#s.l. vibes

[sorceress-queen]

@twisted-shipper Made me think of s.l. tbh.

a relationship should be about two different ppl who are fucking obsessed with each other but at such wildly different frequencies that they become the equivalent of a trainwreck stacked on top of nuclear armageddon

[ashen-crest]

HearthCon: a virtual cozy fantasy convention!

If last night's in-person event wasn't enough, I'm not done talking about cozy fantasy!! I'm going to be on HearthCon's Cozy Fantasy Worldbuilding panel on 10/13 at 11am PDT!

Join me, S.L. Rowland, Casey Blair, Bree Paulsen, and Sarah Beth Durst as we chat about cozy fantasy vibes, dealing with heavier themes, how food influences worldbuilding, and more.

The con is free and there are a TON of great panels on the docket! If you're a fan of cozy fantasy as a reader or a writer, this is going to be a lot of fun. 💗

[zealous-starlight]

Update number: 2

Hello and welcome back! First off we'll finally pick what the name of this thing is going to be. Whichever one wins this final poll will be the name, so choose wisely (Also I did realize right after posting that spoonful was spelled wrong and unfortunately you can't change polls! Fixed it this time though)

Besides that I have been doing some very basic (and mostly unfinished) sketches both digitally and on paper. I'm still trying to get anatomy and vibe down first before I start thinking too much about posing and expressions, so don't take many of these very seriously. Chances are final products won't look anything like these.

Tag list

@aerowolf @schnozzlebozzle @aniolleq

[quirky-witshere]

A Nonchalant Melodrama #School life

Bonjour Mates!!!

You know..... these days I was wondering how each one us fail to notice that our life is just like an open book! and the only thing is that this book has blank pages and we fill these pages with different colors of our experiences everyday until we die. Someday we might fill it with our grey experiences while somedays we fill in our experiences that in may emit vibes as bright as the lemon yellow color.....^_^

But you might be thinking well what is it with me that I am getting so philosophical..... but you know this weird realization struck me on that one morning, when I was standing by the window of my room, early in the morning I saw a small toddler in the school uniform rushing to climb up in her bus to return back to her school after this Covid created school hiatus! On seeing her smile and that rush of excitement on her face, for me it was an instant meltdown!!!♡ 

But you might be wondering how is this incident related to this realization..... well you know each one of us spends... lets say at least 13 years of life at school and this so called childhood phase of school life is  one such phase that what we as a teenager treasure the most..... Our friends, teachers, the boring PE periods, the gossips, the proms and the proposals of crushes, the no less FIFA like football matches and last but not the least the instantaneous fights among the friends. All these weird but highly satisfying incidents makes our life a better place everyday!

In my past posts.... I used to every time express how my life sucks or how frustrating it is lead a life of competition when each day makes you feel to go more M.I.A ! But some times there are events in our life that makes one feel so... so... so... much gratitude towards Life for being it full of amazingly weird and supportive people whom I call as my FRIENDS!!!!! 

*inserts 'friends' opening track*

You know each day we meet so many people but only hand full of them get to be a part of your life as these people presence only is sufficient to make your life ten times better. And the most weird thing that I noticed is that these people find various and most weird situations to make an appearance in our life.

I can give numerous such examples of those amazing people of my life and if I start stating that here, this blog won't finish anytime soon!!

But where is the hurry ???

To begin my anecdote, the first thing that I remember is my toddler years, where me as a 3 year old kid, was ready to abandon parents for school.... for the most lovely and supportive teacher of my whole life Ms. R.S.  You know.... as a kid I used to never finish my tiffin so, to make me eat my tiffin regularly, my mother had to ring the death knell telling I must finish my tiffin or a sound thrashing awaits me at home, So.....to do so I used to gobble up my food and eventually choke! But this teacher being one of the kindest soul..... used to give me extra minutes to finish my food.

As I grew up I made friends and many acquaintance. Among them few were my friends from grade 1 with whom I am still in touch.

