#or creating something from wholecloth

[newvegascowboy]

Thank you all so much for the kind words! I appreciate it a lot!

july 5th, 2021 vs july 24th, 2023

bit of an Artist Evolution, but also character evolution. two years of drawing Red! the roots are the same, even if the details have changed.

2 years ago, i was extremely new to digital art and was kind of fumbling my way through photoshop, trying to figure things out as i went. that didnt exactly change, i just got a lot better at fumbling.

then i lost photoshop, had a meltdown, and got CSP. lather, rinse, repeat.

im getting more comfortable working outside my comfort zone. or i guess, expanding that comfort zone. there's still a lot i dont like about my art - and a lot i feel i need to improve on, but i think im getting there, however slowly. im learning and figuring things out, though that never really stops. i look forward to seeing where im at in another two years.

thanks yall for sticking around!

[supercantaloupe]

ive got 8 parts to arrange for the youth orchestras now. yess

[incarnadinedreams]

"Wei WuXian! Just because... Sect Leader Jiang isn't here doesn't mean you can be so reckless!"

Wei Wuxian's voice was harsh, "Do you think that I wouldn't be reckless if he were here? If I wanted to kill someone, who could stop me, and who would dare stop me?!"

-- Ch. 72

Yeah why would anyone ever get the idea that WWX was a dangerous loose cannon who Jiang Cheng couldn't control?

He is of course justified for being angry in that scene - it's the scene in between Wen Qing finding him and him actually going to Qiongqi Path. But declaring that in front of a banquet of people right before he went off to find Wen Ning did actually give people a lot of ammunition in ch. 73:

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's face was already quite dark. Jin GuangShan shook his head, "In an event as important as the Flower Banquet, he dared throw a fit right in front of you, leaving however he pleased. He even dared say something like 'I don't care about the sect leader Jiang WanYin at all!' Everyone who was there heard it with their own ears..."

While obviously that's not actually what WWX said at all, and just JGS doing JGS things, I had kind of categorized that in my mind as a wholecloth lie. Now looking back it's more like an extremely bad-faith mischaracterization but... the seed was in some ways planted by WWX and it makes sense that a lot of the people who were there that day might not have objected much to that characterization of the sentiment.

Obviously, a big part of it is mob mentality and the ways that truth doesn't particularly matter when they get on a roll. But I think it's more interesting and fun and messy that WWX really did have a habit of creating fertile ground for bad actors to use against him (even when he was right).

I do find it somewhat interesting how the juxtaposition of the Jiang motto/ideals/Way To Be that Wei Wuxian embodies - honest and unrestrained, do what is right even if it's impossible - can lead to a situation of winning the battle and losing the war. I've always found it particularly juicy that Jiang Cheng himself has to back away from those ideals and be more strategic, and re-reading these scenes does sort of cement my personal belief/interpretation that Jiang Cheng wasn't unjustified in the level of threat/danger he read into the things said at the emergency conference (as he elaborates on in the cave confrontation later in the chapter).

Just random musing that a little section of that Emergency Conference scene was actually a bit more nuanced than I'd remembered I suppose!

[sarsaparillaart]

"Inducing Hunger in an object is difficult, but far from impossible."

Swordtember 20 - Fragmented

Hunger is typically a phenomenon reserved for humans—to want something inherently requires higher thought. Sure, some animals can align themselves with the heavens, but it is rare and unusual for them to do so. For an inanimate object to be imbued with Hunger is much more complicated and nearly never happens naturally. 

The easiest method is to make an object out of a body form. Body forms maintain the power of their moons, and thus have an innate magic that—while not the most powerful—is easy to achieve and will last without salting. Such objects would include nacre-coated writing implements, or lenses made from sugar-glass.

One of the biggest downsides of objects made from body forms wholecloth is that their power is typically unfocused. In order to create a magical item with a specific effect, hopeful enchanters usually need to be more creative (and there are oh-so-many ways of being so). 

Shattering is by far the most famous method of enchanting in the Chain thanks in no small part to the distinct look of the final product. The process usually involves several Starved drawing from several Powers, the most vital being Silken. To enchant an object, it first has to be broken—typically into tiny, tiny fragments, but with objects that need to be sturdy to function, the pieces can be larger. Next, a joint compound needs to be constructed; this is where the actual magic comes in. The compound is altered by the participants, whether that be making it lighter or in a constant state of Change or able to become an immediate object of obsession. Then, the compound (now Changed and/or Salted if necessary) is used to reconnect the pieces of the broken object. The final and most important step requires a person Hungry for Connection to tie the compound to the item, convincing both that they have and always will be part of the same whole. If done correctly, this should transmit the magic of the compound into the entire object, resulting in an enchantment.

[theidiotabides]

Don't mind me, just turning my lurking TLT blog into a full-time Animorphs meta factory since nobody I know personally has the 25-years-later brainrot I'm currently suffering.

Here's a parallel that fucks me up about Marco, specifically as it relates to his dynamic with Jake:

From Edriss, in Visser:

But I kept seeing a billowing white sail above me; feeling salt spray on my face, stinging my eyes; my hand on the tiller, the pressure of it against my palm; the sense that the boat itself was alive, endowed with life by the need of sky and sea to create some sort of union. Eva’s husband, my second husband, so to speak, was there, lying back, feet propped, a drink in one hand, a book he wasn’t reading in the other hand. And Marco, of course, climbing dangerously in the rigging, playing superhero.

From Jake, in #1 The Invasion:

So anyway, we crossed the road and headed into the abandoned construction site. ... Originally it was supposed to be this new shopping center. Now it was just all these half-finished buildings looking like a ghost town. There were huge piles of rusted steel beams; pyramids of giant concrete pipes; little mountains of dirt; deep pits that had filled up with black, muddy water; and a creaking, rusted construction crane that I had climbed once while Marco stayed below and told me I was being an idiot. (#1: The Invasion)

This is such a stark difference in behavior from Marco, and the whole arc happens before canon even starts, and I feel like it doesn't come up enough in discussions about him? Like, Edriss thinks of Marco as being too sweet & trusting to survive, and the books highlight the shift from that to his ruthless cynicism as a central tragedy of his character, and that is definitely a major part of the Marco equation. But there's also something in the shift from "fearlessly climbing in the rigging" to "calling your best friend an idiot for climbing a crane." Once upon a time, Marco was a fearless adventure-seeker. Then, too young, he learned what it really meant for somebody to die, and it destroyed that part of him.

