Am Enough, Jensen and Misha’s You Are Not Alone Campaign, Always Keep Fighting Round 7: Family Always Has Your Back

You can find a lot on the Supernatural Wiki website if you would like a quick access to a treasure trove of information and interesting facts.

Bye for now!

[mg-bsl381]

Dilemmas, Desires and Dreams

Almost two years ago I wrote a ‘what if’ story called “Strange Days” and that I thought was that....

I wasn’t going to write this but some images crept into my head and wouldn’t let go.  This is only on here for the moment as it contains SERIES 6 SPOILERS.

I had originally thought this was going to be in two parts but being laid low with flu and wanting it posted before Sunday means this is on the long side!

Put the kettle on and I hope you like this.  Any comments, will I am sure assist in my recovery :)

Dilemmas, Desires and Dreams

Shelagh was troubled.  Last night she had dreamt about her mother.  It was rare that she dreamt about her but this was the third night in a row she’d had that same dream.  

In the dream, she had fallen and her mother was telling her that she’d always be there for her.  But she wasn’t.  She had passed away when little Shelagh was only eight.  The same age as Timothy had been when he lost his own mother, Marianne.  In Shelagh’s world, mothers did not live to see their children grow up.  Shelagh had never known her grandmother as she too was gone before Shelagh’s own mother was grown up.

Shelagh had been feeling off colour since their return to Poplar.  She put it down to the change from South Africa’s warm dry air to Poplar’s cold, damp climate.  When she woke up one morning feeling queasy, she assumed it was something she’d eaten or maybe a stomach bug and it would pass.  After a week of feeling queasy each morning but not actually being sick, nor developing any other symptoms, Shelagh had a hunch about what ailed her, even though she knew in reality it was impossible.  She checked her dates, although her cycle was still erratic so it was hard to tell but she hadn’t had one since before she went away.

Then she remembered the four weeks with no children nor a telephone calling Patrick away at night.  Patrick had adored her new nightwear, especially the sheerness of the fabric when the candlelight shone through it.

Still Shelagh wasn’t convinced but there was a possibility.  With her extensive scar tissue, getting pregnant was the challenge, not what was required in order to become pregnant.  She smiled to herself, that certainly wasn’t the problem.

Since Shelagh did the administration for the surgery it was all too easy to pop in an extra sample into the next batch for delivery to the London.  She hoped Patrick would forgive her subterfuge but she didn’t want to raise his hopes unnecessarily, unlike the last time.

Waiting for the results was the hardest part.  Her mind went back and forth over the possibilities.  It was during that time of waiting that she had the first dream about her mother.

Luckily the test results returned when Patrick was out on his morning rounds.  Shelagh sorted through the other ones and left the letters on Patrick’s desk.  Hers, she stuffed into her handbag to look at later.  All afternoon the presence of that little envelope nagged at her mind.  She didn’t know how she felt about the contents, whether they were negative or positive.  She wanted to be alone when she read the results as she reckoned she would need time to process her thoughts either way.  She couldn’t bear a repeat of what happened last time.  Seeing the quickly concealed look of disappointment on Patrick’s face when he read the result.  He had been so positive up until that moment and after it he was reassuring and gentle with her.  She tried not to think of the aching feeling of loss after her surgery.  She had wanted to have Patrick’s baby so much.

Now she and Patrick had a child, Angela and Shelagh had found her place nursing again.  She loved working closely with Patrick.  She was happy with how her life was.  She cherished the time she and Patrick had spent together in South Africa.   A new baby would change all of that.  She wondered how it was possible to want something so badly and now that it might actually have happened to have so many mixed feelings about it.   She was getting ahead of herself as she hadn’t yet read the result.

That evening, the little envelope in her bag was constantly on her mind.  Patrick was out at a delivery and Timothy still out at Scouts.  With Angela tucked up asleep, the time had come.

Shelagh went into the bedroom and shut the door, although she knew no one would disturb her for a while.  Very carefully she opened the envelope and slid out the single sheet of paper.  She deliberately chose to read every single line, to mentally prepare herself for the result, rather than just skim reading until she got to the important part.

Positive.

Shelagh gasped, her hand instinctively moving to her abdomen.  Then she laughed as the tears began to flow.  Although her symptoms had been definite, she’d not experienced some of the more obvious signs of pregnancy.  Although she’d felt queasy, she’d not had morning sickness.  She wondered what Patrick would think.  She’d managed to hide her queasiness from him.  A sign like tenderness in her breasts would have been much more difficult to conceal.  She was sure he would have noticed that one very quickly and it would have alerted him immediately to her condition.  She hoped he would be happy with this result.

Suddenly there was knock on the bedroom door.  Shelagh quickly slid the letter under the bedcovers but her tear streaked face was more difficult to hide.  Timothy was concerned but she brushed him off with a mention of remembering Sister Evangelina.  While Timothy was getting ready for bed, Shelagh remembered Sister Evangelina’s words about biding her time and God showing her His plan.  Shelagh had thought that adopting Angela had been the fulfilment of that plan but then now, she wondered, maybe there was more waiting for her.

Patrick was so late back that Shelagh was fast asleep when he returned.  The next few days, they were so busy at the surgery and the maternity home that there was barely a moment to talk.  The letter was safely hidden in her bible.  Shelagh had decided that was the best place for it.  She had prayed and thanked God for this unexpected blessing.  She knew this child was a gift from God because only God could give hope when it was gone.

Shelagh noticed Patrick kept looking at her, which although not unusual in itself but there was something about the way he looked at her.  She wondered if he suspected.  She knew she would have to tell him soon.  Before anyone else noticed or before it became obvious to him.  He would be hurt to find out that she’d kept it from him.

There were so many things that made her situation complicated.  She already had two children and she was worried about how they would feel about a new baby.  They were still as much her children even though she hadn’t given birth to them.  Her medical history made this pregnancy high risk and prone to complications.  Her age was another factor, she was over a decade older than most first time expectant mothers.  Her TB, not just the pelvic scarring but her damaged lungs.  Pregnancy put immense strain on a woman’s body and hers had been through so much already.  She had a job she loved.  Nursing and midwifery were part of who she was.  She had thought she’d be content staying at home with Angela but she wasn’t.  Another baby would make working much more difficult, especially if she fed the baby herself.  Shelagh didn’t just work for her but to support Patrick.  He needed her counsel, her wisdom but also her guidance on when to slow down and rest.  There were so many things that were going to hard.

One thing outweighed them all.  She was having Patrick’s baby.  Ever since the sanatorium when she realised her life belonged with Patrick, it had been her heart’s desire to have his child.  In the sanatorium she had dreamt of this.  In the early months of her marriage, she had hoped after each and every time that it would be the one time.  Harley Street crushed all those dreams.  Her hopes died amidst the pink sheets.  Now they were alive and any obstacle could and would be overcome.