The school life has not only helped me overcome my worst fears, but also taught me to live my life to the fullest. Along the years, I made some amazing acquaintances in the form of my teachers and classmates among which I include my teachers like Ms. M.R and Ms. S.O and friends like S.T, A.S, Y.N, A.N, V.I, S.N, A.K, S.L, A.W, P.S, R.U, S.C ( 1st std bestie ), and many others. 

While I was in my 2nd grade I remember intimidating A.S. so much that he eventually believed he was not my section (tho he actually was!!). Justifiably speaking the situation was like that as he came to our section as a transfer student after a week of recommencement of new session and I was not knowing about this. So on seeing an unknown student entering our class I felt the urge to stop him from entering the class, also as I was the class rep so needed to actually stop students from other sections to enter. So imagine the situation like this, A.S. being a new student, timid but persistent and me being bossy and intimidating were already arguing. I eventually made him believe that he might be in some wrong school too. Eventually he later came back to my section and was my bench mate for 3 months but he still stayed fearful of me for that whole year. But who knew that this weird incident might be the reason for us to become really good friends till date. [BUT A.S. I AM REALLY SORRY FOR SCARING YOU THAT DAY. But you yourself know how feisty I am (◔◡◔) ]

While reminiscing all my school life, I can't help but mention the mighty and goofy The NAKSHATRAS..... the constellation of the troublemakers of my batch. That group only had 5 members, but each member was the culprit of each and every sin caused in my BATCH !!!!! Never in my life I had seen such brotherhood where if One is the culprit the other four are willingly standing up to say we four were also involved the issue unfazed by the fact that they all might be SUSPENDED.... I also remember making a freaking rap on our PE sir those days with S.T, and then ending it with the SUGA style MIC DROP!!!! (S.T introduced me to the BTS and now I am also a fan of them (❁´◡`❁))

You know, while in my sixth grade I, S.T, and R.U, used to be in school cabinet and so had to leave the class 10 minutes prior to the final bell indicating the days end, But we three used to sneak out to the canteen for some snacks and then later return back to the post for the dispersal duties....

Each incident I experienced in my good ol' days can't be summarized in a single post as each day was a new experience to relate and 13 years of school is a hell of writing you see....(∩_∩)��

So all I can say is that I had an amazing childhood with a freakingly (I don't know if this is even a word but matches the vibe so...)amazing school life.....

So Amigos this is all I can actually draw out of the box tagged MEMORIES.....

Meet Y'all next time

 Till then.....

Fighting💜

Lots of luv, quirky-witshere🫰🏻

(P.S. I am not disclosing anybody's name here as  every one of these people are very precious to me and I want it to be a bit personal 😑)

[shiningmystic]

Hiiii I see that you do yes/no readings!

- Will me and S.L talk in uni next year?

- Will me and O become friends in uni next year?

Xoxo 💋

Yes yes and yes! Haha I love when yes and no questions are given clear answers. Thanks spirit. And just to show you what I mean:

Positive vibes all around friend! Have a great day!

[fantastica-daily]

The Drive To Sing Documentary Review

There are many dangerous professions in the world—ice road trucking, snake wrangling, logging, and… singing in choirs? Yes, indeed, being a singer in groups became potentially deadly during the onset and height of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept our globe at the start of 2020. But two determined choir directors, Bryce and Katherine Denney, found an ingenious way to keep their profession alive and thriving.

The married couple—and filmmakers; Bryce directed “The Drive to Sing”—created a sort of reverse drive-in. Rather than those in their cars being entertained, it was individuals inside automobiles who were doing the entertaining via audio broadcast. The documentary covers all types of choir singers, from professionals on the stage, to bleachers in local churches. I learned a lot about just how important and beloved singing choirs really are, and how the pandemic almost decimated an activity that so many people love doing or/and listening to.

