#you do you ig but sometimes that factor is what is beautiful

[fish-bowl-2]

That moment in your obsession with Ed Edd n Eddy where you have a hard time finding the character design remotely as ugly as some people frame it to be.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

04/02/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys; Rosie; Taika; Vico; Watch parties; New Calendar; Fan Spotlight; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys posted a video about his 25 Anniversary Comedy Special!

Rhys Darby's IG Story

= Rhys & Rosie =

Rosie posted a cute picture on her IG Story, and there's a sneaky Rhys in the Reflection Src: Rosie's IG Stories

= Taika Waititi =

A silly sneaky picture from Rita of our favorite director!

SRC: Rita Ora's Instagram

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico's got a patreon up! Feel free to check it out here!

= Matt Maher =

Matt Maher is back to stage on June 1 and June 2! Thanks @adoptourcrew for giving him this shout out!

PlayWritesHorizon Link

== New Save OFMD Crew Calendar! ==

Wednesday and Thursday: # PirateExperts, 1000% Facts! - Produce and share completely real historical artefacts and sources documenting the events of OFMD. Tag @saveofmdcrewmates on the various socials!

== Watch Parties! ==

Taskmaster NZ Series 1 Watch Party with @saveofmdcrewmates! When: April 3-12 (W,F, Su -2 eps each) Time: 11 am PT/ 2pm ET/ 7pm BST Where to watch: YouTube, TVNZ, Channel 4

Twitter Hashtags:

#Quartermaster

#OurFlagMeansDeath

#Taskmaster

= In Progress Watch Parties! =

Join @iamadequate1 for Flight of the Chonchords April 8-12! More Details to come!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Today's cast cards are the French Ship Captain, Daniel Olson! The poor man only wanted to share good bread with the world! Thank you @melvisik for giving him a spotlight!

= Podcasts =

There's a new episode of Never Left! Please check it out on all their socials which you can access via their Linktree!

Artwork was created by Amy Gleason, you can see more of her art @AmysBirdHouse on instagram and in the comic series Mighty Mascots. Our theme music is Gnossienne 5 by Erik Satie, preformed by La Pianista

== Articles ==

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I know this recap is late-- I am having a habit of falling asleep a the end of the day now, new meds may be contributing to it, so please accept this Love Note as a start to the new day!

Everybody is trying very hard to keep each other afloat right now. We're all staying active in one way or another, whether that's sending lovely letters, or engaging in fandom fun and discourse. Sometimes it's not always fun though. We all get frustrated, we all repeat ourselves, and we all struggle with those things. Sometimes we say things we don't mean, or we say things that people misconstrue, and miscommunication can be rampant.

Just remember that we all make mistakes, and we're all human.

Take a step back.

Take a moment to breathe, go for a walk, go for food, or water, or go scream into the void.

We're all crew, and we do all care about each other even if we don't necessarily agree on things the fandom. We all have our own lives going on and outside factors that make the day to day harder, and we all need to give ourselves some grace for that too. Sometimes emotions get high and taking a step back can help, I know I've needed it lately. @areyoudoingthis reminded me of this yesterday and it really helped me feel more grounded. My brain gets overstimulated sometimes, and it's hard to break away from the thing that's overstimulating it, it's like it wants to keep going and deal with whatever is bothering it.

Just a gentle reminder that you are allowed to detach for a while. You're allowed to take a break. You're allowed to have your opinions, and your concerns, and your frustrations. You are human, and we are all so very flawed, but that's what makes us beautiful. Try not to beat yourselves up for being human.

Take a break, lean on a friend, verbally vomit frustrations into the voice or into a Safe Space Ship. Do what you need to do to get you through the day ok? We all want that. We all want YOU to be okay. If you step away, we'll be here when you get back because we love you crew. Don't forget that, even when tensions are high, we care about what happens to you, and we love you. You deserve grace too.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Today's theme! Wet and Cars!

Daily Darby courtesy of @fandomsmeantheworldtome!

Today's Taika courtesy of @meluli!

[dyketectivecomics]

hey, i have a question, how would you write Cassie and Jinny's relationship?

would jinny be on young justice, will it be long distance, what would their dynamic be?

My gut instinct was to say that I’d probably want to focus on them in those first/awkward stages of dating? Half the fun of reading for me sometimes is just enjoying the journey of two idiots figuring things out. Sometimes ya just want some sickly sweet fluff!

But the more that I think abt Cassie having a fraught history dating Kon/Tim, the metas abt comphet & okay also CassieRose visits my mind a LOT, not rent-free just as a surprise guest atm… also Jinny still on the heels of finding her last gf cheating & when we last saw her doin the road-trip thing with her friend (now kinda-sister???)

I’m like 👀 there’s some messy potential here AND I LOVE IT

But to circle back & try to answer in mostly the same order:

If DC were to give me the reins to write a run today, I’d def want to know what Outsiders is gonna do with Jinny first & make sure I’m not stepping on too many toes obvsly. I rlly hope that they’re picking up on the road trip from the end of her Special, but the premise isn’t leaving me super hopeful that there’s any editors left at DC to pay attention to that kind of thing 🙃 also there’s speculation rn abt a new YJ book with a diff cast so I don’t think either of them are gonna be part of YJ here pretty soon 😅

For fic writing tho, the beauty is that we can Licherally do whatever we want, so I can be as canon-compliant or noncompliant as possible so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ in that respect it’s a matter of when I would want that potential fic to take place (or ig what setting 👀 YJ college au request in my inbox I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUUUU)

Long distance I think doesn’t really factor when one of the pair is able to fly so uh 😅 change in setting would have to be more of a factor to consider that? (Again, college AU I might consider it for its conflict potential 🤔) (also what qualifies as long distance bc I’ve got a friend who’s dating a guy that’s like 3hrs away, but that’s Texas distance so it’s nbd for them to see each other on weekends but I know some ppl would consider Not Living in the Same City as long distance so aksjsks) idk, distance just isn’t a big deal to me in Gen tho too. Like, You Find A Way to make it work or you don’t and that’s where delicious Conflict™️ can take root lol

And ahh dynamic… that age-old question… who’s Red/Blue, the Grump/Sunshine, who falls first vs who falls harder, god there’s so many things to consider. I do think I fall back on thinking of them as the Opposite Worlds Attract kinda dynamic (wait no, now I’m thinking of night at the museum and zom made that gemhex, not wonderhex I’m 😭😭😭)

It’s FINE, there’s not much new under the sun 😂 but yea, wonderhex is something I love a lot, would love an excuse to write for them 👀👀👀 I just need a nudge 👀

[earl-grey-love]

Its kinda funny your journeys total opposite, i figured out my sexuallty at 15 but took soo long with gender and youre vice versa! Ive only seen genderfluid "shift" between man woman and nonbinary but mines more woman and nothing?? Wack. Hows your gender since its bi? Is it both at same time or do you shift sometimes?

Right? My sexuality discovery was thrown off by a few factors tho. Being ace was the biggest cus I had no frame of reference for attraction outside of sxual (which I didn't experience), then I found nobody interesting enough to date & I had f/os already to fill my desire for romantic love. Then when I did fall in love for the first time I thought I was a lesbian & that's why I wasn't interested in boys.

But then my partner came out as a transgender man a week into our relationship. Which I was 100% accepting of and supported him wholly, but it did confuse me a bit in the sexuality department. But my partner after that was agender, and the one after came out to me as a transgender woman too. So after all that accidental t4t I realised I am panromantic and demipansexual. Gender just doesn't matter to me when it comes to who I fall for. Whoever fits, just fits and I love them for who they are.

As for my gender though I primarily identify with being masc. I see myself more as a guy than I do a girl, but I am definitely both. Which one I vibe with more does shift around, sometimes even in the same day tho it tends to be more consistent over weeks/months. And it's hard to really explain what it feels like because tho I identify with both, I'm also neither because I was never really a woman and never really a man. It's different.

I experience gender envy/dysphoria for both genders. Which one it is depends on which one I currently identify with more. Like when I feel fem, and I see women who look/dresses the way I'd like to, I feel a strong sense of discomfort/inadequacy. But if I feel masc and see that exact same woman I just think she's beautiful. Vice versa for men who are gender envy. This does cause problems in my relationships.

So basically sometimes it's both, sometimes it's more one than the other, and sometimes it's kinda neither. I don't identify with they/them or any neopronouns though. I'm just a blend of masc/fem presentations of self that shifts from one side of the spectrum to the other. But at the same time, I think gender is just made up so I don't even know what masc/fem even is. Its just a vibe and a feeling lol. Ig if I had to sum up my ultimate "thats my gender" vibe then it'd be like a man who loves to present "girly". Yknow like cute clothes + makeup + hair, etc.

That being said tho, not being seen as a woman too fills me with deep discomfort so therefore, I am both. I hope that made sense. I experimented this year with being fully transmasc but after doing that I realise that definitely isn't me. So 🤷‍♂️ I'm a man but also a woman but also not but also both but also neither I am ever changing.

I ask people to call me he/him and she/her interchangeably cus just one isn't good enough, even if I do feel exclusively one at the time. I can just say "hey don't call me he/him today" if I don't feel that way and my friends/husband respect it.

[bkafkab]

i think if i could replace a part of what i want/ need with content consumption i would man. to have a crush or feel in love is just agony and pure raw dogging of emotions man. cant believe the hold she has on my emotions, where she is in terms of my priority wrt where i stand for her. all i do is talk about her or think about her and think you know this message is good or yk i can get her this or idk lol. cant watch a fucking movie cause all i was doing during the course of that movie was think about why did she not think harder about her masters, like she could have genuinely done one at germany or something and yk i could have joined her in europe or something but she is just running on pure vibes.

neither do i think she understands the affect she has on my emotions. that talk after i crawled back to her after saying gn to g was such a favorite and beautiful moment for me, my heart was so :3 and everything when she was like maybe i did think of you romantically and everything and like when today she sent me a voice note out of the blue i was smiling like an idiot in front of another dude irl lol. i was just so happy and somehow in my stupid head that was a sign of something yk, that she trusts me with something and wants to send me vn and get one back from me and so on. on the other hand it was honestly just heart breaking when she was telling me in december how she is going on date with different dudes and making out with her ex, wink wink theatre eh. heartbreaking when i saw her tweet in jan about ex, heartbreaking when she admitted to me that she still likes her ex at times, heartbreaking when she was like she was on video call with her ex on her graduation prom, heartbreaking when i saw those songs on her loop list.

it just sucks so much that she is not the wrong person at any point here lol. i just get delusioned everyday with every other message of hers, think yk maybe she wants me when she has never really flirted with me et al. everyday i wake up thinking about her and what i can talk to her about and what reel i might have bookmarked is a perfect fit or anything and idk if she cares really. i get delusioned and then get hurt because she did not live upto what she never promised me lol, ive just been stuck in this loop for so long. that tweet of hers about homoerotic friendship with woman is just me with her, she is making out with some guy and telling me all about it and god i dont know. i had ig somewhere in my heart thought we would go out yk, maybe she will enjoy it, maybe i will see things moving in the right direction. that is not really the case honestly.

i just keep thinking yk wouldnt it be nice to be loved by her. holding hands with her, being intimate with her. i keep thinking about the hug she gave and how warm i felt at that moment lol people around me have gotten in relationships and made out with multiple women lol i can say whatever i want to say but that is obviously something in my head. another thing that does suck is that dating to a relationship rate isnt particularly high, so many factors in that and most probably if there was a romantic thing that would wither out asap and it makes no sense to be stuck on a gurl like that lol. just keep on thinking about a hug lol when she is so much into her ex lol. wdym sometimes i ignore his drunk calls and texts if im busy, i thought your notifications were off man. i just wish after a long day lol, where im just drained out completely and dont wish to talk i could sit by her and just hug or cuddle her or just lay in her lap like the kafka quote. i bet that would feel wonderful. might get greedy and kiss her a bit eh. i dont know man. i wish it was different.