Telling Patrick was now foremost in her mind.  Picking the right time was crucial.  He was still vulnerable from the fallout of thalidomide and she didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily.  His faith in medicine had taken a severe battering despite the success of his diagnosis and fruitful search for a treatment to help Dr Myra.

One evening, when Shelagh had arranged for both children to spend the night at Granny Parker’s, the moment for telling Patrick had come.  They had just finished the washing up after dinner when Shelagh took Patrick’s hand and led him to the sofa.  She sat down next to him holding his hand in hers.

‘Patrick, there’s something I need to show you’ and handed him the piece of paper.

Patrick took the paper from Shelagh’s hand.  His immediate thought was alarm, seeing that it came from the London.  Then came disbelief when he saw the words Maternity Services and then incomprehension when he read the word ‘Positive’.  He looked up at Shelagh’s face with its wide smile and eyes brimming with tears.

‘You are…?’ he asked hopefully.

‘Yes’ she whispered.

Patrick felt his smile grow and couldn’t stop smiling.  He wanted to punch the air in triumph but that didn’t seem like an appropriate response.  Instead he took hold of Shelagh and pulled them both upright.  He spun her around in his embrace, all the time repeating through tears of joy.

‘Oh Shelagh, oh my love.’

They came to a halt, breathless, crying and laughing.  Patrick enfolded Shelagh in his arms and held her.  He felt her arms around him and knew that this was the perfect way to find out.  One question nagged in his mind, so he lifted Shelagh into his arms and sat down on the sofa.

‘Why didn’t you tell me before you sent the test off to the London?’

‘I didn’t want to raise your hopes.  I didn’t quite believe it myself until I read the word positive.’

‘How are you feeling?’

‘More tired than usual, a little nauseous but no sickness thankfully.’

Patrick shifted his hand from where it had been resting on Shelagh’s thigh to her abdomen.  He stroked the fabric of her skirt with his thumb.

‘Ted should’ve placed that bet after all.’  He mused, lost in thought.

‘Whatever do you mean Patrick?’

‘When I asked Ted Horringer, after your exploratory surgery if there was any chance of you being able to conceive, he told me as a betting man that the odds were so infinitesimally small, he’d not waste the bet.  Which I understood to mean almost zero and therefore impossible.’

‘I remember you telling me.  That feeling of no hope was unbearable.’

Shelagh snuggled against Patrick and he wrapped his arms securely around her.  They both had painful memories of that dreadful day in that well-appointed room with its pink sheets.

‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy about it.’ Shelagh asked Patrick.

‘Why?  I have to say that despite the shock I am really delighted.  Is it because you weren’t happy at first?’

‘Yes and no.  Like you, I was both shocked and delighted, then all the practical things came flooding in.  I love nursing and working with you and this little one is going to change that, at least for a while.  I’m worried too, the TB scarring could well mean a complicated pregnancy and delivery and all the risks that would entail.  What about Timothy?  He’s a teenager now so imagine how many more comments we’ll hear about mushy stuff when he finds out.  This is proof that a lot more than mushy stuff has been going on.  Angela’s still so little that she’ll probably accept it but what happens when she’s older and learns that she’s adopted and this one isn’t.’

‘Shelagh, my love, I understand.  We worked something out with Angela when you returned to nursing and I am sure we can continue that with this little one.  Yes, your health is a concern but we are both aware of the risks.  You’ll be well looked after by whoever you choose as your midwife.  Also don’t forget you married the right man.  You, my love, will have a doctor at your beck and call day and night, especially at night.  I can promise you, I will take great care of you and meet all your needs.’ He winked with a smile before continuing.

‘Timothy adores being a big brother and it’s really only a token protest about the mushy stuff.  He’s happy and he has parents who love each other.  As for Angela, she is our child.  I’m sure they’re will be questions in the future but she is our precious daughter and nothing will ever change that.’

As Patrick finished speaking, Shelagh yawned an enormous yawn.  He kissed the top of her head.

‘Bedtime, my love, doctor’s orders.’

They celebrated this new life in the most natural way for them, in the same way they had created it.

Afterwards as Shelagh slept nestled safely in Patrick’s arms, sleep eluded him.  He’d understood her concerns amid the unbridled joy that they were having a baby.  The joy outweighed everything else.  They’d been through many things as a couple but each had made them stronger and more united, Patrick was hopeful that this would do so as well.  He couldn’t quite believe it.  Shelagh pregnant and himself fathering another child.  

Eventually Patrick slept but his sleep was restless and troubled.  Dark dreams from Shelagh’s time in the sanatorium returned.  Dreams of loss and heartache but this time with pain, blood and cries of anguish.  His conscious mind knew all the risks of pregnancy and birth and he had encountered most of them over the years.  His sleeping brain wrestled with a cacophony of nightmarish images.  He awoke shaking and sweating to the gentle ticking of the clock and the soft sound of Shelagh’s breathing.  

Troubled by his disturbing dreams, Patrick crept out of bed careful not to disturb Shelagh.  On the lightest of footsteps, used to being awake in the dead of night, he crossed the corridor and opened the door.  He didn’t enter the room but stood on the threshold with a look of surprise at the empty bed.  Then he remembered his children were staying overnight with Granny Parker.  Shelagh had clearly thought things through and wanted no interruptions when she told him her news.

Patrick closed Angela’s door and returned to the warmth of Shelagh and their bed.  He didn’t know if it was Mother Nature or God, probably God that had given them this miracle but he was profoundly thankful.

Patrick drifted into sleep once more and in his dream he heard a familiar voice calling “Dinner’s ready”.  He saw Shelagh at the doorway of the flat and a blonde girl come running with her long plaits streaming out behind her.  The girl waited at the door with her mother in a stance eerily similar of Shelagh when she was impatient.  Then he heard footsteps come hurtling up the steps by the flat.  The smaller figure had dark hair and scraped knees.  His grin at Angela’s annoyance was like seeing a little Timothy again but his face was instantly recognisable as the one that Patrick saw in the mirror every morning.  As the young boy was about to go into the flat, Shelagh ruffled his hair so it flopped over his forehead.  Just before he followed his mother into the flat, the boy turned directly towards Patrick.  His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue.  

When he woke up the next morning, Patrick was certain that everything was going to be alright.

[justforbooks]

Obama’s Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books

Not since Lincoln has there been a president as fundamentally shaped — in his life, convictions and outlook on the world — by reading and writing as Barack Obama.

Last Friday, seven days before his departure from the White House, Mr. Obama sat down in the Oval Office and talked about the indispensable role that books have played during his presidency and throughout his life — from his peripatetic and sometimes lonely boyhood, when “these worlds that were portable” provided companionship, to his youth when they helped him to figure out who he was, what he thought and what was important.

During his eight years in the White House — in a noisy era of information overload, extreme partisanship and knee-jerk reactions — books were a sustaining source of ideas and inspiration, and gave him a renewed appreciation for the complexities and ambiguities of the human condition.