My personal headcanon is that baby Marco was the kind of kid who could create adventure from wholecloth and regularly picked fights with bullies and probably also teachers on idealistic moral grounds, his miniscule size be damned (specifically, I like to imagine that he was very into the concept of knights and chivalry, although the superhero metaphor is more obvious). Following from this, I think the early years of his friendship with Jake were largely characterized by Marco ringleading and Jake backing him up. Marco was the one driving their adventures, picking their fights, and espousing their philosophical duty, while Jake followed in his wake, delighted to have such a dynamic person to orbit around, priding himself on his role as bodyguard. So their natural dynamic - the one that their friendship was built on, before losing Eva fundamentally changed who Marco is - was the opposite of what we see in the books.

Because Jake isn't a born leader. He doesn't actually want to be in charge. He doesn't have strong personal convictions or goals; he doesn't like making decisions; he's not comfortable weilding power (while Marco does and is). This is why Jake spends so much of the series looking for any excuse at all to abdicate, often calling for group votes or explicitly putting the burden of major decisions on individual teammates (especially Marco - "your mom; your call"). Ironically, this is part of what makes him a good leader: He can see everybody's perspective, he's willing to cede power and trust in expertise not his own, and his entire identity is a meditation on other people's values, helping him find middle grounds that nobody else can see because they're too set on their own paths.

Left to his own devices, though, Jake prefers to find people who he feels good about and then devote himself to them, adopting their worldviews wholesale so that he never has to wrestle with his own. In short, Jake wants a boss. And before the Animorphs, before Cassie, Jake had two people filling that slot: Tom and Marco. And Tom is his brother, so that's a default setting. Marco is the one he chose for himself. Marco's sense for adventure, his idealism, his willingness to pick a fight for a good cause - these are the things that made Jake choose him as a personal North star.

But then Marco lost his mom, and with her went his sense of the world as a just or safe place. Before, he thought of injustice as something temporary that you could defeat with a clever ruse or a brandished sword, and he believed that evil would always inevitably bend before a sufficiently determined good guy. Basically, he believed in the version of the world that exists in superhero stories: Sure, bad things happen, but you'll win in the end so long as you're in the right and you're clever about it.

For a long time, I made up stories about how my mom had survived. Maybe on a desert island or something. But I’m a realistic person, I guess. After a while I accepted it. (#5: The Predator)

No clever plan could bring Eva back, no matter how many stories he told himself about it, and accepting that meant accepting that anybody - including him - could just... die. Gone forever, for no reason at all. And even if they didn't die, they could disappear from him emotionally, like his father was actively in the process of doing, and no amount of fighting on his part could stop that, either. With Eva's death, Marco's world morphed into a senseless place full of random horrors, and Marco himself went from glory-seeking idealist to terrified realist. He's not telling himself superhero stories anymore; he sees them for the lies that they are.

And then Jake - a kid who specifically chose Marco largely because of Marco's idealism and sense of adventure - has to grapple with Marco's abandonment of those things, but with none of the personal emotional context attached. What does it mean to be eleven years old and watch your fearless leader suffer a complete crumbling of his worldview? And what does it mean for you, personally, when you've built your entire identity around following him, but he doesn't want to lead anymore?

I think it says a lot about Jake that he didn't abandon Marco. He easily could have found another optimistic, adventure-seeking person to follow instead, and indeed I think that's what Marco expected him to do. Afterall, if Marco's dad can more or less abandon him, it logically follows that Jake will probably do it, too. I think Marco's snark is largely a coping and deflection tactic, but on some level it's also an attempt to justify his continued role as Jake's best friend. He knows Jake picked him for the superhero-worshipping kid he used to be, and the only parts of that person he still has any connection to are his humor and his smarts. So he leans into constant clownery to reassure himself that he's still giving Jake the friend that he wants, and therefore Jake won't leave him. It gives him a sense of safety: As long as I'm smart and funny, Jake will have my back.

Jake’s my best friend. But he’s my best friend because I’m me, you know? Because I’m funny and smart and I’d back him up anytime, any place. I mean, what am I supposed to do? I’m me, Marco, not some touchy-feely, share-your-feelings-with-the-group kind of person. I don’t share feelings, I make people laugh. (#15 The Escape)

But of course Marco is never in danger of losing Jake at all, because Jake is an absolute loyalist where his people are concerned. You have to fuck up pretty bad for Jake to turn his back on you once you're in his inner circle. So Jake never even considered finding a new best friend; the job belongs to Marco, fullstop. Instead, he started trying to fill the void left by Marco's personality collapse himself, mirroring the traits that Marco used to have back to him, maybe in hope of sparking that part of Marco back to life. Jake idolizes superheroes. He intervenes with bullies. He flaunts danger to climb the construction crane.

But Marco can no longer see the crane as an adventure. He sees it as a death trap that could kill Jake at any second, and he doesn't feel safe until Jake is back on the ground, and he's angry that Jake can't understand that, so he insults him. Both because Marco can't express any feeling straightforwardly so his fear has to come out sideways, but also because Jake is a mirror of who Marco used to be, and on some level Marco hates that naive little kid just because he doesn't get to be him anymore.

By the time we meet them in canon, Marco and Jake are two years into this new dynamic. Jake is occupying the leadership role full time while still modeling himself after the way Marco used to occupy it (with a dash of Tom, because little brother syndrome), occasionally succeeding at drawing out bits of the old Marco in the form of harebrained schemes. Meanwhile, Marco is intensely aware that he is no longer the person Jake wants him to be, and he vascilates wildly between regret/fear (because he might lose Jake if he can't retain some scrap of that person) and contempt (because that version of him was a naive child who believed in superheroes instead of death, like an idiot), and both of these come out in his treatment of Jake. They love each other absolutely, but there is also a disconnect that they don't know how to talk about.

