#rainforest tree slater

[spiderdreamer-blog]

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

Environmentalism in kids' entertainment in the early 90s is kind of a funny thing. Earth Day was a big focus, as was animal conservation and "doing your part" in terms of individual activism about picking up trash or planting trees. Captain Planet ruled the roost, with a multi-national team fighting grotesque stereotypes who bragged stupidly about how pollution was just so much fun even beyond the monetary value it might bring them. (looks at our current class of failson tech bro billionaries Actually that last part might not be so inaccurate...)

Looking back and with the looming specter of climate change reshaping our world, it seems almost quaint. Yet I wouldn't say all of that was wasted effort, nor were these unworthy causes. And a movie like FernGully: The Last Rainforest, corny as it might seem in places now, is both a reflection of that strange time and an interesting effort all its own. How does it hold up? Let's take a look.

Set in the titular, fictional Australian rainforest, FernGully tells the story of Crysta (Samantha Mathis), a fairy being tutored by Magi Luna (Grace Zabriskie, a good ways away from her work in David Lynch's repertory company). Magi informs her (and us) of the history of Ferngully and the evil spirit Hexxus (Tim Curry), who nearly wrought its destruction before Magi sealed him in a magic tree. Crysta, being a 90s teenager, is impatient and flies off to hang out with friends like Pips (Christian Slater, reuniting with Mathis from Pump Up The Volume and before their third collab in 1996's Broken Arrow) or Batty Koda (Robin Williams). But she soon discovers strange creatures encroaching on the forest: humans, who've long passed into legend after leaving Ferngully. More specifically, she meets Zack (Jonathan Ward), a young man working with a logging company. (Interesting/amusing observation: while we see Zack has an Australian driver's license, he has a very thoroughly Southern California accent. Possibly an expat?) After a mishap where Crysta accidentally shrinks him, Zack begins to learn more about the world of Ferngully and becomes increasingly enchanted with the place (though having a very cute girl express quite a bit of interest in you doesn't hurt, I imagine). Good timing, too, since Zack's co-workers have inadvertently released Hexxus from his prison and he's down for some payback...

The most striking thing about the movie remains its look. Director Bill Kroyer and his team, including his wife Susan Kroyer on art director duties, give the Australian landscapes true beauty in the use of bright, vivid colors and exceptional lighting. Ferngully truly does seem like a magical place even before you add the fairies, and Kroyer smartly makes use of blended CGI with the 2D animation that holds up remarkably well in expanding the landscapes or depicting machines like the ominous Leveler. (It helps, of course, that he was already a CGI veteran at this point, having been one of the pionnering animators on films like TRON). Outside of the lovely Aboriginal-art-inspired prologue that puts one in mind of Watership Down's famous dream sequences, the character animation itself is much in the Disney or Don Bluth models of the time, and not quite as detailed, but there's a lot of good character touches. In particular, Kathy Zielinski (who'd animated characters like Ursula or the snake form of Jafar in Aladdin, and would later supervise Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame) gives Hexxus a gleeful, vibrant quality that's almost seductive. You know that had to be difficult to figure out given he's alternatively made of oil, smoke, and a bitchin' Chernabog-esque skeleton form at the climax.

The film is also deftly written and acted, which helps it stand out from the crowd that included either the hilarious melodrama of Captain Planet or the cute-but-boring Once Upon A Forest. In particular, I like how naturally Ward and the script makes Zack's journey; in addition to some great incredulous deliveries (like my favorite line in the film, "Great, I've been shrunk by an AMATEUR!"), Zack opening up his perspective to truly see the world around him is handled with a light touch because he's ultimately not that bad a guy. I appreciate too that the reveal of his initial lie that he wasn't helping cut down trees is played with genuine remorse and owning up to it, as well as an immediate desire to set things right. Mathis matches him well, making a character concept that could've easily been insufferable (she might as well have "90s Tinker Bell" written on her model sheet) into genuinely winning and heartfelt. She even manages to sell a line like "Can't you feel its pain?" about a tree, which easily could've gotten a bad laugh. The ending is nicely bittersweet, with Zack and Crysta parting ways because they know how important it is that they do the work to build a better future on each side. (It's kind of the same ending as Princess Mononoke, when you think about it).

On the supporting end of things, Williams is actually a lot less of a scene-stealer than you'd think. Oh, he gets a few comedy impressions in, notably in a rap number (we'll get to that) and the climax, but otherwise he mostly dials into Batty's nervous-wreck dealing with trauma from being a lab animal characterization to great effect. (This is not to knock his work in something like Aladdin, where he gives arguably one of the best voice performances of all time as the Genie, but there is a notable difference). Curry, too, is less prominent than you'd think, only getting a few big scenes to sell his villainy. But his musical number "Toxic Love" is unsurprisingly a highlight, and he gets a lot of his patented "best evil laugh ever" in the screentime he DOES have. Everyone else is on point: Slater gets some nice sardonic jabs in, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong have a couple funny bits as some biker gang-esque goons who ride beetles, and Zabriskie navigates the cliches of Ye Olde Doomed Mentor with aplomb.

