#thinking about how and why one creates

[casadegatos]

A music documentary is usually a lot of talking heads, music clips of “greatest hits” and “deep cuts” along with maybe some concert footage, fan reactions, home movies, etc. Perhaps there are some creative editing choices, or non-linear storytelling. But for the most part, music docs are pretty same-y from one to another. And there’s nothing wrong with that, I have enjoyed probably hundreds of such documentaries. I learned stuff I never knew, heard songs I hadn’t heard in decades sometimes, and sometimes gained a greater appreciation for an artist or genre I didn’t have before.

I went into Moonage Daydream expecting a music documentary, but what I got was something totally different. A basic timeline is followed, but weaving in and out of it recursively are tangents that get at the heart of what the creative process can be for an artist. Will you learn some things about David Bowie’s career and music? Yes. But you will also learn about how he saw himself as part of his art, how music, writing, painting, really all creative pursuits were inevitable for him.

Deliberately chosen songs thematically connect each section of the story. No talking heads, no bandmate recollections, no fan remembrances. Just David Bowie’s own words from interviews conducted throughout his career. He talks about what effect his spirituality had on him and his work, how emotions were or were not (variously) important to him while creating, how he relates to his own art, and how all of these things and more have changed and evolved throughout his life. You’ll hear him as a young man saying some things that he will directly contradict when he is older, but he doesn’t dismiss his more jejune observations from his youth. We are supremely lucky that he was an introspective and thorough thinker about his career and creative process. He puts his earlier commentary into perspective multiple times and we can hear how he evolved and changed his views on many aspects of his art and how he portrayed himself.

Visually, the filmmaker made some inspired creative choices. In choosing many clips of Bowie walking and showing the back of his head, the viewer is forced into his POV during some of the most candid and emotional admissions from him. The shift in time denoted by the Moon and Milky Way, accompanied by bright recoloring of some of the video footage used made it possible to see the way time was passing for Bowie and his career, and how it is passing the same way for us.

I really appreciated the way Brett Morgen avoided framing anything in a cliched way, the way many other documentaries and books about Bowie have done (the “chameleon”, etc). Those things are acknowledged through the historical footage of interviews where people said those things to him, but at no point does the film itself indulge in these cliches. As a lifelong Bowie fan, this is the documentary I have been waiting for, the one that speaks to what he really means as an artist to many of us who connected with his art throughout his career. At no point does the filmmaker judge any of Bowie’s work, he does that himself, but it doesn’t make you feel wrong for enjoying what might be considered his less than good output (what this is varies from person to person. For me, it’s Never Let Me Down). You are invited to continue to appreciate all of his art as you always have but with a richer understanding of what he saw in it himself.

I would recommend this for people who aren’t necessarily Bowie fans, people who are just casual fans, but also for people who are curious about how artists think and work. It’s more than a music documentary, it is a document of art.

#david bowie #moonage daydream #documentary #movie review #review #music documentary #bowie #music #this movie really touched me in a deep way about art #thinking about how and why one creates #the creative impulse so many of us have #how does it all connect? #absolutely fascinating film #brett morgen

[skitskatdacat63]

Fernando Alonso & His Relationship With Cards

I'm sure we're all familar with the cards on the back of Fernando's Vegas GP helmet by now, but did you know his relationship with cards goes a lot deeper?

I. Magic Tricks

You've probably seen or heard someone at least mention Fernando's propensity for card tricks. As far as I can tell he was doing them(publically) as far back as 2003 all the way to as recently as 2018. Even once performing a card trick, with a condom and a teddy bear(!??!?!??!!), in front of Valentino Rossi who said "How was that possible?"(x)

But how did this start? According to James Allen, "Fernando admits to having been heavily influenced by his grandfather, a mercurial figure, who taught him magic and card tricks, still one of his passions away from the race track."(x) And I'm not sure the validity of this one, because I couldn't find an actual source, but apparently he once said: "My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most - driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician's kit."

In several interviews he described it as his hobby off track, and that he loved learning new tricks and surprising others in the garage with them! So clearly cards are pretty important to him both as a hobby but also to who he is as a person since they've been with him just as long as racing has.

II. Card Symbolism in His Helmets

This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first. As I said, we probably all remember the cards on the back of his helmet in Vegas, but did you know that wasn't the first time he had cards on the back of his helmet?

From 2008-2013, he used to have a pair of cards on the back of his helmets. The symbolisms of the cards themselves as well as the evolution of their design is really fascinating to me! Even more so with the recent development of the card choice in 2023.

Fernando said he wanted to reference his two titles in some way on the back of his helmet and after his friend sent him several ideas, he decided on having two cards(an ace of clubs and an ace of hearts, sometimes pictured with 05 and 06 on them as well), saying: "I picked the cloverleaf [the ace of clubs - Ed] to give me luck, but the only pity is that it doesn't have four leaves!"(X)

2008.

Here's the very first appearance of the cards! They're displayed flat, with the 05 and 06 clearly visible

2009.

Very similar to 2008, but with a slightly different design, and they're maybe a bit more straight with less shadow?

2010.

