#Fans that want to cause drama but don’t know how to actually say anything worthwhile
Text
Lily and fans are upsetti
So recently, I saw Lily Talk about steven universe as a character was going to make a post about it because it was stupid then I went down the page and look at lily’s Tumblr for five minutes and found this gem
So to get one thing out of the way, I’ll talk about these fans and then I will talk about Lily response in a separate post because her response was hilarious that it makes her look like the absolutely the most hilariously unhinged person In Canada just to talk about some random fans who like a show and who really hate your video. That it just Has to be talk separately about. Anyway, let’s get started with the first fellow.
I understand that Lily has a limit on her ask thingy, but man, most of this sounds so incoherent so they’re talking about “ hiding in private” video on Lily, Steven universe video So you know, even though they’re not really making an argument they’re just saying a lot of things but I’m going to listen and hear them out about what is false equivalence, Bad faith, arguing semantics, maybe they’ll go into a bit more deeper because they actually give out an example. as for the amount of people that’s probably gonna be pissed off, I would say 2k out of 10k people because that’s the amount of use that I’m pretty sure Lilys gonna get on that video maybe 60K at most because I ain’t watching that video I decided I’m not gonna watch anything until Lily decides to actually be interesting again
All right, I know which section you’re talking about. It’s the section where Lily states that LGBT rep is only relationships. Oh wait I said that wrong let me quote Lily for real “it wasn’t until the first season until an actual relationship was established” (defining LGBT as in relationships is really stupid because it means that you maybe bi but you’re dating someone the opposite gender of you Or that you’re not dating anybody so that makes you’re straight it’s such a clear and wrong way of thinking about LGBT) you take that as what you will from that, but apparently Lily also consider pearl and rose Possible LGBT rep until they written it in a way that Lily didn’t like and I quote ” There’s a reason why LGBT stories don’t cover these issues because when they’re botched this badly, they end up reinforcing conservative paranoia”. It sounds like the most cowtow thing to me because not only Lily make constant fun about how conservatives will basically find anything gay absolutely a front against nature regardless of its contacts. Why should we not write stories like these if the conservatives will just find anything and everything that gay people or anything the LGBT does a front against nature and something that they need to stop out?
I like how when Lily and her fans will keep on saying that she didn’t do anything, How she’s not that famous and she didn’t do anything to Steven universe this was always a thing then. when people make videos on Lily, then Lily and co will say that you guys are just making your videos on my fame and money you are a clout chasers
And in the same vein as in, they could’ve just made a positive video. Lily could’ve also just have made a positive video as well. She could’ve said [Insert show name here] is genius or good and here’s why. She could’ve made a video like that if she kept on feeling like I’m gonna get constant hate mobs I’m gonna get people riled up instead she decided to make this video and now you’re trying to defend it with your life.
Anyway, I’ll make a separate post talking about Lily’s response to the first question
#lily orchard#lily orchard critical#Fans that want to cause drama but don’t know how to actually say anything worthwhile
1 note
·
View note
Text
Heartbeats; Paradise XVI
Title: Heartbeats; Paradise
Author: Jay Grayson
Word Count: 112K
Genres: Psychological thriller, drama, sci-fi, LGBT+
Available on: Kobo and my website
Synopsis: Melvin Hardy and Kade Axel appear to be a match made in heaven. After a meet-cute in the rain, the two quickly find themselves in a burgeoning, wholesome relationship.
Yet, things feel…off. It isn’t the ghosts of their pasts that resurface to test the strength of their partnership—no—it’s something nebulous. Something indescribable. Melvin can’t put his finger on it but, the more time he spends with Kade, the more he starts to wonder what’s real and what’s pure fiction.
XVI:
The white walls are smooth with incredibly light gray designs blinking into them—tracing lines into the sides and then disappearing into nothingness. It’s boring scenery but, for some reason, just taking it in fills me with dread. Looking at this woman before us only serves to exacerbate that feeling.
Kendra scowls as she says the name, “Anika.”
A flash of movement at my side causes me to look over. Oz is already reacting to it but he’s still too late. Starla is shoved to the side in the process and Nate watches with a similar confused expression as I imagine I have.
Kade brings his axe down on Anika, crying out in anger as he does so.
I flinch as I expect to be bathed in blood but that doesn’t happen. Anika’s body does explode—in a way—but she’s burst into a million pixels at the contact. Kade’s axe pierces the ground under her and he has to grunt and yank with quite a bit of might to pull it free.
Anika reappears a few feet away, perfectly untouched.
This doesn’t deter Kade, however.
I watch with a mixture of worry and exasperation. While I wouldn’t mind, in this one case, Anika getting an axe to the head, I don’t know if I’d actually want to see it happen. And now that she’s avoided one strike, I’m certain I won’t see it. Though Kade seems to believe if he just keeps trying, he’ll get her eventually.
He throws his axe toward her several more times—each ending the same way. Everyone starts to call out to him, to get him to stop, but he doesn’t listen. Even I shout his name.
His hair is in his face and he’s sweating and panting. His whole body heaves as he gears up for another attempt to axe her.
“Kade, she’s not real!” Kendra shouts, finally able to get more than a few words out. When he stops to look at her, she explains, “This is just Anika’s author portal. It’s the A.I. version of her that fans can interact with and ask questions to. She’s not the real Anika.”
He spits, “I still want her dead!”
“You can’t kill her,” Oz states the obvious, “Save your strength.”
Kade glares daggers at him but doesn’t move to attack any longer. He just tightens his grip on his axe and turns toward Anika with a glower.
Anika, in turn, clasps her hands in front of her and smiles politely. “Before you ask any questions, would you like to check the Frequently Asked Questions forum to see if your question has already been answered?”
We all look at each other. Sure she’s A.I. but she sounds more robotic than even the extras in our world did. I wonder if anything she says will be worthwhile at this point. Oz appears to be feeling similar to me but Kade is still pissed. Starla looks confused and Kendra…I can see the wheels turning in her head.
To my surprise, she’s not the one to speak up first. It’s actually Starla.
“What can you tell us about the diving program you used in your story? It’s what’s responsible for bringing us here, right?” She asks and steps closer to the woman. “Why did you use that? And were you aware of what it was doing?”
It’s a perfectly reasonable question and I’m impressed by how calm and collected Starla is while asking it.
Still, Anika cocks her head to the side and keeps the pleasant smile on her lips. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what you refer to. Please check my Frequently Asked Questions.”
“Cut the bullshit!” Kendra yells, forcing my attention back on her. She’s trembling—angrier than I’ve ever seen her—and she points a finger to Anika. “I saw that little checkmark next to your name! I know your author portal is your uploaded consciousness. Stop acting like basic ass A.I. and answer the fucking question.”
I want to ask about this “uploaded consciousness” but I don’t want to interrupt. I assume, based off of Kendra’s attitude and the words themselves that certain users of IVAR have an elevated status and are able to have their consciousness digitized in this format instead of leaving a generic program with their face slapped on for people to interact with “them” while they aren’t personally in the system. That brings a lot of other concerns to my attention such as the sentience of this consciousness and the kind of existence it’s forced to live but, again, I keep it to myself.
A colorful ray extends from Anika and scans over Kendra, beeping upon completion. “Ah, Kendra. I thought that might be you.”
“..Did she just scan you?” Oz asks.
“I don’t think she needed to,” Kendra answers, clenching her fists, “You had to have seen my work in your story. Who else could it have been?”
