#the composition the wording it's perfect conveys all it means to convey so well

[imblocking-you]

Hmm reading Given author's Haikyuu work while Tek it by Cafuné plays

[jealousmartini]

💌 She's an overachiever. "Pressure"? What pressure? ⋆₊˚⊹🔖

«───────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────»

My second year of college is coming in hot guys. And I'm talking the 3rd of September, in TWO WEEKS TIME HOT.

But you already know your girl has BEEN locked in with her subliminals for the next term, cus I've had a whole thing going on since my first term to my second yk. so come a little closer so I can show yall what my game is on

p.s.a!! I am an animation and games art student, so most to all of my work is research and art based. And when I say most of my work is research based, I mean there is an ungodly amount of writing that is expected from the students and it's not even just the amount it's WHAT you write about that gets you the grade and how well your art conveys your ideas.

Also "Ex." = Example

╰┈➤ " My average college day experience as an art student/loass babe " click here!

«───────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────»

"What? Like it's hard?" At the top of her class, always ontop of her work, never slacking off, always locking in.

   ── .✦  ┆  𖤐  ┆  ␥ 

|| Perfect focus, super attentive, always pays attention and makes notes. I am never afraid to ask for help or advice and I always receive the answers I need to understand the work; no room for confusion here.

|| Very strong, clear memory, perfect photographic memory.

|| Studies so much, it's my hobby, never underestimates myself or downplays my work, has always prioritised my work and has always understood the importance of doing work at home. Studying has never been a struggle for me because I don't struggle with discipline. I actually find so much fun and enjoyment doing homework. I always feel so productive and proud of myself whilst managing my time and looking at the amount I have done afterwards. Especially with the amount of validation and points I earn from teachers. It is always so satisfying seeing my high grades after a complete project. It's like a treat.

|| Creative genius, always brainstorms with words or loose sketches; not a single idea goes to waste. Research enthusiast, I could never shy away from making a thorough, detailed, and well planned out analysis, moodboard or mindmap. And multiple of them at that. I always know EXACTLY what to write and never wastes precious time and space yapping.

|| The life of an art student is exciting, fulfilling, flourishing, inspiring and strict. In the healthy way of course. My parents and teachers are always understanding of my burnouts and art block which are very rare thank god; and it's a good thing I have my closest friends to comfort me through my work. They are always so supportive, encouraging and honest with me as I am with them. We always travel together to the college (when I don't feel like being alone) and we always travel back home together. I mean we are our own personal friend circle so of course we buy snacks for each other and meet up for lunch; it's not even like we need to worry about price since we have more than enough on us. College is 100 times better when my best friends are with me, everything feels so comfortable with them

|| Perfect, cunty, and ideal artstyles. Always chooses the ones most appropriate for a certain design, and never forgets how to convey a certain look. I know, understand and draw human, animal, vehicle, clothing anatomy and terminology, enviromental composition, colour theory and terminology, the 12 principles of animation, the 7 fundamentals of art (Line, pattern, colour, texture, tone, shape and form), and the fundamentals of character design like the back of my hand

|| I know how to layout a design page appropriately, I always know how to theme and colour co-ordinate. Written placement and art placement are always perfect to the T and nothing looks off. All together, I show off my own unique style of work and impress my teachers of classmates

Ex. Subliminals in my art student playlist

"Over achiever", "Desired art skills", "Desired (college) life"

«───────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────»

"Ugh she is always doing the most with her work😒-" And she always looks good doing it. She's got the looks and the discipline; she's got it all

   ── .✦  ┆  𖤐  ┆  ␥ 

|| Gorgeous, curly, and ideal (3B to 3C) hair. My hair never gets greasy, dry, breakage, damage, frizz, dandruff, or split ends. My curls are always moisturised, soft, bouncy, and defined. I never experience a bad hair day, and my hair is super easy to manage. Detangling my hair is a breeze, and styling my hair is even easier; every style looks exactly the way I want it and never loses the volume or shape throughout the day.

|| Ideal, fit, slim thick pear. Short shoulders, small ribcage, medium-sized chest, 20 inch waist, wide hips and slight dip, long legs, fat ass but not too fat, chubby but fit thighs, slimmer defined calves and small feet. The perfect pear. And every outfit looks exactly the way I want; I never look awkward but I always look put together and stylish.

|| Craziest face card. Ms. Face economy infact. I have a round heart shaped face with dark brown bambi eyes and long fluttery lashes, a medium straight nose bridge, plump pink "keyhole" lips, and the clearest, softest brown skin ever... Yet I still put make up on- yes I do because it's fun and I like it, so it's always awesome knowing I can do my make up flawlessly and nail my looks perfectly

Ex. Subliminals in my ideal appearance playlist

"3C hair type", "Pear body", "Desired face", "brown caramel skin"

∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘

I'll probably add smore later :3 k bye

[araneitela]

I'm a mess (I know most are asleep and I should be too, but shh). Sometimes when I browse Youtube (and talking to Jace about Kafka as a whole, goodness, the walls that I type about this woman), I realize just how much I focus on the... how to classify this, the intricacies of reactions that are vehemently human, and that entire aspect of Kafka that was more so (/especially) presented since and in her SQ, though one I'll also say to have been inherently present before that. It's not that I neglect her violence, not at all, if anything I try to explain this element of her as to firmly tie them in together, though finding the words to do this is quite difficult, as this post will make clear, honestly. I'm a mess, this is a mess, it's a problem. Any way, this is probably why Mihoyo makes such intense use of music to convey so much for her. Cue me putting on her trailer music, and I'm literally making all of the little oddly precise head movements to each bow of the violin in it. Love her.

God, it's just, there are in my opinion, from a normal human's perspective, 'two sides' to the coin that is Kafka, except despite their intense contrasts, they work together to fit into a perfect mold of 'one'. And a good glance into this is their pull of your attention to the music that they composed (and perfectly edited, my god) for her trailer(s), Vivaldi's Winter in her main one but the very important part to note, is that it also includes compositions of Spring (? I now also feel like I recognize a snippet of Summer a glimpse of Autumn) alongside it, which is representative of something wildly differently; and then Lacrimosa in the Jepella Rebellion trailer. God, god. Yes, it's always inherently tied to mourning and grief, and one can argue that it's entirely because of the destruction outside that is happening in due part due to her (and the others; but it's worthy to note that the SH don't destroy for the sake of destroying; it all has purpose, always), but Lacrimosa can also be evident as a reaction from Kafka internally. And I say this, because if memory serves correctly in terms of my weak knowledge but stronger research, it's used within the Requiem Mass, in which it follows a 'divine judgment' movement, and Lacrimosa plays in emotional response to it, a composition displaying sorrow and grief as people seek redemption. So the question now comes— as much as Kafka 'plays with her food' so to say, could you also tie the 'mock trial' in with a response of 'divine judgement' of her own in reaction to, well, divine judgment that was executed prior? Am I making sense? In essence, what exactly is all of this in response to? Could she have been wronged by these judges? Or judgement by default, or does she simply not believe in such judgement? I also still firmly stand on my hill that Kafka has suffered an immense loss before, so could this play into that as well? Does she hold judgment within the palm of her hand because there is grief in her? The layers, guys, the layers. I'm losing my mind.

And then also, slightly unrelated: I see comments like this (and as someone who sadly never go to continue my piano playing), and I thrive, because it tells me that they aimed for this accuracy for her in specific. The violin, guys, one of the instruments if not the primary one that depicts human vulnerability in sound and play. The accuracy tells me even more that it's way too likely that she actively plays the violin. Which means, which means, that I get to thrive even more in terms of layers.. Oh, happy day.

Point of this entire post? I don't know, consider it the ramblings of a mad woman. There's no such thing as a simple conclusion for Kafka. There is simply... Kafka. A woman who is Destiny's Slave, but also inherently holds and practices her own sense of control in some ways. A woman who knows an ease in violence that we see her partake in by choice (this is so important), and with an element of emotional disengagement (one must, no? Or?) I usher my gratitude for bringing me back here. I'm thriving and will thrive on all 3 accounts.

Post-script: Okay but also:

"The old me? I used to be a Devil Hunter. (...) When people don't feel fear they are dominated by desire and pleasure — they become "devils."

But why are you not one of them? How did you hunt them, instead? /rattles bars of cage.

[purposelynana]

What Did I Watch: #31

This week, I learn to say goodbye.

What is it with goodbye? If feels scary but necessary. Goodbye gives us closure. An end to a journey. In life alone, there's no perfect goodbye, but in fictional world a perfect goodby could exist.

To me, a great ending is not necessarily wanting me to wish for a direct sequel. A great ending is supposed to be tighten the loose ends. Also gives room for our imagination to explore what could happen after the camera stopped rolling. Moreover, a great ending is the one that left you wanting more but not selfishly enough to make you craving more because we all know deep down a sequel never guaranteed to replicate the exact quality of its predecessor.

My School President is a wonderful journey through and through. 10/10. Landed smoothly without having too much angst or humor. It's already up there with Skam. Perhaps on some other day, it'll be higher than Skam. What a pleasantly beautiful little show about what it means to be young, and having the courage to dream.

I didn't have any of those things which presented during my high school run. A friendship that last for so long or even a significant other who made my life bearable enough. My high school years was boring and literally nothing happened. I don't really any friend that I still contact from that period of time. So to me, at first the concept of My School President was already laughable. But well if it wasn't happen to me, it certainly happened to everyone else, eh?

In addition, I could confirm My School President landed smoothly. Got a beautiful ending. The song still slapped. There's no better word to describe it other than it was charming. This show was charming. Even I couldn't stop grinning ear to ear writing this.

The scene that broke me. Ah young love.

Never Let Me Go, to me felt like not exactly wasted potential but definitely not something I would praised until seven generations. It was good but never been great. I would love to recommending it but not necessarily you have to watch it.

Because there were many what-ifs scenario forming in my brain while I was watching it. For example, what could've happen if it was starring someone else entirely? How the scene would sound like if they had better sound designer? What if the screenwriters decided to rewrite the whole thing so that the characters could talk like they were in real life instead of lakorn?

Because I couldn't help but to raised my eyebrows during certain scenes. It wasn't technically bad acting. It was an okay but the way Neung convey his feelings sometimes I felt like I was watching a play. It did feel like the whole time Phuwin just pretending to say those words, instead of actually saying those words. Plus sometimes the sentences that coming out from his mouth just didn't make any sense. It was clearly intentional because it kept going until the screen fade to black. I know P'Jo was trying to make a homage to classic lakorns, so perhaps Thais would appreciate a lot more. But I'm not Thai, and I just went "no shit sherlock" the entire time.

Despite all of that though, it was beautifully shot. Honestly this show got the best cinematography ever. Without having too much contrast, P'Jo played a lot with lights and compositions. Colors looked so deep yet soft at same time. There was a sense of longing and yearning radiated from the screen. It was magic to see something that I learned from being an amateur cinephile to get materialize.

Lights on this. And the color. I love the colors. It wasn't trying to be gritty as fuck like Batman movies. It wasn't on the same tone with In The Mood For Love but the use of color and lights and framing to convey devotion are just utter brilliance.

It was a struggle to watch Moonlight Chicken. Like I said in previous post, it seemed I take a peek on my own life. Eventually, I'll probably never get the happy ending I deserve so much, not like these fictional characters.

10 minutes into episode 5, was solidify my thoughts and prayers on this. I got called out, dragged, faced to one of bitter memories I've had on a past relationship. Because yes, one day people just decided not even bother trying to save their relationship. It already happened to me once, and no I don't want to relive that, even in fictional zone. Therefore, as I was watching episode 5, I undergo so many different feelings. If week 2 felt like a gut punch, week 3 seemed one hell of torture, and week 4 was an utopia that I've never get to lived on.

This ain't it.

Because Wen got his happy ending. Liming got his happy ending. Me? Well, it wasn't like I don't want to open up to other people. There was no other people trying to get close to me.

I liken this to my experience watching Brokeback Mountain. It was a good storytelling, but do I want to experience it all over again? No. Because it was just too close to home. And I still don't know what kind of my ending is. It was scary. Shit got real this time. I think I'm never going be the same. I tried to shift my focus into something else, e.g. Formula 1, it gets worse. Possibly because Ferrari looked and sounded shit. Everything just didn't help anymore.

me during the whole shitty shit bahrain gp free practice, watching aston martin became way too more OP, and red bull still being red bull. me as tifosi:

[void-star]

... So I think that point about wanting to skip the development phase is really the sticking point, here.

Personally speaking, my issue with art in capitalism is that all art has value, not just art that meets a certain level of mastered technical skill and matches with modern visual aesthetic sensibilities that favor a kind of illusion of being "machined" (I don't know how to articulate this well, but it's the association between smoothness, flatness, and roundness as precision and perfection-- I'm an artist that works with texture so I think about this a lot).

