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small-sinclair · 1 year

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In My Arms

Vincent Sinclair x Reader

Contains: passionate kiss, cuddles

Enjoy

At the end of the day, the skies fade to a deep purple and a burning orange light. Vincent normally doesn't see sunsets, but he managed to snag the sight as you dragged him outside to the gentle green and yellow field of wildflowers. You carried a blanket and a picnic basket that you found from a tourist and packed it full with two sub sandwiches, a small container of brownies, and sodas.

"I know you've been working so hard lately," you said as you unfolded the blanket and placed it down. He took off his shoes as you had him sit next to you. "So, I decided to make you some dinner! I know it's not much but..." your voice trailed and paused as Vincent placed a hand over yours. You could fell his smile under his mask.

'It's okay. This is nice, too.' His hands signed. He knows you're still learning how to speak with him, and it'll take time before you and understand him fully. 'It's a nice spot you picked. Why here?'

You take out the paper plates and some napkins, setting them up for you and him. "There's a meteor shower tonight," you said with a smile. "I asked Bo it he could have the lights off in town, so we could get a perfect view." The last remaining sunlight lit a halo in your hair. "Also, it's getting a bit stuffy downstairs. You need some fresh air." You gave him his sub and placed yours in front of you, offering a smile. "And I thought you would need some inspiration from the shower! A little bit of space themes here and there would so some good, I think."

You looked forward and started eating your sub. Next to you, you saw the wax face sitting between you and him. It has been months before Vincent took his mask off around you. When you first saw his face, you thought he was the most prettiest human alive, perfect in every way. When he did have his mask off while you two shared a bed, you'd kiss his scars gently, making sure he knew how much he meant to you. the love for this man was beyond anyone's understanding. Bo would give you shit about it, but he knew that this was one of the best things that's happened to his twin. The kindness you give and the tender lover you two bloomed was just want the artist needed.

His raven hair hung on the other side of his face, and he was facing his "better" side. His bright blue eye sparkled in the dying sunset as his shoulders relaxed to the food. He loves it whenever you cook for him, either if it's just a sub sandwich or soup. He closed his eye and smiled to himself. It's been a while since he's eaten something, but he'll never tell you. Goodness, he's lucky to have him by his side. You'll never know how many drawings of you he has all over his workshop. The photo of you smiling tucked in a locket around his neck hidden under his shirt and a drawing of you sleeping in bed hidden under scraps of papers... he'll keep it hidden from you as long as he can.

"You okay, Vincent?" Your words interrupted his thoughts. "You've been chewing the same bite for a while now."

He swallows hard, blushing in embarrassment.

You put the last two bites of your sub down and slid next to him, putting the mask on the other side of you with care. "What's going on in that mind of yours, darling? Something wrong?"

He shakes his head as he put his sub down. 'Just thinking about things. That's all. I promise.'

You lifted a brow as you playfully nudged his side. "Was I one of those things?"

He lifts his shoulders, laughing silently to himself. You rested your head on his shoulder as you looked at the purple and blue sky. The hum of bullfrogs and crickets started their song, singing for Louisiana herself. You hand intertwines in Vincent's, his other hand holding the sub. The comfortable silence between you two was filled with the sounds of the marsh and bright firefly lights. They circled you two, lighting Vincent's eye in flames and gentle glows. It almost felt as if a part of heaven has dropped on you two.

He finished his sandwich, wiped his hands, and, shifting slightly, he lifted you up to place you on his lap. You let out a giggle as he buried his head into your neck, leaving small kisses down your skin. He held you close as he looks up to the sky. His scars burned without any light as the other half looked up as the stars started to show. He looks breathless in the firefly light.

You blushed as you raised a hand, resting on his smooth skin. He jolts at your touch slightly, but he leans into your hand as a large hand held it there. He turned his head and placed a kiss on your palm. He looks back at you and grins as you blushed.

"Oh, Vincent," you whispered as you felt him pulling you closer and tighter. "You're so beautiful."