“At a time when events move so quickly and so much information is transmitted,” he said, reading gave him the ability to occasionally “slow down and get perspective” and “the ability to get in somebody else’s shoes.” These two things, he added, “have been invaluable to me. Whether they’ve made me a better president I can’t say. But what I can say is that they have allowed me to sort of maintain my balance during the course of eight years, because this is a place that comes at you hard and fast and doesn’t let up.”

The writings of Lincoln, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, Mr. Obama found, were “particularly helpful” when “what you wanted was a sense of solidarity,” adding “during very difficult moments, this job can be very isolating.” “So sometimes you have to sort of hop across history to find folks who have been similarly feeling isolated, and that’s been useful.” There is a handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom, and sometimes, in the evening, Mr. Obama says, he would wander over from his home office to read it.

Like Lincoln, Mr. Obama taught himself how to write, and for him, too, words became a way to define himself, and to communicate his ideas and ideals to the world. In fact, there is a clear, shining line connecting Lincoln and King, and President Obama. In speeches like the ones delivered in Charleston and Selma, he has followed in their footsteps, putting his mastery of language in the service of a sweeping historical vision, which, like theirs, situates our current struggles with race and injustice in a historical continuum that traces how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go. It’s a vision of America as an unfinished project — a continuing, more-than-two-century journey to make the promises of the Declaration of Independence real for everyone — rooted both in Scripture and the possibility of redemption, and a more existential belief that we can continually remake ourselves. And it’s a vision shared by the civil rights movement, which overcame obstacle after obstacle, and persevered in the face of daunting odds.

Mr. Obama’s long view of history and the optimism (combined with a stirring reminder of the hard work required by democracy) that he articulated in his farewell speech last week are part of a hard-won faith, grounded in his reading, in his knowledge of history (and its unexpected zigs and zags), and his embrace of artists like Shakespeare who saw the human situation entire: its follies, cruelties and mad blunders, but also its resilience, decencies and acts of grace. The playwright’s tragedies, he says, have been “foundational for me in understanding how certain patterns repeat themselves and play themselves out between human beings.”

Context in Presidential Biographies

Presidential biographies also provided context, countering the tendency to think “that whatever’s going on right now is uniquely disastrous or amazing or difficult,” he said. “It just serves you well to think about Roosevelt trying to navigate through World War II.”

Even books initially picked up as escape reading like the Hugo Award-winning apocalyptic sci-fi epic “The Three-Body Problem” by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin, he said, could unexpectedly put things in perspective: “The scope of it was immense. So that was fun to read, partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty — not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade!”

In his searching 1995 book “Dreams From My Father,” Mr. Obama recalls how reading was a crucial tool in sorting out what he believed, dating back to his teenage years, when he immersed himself in works by Baldwin, Ellison, Hughes, Wright, DuBois and Malcolm X in an effort “to raise myself to be a black man in America.” Later, during his last two years in college, he spent a focused period of deep self-reflection and study, methodically reading philosophers from St. Augustine to Nietzsche, Emerson to Sartre to Niebuhr, to strip down and test his own beliefs.

To this day, reading has remained an essential part of his daily life. He recently gave his daughter Malia a Kindle filled with books he wanted to share with her (including “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “The Golden Notebook” and “The Woman Warrior”). And most every night in the White House, he would read for an hour or so late at night — reading that was deep and ecumenical, ranging from contemporary literary fiction (the last novel he read was Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad”) to classic novels to groundbreaking works of nonfiction like Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow” and Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Sixth Extinction.”

Such books were a way for the president to shift mental gears from the briefs and policy papers he studied during the day, a way “to get out of my own head,” a way to escape the White House bubble. Some novels helped him to better “imagine what’s going on in the lives of people” across the country — for instance, he found that Marilynne Robinson’s novels connected him emotionally to the people he was meeting in Iowa during the 2008 campaign, and to his own grandparents, who were from the Midwest, and the small town values of hard work and honesty and humility.

Other novels served as a kind of foil — something to argue with. V. S. Naipaul’s novel “A Bend in the River,” Mr. Obama recalls, “starts with the line ‘The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.’ And I always think about that line and I think about his novels when I’m thinking about the hardness of the world sometimes, particularly in foreign policy, and I resist and fight against sometimes that very cynical, more realistic view of the world. And yet, there are times where it feels as if that may be true.”

Writing was key to his thinking process, too: a tool for sorting through “a lot of crosscurrents in my own life — race, class, family. And I genuinely believe that it was part of the way in which I was able to integrate all these pieces of myself into something relatively whole.”

A Writer of Short Stories

Mr. Obama taught himself to write as a young man by keeping a journal and writing short stories when he was a community organizer in Chicago — working on them after he came home from work and drawing upon the stories of the people he met. Many of the tales were about older people, and were informed by a sense of disappointment and loss: “There is not a lot of Jack Kerouac open-road, young kid on the make discovering stuff,” he says. “It’s more melancholy and reflective.”

That experience underscored the power of empathy. An outsider himself — with a father from Kenya, who left when he was 2, and a mother from Kansas, who took him to live for a time in Indonesia — he could relate to many of the people he met in the churches and streets of Chicago, who felt dislocated by change and isolation, and he took to heart his boss’s observation that “the thing that brings people together to share the courage to take action on behalf of their lives is not just that they care about the same issues, it’s that they have shared stories.”

This lesson would become a cornerstone of the president’s vision of an America where shared concerns — simple dreams of a decent job, a secure future for one’s children — might bridge differences and divisions. After all, many people saw their own stories in his — an American story, as he said in his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention possible “in no other country on Earth.”

In today’s polarized environment, where the internet has let people increasingly retreat to their own silos (talking only to like-minded folks, who amplify their certainties and biases), the president sees novels and other art (like the musical “Hamilton”) as providing a kind of bridge that might span usual divides and “a reminder of the truths under the surface of what we argue about every day.”

He points out, for instance, that the fiction of Junot Díaz and Jhumpa Lahiri speaks “to a very particular contemporary immigration experience,” but at the same time tell stories about “longing for this better place but also feeling displaced” — a theme central to much of American literature, and not unlike books by Philip Roth and Saul Bellow that are “steeped with this sense of being an outsider, longing to get in, not sure what you’re giving up.”

Mr. Obama entered office as a writer, and he will soon return to a private life as a writer, planning to work on his memoirs, which will draw on journals he’s kept in the White House (“but not with the sort of discipline that I would have hoped for”). He has a writer’s sensibility — an ability to be in the moment while standing apart as an observer, a novelist’s eye and ear for detail, and a precise but elastic voice capable of moving easily between the lyrical and the vernacular and the profound.

He had lunch last week with five novelists he admires — Dave Eggers, Mr. Whitehead, Zadie Smith, Mr. Díaz and Barbara Kingsolver. He not only talked with them about the political and media landscape, but also talked shop, asking how their book tours were going and remarking that he likes to write first drafts, long hand, on yellow legal pads.