Basically: I'm frequently mad that only a small subsection of art is considered monetarily valuable, and it's not compensated all that much at all. A lot of art has a lot of value, and I spend a not-insignificant portion of my life trying to encourage people to create visual art regardless of the fucky valuation of art as a product.

The bottom line is that artists are severely exploited.

So rather than address that, the logic is, "I should be able to make a product that these assholes see as valuable."

Which, like... I mean, our art should be seen as valuable period.

Herein lies the problem. Speaking just on illustrative art for a moment... it is not just a final product to look at. You're not just creating an image. You are processing an intention, interpreting and executing it... you're anticipating and manipulating the emotions of the viewer, constructing visual tension, guiding the viewer's processing of visual information to tell a narrative, conveying subtextual information about the subjects, implying messages about the world or life or morality, etc., setting tones, scenes, atmospheres....

The technical skills are just tools. Anatomy, proportions, perspective, composition, colors... these are also skills in their own right that take a lot of practice, but they are building up to figuring out how to use them to communicate, without words, to a random viewer.

It's a lot of work and it's really interesting and beautiful. It's highly subjective and personal and informed by things like culture, identity, etc.

It's not just an image.

And this is why some people say a lot of AI art is soulless. It's lacking a very subtle visual message that most human created art contains.

So yeah, we deserve our art to be valued and compensated.

But there's a larger problem and that's seeing art as a product to consume, and then using software that steals the expertise of non-compensated human hands to do it.

"ai is making it so everyone can make art" Everyone can make art dipshit it came free with your fucking humanity

[windblooms]

liyue boys – how they kiss their s/o

liyue boys × gender-neutral!reader; 1.4k words. sfw headcanons of how baizhu, childe, chongyun, xiao, xingqiu, and zhongli kiss their s/o. 

- ̗̀ baizhu  ̖́-

while baizhu’s reputation as the swindler from bubu pharmacy precedes him, even in normal day-to-day matters, he makes an effort to convey his sincerity to you when the moment is opportune.  typically, this is at the conclusion of the day, when the pharmacy takes its time to rest and the buzz of the moon overtakes liyue.

his touch on your wrist is loose, as if he intends to just feel your presence instead of seize it, to observe but not meddle; just as he does with changsheng, he finds great comfort in keeping you tethered to him through this contact.  

when baizhu romances you, it’s in the privacy of your office, or the stocking room – anywhere besides the service area, so you’re the only one who witnesses his dropped mask. 

his lips glide to your temple, serpentine and brisk, peppering short kisses down to your jaw.  his ministrations are rather sensual for a man so weak in composition, especially considering that he’s rather ruthless with his business dealings and doesn’t even spare a fraction of a discount for the desperate – but this gentler display is nonetheless welcome.

“and how can i help you tonight?  no, this isn’t bartering.  i mean this genuinely, for the one who can tolerate my short-comings as forgivingly as you do.  a new box of qingxin arrived this afternoon, and perhaps you’d like a look at it . . . ”

- ̗̀ childe / tartaglia  ̖́-

childe is excellent at the chase, and each time, his catch is you.  perhaps it’s his constant need for stimulus (he’s never been one for idleness) and the subsequent calling in his blood for a thrill.  his penchant for battle has made him flexible to most tricky scenarios, and thus he’s adept to what makes things tick – 

– including people.  and, of course, you. 

his greetings are customarily followed by doting kisses.  they’re gentle on your skin, like the drifting of snowflakes from the sky, yet there’s a bite to them as well, as if he’s nipping at you even without his teeth.  they’re innocently teasing at best, but at worst, grabbing all of your senses with their bold allure. 

“haha, got your attention now, have i?  no need to make that face!  ah, i promise.  be a bit more patient for me, and i’ll give you what you want.”

he prefers to give the kisses that he knows will consume you whole, cushion you in warmth like beach sand in the summer, but just as swiftly drag you undertow – namely, at the corners of your mouth, the height of your cheekbones, the pulses on your neck, and the rise of your collarbones. 

whether he leaves you with flushed cheeks and a stuttering voice, or absolutely breathless, you stir him all the same.

- ̗̀ chongyun  ̖́-

he’s a very straightforward individual, naively so sometimes – inherently wholesome, and that translates over to his relationship with you.  admittedly, he doesn’t display bold affections towards you all that much because he’s, well, shy.  he’d never thought of romantics before he became involved with you, and even then, all he’s heard about couples and love birds are from xingqiu – not the most trustworthy source.

“ah – i do not . . . i don’t have the words to describe . . . i apologize, but i really don’t know how to explain this light feeling in my chest.  but you seem to be happy!  and that’s really what matters to me.”

chongyun pecks you gently, as if he’s dealing with the finest of jade fragments.  very innocently, as well: just as a bird finds satisfaction in a well-kept nest, so does the young exorcist in the pleased reactions he draws from you.  

the two of you have yet to share a kiss on the lips.  and, honestly, it isn’t something characteristic of chongyun to want to engage with.  he has an ample reserve of boyish youth in him, and even at the thought of partaking in such an intimate act (xingqiu teases him to no end for this, but nonetheless chongyun’s perspective is understood) makes him red in the face. 

instead, he settles for your fingers, the back of your hand, and your cheeks.  light in sentiment, like the mild ice-cream he indulges in.

- ̗̀ xiao  ̖́-

if you’re fire, then xiao is afraid that he’s the water that will extinguish your light.  he’s harmed so many others, even when he never intended to, and doesn’t even want to think about you ending up the same way.  so he abstains, for the longest time, until you reassure him that he’s okay, that he’s suffered enough, and that he needs to live, too. 

xiao kisses you like both of you will break.  his lips barely even touch you, as if his presence is only part of your imagination, a fleeting zephyr in the liyue evening; he even hesitates to use his hands at first because only archons know how he’s razed the land with them.  they hover over your hips, and in moments of indulgence, he imagines how it would feel to hold you, unchained from his past.

“you make it easier for me to tolerate the days.  don’t look so concerned – there’s no need for you to worry about me.  you’re the one in the more precarious situation.  but i guess that’s one more thing that’s admirable about you . . . too trusting for your own good.”

in his mind, he cradles your hands, so much softer than his own, with no reason to raise a weapon.  he wishes to keep you that way, safeguarded from the cruelness of the world, and his lips cherish your knuckles, the backs of your hands, and all the way to your wrists.

- ̗̀ xingqiu  ̖́-

“what a thrilling smile on your face!  definitely one for the books.  yes – i’ve decided that you’ll be the inspiration for this next scene i write.  ah, actually, i need to outline it first . . . you won’t mind, right?  perfect, this is just the circumstance i’ve been looking for.”

like fresh flowers in a spring meadow, he’s as exuberant as he is vibrant with life.  he’ll come to you in the mornings, bid you a good day and plant a light peck on the corner of your mouth, delighted at the sight of you.  or, just when he’s stopping by your place, he’ll also make sure to commemorate your meeting with another smooch.  

xingqiu is, admittedly, easy to please when in a relationship, merely because he’s with who he wants the most: you, and his writing, all that he needs.  while he may joke about intertwining you into his writing, he truly does intend to cherish you. 

he enjoys toying with the sleeves of your top when he’s near, just because he can.  bonus points if you let him tug you along, and he’ll even make a show out of giving a playful kiss on the tip of your nose.  they make you feel all fluttery in your stomach, because it’s only something that he would even think about doing – keeping you light on your toes, just like his flexible poise.

- ̗̀ zhongli  ̖́-

his affections are just as proper as his composure.  zhongli’s actions are soft, reverent, and appreciative of your presence.  never once do you doubt his devotion to you when his hand grazes your arm, a finger catching around your wrist, or when he steadies you with his palm on your shoulder.  it might be subconscious on his behalf, but his gentle measures soothe you immensely.

unsurprisingly, his kisses are chaste, with only fondness and warmth behind them.  he adores you like the sun does an open field, bracing your body to his with the slightest of suggestions from his hands on your waist.  zhongli is exceedingly pleased when you reciprocate his physicality, especially when you wrap your arms around his neck in return – the gleam in his eyes betray just as much.

his lips find themselves tenderly on your own, and your forehead and cheeks.  when in more intimate environments, namely either of your rooms, he’ll worship the pulse on your neck, however not in an erotic fashion.  he only ventures there to treasure the flow of life in your body, to revere the rhythm of you.

“times have come and gone.  consider me obstinate in my beliefs, but the one of the things that have remained apparent to me over millennia are contracts.  contracts of business, of relationships, of morals – everything.  promises, if you prefer to call them.  so i promise you this: there is not a day that will go by when i will not devote myself to you, wholly, and completely.”

[sartle-blog]

Art History Reader: How to Read a Photograph (As Art)

Robert Frank, Trolley - New Orleans, 1955, Gelatin silver print, 8 5/8 x 13 1/16 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  From Rembrandt to Frida Kahlo, artists have long found inspiration in the mirror. While their painted selfies may have taken a bit longer to create, they are not so different from what we post on Instagram. Whether it's to share your experiences or please the algorithm, we continue this trend of photographing ourselves for our followers. Our technology allows us to do this through the grueling work of clicking a button, not to mention using apps to edit and perfect this version of us. The amount of likes then confirms that we have shared a significant picture with the world, as we sit back and wait for verification from the Pulitzer or TIME committees. However, contrary to social media’s endorsements, “liking” a photograph isn’t the same as critically reading a photograph. 

There is more to a photograph than simply looking at it. Since we are so inundated with images--from the news, social media, and memes--slowing down, practicing visual literacy, and comprehending what we see is essential. Here are a few easy steps to start to more critically read and analyze photographs. 

  Do a formal analysis. 

Just like checking an influencer’s photos for Photoshop mistakes, slow down and look at every nook and cranny of the photograph. Try to see each item and element individually without creating any expectations or stories. List the items, people, words, indications of location, and the elements of art in the image. Photographs are a record of light, bouncing, reflecting, and being absorbed by different surfaces. Acknowledge the light and colors that are visible.

Consider the example of Robert Frank’s Trolley, seen above. There are strong lines that create a grid to frame the shapes of the subjects. The light is diffused likely from the clouded sky creating bouncing reflections on the trolley siding. Photographs that have many aspects to formally analyze are:

Gunsmith and Police Department, 6 Centre Market Place and 240 Centre Street, Manhattan by Berenice Abbott

Untitled by Francesca Woodman

  Examine the composition.

After looking at the individual elements, see the image as a whole. Be aware of how your eyes move through the photograph, observing if there are places for pause. Consider the overall tone of the work, whether there is more complexity or harmony in the shapes, patterns, light, color, and contrast. Ask yourself whether these moments create a sense of balance or instability. Again, practice looking rather than creating assumptions. 

The composition of Trolley is very formal and symmetrically balanced by the trolley’s wall and windows. The subjects are centered horizontally. The contrast overall is rather high, where the middle gray frames the subjects. Photographs that have strong compositions are:

Roadside Stand, Vicinity Birmingham, Alabama by Walker Evans

At the Time of the Louisville Flood by Margaret Bourke-White

  Identify the narrative.

Now that we’ve read the receipts we can spill all the tea we want! Think about the story and meaning of the photograph. While photographs are documents of the world around us, each image is carefully curated by the artist with regard to the story they want to tell. Sometimes that narrative is about people, where the expressions, actions, and clothing (or lack thereof) convey the character’s personality. Objects and colors can give more abstract context to the story, being symbolic of a larger idea. Be aware of what is not included in the frame as well based on any shadows, lines, or shapes surrounding the subject.

In Trolley, the assumption is that the passengers are using public transportation. The facial expressions and clothing indicate personalities, showing irritability in the older woman, apathy and concern in the children, and resignation in the man. Consider their lack of interaction. Other photographs with strong narratives include:

Flower Power by Bernie Boston 

Untitled Film Still #35 by Cindy Sherman 

  Give context to the artwork.

Now that we have an understanding of what is going on in a photograph, we have to establish the why. The artist’s goals often shift the way a viewer interprets an image. Context can be given in two ways: within the photograph or through a title and artist statement.

Within the photograph, explore the details of location and time period. Location can be explored through the scenery, whether there is urban infrastructure or natural landscapes. The time in history can be more difficult to establish but clothing and objects often give it away. The time period is essential for understanding the social and political atmosphere of the scene. Tension and upheaval in racial, gender, and economic inequalities are prevalent throughout twentieth century photographs. While these larger ideas are not always the ultimate goal of the artist, it is important to understand the historical context.

The artist statement gives a very specific version of the artist’s story and objectives. These will place the exact year of the image and often describe the process and story behind the photograph. No photograph is neutral nor can it be objectively read. Viewers bring their own preconceived ideas to each image based on their own beliefs of what is visualized and what a photograph can do. The artist usually has a specific story they are telling to share information, create commentary, and give visuals to situations and ideas. 

The racial tensions in Trolley are the primary subject matter. The racially charged atmosphere is clear in the segregation of seats on the trolley. The dispositions of the passengers also hints to the turbulence of the time. Explore these other photographs that show a larger concept with greater context:

American Gothic by Gordon Parks

Self Portrait with Fried Eggs by Sarah Lucas

  Establish where the image exists.

Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram, on a gallery date, or seeing ads in a magazine, the location, size, placement, and space of the photograph can alter the reading of it. Consider where the image exists. Installations of photographs allow the artist to curate a viewer’s experience of the images. Images in advertisements have an indication of commodity and capitalism. Images on social media are immediately given ratings. While the first experience you have with a photograph is not the only way to read the image, the impression of your encounter will affect your reading.

Frank’s Trolley exists within the larger monograph The Americans, a book which features 83 photographs. There is a specific order for the viewer to read the images. Seeing a photograph between the pages of other photographs creates a connection between them, allowing the viewer to understand them in relationship to each other. Consider the following photographs and their installations:

Untitled from The Kitchen Table series by Carrie Mae Weems

The Flooded Grave by Jeff Wall

  Scrolling through Instagram might be a bit easier than critically reading a photograph, but the payoff is worth more than likes. The more practice you have, the better you will be at understanding the ways of truth and manipulation in images. While many of these steps seem simple, the act of slowing down will be beneficial for reading any kind of artwork. You will also be even better at spotting selfie edit fails! 

By: Epiphany Knedler

[fy-enhypen]

“I don’t want to define music in one word” - Heeseung

HEESEUNG was comfortable with handling a basketball. Most of the time the ball went in, just as it was supposed to. Once, when he missed and the ball bounced off the rim, HEESEUNG kept shooting over and over until it went in. At last, two points. Shooting over and over and hitting the wall until he succeeds? Well, HEESEUNG’s attitude toward the stage is the same. On I-LAND, your older brother said that he’s proud of you now, thinking back to how you used to be this average cute but a little immature kid who liked playing games with friends and didn’t like to study.

HEESEUNG: That time he was talking about, that was when I was really immature. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everything’s changed. This might be a bit off-topic, but I have this one good old friend who I would hang out with and goof around with all the time. It was all really childish, but I’m way more mature now. (laughs) But I do think I should keep growing up more than I am now.

I saw that, when you were doing the group photoshoot, the staff asked you to move to NI-KI’s side, and you asked him first if that was okay before moving.

HEESEUNG: Yes, I did say that. It happened so quickly, I’m surprised you caught it. (laughs)

You didn’t hesitate to help other contestants with their dancing on I-LAND even though you were competing against one another. SUNOO said you’re an “angel.” (laughs)

HEESEUNG: I could try and take all the credit for that, but that’s not really how it was. (laughs) I think that was possible because I-LAND had more challenges emphasizing teamwork than other survival shows. But that aside, I still wanted to help them. When I first became a Big Hit trainee, I practiced really hard for six months and became one of the better performers among the new recruits. I guess it’s probably because I had a lot of opportunities to be the leader from that time on.

Did you have much experience singing or dancing before you became a trainee?

HEESEUNG: I’m still not that good at dancing, but I was absolutely hopeless at the beginning. (laughs) I was really, really bad. It was so bad that my friends would make fun of me for not being able to do even basic moves. They’d say, “Seriously, how did you ever get casted?” But Big Hit’s training regimen is really good. (laughs and stretches arms out diagonally) This is called “arm stretching.” It’s a basic move. This is all I did for a year. And then more than a year of following the rhythm. I focused on basic, repetitive moves like that, then I took baby steps with a dance foundations class, and then with endless practice I finally got a lot better.

You can give hope to hopeless dancers. (laughs) I know that you were always very interested in singing.

HEESEUNG: I dreamed of becoming a singer since I was six, but I totally lacked confidence. Singers need to be able to sing in front of people without feeling nervous, but the most I could do until high school was sing with two or three really close friends at a karaoke. And then my dad suggested I take the entrance exam for an art high school, but I was too nervous during the test to sing anything. I was about to head home thinking I’d better study or choose a different career path when suddenly a casting agent spotted me. I was really lucky.

HEESEUNG: I was heavily influenced by YEONJUN from TOMORROW X TOGETHER when I came to Big Hit. Up until then, I had a sense of pride. I thought, well, I’m pretty good at singing, right? But after I saw YEONJUN, I realized I was totally fooling myself. (laughs) I felt like YEONJUN is the kid who gets perfect in every subject and I’m the one who gets, about 80 in one class and goes around bragging about it. So I thought there’s no room for feeling “not confident or some other nonsense like that” (laughs) I need to really up my game if I want to be a singer. From then on, I tried to really show off everything I’ve got on stage, which is different from how I used to be.

In the “October 2020 by ENHYPEN” video, you set a goal to practice vocals for one and a half to two hours every day. Even with your busy schedule, you’ve been close to 70~80% successful with that goal.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) It’s easy to achieve your goals when it’s something you like to do. I usually put my all into things I like, but I don’t have much motivation to do things I’m not into. I think that’s a strength and also a weakness. To use studying as an example: I lost interest in studying when I was in middle school, so I didn’t put much effort into most subjects, but I liked English because I liked to listen to pop songs. There was a foreign language high school near me that accepted students only based on their English grades and mine were good enough to get in.

All your practice really shows on your debut album, BORDER: DAY ONE. I was impressed by how you expressed each song differently.

HEESEUNG: The lead single, “Given-Taken,” is about facing a new world, and ENHYPEN just debuted as a team, so I wanted to convey a passionate start of a race. You could say it’s mellow since it opens with a harp, but I used all my energy to emphasize the tone. In “Let Me In (20 CUBE),” there’s the lyrics: “Can you open your window / Been looking everywhere for my Nemo.” It would sound kind of weird if I sang, “Open up!” forcefully like that.(laughs) So I recorded my vocals in a way that best conveys the meaning and doesn’t break the mood.

It looks like you have specific ideas about the performances and your music. On I-LAND you recorded the “-note” video diary, and you reflected on various aspects of your performance. It was very impressive the way you could go back and analyze it like that.

HEESEUNG: If you debut, you become a professional. I don’t look like a pro in my performances yet, but I think you become more professional by making deliberate efforts. I think I need to be able to express myself inside and out, so I’m trying to do all different kinds of training.

You mentioned several times that you want to write your own songs this year. Have you written any?

HEESEUNG: When I was in sixth grade, I took a music composition class using a sequencer program my dad recommended, called Cakewalk. I started to write songs again after I became a trainee. There’s a song I worked on until I got into I-LAND, and also some songs I wrote and recorded the lyrics over some existing beats. But we’ve been so busy preparing for the debut. I really regret that I haven’t been able to show off my work. Anyway, I’m going to keep trying to write songs for ENGENE whenever I get time. I just hope they’ll be patient with me.

You said “Merry and the Witch’s Flower” by Yerin Baek is your favorite song. What kind of songs do you usually listen to?

HEESEUNG: As far as genre goes, I’m really into alternative R&B. I also like songs that are dreamy and chill. I listened to a lot of songs by Yerin Baek, Anderson Paak and Eric Bellinger lately. I usually listen to the newest releases to see what people like these days, but I also listen to old hits by 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G.

In BE:LIFT LAB’s “Training Camp,” you said your personal motivation is the high goals you set for yourself.

HEESEUNG: If I were to say that I want to be at 100, I’m currently at a 30 or 40. I’m absolutely serious. I think I need to try a lot harder if I’m going to reach my full potential. I want to be more than just a set of skills, or an amazing person; I want to make sure I don’t lose myself. The more time you spend on your work, the less time there is to invest in yourself. And if your work takes over your identity, I think you might even find it easy to lose your own sense of self. I want to be the kind of person who can grow while staying devoted to my work.

It reminds me of your performance of “Chamber 5.” Even though I-LAND is a survival program and you could have chosen a song that would have been more advantageous to you, you took on a new challenge solely for self-improvement.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) I was in way over my head. I seriously never tried even a single playful song like “Chamber 5” before in my life. But, obviously, you can’t go back to the past. Anyway, that was my choice. I was preparing for a job where you have to be ready to handle all different kinds of concepts. I took that as a fact and just practiced. And also, I had the magnificent teacher, Mr. SUNOO, right there with me. (laughs) So it was good in the end.

Maybe it’s thanks to that experience that the way you turn around and wink in the “Let Me In (20 CUBE)” performance suits you so well.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) That kind of stuff just comes to me naturally now—basically showing people how charming I am. Was it a bit awkward? (laughs) Songs like “10 Months” are in-your-face cutesy. It was hard at first, but after thinking about my own style the answer came to me. I look mature compared to the other members, so I figured that was the solution to the problem of how to express my charm. Now I am Lee HEESEUNG, a man of endless allure. (laughs)

Before a leader was selected for ENHYPEN, your name kept coming up in the polls under headings like, “the first person you’ll turn to when you’re having a hard time,” or, “the person who won’t hesitate to take difficult tasks for others.”

HEESEUNG: I’m good at listening to other people’s problems. That sounded like bragging. (laughs) If I see someone struggling with something I can fix or help them with, it’s hard for me to just stand by and watch. I don’t go around thinking I always need to help with everything, but I unconsciously act that way.

You’re the oldest member of the group. I can tell the other members trust you, and rely on you. As their oldest teammate, how do you want to be there for them?

HEESEUNG: I hope they don’t think of me as being more important than them just because I’m the oldest. In middle school, high school, clubs, and places like that, I realized that opening up to someone your senior isn’t always easy. So when we became a team, I thought I should be a cute, approachable guy (laughs) and create an atmosphere where they can speak openly with me. Everybody feels comfortable talking to that kind of person.

It seems like you already are. You all looked really close when the others were touching your head without hesitation on V LIVE and saying it looks like the full moon. (laughs)

HEESEUNG: (laughs) Yes, I’m … not thrilled that happened. (laughs) Everyone in the group has their own strong, unique personality, but still, we all try to trust and respect one another, and we set clear boundaries. And as we spend more time together, we share more personal stories, which helps us grow closer.

In “-note,” you thank the people around you and judge your own practice progress objectively while finding the positive aspects. I was impressed.

HEESEUNG: Even though they didn’t show it on the show much, I felt tremendous pressure being in a leadership position. There was so much to deal with. A lot of that was hard, of course, but I believe that people become the things they say they are, so I chose to be thankful and stay positive. If I say it like I believe it, my thinking will change and then I can overcome any difficulty. For artists, fans are important, skills are important, and talent is important, if you want to draw people in. Everything is important, really. I think it’s most important to have a healthy mind if you want to really nail all those things.

What does music mean to you?

HEESEUNG: That’s the hardest question. (laughs) I don’t want to define music in one word. I don’t think there should be just one correct answer to what music is. Because there’s no answer, all kinds of different music gets made, and many different people can be on stage. As soon as there is an answer, music will lose its charm.

[fmdjaewonarchive]

► agree.

date(s): july 2020 - february 2021 mentions of: champion members, unity members (samsoo, yul & sunghee mentioned by name but like... blink and you’ll miss it)  word count: +/- 2.3k words (870w lyrics/660 words composition/740 words production) warnings: mentions of anxiety, panic attacks and car accidents details: full lyrics and full composition verification for agree, 3/3 verifications for jaewon’s upcoming album escapism. jaewon doesn’t only know how to write sad boi music, he also writes angry boi music, the only two emotions he’s ever experienced rlly. (a/n: i lost my braincells within the first 100 words and still haven’t retrieved them, read at your own discretion)

the song is born out of frustration, anger blocking up his throat to the point it feels hard to breathe.

it’s the kick-off point of champion’s world tour, a concept that has jaewon disgruntled enough as it is, snatching him away from unity and dropping him in the states like he is supposed to care about this group, like he doesn’t have better things to worry about.

but alas that’s beside his point, as much as he detests the idea behind champion, it’s not his main source of frustration.

traveling out to the states, that part is hell. now jaewon has never been a huge fan of traveling, suffering from a crippling fear of flying ever since predebut that somehow has not gotten any less severe with the sheer amount of flying all over the place unity has been doing. jaewon also absolutely hates airports, they’re too crowded, too hectic and far too stressful to not immediately put him in a godawful mood.

the cameras shoved right into his face both prior to departure and directly after arrival definitely didn't help.

comparatively, champion’s trip to the states this time hadn’t been that bad. jaewon just happens to be in an extra foul mood today but rationally, he has to admit that he’s seen far worse throughout the years.

but maybe that’s exactly the problem, how common these things have become, that getting pushed and pulled at while trying to get on flight was considered to be mild.

jaewon’s frustration isn’t solely aimed at an isolated instance, it’s at the ridiculous standard that’s been set for idols, the things they have to accept like they are normal.

normally he would call soo to complain about whatever was bothering him but with the time difference, jaewon knew his boyfriend was ought to be asleep at this hour and he definitely wasn’t waking him up for something this minor.

he even humors the thought of perhaps finding sunghee or yul to complain to but with most of champion out for the night doing whatever (admittedly, jaewon didn’t listen when they were making plans, he wasn’t gonna tag along anyway) that isn’t really in the cards either. perhaps that’s for the best, jaewon isn’t the biggest fan of actually talking to the younger unity members about what was on his mind.