[onlyswan]

TW!!

Hey art!!!

(feel free to ignore it)

I hope you're all good. Today my eldest and my most favourite cousin graduated in medicine. She also won loyalty award . I'm extremely proud of her and also very happy. Everyone in the family is celebrating her success.

Since I was a kid, I've always been compared with her. She is religious, intelligent, pretty, listens to her parents, kind, empathetic and every beautiful adjective to exist. Me on the other hand. Youngest, playful, always teasing others, doesn't listen to her parents if feels that it doesn't make any sense, is non religious, fat, an arts student, lone wolf and what not.

It's not like i hate her or something. I love her more than anything. She is one of the most precious person to me. i can never hate her or even dislike her because of how amazing person she is. But. I feel stuck in inferiority complex. She is the perfect girl my family wants. Career oriented, hardworker, successful. I am moving in the garden called ambiguity. I understand that they want me to be inspired by her. And to a lot of extent I am but i feel like they will never be satisfied. I've participated and won in many competition but my dad doesn't seem to feel good on it. I feel like I'm just not the person my family wants. I argue with them if they talk reason about something completely nonsense. I take stand for myself. But i feel like I do wrong. I feel like I'm too centres to even consider their pov. I don't know art how to feel. 8 called her to confess how guilty i feel for feeling such way towards her but she was sick and it was a special day for her so I couldn't muster up the courage to say it to her.

At this point i doubt if I'll even be successful or not. I fear everything. I don't know how am I gonna face the world . I'm afraid fail my parents who have sacrificed so much for me and they still do. I feel like a burden. I don't know if I can be truly happy or not..

Anyways sorry for my rant. I just felt that i needed to get all this out of my chest and i don't have anyone to whom o can say and who would listen to me. i absolutely love her but how everybody yk i just don't know how to explain. I wish I could apologize her and that she would forgive me. When parents gave me a lecture to be like her, i wasn't the one crying but she did. She felt how even after years of being compared how she still is my fav person. But i don't know how i feel now. She surely still is really precious to me but..... I still love her but.....

feel free to ignore it. Ig i need to come to be comfortable in being everybody's last choice.

You are really precious to me art. Your words always bring me comfort. You're like the best friend i don't have. I don't know what i would do or to who i would say all this but I really love you ❤️❤️❤️.

Sending lots of hugs and kisses your way!!!

~🐻

warm hugs for my bear anonie 🫂 i’m glad u got this off your chest and thank u for trusting me!

sometimes the reason we feel stuck in our journey is because instead of moving forward, we spend so much of our time looking around observing other people in their own paths or listening to their opinions on how you’re supposed to navigate yours. but this journey called life is yours entirely, and while many factors influence you, you still get to make the choice at the end of the day. you have control way more than you think, and that’s what probably makes it so scary. it’s may be easier to try and become the person your family wants you to be because there are already standards set, almost like a manual you just have to follow. but i promise that putting the work in getting to know yourself and figuring out who you want yourself to be is going to be a beautiful and fulfilling process. the one and only person you are going to spend the rest of your life with is yourself :) so please make yourself your first choice. i don’t know what being happy truly means, but i’ve been finding peace in putting what i need and want above everything else for the first time in my life. it comes with sacrifices, but it’s healing my inner child and that’s priceless ^^

[lyrebirdswrites]

not me drawing and interpreting proper astrological birth charts for the jjk main trio now that the official fan book finally gave us their birthplace in addition to their birthday 👀

Explanation under the cut! (edited to be more beginner friendly)

Quick disclaimer ig: this is just my personal interpretation of these placements. If you read the way I describe something and you think to yourself “hang on, I have this placement and this doesn’t sound like me at all” that would be because a) I am an amateur astrologer and I do this for fun, I don’t know everything about every sign/planet, and b) no placement exists in isolation - it’s influenced by the house it’s in as well as any other planets aspecting it - so it’s possible that the placement manifests in a less conventional/standard way due you because of such factors.

EDIT: my first draft of this post was not super beginner friendly so here’s a quick astrology 101 to help people understand wtf I’m talking about. Skip to the next photo if you don’t need a primer.

Everyone has ten main planets in their birth chart, each of those planets will fall under a different sign depending on when and where you were born. The planet governs an area of your personality, the sign shows what that area of your personality is like. Some quick definitions of the relevant planets for this post:

Sun: the one everyone thinks of when asked ‘what’s your star sign’. Your basic personality, your core, your ego.

Moon: symbolises emotion, intuition, your private internal world, and how feelings are expressed.

Mercury: symbolises communication, intellectual reasoning, and how you learn.

Venus: symbolises romance, aesthetics, how you socialize, and pleasure-seeking behaviours like shopping or sightseeing.

Mars: the source of your passion/drive/motivation. Symbolises where and how you expend your energy.

Retrograde: not a planet, just something the planets do sometimes. At some points in the year the planets look like they’re moving ‘backwards’ through the sky, and this alters their influence on the birth chart.

I think that’s probably enough but shoot me an ask if you’re curious/confused! I’m always happy to talk astrology (clearly lol)

Megumi... I always suspected he had scorpio influence somewhere in his chart and turns out I was right!! Not only scorpio venus but scorpio mars too?? I’m obsessed with this. Scorpio is a water sign (read: big on emotions), the embodiment of the phrase ‘still waters run deep’, and though scorpio placements are not always loud about their affection they tend to bond in a pretty intense way with their chosen people. Those venus and mars placements together really do speak of ride or die devotion - no wonder he’s Like That when it comes to Yuuji people he cares about.

His jupiter and saturn are both in retrograde; I would not have predicted it because I don’t think about natal retrograde all that much, but it actually makes a lot of sense imo. Retrograde jupiter usually indicates someone who is internally very philosophical in the sense that the person will define their own firm moral/ethical code instead of following a familial or societal belief system, which is pretty much megumi ‘I save people according to my own conscience’ fushiguro in a nutshell. While retrograde saturn is basically like. On the outside you’re stoic but on the inside you’re a worrywart, and you take responsibility Super Seriously but you also don’t like people with authority pushing you around needlessly. Which is also megumi in a nutshell lol.

His leo moon was a surprise but I honestly think it works for him because this is definitely where Unhinged Feral Megumi comes from: when he decides to go all out he gets such a flair for the dramatic. capricorn sun and capricorn mercury are pretty intuitive tbh, he really gives off capricorn vibes - practical, reserved, loyal, ambitious and tenacious, possessing a dry wit, capable of putting in steady hard work to get to where he wants to be.

I was already aware of Nobara’s leo sun because we’ve had their birth dates for a while now (birthplace is the new info which lets me draw the whole chart). But her cancer moon is such a lovely placement under that hard outer shell of hers. Nobara seems like she does not have a nurturing bone in her body, but it’s wrong to stereotype cancers as exclusively homebody motherly types - they have deep loyalty for their chosen family/home and they’ll go to the ends of the earth for those people in their own way whatever that may be... she really is a softie deep down 🥰 she really does care 🥰 thinkin about the end of her ch 125 flashback in this context

Nobara’s virgo mercury is actually kind of funny to me because while it indicates a natural gift for intellect and a talent for sorting out the fine details, it also has the potential to make someone a harsh critic who can nitpick and be quite blunt in stating their opinions... this is very Nobara, she does Not spare the feelings of anyone she is talking to lol.

Libra venus!! She has libra venus that’s so perfect!!! this placement is sophisticated and charming and always classy, these people adore that classic chocolates-and-roses romance but they turn love of all kinds into an art form. Traditionally the placement is also associated with people who care about beauty and harmony, who will go out of their way to look good for their companions. Also her leo mars... I love that. It’s really amplifying her bold outspoken flashy self-loving take-charge nature. Queen energy right here.

She has a bunch of natal retrogrades but the one I want to talk about is retrograde uranus... this one is Very fitting and again almost funny in the context of her character. You know how she’s always convinced she’s the only sane person in the room when actually she’s the unhinged one 24/7 and not self aware about that in the slightest? Yeah. That’s big retrograde uranus vibes.

Oh Yuuji... I could talk about your pisces sun all day 🥺 I could get Very technical and meta about the pisces association with the twelfth house and the fact that it’s ruled by neptune and what that says about his character, but I don’t have the room or the time so I’ll save that for another post. For now I’ll just say that the fact that he cares so deeply for others regardless of how well he knows them, the way he feels his feelings so intensely and is very intuituve/sensitive to others needs, him being interested in the occult before he ever found Sukuna’s fist finger, it all just seems more pisces to me than any other sign. And him having pisces mercury + pisces uranus in addition to his sun is also very sweet... our boy really thinks with his heart at all hours of the day doesn’t he?

His libra moon is such a fitting placement, too, because this moon is all about relationships - not just romance but bonds of all kinds, friends and family and companions of any sort. Yuuji as a character is so motivated by the bonds he shares with others and his desire to not be alone, especially on his deathbed. Libra moons are charming and personable and find it very easy to connect with others, they are deeply concerned with justice and will be accepting of everyone except for people who are cruel (exhibit a: just look how he responded to mahito). I think it’s a very apt moon for him to have.

Tbh if I were picking and choosing I might have loaded him up with yet more pisces energy and given him my favourite placement in the whole world, venus in pisces. But he actually has an aquarius venus and I think that’s so interesting! The part of this placement that speaks to his character for me is the way that aquarius venus love is defined by radical acceptance - there is never any judgement (I won’t judge you, Junpei!), because this venus seeks not only to see and understand but to be seen and understood in turn. Some say aquarius venus is an emotionally detached placement. I think that’s a mischaracterisation, but it is true that aquarius placements can be low key scared of intimacy and vulnerability even when they crave it lmao. An aquarius venus will sort through turmoil in their heart by retreating to think it over in isolation, rather than by submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known and reaching out. Manga readers if u know u know

All I can say about his capricorn mars is that it definitely embodies that determined protagonist vibe. Thoughts like ‘I want to get stronger, I want to be the best, I’ll put in the work to come out on top’ are very capricorn thoughts to have, and the drive and forward momentum associated with mars really push them to the front of his character. But also, again; an underdeveloped capricorn mars under stress will shut out possibilities for connection with loved ones by dedicating themselves to their job or cause. Yuuji learn healthy coping mechanisms challenge 2k21.

[1vintage]

Ocean Vuong on Metaphor

below is a transcript of an Instagram story from Ocean Vuong, available here in his story highlights under Metaphor.

Q: How do you make sure your metaphors have real depth?

metaphors should have two things: (1) sensory (visual, texture, sound, etc) connector between origin image and the transforming image as well as (2) a clear logical connector between both images. 

if you have only one of either, best to forgo the metaphor, otherwise it will seem forced or read like “writing” if that makes sense.