Anika’s brows dip down but her smile doesn’t disappear. “You failed in your mission. I still wrote the story I wanted to write and everything happened the way I wanted it to. Even when the characters rejected my input, I’d just write over their free will and publish my version. I’m the author. You cannot best me.”
“Oh, I’d love to talk with you about everything you did as the author but…” Kendra glances over to us and sighs, “That’s not what’s important here. Anika, you’ve been here overseeing everything so I know you have access to user logs and I know you have recordings of every interaction with the story. I need you to find where these people came from. Scan their User I.D.s so I can get them back home.”
She’s not mentioning the prevailing theory of our deaths, I notice. But, maybe she’s changed her mind on the matter or maybe she’s just being hopeful?
It has a ripple effect and I’m also feeling a glimmer of hope rise up in my gut. Could I still have a home to return to? Could Gavin and Cameron be waiting for me?
Anika takes a few steps forward, glancing between each of us with a smile that suggests she has some secret. “You mean you can’t tell, Kendra? You can’t read their User I.D.s?”
I look from her to Kendra. She’s pained but I can’t read much more from her expression.
“You should know,” Anika continues and reaches her hand out, close to Nate.
He stares at his creator blankly and, in a second, he’s gone. Warm, wet splatter lands on my face, across my glasses, before I even register what’s happened. No one’s screaming but Starla gasps in surprise as she, too, is covered in blood from the mini explosion.
All that’s left of Nate is on us and on the ground.
Is she going to do this to all of us?
“What have you—?” Kendra starts to ask but is promptly cut off.
Anika turns on her heel to face her. Unlike us, she’s free from Nate’s blood and that content smile of hers lingers. “You don’t actually care! You knew he was just A.I.”
“I wasn’t completely sure!” she yells back.
Anika shakes her head. “You really have gotten lazy haven’t you?” She tsks and then begins to pace. “You can’t even tell who’s a user and who’s A.I. anymore. Or, perhaps, my program is just that amazing?”
I can tell Kendra wants to take her head off but she lets out a long, controlled sigh instead. “I need you to scan these four and tell me what you find. The reason they’re here is because of your diving program that you didn’t properly delete so take a little responsibility.”
She rolls her eyes but throws her hand out toward us anyway. I instantly tense, expecting to be popped like Nate, but the same ray that was used to scan Kendra glides over me. Each of us has a turn and Anika’s expression doesn’t change the entire time.
Once she takes her hand back, she sets her eyes on Kendra. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Kendra repeats.
“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?” Oz demands.
“You don’t have User I.D.s,” Anika answers with a dramatized sigh, “That means you aren’t connected to an account which means you were disconnected at some point or you are dead. Though, disconnection for this long would kill you anyway so…either way, you’re all dead.”
“You have to know more than that!” Kendra shouts, throwing her arms out, “You have to have seen when these souls interacted with the story, right? There has to have been some disturbance to mark their arrival!”
“They probably hopped on IVAR, came to check out or pre-order my story, and got disconnected in the process. I can’t comb through the millions of viewers, Kendra.”
“You think…” Kade says slowly and I snap my head over to him, worried what he might do. I notice his knuckles turning white as he grips the handle of the axe tightly. “You think I was a viewer? You think I went out of my way to read your dogshit, boring ass, waste of time TRASH, you CUNT?!”
“I’ll have you kno—” Anika doesn’t finish as Kade’s axe swings through her again. I know it won’t do anything at this point but I’m honestly happy to see her get interrupted in such a way.
I’m sick of hearing her. I’m sick of seeing her too.
But, of course, she reforms every time she’s cut down. “You can’t kill me, you idiot!” she screams before she’s attacked again.
This time, she reappears farther away and Kade lets his arms rest, panting from overexertion again.
“You should be lucky to have ended up in my story, you know,” Anika remarks as she slowly returns. “The amount of horrific shit on IVAR is staggering! You should be grateful to be dropped into something with VALUES and MORALITY!”
“Oh, you mean like your monster gangbang story?” Starla asks and puts her hands on her hips. “He should be lucky he wasn’t made to be the protagonist of that one, Anika?”
Her face reddens and she whips around to Kendra. “You bitch. You KNOW I’ve changed since then.”
“Yeah, and not really for the better.” Kendra crosses her arms. “You claim to be this progressive artist that tells stories for minorities but all you’ve done is reinforce negative and, frankly, harmful ideas. Sure, the main characters are gay but they have to be perfect and morally pure? The only people into kink are the pedophiles? There’s one Asian character and the only indicator that she’s Asian is that her last name is Cho?!”
“I also added a line about pronouns so the transgenders can’t get mad at me!” Anika responds as if she’s making a point. Really, she’s just helping Kendra with her list of grievances.
“Oh, how could I forget?” Kendra throws her hands up and scoffs. “And where are the black people, Anika? I didn’t even see a single extra who was black.”
“It’s set in a mostly white city,” she says and shrugs, “plus, every time I try to add a black character, you people get bent out of shape because I do something wrong. So I may as well not, you know?”
“Wow…how the fuck was I ever friends with you? Were you always like this deep down or did that backlash against Skylar’s story really change you this much?”
Anika’s face twists as she says, “Stop bringing that up! That was the old Anika. She’s dead! The people who confronted me back then were right and it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it.” She laughs and the sound of it makes me feel like I should start running. “Our society is disgusting, Kendra, and we can’t let people publish their dirty perversions anywhere they want. What I’ve done is the ONLY way to write about love and sex! It’s black and white. Thinking otherwise can muddle the mind and we need to have clear moral guidelines in our art so that children can see what’s right and what’s wrong so they aren’t led astray like we were.”
“Moral guidelines?!” Kade responds, hoisting his axe into the air. Anika already starts to flee but he throws it this time, hitting her and scattering her data. “What the fuck is moral about making me sit on a dick against my will?!”
“Kade wasn’t supposed to be possessed by some dead psychopath like you!” she spits, “He was supposed to be an innocent, feminine boy who readers could see themselves in.”
“Young girls, you mean,” Starla hits the nail on the head.
While Kendra’s story of Anika had painted a pretty detailed picture, listening to her now has really filled in the gaps. I wish I had been pulled into any other story. Any other world. At least a different author might feel sympathy for our plight—show some form of remorse. But all she does is make it about herself. And her weird purity crusade.
“That’s the biggest demographic, sure. I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Anika gripes.
“You got so brainwashed, Anika,” Kendra says with a dry laugh, “I almost feel bad for you.”
“Brainwashed? You’re the brainwashed one!”
Kendra shakes her head. “Art is expressive and, yeah, sometimes it carries with it a social, political, or moral message but that’s not the point of art. It’s to let out something that’s in you. It’s to express what you feel inside and show how you interact with the world around you. It’s personal and sometimes deeply private and that can make it dark and upsetting as well. That doesn’t mean it’s evil.”
“That shit is evil!” she retorts, “Those old stories we used to write were wicked! All we focused on was our erotic impulses and our low-vibration need to see others suffer! Only vermin enjoys that stuff! Real, good people want characters they can see themselves in and happy endings!”
“There’s room for both kinds of stories, Anika.”
I look between the two of them and, while I think Kendra, especially, has been holding all of this in for years, I can’t find it in myself to really care.
This is between them.
This is their history and their fight over their ideals.
This has nothing to do with me.
Before I know it, I’m clenching my jaw and a fire is flaring through my veins.
“Shut up!” I shout, getting many pairs of eyes on me. “I don’t give a damn! This has nothing to do with who’s right or wrong! I had a life…I…my name was Liam and I had a husband and a son! There’s probably no way I’ll get to see them again and I was forced to play house in this stupid fucking virtual world. I want out! That’s it! I don’t care about anything else!”