either way, jaewon is stuck in a hotelroom by himself, no one around to really vent his frustration too so instead, he might just as well write it all down.

and that’s exactly what he does, settling down at the desk in his hotelroom, scribbling on a notepad randomly found laying around.

on the plane the person in the seat next to me that’s not my fan apparently buying info off the airplane company

it’s not entirely relevant to what happened at the airport earlier but jaewon feels angry all over just thinking about it. unity has had it’s fair share of experiences with saesangs, seemingly only increasing the more popular they keep getting. sure, that makes sense but it doesn’t mean it’s okay, contrary to what dimensions seem to believe with how easily the company brushes it off under the pretense of it just being another part of the job.

at the airplane lounge there’s a war between the 200 mm guns privacy, panic disorder, they barter with one another...

in the first place, jaewon’s main concern is unity, it always is. he’s willing to put up with a lot if it means the younger members are left off the hook. but he has to admit, since the panic attacks have started to become more prevalent, it’s a lot harder to take that stance. it’s hard to take care of others when he fails to take care of himself.

jaewon tries not to think about what that means for his position as a leader.

from early morning put on a mask and fight on in short, call it being a puppet...

jaewon knows he’s not an ideal idol, he’s never been and he never will be. maybe in retrospect, he would have done things differently but there is no use in considering those what-ifs now. there is, however, no denying that all of it is just a bigger struggle with him, it will never go as easily as with people who were made to stand in front of the camera’s. why shouldn’t he get to be open and honest about that? he’s not the perfect idol they want him to be, he will never fit that mold.

i know, that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right i know that’s right that’s right that’s right

written out, the chorus feels a bit silly, but jaewon feels justified in his creative choices. not that the song is ever going to be used for anything, it’s just an attest to his frustration. jaewon knows he’s ought to sit down and silently accept whatever is expected of him.

it’s been years since he’s been his own person. these days, he’s dimensions’ property first and that of the general public second, there is no use in fighting that, no space for his voice.

so sure, whatever, he agrees, what else can he do?

---------------

jaewon forgets about the lyrics he’s written down after that.

in the moment there had been no intention to turn them into a full-fledged song, a haphazard combination of lyrics that in their raw form, probably held very little meaning, too much filler between the few parts that he did properly think through.

so jaewon forgets all about it before he even sets foot back in korea again. unity is busy enough, the release of neo zone lurking around the corner and with multiple schedules of his own, jaewon can’t even think about the song if he wants to.

it only comes drifting back into his consciousness at least a month of two having passed since champion’s american tour dates.

the day in itself isn’t anything special, if there is anything remarkable about it it’s the fact jaewon isn’t working for once. he’s just hanging around his and samsoo’s apartment, scrolling through whatever app on his phone keeps his attention for long enough.

until an article pops up.

it’s a news post about a rookie group he’s never heard of from a company he doesn’t know the name of, it has nothing to do with him, but he finds himself reading through it anyway. apparently, they got into an accident on their way home from schedules as they were being followed by saesangs. no one got injured and truly, it’s not the first time jaewon has read news like this but it does fill him with the same sense of anger as what he had experienced that first day in the states with champion.

because this type of news shouldn’t be common, for how long are people gonna pretend it is?

maybe he should finish that damn song.

wait does he even still have the lyrics?

jaewon vaguely remembers at the very least putting the sheet of paper in his backpack after the concert as he had been packing up to move to the next city of their tour but after that, he can’t say he recalls having seen it lay around.

he’s really ought to get more orderly with his drafts.

luckily for him, jaewon does find the sheet of paper, not in his bag but shoved in between the pages of a notebook and with the draft of his lyrics obtained he makes a beeline for his home studio. normally he’d do this stuff at the company headquarters but truly, that sounds like far too much work in the moment.

obviously, the song is meant to have an angry undertone to it, supposed to convey the same anger and frustration that swallowed jaewon whole as he had written the lyrics.

the deep, resonating boom of low brass sounds for the opening of the song are a no brainer, the sound gives a bombastic, ominous vibe, immediately setting the song off on the right note. it’s supposed to sound grande and honestly a little bit intimidating, a dark feeling creeping around the corners.

of course, the sound is far too theatrical to be underlaying to the entire song so jaewon alternates it with a deep, booming bassline, the brass only reappearing right before the chorus other than in the opening section as if to give off a warning. to fill up the verses and the parts in between, jaewon adds rumbling, deep drums in the background, making them feel less empty.

what really makes the song however is the rapidly-cycling electronic stuttering a rhythmic pattern across almost all parts of the song. it feels a little distracting at first before jaewon decides that really, that’s exactly what he’s going for. the melody feels just a little too fast, uncomfortably so and in a song reflecting so much stress and strain, that only feels fair, reflectives of the way his chest tightens up when he can’t breathe, when his hands tremble and his heart beats so fast it might as well make him sick.

jaewon thinks it conveys his frustrations pretty damn well.

---------------

it doesn’t seem in the books for the song to ever be released until the process of selecting songs for escapism comes along. while jaewon regains some of his creative freedom, most of it had been under dimensions terms, leaving it up to them to shape the album in a way they prefer over his creative vision.

until somewhere near the end of completing the track list, the head producer asks jaewon if he has any songs laying around that could fit in with the rest of the album.

‘agree’ is the first thing to come to mind.

the head producer seems to like the songs, enough to approve it at least and jaewon can’t help but feel a flare of pride. the producer seems intent on leaving the creative process in his hands, letting him handle the production.

it makes ‘agree’ the first song ever that’s entirely his own that he gets to release, it feels like a milestone to jaewon.

he does get a little list of suggestions, mainly pertaining to the lyrics. the producer leaves a few remarks here and there about where lines could be stronger, what he would do differently but all of it are very loose recommendations, jaewon isn’t actually under an obligation to do anything with them.

in the end, he does anyway, shuffles some lyrics around, dares to be a bit more assertive in his wording, right onto the border of what he would consider too gloat-y for himself. but the producer is right, it gets to pack a punch, it gets to be a little bit self-important. somehow having the external confirmation makes it easier to write those lyrics without feeling like a fraud. it’s still his, his writing, his song.

with the last tweaks done they’re quick to get to recording. they’re still on a time crunch as jaewon’s manager reminds him (jaewon likes the man well enough but dear lord would he never let him forget). it's one of the last songs on the album to be recorded after all and at this point, they are cutting it close.

with everything else he needs done, all jaewon has left to do is fine tune the song, the last tweaks and sounds to be added like missing puzzle pieces now he has the bigger picture pretty much laid out in front of him, polishing and detailing it to elevate the song worth of something to be released on an album.

the instrumental is already pretty hectic, fully intentional of course, but with a proper, clear recording it’s easier to spot the empty gaps, spaces to add the last finishing touches. he adds more brass, less grande and dramatic than the ones in the pre-chorus, curling around the edges of the chorus to round them up neatly and as if to scale down again for the verses, still fast paced but somewhat a breath of fresh air between one chorus and the other.

he delays the part at the opening before the brass and bass kick in, a silence before the storm feels even if the hyperactive stuttering beat is already there, he considers taking that out at first too but the point kind of is that it is more or less omnipresent, it’s always there even when there is nothing else much, like the anxiety that feels permanently stuck to his head.

there is also the addition of an extra melodic line, lingering behind that main, slightly headache inducing electronic synth. it doesn’t really stand out, especially not compared to it’s main competitor but it does remain prevalent in the few parts the main instrumental motif is nowhere to be found, giving it small moments to shine. it serves a clear function, or to jaewon listening ear at least (maybe he’s overanalyzing at this point). the little bounces of the electronic beat all over the place keep up the pace of the song, making sure its explosive nature prevails over the dark dreary undertones of the bassline and brass sections, giving it an overall dynamic feel.

it takes some fiddling, jaewon pulls something close to an all-nighter to finish up the song with the sheer amount of detail he ends up focussing on but by the time he sends it in, he has a good feeling about it at least.

when he presents the final product to the head producer, there are no more suggestions. it’s good, and it’s all his own work.

[eunahfmdarchive]

dancing cartoon - partial lyrics credit, partial composition credit, partial production credit.

date: january 2021. word count: 1,275, not including lyrics. 1. this is so bad, 2. my knowledge of music production terms is extremely rudimentary, but 3. i’m trying, ok this is 4am ramblings from a girl whose musical education is limited to singing lessons, i know my vocal ranges and that’s about it and uh 4. i am going to bed. edit: 5. will i ever not ramble holy shit calm down girlie (i’m girlie)

CW: mentions of alcohol.

the idea for dancing cartoon is planted during that damn cruise that the companies sent everyone on. truthfully, eunah had a rather decent time, holed up with her books for company either in her room or in the onboard library, but she’d still find a reason to complain about it -- like the fact that she’d had cameras thrust in her face at every opportunity, and to a lesser extent, being forced by social obligation and pressures to show her face at one too many parties. 

but, shockingly, she’d enjoyed herself, especially on new year’s eve. she relaxed for once. totally, fully relaxed. the idea of a party song wormed its way into her head the next morning, right next to the hangover induced headache. 

the idea wanders out of her mind again, until she’s sitting in a production studio with a producer she’s become particularly close with over the last year, fiddling around with different beats as they run after that spark that means they’ve got something special -- and then, over the uptempo, lighthearted beat they’d just loaded up, it hits her. it begs the question, how to make a party song, but keep it in line with the rather vague guidelines dimensions gave them of ‘light’, ‘thoughtful’, and ‘nostalgic’? on one hand, eunah’s glad they trust her with her solo music, but as they’re filling out the tracklist options, she’s anxious to submit as much good, actually listenable work as possible, just in case they take back their trust. she still hasn’t gotten a song on a 7rophy release since blow your mind, after all. 

with a starting point finally in hand, they turn to the melody. eunah goes back and forth for hours between the guitar she brought from home, and the keyboard provided with the room, singing nonsensically to pin down a tune, before she even thinks about the words. 

“i want it to be danceable, if you know what i mean?”

a nod.

“but, in, like, a,” as an example, rather than describing the vibe with words, eunah bops her head back and forth, accompanied by a weak raising of her arms, “like that. something ... oh, mellow. mellow. that’s the word.”

the vibe they ultimately settle on -- because vibes are an important component of any eunah song, probably too important -- is the feeling of standing at the edge of a party, catching someone’s eye, and the way it almost feels like the world closes in. the party becomes its own place, out of time, out of space. the track that they slowly build, one layer after another, aims to replicate that sensation. it has a retro feeling without feeling old fashioned. at least, eunah hopes it doesn’t.

“would it be cheesy if maybe, later on, we added in some party noises in the back of the track? like, voices and things -- or it could be at the start. at least. uh, maybe. or not.” she’s second guessing herself but they eventually come to the conclusion that, yeah, maybe it would be a little bit cheesy, but it would also contribute to the overall mood of the song.

dancing all the night i’m dancing like I’m crazy gonna forget about you today drink so much right? so sweet like soda pop, i can’t get drunk

lovesickness, the fleeting feelings for someone you see across a crowd that never looks back. eunah’s not usually one for one night stands or casual sex, but she’s felt this way before anyways, captivated by someone whose eyes look right through her. in eunah’s case, they usually can’t see her in the crowd. she’s too small, too unassumingly dressed. still, the party persists. drinks keep on flowing, and sometimes you don’t even feel them hit you, never realising just how drunk you are until later. but here, later doesn’t exist. the idea is to match the lyrics with the timelessness of the beat, and the placid multi generational appeal of the melodies starting to bounce off the walls around them. it’s somewhat twee, she thinks, and she almost feels like she’s writing down to herself, and underestimating the types of concepts she could potentially pull off. 

but, she’d argue, party girl is a lot different to artsy girl or emo girl, and it’s a concept she doesn’t feel confident enough to pull off without her members standing next to her. puzzle from mezzanine was very out of her comfort zone as a soloist, for example. and so, they stick to simple, formulaic sequences of notes, but eunah likes them nonetheless.

baby woo i’m so dizzy woo i’m leaning on you feel so high feel so good it’s like dancing cartoon tonight

dancing all the night drink so much right? it’s getting hotter i’m getting crazier tonight is perfect because there’s no tomorrow

the song starts to build up, becoming less of a sit and sway track, and more like a song eunah thinks she’d dance with her friends too if she was to get particularly drunk, clasping each others’ hands and spinning around. it fits the mood perfectly. it’s exactly what she was trying to convey with her original, embarrassing little chair dance. though, it sort of implies that the narrator managed to get with the guy, especially with the lyrics about kissing and falling in love that her partner amends into the final chorus, and that typical third act key change they implement. eunah doesn’t think she does get the guy though -- to her it feels more accurately that they’ve written a song about a girl at a party who dances the night away, getting absolutely sloshed, in an attempt to forget about the man that keeps showing up in her peripheral vision, but won’t spare her a second glance. it’s getting hotter and she’s getting crazier because her inhibitions are down thanks to all that too sweet alcohol she didn’t realise she was drinking. she’s dizzy, but she’s having fun, and the world around her has turned into a dancing cartoon. eunah draws a little squiggle under that line. a title like that might point to her real intentions behind the meaning of the song, even if it does admittedly just sound like a fairly tame crush ode. 

she repeats the line ‘tonight is perfect because there’s no tomorrow’ for the song’s final line, drawing a line under the enclosed singular world of the eternal party they’re throwing by way of the song. a lot of songs with this kind of sentiment, she thinks, have a lot more explicitly sexual connotations, and though there’s nothing wrong with that, eunah quite enjoys her personal, more dreamlike angle. 

they layer up her vocals during the choruses and pre-choruses, but allow the high note that beckons in the bridge to speak for itself, before the voices and party sounds from the fade in intro come back in, in an attempt to suck the listener into the cartoonish party world that the song exists in. the instrumental by itself has that nostalgic vibe that dimensions said they were looking for, for sure. it’s a good song for relaxing, eunah thinks, when she listens back to the finished project. a good song for dancing too, like she intended, but somehow it turned out as less of a song to play at a party, and more so a song to listen to while imagining you’re at a party.

oh well. introverted as she is, that works too. it’s probably more fitting for her. after all, most of the time she spends at parties is against the wall. save for new year’s eve, eunah really doesn’t have much experience with dancing and drinking all night. all that’s left to do is submit it, and hope that the company don’t call her out. even if the song is a finished project, with a start and end, even if she likes it, eunah knows that its instrumentals and lyrics are derivative of countless other pop songs -- brimming with potential to get lost in the crowd.