~

a lot of ya’ll asked for examples re:metaphor. I can explain better if I had 15 minutes of class time (apply to UMASS!). But essentially, metaphors that go awry can signal a hurried desire to be “literary” or “poetic” (ie “writing”), which can lose traction/trust with a reader. in other words, a metaphor is a detour—but that detour better lead to discoveries that alter/amplify the meaning of what is already there, so that a reader sees you as a servant of possibility rather than someone trying to prove that they are a “writer.” One is performative, the other exploratory. In this way, the metaphor acts as a virtual medium, ejecting the text’s optical realism into an “elsewhere”. But this elsewhere should inform the original upon our return. otherwise the journey would feel like an ejection from a crash rather than a curated journey toward more complex meaning.

example:

“The road curves like a cat’s tail.”

This is a weak metaphor because the transforming image (tail) does not amplify/alter the original. The transfer of meaning flattens and dies. Logic is weak or moot: A cat’s tail does not really change the nature of the road. You can certainly add to this with a few more expository sentences which might rescue the logic—but by then you’re just doing cpr on your metaphor.

Sensory, too, is weak: a cat’s tail has little optical resemblance to a road other than being curved (roads are not furry, for one.)

So this is 0 for 2 and should be scrapped. (Just my opinion though! Not a rule!)

okay so what about:

“The road runs between two groves of pine, like the first stroke of a buzzcut.”

this is better. the optical sensory of the transforming image (a clipper thru a head of hair) matches well with the original.

but the logic feels arbitrary. again it doesn’t substantially alter the original.

in the end this is just an “interesting image” but not strong enough to keep I’d say.

Now here’s one from Sharon Olds:

“The hair on my father’s arms like blades of molasses.”

Sensory connector: check. A man’s dark hair indeed can look like blades (also suggestive of grass) of molasses.

Logical connector: check. the father is both sharp and sweet. Something once soft and sticky about him (connotations of youth) sweets, has now hardened the confection no longer fresh etc.

It’s an ambitious metaphor that is packed with resonance. In other words, it does worlds of work and actually deepens the more you dit with it. A metaphor that actually invites you to put the book down, think on it, absorb it, before returning. a good metaphor uses detours to add power to the text. poor metaphors distract you from the text and leave you bereft, laid to the side.

lastly, the prior examples are technically “similes” but I believe similes reside under the umbrella of metaphor. although a simile is a demarcation, ie: this is “like” that. but this is “not”, ontologically, that.

however, I think something happens in the act of reading wherein we collapse the “bridge” and the mind automatically forges synergy between the two images, so that all similes, once read, “act” like metaphors in the mind.

but again this is all subjective. you might have a better way of going about it.

Another very ambitious metaphor is this one from Eduardo C. Corral:

“Moss intensifies up the tree, like applause.”

This is a masterful metaphor, risky and requires a lot of faith, restraint, and experience to pull it off.

Difficult mainly because we now see a surrealist “distortion” of the sensory realm: origin IMAGE (moss) is paired with transforming SOUND (applause).

There is now a leap in comparable elements. But the adherence to our two vital factors are still present.

Sensory: moss, though silent, grows slowly (the word “intensifies” does major work here becuz it foreshadows the transforming element). Applause, too, grows gradually, before dying down.

Logic: the growth of the moss suggests spring, lushness, life, resilience, and connotes anticipatory hope, much like applause. In turn, applause modifies the nature of moss and imbues, at least this moss, with a sense of accomplishment, closure, it’s refreshment a cause for celebration.

God I love words.

~

I’ve gotten so many responses from folks the past few days asking for a deeper dive into my personal theory on metaphor.

So I'm taking a moment here to do a more in-depth mini essay since my answer to the Q/A the other day was off the cuff (I was typing while walking to my haircut appointment).

What I’m proposing, of course, is merely a THEORY, not a gospel, so please take whatever is useful to you and ignore what isn’t.

This essay will be in 25 slides. I will save this in my IG highlights after 24 hrs.

Before I begin I want to encourage everyone to forge your own theories and praxi for your work, especially if you’re a BIPOC artist.

Often, we are perceived by established powers as merely “performers,” suitable for a (brief) stint on stage—but not thinkers and creators with our own autonomy, intelligence, and capacity to question the framework in our fields.

It is not lost on me, as a yellow body in America, with the false connotations therein, where I’m often seen as diminutive, quiet, accommodating, agreeable, submissive, that I am not expected to think against the grain, to have my own theories on how I practice my art and my life.

I became a writer knowing I am entering a field (fine arts) where there are few faces like my own (and with many missing), a field where we are expected to succeed only when we pick up a violin or a cello in order to serve Euro-Centric “masterpieces.”

For so long, to be an Asian American “prodigy” in art was to be a fine-tuned instrument for Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.

It is no surprise, then, that if you, as a BIPOC artist, dare to come up with your own ideas, to say “no” to what they shove/have been shoving down your throat for so long, you will be infantilized, seen as foolish, moronic, stupid, disobedient, uneducated, and untamed.

Because it means the instrument that was once in the service of their “work” has now begun to speak, has decided, despite being inconceivable to them, to sing its own songs.

I want you, I need you, to sing with me. I want to hear what you sound like when it’s just us, and you sound so much like yourself that I recognize you even in the darkest rooms, even when I recognize nothing else. And I know your name is “little brother” or “big sister,” or “light bean,” or “my-echo-returned-to-me-intact.” And I smile.

In the dark I smile.

Art has no rules—yes—but it does have methods, which vary for each individual. The following are some of my own methods and how I came to them.

I’m very happy ya’ll are so into figurative language! It’s my favorite literary device because it reveals a second IDEA behind an object or abstraction via comparison.

When done well, it creates what I call the “DNA of seeing.” That is, a strong metaphor “Greek for “to carry over”) can enact the autobiography of sight. For example, what does it say about a person who sees the stars in the night sky—as exit wounds?

What does it say about their history, their worldview, their relationship to beauty and violence? All this can be garnered in the metaphor itself—without context—when the comparative elements have strong multifaceted bonds.

How we see the world reveals who we are. And metaphors explicate that sight.

My personal feeling is that the strongest metaphors do not require context for clarity. However, this does not mean that weaker metaphors that DO require context are useless or wrong.

Weak metaphors use context to achieve CLARITY.

Strong metaphors use context to SUPPORT what’s already clear.

BOTH are viable in ANY literary text.

But for the sake of this deeper exploration into metaphors and their gradients, I will attempt to identify the latter.

I feel it is important for a writer to understand the STRENGTHS of the devices they use, even when WEAKER versions of said devices can achieve the same goal via different means.

Sometimes we want a life raft, sometimes we want a steam boat—but we should know which is which (for us).

My focus then, will be specifically the ornamental or overt metaphor. That is, metaphors that occur inside the line—as opposed to conceptual, thematic, extended metaphors, or Homeric simile (which is a whole different animal).

My thinking here begins with the (debated) theory that similes reside under metaphors. That is, (non-Homeric) similes, behave cognitively, like metaphors.

This DOES NOT mean that similes do not matter (far from it), as we’ll see later on, but that the compared elements, once read, begin to merge in the mind, resulting in a metaphoric OCCURRENCE via a simileac vehicle.

This thinking is not entirely my own, but one informed by my interest in Phenomenology. Founded by Edmund Husserl in the early 20th century and later expanded by Heidegger, Phenomenology is, in short, interested in how objects or phenomena are perceived in the mind, which renewed interest in subjectivity across Europe, as opposed to the Enlightenment’s quest for ultimate, finite truths.

By the time Husserl “discovered” this, however, Tibetan Buddhists scholars have already been practicing Phenomenology as something called Lojong, or “mind training,” for over half a millennia.

Whereas Husserl believes, in part, that a finite truth does exist but that the myopic nature of human perception hinders us from seeing all of it, Tibetan Lojong purports that no finite “truth” exists at all.

In Lojong, the world and its objects are pure perception. That is, a fly looks at a tree and sees, due to its compound eyes, hundreds of trees, while we see only one. For Buddhists, neither fly nor human is “correct” because a fixed truth is not present. Reality is only real according to one’s bodily medium.

I’m keenly interested in Lojong’s approach because it inheritably advocates for an anti-colonial gaze of the world. If objects in the real are not tenable, there is no reason they should be captured, conquered or pillaged.

In other words, we are in a “simulation” and because there is no true gain in acquiring something that is only an illusion, it is better to observe and learn from phenomena as guests passing through this world with respect to things—rather than to possess them.

The reason I bring this up is because Buddhist philosophy is the main influence of 8th century Chinese and 15th-17th century Japanese poetics, which fundamentally inform my understanding of metaphor.

While I appreciate Aristotle’s take on metaphor and rhetoric in his Poetics, particularly his thesis that strong metaphors move from species to genus, it is not a robust influence on my thinking.

After all, like sex and water, metaphors have been enjoyed by humans across the world long before Aristotle-- and evidently long after. In fact, Buddhist teachings, which widely employ metaphor and analogy, predates Aristotle by roughly 150 years.

Now, to better see how Buddhist Phenomenology informs the transformation of images into metaphor, let’s look at this poem by Moritake.

“The fallen blossom flies back to its branch. No, a butterfly.”

When considering (western-dominated) discourse surrounding analogues using “like” or “is”, is this image a metaphor or a simile?

It is technically neither. The construction of this poem does not employ metaphor or simile.

And yet, to my eye, a metaphor, although not present, does indeed HAPPEN.

What’s more, the poem, which is essentially a single metaphor, is complete.

No further context is needed for its clarity. If context is needed for a metaphor, then the metaphor is (IMO) weak—but that doesn’t mean the writing, as a whole, is bad. Weak metaphors and good context bring us home safe and sound.

Okay, so what is happening here?

By the time I read “butterfly,” my mind corrects the blossom so that the latter image retroactively changes/informs the former. We see the blossom float up, then re-see it as a butterfly. The metaphoric figuration is complete with or without “like” or “is.”

Buddhism explains this by saying that, although a text IS thought, it does not THINK. We, the readers, must think upon it. The text, then, only curates thinking.

Words, in this way, begin on the page but LIVE in the mind which, due to limited and subjective scope of human perception, shift seemingly fixed elements into something entirely new.

The key here is proximity. Similes provide buffers to mediate impact between two elements, but they do not rule over how images coincide upon reading. One the page, text is fossil; in the mind, text is life.

Nearly 5000 years after Maritake, Ezra Pound, via Fenolosa, reads Maritake’s poem and writes what becomes the seminal poem on Imagism in 1912, which was subsequently highly influential to early Modernists:

“The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.”

Like Maritake, Pound’s poem technically has no metaphor or simile. However, he adds the vital colon after “crowd,” which arguably works as an “equal sign”, thereby implying metaphor. But the reason why he did not use “are” or “is” is telling.

Pound understood, like Maritake, that the metaphor would occur in the mind, regardless of connecting verbiage due to the images’ close proximity. We would come to know this as “association.”

Even if the colon was replaced by the word “like,” the transformation, though a bit slower, would still occur.

In fact, when I first studied Pound years ago, I had trouble recalling whether this poem was fashioned as a simile or not—mainly because the faces change to fully into blossoms each time I try to recall the poem.

Now, let’s look at a simile that, to me, metaphorizes in the same way as the examples above, in the line we saw before from Eduardo C. Corral:

“Jade moss on the tree intensifies, like applause.”

The origin/tenor image (moss) is connected to the transforming element (applause). This metaphor suggests, not an optical relationship, but a BEHAVIORAL one.

Both moss and applause are MASSES that accumulate via singularities: grains of moss and pairs of hands clapping to form a larger whole.