And then the universe is like, lol, let's give these two boys with a specifically superhero-flavored interpersonal power struggle actual superpowers, plus a team to lead in a mandate to save the world.

It's also worth noting that in #50, when Jake has fully given up and is actively trying to abdicate all responsibility for leadership, he tells Cassie that he's only leader because Marco said he was:

“Marco can be in charge,” he said helplessly. Again he pulled his hand away. This time I let him go. “He’s smarter than I am. Or Tobias. Or Ax. Or you. Rachel. Anyone. Anyone but me. You know why I was in charge in the first place, Cassie? Because once upon a time, a long time ago, Marco said I was.” “Jake, that’s not the whole truth …” “Well, now my term of office is over,” he continued bitterly. “So how about for once you guys figure things out and tell me what to do.” (#50 The Ultimate)

But Marco didn't say he was, at least not until after that consensus had already been reached by the others (at least, I can't find it in the pages of the early books - somebody please point me to the passage if it does exist!). If anybody, it was Tobias who waved the fearless leader wand over Jake. But Jake remembers it being Marco, because Jake's whole life is colored by Marco's abdication of leadership in their interpersonal relationship. Everybody else sees Jake as being in charge (and most of them put Rachel second in line), but Jake sees himself as a placeholder for Marco, ready to step aside just as soon as Marco tells him to. But Marco never will.

Anyway, that's my headcanon about what those two lines mean for the Marco/Jake dynamic.

[ye-spirits]

Online Diary | November 17, 2024

Something hasn't been working for me when it comes to the God and the Goddess lately. I couldn't put my finger on it at first. It wasn't until after I'd done a determined makeover of the Goddess statue I have that I realized what the issue was. I don't connect with any of the popular conceptions of her floating around. This was a hard pill to swallow and something I've been avoiding for a while. The same goes for the God. I like the ritual structure of Wicca, I like the concept of worshipping two deities, a God and a Goddess, and I quite enjoyed learning about other people's favorite conception of the two-- but none of them really resonated with me.

This realization came around the time that I realized that I don't want to join a coven right now. In fact, these two things are deeply tied. I did find faces for the Goddess and the God, but they are not what other people use. Indeed, it might look like I made them entirely wholecloth to some folks, but they work for me. Call it divine inspiration. Due to this I really don't want to join any existing traditions because I'm honestly having so much fun with my solitary tradition now! It's weird because I was so stressed about finding the right coven, getting initiated, fitting in and devoting myself to the way they practice. But I think if I did that at this point in my life, I'd be miserable, and I don't see myself successfully convincing a bunch of people to start calling the Goddess a random name that came from the seedy depths of my brain, or indeed, believing that she's some eldritch creature representing the very fabric of our reality (I'm having a lot of fun with this conception of the Goddess, like lots of fun).

I seem to be doing fine now chugging along with the basic ritual structure provided by Wiccan classics, like Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. Today, I was practicing casting a circle and creating sacred space. It was nice and I actually found myself getting into that mysterious state of flow where everything goes right and feels properly occult-y. It was also my first time using the names I have for the God and the Goddess. And it was the first time in a long time that I felt... I don't know... connected. It's sort of like I've been doing things wrong for a while, talking to a brick wall, experiencing very not enough satisfaction and feeling deeply frustrated by the whole ordeal. Then suddenly, I get the formula right, turn down the right path, and holy-shit-I'm-actually-feeling-the-presence-of-a-higher-power-right-now-it's-been-so-long. It's funny to imagine the gods watching me stubbornly muddle through my practice for the last few years, grumpy and obtuse, and then finally, finally getting it.

I also still like learning about how traditional Wiccan covens operate. I think it's interesting and cool, even if I myself do not resonate so much with all of their practices. I still do want to find a coven one day, but maybe not a traditional kind. I had a very non traditional one with my friends for a while that was more like a generalized pagan meet-up. We met by video chat every month and talked about magic and whatever we'd done with our various hodge podge of gods that month. It was nice and intimate! I'd be happy with that again-- maybe I can get those friends to revive our little group. That's an idea!

I've also found that Hekate has slowly rolled into my new concept of the Goddess. I've been devoted to her specifically for many years now, and I found myself getting pulled past her. In many ways, she's been subsumed into this Goddess in my head, but she's still there and I still treasure her guidance and her frankly dizzying number of roles in my life so far. I was afraid of this change for a long time. I felt that it was going against my commitments to Hekate. I've come to see things differently though! Change is a natural and normal part of life and I should not be afraid to let it happen.

Pictured: the Goddess in all her eldritch glory (and yes I was a fan of H.P. Lovecraft growing up). The statue's details are a bit hard to define in this photograph, but it's a black statue with a black, tentacle shaped cloak with eyes on it. It also has a black headdress on. I added the cloak and headdress. It kinda reminds me of a nun's habit, which was unintentional but fun.

[alleecatblues]

So the new trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just came out, and because I'm a fucking enormous nerd who loves Spider-Man, I'm going to go through that big zooming shot with all the Spider-People and try to figure out where they're all from. If I can't figure it out and you have a better guess, let me know and we can figure it out together.

Even blown up on my 75 inch monitor, these first ones are hard to see, especially because of internet video compression, but I can kind of make out the color scheme of a suit that a version of Spider-Man who was in the Avengers wore. He was just called The Spider and he was kind of an asshole.

Some of these I can't find anything about even though they're pretty distinctive. I might have to go back and read through my Spider-Verse comics to see if any of them made appearances there. For instance, this guy in the red with the glowing blue chest symbol:

The one facing the camera could be a 2099 suit variant but the last one has basically no visible distinguishing features so it's impossible to tell. I also have no idea who this purple guy is. Could be a design based off the Prowler, especially ItSV's version of the Prowler.