[marshmallowgoop]

Doing yearly writing reviews isn’t really a thing. But once you start doing ‘em, it doesn’t feel right to stop, you know?

Seeing progress in other arts is of course a lot easier than seeing progress in writing, but I think there is some forward movement for me, especially when I also consider my compilations from 2017 and 2018.

In regards to 2019, I’ve selected various kinds of writing for this post: analytical essays, opinion pieces, news articles, creative fiction, and maybe some works that can’t be categorized so easily, too. It was a very difficult year on many fronts; I dealt with job struggles, financial insecurity, destroyed relationships, medical hardships, seemingly endless cyberstalking and online harassment. 

But there were good things, too. New friendships. New passions. New outlooks. I feel like I’ve learned and grown a lot more in these past couple of months than I have in a long, long time.

The end of 2019 is more than just the end of one year. It’s also the end of a decade. But I think the best advice I’ve received all decade comes from this year:

✄ Sometimes, you have to say yes to saying no.

✄ If you can’t do something well, do something poorly!

✄ The best option may be to simply not engage.

✄ You don’t have to apologize for disappointing others.

✄ Your worth isn’t measured by how much you “accomplish.”

✄ You have rights: the right to have your needs and wants respected, the right to make mistakes, the right to determine your own priorities, the right to not be responsible for the actions or problems of others, the right to express yourself, the right to be human. It’s not selfish or narcissistic to stand up for your rights.

And, since it is the end of the decade and all, here’s also a comparison between one nerdy fandom essay from August 2010 and another from August 2019:

2010 (with added spaces because yes, this really was just a huge block of text originally):

Also, in my own opinion, nobody really gave a damn for Xion all that much save for Roxas. I mean, yeah, Axel cared a little, but in the end, he got totally mad at her, got mad any time she was mentioned, got mad whenever Roxas worried about her, got mad when she showed up at the clock tower. She was his friend, yeah, and he didn’t want her to go, but in the end, he would have chosen Roxas above her anytime.

The other “mean villains” didn’t really care. Luxord didn’t care, Demyx didn’t care, Xaldin got exasperated once at her, but overall didn’t care, Xigbar didn’t care, Xemnas outright said he didn’t care, Saix was rather cruel to her, but really, in the end, he didn’t give a damn for her. The others weren’t around long enough to have an impression on her. I think even Riku didn’t really care all that much for her, in all honesty. He just wanted his best friend back.  

Also, you have to keep in mind that we played the game through Roxas’ perspective, and it’s in my personal belief that he fell in love with Xion. And if you’re in love with someone, when she gets into a coma, or goes missing, or ignores you, you’re gonna be upset, and talk about it. So Roxas did. 

But you know, he doesn’t actually do a lot of it until the end of the game. Before that, it’s all about the THREE of them. He loves his friends (even if he doesn’t know it), and he wants them to be together forever, but when Xion goes missing or whatnot and they can’t ALL have ice cream together, he gets upset.

2019: 

I’ve written more on the subject here, but to keep it short, Ryuko only tries to take Nui’s life when she’s convinced herself that she’s a monster, and her development is less about her becoming less okay with killing people and more about how she won’t let her anger and rage control her. What makes Ryuko’s attitude so different in the end isn’t that she’s reconsidered her thoughts on murder but that she’s composed. Come episode 22, Ryuko ain’t saying that she’s gonna kill anyone to sound tough or to intimidate. She keeps her cool even against her worst enemies.

But that’s just what I think! Maybe I’ve interpreted the character all wrong. But Ryuko’s freak-out after she goes berserk and hurts others in episode 12, her devotion to defending even people she’s just met… I just struggle to see her as someone who’s actually a-okay with killing. The fact that Ryuko’s perfect fantasy in episode 20 depicts her as a sweet girl without any of the violent tendencies that she has in reality also points this way; not to mention, Ryuko outright admits that her picking fights and causing trouble are bad things when remarking on her childhood in episode 8.

And Ryuko? She doesn’t want to be bad. All the poor girl’s ever wanted is love, and I can’t imagine she’d ever think that getting angry and killing people would get her a lot of that.

Progress may be slow, but it does happen.

At least, I think so.

Image Texts

January 2019

And personally? I find that sweetness just absolutely, utterly charming. When I understood what the rap was trying to communicate, I couldn’t imagine listening to the song without it. Heck, even before I understood, I found the “without rap” edits empty and barren. No matter how “silly” the lyrics might come off, the unabashed cheese is fantastic. The rap section that I was once “meh” about legitimately became my favorite part of the song.

Plus, I really can’t stress enough how sad the song is when it’s purely Ryuko. The official [nZk] remix replaces Senketsu’s rap with a reprise of Ryuko’s first verse, which recounts how she and Senketsu met. And it’s tragic! She says, “But I’m all alone,” and she is. Senketsu isn’t singing with her, no matter her claim that she can hear his voice. Considering what happens to Senketsu in the end, his absence in the song hits even harder.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/182361051017/oomoj-marshmallowgoop-the-rap-is-good

February 2019

The focus then shifts away from Ragyo, but Kill la Kill ain’t at all done with building the audience up yet. As the scene moves to the following day, viewers are met with quick, close-up shots of Uzu’s note to Ryuko, timed right to the beat of “Blumenkranz.” Uzu wants to duel, and we soon get to see his full request in an engaging low-angle shot where Ryuko looks up to this sign looming over her. The weight and gravity of the situation is effectively conveyed: the smooth transition from Ragyo to here, as well as the music and shot composition, let us know in no indirect terms that this fight isn’t something to be brushed off. Uzu’s duel is a big deal, and it’s very much connected to Ragyo’s expansive empire.

And the tension just keeps growing. Ryuko’s reaction to Uzu’s note is presented with a dramatic canted, high-angle shot. The camera—which is just slightly tilted—peers down at both Ryuko and the sign, communicating a sense of danger and unease. Viewers already know that the upcoming battle is important, but here, we also understand that it’s not going to be easy.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/182841724817/all-the-discussion-around-episode-6-of-kill-la

March 2019

Kill la Kill the Game: IF is currently being featured at the 2019 Game Developers Conference that runs until March 22nd in San Francisco, and a flurry of new gameplay videos are now available for viewing. Notably, these videos feature full English subtitles for the character dialogue for the first time since EVO 2018 last year and never-before-seen stages, such as what seems to be the Fiber Castle in the Kiryuin Manor.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/183766224117/kill-la-kill-the-game-if-gameplay-footage-from

April 2019

I mean, Kill la Kill ended over five years ago now. There’s been fairly minimal new content ever since—an OVA in September of 2014, a few pieces of merchandise here and there, a small crossover with Grand Summoners last year. And then, not even 11 months ago, out of seemingly nowhere, there was confirmation for a full-blown Kill la Kill video game. That we now know will be released in just 14 weeks!

Lots of jokes were made about the announcement for a game so many years after the series finale, but, like, seriously, as a longtime Kill la Kill fan, it’s hard to wrap my head around. Ever since the show ended, I’ve dedicated over half a million words to writing about it, spent tens of thousands of yen on books and Blu-rays and CDs, devoted nearly 60 GB to my own GIFs and edits. I’ve loved this thing to death. I’ve always found more and more that I want to write and create from this series, but I never really imagined nor expected that we’d ever get much more official content from the original creators themselves. And now we are getting so much more, and???

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/184228103137/kill-la-kill-the-game-if-releases-on-july-25th-in

May 2019

Kiznaiver: Oh, I was so excited to love this show! I was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of the first two episodes, and I was totally hooked. It was drop-dead gorgeous—and probably the prettiest series Trigger has ever put out—and I was very intrigued by the plot and characters. I remember just coming back to my hotel room at like 3:00 am after the premiere, utterly filled with excitement. I mean, Kiznaiver  was directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi, the episode director behind the two episodes that got me hooked on Kill la Kill (episodes 5 and 18)!

But… my excitement quickly died. The story tried to develop way too many characters in way too little time, and I never enjoyed the romantic pairing of Katsuhira and Noriko, finding it shallow, undeveloped, and nonsensical (in a bad way), which… kind of ruins a lot of the series when that’s arguably the heart of the whole thing.

Kiznaiver is still super, super pretty, though. That last episode’s animation got me shook.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/184700944732/so-have-you-watched-the-other-stuff-studio-trigger

June 2019

I do recognize that many, many matters do not warrant conversation. I do recognize that the phrase “I’m just trying to have a conversation” can be—and has been—utilized as a means of directing criticism away from inflammatory, unacceptable, inhumane remarks. I in no way feel that hateful, discriminatory comments should be promoted.

Simultaneously, however, “conversation” should not automatically be a dirty word in the field of analyzing and seriously engaging with fiction, and thoughtful reactions should be supported and striven for. Nothing in fiction is ever black and white. There are so many nuances and complexities to the storybook realities of our media. I want commentators and critics of fiction to be passionate about listening, considering, and rethinking those nuances and complexities. Isn’t that why we do this work at all? To share our own point of view and open ourselves up to others?

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/185289615202/we-need-to-change-the-way-we-seriously-discuss

July 2019

Initially, I was really bummed by this lack of development. But as I thought about things more, I… didn’t mind so much. If this dream or universe or whatever is something that Satsuki “experiences” before the events of the anime, of course she won’t grow as a character here. Maybe this game is kind of the Kill la Kill prequel I’ve been begging for for over half a decade.

And as much as I didn’t get anything, I thought the ending bits between Ryuko and Satsuki were so good.

Like, I suppose Ryuko’s absorbing the Life Fibers or something?? But wow, pretty.

And the part where they talk before Satsuki disappears? That’s my kinda anime bullshit. It’s the kinda anime bullshit I wanted from the OVA between Ryuko and Senketsu.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/186648065467/goop-plays-kill-la-kill-the-game-if-satsuki

August 2019

That book, Log. 2, is a fan doujin from Kotaro Nakamori, who worked as an animator and animation director in Kill la Kill. There’s a bunch of assorted fanart in there, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Nakamori is a fan of Urusei Yatsura and wanted to make a little crossover between that series and Kill la Kill.

Personally, though, as someone not too familiar with Urusei Yatsura, I kinda just saw the image as oni-Satsuki (with oni being demon/ogre-like creatures in Japanese folklore). Oni are traditionally depicted wearing tiger skin loincloths, and Lum herself is definitely basically a space oni. So, I saw the cover and got super excited about oni-Satsuki because I love oni a lot, haha.

Fun fact: character designer Sushio has also drawn Kill la Kill characters as oni for setsubun, a celebration that’s held on the last day of winter (February 3rd). During setsubun, you might see folks dressed up like oni—who get beans thrown at them in an effort to bring in good luck and chase naughty demons away.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/187228888187/do-i-see-satsuki-wearing-lums-outfit-in-your-last

September 2019

Though I don’t see it much anymore, I remember lots of comparisons between Ragyo and the villains of Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. She was described as a generic, two-dimensional “evilz for the sake of evilz” baddie and criticized for her simplicity.

And though I did admittedly agree to an extent—I craved a lot more depth and insight, particularly in regards to her haunting line about “still having something of a human heart” whilst brutally attacking her own daughter in the final episode—I also found Ragyo to be a remarkably compelling, powerful, and horrifying villain even without tons of backstory and explanation. Perhaps my write-up on her first scene in episode 6 best details why; this woman has such a presence, and the visual language of the series amplifies that presence spectacularly. Ragyo’s intimidating and scary without the audience even needing to know anything about her.