By comparing these two, Corral successfully suggests that moss grows at the RATE of applause, creating a masterful time lapse effect. Applause speeds up the moss growth, connoting rejuvenation, joy and refreshment. That something as mundane as moss deserves, even earns, jubilance, also offers a potent statement of alterity, that the smallest flourishing deserves celebration, which in turn suggests a subtle yet powerful political critique of hegemony.

The poet, through the metaphor, has recalibrated the traditional modes of value placed on the object (moss).

And no other context is needed for that.

You might disagree, but when I read Corral’s line, I don’t SEE an audience clapping BESIDE the moss. I see moss growing quickly to the sound of clapping. Although the simile is employed, the fusion of both elements completes the action in my mind’s eye.

Like Maritake and Pound, metaphor has OCCURRED here—but without “metaphor”.

HOWEVER, the simile is still VITAL. Why?

Because the transforming element is abstract (applause) and looks nothing like moss. We don’t want moss to BE applause, we want the nature of applause to inform, imbue, moss.

The line, I feel, would be quite poor if it was formed sans simile:

“Jade moss is applause on the tree.”

The “is” forces transposition, which is here akin to slamming two things together without mediation. We also lose the comparison of behavior, and are asked to see that moss BECOME applause, which doesn’t have the same meaning as the original.

So, although the simile fuses into metaphor (via association) in the mind, such a metaphor would NOT have been possible without the simile.

Similes matter greatly—as tools towards metaphor. Why?

Because (thank god) our minds are free to roam.

To summarize, one of the central strategies (and, to an extent, purposes) of the Japanese Haiku is to juxtapose two elements to test their synergy. This impulse is grounded in Shinto and Buddhist concepts of impermanence and structural malleability. That is, all things, even ideas and images, are subject to constant change—and such change is the most pervasive nature of perception.

The Haiku then becomes the perfect medium to test such changes. This principle is of central importance to me because it is rooted in non-dualistic (or non-binary) thinking.

The poem becomes the theatre in which fixed elements can be transformed, their borders subject to being dissolved, shifting towards something entirely new—to “create”, which is the Greek root to the word “poet.” The metaphor, then, is more like a chemical, whose elements (like hydrogen and oxygen), placed side by side, becomes water.

In this way, Buddhism’s influence on my work and, specifically, my use and understanding of metaphor, is a foundational QUEER praxis for alterity.

The reason why I emphasize the malleability of simile’s impact is that, although syntax and diction can aide a metaphor towards its more luminous embodiment, the ultimate key to its success is you, the observer.

YOU have look deeply and find lasting relationships between things in a disparate world.

In this sense, the practice of metaphor is also, I believe, the practice of compassion. How do I study a thing so that I might add to its life by introducing it to something else?

At its best, the metaphor is what we, as a species, have always done, at OUR best: which is to point at something or someone so different from us, so far from our own origins and say, “Yes, there IS a bond between us. And if I work long enough, hard enough, I can prove it to you—with this thing called language, this thing that weighs nothing but means everything to me.”

In the end, it is less about how you set up your metaphors (you will eventually find a way that suits it and you) but more about how you recognize your world. THAT is not easy to teach—it comes with patient practice, with a committed wonder for a world that at times might be too painful to look at. But you must and you should.

Good metaphors, in the end, come from writers who are committed to looking beyond what is already there, towards another possibility.

This calls that you see your life and your work as inexhaustible sites of discovery, and that you tend to them with care.

That’s it. That’s the true secret to a strong metaphor: care.

Lastly, I want to recommend the work of BIPOC poet and theorist, Thylias Moss, who discovered the Limited Fork Theory, a theory which suggests that the mind engages with the world, and especially with ideas, including text and art, the way the tines of a fork engage with a plate of food.

That is, only so much can be held on the work/mind with each attempt to consume, and that no “work” can be possessed in its entirety, which I find happily congruent with Lojong.

What a wonderful anti-imperialist and forgiving way to engage with our planet and its phenomena. Thank you, Mrs. Moss!

And thank YOU for sticking around through my little seminar.

I hope this has been helpful. Again, this is just my 2(5) cents! Now I’m going to sleep for four days.

In the meantime, me-ta-phors be with you.

—O

[destinyc1020]

I just find it funny that y’all were so quick to declare TN over because how could a bf/gf go months without seeing one another yet won’t say the same about TZ. Because when you factor it all in, their friends only. Their acting just like their late 2019 days. Occasional likes and probably still communicating here and there. Also did T get with N as well to like his post yesterday to shut down the Raya story? LOL

No girl....

We didn't think TN was over because of distance. We started piecing things together and thinking they were over because:

Her MOM unfollwed Tom on two social media platforms not too long after he posted her on his IG a second time

Tom (and his friends) abruptly stopped liking posts on N's account for a few months.

Did your forget about the "forget youuuu" story she made? 😏

Then there was Tom suddenly liking a BUNCH of scantily-clad models after the social media silence on his OWN "gf". (why would he do that? 🥴)

Then there was the fact that she wasn't coming to visit him in Berlin even though she was FREE (which would have actually made all the other things that happened prior null and void). She was just a 2 hour plane ride away. If she could visit him while she was working, how come she couldn't visit him after her short filming was over? 🤷🏾‍♀️ (Read the signs!)

Did you also forget about Tom's IG story talking about how filming of SM Homecoming was "the best summer of his life", and how he was "in his feels"? How come being in lockdown with his gf wasn't the best summer of his life? How come he was in his feels? He's busy filming in Berlin and doing what he loves to do! Why is he "in his feels"? (Sometimes you really have to think and use deductive reasoning)

Then, later on there was the "SH*T Happens" post and then the changing of his bio to "Life Is Good". (IDK about you, but to me it was obvious that he had been going through smthg)

Did you also FORGET that Tom suddenly started liking a BUNCH of Z's posts RELIGIOUSLY after he and Z reconnected, while still IGNORING his "gf" posts? (Again, why would he do that if he's supposedly still dating N, and she was the one deleting accounts from her feed that would mention Z from time to time? Why would Tom be liking his EX's posts, while at the same time ignoring his supposed current gf's posts? 🥴) Sometimes Tom was liking Z's posts at 3am in the morning Berlin time! And sometimes within 3 minutes! And he practically stayed on IG all day liking posts related to her Emmy win. Again, WHY would he do that if he's still dating his gf who was clearly threatened by Z in some way? 🤔

Then there was her mom and other family members following STANLEY (her ex) again. Keep in mind, but this point, her ex Stanley had also resumed following her. 😏 His mom (as I recall) even started following a N stan account. 👀

There was also Z liking Tom's posts religiously for a time as well.

Did you forget about Tom looking Law's post saying he thinks Zendaya "is the most beautiful woman in the world"? Again, WHY would Tom do this if he has a gf? 🥴 Tom doesn't like ALL of Law's posts. He knows how to not like Law's posts. But he chose to like that one, and others related to Zendaya. 😏

Did you also forget that Tom was spending Thanksgiving with his ex in Atlanta when he had OTHER options?

^^THESE are the reasons (I'm sure many have others as well) why we feel that they broke up... It wasn't JUST about distance. Ciara and her bf barely get to see each other rn, and have been separated it seems for about a year! It's NOT about the distance. How many times have I said "look at the BIG picture"? 🤷🏾‍♀️

Obviously you haven't done your research. 🙄

And tbh, I'm sick and tired of answering questions like these when you ppl have clearly NOT done your homework, and are just triggered (for some reason) by Tom and Z being close again. 🙄

This is the last post about this I'm answering today because you all are EXHAUSTING. 😒😓

[unproduciblesmackdown]

@uberoll-oystercrackers putting this PT convo on blast just for the sake of switching to this format where u don’t have to break everything up via replies because [comically deep inhale]

honestly like idc idc i guess ppl are just like “uhh mytho’s got nothing going on b/c he has no feelings!!” like Yeah Correct, that’s a premise / inciting factor for this series and everything everyone’s doing lol, it’s only Boring if you don’t think about the character at all lmfao which i guess some ppl don’t, but like, there’s only 4 of them.....it’s Wildly Interesting that he literally has no feelings at first, like, for one thing it’s cool how there’s always the Idea of characters who don’t have emotions or act on them, but this is like the rare “realistic” situation where having no feelings means he needs someone to steer him around and make choices for him (and how Vulnerable that leaves him lmfao like episode 2 is wild but also that ppl just haven’t really realized that they Could just pick mytho up and pitch him into a wall, and fakir and rue are sort of careful neutral alliance keeping tabs on him) and you know, the whole s1 structure of mytho regaining both Capacity For / Experience of An Emotion and his sense of identity and by extent of all this his agency, and how like, Thematic everything surrounding this character is that’s reflected in the overall series like. trying to control someone for your own benefit vs being willing to sacrifice your own interests (and then some...) for their freedom & the Protecting Someone (And/Or Wanting To) As A Love Language that all the characters show for each other at various points & hope vs despair.......and like No Shit he’s dispassionate & passive b/c he can’t Feel Feelings & resultantly can’t make decisions or feel motivations but obviously he’s still Motivating other characters to act on his behalf, & there’s so much mystery & drama already in “yeah this guy you think is just a neat handsome guy is also an actual prince from a story who’s Real & sacrificed his heart in the fight with an evil giant raven monster that eats people & so he can’t feel anything or remember who he is” like damn!!! epic of him even if right now he can’t do much of anything on his own. i’m interested, and then i’m Interested every time in the Drama & Mystery of this person regaining parts of himself and completely rediscovering An Emotional Experience and how that is totally recontextualizing his entire existence for him.....

plus also even though “person literally lost heart via magic and doesn’t know what Feeling Things is” isn’t a We’ve All Been There situation i was like oh and you know it’s not like what mytho’s got going on isn’t potentially Relatable....can get into a side essay about dapressione and trauma and other types of stuff that can make it seem like someone can’t/shouldn’t have full access to their feelings / self / agency &/or it’s Dangerous if they try.....whew

but continuing on YEAH ugh just completely fascinated with mytho the Entire Time actually lol like, i’ve tended to lose steam in early s2 b/c he’s sort of Less involved beyond the [hehe time to cause some trouble in this particular ep] role lol but even so it’s like well it’s kinda fun when at least somebody’s being a bitch who lives for drama lmfaooooo & we get mytho Struggling Internally & sometimes punching through that way but again it’s like yeah oops the guy was basically autonomous but zwoop here’s a problem where that doesn’t mean shit anymore lol b/c he’s got this alternate evil self steering the ship all the time now lol got em.....the Peak of that i guess is where we get to have an epic swordfight between raven!mytho and fakir like you know what fuck yes!!! the intrinsic drama of that lmfao!!!! and then it’s like “oh no :/ loving the drama? that’s just what drosselmeyer wants” except Not b/c actually what makes it totally rule is that it’s this chance for Real Mytho to come through for the sake of protecting fakir (tbt “i wonder what i think of you, fakir”...) and really like that being what prompts fakir’s “you know what, even though before i was afraid my role as a knight would kill Me and i’m afraid my coincidental(?) role as a guy who can Reality Write could kill Anyone Else, i gotta try b/c that’s the only thing i could possibly do here and i want to try protecting everyone else b/c everyone else including mytho is protecting Me” and like augh everyone is so Thoughtful about how to try to help mytho out even as like, they can’t hardly interact with him or undo the situation lol.....as you’re getting into the series finale and everyone’s just outright Voicing things and you get “i/we want to protect mytho” like 32x and it’s beautiful each time ;___; like and well sorry but him & his heart/lack of are also the heart of the whole story here.....