“The Drive to Sing” offers a great perspective on how some people were still managing to follow their bliss during those tough times, despite what we were seeing on the news and social media. Although Broadway and Las Vegas and everywhere in between were shuttered, small communities of singers were spreading their joy across the globe. Bryce and Kathryn grew a movement of these car choirs from this idea, adapting the technology from mail order and using wireless mics and the singer’s car radios as monitors. The couple helped others set up events, making how-to manuals that easily showed what equipment was needed and how to set it up. A lot of people filmed these events and posted them on YouTube, so they were able to spread their good vibes even to people who were housebound.

“The Drive to Sing” a multi-award-winning documentary that spotlights the power of community and innovation in music and so it is definitely worth a watch! You can see it for free on Tubi.

= = =

S.L. Wilson

[abstractstrategygame-nidj]

Display and feedback

Stills from the display:

"Very interesting, engaging game, loved it. The entire game goes in a way of unpredictability and it's simpler than chess in terms of complexity. The wooden texture and the fabric material gives the vibe of tribe. But the lining of the mat itself can include those markings of tribe."

-Sabarinath S.L.

"It's nicely crafted game. It's competitive and engaging. My suggestion is to add the symbol in the fabric itself rather than in the wood piece and give more power to the queen".

-Jishan Thampi R

"Easy to learn and simple. No complicated strategy required, can be played to relax. The indicators for the exit can be attached to the cloth board for ease. It doesn’t take much time."

-Somanshi

"The game was not complicated to understand and easily builds tension among players."

-Tony

"Very thoughtful and engaging. Need a third decider round. I absolutely loved the look and feel. I think the game has a lot of tournament potential even!"

-Bhavya Pakkan

"Extremely fun. Want a rematch. NEED a rematch. A decider match. Please keep this game somewhere accessible."

-Tanmay Jain

"The game was easy to understand and very fun to play, it makes your brain work, it's competitive. Would definitely play again."

-Siddhi

"It's a very fun game with easy rules. I’d definitely buy it at a store and the aesthetics are very nice."

-Atharv Vashishtha

"Pretty easy game and really interesting game and very much fun game. I really like the total rules. And the token how intricate they have been made and i didn’t felt like it is a new game, it was like a board game."

-Vedant

"The game is pretty intellectually challenging and I liked it :)"

-Aarya

Takeaway: To watch players interact with our game felt very surreal. The process that was followed in this course felt very new and fresh from all that had been done before. We experienced a spectrum of highs and lows in the two weeks that we spent developing the game.

There was a point wherein after a couple of play tests, Daki became an ecosystem of its own where it did not require its creators to explain the rules and clear doubts of the players. The older players were stepping in voluntarily and eagerly helping the newer ones out in understanding the game play. The relief that followed with the realisation that the game was able to sustain itself without intervention from our side was phenomenal.

[gertlushgaming]

Steel Defier Review (PlayStation 5)

 For our Steel Defier Review, A malfunction in the defense system of a transport spaceship accidentally killed everyone aboard, except for one last survivor… You and your suspiciously orange suit. Explore the maze-like environment around you, moving from room to room, collecting access cards, and finding new upgrades for your suit. Use your skills to outmaneuver dozens of different hazard types, while also trying to find a way out.

Steel Defier Review Pros:

- Nice graphics. - 143.2MB Download size. - You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game. - Platinum trophy. - Two game modes - campaign and survival. - In-game still art cutscenes. - The game is all about collecting X amount of cards whilst avoiding obstacles. - Giant map where you pick your own route. - You can revisit old rooms. - As you progress more obstacles come in and they all act independently. - Upgrade yourself with new abilities as you progress. - Simple controls. - Near instant respawning upon death. - Six upgrades to unlock. - Can get addictive for a short time. - Very accessible. - Easy trophies. - The levels randomize every life. - Infinite lives. - The level gets devious. - Has a strong just one more go vibe.