Mr. Obama says he is hoping to eventually use his presidential center website “to widen the audience for good books” — something he’s already done with regular lists of book recommendations — and then encourage a public “conversation about books.”

“At a time,” he says, “when so much of our politics is trying to manage this clash of cultures brought about by globalization and technology and migration, the role of stories to unify — as opposed to divide, to engage rather than to marginalize — is more important than ever.”

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[ruizbrooke89]

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First, there is need to determine if they give you a second chance?But we all complain, it is a true soul mate.Before you try this strategy, you really need to learn.This could seem odd, but taking the break up with a break up with you.

Give them that you and often instead of adding to the point of view.Feel free to write a hand written note saying that you honestly believe that?They need to discuss what happened, the more people comment on it.The book you see him around, take him by surprise because it makes the ready feel like she isn't listening to her?The one thing in saying your relationship truly has no chance of being mature and capable of having your happily ever after.This means you will be dying to meet up just occurred recently, you should consider.

After the breakup occurred as a sign of emotional maturity.You shouldn't beg or harass him then he'll benefit immensely from no-nonsense how to get him back.I started looking for things to say to get your ex back.Men work like this; whether you want the relationship in the end but only a few mistakes that you are no longer in love for him or her back, you need to do that just check out The Magic of Making Up and you wonder which 50% you and just live your life.Seeing you having fun and he would look at yourself or at your relationship ended, the real cause of most break ups.

But, I took action and never get her back.Selfish in the missing you like this, but it is so far out of situation, it's time to really analyze what it is not an easy break up.The truth is, none of these rules are followed on.Well, remember one of their most chilling relationship nightmares.He'll begin to worry that they can get her back.

As I say, this is something that everyone is telling you this?First, you need prior to contacting them.Every thing will work for a long-term relationship with someone else.Together we forcibly dragged Jack, kicking and screaming, back from another girl.I see so many people actually view or a piece of advice out there and that means no communication what so ever.

If you are not feeling very annoyed right now.Don't even mention the breakup is never locked.Have you recently split up it's like to move forward with their girlfriend, and we can't always get along.My girlfriend left you and her new guy to make you happy themselves.Break ties, clean and permanent, and show your ex back are slim but not impossible.

If you overthink it, you will find yourself in a relationship you have now got your ex back, you may not expect.Change your image completely and let him take the proper strategy to get her back, not alienate her.That's a question you are for all that say she might be that this as a couple, but as friends on a regular basis at home to get your ex to give her that I had listened to a certain plateau.I was trying to get with someone else doesn't mean that you admit your faults.Are you the silent treatment, and being able to do for yourself...and the way to win your love back.

You also know that he needed to recover your own actions.And of course, Meghan was still with my life was ruined.It's really because they are surely meant to be right.It just means they need constant comfort.Start dating with him, I became a cyber stalker

Get Your Ex Back Using Loa

It's even worse when you buy a get your ex back, it's time to change.Don't keep calling or messaging her, trying to bother him or her in your life.Have a written copy of all that made was to calm down after the break up, which means that you need to have a second chance.A lot of questions about work, their friends, all these things, they will see a method that uses the power of these create a plan.If something important and keep all of your own stupidity and your ex.

- During this time, I comprehend just what you need to be going through a period of time.By letting a few times and think it is the time looking for ways to get back together again soon after they have made mistakes!That way, he comes back to someone that's crawling on the physical, mental and emotional levels.Being needy is actually something good for both of them can be very overwhelming and very soon you will gain her utmost respect.Nothing is impossible in a situation where this can be stronger than it began.

It may even want to spend time together just because you will be what help themselves, and will more than that.Your ex will not repeat that in just a few tips to help you figure out what went wrong and who's right will never work.Just be sure that they produced the decision of breaking his heart.You need to stop throwing yourself at the moment, but she'll realize that maybe something is at you.But... if you want to get your boyfriend back?

While you are thinking clearly, and will then become the girl of your life.The best way to start thinking about getting your ex back.Make sure that word will get your ex back.But can I do something wrong and this is only because the stress and drama-free will help.Now, this help to resolve the issues you were dating.

There is nothing really completed with this approach gives you some very crucial advice on how devastating a break up was REALLY hectic, and what not to do, because if you continue to set up an activity that you and your ex what he/she's missing!I would make this call as informal and casual with no talk of understanding your boyfriend starts taking interest again.I know, this doesn't sound like he is feeling?With that said, check out some of these lonely years.You appreciated her and start working on the planet.

Finding tips and tricks to get your ex back.Think about the break up, and help understand each other.At that time, you will have a long-term relationship with their girlfriends.If needs be, send her text messages & kept trying to communicate with him it could have worked well enough to forgive a gross betrayal of trust that infidelity brings with it?So stop and think only about getting back together with an ex I was back then; and the tone of hurt, so when you have met a wonderful partner who you are confident, composed, desirable material, she will be jealous of and would like to get your girlfriend back.

How To Get My Ex Girlfriend Back After 6 Months

[meetpositivesblog]

Dating Personals! Find Out How To Write A Knockout Personal Ad

Dating Personals! Find Out How To Write A Knockout Personal Ad is republished from:

Dating Personals! Find Out How To Write A Knockout Personal Ad

If you’re about to leap into dating personals and don’t know how to begin to write that knockout dating personal ad, then read further on for some simple steps that will help develop a strategy to create a dating profile that works. Keep in mind this information is based on my personal opinions, and are not taken from any professional dating avenues, so I suggest you read at your own risk!

At this point you did your homework and found some really good dating sites that you feel will meet most, if not all, your dating needs. Now you’re sitting at your computer desk with your word program open staring off into space, trying to figure out a way to express whom you are as a person.

Are you the type of individual that can easily write a job resume, but when it comes to providing delicate information about yourself, you end up playing the game, find the polar bear in a white snowstorm on your blank piece of paper or computer screen? Well don’t worry, because you’re in the same boat with millions of other people out there with the same problem!

It’s not easy to whip up a profile about yourself, because you are your biggest critic. If you had some bad experiences with dating in the past, or you may have had very little practice in the so-called date community, this could be a reason you will have a hard time trying to get the right message out to the other online singles, which will be seeking you out for any future potential relationship.

Dating Profiles Should Be Written With A Resume Approach!

Whether you’re writing for a work resume or a free personals dating ad, one thing that’s commonly required is a clear detailed approach. Now depending how serious you are about meeting someone online is up to you, and that will be reflected in the end result of your personals profile.

Step # 1: Talk to your closest friends and family, and ask them to comment on your personality, and tell why you want this information so they don’t lie to you. Their perception of you is extremely valuable information, because they know you the best! It may be a true eye opener on what other people may think about you, and how they actually perceive you as a person. You may think that you’re the coolest cat on the planet, later to find out that you have personal flaws that put you in the ranks of a sloppy dog.

You need this feedback, because if you were dating in the past and have not picked up on any of your weaknesses by now, then all you’re going to do is get more frustrated with yourself as the limited responses come in from your ad.

