ty4playing

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Arjan van Helmond (Dutch, b. 1971), Floor #8, 2006. Gouache and acrylic on attached sheets of paper, 152 x 119 cm

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:)

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from white embroidery

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Kang Hee Kim. Autumn, 2019.

photo print

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Computer Chronicles - Battle of the Browsers (1997)

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Alright. I'm calling it done before it kills me. This is Second Head. It's an Art Book containing instances of the phrase "second head" in fanfics found on AO3. I'll explain much, MUCH more in the cut.

So when I say 'art book', I mean this is an intrinsic piece. I have no motivations aside from personal amusement and interest in outcome. A lot of money was lost/transmuted into free frustration in this project and I have no claims, obviously. I will prolly be the only person alive to read this.

THAT SAID. I have noticed in my years reading fanfic, there's a few linguistic shibboleths that arise in authors who also have experience in the mines. I think there's not a soul alive who hadn't wandered across a 'ministrations' when reading Narutos oral sexing. There's- Hold on. Here's some pix.

There's an impulse, I think, to in-group even when performing a creative act. A feeling that there are certain ways one Should go about the act, by virtue of seeing it performed that way. Especially so when 'training' at the act is often just Doing. Double Dog Especially when the act is exclusively for oneself with very little oversight. Which is to say, we make what we see and we make what we think we should make. At least, at first.

Now, I've been noticing 'grew a second head' (to insinuate surprise) in fanfic for some time. I've never seen it used Outside of fanfic. (Edit to add: I am not making the argument the phrase is from fanfic. Nor do I Believe it is from fanfic. Jesus Hopping Christ, people. That's not what this project is about.) That may speak to my own bad habits but it got me curious. So a friend and myself downloaded a mirror of AO3 from July of 2024. He did some code- Stuff to scan the mirror for "second head" and of the ~13 million works, ~70k (English) results were returned. That's a rounding error, honestly, but Far FAR more than I expected.

This book is 401 such examples that I personally selected for a variety of reasons. The number itself was arbitrarily chosen. Each page is separate fic, the roughly 300 words around our key phrase.

I don't think repetition or mirroring is a negative thing. I think it's quite charming. Nor do I think it's a sign of a 'bad' artist or 'bad' art. I think it's a signifier of personhood, of belonging, of enthusiasm. Of culture shared and wishing to share. I think it's real sweet. I always smile when I catch a 'grown a second head' in a work.

And it's really fucking funny when it's John Sherlock getting a sloppy toppy. Bless.

Edit: Fixed a very VERY funny error.

Edit: I am not making the argument that the phrase is exclusive to fanfic or, fucking forbid, FROM fanfic. I'm stating this Again because we skim here. Also- If you would like slamdunk my ass by stating the phrase predates the Internet or your GenX parents use it, please use 'sailboat' in your comment so I know you're specifically trying to kill me.

Edit Edit: You know what? Fine. I DO think this phrase came from fandom. I think ENGLISH came from fandom. I think YOU came from fandom. I think EVERYTHING came from fandom. The Sun, the Moon, the Seas- Fandom. Specifically Sonic Mpreg. The second head was Shadow the Hedgehog crowning. Congrats!

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qualeasha wood, "bed rot," 2024, woven jacquard, glass seed beads, and machine embroidery

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Control Room, 2004 (embroidery on black velvet) & Space Station, 2006 (embroidery on canvas)

Farhad Moshiri

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Okay, for one, “menu” doesn’t just mean a list of things you can order, it means any list of food items being available, and therefore it’s totally fine if an Uruk-hai said that meat is back on the menu, it just means that that is what the troop cook will serve. Second, Gollum’s loincloth was entirely the invention of the filmmakers in order to protect the modesty of the audiences; in real life you know he never wore any such thing.

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Name for the bird Swan in European languages

by Ave-Nar/reddit

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'Winter’s Night with Cabins'. Svend Rasmussen Svendsen. 1910.

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ITS DOECHII BITCH MISS D-O-E DON DADA BITCH YOU NOTICE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Map of the world in the Spilhaus projection with the interconnected global ocean as the main focus, centered around Antarctica. It includes arrows of the global currents and sea surface temperature & velocity.

by huwiceandstuff/bluesky

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At this hour, Losel Yauch