“I want out too,” Oz backs me up and places a hand on my back. “You two can continue this conversation later—without us.”
“Yeah, we already know we’re dead so what’s the point in sticking around?” Kade asks and Starla nods at his side.
“I’m sorry,” Kendra murmurs, “I lost sight of what’s important.”
“What’s it matter anyway?” Anika pipes up. “You just said it—you’re dead. Where can you go? What can you do?”
“Anything is better than staying here and listening to you,” I respond with a scowl.
She starts to argue but the room shakes and, like the sky in our world, the walls begin to break apart to reveal an abyss beyond. Anika’s form even starts to flicker—effected as well.
“The bombs!” Kendra gasps. “They’re still going off!”
We exchange glances before rushing toward the exit, not needing Kendra to lead the way this time. I can only hope that this void will actually lead us outside.
“Where are you going?!” I hear Anika scream but I don’t turn back to look.
1 note
·
View note
Note
Any chance we can get a write up of your thoughts of why you didn't like the histories that much? What caused the suspension of disbelief?
cynicalclassicist said: You say your suspension of disbelief as a historian goes to hell. As one with a history degree I am particularly interested in that statement. Would you care to expand for me and your other readers?
Anonymous said: Hello Turtle ! I’m a huge fan of your analyses and I check them every day, thank you so much for the time you put into it. I have a question regarding one of your latest comments on the histories AWOIAF, F&B. What do you mean by suspension of disbelief? More generally, what is your opinion on the way GRRM writes pseudo history? Thanks again and best wishes.
It seems people want to hear me whining about why the person dramatising their area of expertise is Doing It Wrong. And, look, a lot of this is fine (in a technical sense) for a work of fiction providing background for a more detailed novel series to do, but just like I’ve got doctor friends who can’t watch medical dramas and lawyer friends who can’t read legal thrillers, novels written in the fake history style make me twitch. GRRM is not a historian, it shows, and it shows worst when he’s trying to write about periods of Westerosi history a bit lighter on civil warfare.
Take the reign of Jaehaerys, which I reckon is the worst offender in Fire and Blood. There were massive changes to Westerosi law in Jaehaerys’ reign, and massive infrastructure overhauls. Any history of Jaehaerys’ reign should by rights be full of
“The Stormlands did not have a precedent for this manner of tax dispute. Lord Bob relied on the Reach’s precedent, while Lord Jim adopted a novel approach, and the matter at last reached the king’s court. […] The king adopted the better part of Lord Jim’s reasoning, a decision which had lasting effects on the taxation of dairy products throughout the land. More immediately, however, it hardened Lord Bob against the king and threw him in with those lords who opposed Jaehaerys’ approach to Dornish policy…”
And
“When it came time to decide the course of the road, Jaehaerys and his advisors had to weigh carefully the engineering considerations with the political. The course preferred by the king’s engineers ran straight through Lord Mike’s lands, but Queen Alysanne warned the king that Lord Mike would toll a bird for flying past if the king gave him half a chance. This presented a year-long dilemma for the crown and a diversion in the road, on which the fortunes of three towns turned…”
The depiction of Aegon I’s reign has those problems too. The chapter on governance in Aegon’s reign is, like, 20 pages in my ebook version. In that 20 pages it deals with the building of King’s Landing, the formation of the Kingsguard, the beginning of the Grand Maester tradition, Rhaenys’ influence on the perception of the fledging Targaryen monarchy and one of her notable common law rulings, and the unification of the tax code. Does Gyldayn wanna slow down and devote some page space to show how this actually changed Westeros and then fed right back into what shaped the Targaryen family? Nope. Blows right past it for the family drama. But even that is pretty shallow, and in a lot of places reads like a list of births, deaths, affairs and marriages.
Those lists in turn often read like they’re setting the scene, and they are. They result in moments of high personal drama…which don’t always link up to turning points in Westerosi history, or the identification of key trends shaping the fortunes of House Targaryen. Take the fate of Princess Aerea. Really effective horror writing! Does not substantially advance any thesis about House Targaryen or their role in Westerosi history.
As a purported work of history, Gyldayn’s work lacks the depth to give really worthwhile psychological pictures of the actors, and lacks the breadth to show how the personal drove anything but the most overt of political pressures. And he always comes back to that fixation on who’s sleeping with whom, often focusing on uncomfortably young women (or, you know, girls) in an uncomfortable level of detail. I cannot imagine any future in-universe historian referring to Fire and Blood without some serious hedging about Gyldayn’s predilection for recording various sexual exploits. Its primary historical value in-universe might well be to Westerosi historians discussing what the work says about the court of Robert Baratheon.
Which means that the long and the short of it is that Gyldayn is to fictional history what Mushroom is to Gyldayn.
235 notes
·
View notes
Text
Discovery over Drinks (Discord)
Date: January 13 - 19 (1 day in the Faerielands)
Location: Faerielands
Word Count: 2426
Triggers: None
Summary: Aria and Allison share a drink while contemplating the diminishing population of the Fae @ariafcwn
After separating from August, Aria was feeling very ambitious with her desires to make the most of her time spent in the Faerielands. After all, there was no telling when there would be another time. She made her way to the dessert table and started to eye all the different things she could try. After nibbling absently on a very good pastery, she settled for taking a glass of the shiny champagne and turned to leave. A fae had been approaching the table as Aria turned and knocked over her drink. It spilled all over his suit. “Shit, sorry,” she said quickly. The fae was looking down at his stained ensemble with alarm before glancing up to glare at her. The glare turned into a look of surprise and then a strange sneer. Aria felt herself get on the defensive immediately. ‘Hey, no problem. Not everyday we get to see pretty humans in here.’ ‘Why don’t I show-‘ He took a step too close and Aria stood her ground. With three fingers on his chest, she pushed him away and glared. “Witch,” she interrupted. “Not human. I’m not interested in whatever you have to show.” The man did not enjoy her attitude and opened his mouth to angrily retort, putting up a finger. “Oh, I would think really hard about what you’re going to say next,” Aria interrupted again before he could. ’How dare-‘ “Because the second you smiled like that,” she said a little louder. “I knew I wouldn’t mind causing a scene to embarrass you in front of your fairy friends. We wouldn’t want that, would we?” A handful of fae had turned to witness the drama unfold, especially when Aria begun to project her voice.
Allison was picking at the food table, placing small delicacies on her plate, when nearby raised voices caught her attention. Turning, her mouth dropped open as she saw a beautifully dressed Aria facing off with a peeved looking fae. “Shit,” she muttered, tossing her half filled plate onto the table. Why was she here? And who let her in? And why didn’t they warn her not to annoy the other fae? Sidling up to the witch, she wrapped a gentle hand around Aria’s arm and gave it a warning squeeze. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere - I told you not to wander off.” The male fae took the opportunity to interject, a lascivious smirk on his face. “She’s a pretty little thing isn’t she? Is she yours? Because I’m willing to share if you are.” He winked at Aria. Holding her tongue, Allison straightened her spine and sharpened her tone. “I don’t share. And if you touch her again tonight, I will personally see you can’t touch anyone again for the next century.” Allison began to steer Aria away from the situation and away from the prying eyes of the watching fae. She didn’t let go of her arm until they were well away and tucked into an empty corner.