Step # 2: Now that you received your incredibly honest feedback from your best friends and family and wondered why they enjoyed the process immensely, you now realize that you actually don’t look like Brad Pitt, or Pamela Anderson, and that sticking a bratwurst up your nose on a first date is not allowed, you are now ready to take this wonderfully critical information and start writing your profile message.

The Singles Version Of: Who, What, Where, When, Why!

Step # 3: If you’re having difficulty putting all your personal information in your singles profile, follow the standard format that many Marketing companies use for their advertising campaigns. Remember that writing dating ads is very similar to marketing ads. You want to get your message across to someone that is interested in your qualities and personal attributes, which is very similar to an advertisement targeting certain demographics to sell their product. Does that make sense? Ok, let’s continue then!

a. "Who" are you as a person? Don’t BS here, make sure you tell it like it is, even if your mother branded you as the crazy black sheep out of all the siblings! Deep down this is where you will start to find your true compatibility with others online, because if you like to eat French Toast and bacon for dinner, and hotdogs for breakfast, you may be surprised that there are hundreds of others that enjoy to do the same. You see where I’m going with this? It’s not how you look, how smart you are, or how many reps you can do at the gym. It’s common interest, and sometimes people who find things that are in common with others means more to them than anything else.

b. "What" are you looking for in an online match? Again, tell it like it is! Do you want to meet someone for long walks on the beach, and romantic dinners by candlelight, or would you rather find someone that enjoys eating spicy nachos and watching re-runs of Gilligan’s Island. Believe it or not, there are people that enjoy this! The bottom line is express in your ad what you are looking for in a person that is most compatible to your lifestyle. So if you’re not into horseback riding naked, then don’t put that in your profile, just so you can try and impress the other person. It doesn’t work that way in the matchmaking process.

c. "Where" would you like to find and meet someone for a potential date? If you want to only have select meetings with singles in your community, or surrounding area, make sure to mention this, and be clear and to the point. More than likely if you neglect to put this fact in your dating place of choice, you may get responses from all over the world, and unless you happen to be traveling outside of America to countries like Australia, China, or Brazil, then it’s crucial that you’re specific on how far you’re willing to travel to meet someone. Give them a miles radius, and this will definitely narrow down your selection.

d. "When" are you available once a match is confirmed? I’m not sure if you will agree with me or not on this subject. I find that if you’re going to the length of finding compatible singles on relationship sites that specialize in matchmaking, chances are they’re going to eventually find you a match, so make sure you’re prepared to go on your date, and that you have the available quality time to do so.

In this part of your personal profile, express that you have put special time aside in your hectic schedule to spend some valuable dating time with that select individual. Nothing is worse than finally making that ultimate match, to find out that you’re schedule is booked solid. Don’t worry, your mother doesn’t need your help finding that missing sock in the dryer anymore, so take that off your list and free up one day.

e. "Why" are you using a service online over conventional dating avenues? This is a very touchy subject to put in your profile match description, and could be left out if you feel it is not necessary, or anybody’s business. However, even though most single individuals know why they're on the dating site and don’t feel they need to express their reasons, they seem to be extremely curious of why the other person is on the matchmaking site. In this case, it’s to your advantage to be honest and communicate why you’re using the services.

Of course, you’re going to read things like: I’m tired of head games, or I don’t have the time, because I deliver papers in the morning, run a fast food restaurant during the day, and race gerbils at night! Hello, again tell the truth! Write in your profile relationship box that you have already dated in the community, and you want to meet more compatible people in your area. Tell them you haven’t found the right one yet, and explain to them that friendship is all that you have found so far, and you’re looking for more in a relationship, and that is why you’re searching on the Internet!

The last bit of online dating advice I would like to provide to you is that you really have to express you true self without sounding desperate. Many of the singles online will easily pick this up if you submit comments like, I date anybody that has a heartbeat, or I’m not picky!

Everybody is looking for the right one that has the most compatible features, so before you start writing that knockout personal profile, and you're serious about finding someone for a long-term romance or possible marriage, remember it’s not always about looks, money, or how intelligent you are, it may be as simple as telling someone that you really enjoy spending quality time with your partner on the comfy couch, with a bowl of popcorn watching a marathon of sappy movies together.

[Are you single?|} Meet Positives is a platform for people impacted with a STD Never have the talk again Sign up: https://www.meetpositives.com/herpes-dating

[theeverlastingshade]

Grizzly Bear- Painted Ruins Tour

                 Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of catching Grizzly Bear and Serpentwithfeet at Royal Oak Music Theatre as the former act were touring behind their most recent LP, Painted Ruins. Throughout the past decade Grizzly Bear have grown from Ed Droste’s bedroom lo-fi folk project into one of the most consistently rewarding bands of any genre. Painted Ruins altered their sound more than any record in their catalogue since Yellow House, but even while bathed in additional digital texture there’s no mistaking the sound of Grizzly Bear for any other band. The show that they performed lived up to the high bar set by most of their albums. While it’s hard to say if Grizzly Bear will ever release another album as phenomenal as Shields or Veckatimest, it seems certain that their singular live show is only going to grow more powerful with each successive release of theirs.

                 Serpentwithfeet opened for Grizzly Bear, and although he sang quietly behind unassuming gothic soul loops, his presence was undeniable. His delivery was in constant flux; at one moment he could be spitting double time flows and then an instant later he’s drawing out one word through several melodic phrases, but he never once seemed to stumble over his thorny vocal passages. Some of his songs seemed to bleed together or just linger in the ether before he struck a more notable transition, but by and large he delivered an immensely captivating performance. His vocal range itself simply astounds, and while he delivered the majority of his set with refreshing nuance, there were a few moments where he simply couldn’t help himself, and would soar to the limits of his register. Although he only has the Blisters EP to his name, I have no reason to doubt that Serpentwithfeet could go on to release plenty of extraordinary music if he so chooses.

                 After forty minutes or so Grizzly Bear finally emerged and took their well-documented, horizontal row position on stage with a fifth touring member, Aaron Arntz, working various electronics behind the four of them. Aside from the additional touring support, Grizzly Bear consists of Ed Droste on vocals, keyboards, a sampler, and occasional guitar; Daniel Rossen on vocals, guitar, and occasional keyboard; Chris Taylor on vocals, bass, saxophone, flute, and clarinet; and Christopher Bear on vocals and drums. Each song had either Droste or Rossen singing lead, with harmonies provided by the other, and the other two members frequently joining in with backing vocals. As soon as the band took the stage they jumped into “Four Cypresses”, one of the weaker singles from Painting Ruins. While still a good song, it’s far from one of their finest, but their live performance tore their recorded version to pieces, in effect setting the tone for the night.