And… I’d say that’s a good villain. That’s exactly what a villain should do.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/187987858537/on-ragyo-kiryuin

October 2019

And, though there are no visuals, so I can’t be sure if it’s an “Ocean of Light” or not, the fourth Drama CD also has the same kinda deal happening. In the CD—which takes place immediately after Ryuko learns the truth of her origins—Ryuko’s pain manifests as an explosion of light that knocks both her and Senketsu unconscious and pushes Senketsu away from her. The sound effect here is familiar, and I’m personally convinced that this is another “Ocean of Light” moment.

Which brings me to the “light” part of the terminology. Light is often associated with good, yes, but light is also associated with heat, and heat is associated with pain. In the Drama CD, Ryuko’s light is so hot that Nui even remarks that Senketsu “almost burned” from it, and when Mako embraces Ryuko after swimming through her “Ocean of Light” in episode 12, Ryuko’s touch scorches Mako’s skin.

I’ve already written an essay on the symbolic and narrative use of fire, warmth, and heat in Kill la Kill (that you should totally read because it’s actually maybe Kinda Good, Maybe), and relating to that, I see the “Ocean of Light” as a physical representation of Ryuko’s fiery spirit. That fire can be used for good, and that fire can also be painful, but no matter what, that fire is a part of Ryuko.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/188247077227/i-always-wanted-some-explanation-you-are-smart

November 2019

She looks around her cottage. Her eyes find the walls and the furnishings. Her eyes find the scratched floors and stained wood. She does not voice it to the once-emperor, but she had never been able to remove the stains from the attack. Her son's blood has painted the brown wood red. It is a reminder of what she cannot remember. It is a reminder of the past she has forgotten.  

“This home feels so desperately lonely,” she admits. “I do not know who is missing. But it is not complete.”  

The man is quiet. He did not expect to find himself feeling sympathy for the woman's plight. Perhaps she is a fool, to have given her heart to a demon. But kindness ought not be punished, he thinks. Or has he grown so cold that he believes it should be?  

December 2019

🏀 Michiru and Shirou’s relationship may be the focus, but Nakashima emphasizes that Michiru’s relationship with Nazuna is also involved in the story in a big way.

🏀 Nakashima stresses the importance of depicting teen girls realistically. Two women screenwriters are on board: Kimiko Ueno and Nanami Higuchi. Both wrote for Little Witch Academia. Ueno also wrote for Space Patrol Luluco, and Higuchi was behind the production reports in Trigger Magazine (and, interestingly, wrote the script for the anime adaptation of BEASTARS).

🏀In regards to Michiru and Nazuna’s relationship, producer Naoko Tsutsumi (also an animation producer for Kiznaiver and Little Witch Academia) provides input as well. Nakashima says that they greatly value and take to heart the opinions of the women creators.

Full post: https://marshmallowgoop.tumblr.com/post/189928986922/otomedia-winter-2020-bna-brand-new-animal

[somethingabouttech]

How to design a business card

What is business card?

A business card is a small, printed, usually credit-card-sized paper card that holds your business details, such as name, contact details and brand logo. Your business card design is an essential part of your branding and should act as a visual extension of your brand design.

In this guide, we’ll run through everything you need to know about business card design so you can tell your designer exactly what you want. Business cards should above all be personal, so this guide explains what your options are for the card that’s most… you.

To start…

Whether you’re an individual freelancer, founder of a young startup, or part of an established enterprise, there are two crucial design components you need finalized before you even begin thinking of business cards:

Finished logo

Brand color scheme

Logos and color schemes are the two most important visual choices for branding. Not only will these elements play a big part in creating your business card, they’ll also help influence other areas like layout and identity.

We don’t have time to do these topics justice here, but refer to our previous guides:

How to design a logo;

Branding colors: everything you need to choose your brand’s perfect pigments

How to design a business card in 6 steps1. Choose your shape;

If you’ve already decided on a traditional rectangular business card, you can skip ahead to the second step. If, however, you want to learn about all your options, even outside-the-box strategies, keep reading.

As printing techniques grow more advanced and affordable, professionals have more room to explore alternative shapes. The printing technique of die-cutting allows you to cut out any shape you want and still print in bulk. On the conservative end of the spectrum, you could simply round the corners for a friendlier business card. But if you really want to be playful or stand-out, you can use virtually any shape: animal mascots, outlines of products your sell, or a shape that’s wholly original.

You can even build your entire business card theme around clever cutting. Cireson’s business card design uses shape to really highlight the employee picture, giving them a more personable and therefore approachable feel.

Whether or not to use creative shapes depends on the image you want to convey. Special shapes make you seem more fun and help you make an impression, but can have an adverse effect on more formal industries. You’ll also want to keep in mind logistics, such as how the card fits in a wallet.

2.Find the right typeface;

If there’s a font you’ve been using on your website or other marketing materials, bring that into your business card. The font you choose should represent your brand — maybe an elegant script if you’re an etiquette coach, or typewriter-inspired font if you’re a writer — and be easy to read. All of your text should be at least 8 pts., but more important information (like your name or business name) can be printed in larger size, a different typeface, or in bold.

Tristan’s recommendation? “A good rule of thumb is to make the company name larger than a 12pt font, and never use any font sizes smaller than 8pt.”

3.Organize your information;

Speaking of information…your business card should give customers everything they need to contact you, find you online, or locate your storefront. Aside from your name and job title, add your business name, telephone number, website, email address, and social media handles. Make sure you include all of this information on your business card so customers can easily contact you the way they feel most comfortable.

When you’re adding your information to your business card template, consider the way you lay it out. Each piece of info should be clearly distinguishable, but flow nicely with one another. A good visual flow for a business card design should start with the logo, then the name, then move on to secondary information like email addresses and phone numbers. You can always alter the visual flow by adjusting an element’s size, shifting its location, or adding additional white space.

4.Do double duty;

Make your business card work twice as hard for you and your small business. Use the reverse side for appointment reminders, loyalty stamps, or as a blank canvas to showcase something about your business. For example, if you run a restaurant or cocktail bar, include a short recipe for a signature dish or drink. Do you sell handmade goods? Use business cards as tags for jewelry, clothing, accessories, and other crafts.

Another way to make your business card stick is by turning it into a magnet. This technique works particularly well for businesses offering recurring services like plumbing, gardening, pet sitting, hairdressing, car services, restaurants, and more. Customers will stick them on their refrigerators for easy, top-of-mind access to your contact information.

The options for repurposing your business card are endless…and can ensure your card gets further, lasts longer, and makes a stronger impression.

5.Add something special;

According to Tristan, “special finishes can go a long way in making a lasting impression on potential customers, partners, and clients.”

One easy way to make your card stand out is to add an unusual design element or special print treatment. Foil accents add a touch of sophisticated shine, while embossed gloss creates a raised, glossy coating, giving your cards a hard-to-forget 3D feel.

Paper stock is another way to add something special to your business card. Extra-thick paper adds an instantly luxurious touch, while recycled craft paper lends an organic feel.

Make sure these special features are appropriate for your branding — if you’re in a less glamorous line of work, it might feel odd to add a shimmery foil accent to your business card.

Consider special finishes

Now that you’re reaching the final stretch, it’s time to start considering printers — especially in terms of what they can offer. Certain printers offer special finishes that can go a long way in making a lasting impression. See if any of these “special effects” can benefit your business card design strategy.

Embossing. This technique creates three-dimensional reliefs, making certain areas “pop out.” Like spot UV coating, you can use it to draw attention to specific aspects of your card, even words.

Letterpressing. Rather than raising the paper, letterpress printing pushes the paper down while inking it. The result is something like an engravement, typically with special ink to draw further attention. Especially useful for letters, giving your words a heightened gravitas.

Foil stamping. If you want something shiny and reflective like tin foil, you can apply foil stamping to images or even just parts of images. This also works for accenting text, if you’ve chosen a bold enough typeface.

Spot UV coating. A lot of cards have a sleek varnish to create a sheen and smooth texture. Spot UV coating is the same thing, except only applied to certain areas. That means you can apply a gloss on only your logo, specific graphics, or even a word or phrase. Use it when you want to accent certain areas over others, but be mindful of how it affects the overall composition when only a portion is shiny.

[shijinpunnaykaljoseph]

#Blog Post 7. THE SOUND OF SILENCE

                        “Listen to silence. It has so much to say.”

                                         -         Rumi

 The ability to illustrate what is missing is what makes silence so powerful; his presence reveals what is not. Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the production of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves or the state of no longer making sounds; this latter sense may be applied to the cessation or absence of any form of communication, whether through speech or any other means. In music and film silence is more than this.  Like I have mentioned a quote said by Rumi (Persian poet, a Sufi mystic and an Islamic dervish), silence have so much to say, to express and to convey us the untold. Silence is not only important to film and music but also it has more benefits our daily life. It has the power to remove our stress and pressure and it balance our natural rhythms and brings our spirit, mind and body in harmony.

 Use of silence in films

Obviously, the visual components of a film are integral to filmmaking; the images that characterise our medium enable us to see the narrative unfolding. Cinema is also a medium of sound, however, and how we use the audible elements will change dramatically how our audiences react to our storeys. Because filmmakers essentially create a movie out of nothing, gathering raw footage, sound effects, dialogue and music to shape a visual storey, it may be hard to recognise that what we don't put into a film is just as important as what we put into it. Contemporary films do not use the same discipline or approach when it comes to using sound in films, particularly action films. Sure, their sound design is meant to stimulate the heart of the audience and rush their adrenaline, and that's absolutely fine. Music and sound are always part of movies. Even in the silent era of film, where there was no audio engineering in cinema yet, there were loud films. There was always noise, either through orchestras playing with the film, sound effects created by someone behind the camera, or even through actors reciting dialogue. When technology for synchronised sound was introduced in film, different sound production techniques and their subsequent effects grew rapidly. In today's movies, some kind of sound (music, dialogue, or other) is almost expected to happen, even if the viewer doesn't listen to it. The use of silence becomes a conscious decision by the director as sound becomes synonymous with film, and as audio technology continues to develop. Silence is always audible in the movies. Even if the audience doesn't realise there's music playing in the background, everybody realises when that music suddenly cuts out. Using silence as a form of emphasis can be seen in many Martin Scorsese’s film. The sound cuts out in the battle between Jake Lamotta and Sugar Ray Robinson in Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980), as Jake taunts Sugar Ray to beat him up. There's a cavernous silence at the two-minute mark of the scene, the taunts of the crowd are gone. It's all about Sugar Ray and Jake preparing for what's going to happen. That system is pretty widespread — whenever we see someone clocking in a film's face, we expect to hear the deafening silence coupled with a slight ring to suggest that, yes, you're a doozy guy. But here the use of silence touches on several ways that how silence can add to narrative, as well as the atmosphere and tone of the film.  For Scorsese, sound is not just a secondary instrument, but rather a tool for creating thematic and situational complexity, such as how violence in the ring of Raging Bull is an extension of domestic violence.  This does not mean that movies are inherently better with more quiet than others.

 The absence of non-diegetic composition may give your sequences an extra level of "reality." The emphasis on brutal actions, such as car crashes or gun shots, seems more abrupt, and these sequences hang longer in the air as the audience lingers with the echoes throughout a scene or film. Silence can also be effective when it transmits a character's internal isolation. Sometimes we don’t want to say anything, silence speaks it all.  

 Use of silence in music

It is just as important to know when to play notes and fill a void or when to lay back as to play the right notes. Using silence for very brief (less than a few beats) or longer (measure after measure) will have an effect on the listener. It can bring emphasis to what other devices are doing as the notes are more excellent. The parts played by the others move forward in the listener's ears when one band member steps back from playing. A few quiet beats will lift the anticipation of a listener as to what is about to come. Silence is used in this way, generating suspense. If you see this in terms of stress and release, if it follows a word, silence will relieve tension, but it also creates suspense as the listener is waiting for the next sentence. The length of silence, the distance between silence periods, and the degree of silence (how many band members were quiet in the same period) all have an influence on the listener. Such results affect the perception of the listener. Understanding when and how much silence to use is part of listening, one of any musician's key skills. Great artists have perfect techniques, but they also know how to use silence as part of this. The tonal context leading up to the pause has significant effects on the degree of musical tension felt during the pause by the participants. The tonal context leading up to the pause has significant effects on the degree of musical tension felt during the pause by the participants. And all of the study participants are non-musicians, indicating that the opportunity to witness these results does not require a clear knowledge of the musical wizardry behind the curtain. A skilled artist will pause strategically to influence the listener in different ways, and a skilled performer will welcome a silence, using it as a metaphor for a range of emotions from longing to rage, fear to peace. Silence is a sound when it is used successfully.