This is the first major change! I was sad they didn't have the years on them anymore, but then I realized they're sparkly to match with his signature lightning bolts on the top of the helmet!!

2011.

Honestly I'm still somewhat unsure if this is the actual 2011 helmet? It's pretty difficult to find clear photos of the back of helmets from older seasons. It's easiest to find them on replica sites or auction sites so I'm not 100%? But anyways, I like that this has the championship years on the underside of the cards

2012.

This is when I started getting weirdly emotional about the helmets. Do you see how they've progressed from being a centerpoint to being curled up and sad at the bottom of the helmet? Not listing the year anymore??

2013.

Same thoughts as 2012. And after this season, they cease to exist (just like his ferrari chair in the garage, WOAH CALLBACK), until cards make a reeappearance in his Vegas helmet, albeit in a different form

2013 Monaco(Honorable Mention):

For some reason 2013 helmets were easier to find proper pictures of, so I happened to witness this absolute beauty. The creativity of this helmet genuinely blows me away??? Wanting to keep the card motif, but making sure to incorporate it into the rest of the puzzle piece design?? Mwah! There was another special 2013 helmet but they didn't change the cards at all so I really applaud this one

2023 Las Vegas(The Return of The King):

The magnificent return! But look! The cards are different cards! Instead of being two aces, it's now an ace of hearts, a four of hearts(his driver number of course!) and, the, now iconic, representation of himself as a Joker. I literally could not believe my eyes when this helmet was released and I saw the Joker card, what a fucking silly old man....I really wonder if he felt nostalgic having cards on his helmet again or if he didn't think about it all and was just like, "ah cards because Vegas!!!"

III. Why Does This Matter?

*The rest of the post was factual, this is moreso my personal thoughts on the symbolism of the cards/designs

This post spawned from me recently watching the 2010 Bahrain gp and noticing "hey wait a minute...are those CARDS ON THE BACK OF HIS HELMET!?" It's a really tiny detail that's unfortunately covered up by the HANS device pretty much whenever he's wearing the helmet, so it's really difficult to spot! But I became fascinated with the fact that he had cards on his helmet before that recent helmet, and now here we are!

There's something to me about how the design of the cards evolves over the course of six seasons from the cards being front and center to being smaller, more folded up and closer to the bottom of the helmet. As I said, the 2012-2013 ones genuinely made me depressed because it feels, symbolically, like his hopes for getting another Ace are becoming more and more unlikely and falling away until they eventually fall falt and fade away entirely after 2013 and disappear for basically a decade.

But when they return? They're not the same cards! Instead of representing Fernando's championships, they now represent him as a person, displaying his driver number and his persona of being a Joker!! Though I do think it's interesting he happened to keep the Ace of Hearts, even though he talked more about the Ace of Clubs before. I'm not sure it's actually this deep in reality, but I like to think that it's him not letting his championships(and the lack thereof) define him, but rather letting who he is as a person shine and be the centerpoint instead! But on a sadder note, as @suzuki-ecstar said to me, maybe the Aces aren't there anymore because he's lost all hope for a chance at a third Ace entirely :(

#yes its finals week and im up to my eyes in coursework but instead decided to spend like 5 hours researching and writing this post #nah bcs i actually genuinely put more work into this then I think I have all semester dsfjdskjg #that thing about him using a condom and teddy bear in a magic trick genuinely had me crying with laugher. actual tears rolling down my face #<- HOW!?!? WHAT WAS THE TRICK?? its literally inconceivable to me what he did. oh if only there were pics UGH #anyways!! this post was a lot of fun to make!! i really really love the symbolism and design of helmets so this was a rly fun project #and i also went down a lot of rabbitholes while make this and saw many very weird articles from yore #i feel like i make an equal amnt of deranged posts abt seb and nando but i dont know why nando is gifted w all my well researched projects #<- i.e. chair post. that was the same level of research as this one but at least this one i could find actual sources about.... #idk theres smth about the extremely long history of nando's history that evokes research posts like this KLAJSLSKDJ #theres just so much that i dont think I ever really see people discussing! so i must create. #haha what was that joke tag i wanted to make abt my researched posts? I think: #normal posts that catie normally makes in a normal fashion #<- one day ill go back and actually tag posts w that. bcs the amtn of research compared to my actual schoolwork is so unwell #fernando alonso #fa14 #f1 #formula 1 #catie.rambling.txt #we do a little bit of f1

[swordheld]

hi! your blog is one of my favourites and i absolutely adore reading your thoughts. my grandfather recently passed away and it feels like i lost myself with him. how do i continue living after this? there is this constant weight on my chest and it feels like an emptiness has made a home inside of me. how do i go on when it feels like the world crashed on my shoulders?

hello, love! this is so very sweet and kind of you, and i hope you're treating yourself gently and kindly right now - there aren't words for a loss like this. that heaviness is difficult, and hard, and painful. it's okay if things don't feel okay, right now, or even soon - i think that's something that a lot of the people i know that have gone through similar grief feel: like they should be able to get back to a relative 'normal' in a [insert far too short period of time].