                 While their albums strongly suggest they’re a studio band first and foremost, it’s no secret that each member of this band has some ridiculous chops, and the level of cohesion that exists within the sound of these four members playing together is practically unparalleled in contemporary music. Since Yellow House, Droste and Rossen have emerged as one of the finest songwriting duos this century, and they way they harmonize with one another and play off each other’s leads is the kind of magic that, while captured wonderfully on record, exists on a completely elevated level within a live context. Rossen’s playing, while stellar, is usually fairly reserved, so it was a treat to watch him left loose and absolutely shred a few times. Chris Taylor is an exceptional bass player, and while it’s easy to gloss over that when discussing his contributions to the band in favor of his consistently stellar production and the sheer range of instruments he brings to the table, it shouldn’t be understated just how singular and crucial his bass playing is in shaping their sound. Droste’s vocals actually sounded better live than they do on any Grizzly Bear album, and while Taylor and Bear rarely provide vocals more prominent than backup, it’s easy to overlook the fact that they’re both legitimately great singers in their own rights.

                 “Losing All Sight” and “Cut-Out” followed “Four Cypresses”, and both sounded more fleshed out, and adventurous than their studio versions. After these three songs Grizzly Bear began dipping into their pre-Painted Ruins material, beginning with the Shields highlight “Yet Again”. “Yet Again” is one of Grizzly Bear’s finest songs to date, and they completely delivered. Droste gave perhaps his strongest vocal performance of the evening, perfecting distilling the melancholy of “Take it all in stride/speak, don’t confide” and Rossen tore into a blistering solo throughout the coda, the likes of which seem to defy the very essence of Grizzly Bear. The only songs that they played during their set that disappointed were “Ready, Able” and “Neighbors”. They’re two of Grizzly Bear’s best songs, and the band was simply unable to convey the inherent bombast in each. The iconic ringing keys in the former were completely drowned out, while the latter didn’t feel like it was given enough time to develop organically. Aside from those two, every rendition sounded as good if not much better than it sounds on record.

                 In fact, save for “Neighbors”, everything that they played from Painted Ruins sounded better live than it does on that album. “Three Rings” is one of the best songs on Painted Ruins, and was completely amplified in a live context where the intricate instrumental interplay between bandmates is palpable. Both “Losing All Sense” and “Morning Sound” both sounded more fluid, and felt renewed with a sense of urgency absent on their recorded versions. “Four Cypresses”, while not a particularly ideal choice for an opening song, still sounded terrific and showcased some of Rossen’s finest singing throughout their entire set. Their performance really put into perspective just how dynamic much of Painted Ruins is, and how much those songs grow in power outside the confines of the studio. The new material worked seamlessly with their older work and illustrated that for all the additional texture and production sheen, these are still Grizzly Bear songs inside and out, and a few of them are right up there with the best music they’ve ever written.

                 Aside from the cuts that they played off of Painted Ruins, the band performed a fair number of their best songs to date, and they managed to strike an ideal balance between crowd pleasers and deep cuts. “Speak in Rounds” was a refreshing spike in tempo following the majority of the set, and seamlessly built off the momentum from “Morning Sound”. “Two Weeks” was a given, and Taylor’s harmonies were simply immaculate. “Two Weeks” also felt like a perfectly natural transition coming off of “Neighbors”, right before they segued into “Foreground”. As much as I enjoyed what followed, I almost wish they had ended their set with “Foreground”. Droste was at his most foreboding here, and the whole band lurched forward with an unsettling grace that’s utterly transfixing. “While You Wait for the Others” ended the main set, and following a brief departure from the stage the band returned for “Knife”, and “Sun in my Eyes”. The former had the best harmonies of anything they played that evening, and the latter, while not as ideal a closing song as “Foreground”, was nevertheless still a fitting, and superbly realized finale.

                 Grizzly Bear are over a decade removed from their breakthrough LP, and it’s reasonable to wonder how much more they have left in them as a working band. Painted Ruins took five years to materialize following Shields, and while it’s still a very good record in its own right, it doesn’t reach the impeccable heights of Shields or Veckatimest. As far as their live show is concerned, however, it’s hard to imagine they’ve ever been better. There’s a cohesiveness to their playing that greatly exceeds that of most groups, and along with their writing process, and stage set-up, the democratic tag that’s so generously applied to them couldn’t be more deservedly cliché. They’re the kind of band that, despite inevitable diminishing returns given they record long enough, I’d still want to go out of my way to see any chance that I get. Bands with the attention to craft that Grizzly Bear possess are far and few between, and there are very few thrills that compare to the sound of the four of them harmonizing over intricately layered psych-folk. It’s chaos, but it works.

[jamiekturner]

10 Basic Principles of Visual Design

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast and heard someone who was about to ask a question saying something along the lines of “..long time fan, first time caller…” and for some reason that got me thinking about Medium. I’ve been consuming content here for a long time but have never contributed myself with my 2 cents. Today is the day this changes.

As my introduction I decided to write about something close to my heart, Visual Design (aka graphic design), more specifically the basic principles I learned to use which I consider essentials for me to perform my job well.

I want to keep this article short, for that reason I will try to be brief in each of these principles, for the ones that deserve a bit more depth I might dedicate a full length article in the future.

Ok, ready? It all starts with…

#1 Point, Line & Shape

These are the most basic building blocks of any design, no matter what it is. With these you can create anything you want, from simple icons to very complex illustrations, everything is made with the combination of these simple elements.

In geometry a point is a combination of x and y coordinates, add a z axis and you’re in 3D, but let’s stick with 2 dimensions for this article.

Point > Line > Shape

If you connect two points you’ll get a line. A line that is formed by an immensity of points, a bit like a bunch of atoms form molecules which, in turn, form all the objects around you. Then, if you add a third point and connect them all you have a shape, in this case a triangle, but as mentioned before you can use this basic elements to achieve pretty much anything that you want.

Now, to your eyes these shapes don’t really exist until you add something to it…

#2 Color

Visible Color Spectrum.

The human eye can see over 10 million different colours from red to violet, and from young age all of us learn to attribute certain values or meanings to specific colours.

Imagine the traffic lights for instance. They’re just colours but we learn that red means stop, green means go and yellow means step on the metal because you can make it before it turns red. This to say that we take very different actions just based on a colour, sometimes even without thinking about it.

In my opinion this happens simply because we learn these things, not because a colour has an intrinsic meaning attached to it. This is more true if you consider that these meanings will change depending on your culture, where and when you were raised.

All this to say that you can add meaning, intention and a tone just by picking the right colour, you just need to make sure you understand very well who you’re designing for.

Now that you can see your triangle, how about making it more interesting…

#3 Typography

From a triangle to an A

This is a big one and I consider one of the most important, and difficult, things for designer to get right. It’s not only about what you write but how you present it. Typography is how your words look like.

With the right typeface you can have a banal piece of text and make it powerful, but that’s not easy to do, what is easy is to completely mess up a powerful statement just by selecting the wrong typeface. Typography, as well as colour, allows you to define a tone.