Steel Defier Review Cons: - The tutorial is hardly there. - Just touching an obstacle is instant death. - No real game Options. - Levels repeat themselves. - It's the same premise over and over. - Little replay value. Related Post: Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance Review (PlayStation 5)

Steel Defier: Official website. Developer: Viridino Studios Publisher: Ratalaika Games S.L. Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article

[sorceress-queen]

@twisted-shipper S.l vibes

Ilya Ehrenburg,  20th Century Russian Poetry: Silver and Steel, from ‘I lived obscurely...’, tr. Gordon McVay

[litandroses]

Book recommendations that deserve the spotlight

Compiling these as an underrated book lover myself!

The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

Book one actually has a lot of ratings than the others in this list but I don’t see it talked about a lot.

It’s adult urban fantasy, Mafia-esque and intergenerational.

It has kung-fu, magic, politics, great morally grey characters, family dynamics, and worldbuilding. Also, GIRLBOSS! (no, not just one).

VERY INTENSE.

Author of color! Characters of color!

Robbergirl by S.T. Gibson

Stand-alone YA Fantasy. Snow Queen retelling.

Has less than 250 ratings on Goodreads.

Has SAPPHIC YEARNING.

QUEEN OF THIEVES “STEALS” A WITCH HOME WITH HER BECAUSE SHE WAS LONELY AND WANTED A FRIEND. SHE WAS SMITTEN WITH HER THE FIRST TIME SHE SAW HER.

ThE WRITING. THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL *CHEF’S KISS*

There’s a reindeer, a tame crow. ANIMAL COMPANIONS.

Dare I say slow-burn?

Masters of Death by @olivieblake

You may know her by her other book, The Atlas Six! (dark academia, sexy complex characters yup yup).

This one has less than 200 ratings on Goodreads.

Masters of Death is a whole other vibe.

Large cast of characters that work together so well (their banger was so funny too please).

This is quite difficult to describe, but basically it’s kind of like a mash-up of different fantasy elements. There are Greek gods, there are angels, a reaper, an aswang (one of the best things I like about this was the Philippine mythology, we don’t get a lot of those!), a poltergeist, and a lot more.

Also, personification of Death! And he’s called Papa? And whenever he curses he needs to snap a band over his wrist as a reminder not to do it again? (or at least do it less frequently 😂). Damn right it’s here.

There is a game. The only rule is: Don’t lose.

Beautiful writing, sexy characters. Diverse.

Author of Color!

The Burning by Evan Winter

Full of rage. Revenge story.

Non-European fantasy. Written by an Author of Color.

Epic battle scenes.

Look at that cover.

A lowly commoner driven by hatred and the want to prove himself (and those of his social class) no lesser than the upper class.

Women in positions of power. Only WOMEN can call dragons in this book.

INTENSE.

STRESSFUL.

WHERE WE FIGHT, THE WORLD BURNS.

Have I said dragons? I’m saying it again.

I haven’t seen a single edit of this yet. Help?

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

YA fantasy.

Characters may be young but they’re mature. No pettiness here.

First book based on the “Just City” in Plato’s Republic. Second book’s reference is Virgil’s Aeneid.

Very political.

Explores how a generation would react to a regime shift.

DRAGONS. DRAGON BATTLES. DRAGON RIDERS.

Has Angst. Yearning.

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

Based on Philippine Culture and Mythology (again, we do not get a lot of those).

Iconic first line.

Main character called the Bitch Queen 🔥.

Bad-ass heroine.

Action-packed. Twisty.

Non-European fantasy.

Author of Color!

Burning Roses by S.L Huang

Novella.

Set in the East.

Older characters (old women in fantasy!).

Retelling of Red Riding Hood, Hou Yi, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Beauty and the Beast.

Latina and Chinese main characters.

Sapphic (yes, they have children).

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

Military fantasy.

Japanese-inspired.

Elemental magic.

Dare I say milf? And also one of the best protagonists, like ever.