The guy he's talking to though appears to be wearing Spider-Man's classic comic book suit. This one seems even closer to the original design than Peter B's suit, which is based off the more modern comic redesigns. This is the OG.

Again, I can't figure out who the big guy is here but the other one might be Ben Reilly:

Specifically Ben Reilly wearing an advanced suit given to him by the Beyond Corporation, which isn't really a corporation per se, more a collection of entities that exist between universes and decided to start multiversal capitalism. Based on the weird extradimensional corporate aesthetics of the film, Beyond Corporation or at least the Beyonders might have something to do with the plot of Across the Spider-Verse.

There's Insomniac Spider-Man chatting it up with Superior Spider-Man, who was Otto Octavius's mind in the body of Peter Parker. Not an alternate universe character, by the way. This happened in the main comic series. Spider-Man was just being possessed by Doc Ock for a while.

Here's the Mk II Armor suit hanging out with another guy I can't place. Spider-Man's Mk II armor was created by Horizon Labs to help Peter out when he lost his Spider-Sense for a little while. If you can't dodge bullets anymore, might as well get a bulletproof suit.

There are three others on this bridge I can't place. They all look to be women, and they've got color schemes that have been on Spider-Man suits before, but in different patterns, so I'm a little stumped. I imagine not all of these are going to be references, and some are just created from wholecloth, but if you can figure it out, let me know!

This is probably Mary Jane and Mayday Parker, although I'm not familiar with the suits. Mary Jane has gotten spider powers in a few universes, and when Peter and MJ have a daughter in most universes, her name is Mayday, and she usually has spider powers.

Which is a lot better than that one universe where MJ got cancer and died because Peter had radioactive cum. I'm not kidding, that's a real thing that happened in an official comic series.

The red and white is another Scarlet Spider variant suit. Not sure about the red and yellow next to him.

This one with the clockwork arms is Lady Spider. She appeared a few times in the latest Spider-Verse event and comes from a cool steampunk universe. She has no powers, just her spider arms and web shooters, and is technically an alternate universe version of Aunt May.

This guy looks... naked??

It could be Savage Spider-Man? Or Kraven the Hunter Spider? But it looks like he's not wearing pants, so it might just be a weird skin-toned suit. I dunno.

Anyway here's Spider-Clan from the Spider-Man manga dabbing

This guy's pretty prominent. I think he's supposed to be a reference but I'm not sure to what. It could be Spider-Cop, but he's missing his hat, sunglasses and mustache.

This might be the original Iron Spider suit from the comics. Tony Stark made it for him after he came back from being dead for the, like, 3rd time.

This looks like Miles Morales's PS4 costume, but it swings by pretty fast, so it's hard to make out much detail.

Bombastic Bag Man! This is a little different to his appearance in the comics, but there have been a couple times Peter needed a spare suit on short notice and had to borrow one from the Fantastic Four. Their suits don't have masks, though, so he wore a bag on his head instead.

The first iteration also had a "Kick Me!" sign on the back, because the Human Torch thought it would be funny.

Here's werewolf Spider-Man in the back. During a crossover event, Ash from the Evil Dead comics ended up going to a few different universes, one of which started the Marvel Zombies series (which is actually a pretty good series). Another one he went to had a bunch of superheroes turning into werewolves, and Spider-Man was one of them.

This looks like a suit Spider-Man wore when he was part of the Future Foundation; a version of the Fantastic Four that formed when the Human Torch died.

This looks similar to Spider-Punk. He's got the jacket and the pants, but instead of his mohawk spikes, he's got some kind of camo baseball cap or something, and what looks like a face mask of some sort.

In this shot, Miles is fighting with the Mk I armor and something similar to the Mk III armor, although it's definitely different. The lady with six arms is a mystery to me.

Yo, is that Jessica Drew Spider-Woman? Jess Drew gets overlooked a lot despite being the first Spider-Woman. I hope she gets some kind of role in this movie.

Spider-Monkey is from the Marvel Apes universe. Yeah, there's a Marvel Apes universe.

I'm getting tired but I remember this one from somewhere. A cartoon maybe? I think I remember seeing a Spider-Man suit with a cape as a kid and thinking it was dumb because Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape.

Anyway that's all I could find aside from the main characters. Again, if you can track down any other references let me know. I'm too much of a nerd to let this go.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Coleman Hughes: When I enrolled at Columbia University, I think it was 2015, they had a student orientation. and they did this exercise where they had all the kids go to different corners of the room based on their race, white kids in one corner, black kids another corner, Hispanic, etc.

So right off the bat, I had to choose between black and Hispanic, which, you know, there's no really principled way for me to choose there.

Joe Lonsdale: You're kind of half each.

Hughes: I'm half-half, yeah. So, I think I chose black for whatever reason. The intent of this exercise was to somehow get, get us to reflect on racism, with the assumption that the students of color were victims of racism, and the white students had benefited from racism.

That was the framing of this exercise, but the actual effect was just to make me now sort of hyper aware of my race.

Lonsdale: And other people probably around you too.

Hughes: Yeah. Where I had gone into the room just, you know, hoping to meet my fellow classmates, learn their names, learn something about them, see if I have something in common, a basis for a friendship. Now I'm thinking, okay, so they now see me as the black guy and the victim of racism. That's how this is framing me.

And I thought that actually had the opposite of the intended effect of bringing us together.

==

Here's the dirty little secret: this isn't a freshman orientation or a "bringing us together" session. It's a religious induction ceremony. The point is to exploit a vulnerability or create one wholecloth, then introduce doctrine to resolve that vulnerability, and go from there. Next comes rituals to deepen commitment, and an "us vs them" mentality to separate the non-believers - who become proof the doctrine is true - from the faithful.

[meanmisscharles]

So, I've had this conversation with a few people, but I'm going to bring it here, because I'm pissed off and that's a valid a reason as any.