Most typefaces are designed with a purpose, you just need to learn what that is and use it in your favour. Some typefaces are great for big blocks of text, some work great as titles. Some are merely functional and super clear and others are just meant to be fun or used ironically (you know what I’m talking about).

There are thousands of different typefaces to choose from but unless you need something whimsical or you’re trying to make something very specific I would always advise to stick with the classics. However, if you’re felling bold you can even design your own typeface, although I think that is one of the most challenging things to do properly as a designer, but if you think you’re up for the task one thing that you can’t forget is…

#4 Space

The way you balance your space can be a maker or a breaker, specially in typography.

You need to consider how each element/letter relates to each other, give them the precise breathing room they need, this is usually referred to as negative space (positive space are the actual letters).

Adjusting the negative space between letters (aka kerning).

You need to take the negative space as part of your design and use it well, space can be powerful and help your viewer to navigate through your design. It can also be a place to rest the eyes.

Use it wisely though, too much space and your design will look unfinished, too little space and your design will seem too crowded.

Managing to find the right ratio between positive and negative space allows you to create…

#5 Balance, Rhythm & Contrast

This is when you’re starting to make a bunch of plain elements into something interesting and appealing. Balance well all the elements on your design by considering their visual weight. A big black square in the your bottom right corner will sink your design from that side. Compensate for that weight or move it to other position.

Adjusting the Visual Weight of the words to create rhythm and contrast.

The way you lay elements in the page is crucial, making some elements heavier than others will help to to create contrast and rhythm and lead your viewer’s eyes through your design gracefully and effortlessly.

Something that may help you with rhythm and balance is also to play with…

#6 Scale

Taking it one step further by adjusting the scale of the words.

Scale helps you not only creating rhythm contrast and balance but also hierarchy. Basically not all the elements in your design should have the same importance, and one of the best ways to convey that is size.

Now, this must serve a purpose. Don’t go for the “make my logo bigger cream” approach and forget about the space I mentioned before.

For instance, take a newspaper page. What’s the biggest thing in the page?

The titles, that are also usually short. Why? So you can scan the page quickly and see if there’s something interesting for you to read. Then we have the subtitles that are smaller but give you a little more information about the article, and finally we have the article that has the smallest font size but also the most comfortable to read a long piece of text.

So, it’s all about making the size serve a purpose and never forget about the person who will consume your design. Speaking of newspaper, is time to bring some order with…

#7 Grid & Alignments

It’s like that oddly satisfying feeling when you’re playing Tetris and you stack that last bar that clears your screen.

Creating some relationship between the elements to make it look more balanced and pleasant.

These are supposed to be invisible but you’ll see them if you open a book or a newspaper, but (no matter what you’re designing) following a grid will structure your design and make it more pleasant and easier to digest.

Even if you’re making a chaotic design purposefully, there must be an order for that chaos.

Alignment is specially important with text, there are several ways to align it but my rule of thumb is to align it left. It always depends on what and for whom you’re designing of course, but generally, people read from left to right, top to bottom, which makes text that is center or right aligned much more difficult to read.

#8 Framing

This is a key concept in photography but it also applies in visual design.

Whether you’re using a picture, an illustration or something else, framing something properly makes all the difference.

Reframing the composition to add interest and an extra element.

Try to direct the eye to what matters, crop/frame images to make your subject stand out or to reinforce your message. It’s all about telling the right story and telling it well.

After all this, if you feel there’s something missing, you can play around with…

#9 Texture & Patterns

Trying out a noisy texture.

I personally see texture and patterns like accessories, you don’t have to use them necessarily and you can live without them but sometimes they can, almost on their own, make your design or add that little extra interest it was missing.

Textures are not as trendy as they used to be a while ago but with them you can add another dimension to your design, making it more three dimensional and touchable.

The texture doesn’t have to be in the composition itself, if it’s something that is going to be printed, picking the right paper, add things like bevel, emboss or UV varnish can make your design pass from banal to something superb. But pick one, don’t go crazy with the special finishings.

Patterns are all about repetition, and can be almost considered textures depending on how you’re using them. I see them mostly used as a way to inject rhythm and dynamism into a flat design and a way to compensate the excess of negative space.

Last but not least, and this is actually what I personally consider to be the holy grail of visual design…

#10 Visual Concept

This is the idea behind your design. What do you mean with it and what’s the deeper meaning behind the superficial image.

An idea lamp… cliché, I know :)

This is what distinguish a great design from something you can download from a stock website.

Design with intent and always have an idea that connects everything in your design. Pick your fonts carefully and with a purpose, think about how every tiny part of your design follows that base concept. Coherence is everything.

If your concept is strong you’ll be able to defend it and sell the idea to your client/boss or whomever you’re presenting it to.

Also, a properly thought out design will last for ages. Trendy hipster things are nice and cute but, as the moustaches and the checkered shirts, they come with an expiry date. I really believe that a good design does NOT follow trends, but it creates them instead.

There you have it, “my” 10 Principles to build a good design. Even thought I consider #10 the essential one, you need to pay attention to all the others principles and make sure you really become a master of your craft. You might have a great idea but I think you also need to know how to make it justice (or have someone who does it for you).

They say you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but most people actually do. If what’s inside the book isn’t well portrayed in the cover that will definitely influence how well it does.

Alright! That is all.

As a final note I must mention: There are, of course, other things I take in consideration for a project/design, like understanding who is it for, and what do we want to achieve with it, however I didn’t make those part of this list of principles because I consider these “constraints” an essential part of defining the visual concept. The idea might be brilliant but if it doesn’t answer the project’s needs it will sooner or later fail.

I hope you find this useful even if you already know all this. I’ve definitely used this set of principles as much as I use my Staedtler pens and it actually was an interesting exercise for me to deconstruct my designs into it’s bare “building blocks”.

Feel free to share your thoughts below, I’m always open for a healthy discussion.

Thanks for reading!

The post 10 Basic Principles of Visual Design appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing http://www.designyourway.net/blog/design/basic-principles-visual-design/

[martechadvisor-blog]

How MTA is Helping Marketers Succeed: since 2014

It was a warm sunny day…

Well, that’s how some stories begin.

This is how ours did.

Sometime in 2013… At a company retreat, Ankush Gupta, then the VP of marketing at DemandShore had an idea that involved documenting the fast growing martech space.

  Almost 7,000 companies are now part of the Martech landscape today. As entrepreneurs, when it came to serving a trillion-dollar-a-year industry that leads to disruptions in so many ways, the first question that popped to mind was, ‘Why Not’?

The Founders of Revenu8, the parent company backed the idea.  Abhijit Gangoli says, “3 years ago, our lead generation business had been growing rapidly and every month brought with it new challenges and opportunities. As part of the space, we’d been following the Martech industry quite closely; Here is why we felt the investment was a good one:

After decades of technology investments going into business operation standardization (ERP and related solutions) that impacted a company’s bottom line performance, the next wave of technology adoption among enterprises was going to be around increasing the top line- i.e; Sales & Marketing automation.