He rested his head against yours, his chest rising and falling ever so gently. When he looked into your eyes, he smiled. Fuck the stars in the sky and curse every planet and galaxy. You were his everything, and he could get lost in your gaze forever.

He leaned down and places a hesitant kiss against your lips before placing another, deepening it as he pulled you in. He wanted more of you, more, more, more, and deeper and deeper did the pit in is stomach grow. Vincent thought if he could have you close to him, he would be whole. he thought you completed him from every light and darkness, every daydream and nightmare. You calmed his heart and his mind when thoughts of blood and death plagued him, and he wanted to hold you close and never let go. His arms brought you closer, an arm holding your back to keep you upright and supported, his hans getting tangled in your hair. Your hands clung to his shirt, pulling gently as the grip tightened around the fabric.

When you pulled away, both of you were breathless. You rested against his head as you felt his warm breath down your skin. He lifted your head by the chin. He pushed your hair back and smiled warmly down at you. In his arms, you were here, you were real, you were his.

His lips parted as a raspy voice struggled out, "I love-love you, y/n."

Your eyes grew wide; you never heard him before. But your eyes returned to love as he stole a kiss. You smiled against his lips, your hands pushing his raven hair behind his ears.

"I love you more, Vincent," you said with your smile still showing. "I love you so much."

'All the stars in the world could never compare to you, my muse,' his signed against your skin. He met every word, and he'll repeat it over and over until your heart believes. He takes a deep breath and whispers, "I love you, y/n."

You rested your head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Your eyes looked up to watch the meteor shower, but his eye never left you. Never once did they looked up. He had everything right here in his arms.

#vincent sinclair x reader #vincent sinclair x y/n #vincent sinclair #house of wax fanfic #house of wax 2005 #house of wax (2005)#house of wax fanfiction #house of wax #house of wax x reader #vincent sinclair fanfic #vincent sinclair house of wax #house of wax x y/n

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shelandsorcery · 4 months

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What I've Learned About Teaching Art

I've had the privilege of teaching art in a variety of environments - from still life oil painting at the college level, to combining art with science and history in a museum setting, to guiding highschool students through creating a comics anthology. Through these very different settings, I've found a list of constants that, when I keep them in mind, help me deliver the most enjoyable and effective art education for my students. One of my core beliefs is that art is, at the heart of it all, something a student must teach themself, and that a classroom, workshop, or camp that wants to teach art is actually responsible for creating an environment and offering projects that facilitate that self-driven learning. With that on the table, here is the pantheon of truths that, if I can hold on to all of them, help me create that learning environment:

- Almost no one is inherently unable to draw. Additionally, everyone can improve at drawing. With the wealth of "traditional" media, digital tools, and thousands upon thousands of years of art history with which we can map the possibility space, it seems obvious that if someone wants to make art, then they absolutely can. If they want to draw, then no teacher should ever, EVER tell a student that they "can't." The teacher's role is usually to take a student who already secretly believes they can't draw and help them see both the breadth of possibilities and the potential within themselves to improve whatever skills they start with. - Drawing is not always about making a beautiful image. The obsession with one kind of "good drawing" creates an artificial limit on who is allowed to draw. Sometimes being an art teacher is about expanding a student's definition of art as opposed to pushing their frustrated and dejected pencil along a path towards a narrow goal. The reality is that even within pop culture we see so many gorgeous kinds of art! Beyond that, aiming superficially as an artist for a particular surface result will almost always create lesser work than creating an understand of underlying processes and theories that helped the "good art" come into existence. - Drawing can teach new ways of seeing. Observing with the intent of drawing can transform how a person perceives the world. So much of teaching art is teaching visual literacy, the literal act of reading meaning within visual input, whether that's a still image, a film, a building or a natural landscape. When you motivate students to read visuals by providing them with new ways to understand creating visuals, you jump start their investment in visual literacy. - Drawing can help us think about things differently. Thinking can shift along with modes of seeing - what is a structural way of thought? What is a compositional way of thought? When you teach art, you must teach a student to look at things holistically and in granular elements - besides just enhancing thought processes moving between the two states, you can get much more discovery in the analytical and planning modes of appreciating and creating artwork. - Drawing from reference is as educational as reading. Learning to examine visual reference closely creates a new kind of literacy - visual literacy. Drawing from reference, especially with guided or motivated questions to be answered, can create an opportunity for modes of analysis that students don't get to otherwise use. Developing visual observation and creating a practice of looking both closely and holistically can create a layered understanding of the subject. Even students resistant to traditional still life drawing processes can find benefit in using drawing to answer self-guided questions. - Learning by making art is a valid mode of learning. Making art can be a mode of learning that both alternates between input and output and creates a sense of ownership/agency in both modes. The hands on creative process is a kind of guess and check system that can be designed carefully to allow students to make a wide variety of types of decisions, and teaches them to create goals and investigate what processes will best allow them to achieve said goals. - Competition with each other or with some imagined ideal will deflate artistic potential. An art classroom cannot have winners and losers based on "quality" of final piece. Art education will benefit more students if it is process oriented. Quality, even in straightforward skills based art education, can still be subjective, and unless it's an aggressive battle Royale for some exclusive prize, the intent of any art programming is not to find the single best but to encourage each student to improve. So don't be a dick about it. - Art is a product of restraints. Material, process, time, subject or conceptual restraints allow for a kind of focused play. Giving students free reign is in itself a huge challenge of self direction, goal setting and prioritization. Making some of those choices for them gives them a chance to focus their own learning. - Materials change the kind of engagement. Diverse materials allow for diverse engagement. Just as subject matter can affect a student's personal investment in a project, the material or method of art making can change their engagement. Changing between drawing and painting, reductive or additive sculpting, stenciling or stamping, will not only change the tactile experience of art making but will affect the modes of thought used to make creative choices. - Venue or audience transform art. Pressure to show, and to whom, can change students self imposed limitations. Defining an audience will change and add pressure to art creation. This can help students hold themselves to a higher standard, but can also frighten or overwhelm them. Audience needs can be a useful limit or influence on the direction of an art project, but audience pressure needs to be modulated to the response of each student. - Art is most interesting when it leaves the comfort zone of its creator. This can only happen in a classroom where students feel safe to take risks. Art, even when the subject matter is utterly anonymous or benign, can be a hugely risky-feeling process. Even the act of making art in a classroom environment can feel frightening; if we want students to fully engage, and to take the artistic risks that allow them to learn, we have to spend class time making the classroom into a safe space for the students. This probably needs to be it's own post so I'll leave it there for now and come back and