Heartbreaking, but also hopeful.

No dull moment.

Chapter 27, read to find out.

We Belong by Cookie Hiponia Everman

Less than 200 ratings.

Told in verse.

Middle grade (don’t restrict yourself).

Full of love.

Filipino author. Philippine history (Marcos era) woven with mythology.

Immigrant story. Made me shed tears.

Won’t take you more than an hour to read.

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

Another Olivie Blake, of course.

Contemporary

A love story, but not a conventional one.

Intimate, painful, and also hopeful.

Philosophical.

Beautifully written (I mean it).

Great portrayal of mental illness.

What is it like to love someone who sees your ugly parts but still thinks you’re worth the fight? Read this.

[viridiansindria]

Anyway my personal rating of the Persona Games:

From Most to least favorite

Persona 2 Eternal Punishment

Persona 2 Innocent Sin

Persona 5

Persona 4

Persona 3

Persona

Ratings and Opinions

Persona: The one that started them all, the "what if we focused more on the characters, give them Stands and have their personal growth and development in their battles against demons be the main thrust of the game?"

Its a solid concept that makes Atlus most of its money these days and while its a solid story the gameplay itself leaves much to be desired. Its rough, unpolished and of there's a lot it could have done better. Its very much in the awkward phase of trying to be its own thing away from the mainline or other side series while also really being a SMT game. Maki steals the show hard and is fantastic but no one else really comes close to her character development and exploration.

Persona 2 Innocent Sin: The first of the duology. Originally 1 fuck massive game that was then split into two large games. Refined a lot of the originals ideas while bringing greater focus and care to the entire party's growth and development. The struggle between what is "ideal" and reality ties neatly into the real and preconceived sins and their subsequent punishments and almost every named character reinforces this.

The basis for Social Links would be found here with Tatsuya's actions effecting party development which was tied to the plot. The P2 games are basically a bridge between the the old more heavily SMT influenced Persona and 'modern' Persona. Its gameplay is imo even worse than the originals wannabe Battle Network but thankfully the remake overhauled it massively.

Persona 2 Eternal Punishment: The second half of the duology but its written well enough and explains the important bits so you don't need to play IS at all to get the connections between the two. It shares most of IS strengths and weaknesses but what elevates it for me is the mostly adult cast. Eternal Punishment is unafraid to show the fact that you don't suddenly have all your shit together as an adult, that adults can have many of the same problems as teens as well as their own unique ones imposed upon them because they now have crossed that line called adulthood. In addition to that it not only has that old "we shouldn't have to put the weight of the world on kids" but then actually has them solve said problems.

Its honestly something I want the modern Persona games to try their hand at. An all or mostly adult cast.

Persona 3: The first of the modern Persona games. Under a new writing team they took Tadashi and Kaneko's notes and ideas as well as dating sim elements and brought a greater focus on the school and normal everyday life. Much like the original Persona its very rough, the first third of it is an outright drag which is very ugh after it comes out swinging with its opening. In addition to that I personally didn't connect with most of the party members or social links. Aigis, Ryoji and Junpei however are amazing enough to keep dragging me back. Going from the first three games focus on identity and perception to the ever present march towards death was a brilliant decision. And both Ryoji and Aigis pick up where their predecessors left off. Its also the first one where I'd actually say its starting to become fun gameplay wise even with the AI buffoonery.

Persona 4: Refined P3 really. Thematically it actually flounders somewhat and relies on its fun cast, bright vibes and murder mystery to get by. The "true self" theme is somewhat inconsistently used and becomes so repetitive that the game itself lampshades it. In addition to that it also unties the party social links to the main story. There were some advantages gained from that but ultimately (and P5 would reinforce this) I feel like they lost more than they gained as characters are restricted in how they act later on in the game vs any possible developments in the S.L.

All that said however the entire game is fun, there's very few dud characters or social links, the gameplay is great, and no part really drags on or feels too short.