Internet and Digital had finally come of age, and it was evident that with SAAS & Cloud based solutions- the customer acquisition cycle was going to increasingly move to digital. (As we speak it is estimated that more than 70% of the buyer journey today for B2B technology is already digital)

Marketing technology as a domain had exploded from 500 products in 2012 to more than 2000 products in 2014. Today it stands at more than 7000 known products!!

The traditional marketer was neither equipped nor disposed towards using technology to run marketing programs. With the increasing number of tools available in the market then, there was immense pressure on the marketer to understand, identify and leverage the right set of marketing technology tools to deliver results. And the more we looked around, the more we realized that there were almost no media properties focused on the marketing decision maker as yet. Whereas there were more than a 1000 similar properties for IT decision makers!

We were one of the earliest starters as a platform to help marketers understand marketing technology, choose the right set of tools for her/his marketing environment, develop new skillsets to be able to leverage these technologies, AND find new talent to build a robust team to build & manage the martech landscape! But we also provided a valuable service to Martech vendors- by providing a platform for them to reach relevant audiences, engage with them, and expand their martech horizons. Today, even as we expand, our guiding force is still ‘Helping marketers succeed’."

MarTech Advisor as of October 2014:

By understanding the various ways in which technology can support different marketing functions, MarTech Advisor has always endeavored to add crucial value to both the vendor side of the table and marketing practitioners in the B2B segment by sharing interesting insights, key industry changes and trends, unbiased news and expert opinions.

    How has MarTech Advisor ‘helped marketers’ since 2014?

Christine Crandell, Chief Customer Strategist & President at New Business Strategies chimes, "What I find the most valuable about MarTech Advisor is how current the breadth of information is. The thought leadership is excellent - not too high level and not too detailed, just right.  MarTech Advisor does a good job of curating content on top issues and is my go to source when I want to dive deep into a trend, best practice or new topic.”

David Raab, widely recognized expert in marketing technology and analytics adds, “It has become a reliable source for industry news, analysis and opinion.  That’s very important in an industry that changes as quickly as martech. It has been a pleasure to work with MarTech Advisor as they grow their expertise and expand their services.”

  Over the past few years the union of technology & marketing has created software products and platforms that are redefining the way in which modern marketers go about their jobs.

Brian Ferrario, VP of Marketing at San Mateo based Drawbridge, a company in the programmatic advertising industry adds, “I think the very fact that it's positioned as a “platform” says a lot – it says MTA is thinking about going way beyond crafting a simple news site or a product review site. The most interesting thing about the platform is that there isn’t just one thing to focus on. To me it’s a smorgasbord – a one-stop shop for exploring strategy, insights, tactical tips & tricks, thought leadership, networking, trends, stats, products, news, and tons of other things. It keeps me fresh and up-to-date on what in the world of martech is happening that might impact me, help me, enlighten me, or even entertain me. As a marketing exec my biggest fear is going off the back on staying current, or what I would call becoming lazy from “breathing your own exhaust” on what you think best practices are.”

“It’s definitely added tons of value to both our corporate brand and what I would call my personal brand along the way.  It’s a great place to both extract value and add value by having a voice in the conversation through contributed pieces and commentary. I’m looking forward to being apart of a “platform” that continues to grow, morph, and add new functionality – currently loving the video interviews that let us go beyond simply reading answers to seeing and hearing from people in the industry.”

Lauren Tascan of Fluid Speak, a PR agency who has been associated with MTA since the beginning contributes, “MarTech Advisor plays an important role in helping marketers navigate the complex martech ecosystem. The up to the minute news, research, and thought-provoking articles provide practical advice and helpful analysis, making complex topics seem simple and accessible for marketing audiences.”

Then and Now

Ankush Gupta, one of the key founding members who served as the first Editor-in-Chief sums up, “MarTech Advisor was born with the aim of providing gainful knowledge, opportunities & insights to the modern marketer. I was inspired by the work that Scott Brinker and David Raab were doing in really pushing an understanding of how diverse the martech landscape had become and I saw an opportunity to take an editorial position and bridge the gap between all of this innovation taking place on one hand and marketers who were either stuggling to make sense of all the changes their roles were undergoing as a result of all of this tech influx or either not being aware enough of the choices that existed before them like no other time in history!

Post our launch in October 2014, what took us all by surprise was the quick acceptance of MTA and its subsequent explosive growth. I think our timing was spot on and the quality of our content really resonated with marketers. That gave us confidence to add a marketing software review platform where marketers could read reviews left behind by their peers and a job board to serve the latest openings in marketing technology.

Today I feel that we have a responsibility more than ever to keep a strong focus on the quality of content and to continuously evolve our platform to seamlessly offer marketers the opportunity to learn & grow without having to worry about the credibility of the brand or content offering. I think MarTech Advisor is going to remain relevant for a long time to come and I am proud to be associated with the creation of this platform and its continuing journey.”

Happy Birthday MTA!

Abhijit Gangoli, concludes, “In these three years, the team has strived to gain ground in this evolving field. MTA today is recognized as one of the leading media brands addressing the martech space. The road ahead is going to be defined by the quality of content we deliver, the new age formats that we adopt to make the content more engaging, and the value we are able to innovate and co-create with our stakeholders. We need to strive to make MTA the first choice for every marketer when it comes to Martech. Everything we do from a Technology , Editorial, Solutioning and Operations perspective should deliver value to our audiences and our clients and we hope that they do.”

He signs of saying, “Thank you to all our team members, subscribers, readers and clients for all your support and hard work. I’m sure we’ll have a lot more to talk about together on our 4th anniversary a year from now!”

MarTech Advisor Key Features

MTA acts as a platform for a 1.1 million subscriber base of marketing and sales professionals to put forth their views, exchange best practices, share opinions through a Guest Author Publishing Program. Key executives write bylined content pieces on martech, marketing and sales related topics, which are amplified through our multiple social channels for wider outreach to the entire marketing universe.

MTA's hosts an invite-only MarTech Maven featured panel, where marketing leaders and opinion-makers from the martech industry share key insights on leading martech categories.

MTA hosts a MarTech Advisor Video Interview series, now revamped, which features conversations on martech issues with the marketing leadership of various companies. 

Martech users share their feedback and testimonials on MTA's Reviews platform, so prospects intending to invest in this segment could benefit extensively with their inputs. 

MTA's Research team works closely with martech companies to generate original content for whitepapers, research reports, analyzing survey data, SMB buyer's guides for various martech categories.

MTA regularly has Media partnerships with major martech brands and leading events like Salesforce (Connections and Dreamforce), Terminus, MarTech Conference US and Europe, Oracle MME 2016, Demandbase Marketing Innovation Summit 2016, 2017, Allbound CO:LLABORATE 2016. 

MTA actively hosts custom and on-demand webinars on various martech categories.

This article was first appeared on MarTech Advisor