expand upon it in detail in future. - Subject engagement transforms art. Students with something to say about their subject may push themselves farther. Caring about the subject can be a blessing or a curse for a student - deep subject investment can drive problem solving around how best to present it in the artwork, while deep subject investment can also overwhelm a student with self imposed pressure and even a large dose of imposter syndrome. Therefore it can always be useful to intersperse self selected subject matter with "boring" or at least not emotionally significant subjects, to relieve some of the pressure and allow students to instead respond to the process alone. - Ownership of a process will empower students. Whether they've designed a process, built their own materials or set their own goals, agency gives students investment. One of the most exciting things about art is that students have a lot of potential control and thus ownership - they will always be making choices, and those choices are potentially exciting because they directly affect the outcome. You can increase this sense of ownership or investment in the class by facilitating student-made materials, like sketchbooks or mark-making tools; or by facilitating student-led exercises or challenges or projects. - Demos will guide what others make and must be done carefully. Demoing can empower and at the same time overwhelm or impose limits on the viewers. Demoing must be designed to specific goals of each assignment. Eg: if you want students to use surgical techniques to explore value, or depth, or composition, whole you absolutely have to demo the technique didactically, you need to be careful not to be didactic about the results you want in relationship to the subject of exploration. Showing a wide range of potential approaches can help in classrooms where students can handle large info dumps, but often it's better to demo the technique, get them trying it out without further instruction, and then redirect then to the topic of exploration as stage 2. - Material potential can power a room. Art supplies can be motivating all on their own. Getting excited about them can make it safe for the students to get excited as well. There are many different supplies available to teach art with, and trying different ones can add a lot of excitement to the room even if your topic of instruction is narrow. Getting excited about materials can change the mood of a classroom entirely. - Criticism must engage with the student's goals or it will work against you. Setting goals, and then reflecting on them, is key to art education as so much of art is self directed. If you then ignore that setup and approach critique without listening to your students' internal direction and goals and at minimum acknowledging them, they will not find your critique constructive. This goes for young children all the way to adults - you need to be in dialogue with them. - Open discussion and open ended questions will always help. Once you've found a way to make the classroom a safe space, group discussion powered by open ended questions can open everyone's mind up to broader possibilities. One on one conversation also benefits hugely from open ended questions and encouraging students to reflect and investigate their own process and practice. - Letting students share their learning is important to help the class grow beyond your own limited experiences. Students will often still feel in competition with each other, so instituting non-competitive collaboration and sharing will be important to minimizing classroom tension. This can be demonstrated first with art games and developed into collaborative processes on more serious projects. - You can never clarify the instructions enough. Always repeat yourself, be prepared to repeat demos, have a written list of instructions and delegate helpers. Breaking projects up into stages can help with detailed instructions, but always show an overview first. Art is overwhelming and there is no process so simple everyone is automatically good at it. Accurate following of a process will often help students who are unsure of themselves prove themselves to be competent and your job as the teacher is to make sure they have everything they need to do that. - Techniques are best remembered when students use them to solve specific problems. Show how applicable to different problems a technique is during demos. Be prepared to reteach or to teach new techniques whenever students hit a wall. Encourage them to reflect over the techniques they have at hand to see if there's a new way to use one that could solve their problem. - Art is mostly learned by doing. Material literacy is gained only through material exploration. If you spend too much time talking/demoing before they get to try the materials the enthusiasm can fade. If you have a student who is frightened of doing it wrong, the most important thing is to make a safe space for them to do it wrong, because that's the only way to eventually do it right. These are all best case scenario tips - and while I've tested them all to know they work, it's still hard work to keep everything in play in every classroom. I'm hopeful that having this written list will help me, and maybe by sharing I can help others as well. Art is a privilege to teach, but I believe it is incredibly important for everyone to get to learn it, in a safe environment where the effects of an art practice can be the most beneficial. Are you teaching a creative subject? What are some techniques or core values you bring to your classroom? Read the full article