Aria could immediately tell the fae was fuming at being embarrassed in front of the other faes by a stranger. But despite the situation, the witch did not falter in her sharp gaze or firm stance. Aria heard someone slide up beside her and felt their arms around her back. She was ready to elbow whoever it was when their hand squeezed at her arm and Aria looked beside her to see it was Allison… At least she was mostly sure it was Allison. She looked a lot like she always did but there was something much more ethereal about the emerald glow she had. She looked amazing. And despite herself, Aria was thoroughly relieved and happy to see a familiar friendly face. Her words had Aria grinning. She didn’t argue as her fae friend steered her off in another direction. Casting one last cocky look at the man, she followed Allison until the two were far away and alone. There were still a few lingering looks but at least her friend had picked some where by the large, covering plants. Aria had to resist the urge to take some samples for herself. “Oh my God, Allison. Thanks,” Aria breathed out with a smile. “I was on the verge of punching that guy and that probably wouldn’t have been the best idea…" She let out a small laugh. "I’m surprised to see you here. You look... different.”
“That would have been a very bad idea,” Allison responded and relaxed once it was clear no one had followed them. Crisis averted. “Surprised to see me? I’m surprised to see you! Look at you!” Gesturing to Aria’s outfit, Allison smiled widely. She was still clearly human but only if you looked closely. At a quick glance she blended in well with the rest of the fae. “You look beautiful!” How did she get here? There were only a handful of fae that lived primarily in Ashbourne and she didn’t think any of them would have brought a human in and then just left them to their own devices. Worry crept into her smile and bit her lip nervously, yellow eyes creasing. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you but why are you here?”
Aria’s smile grew a lot more sheepish as her ridiculous dress was pointed out. “Thanks,” she said half-heartedly. As beautiful and high-quality as she knew the dress was, it made her feel like a different person. At least it was comfortable - she had to give her props to Kolya for that. “I was invited as a plus one with…” She glanced around the area but couldn’t catch immediate sight of August. He was probably mingling and the area was huge. “My friend. Who’s somewhere nearby, probably eating.” She looked back at Allison. A hand waved dismissively. “Don’t worry, we’re fine. A fae named Xander or- er- Vitalis led us in. My friend August has an audience with the High Queen for some reason we don’t yet understand. I came to accompany him and make sure he didn’t get into trouble.”
She wasn’t surprised to hear Vitalis was here but the second name caught her attention. ”August is here? And the High Queen invited him?” Allison parroted the information back, unable to think of anything else. She didn’t know the Queen well but it was odd for her to invite other species into their midst, especially given their fragile status. Absently, she wondered if Dresden had made it as well. This definitely seemed right up his alley. “You seem to be doing a fine job of getting into trouble on your own,” she teased but there was still an undercurrent of worry in her voice. She liked Aria and August and while she would never question the Queen, she didn’t want to see them get hurt. The whole situation made her uneasy. “Come on,” she said abruptly. “I don’t know about you but I need another drink.”
Aria nodded, lips pursed. She looked clearly uneasy with that fact. But while the situation was suspicious, this had been the chance of a lifetime. August would not have passed it up and so it was better they were there together. Besides, she revelled in a new experience that got her out of the town she’d been stuck in her entire life. Sorta. She let out a small, amused scoff at the jest. “I don’t look for trouble, trouble finds me.” It was a joke but she couldn’t claim for it to be completely true. While Aria truly didn’t mean to find real, dangerous trouble - she still seemed to make choices that she knew would lead there. It was a habit. “Ugh, yes, please.” Aria walked alongside her as they made their way to the bar. “So, what is you’re doing here? Do faes have parties like this all the time?” She glanced over at a beautiful plant as they walked. “... And Vitalis said I can’t pick any plants but... would they kill me if I took a leaf or two?” She had so many questions. What did these parties mean? Were they just for fun? Who was the Queen and what was the best way to approaching a conversation with her? Allison was the only fae she was acquainted with. The only one she was willing to trust at least a little.
Leading Aria through the crowd, Allison waved and smiled at a few of the fae she recognized, politely declining their invitations to play with a quick laugh. “Don’t pick the plants,” she warned. “The Queen is earth, much in the same way I am and I highly doubt she would take kindly to someone plucking the decor.” Allison grabbed another glass of wine, the clear crystal sparkling under the lights of the hall. This would be her second of the night - not something she’d usually care about but she was a notorious light weight and knowing that Aria and August were both here made her wary. She didn’t want to be caught off guard if something went wrong. “I’ve been away for a while,” she explained. “Something that’s not exactly encouraged and I just had this gut feeling I should attend. Whether it was because you were here or because of the way things are going in town, I honestly couldn’t tell you.” Taking a deep sip from her glass, Allison surveyed the room over the rim and tried to imagine what it must be like for Aria. Like so many fae, Allison always kept her glamour up in town, dropping it only when she was safely tucked away in her bed. She hardly noticed the drain on her energy and it was only now that she was realizing how alive she felt. “The parties are partly for fun, partly to take stock of how many fae are left. The world is shrinking Aria, even if it doesn’t feel like it in Ashbourne, and we’re running out of room.”
Well, wasn’t she popular. Aria observed Allison interacting with the other fans with a small smile. It wasn’t exactly surprising so many knew her… Allison was just a sweet and genuine soul. Aria felt lucky to have her around the party. It was someone to count on that she actually knew and trusted more than whoever that Xander, Vitalis guy was. Aria could just pout a bit at the idea she wasn’t allowed to take anything with her. But she decided it wouldn’t be a worthwhile risk to take breaking rules in a place she needed help getting out of. “Fine,” she responded. Then she listened and wondered what exactly Allison was thinking. Gut feelings never meant good news for Aria. She thought she’d also felt strange coming into this but also the uncertainty of a new place and creatures she wasn’t too familiar with was natural. She tried to dismiss it all as paranoia and her always strong desire to be prepared for everything. “… How do you mean that?” Aria asked, brows furrowing in concern. “What's going on with the fae right now?”
“We’re dying. Slowly, but it’s still noticeable.” Allison lowered her voice, until the din of the hall practically swallowed her words. It was a depressing truth and Allison had no idea how many of her friends were still left or if their trees had been destroyed. Allison worried her lower lip, hesitant to reveal too much. But if they kept it all to themselves, would they be able to stop anything? Or would they fade from existence without anyone noticing? “As humans continue to expand, they destroy anything in their path. Including our homes.” It was vague but Allison didn’t know how else to explain.
Aria’s eyes narrowed and a strange guilt started to squeeze her insides. Here she was worrying about nothing but her magic and keeping her people safe when there was something like this affecting an entire species of magical beings. She had no idea. In a way, she’d always lived in a sheltered life stuck in Ashbourne where the trees and grass were always green and the flowers blooming. She’d heard about climate issues only through books and internet and seen its real life effect in minimal quantities. It was a horrible thing beyond explanation - one of the shittiest things about the world out there. But now to know it was also killing the fae? “… I’m sorry,” she said, feeling like that was completely inadequate. The words felt meaningless and small compared to what they were for. “That’s not right.” Aria sighed. “Do you know if there’s anything they’re doing to fix it?” Her brow raised. “Anything… the witches can do too? Surely with all these people here they’re figuring something out.”
Aria’s concern brought a soft smile to Allison’s face. What was happening to the fae was awful and she was sure if they reached out to others, there would be people who cared enough to help figure out a solution. There had to be. She wasn’t so beaten down by the world that she had stopped believing in others. “I’m sure the Queens and the courts are working on it. Here and outside of Ashbourne.” It was like an anvil hanging overhead – at some point it would fall, she just didn’t know when. And since no one seemed to be immune from what she’d seen, it was a rallying point for all fae no matter what their status. She had been out of the loop for so long though, that she had no idea what could be done. “I’m not sure. I think it would be worth asking but that isn’t the fae way,” she said, her words undercut by a small amount of bitterness.