and you know what *i* want to protect mytho, sympathizing with all the characters like fuck yes you’re so right, this guy rules, episode 6 aka The Fear Episode is SO good, like, you’ve gotten kinda used to the episodic format here, ep 5 did sure also make it obvious that things are Building on what’s happening prior here & that there’s stakes and stuff but it’s such a shakeup, like, that maybe just kinda sneakily dipping in and out of the arena giving back a piece of his heart until it’s done with, no problem, Isn’t Gonna Happen, and again, the Drama of it all......that the heart shards are yeah kind of their own People who are these fractions of mytho’s self and the way you interact with them is gonna like, affect things, since tutu didn’t like “resolve” things with that heart shard and just kinda got him on a technicality there lmfao so it’s like, yeah not only does mytho have a more general / abstract cause to be afraid of tutu & her bringing all these Unknowns & completely new things to him / changing things up and apparently introducing conflict, but you’ve gone and gotten his capacity for fear all recently riled up and specifically afraid of his interaction with You from 5 sec ago, and how could anyone know this mysterious magical being giving you Negative Feelings is like, Safe......and i’m sure it’s all compounding here, like, it’s Wild to be suddenly experiencing A Feeling for the (seeming) first time, and that in itself sure could be Scary, he just hasn’t had the proper emotion available with with to Be Afraid, now he’s gotten back a freshly stoked (capacity for) Fear and how off the shits it must be to be afraid for the first time anyways, or to be feeling the other stuff for the first time, and who knows what Unfun Feelings could come next, there’s a lot to freak out about.......and not like it’s trying That hard to never suggest like oh fakir's not that bad even though he’s technically an antagonist at the start b/c of being at odds with / against the protagonist, it’s pretty telling there lol like he’s unhappy with mytho having feelings again at all and has already been getting mad about it but is just being Helpful here and trying to comfort him, like aw that’s neat i think it’s nice, and again throwing it back to “I Wonder What I Think Of You, Fakir” you get fakir reassuring mytho that nobody but him is around, and mytho having this capacity for Fear is choosing to confide in fakir re: what he’s dealing with here (not that this would on it’s own be some guarantee that mytho’s Right to be unafraid of fakir, but, knowing all we eventually know...) like again lol it’s funny that drosselmeyer’s loving the Drama of mytho only having regained Negative Feelings like, i mean i’m soaking it in as well but it’s like, that guy’s all about Angst and it’s like no im here all about the Hurt/Comfort more like, thank you lmfao

it’s also SO good how it’s like, the next episode is turning around & giving the story a way forward not by like, oh let’s just counteract this Fear mytho’s struggling with by returning the....emotion of Courage i guess, but rather by giving him back Curiosity to ultimately lead to him actually seeking a conversation with tutu.......and it’s like AUGH it’s soooo fun that he goes to that river and has a conversation with his own heart shard lmfao like that’s you!!! and that You does not realize you’re them!!! that’s wild and i love it......wait i took low res screenshots when i rewatched this a few weeks ago lmfao

i Love it lmfao like it’s Such a good choice to have him not only have lost his Emotions but also memories / knowledge of who he, himself, even is.....like yeah man it was all on you to fight this heart eating raven monster!!!!!!!!! which you know, it’s also Fun that earlier in that episode when he and fakir are hanging out in the secret Problems Mill (which....fakir is hilarious like that lmfao. whole other tangent here like ppl are not only rolling with Animals As People but stuff like “yeah fakir might just be like ‘oops gotta go!’ and whisk mytho away to various out of the way Locations” like lmfao these teens have some free rein, but it’s nothing compared to s2 where it’s like “They Were Roommates but ig fakir tried to kill mytho who’s now being really dramatic and weird which is v different from before and maybe he’s in love with that one random dude who’s around now, which sucks for everyone else, oops now he’s just like Vanishing for god knows how long at a time it’s fine!!!!” lmfao like god. ballet school just is like that sometimes...) anyways Yeah that mytho’s been having nightmares about the raven and fakir is just going like IT’S FINE JUST DON’T THINK ABOUT IT lol and knowing fakir is also being pretty driven / restricted by fear, reasonably, as he thinks (well. and is correct) that he’s The Knight and his fate is literally written as “yeah if the story gets going and you’re a part of it you’ll just be killed” like yeah, oof......Wonder What I Think Of You Fakir like yeah AND he is that knight you actually did know who was suddenly killed trying to protect you and he’s sorta accepted that role again except he’s not really a fan of that Being Killed thing so here we’re having some issues in his misguided approach here re: Mytho Should Not Get His Heart Back, but he’s also trying to protect them Both from the story, and he’s only So Willing to act Against mytho, like, well hey thanks for apologizing after you hit him and then like, not doing that anymore lol, v reasonable how he’s struggling here lol where he’s trying to Protect mytho but the story a) wants to invite tragedy and b) has already said that The Knight has been / will be killed and can’t actually protect the prince within the story, also c) he’s just like one random high school guy out here......and also that it must just be kinda hard to adapt to this changing situation where mytho Is regaining this sense of self and motivation, but for like the past decade or whatever he Has needed fakir to just be in charge and tell him what to do all the time and, if he had the sense of what it was to trust someone, trust fakir to just always be acting in his best interest, but then mytho’s idea of his own best interest a) starts to Exist and b) is at odds w/fakir’s b/c also c) he doesn’t have All his feelings yet, Or all his memories, while fakir is like “noooo i know the story”.....like there was never any need to just like tell him he sucks at random times lol but it’s also kind of funny that’s just part of fakir’s shtick, calling mytho a dumbass one more time when he’s just fully himself as The Prince again lmfaooo. but prior to that, surely fakir could wonder what mytho thinks of him (or potentially Could think of him) too.......it’s just soooo good when mytho is like, expressing things verbally while trying to work through / figure out Feelings and even ones that he doesn’t have back yet, and it’s always fun how that inevitably throws off whatever character he’s musing about this to......including whenever ahiru’s just like “oh fuck yes he can do this b/c he has more feelings back now, that rules” and/or “aw :( he’s struggling w/this b/c he only has Some of his heart back”

and also that reminds me it’s SO good when the characters just kinda get to Do Something together lmfao like. ahiru and rue hanging out when looking for mytho that one time, iconic stuff, mytho and ahiru hanging out in the previous episode, iconic, maybe it kills me that in the first ep of s2 you have mytho saying ahiru’s his friend and the only person he feels like he can tell anything (and ahiru feeling bad she hasn’t Told Him Everything lol) and then he basically never gets to interact with her again knowing and as himself like Scream it’s fine ;v; !!!!!! let these people spend more than 3 seconds together Interacting lmfao it’s soooo good when they do :’0

and THEN you get into how there’s all this stuff re: The Story, like, fakir is the reincarnated knight, ahiru is the duck given tutu’s abilities Via a piece of mytho’s heart, but we had the original knight and tutu in the story as these actual ppl who we only hear a Little bit of lore about, but mytho actually knew / knows, and like, the original genesis for tutu only being on 1 Page of the story and apparently drosselmeyer doesn’t even really put any thought into what her motivations could be lol like yeah idk whatever she wants to marry the prince or whatever so that’s why she loves him and Says It and disappears......and like we have almost No direct info about her but uh nbd at least some of her actual essence is actually now an intrinsic part of mytho’s actual heart and specifically embedded in the heart shard of Hope, like damn!!!! you Know there was something more Real and Complex going on there and i love it so much.......and the original Knight, lohengrin.....might have been doomed to be unable to protect mytho with his sword, but there’s other ways to protect that guy and Someone needed to be doing it.......i’m just like wow mytho’s gf and bf!!!! and they both sort of died but hey. there’s still a lot to think about

so yeah lmfao love that you can originally see this series like, a decade ago and here it is like damn still lying down / yelling / generally riled up about mytho and just having So Much to think about / appreciate from this series like. it’s so Singular and has so much going on.......cherish it and i’m just still anytime like [epcot vine voice] Mytho...........

[mysticalmusicwhispers]

APH Iceland Headcanons

Just some thoughts I have that I never published. Some are just really vague personality notes that I’m adding a lot of real life background to though, so you’re warned.

- “Plays it cool, but is actually a dork” kind of person

- Wants to be seen as mature by his fellows, but ends up kind of being babied by the others. Explanation: I see this as a factor of Iceland being a smaller country and not being very well known on the world stage/not exerting that much influence, he often gets sorta frustrated that he’s not being taken seriously, especially by his Nordic “brothers”

- However, I also think that in rare moments, or just deep down, he’s satisfied with his position and grateful that he doesn’t have to bear the weight of fame and success, to make the decisions for the world. He sees it as pressure that he sometimes can’t take, but on the other hand, he still wants to be heard by people, just not with that much responsibility on his shoulders. Much more of a follower than a leader.

- Trusts Norway a whole lot, even if he usually seems to dislike him. Probably one of the only people he’d seek advice from. Others include Sweden and the younger nations: HK, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, etc.

- Like a distant, weird, second cousin you only get to see twice a year or so, a bit weird by “normal” standards. I’ve heard (correct me if wrong) that real Icelanders are a bit “kooky”? They (supposedly) have a reputation for being a bit weird in terms of fashion and things (@ that lopapeysa strip in the manga), as well as in their food (it seems this isn’t widely eaten on a daily basis, but there’s dishes like fermented shark and hrútspungar/sour sheep testicles). Therefore, yeah, APH Iceland is a bit of a weirdo sometimes. Also, because real Iceland is geographically far from mainland Europe, APH Iceland is a bit distant to everybody else (it’s said he’s “a step behind when it comes to European fads” from the wiki), and this is another “second cousin” thing --> he’s a bit emotionally far from the rest of his family just because he’s away from them physically.

- I attribute his desire to appear normal to just normal teenage angst, since from what I’ve heard, Icelanders are pretty proud about their culture and their uniqueness?

- I think his childish side is also a thing fitting the “next cousin” personality? Like I agree with him being a Gen Z and a netizen who’s really internet-fluent and has all the memes and stuff

- Nature!!! Similar to Norway in this respect, because they’ve both got a lot of wild places that are really beautiful. Given that real Iceland has glaciers and hot springs and a giant hoard of pretty scenery, although APH Iceland tries to fit in and not be a nerd about nature, he loves the peace and quiet of the outdoors a lot. Seriously appreciates how beautiful real Iceland is, and is pretty proud of it inside.

- I don’t think he’s very rugged, probably wouldn’t be good at camping, although he’s outdoors a lot.

- Runs two social medias: one about his life, memes, #relatable things, younger nation hangouts, and another that’s much more aesthetic-y with hiking photos and mountain pictures. Some of his close friends know about both, but most people just know about his personal account, not the nature one.

- Finds his friends comforting and funny and nice to hang out with most of the time, but it’s a bit energy draining talking to people a lot. He’s the sassy and sort of cynical one in their group.

- But, they drag the fun side out of him a lot, usually because they do crazy things and force him to come along even though he pretends it’s really dumb (and sometimes it is) but ends up laughing a lot and thinking they should do it again someday.

- A seriously sweet smile, if you can get it out of him.

- I think he’d be that person who criticizes the things and people he likes, just because he doesn’t really have the heart to actually express his feelings.

- He likes dogs from afar - meaning that he’s kinda put off and a little annoyed if he gets close to one and they start barking a whole ton and getting really excited but he likes how cute they can be. He just wouldn’t want to be committed to caring for his own ig.