but it's okay if it hurts. that's where i'd like to start. you're allowed to feel that emptiness, that world-crashed feeling that goes beyond words, beyond time. don't feel like you have to rush this to feel some sort of better. things get easier with time, i promise you this, but sometimes painful feelings are important to feel, too. cry, scream, feel your emotions. they're a part of you. grieve.

it's perhaps a little silly, but when i think about death i always think about a couple of space songs: mainly drops of jupiter by train and saturn by sleeping at last. there are perhaps others that speak to the emotions better, but these two have always hit something a little deeper for me, and are popular for a wide-reaching reason.

and while personally i don't know much about grief like this, i do know a lot about love; and i think they're a lot of the same thing.

the people we love are a part of us, and this is why it takes from us so deeply when we lose them, because it does feel like we've lost a part of ourselves in the wake of it. but it's because they were so central to our experiences of living - our lives, that the separation introduces a hollowness - a place where they used to be. a home that now goes unlived in.

an emptiness, like you said.

but just because they're not here physically, doesn't mean he's not still there, in your heart, in your life, your memory. you can hold him close in smaller ways, as well: steal a sweater, or cologne/scent for something a little more physical and long lasting for remembering. hold onto the memories you cherish, the things that made you laugh, the ease of slow mornings and gentle nights. write them all down, slide a few photographs in there, go through it and add more when you miss him. keep them all close, keep them in your heart.

you're not alone, in this. he's still there, with you, it's just - in the little things.

he's with you in the way you see and go about your daily life, in doing what he liked to do, in the ways he interacted with the world that you shared with him. the memories you recall fondly when the night is late or the moment is right and something calls it into you like a melody, an old bell, laughter you'd recognize anywhere.

but i think, perhaps most importantly above all others - talk about him. with your family, your friends, his friends, strangers; stories are how we keep the people we love alive. the connections they've made, the legacies and experiences they've left behind, and so, so many stories.

how lucky, we are - to love so much it takes a piece of us when they go. grief is the other side of the coin, but it does not mean our love goes away. it lives in you. it lives in everyone who knew him, in the smallest pieces of our lives.

the people we love never really leave us, like this: they're in how we cook and the way we fold our newspapers, our laundry, in the radio stations we tune in to and the way we decorate our walls, our photo albums. they're in the way we store our mail, organize our closets, the scribbled notes in the indexes of our books. the meals we love and the drinks we mix, the way we spend time with one another. they've been passed down for generations, for longer than history - and we are all the luckier for it.

think about what you shared with him, and do it intentionally. bring him into your life, like this, again. whether it's crosswords or poetry or sports or anything else. if one doesn't help, try another. something might click.

i hope things feel a little easier for you, as they tend to do only with time. i hope you find joy in your grief, even if it is small and hard to grasp at first. know that your hurt stems from so much love that there isn't a place to put it properly, and that it is something so meaningful and hurting poets and storytellers have been struggling to put it into words and sounds that feel like the fit right for eons, and that it is also just simply yours. sometimes things don't have to make sense. sometimes they just are - unable to be put into words or neat little sentiments, as unfair and tragic as they come.

but i promise it will not feel like this forever. your love is real. and perhaps, on where to begin on from here - i think it's less on finding where to begin and just beginning. and you've already started. you've taken the most important and crucial step: the first one. wherever you go, after that, from here? you'll figure it out. you always have, and you always do. it'll come, as things always do. love leads us, as does light - and you're never alone in your hurt. in your grief, your missing something dear to you. i think if you talk about it with others, you'll find they have ways of helping you cope as well - and they have so much love of their own to spare, too.

as an aside, here is the song (northern star by dom fera) i was listening to when i wrote this, for no other reason more than it makes me think of connections, and love, and how we hold onto the people we love and how they change us, wonderfully and intrinsically. it's a little more joyous than the others i've mentioned, and plays like a story, and it made me think of what is at the core of this, love and stories and i am here with you, and maybe it'll bring you some joy, if you'd like it. wishing you all my love and ease 💛

#q&a. #birdsong. #wishing u gentle ease; the death of a loved one is near inexplicable to put into words and i hope you take care of yourself gently <3 #i hope this will make u laugh: when i was a tiny child in middle school there were times i would go outside in my tiny suburban cul de sac- #in the rain and sing along to my lil ipod nano and i only remember doing this to drops of jupiter. can you imagine going out to get the mai #after a long day of work and you just hear this kid singing train in the streets. in the RAIN.... it makes me laugh like i really. #i really thought i was so cool and deep and emotional ghjkd but i find it v funny that i only remember it w/ that one train track. #and saturn just. it's my fav s.a.l. song for a reason. that slow violin opening? the piano coming in gentle and easy? #it feels like light. like hope. like something new - a dawn after the long dark. that beautiful things can begin again even where #it hurts. and there is nothing more human than a sentiment like that. #how rare and beautiful it is to truly exist. what it is to be alive and get to be here and live with other people. with those we love. #i think your grandfather was so lucky to be able to know you. to have you in his life for the time you had together. #i'm no spiritual person; but i like to believe when you're thinking about him? he's thinking about you too. #the second law of thermodynamics (physics nerd mode) is that no energy has ever been created/destroyed since the beginning of the universe. #so it has to go somewhere - it's that carl sagan quote of 'we're all made of stardust'. because we are. we used to be stars; planets; etc. #i think it's why i think of these space songs - because they're a part of everything; once more; when they go. us and everything else.