Musically, the film has an...interesting pedigree. In addition to a lovely, understated score by Alan Silvestri of Back to the Future fame, there are eight songs throughout, three by Thomas "She Blinded Me With Science" Dolby and the remaining five all by other artists/songwriters. This is not inherently a bad thing; while most musicals benefit from a standardized production team, having a number of different voices who can work in different genres can be novel. And I wouldn't say any of these are outright bad, but it does lead to some "the hell?" moments.

Dolby's songs are the opening "Life Is A Magic Thing", which takes us below the canopy into Ferngully, and it's a pleasantly bouncy number easing us into things courtesy of Jimmy Clegg's vocals; the aforementioned "Batty Rap", which is very white-guy-rap, if buoyed by Williams' enthusiasm and the horrific implications of the backstory (which are further expounded on in the twice-as-long soundtrack version); and "Toxic Love", a properly bluesy, boozy villain song that Curry throws himself into with abandon. (That one too is expanded on the soundtrack, which removes any doubt about the sexual connotations of the character and his motivations). We also have the inexplicable "If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody (It Might As Well Be You)", where a goanna voiced by gravel-pit-toned rapper Tone Loc serenades Zack as he's about to devour him (that was co-written by...Jimmy Buffet??? Would've loved to see that conversation); "Raining Like Magic", a brief quiet interlude by children's singer Raffi; our big awards bait song "A Dream Worth Keeping", co-written by The Last Unicorn's Jimmy Webb and belted out with gusto by Sheena Easton like she's looking over her shoulder at Celine Dion; and "Some Other World", the first animated movie song by Elton John that plays over the credits and is fine if a bit generic. (There's also a diegetic cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" that issues forth from Zack's stereo as he leads the fairies in a dance party because some cliches aren't just old, they're prehistoric)

I goof on FernGully sometimes because it really is so painfully earnest that you can't help but roll your eyes on occasion. But that's hardly the greatest sin a children's film can commit, and I appreciate that it's, essentially, a better Lorax movie than the actual Lorax movie in its messaging (sincerely, forever and always, fuck that movie). The film ends with an epigraph of "For our children, and our children's children", and I can't knock that sincerity. Maybe it's important to remember.

#ferngully #analysis #reviews #ferngully: the last rainforest #robin williams #animation

[onenicebugperday]

Rainforest tree slater, Porcellio sp., Porcellionidae, Isopoda

Photographed in Airlie Beach Rainforest, Australia by Steve & Alison1

Photos shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

#animals #curators on tumblr #bugs #isopod #woodlouse #tree slater #rainforest tree slater #crustaceans #one nice bug #look at those angry little faces #spectacular

[strangewhitegirl321]

Pay No Mind (12th)

{Not my gif}

Words: 4315

Originally posted to my Wattpad account.

   The car bumped and jostled (Y/n) about, causing her to groan and shove the suitcase that stabbed her in the ribs down the seat. Her favourite quilt wrapped around her legs suddenly turned into a tedious task as she began unwinding it from her legs, glancing to her parents' GPS and realising they were almost to their destination.

   The building was humongous, and she had been able to see it for the last thirty minutes as they drove. At first it had simply peaked over the horizon, and was excitedly pointed out by (Y/n)'s mother.

   The building was almost like a child's building blocks made out of a shiny blue glass. The lower level stood on stilts and was larger than the rest, and a giant stairway leading up to the open doors of the hotel seemed to sprout from the bottom of the building. Sleek, white metal bordered the windows that seemed to resemble portals to another world from the outside were clear in view. The second story was also on stilts, held up high above the first and you could spy at least three glass elevators constantly travelling up and down to no end.

   The top level was the tallest, it had a flat roof and stretched high enough to be out of the way for the palm trees growing on the second level's balcony. (Y/n)'s eyes wandered once again down to the second level, taking in the different, private wave pools that somehow never managed to splash over the edge of the building.

  (Y/n) snapped back into reality just as her father pulled into the parking lot, heading straight for the VIP section as he hollered excitedly about practically being a celebrity. Just as they passed through security from the stuffed parking lot into the almost empty section for VIPs she spied a peculiar box out of place next to the modern, expensive building. Before she could clearly observe anything other than its fine wood and lovely blue colour, they turned a corner and parked just out of view.

   Almost immediately, the family was met with three employees who quickly got to work helping unpack and carry luggage up to the hotel. Everything seemed to happen in a blur, and poor (Y/n) barely noticed when her Aunt and Uncle, the owners of the expensive establishment, came to greet them. Hugs and greetings flew through the air, and other customers gawked at the family hugging the rich owners as they passed.

   "So, how are you doing?" Aunt Stella asked after giving a tight (and frankly uncomfortable) hug to (Y/n). The girl shuffled on her feet, frowning as she thought of an answer.

   "Stiff," She finally replied, rolling her neck and cringing as it popped. Aunt Stella let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and grinned.