The questions: Should I, as a person of the African Diaspora give Our Flag Means Death a chance? What about the 'issues' with Taika Waititi? What about the issues around the rl people that the show has put at the center of the show?

So, the thing about The Real Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach is NOW well known. They were a slave owner and involved in the slave trade and Blackbeard (Teach) even has rape on his rap sheet. Could they have picked someone better, or created new characters, wholecloth? Sure, but that still comes with the same issues, because the reality of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy is that they were these people that dealt in these things.

The SHOW tries to not put that front and center, which would make it an unwatchable experience for Black viewers that care about that. It does not always succeed in this attempt. There is NEVER anyone but Stede Bonnet's family shown at his Barbados home. Maybe we're supposed to think that his white wife is June Cleaver-ing it up and taking care of that estate on her own. Maybe we're supposed to think that his 'paid servants' have clocked out for the day. Who knows? It doesn't actually work though, since one of his crew members is referred to as a slave and another called a 'darkie' (which also happens to be the only contemporary slur for any group used). There are 'servants' on a party boat full of French people - like okay. Everyone had servants, then? Servant implies a salary and...just. It's clunky and I think they needed to think about things a little more fully, but it's not AWFUL.

All I can say is, they try and it's not painful to watch.

Taika - well, he is executive producer, but he's not the showrunner, David Jenkins is and Taika is not a writer for s1. The writer's room is very diverse, with one of the better episodes being written by a queer Black man; John Mahone. I'm not saying that he isn't problematic, but I am at the point where I have to watch something I like and work around other issues. He doesn't detract from it, for me. I don't hate him like I hate the blatant racists that are the main cast of What We Do In The Shadows, which I will not ever watch for any reason.

There are Black characters who have agency and they are great! They are very much also a reason I enjoy the show and got past a lot of the other stuff mentioned above.

The fandom: Trash. Lots of talented artists, writers and there are good people in it, for sure. HOWEVER, it's not a good, or safe place for Black fans and people will put their heads down, or complain, because you're making 'their fun place all icky with racism talk'. The uzsh. They talk a lot about CURATING YOUR EXPERIENCE, as if racism will stick to a tag you can block effectively.

So...it's a good, queer show with good Black and PoC representation. Take what I have to say about it with a grain of salt and perhaps stick a toe in and check it out. S2 is in the works - if you like it, then you'll be set up for enjoying that.

[askkrenko]

I'm creating a D&D setting that is geographically just Earth, but where political borders are based on what would occur in the context of magic, monsters, etc., with only a limited effort to mirror cultures on Earth. I've got a lot of the locations for various humanoids mapped out, but I would like your input as a . . . is it cryptozoologist or arcanozoologist? Mostly, are there certain monsters, humanoids, or other creatures that you think should absolutely be in certain places or not be in certain places? Obviously, Kirin should be in Japan, Couatl should be in Central America, and other things like that. And I'm inclined to make any European Elves consistent with the tale of Erlkonig (sp).

Any input would be appreciated, but I would like your opinion on two topics in particular. Where the heck should I put goblins? And what should I do about Golems? I know that D&D's treatment of Semitic topics is horrendous (Phylacteries in particular), but do you think I should leave them as is, put them in the Middle East in particular, or do something else?

One more detail about this world, in case it helps. Dragons run the show. Each of the ten types of dragon rule over a portion of the world (and Brass Dragons are over the Middle East).

This is a lot of question so lets see what I can do now and I'll be happy to talk about it in messages, but lets get started here! First off, "Crypto" " and "Arcane" can both mean secret, but more commonly "Crypto" means "Hidden" while "Arcane" means "Known by few." So a Cryptozoologist studies creatures that have not yet been proven, like Sasquatch and Yeti while an Arcanozoologist studies creatures that aren't well known. Really, Magizoologist is probably the best term, but that term is exclusively used in the Potterverse so I prefer to avoid it.

The term "Goblin" is often broad, but if you want the stereotypical "Short jackass who's just going around having fun at other's expenses," you want them in Western Europe- Germany, France, the British Isles, Spain, and Portugal. That said, if you're going this route, make sure that there are many goblins that work seamlessly with humans in addition to the wild ones. House goblins (also called Kobolds, brownies, etc) are common things, with the idea being that they're super helpful as long as you treat them with kindness and respect but will absolutely ruin your day if you're a jerk to them. Also, they're extremely introverted and don't like talking to people, even the people they share a house with.

Golems are not a race. Golems are guardians created by Jews to protect Jews. You can have guardian statues, but honestly, just don't use the word Golem if they're not hanging out with actual Jews. If you really want to have fun with it, you can have a self-perpetuating race of golems where all the golems ARE Jews, but if you're not prepared to make sure the characters are Jewish, just don't use Golems.

You probably want to fill the middle east with Djinn. Honestly, good luck doing a project like this without offending people.

...Which you're already doing by saying "Obviously, Kirin should be in Japan." Kirin aren't from Japan. They're Chinese. And Couatl are wholecloth D&D creatures loosely based on a single deity, not real representations of Earth mythology.

If you want to use Earth as a base, you're going to need to do a lot more research on each area to make it feel right. So much of D&D is its own stuff or is so highly bastardized from real myth that just transplanting it to Earth isn't clean at all.

[admirableadmiranda]

This is me ranting about my fandom experience but the most outrageous takes on wwx are by other wwx fans. They’re the once who make the 1000 wwx is so oblivious to that he’s loved by the great the and only lan wangji and he should be grateful for that.

The same 4 outdated jokes that I swear I saw back in 2019 before I was even interested in mdzs. They basically the once questioning how he could cultivate with his music he basically can’t play he’s clown a laughing stock who basically have to be leashed at this point.

I saw someone say how the lans would’ve loved if lwj basically brought anyone else home but wwx so why aren’t you shipping lwj with those people and leave wwx alone. They the once pushing that wwx is lucky and had no talent or discipline to achieve anything.

Let me not start with morally gray everyone is just as bad as each other takes.