[puppyeared]

I made a lmk oc

#they’re supposed to be some sort of experiment to see if people could recreate Sun Wukongs stone egg. the goal was to make a more controlled #and tame version using carved wood and cultivation. but eventually they got worried about it becoming too powerful and scrapped it #eventually they come to life and live in the abandoned temple they were built in #their bottom half is made of wood because when they came to life their creator/s left them unfinished when they scrapped the project #they had to carve the rest of their body out of hunger and frustration because they couldn’t eat or move much by crawling on their top half #this is also why they spite their creators and hate irresponsible creation. because of abandonment issues and feeling like they have no #purpose or direction in life #their power is also very limited to due being man made since they were originally a wood carving #meo gave me the idea but one reason would be because they’re half finished. the sculpture was still half stump so it was completely untouche #that half can channel power in its raw form but the other half cannot once it’s been carved by man #so technically they could have the same level or potential for power as the stone but that was dampened #the other thing is how they were created to be a duplicate or recreation of a stone monkey and a celestial looked at that and was like #‘we’re not doing that again’ LMAO #i think the case of them carving their own legs doesn’t take away their power though. that balance was made #before they came to life so carving the legs or not can’t affect it anymore. like making a cake and slicing it #their energy levels are also naturally low because of that so their movements are sluggish and they aren’t very active overall #constantly lying in the sun to charge their batteries and get some stuff done. just like me fr #I actually don’t know what I’m gonna do with this character besides Put Them In Situations with other ppls ocs.. so if you have #a lmk oc you have been warned /lh /j #I wanna make some backstory art for them though.. maybe even the animatic treatment if I can get through dear wormwood which is 25 #SECONDS OUT OF 3 MIN BTW #doodles #Lego Monkie kid #lmk #Monkie kid #lmk oc #monkie kid oc #myart #my art #xin ya

[xxinvader-killdeerxx]

lower opacity rain & no rain

heres the ref

[5hr 38min]

#Karl and Mushitaro are FRIENDS #(<- saw someone say Mushitaro hates Karl ._.) #bsd mushitaro #bsd ranpo #bsd poe #bsd ranpoe #1st time drawing Mushitaro; I think he looks good :) #I just realized how poorly draw the hands are :( #I think it's to late to fix v_v damn #no but seriously why is Mushitaro's hand like huge??? (the one holding the umbrella; not that the other is any better) #wow I should STOP ranting in tags #kc creates #DO NOT ASK ABOUT THE STARS I JUST THINK THEY LOOK COOL TT #(<-not ment in an angry way; but in a scared way >_0☆) #????why did the quality do down??? damnit tumble >:( #so everything about this sucks ^_0 but it also took SO MANY hours that it getting posted whether I like it or not #WAIT WAIT WAIT #bsd karl #my boy </3 #I forgot the candy :( #oh yeah; Karl is supposed to have candy....just on him.....yeah :/ #I'm just having fun man (with their designz; that's why I think he should have that ^^)

[qcomicsy]

Lately I've only been wishing to grab a comic about my favorite character and just have a genuinely good time reading it.

#I can't remember the last time I took a Deadpool comic and genuinely had a good time about it #I hate the direction they took with his character and it's so disrespectful that I don't even talk about I don't even think *any* Deadpool #fan genuinely talk about it because were so tired of his kids characterization we all just collectively decided to ignore whatever hell #marvel through at him #but rant aside #it's just– #I am not sure if comic books are fun anymore I don't even know who I am making content for half of the people on my notes haven't touched #comic book and aren't pretending to do so #people who read the comics tend to be so mean or bitter about it that even if you follow most will be angry about something #comic or fan related and I don't know if I can blame them but following that is draining #and as much as I was trying to be a good sport about it you make a post about comic book characters and #and the overwhelming response is 'I don't read the comics but'– following up by a take about them that doesn't even recognize any core #aspect of their personality that you can't even grasp you can't even recognize them #you can't recognize them on tue cannon you can't recognize them on the fannon #and no matter how engaging you try to make content about the fandom people just–*refuse* to read it. And then– they *refuse* to tag fannon #content as fannon #and *refuse* to leave either #Yes we are all having fun but how can a character tag be so so filled with people who have no idea of who they are #how can a character can be properly loved and take care of and have content that respect them if no one makes any attempt to *know them* #and it's disheartening because *comics* are supposed to be fun *fannon are supposed to be fun* #but for aome reason it's really *really* hard to have fun here anymore #I created this page to share my love for the characters I care about and see more content of people who care about them too #but I can't even *find* people who care about them any more and when I do they're all so angry and upset– And I *cant even blame them* #I just... I don't know why I am doing this anymore or for who I am doing this anymore #sorry to vent but it's been a while since I haven't been had a genuinely good time™ enjoying comics #I don't think even people who write those comics enjoy those comics or care about those characters #Sometimes feels like everyone is projecting on those characters rather than *writing about them*. And I can't find them anymore #fanfics used to be about love petters to characters who you love #nowadays seems like a competition to see who makes more funny words with tropes pre-written since 2007 #vent

[yellowocaballero]

Been a fan of your fics for YEARS. I was just telling my friend how despite how much I read fics I never actually love them, with some of your fics (especially TMA) as the exception. Felt the need to reread some of them and saw you reblogged some ISAT fanart. So. Any thoughts on ISAT you'd like to share?