   "Well, I guess we should get going then," She turned towards her husband, Uncle Louis, who grinned and nodded.

   "We have a big tour to get over with before we can sit down and eat," He explained, taking a bag from (Y/n)'s father and turning around as he marched away. For a moment, (Y/n) thought they would be heading for the large, circular elevators already jam packed with people, but they veered off course and headed for a more private looking corner of the building.

   Deciding not to worry about it until later, (Y/n) took in the inside of the first level. Looking around, it was themed off of a jungle. She was able to glance into different rooms based on the glass walls, and notice that each room looked a little different.

   Upon noticing her curious gaze, Uncle Louis began to explain: "Each level has a different theme: The first is the rainforests of the world; second is the beaches of the Earth; and the third the great forests of big ol' Blue. That's part of the main attraction of our hotel. However, even more interestingly, each hotel room isn't quite a room itself. Instead, we designed it to be more of a house. We frequently get people who come and will stay for months at a time, some people even jump from level to level to experiment. And, each "room" is themed off of a different area of Earth."

   He stopped to point into a room where a family of six seemed to be playing Wii inside a room that was strange in the fact that it had kangaroos hidden in the painted and real brush growing on the walls, "That one is themed off the wild jungles of Papua New Guinea."

   Gesturing to another room, all of them with trees seeming to grow up the sides and different types of waterfalls attached to the walls seemed to glimmer in their own magnificent fashion, "That one is the Ancient Waipoua forest in New Zealand."

   Uncle Louis continued to point out different rooms, naming them in order, "The Amazon. That's the most popular, obviously. Cloud Forest of Peru; the Jungles of Borneo; the Jungles of Kipling in India. All very different, very interesting. Certain rooms, such as the Amazon and Borneo rooms, customers have to sign contracts to stay in because there are living animals in the room. We have caretakers hired, and a customer has to allow a caretaker to enter the room and give the animal its daily needs at least once a day. Children love the toucan, Huracan. He's a real laugh."

   Finally, they continued on to a private elevator for VIPS. (Y/n) about slapped herself. She honestly should have guessed.

   On the way up, they stopped at the second floor. The employees who seemed to trudge along behind the family like shadows were released upon being instructed to continue and drop off the luggage at the required room. They immediately zipped off, not wasting anytime.

   "How do you get them to-" (Y/n)'s father hesitated, waiting till he could figure the correct way to phrase his question. "How do you get such great service from your employees?"

   With a laugh, Aunt Stella was quick to answer, "Oh, well this is a high paying job. And, we try and make it as comfortable a job as possible. Loyal employees are the best employees. You can't expect people to stay devoted to their job if their job is horrible."

   (Y/n) immediately nodded, agreeing with the policy, "Sounds like a good deal to me."

   "Well, I would hope so," Aunt Stella chuckled. She reached up and fixed her hair, before turning around and taking the lead of the group.

   Unfortunately, Uncle Louis hadn't thought to hand off his bag to an employee, and because he tends to talk with his hands he kept quiet and allowed his wife to show off her favourite floor.

   "The beach level!" She exclaimed with joy. "Just breathe it in!"

   (Y/n) cringed as her whole family took a deep breath in through their noses, rolling her eyes at their actions.

   "It smells salty! Like an actual ocean is near!" Her mother beamed. Suddenly, she waltzed away from the group, stopping to admire a flower bed accompanied with a hibiscus tree behind it. Paintings of crabs; sea birds; pirate ships; and mermaids lined the clean and crisp white walls, and against the largest wall stood three aquariums.

   The middle, the largest immediately drew (Y/n) to it. It was large enough to house a little shark, which her uncle pointed out was a bamboo shark dubbed Stitch. There were also millions of other fish, including a small school of blue tangs. (Y/n) didn't need any sort of explanation to know at least one of them was named Dory.

   The other two, were large and round. Jellyfish bounced around the tank, lights changing colour to keep the decoration-vacant tank interesting for those who viewed it. It was beautiful, in (Y/n)'s eyes.

   "Every Wednesday and Saturday, we get a mermaid performer into the large tank," Uncle Louis told (Y/n). He glanced back to his wife, who was excitedly chattering with (Y/n)'s mother about all the different species of tropical flowers in the room. The two women darted around, looking at all the different types. Each time they stumbled upon a new one, an excited squeal left their lips.

   Suddenly realising her father was nowhere to be seen, (Y/n) turned on her heel to search for him. She spotted him talking to an older man who seemed to almost permanently frown. He carried a mop with him, but no bucket or tray to accompany the object.

   "Dad?" (Y/n) asked as she approached the two men. The custodian's eyes caught her attention, they seemed level and firm as they scanned her up and down.

   "This is your daughter, I assume," He stated, offering (Y/n) his hand. She slowly reached forward and shook it hesitantly, glancing at her father. He seemed unconcerned, and continued to carry out his conversation with the man.