Aria smiled half in dark humor, shaking her head. “Not a big fan of some of your people’s customs? I can relate to that.” She sighed and looked out at the crowd. “Hopefully they’re not as stubborn as witches. But if you ever need any help with them...” Aria looked back at Allison. “I don’t really have good ties with my coven anymore, but there are ways of making due. I think if something affects the faes and the world, it’s going to affect everyone else. Who knows? Maybe they can work together.” She offered a smile. “... It's funny to think about it now but you’re really the only fae I know personally. I’m hoping the queen has more in common in you than just being an Earth fae. Maybe we can get along.”
2 notes
·
View notes
Photo
It is almost unimaginable how many musicians have been given a listen due to their album artwork. Being the first impression itself, the artwork obviously holds the same weight as the music in many cases. Back in the days of record stores, there was no 10-second preview; the artwork was all there was between the consumer and the artist. Though, it is now a digital age in which attention is the most valuable commodity, in which standing out is just as difficult as ever. Some believe that the artistry of an album has been lost and in a sense it is arguable that the lack of physicality within the medium has hindered the appreciation of the art form. But many on the other side of the scale believe that is completely wrong in every sense, many being the graphic designers themselves; one of which is pushing to retain the art form he built his base on.
Max Cohen is a Waterloo, Ontario born and raised creative director and designer who has established himself a major player in the hip hop scene; creating artwork for some of the hottest acts currently, which include: Killy, Pierre Bourne, Murda Beatz, Smokepurpp and of course many more. Max understands the importance of branding as well as the visuals themselves, hoping to share it with those unaware of its essentialness. Parmaind sat down and spoke to Max about his work and visions, the rap industry as well as his views on the future of music marketing.
Paramind: First question as always, how’s your day going?
Max: Good man, it was ok; school was school. I’m living bro, living good.
PM: So, why don’t you tell everyone who Max is?
M: Oh god, my name is Max Cohen; I am a student, I am an artist, I make album covers and work on branding for a bunch of different artists and labels, just an overall creative.
PM: So of all those projects you’ve done, what are the three you’re most proud of?
M: Oh, Killamonjaro for Killy, Bloody Hands…this is tough… oh the Fiji and Yachty one for sure.
PM: It is seen in those projects that you work tightly in the hip hop community, but do you think that’s where you’re happy staying? Or would you want to expand and if so, where?
M: I mean I love all genres of music so I’ll do anyone I listen to and primarily listen to the people I work with. It’s nice to have that personal connection with the artists. But in general with rap its probably where I’ll stay, it’s what’s popular and what I enjoy the most; it’s the black renaissance coming into play and that will be prevalent as time goes on. Also I work more on an industry level than a Soundcloud one now as well. I’ve worked with Universal, Interscope, real label shit. It’s my niche and I’m enjoying it and once I continue to expand my range of talents it’ll just get better and I plan to stay prevalent and influential in the industry.
PM: So do you plan to move towards shooting concerts, live visuals, etc. as arguably album artwork is static as an art form?
M: Yeah it can be sometimes, but photography is so saturated right now that it’s hard to stand out at all because thousands of them exist, so there’s no real point. People have asked me to shoot or do video work and my friend who goes by the name Sogross basically just taught me to diversify my skillset and so if an artist wants me to go on tour for a couple months and do all the visuals and creatives I can do that.
PM: But you’re still doing album art, it is still your main focus; and there is now the question of why it’s relevant. Akon recently tweeted making fun of even caring about album artwork anymore...
M: Akon’s on bullshit man
PM: [Laughs] so then why is it relevant then in your mind?
M: It’s the most important thing towards marketing and building your brand and fan base. Off the top, cover art is an art form so it needs to be maintained. But that whole idea of branding is important, it’s like saying ‘why do we need advertisements for companies?’ It makes no sense. That is literally the equivalant. Its part of the marketing, and of course, its part of the vision.
PM: But what about album covers with no art? Like Yeezus?
M: Still art. Still branding. That’s totally art and expression and what the artist wanted to display. It was curated by Joe Perez , dude is so smart. But it’s a message against the music industry.
PM: Kanye called it the coffin or death of album covers, does he have a point?
M: Kanye is a visionary but he’s also dramatic and sometimes stupid so take everything he says with a grain of salt.
PM: While on the topic of album covers, can you tell me some that have influenced you in some way?
M: Anything Bryan Rivera does, he does Post Malone’s stuff, I don’t have specific influence from one piece or it else my art wouldn’t be my own. So maybe not specific covers but more portfolios.
PM: Can you give any secrets or hints at album covers or work you have coming soon?
M: Geez, lot of Toronto work. I don’t like talking on my moves before I make them. No reason to flex a piece before it’s done. I can speak on the fact I’ll keep working with Murda Beatz if all goes good.
PM: Nice, on top of working with musicians you’ve also worked with some other graphic designers like your friend Jeff and I know you’ve been shouted out in Justin Wilson’s interview with Untitled, so can you speak on your connections or your future in terms of collaboration?
M: The community is very tight knit. You have very industry based designers who only fuck with people in their circle and no one else. But that’s some drama LA shit. But in terms of the community, I’m in a lower tier but it’s so tight knit. I’m in group chats of about 40 different designers and creatives in the industry and everyone’s friends. The piece I recently did with Jeff for bloody hands was me just not being able to do the edits because I went out one night so I sent it to him and he got it done no problem.
PM: So what would be the dream for you then? What is the end goal or place you’d be happy ending up at?
M: I mean, I’m not going to university for graphic design; I’m going for creative industries, which is more the business behind everything I’m into. But if I could make graphic design my career I’d be the dream. Vision wise, I will realistically work with Ovo in the next 6-8 months and they’re the biggest Canadian entity and I already have work that’s been viewed millions of times by millions of people, which is unreal. I’m so happy where I am and I just enjoy being in the scene and reaping the benefits of working in music. I want to have a presence and make great work...
In the end, it comes down to the art not the clout.
PM: True, you’ve worked with some big artists such as Pierre Bourne and Killy as well as SmokePurpp. But you have to wonder who those out of reach people are for you that you desperately want to work with.
M: Migos. No doubt. Coach K and Quality Control are tight knit on what they do. But if I can work with them It’d be crazy. And anyone large and I respect. Even like on a lower scale, like Yellow days. That’d be lit. But I try not to be driven by who I’m working with and rather be driven by the quality of the art and how much money I’m making. [laughs]
PM: [laughs] Do you lose your artistic integrity in the pursuit of money or social media numbers?
M: When you work in a service industry, like I do, its not necessary sacrificing artistic integrity and instead doing what the customer wants and doing it the best I can. I will sometimes make a piece I don’t love but that my client will love because that’s what they wanted. So yeah that could be seen as losing integrity. It’s a hobby and I love it but it’s also a job, this is my part time job. Sometimes if someone does something I can’t support I’ll have to turn it down but that’s it
PM: So in those cases is it about them as a person or just not enjoying their music or vision?
M: That’s hard because so many rappers are fucking scumbags. There are so many bad people popular in rap right now, its difficult to find that line lately… actually lets stop that topic [laughs]
PM: [laughs] Yeah best to move on for now… going back to album art and design, how do you feel you’re making yourself stand out and why do you matter?