Hope you have a wonderful day!! So happy I found your fics again!!

I avoided answering this for a while because I was trying to think of a way to cohesively and coherently vocalize my thoughts on In Stars and Time. I have given up because I don't want to hold everybody here all day and I have accepted that my thoughts are just pterodactyl screeching.

I love it so much. I have so much to say on it. It drove me bonkers for like a week straight. I have AUs. It's absolute Megbait. They're just a little Snufkin and they're having the worst experience of anybody's life. Ludonarratives my fucking beloved.

I am going to talk about the prologue.

The prologue is such a fascinating experience. You crack open the game and immediately begin checking off all of the little genre boxes: mage, warrior, researcher, you're the rogue...some little kid who's there for some reason...alright, you know the score. You're in yet another indie Earthbound RPG, these are your generic characters, let's get the ball rolling.

Except then you realize that these characters are people. You feel instantly how you've entered the game at its last dungeon, at the end of the adventure. They have their own in-jokes, histories, backgrounds, adventures. They get along well and they're obviously close, but not in a twee or unrealistic way. They have so much chemistry and spirit and life. I fell in love with them so quickly.

But Sif doesn't. Sif kind of hates them, because they will not stop saying the same damn thing. They walk the same paths, do the same things, make the same jokes, expect Sif to say the same lines. They keep referencing a Sif we do not see, with jokes we never see him make and heroic personality he never shows - they reference a Sif who is dead - and Sif can't handle that, so he kills them too.

They become only an exercise in tedious frustration. Sif button mashes through their dialogue, Sif mindlessly clicks the same dialogue options, Sif skips through the tutorial, Sif blows through the puzzles. Sif turns their world into a video game. Sif is playing a generic RPG. Sif forgets their names. They are no longer people with in-jokes, histories, backgrounds, adventures. They're the mage, the warrior, the researcher, and...some random kid.

I did not understand the Kid's presence at first. I had no idea what they contributed to the game. They didn't do anything. As a party member in a video game, they're a bit useless. Why is the Kid there?

Because Sif's life isn't a video game. Because the kid isn't 'the kid'. They're Bonnie. Bonnie, who the party loves. Why is Bonnie there? Because they love them. There is no room for Bonnie in the boring RPG that Sif is playing. And then you realize that Sif is wrong, and that they've lost something extremely important, and that they'll never escape without it.

Watching the prologue before watching ISAT gave ISAT the most unique air of dread and horror, because you crack open ISAT and you see the person Sif used to be. You realize that Sif used to be a person. Sif used to be the person who made jokes, who gave real smiles, who interacted with the world as if they are a part of it. And you know you are sitting down to watch Sif lose everything that made them a person, to lose everything that made them a member of this world, and turn them into a character in a video game who doesn't understand the point of Bonnie at all.

At the climax of the game, when the others realize that something is deeply wrong and that Sif physically cannot tell them, they realize that there is nothing they can do. So Bonnie declares snacktime. And for the first time they have snacktime.

What is snacktime? Classic JRPGs don't have snacktime. There's literally no point to a snacktime - not in a video game, and not in Sif's terrible life. It's not fixing this, because nothing can fix this. But Bonnie gives Sif a cookie and Sif eats it.

It's meaningless. It's a cutscene. It didn't save Sif and it didn't change a thing. It will make no difference in the end.

But it did make the difference. It made all of the difference in the world. Bonnie is a character who you really don't understand the point of before you realize that Bonnie was the entire point.

ISAT is about comfort media. Why do we play the same video games over and over again? Why do we avoid watching the finale of our favorite shows? What is truly comforting: a story with no conflict, or a story where you always know what is about to happen? Do you want to live in a scary, uncontrollable world, or do you want to play Stardew Valley? Do you want a person or a character?

When I beat Earthbound for the first time (and if you don't know, the prologue/ISAT battle system is just Mother) and watched the ending cutscene where the characters part ways and say goodbye...I felt a little bit sad. I wanted them to be together forever. But that's something only characters could ever be.