- Worries a lot, mostly about people liking him, but the second he has to interact with people who are talking bs he gets reminded why he kinda dislikes/hates social interaction sometimes. A sort of dilemma between being lonely and thinking that “all people are junk”, but he’s really grateful for the people he was forced to meet but whom he genuinely likes

- Second closest to Sweden out of all the Nordics, after Norway. Like, I don’t know if I just haven’t found Swe/Ice interactions, but their relationship is criminally ignored??? Iceland goes to Swe for advice!!! He knows Swe won’t usually judge and is pretty good at keeping secrets, he literally asks Swe what’s going on in that birthday party episode, bro he trusts Sweden to be there and answer his questions when Norway refuses to so he can annoy Iceland. I need someone to expound on their relationship please.

That’s it! I love this kid to death but somehow can’t write for him, and I don’t think I got his personality down correctly hhh. Anyway, feel free to refute my ideas! I love hearing new headcanons, especially unconventional ones!

*Also, the “next cousin” thing I included is based on this, a video about what Nordic people really think about each other. Real Iceland was described as: expensive, very beautiful in terms of nature and scenery, and like a next cousin.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #273

ew, wtf is this new /tagged formatting???? ugh.

What is something you dislike about the dating world? I haven't dated around enough to have first-hand experience, really. But from an outside view, people don't seem all that interested in serious commitment. Don't fwm if you aren't into the idea of working towards a whole lifetime together. What gives you confidence? Bitch nothing lmao. Have you ever dated someone with very different sexual tastes than you? No. What is the most meaningful gift you’ve ever given? Both Jason and Sara got a huge list of reasons I love them for certain relationship "milestones," both which really did take a long time because there were loads. I did it with each because I really did feel like it was a very personal, uplifting, and full-of-adoration gift, not just for the sake of recycling an idea because I had no others. I have a shitload of romantic ideas, ngl man. Do you feel as though someone ‘won’ in your last break up? Neither of us "won" or "lost," really. It was a mutual agreement that now just isn't the time for a relationship between us. Whatever happened to the first person you ever loved? Sometimes I'm scared to know. Do you still shop at the same stores you liked when you were a teenager? Yeah. Thankfully Hot Topic became more accessible to plus-size people. Is there anyone significantly older than you that you would date? No. I won't go over like... nine years. Even eight it pushing it. Please share your embarrassing and weird celeb crushes. Post pictures. What do you like about them? I don't have any "embarrassing" or "weird" ones. What is something your partner does that is unattractive to you? N/A What is something that would have made the show better/you would have liked to see happen on one of your favorite series? I honestly wish Weed in Ginga Densetsu Weed was more realistic and realized Hougen was worth killing himself. The lightning seemed cheap and anti-climactic. He had EVERY reason to kill him, and it sounds weird to consider killing as a form of growth, but I feel like it would've been. Maybe that's just a personal thing, believing killing is sometimes justified, but it actually annoyed me. Nevertheless, fucking fantastic show. How do you feel about celebrities that are silent about political or human rights issues? Do you think celebrities should use their platform to speak out? I have... mixed feelings. I think most of me says to use their prominence for good, to be a loud voice to look up to and bring greater attention to issues, but at the same time, some people just like/feel safer being non-political. When you were a kid, what child characters did you admire or relate to most? BINDI IRWIN!!!!!!!!!! I still follow and fucking adore her. Y'all she recently got married and she is just so beautiful and so happy and the Irwins are just genuinely angels on this earth. Tell me about a time that you were bored in a relationship (can be romantic or friendship). What was it about them/the situation that bored you? I've never been romantically bored, and not really with a friendship, either. Sure, I've been bored in another's presence, but it was never a consistent issue. Who’s your favorite Tiktoker? I have never even touched it. How high or low is the barrier to entry in your field or desired field? It's tough, but not that high. More than anything, photography depends on who you know to help get you out there, sadly. It's luck, too. There is most certainly skill involved, but yeah... building your brand up to stand out with only your own hands is ridiculously hard. But that's really any small business/self-employed position. Where would you look if you were looking for a job (e.g., indeed.com, company websites, asking a friend…)? I've pretty much always used Indeed, or I hear from family/friends. How much lower than your ideal salary would you take? What would the job have to entail for you to take a less than ideal wage? Hi, I live in America, where the government doesn't give a fuck if you can support yourself on minimum wage or not. :^) But anyway, this is a difficult question to answer with how little experience I have. I can say, however, that I will fucking not work to just barely scrape by with minimum wage. If I'm going to bust my ass, it's gonna be fucking worth it. Even if you were able to support yourself/your own family, would there ever be a situation in which you would choose to live in a shared house with another family or individual, be it your parents or a sibling’s family, or some other housemate? Sure, I wouldn't mind. Especially family. Do bridges make you nervous? To a degree. Are there any movies that you find so dumb, you find funny? Napoleon Dynamite, of course. How often do you vacation? Pretty much never ever. Do you think it’s cruel to leave a live fish to die in an ice box? I am genuinely concerned for you if you say no to this. Have you ever done anything sexual with someone of the same sex? Yes. Have you ever pawned anything off at a pawn shop? No. Do you have stomach abs? OH, HUNNY- Do you know anyone who is trying to physically impersonate a celebrity? No. Have you ever seen a shuttle launch? I mean, on TV, but even then I didn't seriously watch it. Are we having signs of the apocalypse? I don't believe in the "apocalypse." We're going to fall through natural methods. We're definitely heading deeper into destruction in some ways, though, by our own hands. I'm quite sure humans themselves will be the end of humanity. Would you rather see The Blue Man Group or Fear Factor live? BLUE MAN GROUP!!! They're dooooope. Do you have any exciting plans for this upcoming weekend? No. I'm staying in the goddamn house like we're fucking supposed to. What color of colored contacts would you like to have? To wear regularly? Sapphire blue. Ohhh, maybe one that, and the other icy blue. What’s on your bedside table? It's more a shelf than a table, so I have quite a bit. My medicine basket, fan, a drink, books, sketchbook, some other miscellaneous things. What’s on your bed? A bedsheet, comforter, two pillows, and me, ha ha. Your floor besides furniture? Nothing. Your dresser? All my meerkat stuffed animals, plus some others. The top shelf in your closet? Ha, good question. Are there any dead stuffed animals in your house? No. What’s the best prize you’ve won on an amusement park/carnival game? *shrug* Have you ever done anything sexual in a school? No, I was a good noodle. Have you ever been indoor skydiving? No. Would you have any interest in going on a cruise? Not really. What did you have for dinner last night? I made some hot wings. What's your ideal indoor temperature? High 60s, ig. It’s hard to really tell because my room is always the hottest in the house and I have a fan on me, so I don’t really feel the “normal” temperature most of the time. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. What's the grossest thing u have found in your food? Probably nothing worse than a hair or something, idk. Are you a flip flop lover? I am NOTORIOUS for wearing flipflops absolutely year-round. A little bit of snow on the ground? I’m wearing my gd flipflops because they’re just easy to slide on and I care about convenience probably too much lmao. What namebrand dishwashing liquid do u use? … Dawn, I think? I don’t really pay attention. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? UGH yesssssssssss hunty. Do you prefer hard or soft shell tacos? I hate tacos, but I’d definitely rather have a soft shell than hard. Ever worn a flower in your hair? Maybe as a kid? Name five random things in your kitchen? Nothing abnormal, really… no, wait. You know those sticky cylinder things that flies are attracted to and die a slow death for their brazen intrusion upon your property? We have one of those hanging up in there. Magnets and pictures on the fridge is considered pretty normal, right? Name four things in your fridge? Milk, apples, a bigass bag of pepperoni, and some cold water bottles because I strongly prefer cold water. Name two things in your meds cabinet? We’ve got a load… Different kinds of pain pills, things like Pepto, etc. Name six things in your family room? A couch, a reclining chair, the TV, Mom’s bed, loads of pictures on the walls, and uh… sidetables? Name three things in your bedroom? My snake, my bed, and my dresser. Name three things in your yard? A bird feeder that squirrels like to steal from, a random fucking dolphin statue thingy that deadass looks like a distorted dick (it’s been here since we got here, idfk), and two sheds. Name two things in your bathroom? Our bathroom is tiiiny, so very normal stuff. Y’know, a toilet and sink. What health problems do you have? A lot that I don’t feel like thinking through. Fave name brand of water? Essentia. Do you have a trampoline? Not since I was a teenager. The last time you were in the fridge, what were you looking for? Jam to make a pb&j. Do you like clowns? No opinion. Are you listening to anything at the moment? Surprisingly nothing, but Halocene’s cover of “My Immortal” is seeeeeriously jammed in my head. Do you twitch when your falling asleep? YES. They’re more like muscle spasms. Are your dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty? We don’t have one; we have to wash by hand. Buuut that house we’re moving into has one! :’) When is the last time you were on a bicycle? Not since I was a teenager. I used to love love loooove to ride my bike after school. What have you eaten today? Special K cereal and aforementioned sandwich. Do you own a strapless bra? Fuckin Y I K E S that would not work w/ my size lmfao. Does the person you like know it? Ye. Did anything brighten up your day today? Our lawn FINALLY got mowed and the bushes trimmed. We had to tidy it up before we can move. It looked like a jungle, deadass serious. Do you ever wonder how other people see you? Only all the time. What is one good thing you're known for? I write well. How about one bad thing? I’m very dependent. When was the last time you sang an ENTIRE song? Wow, no clue. I rarely sing, never mind an entire song. What is one thing that is currently bothering you? Actually my stomach kinda hurts. What did you do today? Wander around the Internet looking for something to even mildly entertain me, play World of Warcraft for a very brief period since I’m going through a bored phase of it, read for a bit, showered… not a lot, but later today we’re celebrating my mom’s birthday early, actually. Do you consider yourself to be attractive? No. I think my dimples are kinda cute, but that’s it. Do you regret going out with the last person you did? Not at all. Do you realize it when you curse? It’s so normal in my vocabulary that generally, no. I’m very mindful around kids, though. I still remember the first time I said “fuck” in my mom’s presence without realizing it and she just like f r o z e. Have you ever been extremely tired but refused to go to sleep? Yeah, for various reasons. That is veeeeery rare nowadays, though, partially because I’m so fucking bored that I’m just happy to close the day. What's the longest amount of time you've been stuck in traffic? An hour or so is my guess while traveling. I don’t recall any specific instances. Best field trip experience? We went to the zoo!!!! It was the one and only time thus far that I’ve seen meerkats irl. What is the most amount of money you've spent on a meal before? I’ve never really been able to buy my own meal, never mind something expensive. What museums have you visited, if any? Just local ones centered around art or science, generally. What's your worst traveling experience? Idk. Sims 1, 2, or 3? Why? Never played. Not my kinda game. What area of math are you best at? Worst? lol I suck at them all. How do you feel when you meet someone with the same music taste as you? It’s exciting! Do you believe in luck? Why or why not? No, because I don’t believe in any “magical” influence over events that occur. Shit just happens, sometimes to good people, sometimes to bad people, and everything in-between. How often do you "half-ass" things (put little effort in)? IIII tend to do that a lot.. Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? Not really. Have you ever missed a meeting/event that was required/necessary? You could say so, but it turned out fine that I missed it anyway. What's something that makes you incredibly nervous? Talking to people I don’t know or being alone with a man. If you don't have glasses, how would you feel if you had to get them? N/A If you do have glasses, how would you feel if you didn't need them anymore? I’d be fuckin’ stoked, I could get my undereye dermal without it looking stupid. How many vegetarians do you know? I’m not sure. Have you ever considered going to art school? Does Photography count? I majored in that. Otherwise, no. Have you ever had problems falling asleep in class? No, I was always very attentive in class. Are your parents supportive of you? Very.