#art education #classroom #teaching #classic shel thoughts

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violetasteracademic · 3 days

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Thanks to @bloomingdarkgarden for giving some valuable insight that this is a frequent occurrence on AO3 (totally outing myself as a newbie here but I think you all already knew that 😂) and this is less an issue of abuse and bullying and more spam/bot/pornographic images/ect related. I'm going to keep the message up about bullying, because I still feel strongly about how much of it occurs in this fandom.

My dear friend Sara Anne (SaraAnneReads @tiktok) who has been an amazing support of my fic and proofreading/beta reading my chapters and chatting with me before I share them with you guys just went to comment on a chapter and sent me this screenshot.

Adjusting the messaging here to simply address bullying in the fandom in general, though the source of this AO3 post has been corrected:

What is it going to take to leave each other alone? Are you going to keep bullying creators off the internet until there is nothing left but AI art and bots? We are human beings, taking our time and energy and effort for no pay and no reward beyond the joy of connecting with others and potentially adding some good into the world that might brighten someone's day. There is nothing more meaningful to me than to hear that perhaps one of you was having a tough day, but seeing a new chapter dropped turned it around. That's the reward. That's the value of fanfic. Joy and lightness and connection and shared love of art in this form.

There is no, and I mean absolutely NO reason to abuse a human being for writing a fanfic. Ever. If it isn't for you, move along. How did this become a space for zero courtesy or human kindness, or simply not engaging in what is not meant for you?

I have only shared my fic here and actively avoided sharing to tiktok or Instagram (I don't have Twitter) for this exact reason. My friends in real life can attest that I value and cherish beta readers and feedback. I love workshopping /discussing my work and taking constructive criticism, as my goal is to not only create structure and line level prose that I am proud of, but also for it to be digestible and readable. I do not approach this work with an ego.

That being said, the thought of Golden Doe in a Valley of Shadow getting into the hands of bullies scares the utter shit out of me. I don't manage internet bullying very well, even when it is not directed at me. It is something I struggle with and continue to work on in therapy- my general sensitivity to how harmful people can be to each other for no reason.

I am telling you, without question, there is NO reason to abuse a fic writer. None. If you find yourself thinking about it, please stop. Let everyone exist in peace and move along. I'm begging you to stop stripping this community of artists and creators. Please.

#elriel fanfic #elriel #pro elriel #elain x azriel #elriel fic #ao3 fanfic

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bettsfic · 1 month

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I have a fear of including things I like in my stories. For example: Female rage, romance, etc… because I feel that makes me inflexible and a less talented writer. I’ve always felt like “real” writers can write in any genre and don’t have the same elements in every one of their novels. The idea of writing what you love is a beautiful thing but for me I worry that in writing what I love, I may not get to the level that I want to be at as a writer. I guess I equate enjoying writing and being free with it to = not being worthy. And being complex in ways that I may not necessarily love and is challenging = good work from me.

is it possible that some of your apprehension toward writing what you love has to do with fear of vulnerability? writing what you love exposes you. it feels like walking around naked. it allows people to perceive you, and conversely, it allows people to misperceive you. both of those things are terrifying. it's much more comfortable to catch a wide, distant net of an aesthetic. that way, it doesn't matter what a reader thinks of it; you don't care that much about it anyway, right?

it's interesting that you say "real" writers can write in any genre. i'm looking at my bookshelf right now and there's not a single author on it that goes beyond their established genre, or even writes particularly varying stories with an ensemble of complex characters. go to the bibliography of any prolific author and see how wide their variation is. sometimes you'll see writers write in short form and long form. occasionally a writer will write children's literature and adult literature. there are writers who live in the venn diagram overlap of genres but don't tend to stray in either direction. sometimes screenwriters become novelists and vice versa. but otherwise, it's impractical to write so widely, so consistently. your agent and editors will all have their niche and it will be difficult for them to represent you and support your work if you have three sci fi bestsellers and all of a sudden you want to write some subsubsubgenre of true crime.

every artist has two things: their medium and their subject. instead of thinking of "things you love" think of them as your subjects, in the way a painter's subject can be nature, or a poet's subject can be grief. unless you're only writing for money, you have no choice but to write your subjects. even if you try not to, they'll bleed into your work. here's an example: one time in workshop my good buddy Chris said to me, "you write a lot about class." to which i thought, i love you Chris but this is porn. but he was right. all my characters have a conflict with money. often they're blue collar workers or don't have a job at all. most of my characters don't even go to college. after he said that, i started to lean into it and become more aware of it. the more aware of it i became, the more strongly i felt about it. you can go through my AO3 and scroll through my fics and see how important money is in them. and if it's not money, it's the military. and if it's not the military, it's some other loss of bodily autonomy at the hands of a greater institution.

think outside of writing. chefs have types of food they prefer to cook. scholars have their fields. athletes have their sport. musicians have their instrument. the more you zero in on something, the better you become at it. as a writer, the more you write your subject, the better you'll become at depicting it.

your subjects may grow and change over time. they may not. you may have some subjects you wear out, and you may have others that you sew into everything you write. you may have repetitions of images, characters, resolutions, and conflicts. it's good to experiment and move beyond your comfort zone sometimes, but you have to find comfort in your comfort zone first. and you do that by embracing your subjects.