 References

 1.      ALDREDGE, J. (2017). Understanding the Importance of Silence in Filmmaking. [online] The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. Available at: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/importance-silence-filmmaking-projects/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

2.      Bruun, P. (2015). Silence the Silence. Making Sense of Music Beyond Consumption and Contemplation. [Online] Journals.openedition.org. Available at: https://journals.openedition.org/signata/1111 [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

3.      Classic FM. (2017). The most crushing, perfectly placed silences in classical music. [online] Available at:  https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/best-silences-in-music/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

4.      Deconstruction-in-music.com. (n.d.). Silence and/in Music. [Online] Available at: http://www.deconstruction-in-music.com/proefschrift/300_john_cage/311_silence_and_music/silence_and_music.htm [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

5.      Harriott, M. (2017). It's Quiet...Too Quiet.... [Online] Entertainment Creative Group. Available at: https://www.ecgprod.com/silence-and-why-its-important-in-film/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

6.      Jazz, A. (2005). The Role of Silence in Music. [Online] All About Jazz. Available at: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-role-of-silence-in-music-by-aaj-staff.php [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019]

7.      Raging bull sugar ray. (2018). [image] Available at: http://achyutktelangblogspots.blogspot.com/2014/03/acidemic-best-films-of-1980s.html [Accessed 17 Nov. 2019].

8.      Raging bull. (2019). [image] Available at: https://www.europapress.es/cultura/cine-00128/noticia-robert-niro-cumple-73-anos-10-personajes-le-convirtieron-mito-20160817134833.html [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

9.      Renée, V. (2014). The Sound of Silence: How You Can Use Silence to Tell Better Stories. [Online] No Film School. Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/2014/06/use-silence-to-tell-better-stories-martin-scorsese [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

10.  Soundsnap Blog. (2016). Why Filmmakers Use Silence. [Online] Available at: https://blog.soundsnap.com/2016/09/01/why-filmmakers-use-silence/ [Accessed 19 Nov. 2019].

[fmdtaeyongarchive]

↬ my long night is not over.

date: early 2019.

location: seoul, south korea.

word count: 2,019 words, not including lyrics.

summary: n/a.

notes: creative claims verification. depression tw. like, this entire thing is about ash’s depression. not proofread because i wrote this all in one night and i’m just throwing it into the queue before i get some sleep lmao.

days off didn’t come often. when they did, ash had a habit of finding some way to fill his time anyway. it had been trained into him, almost literally, not to let a spare moment go to waste since the age of thirteen, and it was hard to ever fully knock that insistent voice out of his head that told him he needed to be busy or he was wasting his life away.

a day off where he didn’t have plans to do any work was unsettling. he’d been laying in bed for hours in an attempt to feel relaxed, but he couldn’t stop his mind racing when there was nothing else to keep it busy. yet, he couldn’t seem to will himself up to do something to waste his time. it was as if his thoughts were weighing down on his chest and preventing him from rising out of bed and forcing himself out into the world like a useful human being. he could recognize, despite his own irrational need for action, that it was odd that he felt his value so intrinsically linked to whether he ended the day with something accomplished when he worked from before sunrise to after night fall every other day of the year. his skin itched with restlessness, but his limbs refused to move, like they were too heavy for his body to lift.

it wasn’t a physical weight. he wouldn’t be getting torn to pieces at the next fitting he had to go to. it was a purely emotional weight, and ash had felt it before. it had been a while since it’d been this hard to fight, though. it may have something to do with his promotions for “untitled, 2014” coming to an end. singing that song on stage every day, multiple times a day, had worn his emotional nerve endings ragged and it made sense that they didn’t want to be exposed to the elements outside of his bed that could fray them again. it’d been a risky move on his part to agree to beat himself up in front of an audience and on camera so consistently. he didn’t have any regrets about it, but some hidden part of his psyche must and it was punishing him even more now by setting off the other parts of his psyche that he didn’t want to venture into the dark and cavernous depths of.

years ago, these episodes of heaviness hadn’t come like this to weigh down on his chest and mind. back in elementary school, he couldn’t remember ever experiencing the feeling, at least not enough to stay in his mind a decade and a half later. as much as he’d like to blame it on bc as he did most of the problems in his life, he couldn’t draw a direct connection to them to make it a fault of theirs either. he hadn’t started feeling this way the day he’d stepped into bc entertainment as a trainee. it wasn’t something in the air of the training building that had done this to him. the times he’d felt it the most often had been since then, but something told ash it would have grown worse as he got older anyway. no longer seeing the world through the eyes of a child was an inevitability regardless of his career path and seeing the harsh scope of reality made it harder to want to crawl out when he was stuck in a ditch like this.

the first time he’d felt this way, he’d been grocery shopping with his mom back in san francisco. his mom was busy piling their items onto the belt to check out and ash’s mind was left without something to distract it and keep the clouds from sweeping in. a feeling of dread had expanded in his chest like a rapidly filling balloon. as vast and wide as the feeling seemed to be, his insides felt completely and utterly empty at the same time. he’d sat in the backseat of the car on his way home from the grocery store so his mom wouldn’t notice the hot tears that wanted to spill out of his eyes. he couldn’t figure out why they were there in the first place. he wasn’t sad and it didn’t feel like it normally did when he wanted to cry. he was numb. suddenly, hopelessness was the only emotion he could reach out and grasp in his palm, all the excitement of life killed on impact like insects on a car windshield. even the idea of exiting the vehicle instead of letting his body rot away within it had felt so utterly pointless. his body would rot somewhere some day anyway.

it’d been such a strong feeling, or rather, a lack of feeling, that ash had never forgotten that day.

the sensation had come back time and time again since then. when he was twenty and the feeling had been constant for months to the point of driving his manager to force him to seek help for it, a psychiatrist had assigned a name to it and ash had wondered why it had taken so long for someone to notice and label it. it explained a lot, ash had discovered when he’d done a search into it beyond what he knew from media. the antidepressants had helped some after trying out a few different options. it was walking a delicate tightrope of what he needed and what bc needed once management knew he was on medication. if he gained weight from it or it impacted his ability to perform, it’d need to be abandoned immediately. that had made it a challenge to find one that helped without unacceptable side effects, but ash had found a variety that worked well enough as time dragged on and the fact that the feeling wasn’t ever going to fully leave him alone sunk in.

no medication could stop him from having days like this completely. “they can’t cure you. they’re to help make it more manageable,” as he’d been told, and any optimism for such days to be in the past had vanished.

so why was it still so painfully unmanageable on days like this?

_______________________________________________________________________

days passed before ash felt up to getting to work in the studio, and even once he did, he had to force himself to ease back into it. the weight never wanted to leave that easily, even after it’d dug its claws out of him enough to let him breathe. friends and colleagues dropped by the studio here and there and it wasn’t easy to smile all the way to his eyes just yet, especially not after long days of trying to do his best at public appearances, but he could press keys on a keyboard to create chords and that was something that could be celebrated as a small victory as long as he wasn’t faced with too much at once.

the simple piano melody came to him as he sat for hours in the studio. it was mostly a succession of chords and nothing too show-offy, but it wouldn’t fit his mood if he did show off. he didn’t feel like he had a few days earlier, but still, he felt like whispering, not shouting from the hilltops. there was no point in trying to write something upbeat when his brain wasn’t ready to expend the energy necessary to go there yet.

the next day, the strings came into the composition. he made a mental note to ask if bc would be able to provide him with real string recordings if the song was ever completed and given the green light for release. he couldn’t see it ever being a single as it was, without a climax or likely much of anything resembling a hook, but maybe it’d be nice to use somewhere in the middle of an album track list one day in a spot that called for something a bit delicate in its closeness to ash’s heart.

the composition wasn’t much, but it was nice on the ears even without vocals. he let the song exist in a purely instrumental form for a while, considering its use as an interlude or outro on a future album. it was cinematic in an understated way, like the score of an animated movie during the scene where the main character was reflecting. they’d be staring into a pool of water for heavy-handed metaphor and there would be fireflies dancing in the dark night around them as a symbol of hope. there wasn’t much hope in his heart writing the song, but the idea of that use of the track brought a dull smile to ash’s face nonetheless. he’d never considered composing scores for movies. he should give that a try one day.

_______________________________________________________________________

he came back to the track several weeks later, with pages of lyrical scrawls he’d gotten out while busy with his work schedule. for the moment, his chest wasn’t so leaden, but it was too familiar and lasting a feeling for him to forget what his really bad lows were like just because they’d passed for the moment. 

the world keeps rotating. it’s getting dark alone. my blank mind. there’s no song i want to sing. i want it to be quiet now.

simple rhymes came together into verses and a chorus to be sung lethargically over the music. he’d record his vocals later on when he could decide the best delivery without faking his emotions, but in their content alone, there was a tone to how they should be sung. 

the lyrics were a mix of reworded thoughts he’d scribbled down and his own additions as he sat in the studio but they came together like an aimless stream of conscious, perfect to represent the headspace he wanted to convey. it was the closest he could get to writing them when he wasn’t able to. he wasn’t able to pull himself out of the pitch black dark for the sake of creating something, but he could put into words what he’d felt later. they weren’t beautifully poetic, but neither was life most of the time. simplicity didn’t have to mean an absence of meaning. ash had learned that.

he’d written similar songs before. off of his first album, “pause” had been near and dear to his heart for the way it bared parts of him he’d been expected to keep hidden. he had no idea how much the depth of his struggles had been received, but it was having it out in the world that made it cathartic more than how other people felt about it. this track could hopefully bring more peace to him in knowing that some songs could come purely from his heart in a raw way that bc entertainment couldn’t take away from him. if they ever approved it, they’d monetize it and slap a pretty album cover on it with ash smiling or seducing the camera, but that would never take away the truth within the songs he’d written from such an integral core of himself. 

when ash had started, he wasn’t so sure what he wanted to accomplish with the song. was his purpose merely to get his thoughts and feelings out onto paper so that they didn’t have to keep floating around in his head? or did he want to selfishly indulge himself by using his keyboard and paper in place of therapy he didn’t have time for in his schedule these days? it hadn’t been clear at the beginning, but once the words were written out in front of him like a poem, he realized that he hoped his own stream of consciousness would be something someone else could relate to. maybe it wouldn’t be the song to save anyone’s life or brighten their whole day, but there were times when knowing there were other people who had felt the same way was the only semblance of comfort that could be found. ash hoped he could be that. no matter how much his music had to become something else to please other people, he hoped this piece could be something else: a song not to please anyone, but to speak to someone like him.

[cyabae]

Bedtime Stories Against the World - Day 14

Day 14: Free day! | The Last Day

Words: 1570

This is it, my final drabble for @kakaobiweek2019 ! It’s been so much fun and I’m kinda sad that this is over.. :’) A huge thank you @withyourrhythm for arranging this, these two weeks have been truly blessed. Also, thanks for fellows participants, the fanart has been so amazing and I have loads and loads of nice looking fics to read during the weekend!

Anyway, this is my good bye & good night as well!

>> AO3 <<

Kakashi opens his eyes.

He feels strangely calm. That’s pretty common for people who are about to die. Kakashi has seen his fair share of death, and he’s been ready to face his own for so long. The floating sensation could suggest that it’s already over but there’s also a sense of nausea caused by a number of conditions including hypoxia and the adrenaline wearing off.

At first, the world seems blurry but the Sharingan can see someone’s chakra. It’s nothing like Kakashi has ever seen before. The flow of it is irregular and the composition seems weird as well. There‘s not much of it.

“So, you woke up after all,” a raspy voice says. The source of it is close by.

It takes a while before Kakashi recognizes the speaker. Sure, he’s heard Obito speaking many times whilst dreaming but the sweet delusions have always lacked the bitter tone that’s present now. Memories from the past lifetimes start to come back.

Kakashi has been happy with Obito for centuries, maybe even more.

And there they are, looking into each other’s eyes, acknowledging that they haven’t even had a chance to be friends.

“Is this your punishment?” Kakashi asks. “Letting me live?” he can’t tell how Obito has managed to do it.

That must’ve taken so much chakra.

“No,” Obito replies. His silhouette is getting much clearer now that the worst dizziness has faded away. He has many human features left. Two hands and two feet but also horns and tails. The dark hair has become white. And even though the Earth has become a pretty dim place, Obito’s skin has a cold, pale undertone. It’s very prominent, especially given how it can be noticed in such circumstances.

The only two sources of light are the crimson moon and the sun that has become a red dwarf. Otherwise, the sky is a pitch black, starless void.

Eons are gone by.

It’s the only rational conclusion, yet Kakashi has a hard time to wrap his head around the idea.

“Then why?” he questions, pulling himself up. “Why don’t you just kill me?”

“You never answered my question,” Obito answers. This time his tone isn’t resentful or acrimonious, it’s just tired. “Why can’t she be alive?”

He hasn’t aged a day from the day he transformed into a demigod but the mismatched eyes show weariness. An eternity alone must’ve been such a long, long time.

All life is gone by now. Miles and miles of solid rock is all that’s left. Obito has created a small shelter – a celestial shield – which is the reason why Kakashi can still breathe. He should feel anger but there’s no point in that. Everything’s gone.