They complain about wwx mischaracterization and next minute they’re the once saying how he failed everyone in his life couldn’t protect the wens did the jiang dirty ect. The call is coming from the house babes

Idk it feels like they want wwx to be this angsty melodramatic bitch and he isn’t, he’s not a comedic relief either who hasn’t grown a day over 15 year old. I don’t know what to think the fact that the main chrackter is falling in either of those 2 categories most of the time

Yeah I know this is a big fandom people can do whatever they want have fun all that but I will still side eye and question their reading comprehension about a character they swore they love so much to. Cuz what do you love about him exactly that seems like an obnoxious mf to me

He also often doesn’t know no to point where it’s actually uncomfortable . Sometimes I question my redemption comprehension too cuz Istg I don’t remember wwx being that annoying in the book or even the drama

Again this is just what I saw and this is a big fandom so def not speaking for everyone 😭

I know what you're talking about anon, and it's always frustrating when I run into it. There is a rather large subsection of Wei Wuxian fans that aren't fans of Wei Wuxian, but someone who wears his face and robes and aesthetic. Even more sadly this is not an uncommon trend across most all of the characters in MDZS too, we see it all the time where all that's left of the character is their name and some of their superficial traits.

It's what happens when you apply fandom character overlay on a work that actually has really tight, consistent characterization and is not so weak that it can be boosted and buffered by authors who ignore the slubs in the writing and create their own consistency wholecloth. This isn't Teen Wolf or MCU, the characters have real, tangible, consistent personalities across their works and you can't just smudge that out for a story without losing something intrinsic in the process.

No need to question your reading comprehension, sounds like you've got him down just fine. Wei Wuxian is subtle, clever and most all of the time good at knowing when's the time to tease and when's the time to act.

I hope that ranting to me helped get it off your chest, I know how frustrating it can be to keep running into wall after wall of fanon.

[navree]

i cant see jonsa happening 😭😭😭 id ont hate the ship or anything but i just cant see how itll work out. jon couldn't even be with dany after he learned that she was his aunt even though they never really knew eachother and never got to emotionally know eachother as aunt and nephew. sansa may be his cousin but he was raised alongside her as her brother and he sees her as his sister. this might cause a lot of issues

Said it once and I'll say it again: ship what you want guys, it's only fiction and if it makes you happy go for it. And if Jonsa is your passion then let it be your passion, do your thing, I support y'all.

But personally, for me? Yeah, no, it's not for me. I don't hate it virulently but it's not for me. It's a combination of things, Jon's not my favorite character by a fair stretch and while I love Sansa's storylines (tho she's been doing some stuff of late that is just Not It for me) I don't really like her as a character at all, to the point of active dislike almost. And we don't see any hint of a relationship in the books that I could build on for shipping, and by the time they got any sort of relationship in the show I'd completely written off the writing is stuff that was pissing me off (and post-books show!Sansa is just......ugh, I could not stand her I'm sorry) so I was never able to get into it. So for me, between that utter lack of Anything from them in iterations I can tolerate, combined with the fact that, yes, he was very much raised to view her as a sister and was socialized that way with her, not dissimilarly to the way he was with Robb and Bran, and that there is an actual blood relation (acceptable by Westerosi standards but still), not a fan.

(I'll admit to some slight hypocrisy cuz of my Jonrya beliefs, but also they're at least giving me shit to work with so far)

I don't necessarily ship Jonerys either, mostly because again, it is incredibly rare for me to pull something out of total wholecloth with two people who've never even met and barely know of each other's existence, if at all, though they had some moments in the show and the theme Ramin made for them is one of my favorite love scores. But I do think that it's the more likely option cuz like you said, I don't think Jonsa's happening. Not in the books, not in the story that GRRM has created. We've got five books out of seven and Sansa, sorry, is in like bottom tier of people Jon thinks about from Winterfell, I could make a more compelling argument for Jon/Robb than I could for Jon and Sansa. More importantly I don't think it would serve any purpose in the narrative, not when Jon's got three potential love interests kicking about (Val who he's already got some affection for and is at the Wall, Dany for the Ice and Fire motif and her importance in the war against The Others, Arya for their prior connection and the fact that GRRM did plan for them to fall for each other in his original outline) and Sansa's story is more tied to the Vale and to the politics of Westeros rather than things like Northern Independence (which is still a bad idea for an endgame I'm sorry) or The Others.

So with all of that combined, not only is it bordering on nOTP status for me, it just seems so incredibly implausible to the point where if it did happen I would absolutely call bad writing that I literally cannot get into it, and I certainly don't believe it's gonna be canon or even hinted at for canon.

That being said, if it's your jam, go for it! Make your fics, make your gifsets, make your art, the ones I've come across are incredibly lovely even if it's not for me, and like I said: it's fiction. Do what makes you happy <3

[psquilting]

The Different Types Of Handcrafted Quilts: Applique, Patchwork, and More

Handcrafted quilts are a beautiful and timeless art form passed down through generations. Each quilt is unique and tells its own story, with different techniques and styles used to create beautiful designs. There are various types of quilts, like rag quilts, which use frayed edges to create a unique and textured look. The edges of each fabric square are left raw and frayed, creating a fluffy and cozy texture. Rag quilts can be made using a variety of fabrics, including cotton, flannel, and denim. In this article, let's explore the different types of handcrafted quilts, including applique, patchwork, and more.

 9 Types Of Handcrafted Quilts: Applique, Patchwork, and More

 Discover the beautiful world of handcrafted quilts with our guide to the different types and styles available. From intricate applique designs to cozy rag quilts, learn about the unique techniques and characteristics that make each quilt a work of art.

 1. Amish Quilts

 Amish quilts are a type of quilt that originated from the Amish community in Pennsylvania. These quilts are typically made using solid-colored fabrics and feature intricate geometric designs. The quilts are often home made quilts for sale using fine, even stitches and are known for their high quality and durability.