Persona 5: God of Style. Stole the award for best game ui with ease. From top to bottom Atlus crafted one sexy game. The usage of acid jazz is brilliant and just reinforces this. And even the few bits of rock aren't jarring since its a Persona series staple and it also sounds fucking great.

It has a far stronger grasp on its themes of rebellion, the oppressions of [Japanese] society, and the abuse of power by authority figures over minors. It has duds and farts here and there but those are mainly Akechi and them dialing back on the critique because they were too spicy and fear that it might not have sold as well as they were hoping. Which is a shame.

Gameplay is extremely fun and the added semioptional stealth, and the grandeur of the various palaces (even that stupid fucking space station) really sold the Phantom Thief imagery. And what few bits they didn't take from P4[G] they're readding to the remake as stylish as the rest of the game.

Really if I have to make a complaint its how poorly utilized Haru is. Especially baffling given they literally already did her type of late recruitment character perfectly with Naoto in P4. Its not even hard too! They meet up at the rooftop garden initially ffs.

[mongoose232323]

I Love Blue Skies And Good Vibes

But I Would Be Lying If I Said

I Didn’t rave A Killer Thunderstorm

Every Now And Then

~ S.L. Heaton ~

S.L. Heaton

@S.L._Heaton

[fantastica-daily]

Yellow Bird Movie Review

Yellow Bird is a deadpan, talky comedy in the vein of television shows like The Office, or Superstore. It’s about a rag-tag crew of grocery store employees who subsist in a small town where everybody knows the business of everyone else (and no one keeps it to themselves).

The story is mainly about Jake Rush (Angus Benfield), a once happily married, once successful, public relations man who has now lost both of those assets and is trying to maintain his dwindling bank account and his tenuous sobriety. Jake is living out of his car, working as a stock boy at the Yellow Bird, and subject to the humiliation of being supervised by his snarky college-age boss, Scotty (Michael Maclane). Making matters worse are his mom, Rachel (Kathy Garver), who’s struggling with senility, and Jake’s entitled ex, Ellie (Ena O’Rourke), who wants to take him for everything he has in the divorce. But basically, all Jake has is his beater car and a smart-aleck garden gnome (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray).

But fate twists when Jake is unexpectedly promoted to the store manager position, making Scotty his underling. Will Jake take this moment to turn his life around, or will be use it to get even with those who kicked him when he was down? Therein lies the comedy.

The locations help to bring some believability to the movie—a real grocery story was used for the main location, and when we get glimpses into some of the characters’ homes, they look “small town” thanks to on-target set decoration (and costume design, especially a funny scene involving Jake dressing to impress in one of his deceased dad’s old suits).

When all is said and done, Yellow Bird is an indie with heart. While the acting levels are somewhat uneven, the main characters are all cast quite well; Benfield, who also directed this film, has that well-worn, put-upon has-been character down-pat, and O’Rourke is excellent as his oft-married, high-maintenance, soon-to-be-ex. The comedy and drama are done with a light touch and are mostly amusing, but the movie would have been much more fun with a shorter run-time—Yellow Bird did not need to clock in at an hour, forty minutes.

If you enjoy hometown vibes and dialogue-driven comedies involving everyday people, Yellow Bird is worth the watch. It's now available via VOD.

= = =

S.L. Wilson

[courtneyguzman]

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Mix up is one good book. The elements of the book together make for a fun and exciting read. The subject matter along with the artwork creates a vivid story that parents and kids will both love to read.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin, along with June Jo Lee have created a beautiful story of a young boy and his journey to finding himself. Chef Choi’s journey in discovering his true self, the challenges he faces and overcomes is a universal story. Lee contributes greatly with additional cultural explanations (foods and customs) . As the story unfolds, Roy’s inner spirit is explored. Martin writes,

“ But to Roy life was not better. He didn’t look like other kids, sing the same songs, or eat the same snacks. Where did he fit in? Roy was all mixed up” ( Briggs, Lee & Man One, 2017, para. 10).