There are no easy answers but coming up with one is worth trying. It’s the only action he can take.

“I don’t know,” Kakashi admits. “I really don’t. But I never hoped for such a solution – I had years to come over my losses, and I think I…” he cuts himself short. He’s uncertain how to put his emotions into words.

He has never stopped missing the people he’d lost. Not his father, not Kushina and Minato and not Rin.

However, all of those people have been long gone and Kakashi has accepted it. He’s mourned for them but he’s also found comfort thinking that he’ll be with them in the afterlife if that exists.

Obito has always been different from them. The uncountable years alone have taught him patience which is probably why he doesn’t rush Kakashi.

But Obito isn’t the only one who has questions to ask.

“There were other ways to bring her back,” Kakashi points out. He says it without judgment, knowing that Obito wanted to give her an eternal life instead of a temporary one. But even one year of existing is much so more than zero. “Weren’t there?”

Obito looks at Kakashi, tired and sad.

“I couldn’t find her.”

He doesn’t specify what he means but it makes sense. The plan to make the world sleep forever isn’t Obito’s own and knowing the cold and calculating reputation of Madara Uchiha, it is entirely possible that Rin’s grave was empty from the very beginning.

Even though Kakashi has always thought that she was brought back home.

“Can’t you dream?” Kakashi asks. “There’s no one else left.”

“You are,” Obito states. “And I don’t have enough chakra for it.”

He sounds like he’s made up his mind a long time ago about it.

But Kakashi has received a way too much extra time without offering anything in return which needs to stop.

“But I have.”

“Yeah, and you’re painfully mortal,” Obito rolls his eyes. The gesture makes him look like a human. He’s gorgeous when he’s unimpressed with Kakashi’s suggestions. “We should have a couple of weeks left,” he states. It’s an implication that Kakashi could spend them wisely instead of being stupid.

However, Kakashi isn’t done. He has had more than enough time. Endless dreams were not his idea of the best possible outcome but despite that, he’s grateful for them. They’ve been truly beautiful.

“My chakra is still usable,” Kakashi conveys. He hasn’t much to give but he can offer that. “You could…”

“Are you fucking stupid?”

For the first time, a spark ignites in Obito’s eyes. They glimmer in the moonlight, sad, angry and confused.

“I…”

“Don’t. Ever. Just don’t,” Obito hisses. “Why are you still such a fucking idiot?” he spits.

Kakashi can’t help but stare at Obito. This intense reaction is familiar from the past. The feisty response is full of emotion but it isn’t cold and spiteful. It’s just disorganized frustration.

Obito bites his lower lip and turns his gaze down. His anger begins to subside, and it is replaced by its opposing force. Kakashi doesn’t dare to name it but he’s not blind to it because they share their vision, and their souls are connected.

Kakashi realizes something he’s already known. Obito won’t operate for selfish reasons, he just isn’t the type. Kakashi isn’t the worthless exception to the rule. Their ugly history won’t change the feelings between them, and those feelings are beautiful.

A monster or not, right now Obito seems just scared and lost.

Kakashi hesitates for a while before placing his hand on Obito’s shoulder. The scaly skin feels different but it is warm.

Obito doesn���t shy away.

He doesn’t draw back even when Kakashi does what he should’ve done when he saw those deep, dark eyes tearing up for the first time. He pulls Obito into a hug.

They stay like that without speaking or trying to make sense out of the situation. Instead, they let the gravity sink in. There’s literally nothing left and it will be a problem. The universe is ancient and dying. Death has proven that it is the greatest force.

But sometimes death rewards those who’re smart enough to avoid it. A few extra years can be earned.

Kakashi pulls Obito tighter against his chest.

“’m so sorry,” Obito whispers as Kakashi runs his fingers through the white locks.

“Don’t be,” Kakashi gently scolds. Perhaps the rest of the world wanted Obito to regret his actions but everyone else is long gone, and Kakashi doesn’t need an apology. He’s gotten more than anyone could ask for, he’s had many happy lives. He wants to give something in return. “We’ll find a way to fix this.”

Obito lets out a shaky laugh.

“C’mon,” it isn’t a belittling comment. If there was a solution to this, Obito would’ve reversed the damage by now. He hasn’t been able to do that, not on his own. However, now that Kakashi is there…

There is one idea that seems worth trying.

Kamui is the strongest time-space out there. Nothing has ever come even close to it, and it hasn’t been used with the both Sharingan activated.

Kakashi explains this, and strangely enough, Obito doesn’t cut him off.

Or maybe it does make sense.

They are the last two people alive and each other’s best security.

“If we can go back in time,” Kakashi knows it’s a big if, “we can still save Rin. It’s not going to be easy, and the world is going to be far from perfect. But she could live a normal life. A happy one. We’ll make sure that she gets a chance.”

“That’s a horrible plan,” Obito comments but he hasn’t refused to consider it. “We’ll go with that.”

Kakashi smiles.

The end can’t be avoided forever but it can be delayed, and this is what Obito knows.

Kakashi has seen his fair share of death. He’s witnessed a handful of peaceful departures and dozens of demises that weren’t pretty at all. There are many ways to go but what unites them is the element of regret. People tend to wish that they’d done more instead of less.

“Looks like we have much planning to do then,” Kakashi comments.

Obito nods and allows Kakashi to press a tiny kiss on his cheek. Technically speaking, they might represent opposing sides in a conflict that hasn’t been resolved, and they’ve never been friends but there is a new alternative, a truly pleasant one.

If this plan works…

If…

They’ll have one more life to figure out whether they could be lovers for real. It’s an interesting thought experiment and a great little side cause.

In fact, it’s another goal to obtain or die trying.

[nextgenclothingvn]

VIETNAMESE CUISINE – A BASIC INTRODUCTION

Culinary culture is naturally formed from the process of living. To Vietnamese, not only does it bring flavors like others, but also conveys traditions and cultural values. No travelers have succeeded in their attempts to resist the temptation of Vietnamese dishes, including famous figures in the culinary industry such as Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, … Flavors of it have traveled the world, from bánh mì places in Japan to phở restaurants in the US. So what makes the cuisine of this small country so popular, yet so captivating and fascinating? Is it the depth of flavors? Or is it the rich history of its origin? Perhaps the best way to get a taste of it is through means of words. Let’s have a brief preview of the Vietnamese cuisine before you get the chance to experience it yourself, shall we?

I. Distinctive features of Vietnam’s culinary culture

The cuisine is an integral part of a culture. It is passed from one generation to the next. We grow up eating it, and it became a part of who we are. The act of cooking and eating traditional food is a method of preserve our culture. And because no two cultures, though may bear similarities, are the same, diversity in different cuisines from around the world is created.  Now, let's have a look at what special characteristics of Vietnamese's culinary culture that make it one of a kind.

1. The diversity of variations

Vietnam is an agricultural country with a typical monsoon climate and split into three particular regions: North, Central, South. It is that geographical differences that have form culinary variations between each one, creating diversity in Vietnamese cuisine. Each respected region has its own appetite expressed in different names, ingredients, cooking technique, color, … to how to present and eat. A bowl of pho in the south usually have bean sprouts, but not in the north. Yet no matter how different the variation is, you can still taste the quintessential elements within it: light, sweet broth, soft beef and the seducing scent of aromas.

Vietnamese are curious and would value the knowledge they have yet to grasp. They are also fast and flexible learners as well. With the process of globalization, they can easily adapt the unique trait of other cuisines from Korea, Japan, China, and European countries, … combining with theirs to create new dishes, various methods of cooking that are purely Vietnamese. Take, for example, a famous Indian dish: the curry. When imported to Vietnam, they were able to make the dish less spicy yet still savory. This is an element that contributes greatly to the diversity and harmony of Vietnamese culinary culture.

2. The low quantity of fat within dishes

Vietnamese greatly respect the harmony within their dishes. A dish must have met two requirements equally: tasty and healthy. In order to do this, they use what Mother Nature has offered. Nutritious, healthy ingredients such as vegetables and fruit are utilized extensively, to compensate the hero of the dish, and sometimes become the main ingredient. This is quite different from western cuisine, where meat is usually used as the center of the dish. Because of that, Vietnamese food has a surprisingly low amount of fat, grease, and oil, unlike western dishes which usually use too much meat or Chinese dishes with a bit excessive use of oil. You can enjoy Vietnamese cuisine to your heart’s, or stomach’s, content without being satiated and feel even better knowing that it’s one of the healthiest cuisine out there.

3. Hospitality during a meal

Before eating, Vietnamese usually “invite” others in the same table to eating, somewhat similar to the Japanese “itadakimasu”, but rather to invite others to start eating. This is one of much Vietnamese cultural beauty.

Vietnamese also love to invite guests to have a meal with them, or even invite them to join during a meal. More guests mean more bowls, chopsticks, … and everyone eats a bit less to spare some food for the guests. The host of the meal usually pick up food and put them in the guests' bowl as a polite and generous manner. And keep in mind that the host never finishes before their guests. As a conclusion, a Vietnamese meal not only fun but also represent their hospitality.

II. Most renowned dishes of Vietnamese cuisine

Possibly the trinity of Vietnamese cuisine, the jewels on the crown, pho, banh mi, and spring rolls are the most famous dish of this country. So well known, that pho has entered the Oxford dictionary on September 20th, 2007 and later, banh mi, on March 24th, 2011, becoming relevant among 600,000 existing English words. You can find these in every corner of Vietnam, from high-end restaurants to simple sidewalk with some plastic stools and tables. Even in other countries, around the globe from east to west, they are loved by everyone from common tourist to the most fastidious food critics. So what kind of magic did the Vietnamese put on their plate, or bowl, that just mesmerizes all taste buds? Let’s find out.

1. Pho

Ah yes, just a rustic, simple, rustic bowl of sweet, savory broth, some rice noodle, a few slices of beef and some herbs to go along. Yet without a single doubt, it has become the heart and soul, the symbol of Vietnamese cuisine.

Business Insider has published a list of 40 most delicious dish in the world that everyone should try at least once. And the first name of the list comes as no surprise: our beloved pho. And it’s not there for no reason. Behind a seemingly plain bowl of pho are the compositions of a number of meticulously selected spices and ingredients, along with time taking a process of preparation and cooking.

Pho has a place in every Vietnamese heart. It basically represents the Vietnamese culinary culture. You can find a pho restaurant everywhere you look in Vietnam, from the rural countryside to busy metropolis. You can enjoy this dish at any meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch or breakfast, and even multiple times a day without feeling satiated.

Not only does pho satisfy the taste buds of Vietnamese, but also to foreigners, as if it a dish that they grew up with. There is something about pho that easily makes the first try an experience of a lifetime. The light broth infused by the essence of its ingredients. The soft, pearly white rice noodle. A slice of a perfectly, sometimes precooked, beef. The aromas of the herbs. All elements come together, compensate and perfect one another, creating a magical flavor that words can’t describe.

Vietnamese take great pride in this rice noodle dish. And when they travel to other countries, they bring it with them. Pho restaurant is now a common thing around the globe, yet still attracts quite a number of gourmets.

2. Banh mi

Nothing reflects the nature of a cuisine better than its street food. If not, then why would Gordon Ramsay – a world-renowned chef awarded with 16 Michelin stars, willing to travel all the way to the far south of this small Southeast Asia country to get a taste and how to make a bowl of noodle on a tiny boat? Because street food is directly related to common people, who play a major role in the formation of a culture. And with pho as a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine in general, there is also banh mi which is the most outstanding representative of Vietnamese street food. It’s simple, uncomplicated, with little preparation required, and effortlessly fast to make. But don’t be fooled by how humble it is, as its influence is something comparable to that of pho.

Proving this is as easy as pie. Just look up on Google with the keyword: "banh mi", you can find from hundreds to thousands of articles dedicated to its history and recipe. The strange thing is that most of them aren't actually written by a native Vietnamese. The author can be a famous connoisseur or just a traveler. All they have in common is their recognition of banh mi as Vietnamese number 1 street food.

Banh mi is a phenomenon everywhere it reaches. And in Vietnam, all it takes is a minute walk from your hotel to the nearest alley to get a bite of this global food trend. Perhaps banh mi has become such an ordinary item within Vietnamese’s daily life that they have forgotten to make a standard recipe for it. Right in its birthplace, there are already so many different kinds, from pork skin banh mi in the south, to fish stick banh mi in the middle region, … Every banh mi maker has their own recipe, making a list of hundreds of variations that can only be found in Vietnam. Banh mi has followed Vietnamese footsteps to travel the globe, building famous brand such as Banh Mi Saigon in New York, Banh Mi Boys in Toronto, Banh Mi Ba in Prague, … Though you can even make your own banh mi at home, it will get nowhere near to taste as good as one from its home country.

If you want to try some Vietnamese Cuisine and have a unique experience in Vietnam, contact me on the website: https://luxurytravelvietnam.com/destinations/vietnam-cambodia-laos-tour