M: My shit’s hot man, my art’s sick and I can make anything anyone wants. Perfect example is Killamanjaro... Wait hold on let me pull out these texts…
[Max pulls out his phone and finds a conversation with Killy]
M: He gave me the vision of “crazy dystopian dark world art cover, needs to be crazy and memorable” and It was my job to make something sick and something worthwhile. And that’s what I want to keep having is the ability to see something in my head and then execute it to the highest degree, because that’s what makes me worthwhile and unique.
PM: For sure, thanks so much for your time man, anyone you want to shout out?
M: Shout out Liam, shout out Luke, shout out Tuti; Tuti’s my Brazilian homie who I’ve known for like 3 years and has been on this design shit forever. Also; Jeff, Dj, Trap, Zero, Jermane cause he’s putting me on right now, my parents, my sister, oh and my dog.
Paramind would like to thank Max for his time, as well as speaking his mind and giving us insight into his art and future.
Follow Max online:
Twitter: @Mxxchn
Instagram: @Mxxchn
Words and photos by Guy Mizrahi
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
as someone who used to engage in the yuri genre as a teenager, i was pretty darn desperate to find/watch/read anything that had some girlxgirl romance happen in plain sight, like i didn’t give a shit about quality of the story or whatnot because back then there wasn’t much actual femslash i could engage in within the US so...i took whatever to satisfy myself:
Kannazuki no Miko - guilty pleasure, but i still enjoy it to an extent despite the bad writing
Strawberry Panic - i think the writing is just as bad and i think everything about it is trash but i appreciate it for being the first yuri/shoujo ai anime that introduced me to yuri overall
Girl Friends - okay this one is actually good...or at least thats what everyone says, but unfortunately im not a huuuge fan of the style and while the main couple develops rather nicely and realistically, the manga isn’t something i can find myself reading over and over again
Candy Boy - i think i remember this one having twincest in it (*thinks about my two incest ships*) and while it looked cute, it was simply okay, nothing really too special IMO
Sono Hanabira (OVA) - guess what I only watched that for... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Sasameki Koto - I literally only watched this, never finished but i skipped around, and i found it be kinda boring (if y’all like fluff then i can see why ppl like this)
Aoi Hana - i think this one is worth a watch (if not, then read the manga) at least for the way it handles the topic of homosexuality and developing feelings for your friend; though i wouldn’t say its the best written cause the anime decided to stop before any “real” progress could occur between the main couple (or idk wtf i dont remember its been awhile and i think i was starting to get bored with the yuri genre for how repetitive it kinda got)
skip to about 5 years later and there’s a fair amount of yuri i could go back to or start reading again and when i tried to...i just couldn’t? like people who’ve read a fair amount of yuri/shoujo ai say that Kase-san is one of the best out there, and i can see why, but i just couldn’t get invested into it. NTR (Netsuzou Trap) is another one out there thats pretty popular, but i tried it out and honestly while people say they’re repelled by the cheating and unnecessary bullshit drama that goes on, i kind of found all of it to be really boring, ironically
The only few yuri/shoujo ai that I’ve come across and found myself enjoying were:
Hanabi and Sanae/Ecchan from Scum’s Wish (Kuzu no Honkai) - which don’t watch for the yuri cause you’re only gonna torture yourself and spoiler to anyone who hasn’t read the manga or watched the anime, they don’t end up together TT_TT
and
Citrus - which I’ve been reading since the day it came out, and despite it being riddled with so many cliches and tropes and unnecessary drama, for some reason I find myself coming back to the manga...and yes I know there’s going to be an anime adaptation and prays it does well (ಥ ͜ʖಥ)
In the end, I’m pretty much doomed to continue waiting for the US to make more worthwhile animated canon femslash pairings, and shipping pairings that have the chemistry but are unfortunately not canon (´༎ຶ ͜ʖ ༎ຶ `)♡ (see: Madohomu, Elsanna, Diakko (eyy), YumiKuri (i know they’re canon, but see ch. 93 of AoT manga) etc.).
Anyway, I think the point I was trying to come across was simply just I wish there were more yuri/shoujo ai that have a bigger story to it rather than just being set in your typical all-girls school or being simply a slice-of-life or just be focused on as a straight-up romance. The last thing I mentioned is fine, but...ugh I think at this point from anime, I want something along the lines of when Victuri (Yuri on Ice) became canon.
#long post#this wasn't supposed to be this long#oh well#yuri#yuri genre#i think at this point im just looking for a well developed animated femslash pairing#and i know rupphire and korrasami and i think bubbline exist#but i kinda want more than that?#turtle speaks#wow ive been shipping a lot more than usual#this ended up coming of as a rant#rant
36 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Rant about Haters, and the Strength of Taylor Swift
At first, I wished Taylor would have "just let it go" and not written about the drama surrounding her these last years. I guess it's because I - like her, ironically - think it's such a waste of time keeping yourself in that negative and toxic narrative. I - like her - think the world is beautiful and magical, and full of good people. So why waste time on the mean few? Right? Well, not quite. These last couple of days I have found myself so angry, and so tired whenever I log onto tumblr. Because even though the vast majority of posts in the Taylor Swift-tag are all of the sweet, funny, and supportive swifties, there are also some, who go out of their way, who take time out of their day to make these posts dripping with hate. They try to hide behind social causes, judging Taylor in the light of them, while many of these posts themselves are essentially sexist, and always incredibly biased. After these last years of drama and of seeing one of the most important artists in my life fall from grace in the public opinion, when I know that she's a kind person, who has helped me and so many others be stronger, kinder people who loves with a fierce force - both others and themselves. After this, I can't do it anymore. I can't see the hate. So I just block each and every person who hates. Not critiques it has an opinion, but hates, ridicules. I don't understand how anyone can want to waste time having such strong opinions of dislike, when there is so much more in this world; so many issues and actual, important causes to fight for - or so much other music to listen to? But luckily, this isn't my life. I get to put down my phone, go to yoga, to work, to uni, to dinner, and I don't have to think about it. I have friends who aren't hateful, and a few even really likes Taylor too. I get to be happy, gush about her pretty clothes. I get to go to concerts with all of you, and see how many we are, how strong we are. The haters barely exists in my world. Taylor does not have that luxury. She is always, always Taylor Swift. Both our Queen and the haters' snake and the public opinion's Snake Queen. I can't imagine how hard that must be. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, everyone has an opinion, and it's everywhere. Hate tends to be louder than love, and the duck are you supposed to know whether people buy your music because they like you, or because they want to pick it apart. She can never escape the choir of non-believers, the mean spirited, the haters. And sure, it must get to you. And at some point, there aren't many options left. You can leave - choose a rose garden over Madison Square, but I don't think any of us are hoping that's what Taylor ends up doing. I think that we all want her to have a long career and make music for many years to come. Then you can break down, go crazy, like Britney, like Justin. The public will build you up, just to break you down, just to cheer when you redeem yourself. But as we know, many of the scars from these break downs never quite heal, do they? Or you can try to deal. And honestly, Taylor deals by writing music, and by working. She has tried so many angles. She's been shaking of with a smirk, she's been sad, forgiving, on top, but people keep on hating, trying to define and decide who Taylor Swift is, as though she wasn't an actual human being. So now she's angry. I'm glad she's angry. We're all a little angry. That's the only rational feeling in the world right now. And yes, she's made mistakes. Of course she has. But she was ridiculed when she reached out to people who disliked her and tried to befriend them, so what's a girl supposed to do? She's a princess, she's a weak little girl, a crazy man-eating woman, a calculating mean girl, a white bitch. But she's never human. If people stopped treating me like a human, I wouldn't be able to just produce art and send it out to the world for everyone to have an opinion. And if she needs to be angry, vindictive and lose a little bit of faith in magic in order to do that and stay sane, then I'm happy that's what's she's doing. I hope she knows, that no one ever did anything worthwhile, that didn't stir up some controversy. I hope she knows how many those who love her are, and I hope she knows how many of the people who aren't her fans still respect her, and would never want to see her broken down. Slay queen. 🐍
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 141, January 2019
My thoughts and feelings towards Australia Day haven't changed in the last 12 months. It SHOULDN'T be about racism against white people or against aboriginal people, Invasion day, hate speech or changing the date. It SHOULD be about celebrating all the positive aspects of being an Australian citizen. Being kind, loyal, friendly, respectful person, giving people a fair go, accepting each others differences, regardless of cultural heritage and helping each other out.