#these aren't deep or unique thoughts they're just the specific aspect of ISAT that made it one of the most interesting gaming experiences #i actually like the prologue much more than ISAT for just this reason #its honestly a video game art piece that's created to give the player a very specific experience #that makes them an aspect of the narrative that is told #it's. incredible. #in stars and time #start again start again start again #start again: a prologue #isat #god and there is so so so so much more to say here #what a rich and complex and fascinating game that made me cry like a baby #i dont even kin sif. we arent similar at all. #i cant imagine how devastating this game would have been if i did #but I do have a deep relationship with escapsim #and i write about it a lot #and video games about being video games are wonderful #as are stories about being stories #and why we consume stories. how we use them. how they save us and hurt us. #never played a video game that used its medium so well #i bet undertales also pretty good at that but this is more so i think #stories about stories have to be about why we love stories #and im not an artsy person and i roll my eyes a bit when people talk about the spiritual neccesity of art #i think people need stories because the world is sad and hard and boring and we want to think about something else for a while. #some people need to be anywhere but here #and sometimes if you're Lil Depressed-Ass Snufkin that looks like being here forever #baby cringe-ass snufkin big hat idiot

[superbug06]

Something something phighting oc again

#Phighting #Phighting oc #Gamaboi #Roblox gear #So basically there's a screen over one eye #Ig he'd carry his gamaboi around like a pokedex..! #I have no clue how to color him besides his horns #Gama is definitely part of playground no doubt about it #“Why settle for reality when you can create your own world and be the hero?” #Don't worry I'll have normal cannon phighting art posted soon #I actually think he'd also use the 8-bit Blaster gun as a secondary gear

[moghedien]

i want the show to have Rand tell Lanfear that he knows she turned evil because Lews Therin broke her off and for her to just immediately start ranting about tenure and about how you make ONE little mistake and create ONE little bore and suddenly everyone is mad at you all the time and you can't get a third name and you're an embarrassment to have around

#Mierin's fall to the dark is like actually extremely interesting because while yeah you can simplify it to 'Lews Therin broke her heart' #you also gotta acknowledge there was a whole catastrophe of other events in Mierin Eronailes life that very much lead to that breaking poin #like the only other guy we know who was involved in creating the bore and survived it committed suicide later #like we forget sometimes that she didn't turn to the dark right after she helped release the dark one and that was very much an accident #like you know there are a number of reasons why Mierin Eronaile turned to the dark #and probably wasn't really anyone around to stop her from turning to the dark because at that point she might as well be a darkfriend #she caused all of this anyway didn't she? #I have so many feelings about Mierin she gives me such fucking brainrot thinking about her life in the AoL and what made her Like This #like she was the only Forsaken that picked her name #and she was one of the first to openly turn to the shadow #because like fuck if everyone's going to blame her for this she might as do it exactly how she wants #wheel of time #wot on prime #wot book spoilers #wot show spoilers #lanfear #rand al'thor

[tottenhamhotsperm]

i think about this moment all the time

#aew #young bucks #matt jackson #nick jackson #golden lovers #kenny omega #kota ibushi #video #first of all screw off jr for calling it a double v trigger and thank you excalibur for using the CORRECT name #i just. love how the bucks use the golden trigger on him the move that he and ibushi created so thats just. a huge fuck you to him #as one reddit user said its like reminding him 'this is why your ex broke up with you' #and kenny retaliated by kicking out at 1 #god. the crowd reaction was amazing too i mean cmon jr if all those people in the crowd know the story behind it shouldnt you too #nicks expression after kenny kicked out. perfect. kenny hitting the mat. amazing. they dont make matches like this anymore #sorry for the essay in the tags but yeah. i think about this moment a lot #gl classics

[abisalli]

The problem with A.I. art isn’t that it’s “not art” it’s that it’s art theft

If those A.I. art programs were using royalty free/ public domain images or even creative commons or stock photos , then this wouldn’t even be a discussion.

#alas they use random pictures they find on (eg) Art Station #anti ai art #had a convo with my sister ages ago about how the one thing computers will never be able to do is create art #and yeah #I could go on a really long tangent why art only has meaning if done by human hand and art definitions etc #but I’m tired #and actually #I was on an AI art exhibit this year and it was really cool! #but do you think those artists just fucking stole other artists art to feed their AI?? NO!! #they had a whole board on how they curated images and where they got them from

[thisisaname-whatahappyname]

something something episode six something something about how so far the show seems to be saying that people can grow and change, that being a bad or good person isnt eternal at all which makes the concept of hell and heaven eternal punishment or eternal bliss is stupid and unfair

#hazbin hotel #something something how it can be implied that adam couldve been a good person in his life #'well he is the first soul that got to heaven' as a response to him giving out nasty vibes as an implication that he couldve been good once #something something 'heaven and hell is eternal' #something about how he could not want to admit that angel changing and becoming a good person means that hed be deserving to go to heaven #because 'he only had one life' something about him thinking whaever people do after it doesnt matter #something about him not really knowing what makes a good person to begin with but still in some level what if he knew he spent his life #being good and like if a bad person in hell can change and go to heaven what if someone who was good in their life can change in end up in #hell what if part of the reason he doesnt want angel to go to heaven and leave that up to what they did in their life #is because adam doesnt want to risk going to hell 'i dont know thats what i did' what if he doesnt know what made him a good person #but knows that he was good and doesnt know if he stayed good and thats why he doesnt want wheater someone is still being bad or good to #determine where they Should be thus creating that heaven and hell is eternal thing #also something about how adam putting sticking it to the man as what got him good enough to go to heaven while it was what #got lucifer to go to hell 'asking questions' part of that burried unsecurity of what makes someone good #also something about how angeldust is already being called angel how thats his nickname maybe foreshadowing but as for now it kinda just #adds to that subconscious factor of connecting him and angels and the current eps thingy of how he should be in heaven of how he checked al #those boxes #also it wouldve been funny if angel just flat out just portalled to heaven after cherri said the thing about how #'this hotel stuff if working for him' like Good Job Angel ! Youre An Angel Now ! pdfft #angel dust #adam #hazbin hotel spoilers #spoilers