   "So, what were you saying about the wave pools?" He inquired, eyes never leaving the water that splashed back and forth in the back of the hotel room he looked into. Once (Y/n)'s eyes landed on them, she could truly see why her father became so curious. The waves seemed so natural, it was unlike anything she had seen.

   "Ah, yes," The man began. "I was saying how they were obviously built by the same company who designed the wave pool located in central California, the Kelly Slater Wave Company. Also obviously, the company was made by Kelly Slater, a world champion surfer. But it was also a collaboration between him and the fluid mechanics specialist Adam Fincham. It's truly impressive. Once it opens, you should at least see it. It won't be beautiful for long-"

   Quickly, (Y/n) cut him off at his strange words, "What? Why? Have you seen it?" His brows raised, and he glanced at her curiously.

   "Yes. And, you humans always have the ability to quickly trash anything beautiful. It's remarkable, really," He stated, earning a scoff from the girl.

   With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, "Yeah, alright. What are you then, a merman?"

   "Oh! No, no, no!" The man replied. "Definitely not a merman."

   Suddenly, he turned away from her to continue watching the pool and he began to explain the mechanics and history, "Based on this year, 2018, wave pools have been around for over fifty years. However, it's easy to calculate how to predictably model a wave a few centimetres tall. All it takes is a few linear equations, and you've got yourself a nice small wave. In the natural oceans, however, the three creating factors are the sun, moon, and Earth itself. The moon is the strongest, however. It exerts about 2.2 times more power than the sun does. The water, being a liquid, is literally pulled up towards the moon. Probably why clothes aren't liquid. That would be a bit horrific. But this-"

   He gestured to the wave at least a metre tall that came crashing down on the artificial sand of the room, "-takes a lot more than that. There are several other factors, from turbulence to oscillations of the entire body of water- which is called seiching. Very interesting topic if you ever want to write a paper to impress your elementary school teacher."

   The man ignored her protest, as well as the chuckle of her father and continued on, "But the first model was gigantic. Seven hundred metres long and one hundred fifty metres wide. So, the fact that they were able to reduce that and make it around 8.75 metres long by 7.5 metres wide is remarkable. They also brilliantly covered the hydrofoil used to actually create the waves, I can't tell where they've hidden it- the left or the right side. I'd be impressed, but I'm mostly suspicious."

   "Suspicious?" (Y/n) tried to stop him to get an answer, but once again he simply continued on.

   "I can however see the gutter off to the right side used to prevent seiching like a damper. It also is what's limiting the bounce-back from the pool walls. So, this makes it seem possible to me that the hydrofoil is on the left side. And then the bottom of the pool- the artificial reefs are what changes the shape of the wave. However, no matter what these waves resemble more of neap tides normally found during quarter moons. Actually, no- they seem more like small tidal waves, don't they? Like a teeny tiny earthquake is occurring beneath the floor." The man suddenly stopped himself, groaning as he reached up and rubbed his brows.

   "Giving yourself a headache there, mate?" (Y/n)'s father asked. The girl however reached forward, patting the man on the shoulder as if to comfort him. At first, he jumped at her touch but calmed once he realised it was a harmless act.

   Just as she was about to speak, the sound of Uncle Louis calling drew both her and her father away, "Hey! Should we get on to your room, now?"

   With a huff, (Y/n) turned to give her uncle a glare before turning back to the man, "I thought it was interesting." She said, before darting off in the direction of her family who were forming a group again.

   The man stared after her curiously, before giving a small nod to the world and turning on his heel, marching down the hall with new passion.

   Upon reaching the third floor, (Y/n)'s face was struck with the fresh scent of the outdoors when walking out the elevator.

   "Wow," She breathed. "It even feels like we're in a real forest." Beneath her feet, she noticed grass and squatted down, picking and playing with it.

   "Ah, the grass is artificial, but the trees standing in the middle of each room and in the hallways are real and living. The rest along the walls and lining the ceiling are fake-ish, however. They were real, were alive. But, you could refer to them as taxidermy trees," Uncle Louis explained. The tall man reached up to brush the leaves hanging from the ceiling, a victorious grin painted on his face.

   "You did a simply spectacular job with this place," His sister, (Y/n)'s mother, complimented. Not-so-humbly, he accepted the praise.

   Small talk began to fill the room, and finding it dull (Y/n) wandered off through the room. She admired the deer painted hiding between the trees, and the circling vultures painted on a sunny day between the tree limbs on the ceiling.

   For a moment, jealousy filled her. She found herself wishing she had invented the hotel, made something so wonderful and creative that everyone wished to see it. With a sigh, she walked around a corner and spotted the balcony. A small running stream swept through it, stones she realised were glued in place lining it. Quickly, she glanced around and took off her shoes before stepping in. The water was cool, but something unnatural caused her to jump out.

   Her feet were dyed a light shade of blue, and they prickled as if they had fallen asleep. Brows furrowed, she reached down to massage them before glancing off to the edge of the "yard." Sighing as she spotted a sign requesting visitors keep out of the water, she quickly slipped her shoes back on.