[wombtangclanaz]

“Not everyone can be Russ”

So I’m not really sure where to start a whole ass blog but since my rants are constantly triggered by random content I see, I'm gonna stick to what I know and not try to psych myself out and delay this blog further. So we’ll jump right in. I have to shoutout Kato on the Track for always validating the things I think I'm learning on my own, and for packaging those lessons into words that make sense and that I can share with others. If you’re not familiar with Kato, Dame Mec, DJ Pain, Sound Advice, Music Entrepreneur Club and so many other local platforms/people of the sort, you really playin yourself,  PERIODT. These guys really care about layin it out for you in a meaningful way which takes a lot of work. so WATCH AND LISTEN.  So, between yesterday and today, Kato posted a few short videos talking about the subjects we are about to explore. Until I can figure out how to attach said videos, go watch them on IG @katoproducer. The one posted today is titled “Not everyone can be Russ” and I feel that on SUCH a spiritual level. If you’re familiar with Russ at all, you can probably kinda guess what this is about. For those not familiar, Russ is a rapper/song writer/producer/author etc etc etc. who has gained some big recognition for his blueprint as an “independent” artist. I personally don't really listen to Russ or closely follow his career, however his relevance in the industry is undeniable. if you watch any interview with Russ, its clear he's garnered fame by figuring out how to be an independent powerhouse, more or less. (Admittedly, the technical “BUSINESS” side of the industry is still something I lack a lot of knowledge in cause it involves politics that can be annoying, however I'm always tryna find people to teach me more things. If this is you, tap inwardly) But basically, the point Kato is trying to make is that its not necessarily better to be doing EVERYTHING yourself with zero out-sourcing/collaboration. We see this A LOT on applications for Tucson Hip Hop Festival (shoutout THHF fam I love you guys) It seems like young artists are quick to tell us about how they rap AND PRODUCER/WRITE/RECORD/ENGINEER all their own music in their closet. it seems to be a point made to try to impress, when really it can be a red flag. This might be just my opinion, however I have a lot of conversations about this with the mentors I keep close to me and they seem to share my sentiments. The problem with doing EVERYTHING yourself is that it can quickly create a “master of none” situation. The beautiful part of todays music industry is that the technology to do the basic things yourself and is mostly free and at your fingertips. Every kid with an iphone5 can make a rap song. This is one of the reasons that hip hip is one of the most popular genres in the world right now. With popularity comes intense levels of over-saturation. You have to focus your talents and efforts and TIME. If you’re a rapper SLASH producer, ask yourself which one you're more passionate about, which one would be devastating to leave behind? Now, this doesn't mean you’re forever disqualified from making beats in the future or trying your hand at rapping. I think a big factor in a hip hop career these days is TIMING. Take note that Russ released 11 albums and 87 singles CONSECUATIVELY AND FREE OF CHARGE before he really got meaningful recognition with Soundcloud. Not to mention the fact that producers and DJ’s are more recognized and showcased as separate entities, locally and nationally. A big reason is the fact that social media made branding so easy and mostly free. Now, if you’re someone who just likes to experiment and create music and try your hand at rapping, DO NOT LET ME DISCOURAGE YOU. Everyones gotta figure things out, its important that you’re exploring and creating DESPITE everything. Consistency is key. Do not let me dictate your dreams. HOWEVER, if you're looking to take the next step and actually pursue a career, this is advice you may want to take to heart. It sounds counter-intuitive but the best way to gain success as an INDEPENDENT artist is COLLABORATION WITH YOUR PEERS. Another point Kato makes is how up-and-coming rappers are immediately trying to work with artists or entities 3-4 steps ahead of them. Theres many rappers who try to afford themselves the PRIVILEGE of skipping necessary steps in their career. Most notably the LOCAL step. I see so many rappers following this romanticized narrative of being an INDEPENDANT artist, fuck a label got it out the dirt do it all on my own yadda yadda, but are so quick to bash or dismiss their local scene that they have yet to even explore, all the while on social media spamming every single major record label and tagging every legendary rapper they can think of in every single irrelevant thing they post. I can't make any sense of that honestly. I CONSTANTLYYYYYYY have kids reaching out to me sayin they wanna legitimize their local scene, PUT ON for their city, put their state ON THE MAP, help build their community, PUSH THE CULTURE, be socially active and change lives etc etc etc. and have never been to a SINGLE local event (even as a supporter), can't name a SINGLE leader or influential person in their hip hop community or a SINGLE local rapper they admire(who aren't just one of their homies).  I LOVE that energy and passion. but without the KNOWLEDGE of what's going on around you, and the people laying down the roadwork for you, you look low-key disrespectful and very under informed. I mean, this is quite literally the bane of my existence. If you're involved in organizing shows or events or platforms on any level, you know how many people will hit you up to be on every single show/festival but HAVE not and WILL not ever attend or support otherwise. I'm sorry but there's no other way around it. I can speak for the whole state when I say that there are locally conscience artists that quite literally “put on” for their community every weekend and have for years and years. if you message me on IG for coverage on my platform and we have 2 mutual friends, THATS A HUGE RED FLAG. There are many experienced and talented people around you who want nothing more than to provide opportunities and support to pass the torch to the next generation. Its okay to reach out for support and ask for help as long as you’re worthy of it. Dame Mec always says that if you’re reaching out to someone ASKING for something (no matter how small) you gotta make sure you’re working JUST as hard or ALMOST as hard as the people you’re reaching out to. “CLOUT” does not exist if you’re actually worthy of the support, it just comes and it lasts longer. Building in your local scene can really boost the longevity of your career and helps you find “success” in unexpected places. And maybe i’m the one romanticizing now, but asking for something should not be your first contact with said person. Your local networking, knowledge and SUPPORT OF OTHERS should not come solely from YOUR OWN desire for success, wealth or influence. It should come from your utter love and uncompromising passion for HIP HOP and every avenue of culture that goes along with it. You should already be attending hip hop events and having hip hop experiences, not because you decide you're a rapper one day, but because its the thing you enjoy the most and absolutely cannot see your life without it. Sometimes I let myself get annoyed by the lack of knowledge and lack of willingness to learn that I see plaguing hip hop today and I always remember what one of my homies/mentors always says when I wanna talk shit; “their heart just isn't in it” (Pike obvi) and that's just so damn true. If your heart isn't in it, everyone around you is gonna figure that out way before you do. Don't let your ego ruin your career before you even have one

[schuminsana1980-blog]

It a hard game. I took the time to get as good as I have and that why I good enough that I get "fucking sweat" hate messages and shit. Idk put ranked in to end this stupid debate and maybe then the shittiest players in the game can circlejerk each other to a dub or something and feel accomplished.. And make no mistake, rap completely dominates youth culture today, the age of rock and more linear frequency response is dead. Its all about the bass.The first factor of marketing is obvious, they gave them away to rappers and athletes and high school kids who saw LeBron and Lil Wayne wearing Beats wanted to emulate their coolness.Here is the frequency response of Beats Solo to some other headphonesIts exceptionally heavy on the midbass which is where that "boom" comes in modern rap and hip hop music. Compare that to the HD800 or the Etymotic, the high end reference headphones and earbuds. This is a metaphor. Your mind is a nuclear reactor. Right now you have someone who is illiterate, with very poor stress management skills, and anxiety commanding a nuclear reactor. Fun fact: the only other Intrepid class ship other than Voyager to appear in Star Trek was the USS Bellepharon in DS9. And it only appeared because they could just easily reuse the Voyager set for one episode. Unfortunately no one realised that the Voyager set used, the mess hall, had been in story modified to have the Captains personal dining room changed to a galley because a kitchen was more important since they were stuck on the other side of the galaxy with limited resources for food 전라북도출장안마 replicators and had to make food from scratch. Solar alone? I doubt it and if it could it would only be at the peak of generation. But, most people with solar are also tied in to the main grid. I am, and when i need electricity in high demand I get it, and when I produce more electricity than I need it goes in to the grid. Obviously she can be in as cold weather as a husky, but her coat was to designed to keep her warm in icy water for duck hunting. She will not 전라북도출장안마 freeze in an hour of 30 degree weather. We even sometimes take her to the lake in winter because no one is there to bother her while she plays fetch.. She openly hits on other men RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. She calls/texts other men RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME ("omg can u come pick me up? This guy I with is boring lol"). She gets dick pics from random dudes from various dating apps and then she shows me their dicks and says things like "see, that what a nice dick is supposed to look like". I do love retellings though. This list had my favorite: McKinley Beauty. It an odd one, in that Beauty takes a long time to make it to the castle, but I really appreciated the way it slowly sketched out her life in her cottage, so when she left it, you realized what she had given up. What we have learnt is that, once people take control of their money, things turn positive very quickly. While it requires hard work and discipline, the changes happen far faster than you realise. In every case, those contestants who took action and control of their money were able to pay off their short term debts in fever than six months.. There no brownie points. Nobody gives you a raise or falls in love with you. Best you gonna get is one or two people going, "Oh yeah, it looks like you lost some weight," after you tell them you not gonna have any pizza or whatever the hell everyone else is doing.. I know a couple of people irl who seem to have the same manic pixie dream girl/victim fantasy that she does, and I find it SO grating, but also so interesting. Does she really believe the fantasy? Does the aesthetic make her happy or is it the validation and attention? I sometimes spend too much time on IG and trick myself into thinking that everything in my life should be insta worthy, but I always snap back to earth and remember that that sort of thing doesn really make me happy. Idk I just rambling now but I find the whole IG influencer phenomenon so interesting/terrifying and Caroline Calloway is SUCH a perfect example.

[relaxandlaughatyourself]

Recap of Ika’s IG Live February 1, 2019

Ika was in a hyper/happy mood for the most part. Talk then turned to differences between her and Dem and it was a very good, real look into them. She’s just truly a source of light.

She tried to do two lives, but the sound was really off, the speaker was clogged.

From the NYX event the other night, she got two gift bags. If she does a giveaway on her feed like she’s done in the past, she doesn’t get to choose the winner. But she wants to give away one of the bags on her IG live.  She said she hasn’t gone through the gift bag yet because yesterday she was a parent volunteer for Elijah’s school trip, and then last night she took Elijah to a Raptors game because his team played at half time.

One of the bags seems to have more in it, and she goes through that one first. Lots of eye shadow, some foundation, a ton of concealers, a bunch of lip stuff. At this event they had NYX giveaway bags and then they had stations with products, she didn’t know they were allowed to take the stuff that was out.

She drops a concealer and just stares at it all cute, goes to get it, “oop, I’m not wearing pants! I’ll get it later.”

She thinks giveaways like this just feel more sincere, this way it doesn’t feel like people are obligated to follow her, they’re here just because they are.

She says she is so thankful for the support, “ET Canada is almost scared to send anyone else in the states, because they don’t want to be dragged.” She mentions it means so much to her, and she just wants to give back a little bit, “this is literally the least I could do.” She wants to do more giveaways like this, “there’s no point in harboring them, I’m just going to give them away.”

She says she tried to grab another one, but some girl noted that she grabbed one and her boyfriend grabbed one, so she didn’t take a third lmao

They didn’t put out a youtube video, “sometimes there’s outside factors.” She mentions they should record some ahead of time so they can put them out if things come up. “I try so hard to be consistent, but sometimes it doesn’t work.”