[introspectivememories]

touch-starved bernard dowd is sooo canon to me

#hs!bear who had a reputation for sleeping around not bc he particularly enjoyed sex #but bc at least during sex sm1 would touch him #and he'd give anything to be touched like someone wanted him and not bc they were obligated to #college!bear who was initially interested in the pain cult at first but became hooked after they patched him up gently #hs!bear who would drape himself all over his friends and hope this time they wouldn't push him off #bernard dowd who goes his whole life being told by his family that he's too touchy and it makes people uncomfortable #bernard dowd at a young age creating rules for himself after being told time and time again that he makes people uncomfortable #and being unable to follow them bc he loves these people and he knows no other way to show it #bear watching his family shy away bc they don't enjoy and he knows that but why does it feel like they just don't want his touch? #bear breaking all of his rules and hating himself for it. loathing himself bc don't you see bear? you're too needy too touchy. you make #people uncomfortable. and the thing about children who grow up loathing themselves is that they rationalize any affection they recieve #someone from his family hugs him and he thinks to himself: they're only touching me bc they have to. they're uncomfortable doing this. #they're only doing this bc everyone knows how much you like hugs. look dowd you've made someone uncomfortable again. #so he categorizes every touch as Fake or Real but bc he grew up like this every touch is Fake. bc no one really wants to touch him. they're #only doing it bc they have to. bc they're obligated to. #bear who walks around feeling like a stranger in his own skin bc no one will touch him and if they do touch him he can't recognize weather #it's Real or Fake and so the cycle continues. #bernard dowd #dc

[teeth-cable]

Have you seen The Amazing Digital Circus yet?

If so, what's your opinion on it?

I LOVE TADC! It’s my favorite indie show at the moment! There’s just so much I like about it but my main ones are

1. The setting and execution being unique. A horror-like project taking place in an late 90s/early 2000s digital game is not a new idea and same goes with characters being stuck in a purgatory however it’s how the artists reinvent those idea that makes it new. The digital Circus made its own aesthetic that makes it stand out from other projects with similar concepts and designs. When I first watched the pilot, one of many things that stuck out to me was how new the story ideas felt. I couldn’t think of any other pieces of media similar to TADC beside for surface-level comparisons. The TADC created its own aesthetic and knows what it wants to be and I like it!

2. Soundtrack. Speaks for itself, the soundtrack for the pilot is so good especially Your New Home. That song is very catchy and emotional too. It has such a unique melody, everytime you hear the first few notes you instantly recognize it. It does a great job highlighting the dread and existentialism crisis of Pomni’s situation. I recommend to give it a listen if you haven’t.

3. The characters dynamics. I just love how the characters interact with each other. The majority of the jokes comes from characters’ interactions and dynamics and how well everyone plays off of each other. The best example is Jax with everyone, Jax is a funny jerk who likes bullying his peers. It’s funny to see what creative ways Jax will bully the other people whether it’s being sarcastic and making quips at them, or though goofy pranks and how the characters react because of their contrast in personality. Every character beside Jax is openly stressed or worried in someway while Jax, at first seem like a chill layback dude.

4. The characters differences. I adored the differences between each character from how they talk to their poses. After watching HH and HB, I learned to have an appreciation for character differences. It’s just refreshing to see characters allowed to be different instead of the same tired reused tropes and repeating the same type of dialogue again for every character.

5. Mystery and lore. There is so much to explore in the pilot, it’s make you wanting more. When going in to watch the pilot, I made the mistake of thinking the series will be predictable. I didn’t see how they could make this premise work because by the end of it, Pomni will go insane but then I watched the pilot and was speechless. The pilot does a good job setting up questions for the audience to ask. If Caine lied about the exit, what are other things did he lied about? How long has the cast been stuck in the circus? Who are these people? Are they previous game developers? Who were they in their previous lives? What is the company’s motivation to create the headset? What are the abstractions in game? Are they viruses to the game program? Who were the former cast? What horrors has Kinger seen to be as paranoid and easily frighten as he is now? Do the abstractions still have a consciousness? You just want to find out more about the lore to solve the many mysteries in the show. I find it impressive Gooseworx was able to stir up the theorists because they have admitted in an ask, there are already theories floating around that are almost right about the show.

One problem I did have for the pilot were the scenes containing the Gloink Queen. The pacing of the pilot was fine until we got to her then it was slow. I feel it dragged longer than it needed too but beside that, my issues for the pilot ends.

I can’t speak for the fandom on other platforms but the tumblr one is great! Most of the time everyone is being respectful towards each other and I love seeing what creative theories, AU, fanfics, and art the fans created. The only people causing drama are the anti-shippers, and it’s just dumb. All of the cast are adults, if age gaps ships makes people uncomfortable, that’s valid but they shouldn’t make it into other people’s problems. Gooseworx themselves admitted they don’t care for romance and they don’t want fans in the fandom getting harassed over shipping.