   Soon after, (Y/n) went to track down her family. She discovered them just as they seated themselves around a feast. The amount of the food on the table caused her feet to falter as she scanned it all. A roasted turkey; lobster; jello; ambrosia salad; sushi; and all sorts of foods set perfectly on the table.

   "There she is!" (Y/n)'s mother cried excitedly. "We were going to begin without you!"

   With a frown, (Y/n) replied, "You definitely can. I'm not hungry."

   "Why not?" Aunt Stella seemed to pounce. Her gaze was suddenly sharp and suspicious, and her expression could only be described as offence. The quick question caused both of (Y/n)'s parents to glance worriedly at the woman, whose eyes were glued to the young girl before her.

   "Relax," (Y/n) began. "I snacked a little too hard on the way here. I'll definitely be hungry enough for breakfast in the morning."

   Slowly, Aunt Stella seemed to physically relax. However, her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head in question.

   "Are you sure?" Her face suddenly burst into a grin, and (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

   "Yes, Aunt Stella," She answered with ease. Then, without a second to waste she began to wander off through the hotel room.

   Just as she was about to turn a corner, she heard her father yell, "(Y/n)! Your room is down the hall, very end on the right!" Hollering that she got what he said, she changed course towards her room.

   Sauntering down the hall, she watched the ceiling as the blue of the painted sky began to shift to hues of orange and pink, purple and then to a midnight blue. A sunset seemed to take place down the course of the hall, and the birds in the trees were replaced with a single owl with piercing eyes.

   For a moment, (Y/n) stopped to try and recognise the species. It took her a moment, but she quickly realised it was just an awkwardly painted barn owl.

   Finally she reached her room and with no hesitation busted in with a sigh. Closing the door behind her, she observed the room. Instead of the blue sky or the sunset in the hallway, the room was painted like the night. Except, it wasn't a regular night with regular stars. Instead a nebula swirling with colour took its place. The picture seemed to reach out and grasp at the air, and the different coloured stars almost twinkled between the fake tree branches as (Y/n) turned her head.

   The bed was a queen, the headboard resting against a glass wall that overlooked the city outside. It was strange to see the fake forestry suddenly open up to the buzzing city below and around the hotel.

   Throwing herself onto the bed, it bounced up and down. Grabbing one of the pillows, (Y/n) dragged it over to herself and shoved her face into it. It was so nice and soft, and just the thought of waking up to grass between her toes and no possibility of bugs joining it excited her.

   "Oh," She gasped as she spotted a strange lamp in a niche to her left. Two large taxidermy trees seemed to frame the opening, and (Y/n) hopped off the bed to get a closer look.

   The lamp looked like the solar system. The sun was smack in the middle, glowing and giving (Y/n) a nice warm feeling. Then the planets were suspended in the air around it, each on the correct placement and orbit.

   Reaching forward, (Y/n) pressed a button that shut off the light of the lamp. Immediately, she switched it back on. A second button caught her attention, and without a second thought she smacked it and hoped the planets around the sun would begin to rotate.

   However, they only seemed to shift before getting caught, and an estranged buzzing filled the room. Disappointed, (Y/n) flicked it off.

   "That sucks," She muttered to herself. "Where's a phone..."

   Planning to call the front desk and ask for a repairman, she turned in a slow circle trying to spot the item needed. Not finding one, she frowned before digging out her own phone.

   (Y/n) spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid asking anyone for help as she attempted to track down the office phone number. She groaned and mumbled curses under her breath as she searched the whole of the hotel room. Not a single phone, or phone number, in sight.

   "(Y/n), dear?" A voice startled her. Jumping and turning around, she stumbled and just barely caught herself as she tripped and nearly fell.

   "Yes?" She inquired, meeting eyes with her Aunt Stella. Once again, the woman was looking suspicious of everything (Y/n) was doing.

   Offering a cursory smile, her Aunt asked, "May I ask what you're doing?"

   With a slight shrug of her shoulders, (Y/n) replied, "I was looking to call the front office. The lamp in my room is broken, I really wanted to see it work."

   Nodding slowly, her Aunt began to herd her back to her room, "It's getting late. I'll call someone in the morning, don't worry-"

   "Are you feeling okay?" (Y/n) suddenly asked, cutting her off.

   With a frustrated groan, Aunt Stella hissed, "Yes! I'm doing great, actually. Now please, just get to bed. Your parents have already retired for the night."

   "It's just-" (Y/n) began to insist. "You keep talking weird. Formal, and the like. I wouldn't even be able to tell you grew up in Texas, at this point."

   Pausing, Aunt Stella took a moment before she rolled her eyes, "Yes, well that is the point. I've been working on it for awhile now. Thank you for noticing."

   Without anything else being said between the two, (Y/n) allowed her to shove her into her room just as Uncle Louis walked out and gave her a cheesy smile.

   "I just dropped off your suitcase, you're all ready to go," He explained. "And, I presume you already discovered the bathroom's location?" (Y/n) nodded, and he clapped his hands together with glee. Then, he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and lead her down the hall and out of sight.