This is one passage which exposes Choi’s vulnerabilities as his family moves to the suburbs. Briggs and Lee continue in exploring his journey further as he eventually overcomes his fears, and weaknesses and becomes the owner of Kogi, Korean Tacos, food truck. By the end of the story Choi has opened multiple concepts all over Los Angeles and has also invented a truly “ american food”...... the KOREAN TACO!

Man One is an incredible artist who contributes greatly to the feel and emotions in the story. A graffiti artist since the 1980’s, his color, style and feel give the book an exciting “ urban flavor ”. The perspectives and composition all contribute to the feel of the book.

Man One, uses his street graffiti style to add character to the book. His illustrations give a 80’s and 90’s street vibe to Roy Choi’s life story. The colors of orange, blue, green, yellow, red, purple and black all provide for lively street scenes in and around LA.

Man One has provided beautiful and inspiring cover art. The multicolor picture of Choi with his hat to the side, provides the reader with a visual of  Roy Choi and his facial features. The font used also provides a urban and cool look. The Kogi taco truck off in the distance gives the reader an understanding of who Roy Choi is, and what he does. Man One’s contribution to the book creates a desire to read the book.

The book is as cool as they get and parent and kids alike will love reading this book. The book has a universal theme and assists young readers in gaining perspective. This book  series centers around food which is a strong and effective theme. The ideas expressed about foods, what they mean to a specific culture and the ways in which they evolve into modern American dishes is something many people in today’s society find interesting. Roy Choi’s story is a inspiration and an open invitation to eat some delicious food.

References

Martin, J. B., Lee, J. J., & Man One. (2018). CHEF ROY CHOI AND THE STREET FOOD REMIX. S.l.: LIVE OAK MEDIA.

[baredmirror]

Into my mind flashed an image of Mark and me strolling down the Champs-Élysées, Hayden sleeping in Mark's arms, chic French people smiling at us fondly as we passed. I imagined us pausing for coffee and croissants, sitting under an umbrella at a charming corner café; I pictured us eating French onion soup and crêpes for supper in a quaint bistro. My mind filled with one cliché after another, but it wasn't just the lure of the destination. I was drawn to the idea of a house swap. Since the break-in, the atmosphere of our house had shifted somehow. It had become darker, as if sunlight could no longer find its way in. The hastily installed new security measures didn't help: the burglar bars cast fingerish shadows on the floor, and the alarm pipped every time someone opened a door, putting us permanently on edge. I suppose I thought that if someone else stayed in the house—someone who wasn't us—perhaps the bad vibes would be vanquished.

S.L. Grey, The Apartment

[orlacollins-blog1]

I’ve began looking at Carl Rogers and his theory about the ideal self and the actual self. I want to apply these theories to social media today and if it encourages a sense of congruence or incongruence? I’m exploring this in my FYP but I also wish to work with it in my studio practice.

Here’s some writing I did on all that:

American psychologist, Carl Rogers developed a theory around the “ideal self” and the “true self”. The ideal self is considered to be one’s aspirations for the future whilst the “true self” aligns with one’s actual behaviour (Rogers, 1951). This is further supported by Edward Tory Higgins in 1987 as he distinguishes between the “actual”, “ideal” and “ought” self. (Higgins, 1987) The less of a distinction between all of these “selves”, the closer one becomes to a state of “self-actualization” (Rogers, 1951).

I’m exploring the “ideal self” in this context in relation to Post-Internet culture and social media use.

By referring to a culture that’s “Post-Internet” I am discussing contemporary culture as the internet becomes increasingly banal and integrated into society; when the internet is less a novelty and more a banality (McHugh, 2011).