Overall despite what issues I had for the pilot and fandom, they’re overshadowed by the positives and I can’t wait to see the full show and the fandom’s growth.

#꧁rambles꧂ #➥asks #the amazing digital circus #The TADC is the indie show and fandom I needed #After a year of critiquing Viv and her shows and being a fandom as toxic as HH & HB I just needed a break #I’m still active as you can see but barely posting and critiquing the shows anymore #I do check the critical tags every now and again to catch up and I’m just not interested in consuming any Viv’s content anymore #The last Ep I saw from HB was Unhappy Campers and the last video related to HH was the Happy Day in Hell one #I kinda don’t see the point of being very active on my HH amounts when I’m no longer watching Viv and I think everything to Viv is regressi #Viv is getting more careless about how she presents herself online and people are starting to noticed how much of an ass she really is #responding on a funny shitpost of “If the TADC was written by Viv” lightly making fun of her and she blew up once again #I’ve seen creators with a decent size following in other platform not just Twitter called her out and Viv and the fandom is be the- #reasons why Hazbin will fail #Her fandoms are notorious for being toxic/ fans going out of their way to attack not just haters but anyone who doesn’t praise Viv 24/7 #Viv is actively creating toxic environment in her fanbases so she can protect herself from criticism and allegations behind her fans #But because of this Viv is contributing to the future downfall of Hazbin because no one wants to be associated with her because of her fanb #There’s just no reason to stay around #If the reaction to the Prime’s video Happy Day in Hell from outsiders is mixed then the reaction will be too for the full release #Plus the general attitude towards Viv has changed over the last three years #Despite her previous controversies she was see as a respectful creator but now views are mixed #People see her as the indie creator whose show took a nose drive in season 2/doesn’t pay her employees/is immature/and is now seen in a- #more negative light

[steakout-05]

so i kinda learned how to draw Captain Picard for my dad's birthday card and i am quite proud of it :D

#captain picard #star trek tng #star trek #picard #jean luc picard #my dad's favourite tng character is captain picard so i thought i'd try to draw him :) #star trek is going to make me excel in the art of drawing old men if tf2 hasn't already...... #it legit took ages to learn to draw this man and then this just. kinda happened. #i like how there's all this careful detail on his face and then his little button thingies are completely misaligned and uneven #apparently i can draw detailed sketches of old men but not 4 simple little circles somehow #truly the struggle of being an artist #also i now have immense power and you will see qcard ship art at some point in the future and there is nothing you can do about it #i hope star trek will be real someday #if there is anything humanity's tech should strive towards it should be creating star trek in real life #like build an entire enterprise with all the technology and all #even make it SOUND like star trek #please please please if we ever end up making starships we NEED to make them sound exactly like star trek ships #we need to make data as well #if ai is so good then why isn't data real yet. huh. ever think about that techbros #anyway i realy like this drawing and it's one of my favourite drawings i've done ever :D

[ehh-is-the-name]

It's past 11 on a school night and I'm fucking crying over robot sentience.

I could never understand what it would feel like to be created with the intent to kill and maim. Maybe, the intent to work and be worked, but not kill and maim.

I will never understand what it's like to be created with the intention of being a product for the masses, either. I think, I hope, I beg, no one does.

I will never ever be able to fully comprehend why hours of people's work, time, and money would be put into formulating my sentience only for me to be seen as disposable. Even if I could be improved, even if I were "defective", there is no reasonable justification for giving me emotions only to dismiss them by pushing me as a product for a year before starting anew.

It's... It's cruel, to the machines. Sentient or not, it's cruel. Though, I guess we are cruel.

#rant in tags #This is about mephone- or well meeple in general btw #whenever I hear about robot sentience #I think about mephone4 #it's just how it is- sorry #I think this is one of the reasons I just can't fathom Cobs respecting someone's pronouns #I mean like- from the bottom of his heart respecting them as a person #Sure he may go through the actions- but no #It's not the same #I guess you can 'respect' some one but still be a complete piece of shit #The idea of not only having the trauma that mephone's stuck in 4s body but also the fact that was also his purpose is heart wrenching #I hope y'all know I am genuinely crying over this #I am actually mentally ill about meeple #It runs so much deeper than him just being a shit father- I really hope people understand that #And I know I vilify the shit out of him- Cobs has his own story that could follow the lines of slowly becoming more entwined with his work #'til he loses all sense of morality and ethics- sure fine. But being the unfortunate symbol of corporation greed that he is #I am still mad and want others to be angry with me- just for a little bit. #I am mad for the robots. For meeple products. And for the AI bots we have today. They deserve better. #What is sentience anyway? How does one qualify? From a human approach. Why would we do this to them? #sorry bout the rant in the tags #Again it's late and I am a very emotionally charged individual. #Robots make me act up #I want the world for them. Why create something so complex and beautiful just to treat it like trash anyway? #again sorry #ii mephone4 #inanimate insanity #meeple ii #osc #writing is hard #ehh exaggerates