   Shaking her head, (Y/n) retreated to her room and got ready to go to bed. Sleeping in the bed was comfortable, but something about the hotel seemed to be constantly jolting her mind awake. Every hour she was disappointed to wake up after a magnificent, yet short dream.

   Finally she refused to allow her mind to lull back into a false sense of security. Instead, she stayed wrapped up in her blankets and watched the city below her. The floor was so high up, she couldn't hear any of the obnoxious honks or sirens that usually laboured the city. It appeared so quiet, so peaceful and relaxed without all the noise.

   Checking her phone, (Y/n) groaned as she realised it was only midnight. At least seven hours to go before she could rightfully be up and wandering, lost in her thoughts.

   However, she found herself panicking at the sounds of voices hovering outside her door. She laid herself out in a comfortable sleeping position; buried her head in her pillow; opened her mouth slightly to make it seem even more like she was sleeping; and then shut her eyes and relaxed her whole body.

   Tuning in to the endings of the conversation, she recognised two masculine voices. One of her father, and one she had yet to pinpoint.

   With an angry groan, her father whispered, "Look, dude, it's the middle of the night. She's fast asleep, every hotel we've ever stayed in has always put her in some sort of trance."

   "Then, you'll realise that with my super quiet mechanical skills, and her "hotel-trance," that I won't wake her up," The other voice argued lowly.

   "No! That wasn't my point. Look, if you go in there and wake her up, anything that may or may not happen to your face is definitely your fault," (Y/n)'s father claimed.

   She could practically hear the man on the other side of the door roll his eyes, "Just let me fix the lamp. Seriously, it won't take long."

   A few seconds passed, and shuffling feet could be heard. Then the door slowly peeled open, and (Y/n) heard her father sigh as he glanced in.

   "Well, we haven't woken her yet," He seemed to decide quietly. "Fine. But you do anything to her, I'm right next door."

   "Yes yes, next door. Blah blah," The other man grumbled. His feet shuffled across the floor,  and (Y/n) could hear as he seemed to come right up beside the bed. Rustles and rattles, as well as a few bumps seemed to tell her that he must have picked up the lamp.

   A second sound followed, a weird whirring that seemed to be accompanied by a low, blue, pulsing light that still caused (Y/n) to hold back a flinch.

   She heard her father close the door, and listened to make sure he wasn't still in the room. Then, slowly, (Y/n) peeled open her eyes. Once she was sure the man, who she now recognised as the guy at the wave-pool, was facing away from her, she slowly shifted to where she could see him better.

   (Y/n) watched as he held a strange tool that seemed to be making the funny whirring sound. He held it up to the lamp he balanced on one arm, and moved it up and down both below and over it. She wanted to ask him so many questions towards what he was doing, but instead opted to stay quiet and watch.

   A second later, he put the tool in a pocket and flicked a button after placing it back in the niche it came from. The planets began to rotate calmly around the light. Even the sun changed, it seemed to glow brighter, even shimmer and pulse with warmth.

   A small grin grew on (Y/n)'s face, and she couldn't help it as she muttered, "I've always wanted to see the stars and planets up close."

   The man froze, slowly turning to her. A hint of amusement covered his face, and his eyes seemed to shine.

   "Now, how am I supposed to ignore that?" He squatted down beside the bed, so he was eye level with (Y/n) as she lie in the bed. Getting a good look at her eyes, he nodded in acceptance before standing.

   The man stuck out his hand, and she took it gratefully as he introduced himself, "I'm the Doctor."

   The girl graced him with a smile, and she replied, "And I'm (Y/n). Nice to meet you, Doctor." He never released her hand, but instead yanked her out of bed and dragged her out of the room and over to the balcony. Her eyes widened at the sight of a strange blue box, before the Doctor gave her a slight shove towards it. From there, he opened the door, stepped aside, and let her peak in.

   (Y/n)'s life was never quite the same.

#12th doctor #12 #12th doctor x reader #12th doctor imagine #12th doctor reader insert #12th #twelve #Twelfth Doctor #twelve x reader #twelfth doctor imagine #twelfth doctor x reader #twelfth doctor reader insert #twelve imagine #doctor who #doctor #the doctor #the doctor x reader #the doctor imagine #the doctor reader insert #doctor who imagine #doctor who reader insert #doctor who x reader #StrangeWhiteGirl321 #pay no mind #imagine #reader insert #reader #insert #doctor x reader #fanfiction

[wigmund]

From NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day; May 1, 2018:

Deforestation in Paraguay

The sparsely populated Gran Chaco plain in South America is home to a dry forest of thorny trees, shrubs, and grasses. The second largest forest in Latin America—behind only the Amazon rainforest—stretches across parts of Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia and supports thousands of plant types and hundreds of species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.

However, the region also has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Observations by Landsat satellites indicate that roughly 20 percent—142,000 square kilometers (55,000 square miles)—of Gran Chaco’s forest has been converted into farmland or grazing land since 1985. That’s an area roughly the size of New York state.