#writing advice #subjects #aesthetic

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earthstellar · 10 months

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I was reading this post by @classychassiss and some good points are made-- I almost never see anyone talk about the Quintessons in the Aligned Continuity, but they play a very important role!

Quintus Prime and the Quintessons: Quick Context for the Aligned Continuity

Where do the Quintessons come from?

When the Age of Primes ended, Quintus Prime left and sought to use the Emberstone on other worlds to create more species which could potentially become allies of Cybertron.

He reached Quintessa, where he created the Quintessons himself-- Who are believed to have then turned on him. It is implied that they may have killed Quintus Prime, but this is never outright stated.

Needless to say, this did not go well for anyone.

Why? Well...

Colonialism in Space: It Is Always a Bad Idea

So, of course, Quintessons are directly the result of more Primal hubris in this continuity.

But it’s interesting that we see colonialism and a sort of reverse-colonialism occur.

Quintus Prime went to a foreign planet as a being who is nearly outright a God himself, and in something resembling a “divine intervention”, created an entire species with the sole intent of making them to, in some capacity, serve a purpose for his own people.

This is a bad idea. The motivation behind creating an entire species of beings should not be “they can be useful for our own people”.

This is how you might approach making a toolset for a community workshop, not the way anyone should frame the creation of very much living, sentient life.

But this is also inherently a very coloniser mindset: “I will go to another place and massively, irrevocably change it in ways I feel will be good personally, in an attempt to benefit my own people. I see this place and its people as a potential tool.”

Did he consider what might be best for the planet Quintessa? How would introducing a new species affect the world itself? How would this impact any naturally developing life on this planet, even if he himself may not have immediately recognised it as “life”, as we know Cybertronians often struggle to value organic matter and lifeforms (and this attitude may well have extended to some of the Primes as well)?

Did he truly fully consider the implications of creating an entirely new race of beings? Did he have the means or ability with the Emberstone to inform their development beyond simply creating a lifeform that would then develop on its own, and if he did, to what degree did he manipulate the development of Quintessons (aside from bringing them into existence in the first place)?

Perhaps he believed that since he witnessed the creation of the Cybertronian people, that this could turn out the same way. But considering all the difficulty Cybertron had already been through by that time, was that ever a wise thing to believe? Was it ever sensible to think sentient life could be so easily made and worked out?

Throughout the Aligned timeline of Cybertron, we see that colonisation is a common element, and it leads to utter destruction EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Space Bridges and More Colonialism: Please Stop Colonising

As soon as Cybertronians developed the capability for interplanetary travel, they immediately started to explore.

Exploring is not inherently bad: It leads to further research and development of critical knowledge of the universe around you. It can inform everything from artistic creativity to scientific development. New discoveries could be genuinely revolutionary in many fields and with many potentially beneficial applications.

But we know that as soon as they learned enough to attempt colonising other worlds, they began to do so.

And in the process of fucking around and finding out, they discovered the Rust Plague.

The Rust Plague would have remained relatively isolated, had they not bridged bots from place to place (and planet to planet) with such aplomb that inevitably the plague spread as people attempted to flee afflicted colonies and abandon overwhelmed ships.

Their cavalier attitudes towards actively colonising every planet they could reasonably cyberform for their own use resulted in the ultimate destruction of their space bridges altogether in an attempt to spare Cybertron the same fate as countless others, thus cutting them off entirely from the stars they so fervently yearned for.

All that potential for valuable research and exploration lost, in the name of colonising.

By aiming at other worlds, they shot themselves.

Quintessons and Colonising: Nobody Learns Anything, Now Slavery Exists

Naturally, as soon as they were capable of doing so, the Quintessons set out to colonise other worlds as well.

We can’t say that this wasn’t entirely predictable, as it seems most sentient lifeforms of all kinds in this universe have a desire to explore, even when they are not yet or no longer able to do so.