 2. Hawaiian Quilts

 Hawaiian quilts are a type of applique quilt that originated in Hawaii in the 1800s. These quilts feature large, bold designs inspired by nature, such as flowers, leaves, and birds. The designs are typically done in a single color on a contrasting background and are quilted with fine, intricate stitching.

 3. Baltimore Album Quilts

 Baltimore Album quilts are applique quilts that originated in Baltimore, Maryland, in the mid-1800s. These quilts feature intricate designs made up of small, detailed applique pieces. The designs often include a mix of floral and geometric patterns and are quilted with fine, detailed stitching.

 4. English Paper Pieced Quilts

 English paper pieced quilts are patchwork quilts that involve sewing small pieces of fabric around paper templates to create precise shapes. These shapes are then sewn together to create a larger design. English paper piecing is a slow and meticulous process, but it allows for intricate and detailed designs.

 6. Memory Quilts

 Memory quilts are a type of handcrafted quilts that are made using pieces of fabric from old clothing, such as baby clothes or t-shirts. These quilts are often used to commemorate special occasions or to remember a loved one. Memory quilts can be made using various techniques and styles and are a wonderful way to preserve memories and create something beautiful and meaningful.

 7. Applique Quilts

 Applique is a technique that involves attaching small chunks of fabric onto a larger portion of fabric to create a design. The small pieces of fabric are typically cut into shapes like flowers, leaves, or animals and then sewn onto the larger fabric piece. This technique can be done by hand or with a sewing machine and is often used to create intricate and detailed designs.

 8. Patchwork Quilts

 Patchwork is a technique that involves sewing together smallish pieces of fabric to create a larger design. This technique can be done by hand or with a sewing machine and is often used to create geometric shapes and patterns. Patchwork handcrafted quilts can be made using a variety of fabrics and colors, and the possibilities for designs are endless.

 9. Crazy Quilts

 Crazy quilts are a type of patchwork quilt that originated in the 1800s. They are typically made using a variety of fabrics, including silk, velvet, and satin, and are sewn together in a haphazard, irregular pattern. Crazy quilts are known for their unique and eclectic style and often feature embroidered details and embellishments like lace and beads.

 Purchase The Beautiful Quilts For Your Home Today!

 Wholecloth quilts are created using a single piece of fabric, typically a solid color, that is quilted with intricate designs and patterns. This type of quilt is often used for special occasions like weddings and can be quite elaborate and detailed. Moreover, handcrafted quilts come in many different styles and techniques, each with its unique look and feel. Whether you prefer the intricate designs of an applique quilt or the cozy texture of a rag quilt, there is a type of handcrafted quilt out there for everyone.

 You can connect with PS Quilting to purchase handmade tote bags or top-quality quilts. Visit their website today to know more about the beautiful products they offer.

[notbecauseofvictories]

I really, really, really like one of my supervising attorneys, she’s warm and a little bit crazy and the only one I feel comfortable talking politics and religion and other personal things with, even when we disagree, but---

honestly? if she tells me one more time that “things happen for a reason” and I’ll “look back on [this period of my life] having learned something valuable” I will not be held responsible for my actions.

[zwoelffarben]

Guess who's not done talking about They/Them

That's right, it's this blorbo enjoyer. Today, we're gonna be talking about Owen.

We'll start with an in depth at his opening monolgue, and how he fills his introductory speech with rhetorical strategies popular with gaslighters and weaponized progressive language to make the campers vulnerable because it's something I found deeply fascinating on my first watch: how he privately believe all kinds of monstrous biboted shit and then turn around and publically says all the correct well-rehersed words that nearly perfectly hide his cruel intentions.

"I can't make you straight. I don't wanna make you straight. Gay people are A-OK with me. If you're happy the way you are, then more power to you. "And I know what you're thinking. You hear the words "gay conversion camp," and you start to imagine all kinds of homophobic bullshit. Well, that is not what we're about here. And let me tell you another thing. "God… God doesn't hate you either. And any son of a bitch that tells you otherwise is a bigoted asshole. And that is officially the last time that you're gonna hear about the man upstairs. I promise you. "But I'm guessing that some of you are here because in some way you're not happy. Maybe you don't fit in. People make fun of you. Maybe you wanna find some new kind of peace, a new way of thinking about yourself. Well, you give us this week, and we might be able to help. And if not, just enjoy the sunshine, and work on your tan."

I briefly touched on its first section in my first analysis of They/Them here because it was marginally relevant to the discussion I had there on the symbolism of the establishing scene's composition.

But now I'm going to focus on the meat of this sections rhetorical strategy, which are the preemptively disarming statements (blue), progressive language (orange), presenting a false choice (yellow), and framing all his actions as being in the camper's best interest (green).

The main thing owen Owen does a lot here during his introduction, both here and throughout the other sections, is acknowledge the camper's expectations and subvert them. By acknowledging the expectations, he shows the campers that he understands what they assume about him, and then by presenting himself in a way that subverts those expectations, he disorientates the camper's initial guardedness, creating a crack in their armor. This is an important technique which can render people more vulnerable to gaslighting, which he and the staff use throughout the rest of the film.

He pepper's his speech with the kinds of language you expect from progressive person with a deep and nuanced understanding of gender, so far, the words "homophobia" and "bigotted" which he uses exclusively to imply that he doesn't hate gay people, but more notably later down in the monologue "safe space," and "gender normative lifestyle." While his language ain't exactly correct, oweing to the fact he doesn't believe a word of what he's saying to the campers and his real intentions and beliefs leak through just a bit, he's clearly studied and learned the language of queer progressives so he could easily weaponize it.

His rhetorical strategy is further enhanced by how he frames his intentions, as helping the campers find happiness, inner peace, or a new way of knowing themselves; he isnt trying to 'make them straight' but 'showing them their options' presenting himself as naively assuming that they might like being straight more than being queer, and that he might be able to help them get to that happiness. For some of the campers who came of their own accord, this works wholeclothe, and for others it doesn't work at all but it catches them off guard: and it's supposed to serve both those functions.