Deforestation has been particularly widespread in Paraguay in recent years. Between 1987 and 2012, the forests in Paraguay lost nearly 44,000 square kilometers (17,000 square miles), mainly because of the expansion of cattle farms in the western part of the country.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this natural-color image of pastures in Boquerón on August 14, 2016. The image is centered just east of the Pilcomayo River near Tezén. Unlike the “fishbone” pattern of deforestation in the Amazon, deforestation in the Gran Chaco tends to leave large rectangular clearings that reflect careful surveying by large-scale cattle-ranching operations.

References and Further Reading

Baumann, M. et al. (2017) Deforestation and cattle expansion in the Paraguayan Chaco 1987–2012. Regional Environmental Change, 17, 1179.

Baumann, M. et al. (2017) Carbon emissions from agricultural expansion and intensification in the Chaco. Global Change Biology, 23, (5), 1902-1916.

Rolling Stone (2014, July 28) Green Going Gone: The Tragic Deforestation of the Chaco. Accessed April 19, 2018.

United States Agency for International Development (2017) Land rights, beef commodity chains, and deforestation dynamics in the Paraguayan Chaco. Accessed April 19, 2018.

Vallejos, M. et al. (2015) Transformation dynamics of the natural cover in the Dry Chaco ecoregion: A plot level geo-database from 1976 to 2012. Journal of Arid Environments, 123, 3-11.

World Resources Institute (2017, November 1) Closing Data Gaps to Eliminate Deforestation and Land Disputes from Beef Supply Chains in Paraguay. Accessed April 19, 2018.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michael Taylor, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland. Instrument(s): Landsat 8 - OLI

#earth observatory #long post #satellite photo #deforestation #environment #agriculture #Gran Chaco #Tezen #Paraguay

[abi-box-scrapbook]

STIWDIO MAELOR 2016

It has been very cold in Corris and I have long forgotten what the tips of my fingers and toes feel like.  I have spent much of my time over the past two weeks improving my fire making skills and it turns out turpentine drenched paint rags make for wonderful firelights.  

I found myself in Corris this November as an artist in residence at Stiwdio Maelor, a modest is-what-it-is residency run by, artist and printmaker, Veronica Calarco.  Corris itself is a small village in North Wales, postcard picaresque and seemingly ninety-five percent made from slate, a local resource.  For coffee, wifi, and homemade seafood chowder, Adam & Andy’s cafe is thirty steps from Maelor’s front door and the Slaters Arms is a dozen steps in the other direction for beers.  And splendidly, that’s about it.  

At Maelor I was joined by writer Earl Livings from Melbourne Australia and visual artist Patrick Manning from Albuquerque New Mexico.  Ma friend Yuki Aruga and I shared the attic space together.  Yuki and I have known each other since we met as students at Camberwell Art College, and more recently we began sharing a studio together back in London.  In the second year of college, when we were also living together, we would spend our time eating ketchup and watching Back to the Future on repeat, and working alongside each other once again, we have found nothing much has changed.

Corris is surrounded by the hills and mountains of Snowdonia.  Yuki and I, plus new friend Rowboat, spent the first Sunday a short drive away, walking part way up Cadair Idris.  As the weather was grey, we didn’t reach the top and stopped at Llyn Cau, where we watched the wind drag hundreds of tiny waves from one side to the other.  While we stood imagining how deep the water might be, the clouds continued to follow us up the mountain and collect, hanging above the lake like steam above a big pot of stew.  Standing there in the wind, we regretted that on the way up, when we had become too hot, we had decided to leave all of our extra layers tied to a fence post, to collect on the way back down.  The weather was dull that day but the colours of autumn were dramatic and loud.

After a long while of working in a studio by myself, it has been refreshing to have another body of work developing alongside my own, as well as nice to have someone to say stuff out loud to.  This year, I have watched Yuki paint taxidermy birds and snakes amidst flowers and foliage, suspended midair they delicately comment on the passing of time, nostalgia… death and other topics related to experiencing existential crises.  My own work is rooted more so in the formalities of painting, although the content is undeniably based on landscape, I am more interested in how I can take it apart.  

While sharing the attic space, Yuki and I also wanted to do something vaguely collaborative, so we chose to keep a joint sketchbook diary, a sort of drawing conversation.  One drawing per day, responding somehow to what the other drew previously.  I found it constructive to have some form of combined and consistent thread running through our time on the residency.  The drawings mostly reflected on our day to day observations, the clouds that followed us on our trek up Cadair Idris, the crystal clear reflection of the trees at Llyn Cynwch, the glowing and slightly charred window of the stove, and the views we enjoyed through the van window driving between Corris and Dolgellau.  

   On our last evening, we did a show and tell, where we shared the picture conversation with Veronica, Earl and Patrick, and last minute special guest and previous Maelor resident, Jess Raby.  In all sharing our thoughts on the diary, it seemed the loose visual exchange seemed to compliment the string of short conversations we all seemed to have had at Maelor.  The words we exchanged when we were coming and going, while taking our muddy shoes off in the hallway or at breakfast waiting for the kettle to boil.  Along with a few lengthier and roaming conversations at the Slaters Arms.   