Nobody should be judged or made to feel guilty about celebrating Australia Day on January 26th or the public holiday on the 28th. Whether that involves simply reflecting on what makes Australia a great place to live, spending time with your family and friends, having a BBQ, attending an Australia Day event, working or just doing what you normally do. Everyone should be free to do what they want to do so long as it doesn't involve racism, violence, hate speech, protesting or negativity against other people. Leave the past in the past!
On the Australian Day public holiday, I hosted a BBQ at my place. It was originally going to be held at Bicentennial Park Chelsea but due to how hot the weather was and some family drama, I changed my plans at the last minute. It was destined to be a major flop like many of my social gatherings are but I was determined not to give up. I felt grateful that my friend Chris Lalic decided to come and he brought some friends along with him including girlfriend Kat Sharp, Hazel Argueta Sermeno and Vivian Chen.
We had the radio cranking out some classic Aussie tunes on Triple M including Jet, Birds of Tokyo, Silverchair, Baby Animals, Paul Kelly, Eskimo Joe and The Angels plus we cooked up plenty of snags, beef burgers and onions. Of course I’m generally really shy around new people but I found Chris’ friends to be outrageously funny and entertaining. Today turned out better than I expected even though I wasn’t feeling that way this morning.
How does one define a successful event? In my opinion, having a good time and enjoying yourself. It shouldn’t be based upon the number of people who turn up to your event or how many rejections you get. It’s taken me a long time to figure that out. Organising social events and making friends will always be big challenges for me but ones that I refuse to give up on.
On Tuesday morning, Mum and I drove up to Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia and also visited Karingal Hub. I actually feel more relaxed and at peace hanging out in places within the Mornington Peninsula and Bayside areas. There’s a sigma that these places are only for high income earners with expensive sports cars, fancy outfits and immaculately groomed dogs. While that is probably the case for most of the residence, it really doesn’t bother me at all. I feel like a person’s wealth or socio-economic status shouldn’t define who they are as a person.
There are many different shops to browse in including gift shops, homewares, cafes, pet accessories, bakeries, nail salons, barber shops, art galleries and supermarkets. The other big difference is that it’s less populated than most suburbs in the City of Casey. I find places that are overcrowded and densely populated put a lot of stress and anxiety on me. I’m the kind of person that needs my own space and not be constantly shoved around by other people. https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/mounteliza/
Similar with Karingal Hub, this shopping centre is much more quiet compared to Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre and Westfield Fountain Gate. It’s also smaller in size but with enough variety of stores to make the trip down there worthwhile. The weather outside was getting really hot and unbearable so thank god the air conditioning system was working well inside. Mum and I were checking out Big W for shoes and lunch boxes before having an iced coffee and a hotdog for lunch in the food court. https://karingalhub.com.au/
On Tuesday night, I had my first YardSTRONG (Strongman) session for the year at The Yard Strength & Fitness in Pakenham. Tonight was very much an easy going warm up session as I haven’t done a great deal of weight lifting and need to start with light weights. I did some stretches including opening and closing the gate, backwards walking lunges and bridge pulses. Then I worked on doing some Dead Lifts (30 seconds of reps @ 25kg) and some Kaiser Front Squats (8 reps @ 25kg) before getting into my workout.
I did a 15 minute AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) doing Farmer’s Carries, Keg Carries and Dead Lift Carries. It got pretty tiring especially in the last few minutes as my arms were getting sore and I could feel myself fatiguing. But at the same time, it was a very manageable workout. I didn’t burnout and I paced myself very well with plenty of breaks in between reps.
It felt really good to be back at The Yard. It was reuniting with an old friend you hadn’t seen in a while. Plus Mandi Herauville is a very easy going personal trainer who can easily make adjustments if necessary to my workout. I never feel overwhelmed there which is a nice feeling. It’s like I’m comfortable being myself in that space without any pressure.
On Thursday night, I decided to cook Beef and Noodle stir-fry with Oyster Sauce for dinner. Like on my previous dishes, I’ve modified the recipe from Taste as there’s a lot of ingredients on the list that are either unnecessary additions or just too expensive for my budget. For example, I bought the stir fry beef strips instead of the fillet as it’s far more cost effective and you save time as well because you don’t have to cut up the meat into strips.
I’m also not a big fan of anything with chili in it so that got immediately crossed off my shopping list. Follow the recipe and you should be fine. I found chopping up the vegetables into small chunks makes the cooking time a lot faster. Also, make sure you separate the meat, sauces, noodles and vegetables and slowly combine each until it’s all fried through. https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/beef-noodle-stir-fry-oyster-sauce/221ede35-7fbb-4938-acc9-1288ca26b3a4
On Friday morning, I had an appointment with my speech therapist Amon from Everyday Independence. As usual, I never seem to know how to prepare for these sessions and worry about whether I’ve done enough to achieve my goals. January is probably the hardest month to plan catch ups and practice my social communication skills on people as most people are busy or in holiday mode after Christmas.
But I can certainly say that at least I’ve made an effort to initiate contact with a few of my friends. Beyond that, I’ve got no control over whether they’ll actually respond or if they’ll have free time to catch up with me. Other things I’m still working on are confidence building, using conversation starters and ice breakers, learning to speak up and interrupt conversations if necessary and interacting with strangers, customers and people I don’t know.
On Friday night, I did a small group Boxing class at CinFull Fitness. Considering how under-slept and drained of energy I was feeling, I managed to somehow muster up enough energy to smash through this class. There was a couple of hard-hitters in the group tonight which made me step up my levels of concentration and focus plus we did a lot of endurance based drills. I certainly had a lot more confidence in my performance tonight. I felt really good that I was able to stick it out and not get too fatigued by the end of it.
“Paradise is in my soul, and I’m terrified I can’t get out. I’m lost in a labyrinth, we are lost in a labyrinth. Please don’t follow.” Bring Me The Horizon feat. Grimes - Nihilist Blues (2019)
“It hit me like a sucker punch. Just one look and I'm out of touch. I'm freaking out 'cause I'm scared this might end bad. But I still come back for that. Sucker punch.” Sigrid - Sucker Punch (2018)
0 notes
Text
‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World
Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)
But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”
Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.
Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.
Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community?
I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”
It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter.
(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)
So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community.
(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.
Do you write Kelli?
We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.
You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice?
Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.
You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects?
If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.
What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon?
It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.
It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)
Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street?
I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.
In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light?
We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.
Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here.
We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.
You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way?
Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/
from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/178281727110
0 notes
Text
‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World
Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)
But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”
Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.
Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.
Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community?
I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”
It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter.
(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)
So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community.
(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.
Do you write Kelli?
We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.
You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice?
Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.
You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects?
If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.
What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon?
It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.
It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)
Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street?
I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.
In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light?
We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.
Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here.
We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.
You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way?
Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/
from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/09/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is.html
0 notes
Text
‘Love, Simon’ Star Natasha Rothwell is Here to School the World
Oh, sure, actress Natasha Rothwell’s scene-stealing drama teacher in out director Greg Berlanti’s groundbreaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon is bitter – and therefore, funny as all hell – about overseeing amateur teens in a student production of Cabaret. Hey, she had an oh-so-prestigious part in The Lion King musical! (As, um, an extra.)
But Ms. Albright is a dogged ally for life, demonstrating heartfelt compassion for her LGBTQ students when Simon and his queer schoolmate, Ethan, are bullied in the lunchroom. Enter Ms. Albright, who breaks up the fight in true Ms. Albright fashion: “That’s mine now,” she scolds, confiscating the bullies’ speaker. “I’m’ma sell it, get my tubes tied.”
Rothwell knows the teacher life well: She was a high school teacher in the Bronx for four years. Queer students confided in her, some even came out to her. Now, the 37-year-old actress and former SNL writer returns for a third season of actress-writer Issa Rae’s terrific HBO comedy Insecure, as Issa’s freewheeling, zero-fucks friend Kelli. And no details on her role just yet – she couldn’t reveal any during our recent interview, sorry – but Rothwell is also set to star in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman sequel.
Plenty to chat about until then, though, including the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in her projects and her reaction to the criticism Love, Simon received for not being progressive enough.
Why do you think the women on Insecure have resonated with the queer community?
I think what attracts the queer community to Insecure is authenticity and seeing a group of women being celebrated on television for being their authentic selves. The courage that it takes for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA community to be authentic – it’s so difficult and so brave and so admirable to do so that when you see a group of people doing that on screen I can understand why that resonates with the queer community. I feel that way when I see other marginalized groups of people on TV shown as full-fledged characters. I’m like, “Yes, yes, yes!”
It should be noted how effortlessly LGBTQIA just rolled off your tongue. You didn’t stumble over a single letter.
(Laughs) I think having been a part of Love, Simon and doing press for that I was like, “I’m gonna get this! They’re not gonna get me on camera or on tape!” Because I’m an ally through and through, and they better know I know what I’m talking about. (Laughs)
So, Kelli: Surely her unapologetic boldness – I mean, in season two, she got fingered at a diner – resonates with the community.
(Laughs) She was living her best life. She’s not gonna apologize for it. Until I got into my 30s, I felt like I was apologizing for being a woman, for being black. The beauty of playing Kelli is I get to have a character match how I now feel, and I get to play a woman who’s never known any different. Like, I imagine this is Kelli from the crib; when she was an infant, till now, she’s only ever known this version of herself. I love playing someone who doesn’t experience doubt in the way I do.
Do you write Kelli?
We all write Kelli. We’ll do internal table reads of the script and I’ll sit down and get to see what the other room was working on, and I’m like, “Oh shit, I’m getting fingered? OK!” It’s a real team effort to develop her and all the characters.
You’ve cited Lily Tomlin as an influence. How did she influence your comedic voice?
Female comedians that weren’t trapped by femininity is what resonated with me most. She was such a chameleon, subverting expectations. She plays a little girl (Edith Ann) and she’s sitting in this giant, oversized chair and having this monologue, and she’s so playful and inventive and completely embodies the POV of a small child, and using her body to tell a story. I just remember watching that and being obsessed.
You’re writing a rom-com called Bridal Recall for Paramount Pictures, and you also have a development deal with HBO to write and produce and star in your own project. Will the queer community have a place in those projects?
If I have a say. To me, I don’t think talking about inclusion and diversity is enough. We have to do it in actuality and in action. One of the brilliant things about Issa’s writers’ room? It’s not all black. We have representation from all over the spectrum. We have different sexualities represented, different ethnicities represented, and we can tell a nuanced story that way. So, I have every intention of making my writers’ room reflect the nuance that I want to tell in those stories, that I feel make worthwhile stories.
What did it mean to you to be a part of Love, Simon?
It meant everything. When I read the script and the book, I was just honored that I could participate in a project that really felt bigger than myself. The response has been insane and continues to be. People are discovering the movie even still and are responding to it in a really visceral way. I imagine it being that way for young people of color watching Black Panther for the first time. To me, that’s powerful to see your story represented and it’s not – it’s a love story first and a coming out story second.
It’s one of the things where it’s just, I want more of this. I want more people to see themselves represented in this very specific, common way that straight white people have had the privilege of. So, I want to see more of those stories being told, because I’m a child of the ’80s. John Hughes is my jam, and I loved Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. So, to see this story get that treatment was a magical thing. I will be forever grateful to Greg Berlanti for thinking that I could play Ms. Albright. He’s such a wonderful man and encouraged me and brought me to tears. He pulled me aside after I finished shooting and he was just like, “I have the same feeling about you I did when I directed Melissa McCarthy.” And I was like, “You just said a lot in that sentence!” And then I burst into tears. (Laughs)
Do gay fans recognize you as Ms. Albright on the street?
I don’t get “Hey, Ms. Albright!” I live in West Hollywood and the LGBTQIA community is en masse here and I love it. So, I’ll get recognized from Love, Simon and as Kelli, sometimes at the same time. It’s a great community, and I feel so welcomed and thankful for it.
In an episode during season two of Insecure, you and Issa call out Molly for being revolted by a male suitor because he has sexual history with another man. The episode acknowledges a glaring double-standard between men and women, and also hypermasculinity in black versus white communities. What part did you play in bringing that storyline to light?
We all talked about our experiences and something that would give us pause before entering into a relationship, or something that we wouldn’t even stop and think twice about. It varied by gender, by sexuality, by age. What boiled up to the top was the hypertoxic masculinity of communities of color, especially the black community. So, we really loved to present that specific part of the show to our audience because it caused conversation around the topic. One of the things that I love about our show is we don’t present answers – we present questions. We want people to have these conversations in a public way.
Recently, a massive Twitterstorm ignited when GQ featured the straight male cast in a photo spread that some deemed “gay.” One of the featured actors, Sarunas Jackson, called out the homophobic tone of the comments. I’m thinking, we’ve already been here.
We’ve already been here, we already did this, guys. We’ve already evolved. Let’s just move on. But this just goes to show that continued conversation and continued moments for educating yourself are helpful. One of the more palpable things that I think that photo spread did was spark that conversation again, so people can really, once and for all, understand their own toxic masculinity. I was shocked by the number of women jumping on board. I’m like, you were indoctrinated to think that way, and we have to unlearn some things in order to be the progressive, thoughtful, inclusive people that I know we are capable of being.
You responded to people who don’t feel represented by Insecure by telling them, well, then you tell your story, because no one story can encompass all of our stories. Love, Simon received similar criticism for featuring a white man in its lead role, versus someone of color. Would you respond to that criticism in the same way?
Absolutely. I think I would be remiss to say, “We did it guys. Let’s pack it up! We fixed it! We fixed inclusion in Hollywood!” I think that would be a gross mistake to be made. I don’t look at Insecure and even see myself represented all the time and I write on the show, because this is a story. This is Issa and her girlfriend in Inglewood, California. But what it requires is more art to be made to reflect those things that aren’t being shown. Let’s tell those stories because, if there’s anything I’ve learned when really resonating with audiences lately, it’s a hunger for diversity.
from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/09/20/love-simon-star-natasha-rothwell-is-here-to-school-the-world/
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
karenfordonte
Caring For Donte
mtfthin
M/MTF/Thinspiration
bezanya
Сопротивление не бесполезно
loi-jieun
Loisims
ouradventures
Our Adventures...