Lastly for this first section, we see him falsely promise the campers the ability to opt out of the program, reenforcing his rhetorical opening that he can't make them straight. By promising them the opprotunity to work on their tan, he gives them the false sense of security that if they don't like what he wants them to do, they can leave. Of course there's no real exit or opt out, but the promise of one is... disarming.

OK. Let me introduce you to my colleagues. They do all the real work. I just cash the checks. This is Dr. Cora Whistler. She is our licensed therapist, and as you might have guessed from the name, my wife. She who must be obeyed. Next to her is Nurse Molly who takes care of any little mishaps that may occur. Molly's new here, so take it easy on her. And that's Zane, our athletics director and a former student here. So, he knows all the ropes. And, boys, he's taken, so hands off. And that beautiful woman right there is Sarah, Zane's fiancé. She's our activities director, and she is going to keep you busy. Believe you me. And over here we have Balthazar. That's our handyman, all-around Mr. Fix it. Say hello, Balthazar! And that, finally, is old Duke. Duke is one old hound dog. So please treat him kindly.

In this section, we see Owen pulling and pushing his role as the camp's top-most authority. He very carefully establishes the authority of the camp verbally while offuscating the heirarchical relationship between the campers and staff from which that authority is derived.

Dr Cora Whistler is a liscenced Therapist who must be obeyed, Zane is the athletics director who knows all the ropes, Sarah is the activities director who'll keep them busy. Even Molly and Balthazar who're the weakest links in the structure are introduced by their titles to establish their place in the heirarchy.

But, contrast that subtle emphasis on the authority with what he not so subtlely asks the campers to do, which together with his 'request' that they please give him the opprotunity to 'help them,' are all he's asked so far in his interactions with them: take it easy on Molly and treat Duke kindly.

His joke about Zane's sexuality is carefully considered rhetorical point designed to disarm the campers and reenforce his first point that formerly "gay people are A-OK with [him],"

While he establishes his authority, Owen is playing a foot in the door salesman, peppering the group with innocuous requests to prime them to accept the larger demands both immediately as he makes his first demand and later on after he drops his established pretenses.

OK. I'm gonna need you to hand over all your cell phones and computers. As well as any medicines, narcotics, or cigarettes that you may have. Cell phones don't work out here anyway, and I'm glad to say that we don't have any Wi-Fi. So we are off the grid which will be a nice change, I'm sure. Molly, if you would. Thank you.

I'm gonna talk about the pink sections a little later in a reblog as it contrasts well with the first true dialogue we see in the film, and this first post is about Owen's monologue as a jumping off point for his character

OK. Let me tell you how the next week is gonna work. We have a number of planned activities and therapy sessions that we would like you to be part of. But other than that, you're on your own. We do have one hard-and-fast rule here. And it's about respect. We deal with some sensitive issues, and we expect you to treat your fellow students with care. And allow them their dignity. This is a safe space. For everyone. And this is the most important thing that I want to say to you. I know that many of you are here only because your parents made you. And while their intentions may be honorable, only you can know what's best for you. Because the idea of this place is not to come outmore straight or less gay. Of course we hope that through your time here you will discover a gender normative lifestyle that is authentic for you but… you must find your own truth. Let us help you do that. Please. Okay. So, uh, why don't you head to your cabins? Settle in. Unpack. We'll meet in the lodge in say, uh, a half hour and get started. Boys' cabin over there. Girls' cabin over there.

This section doesn't really have too much going on here that I haven't touched on before, as it serves primarily to transition smoothly from the heart of the monologue into the conclusion of the scene, but there's two interesting points left.

First, Owen admonishes the parents of the campers who were forced by their parents to come to Whistler Camp. It's again an example of a preemptive disarment (acknowledging their circumstances before they can state them), but more than that, he's planting the seed of the idea that he agrees with their intentions while disagreeing with their means.

The second interesting thing happening here that I want to draw attention back to is "Gender Normative Lifestyle." I touched on how it sounds like progressive language on the surface, and it does, but there's more to it than that: it sets up Owen's actual opinions, which will slowly be revealled to the audience as the mask comes off. Beneath the fauxcceptance he uses to introduce himself, he thinks he and his are normal, buys 100% into patriarchal cishetnormativity as the superior belief system (and the film will explore and flesh out his beliefs some), and think the campers are freaks that no one will care about when he hurts them.

Owen is the monster. He's just clever enough to appear well-dressed.

[stupidcupid06]

You know, not that this isn’t a real issue, but I think there’s a legitimate discussion to be had here about the relative value of time. Not all time is created equal. Some moments you can’t do anything - you’re paralyzed with malaise. Other moments you might be getting five things done at once. The same principle applies to doing something you love, vs something you don’t love: if you love something spending time on it is obviously going to be more valuable than if you don’t love it.

I think leftists can sometimes ignore this, choosing to treat all time as equal for no good reason. If I’m suffering from malaise, a good use of my time which might otherwise be spent being depressed might be to help someone with some piece of menial labor that I don’t enjoy - moving furniture or doing chores or whatever, helping them and keeping myself distracted. I would probably find those things boring and tedious when my brain’s in a healtheir state. It’s worth at least thinking about how the natural ebb and flow of paralysis to joy fits into someone’s life as you think about what’s best for the future.

To be clear, though assumptions that someone is “doing a job because they love it and should be paid less because of that” are foolhardy at best, and just another effect of capitalism. But that idea didn’t spring wholecloth from nowhere, and the ideas behind it are worth examining

(Of course, as an anarchist I ultimately believe that how to work with their phases of malaise and joy is someone’s choice to make for themself, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t research it and try to understand how it can be managed.)

Every single craft has been paying “The Passion Tax” for generations. This term (coined by author and organizational psychologist Adam Grant) — and backed by scientific research — simply states that the more someone is passionate about their work, the more acceptable it is to take advantage of them. In short, loving what we do makes us easy to exploit.

Guest Column: If Writers Lose the Standoff With Studios, It Hurts All Filmmakers