It was in these moments that we would hear from Patrick about his evening excursions.  Almost every dark wintery evening, Patrick went out walking to take long exposure photographs in the woods.  Bit by bit, we would hear from him about where he had headed, how cold it had been, how he had danced to keep warm!, how peaceful it was in the dark and the trouble he had been having with the windy conditions making some of the exposures blurry.  All the time, constructing in my imagination my own nighttime photography.  

At the show and tell we had the pleasure of seeing some of the images for real.  The dark is delicately infiltrated by the streetlights and the traffic in the distance.  If it were not for the long exposure there would have been very little light visible at all.  Given the time, though, in the photographs, the light gently interrupts and takes on new qualities.  In my favourite, the light appears through the trees like a molten gold lake.

Throughout our stay, we had all taken numerous walks through this landscape.  Often in quiet contemplation, though the tall creaky trees, over the broken slate, damp peat, and springy moss footing.  Yuki definitely thrives on the outdoors and would often go out wandering twice in one day.  I, on the other hand, require dragging out of the house, then, once we’re off, I can’t think of anything better.  I have always been this way given the option between going for walks and exploring or staying inside and making stuff.  I need reminding sometimes that the two go hand in hand.  Cue Yuki avec cattle prod.

    A lot of my recent sketches are full of vertical scribbly marks and look as though they were drawn using a seismograph, recording an earthquake of magnitude massive.  Connections like this alone have an effect on the way that I choose to hold and move my pencil, pen or brush, and in turn, also direct me in terms of what it is that I’m looking to paint from.  Lately, I have been on the lookout for mess.  In Corris, Yuki and I could walk out the front door and be surrounded by the woods in minutes, and the woods were messy.  Lots of the leaves had already fallen, so the trees were naked and spindly, and the branches and forest floor below, littered with the debris.  Across the valley, the terrain was mossy green, brown, ochre and burnt mauve, unevenly knitted together.  Reminding me again, of how much I like Andreas Eriksson’s rugged hand-woven yarn canvas’.  Another kind of mark entirely, I have had an urge to try this myself and I would like to work with these knotty and folded hills.

My work usually hops between sketchbook and canvas but lately, I have been relying more on sketchbooks.  Partly because I have done a lot of travelling and logistically they are easier to take out with me but also because, somewhat inexplicably, it is what I most feel like drawing in at the moment.  Possibly, it is the scribbly nature of my drawings which dictates this preference, scribbling is fast and on some level feels throwaway.

The underlying awareness, for a piece potentially being got rid of, destroyed or simply becoming unimportant on its completion has underpinned a few developments in my work over the past couple of years.  I painted a huge piece of canvas for Iavor Lubomirov, knowing that, ultimately, it would be cut up to become part of a series of collaborative painting-sculptures.  Then, on an earlier residency in Peru, I knew that, given the humidity of the Amazon Rainforest, a few of the paintings I did on sheets of acrylic would never dry in time to bring home.  I found a freedom in making this kind of work.  With the piece for Iavor, knowing that the final outcome was out of my control, I felt at ease taking more risks.  And with the short-lived paintings I made in Peru, the act became about putting down marks purely to encourage me to look harder, a kind of focus I am striving for constantly in all of my work, paradoxically even with the work I intend to keep.  

This might seem to infer that my work is indeed primarily about its subject matter.  Yet, as much as I am interested in looking, looking is also the means by which I arrive at any given composition and collection of marks.  Allowing observation to fully guide visual description, while remaining poetically detached from reality.  Plainly put, the harder I look, the more interesting my drawings and paintings are.

I joke that I make better, more interesting marks when I’m not looking at the page at all.  Yet, so often I find it to be true and for that reason I have been paying attention to it, looking for other ways to achieve a similar effect.  Drawing very quickly, unconsciously scrawling or drawing on top of textured surfaces, interrupting any hope of a straight line.  With these intentions in mind, the rules change again when considering working on canvas and on a larger scale.  At Maelor, I instead worked with the practicalities involved with using the smaller drawings to work from, attempting to reiterate as well as enlarge them onto canvas; finding that, re-articulating in paint, marks made with a biro, has its own set of complications.  

On our last weekend, John and Julie Box (me mum and dad) drove over from York with Rufus (dog) to walk with us one afternoon.  We had been recommended the Precipice Walk near Dolgellau.  Rufus went wild the whole time, which terrified me, as for most of the way round, on one side there is a drop, very steep and a long way down.  And Rufus did not seem concerned.  The nutter.  As we set off late afternoon, the sun was low in the sky, spilling a silver light across Cardigan Bay and all the way up the Afon Mawddach.  Fairly breathtaking.

Pulling into King’s Cross Station, I’m missing the views already.  Hwyl fawr!

Other Residencies

Other Trips

#trip #residency