Dem is at the gym.

Three people came up to her at the NYX event asking if she was “Dem and Ika”? (she was the only one they went up to). They recognized her from youtube. “I can’t tell you how cool and weird it is when people recognize me outside of BB.” She found it so funny, but it’s something she has to get used to, she loved it, “it’s a weird but good feeling.” She was grabbing wine, and she could tell these two girls were whispering things about her, she introduced herself to someone else and said her name, and once she did the two girls were like “omg it’s Ika!” and then one of them came up to her.

“That makes you feel so good. When it comes to youtube, it’s like your child. You build it, you grow it, you look at the analytics. You’re in charge of the channel and how well it’s supposed to do. But with BB, you’re being yourself, but I don’t feel as if I put in the work, the editors did it, I just reap the rewards. But with youtube, I’ll edit videos for 2-3 hours, it is a lot, a lot of work.”

She says that with youtube, especially if you’re doing it with someone else, it is so much more difficult, so much more fun, but so much more difficult. She says for example, they were supposed to put out a video on Wednesday, but they had a difference in opinion on the quality of content. Ika would rather put out quality content or nothing, Dem would rather put out something than nothing. “Dem’s eye for aesthetics, to me, is not what it is to me.” She didn’t realize on youtube the lighting really changes, and she really cares. “It’s a guy thing.” About the channel, “You guys have to be on the same page about literally everything.” Ika wants to make sure the entire video looks good and is consistent with their brand.

Dem always tells her she’s always beautiful, but Ika doesn’t want to put certain things out. “We’re thinking the same in that we agree on the content, the idea, but what we disagree on is more aesthetics and how she looks.” But then if he says something that’s a little extra, it will put her in a bad mood. “It’s more fun, but more hard.” “We’ve never had more disagreements than we’ve had about youtube. Not like fighting, breaking up. But just disagreements. It’s fine tuning that.” She says she’s not at the stage yet where they can film and pretend everything is okay on film. By the time she feels better now, the lighting is all different. She has looked up if other couples are going through this, but no one talks about it because people then worry about the relationship, she suggested they do a video about that.

“I wouldn’t want to do it alone. It’s more difficult, but more rewarding and more fun.” She notes there is going to be creative differences no matter who you are working with and on what project, whether it’s youtube or anything else.

When her and Dem started youtube, they were using their cell phones, so she doesn’t think she’s picky. They use daylight and her ring light. She does want better lighting so they can film whenever, even if there isn’t daylight. And it’s also tough because they have different skin colors so the lighting doesn’t always look good for both of them, “he’s full on Caucasian! He soaks up all the light, he’s like a nightlight!”

Ika says that Dem is very responsible, when it comes to money and financial management, she talks to him about big purchases, etc. He is conservative, but he doesn’t cheap out on experiences. They’ll go to a parade for example, he has no problem spending a ton of money to go there and experience all the nice things. But then he would say to pack sandwiches to save money. But that other stuff is also part of the experience for her.

In LA, Dem wanted to stay extra days in LA, Ika is looking at nice hotels, and Dem is looking at cheap airbnbs, she wants to meet in the middle. ”This man will find the one that is so ugly.” But it’s part of the experience for her, “but he always wins this argument when it comes to money. He comes off more responsible, because he has more money than I do.” She says they showed up to the Airbnb and it looked like a crime scene. “He said ‘it looked better in the pictures.’ I could have told you that.” The door was broken, you couldn’t lock it. “He acts like we’re so poor.” She said she didn’t want to stay there, “he goes, ‘it’s not ideal.’” They change places because of the door. She told him she would look for her own airbnb, he could stay there. “When I’m in LA, I want to feel like a fucking star!” She notes that everything is paid for when they go to LA, so the only things they’re paying for are the extra days.

“So can you imagine those two people filming a youtube video?”

“We always make decisions as a team, even if he’s paying for something, or I’m paying for something, we make decisions together.” So she said she wanted box lights, she looked them up, was watching videos on them, she didn’t want him doing it cause he’d take forever researching. He suggested they go to Home Depot, got the cheapest garage lights, tried them out at home, then “he decided they weren’t feasible.” Dem doesn’t see that as an issue cause no money was wasted, but time was.

Yesterday she was out all day with Elijah then went to a basketball game, and Elijah is out with a friend today. Dem said when she was out, he was doing research and found other lights. “He ordered LED lights, which are more expensive than box lights. When they come in, I’ll let you know how it goes. We could have had the box lights a week ago if I did what I wanted.”

Dem just walked in. “Hi, Demetres.” Her tone totally changes as if she got busted lol

Dem brought her coconut water. Ika: “Did you get a whole box?” Dem: “…no.” Ika: “That’s something he’ll do, he’ll hide snacks.” Dem: “If I don’t, you’ll drink it all in two days.”

Ika: “Someone just walked in interrupting out live.” Dem: “No, keep going. Live your best life.” They start laughing.

[abbrederisfitness]

Healthy is the New Skinny (Female Empowerment in a Perfection-Obsessed Society)

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am a health and fitness freak, so if you’re into that as well or want to try and live a healthy life I hope that my blog will help you with some tips and inspiration. Since this is my first post I am just going to give you an overview of things I find important to keep in mind when society is trying to push you to be a certain shape, some important tips to keep in mind for a happy and healthy life, and lastly a small workout challenge, which is great for beginners.

Women are ingrained with the belief that smaller is better and so many people’s health has suffered from this logic. The modeling and beauty industry as well as media advertising set “standards” of the ideal skinny body and that you need to look like the size 0 models to be happy. The beauty and model industry exploits our emotions and beliefs to help sell their products or gain publicity. It is important not to strive to look like someone else. Having a goal or mindset to look like someone else is impossible and unhealthy. Everyone was born different sizes and shapes, have different bone structure, metabolisms, and even genetics. It is always important to have a role model or someone you look up to for motivation but it is even more important to remember you are your own person. Everyone has insecurities and body image issues, but there is a difference from being unhealthy skinny and being a healthy and happy you.

I encourage all women to choose health, self-love, and to pursue personal dreams over how society thinks women should look. This all starts with having a lifestyle that works best for each individual and surrounding yourself with a good community who supports you. I’m not saying being a size 0 who powerlifts and has little to no body fat is a bad thing, but again each individual is different and it’s a good thing to have different goals than someone else. The journey to having a healthy life can be intimidating and hard to start. The following tips will show you that you don’t need to starve yourself, make yourself miserable, or ignore what your body tells you in order to live a healthy happy life. If you’re a beginner or currently struggling to live that healthy lifestyle, try and add in some of these tips to your daily workout and help you work towards your personal goals.

Five tips I live by to be healthy and happy:

ONE~ Don’t skip meals or starve yourself thinking that it will help you lose weight and get to your goal. We all need fuel in our bodies for fuel and nutrition. When you skip meals your energy goes down, which can cause depression and binge eating later in the day and gaining calories that you may have wanted to skip in the first place. Skipping meals tend to leave people to crave foods higher in fats and sugars since your body thinks it is in starvation and will crave these foods. Doing this can cause you to take in more calories per volume to make sure you have the energy you need to be active. If you skip meals this can also affect your metabolism dangerously by causing weight gain, delayed insulin response and elevated fasting which are all factors leading to diabetes. Overall, never skip a meal, if you do want to cut down on calories the healthy way is to do portion control. I recommend 3 meals a day (remember NO skipping) with a snack in between. Make sure your meals are CLEAN, full of protein, fruit, vegetables, whole grains and good fats. This will make you feel more energized and happy.

TWO~ You do NOT need to cut out everything you enjoy to stay healthy. It is ok to have cheat days or a special treat every so often. I live by the 80/20 rule; eating mainly healthy all natural and non-artificial foods full of your daily necessary nutrients makes it ok to treat yourself when needed. Having the habit of cutting back on snacks everyday and eating healthy will help you in the long run, making it more enjoyable when you do decide to “ball out” on your cravings. Completely cutting out what you love can strain your happiness which is something essential to a healthy lifestyle. I promise once you do start to eat cleaner you will feel a lot more energized and generally happier.

THREE~ DO NOT let people make you feel guilty for how you want to live your life. If you want to do a HEALHTY diet and workout every day don’t let someone make you feel bad or get in the way for working towards what your goal is. We all have friends who don’t live healthy lifestyles who won’t understand why you do what you do but that’s fine. Let them live their life you yours, just remember your goal is for you and no one else. Make sure YOU are happy because that is all that matters.

FOUR~ The golden rule; do not forget to stretch, I can’t stress this enough. Its very important to stretch after every workout (I even do it before as well sometimes) and it isn’t something that you can “overdue”. Many people underestimate how important it is to stretch, but it is key to a healthy exercise routine. Skipping stretching and continuing to do strenuous workouts day after day will increase your risk of injury. Stretching allows your muscles to work more effectively and also to cut down on being sore the next day and using that as an excuse to not workout the next day. I know that stretching has become one of my best habits and definitely helps me become more flexible week after week. I have been going to the chiropractor for about 10 years now for my being in constant back and hip pain. After doing strengthening workouts to help those muscles with a mix of stretching those areas about 2 times a day I have cut down my visits to my chiropractor immensely.

FIVE~ My last and final tip is to listen to your body. This is especially important for those of you who are just starting your fitness journey. When I first started, I was on a strict diet of eating leans meats and veggies and cutting down a lot on my carb intake. I started to hate this diet so much that I started to get deprived and unhappy. I now listen to my body and incorporate my cravings while eating clean like I mentioned earlier with the 80/20 rule. I stopped meal prepping because after the third day of eating chicken its dry and boring to eat. Now I keep plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat so when the day comes I can make whatever my body is craving that day. Once I changed and listened to my body my journey to being healthy became so much easier and enjoyable. Working out is only the start but keeping a clean diet that works with your body and needs is key.

Did you know it takes only 21 days to form a new habit? Yes, it is true and that is why I encourage you all to join in on this easy challenge. All you have to do is dedicate 30 minutes every day to getting your bodies in motion for 21 days. You can do anything you want for 30 minutes, and go even longer is you want, the more the merrier right?  If you need to get back in shape or maybe you need to get moving for the first time in a long time, join me. This challenge is inspired by Katie Willcox, who was a plus size model and is someone very inspiring to many people. Today I started my first day of the challenge.

Here is what you need to do:

1.) Follow my Instagram page @dabbrederisfitness where you can see my daily challenge post and updates on my progress as well as having a chance to be featured on my page. This is a great way to help stay motivated and hopefully help others as well or pass on this challenge.

2.) Start Day is this Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

3.) Workout for 30 minutes each day, or like I said earlier, more if you are feeling motivated to do so. The goal is the break a sweat each day doing something you enjoy, cardio, HIIT workout, core, or strength workouts.

4.) Take photos and or IG videos of your workouts, take selfies, or share how you are feeling about the challenge and tag @dabbrederisfitness and @healthyisthenewskinny on your Instagram and #21daychallenge to have a chance at being featured on my page.

5.) Invite your followers, friends, and family to join you. This is what having a community to support you is all about, having others to workout with you and see you succeed is a plus.

It’s that easy to start a healthy life, 21 days, 30 minutes a day. No excuses to not squeeze in that little amount of time everyday. I promise once it becomes a habit you will feel so rewarded and so much better about yourself mentally and physically. Remember the goal is to create a new healthy habit and join a community of people working towards the same kind of goals as you are. We need to remember to empower others and block out the negativity. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope you take away something beneficial!