The definition of “the ideal self” versus the “true self” is somewhat of an abstract one in regards to it’s portrayal on social media. Studies found that individuals are more likely to express their “true selves” online (John A. Bargh, 2002). Somewhat like the “stranger on a train” concept, because of anonymity one can be freed of expectations and judgement that they may face in their social circle as well as the facing of consequences and backlash is reduced greatly. This is why “trolling” is more popular in the comment section of YouTube than it is on Facebook.

The ideal self is also a concept which varies depending on the social media site. On Instagram, posts depicting a life of luxury and beauty is the type of content that receives the most attention. Whilst on Twitter and Tumblr, a left-wing, socially conscious persona deems the most popular. This leads to people constructing versions of themselves depending on the space they’re inhabiting, calculating the type of response and adopting a persona based on this. Many people’s idea of their “ideal self” is becoming someone who’s well received by their followers rather than their peers they meet on a day to day basis.

Identity

Identities are produced, consumed and regulated within culture - creating meanings through symbolics systems of representation about the identity positions we might adopt. (Woodward, 1997)

Identity is often contested whether it’s something that’s definitive and core to an individual rather than being fluid and ever-changing. The former theory has described identity as consisting of a “clear, authentic set of characteristics” (Woodward, 1997) However, this is often contested as being merely a social construct and cultural theorist, Stuart Hall discusses identity as something malleable and in flux. (Hall, 1990)

Identity and Social Media

Because participation in social media always involves some forms of social interaction and communication [27, 131], social media users’ decision to participate depends not only on personal factors but also on their conceptions of themselves that originate from other members within the social media site (ZHAO PAN, 2017)

Ryan Trecartin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJeMKUl6xI4

“A lot of people will talk now and sort of just sculpt out a space but they don’t really say anything but you sort of understand what they’re saying just because people are good at reading vibes now. But when you really look at it you’re like “what the hell, that person did not say anything”.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZyHiFvbFJE kylie jenner “realising stuff”

Most of Trecartin’s films were made in a “pre-Kardashian” world, a time when social media was less prevalent than it is today yet he aptly portrays characters that are obsessed with being filmed, oversharing and can often just seem nonsensical much of the time. The low-fi aesthetic consisting of tacky 3D graphics and transitions is reminiscent of amateur YouTube videos highlighting the sense of accessibility and short attention span that's so prevalent in internet culture. Something that is far more prominent today than it was when his films were made.

Recently, Trecartin has actually began working with models that rose to prominence as a direct result of social media, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. ‘Placebo Pets’ was shot for W magazine as part of their “10th anniversary art issue”

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/placebo-pets-how-kendall-jenner-and-gigi-hadid-became-humanoid-creatures-for-w

Listing our interests, joining groups, and playing games on Facebook; sharing and tagging photos on Flickr; sharing our thoughts, ideas, and experiences on blogs; and following, being followed, and tweeting on Twitter are not only ways of expressing ourselves, they are new ways to reflect on who we are, offering new kinds of social mirrors for understanding ourselves.

In short, how we present ourselves (and by extension, who we “are”) depends a great deal on context; where we are, whom we are with, and what we are doing, among many other factors.

http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/6302/WeschEME2009.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Higgins, E. T., 1987. Self Discrepancy: A Theory Relating Self and Affect. Psychological Review, Volume 94.

John A. Bargh, K. Y. M. G. M. F., 2002. Can you See the Real Me? Activation and Expression of the "True Self" on the Internet. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Volume 58, pp. 33-48.

McHugh, G., 2011. Post Internet: Notes on the Internet and Art. 1st ed. s.l.:LINK Editions.

Rogers, C., 1951. Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory. s.l.:Hachette UK.

Hall, S. (1990). Cultural Identity and Diaspora. 1st ed. London: Lawrence and Wishart, pp.222-237.

Woodward, K. (1997). Identity and Difference. 1st ed. Sage Publications Ltd, p.11.

ZHAO PAN, Y. L. (2017). Who Do You Think You Are? Common and Differential Effects of Social Self-Id. Journal of Management Information Systems, 73.