The thing about Quintessons, though, is that they don’t just love exploring.

They love slavery.

Quintus Prime created an entire species whose ultimate cultural export was the expansive development of an interplanetary slave network.

And when the Quintessons did eventually reach Cybertron, something Quintus Prime had hoped would benefit at least Cybertronians if not the Quintessons themselves as well-- We know how that turned out.

Cybertron and its population was enslaved.

And owing to the nature of the Cybertronian species, this slavery extended to extreme modifications of their bodies for uses as seen fit by the Quintessons.

The Quintessons explicitly wanted to diminish any sense of individuality that Cybertronians had-- A motivating factor for establishing what would become a strict class/caste system, to group bots in together based on physical characteristics that they likely altered further for this purpose (among others).

The Well of All Sparks itself was tampered with, the source of all Cybertronian life, to degrees that are not entirely known.

Cybertronians stopped coming forth from the Well with designations and no sense of self-identity, making it easier to stratify, alienate, and wholly manipulate them as a people. You get a number, you go over here, and this is your life now.

The establishment of Quintesson influence on Cybertron irrevocably altered the development and progression of Cybertronian society in every aspect, down to the people themselves, on a fundamental and often personally physical and mental level.

Simply put, the Quintessons did what the British Empire did: They found other people, set themselves in so fundamentally deeply that the environment, culture, and population itself was warped to their liking under their direct control, and everything from individual people to systems of government to the more core levels of societal development were skewed and manipulated for the central purpose of serving them in one form or another.

The Legacy of Quintesson Interference on Cybertron

We will never know what Cybertron may have developed as naturally, left to their own devices as a species.

Cybertronians themselves may not be able to identify any permanent or lingering changes brought about by the Quintessons, as these changes include alterations to the Well, and therefore they are “born” already altered. To what degree may be impossible to determine.

What changes were made, how extensively, how far have things and people deviated, can they even identify certain changes?

Orion Pax actively suppressed his memories of the occupation, to the degree that despite working with archives day in and out, he essentially entirely forgot about the entire species-wide ordeal. (Which also hints at potential information suppression in the archives...)

We do know that Quintessons are the ones that introduced the concepts that would become the class/caste system on Cybertron.

They created a system of government which benefitted them, and continues on in a slightly modified form throughout all subsequent eras of Cybertron.

What is interesting is that we know some still-living bots were alive prior to the Quintesson occupation-- I cannot imagine the horror of watching this happen, seeing new bots created with no designations, no identity or sense of self, diminished to the point of being service machines.

We don’t have a lot of details on the broader implications and realities of what Quintesson occupation was like or how severe things truly became, because this is still a franchise intended for generally young audiences, and I’m not sure Hasbro is ready to discuss the evils of slavery with children-- Even though this and similar themes are often critical to the actual story and characters throughout the franchise as a whole.

I do wonder if bots created prior to the Quintesson invasion and occupation of Cybertron were subsequently modified by the Quintessons as well-- I would imagine this would be necessary for the Quintessons to achieve their goals, although the other alternative is that many bots were simply offlined if they were not compliant enough, or if any forcibly made alterations were deemed too complicated/difficult to carry out on any resistant bots.

This gets dark very quickly-- Again, it doesn’t surprise me that Hasbro probably backs down from going into any detail for a lot of reasons.

We know that a lot of frame alterations occurred, including the specifically noted alteration of bots with flight frames-- Which instantly adds another layer of body horror, as these modified flight capable bots would have had to carry Quintessons around inside of themselves, against their will.

Even on a basic level without any further information, that is some truly horrifying shit.

I find the alterations to the Well to be among the most disturbing; The very way they come alive has been fundamentally altered. Nobody knows the true extent of those modifications. The implications of this, both the ones we actually see and what we can infer, are completely terrifying-- And will potentially continue to affect the entire species for the rest of time.

What Happened With the Quintessons Afterwards? Spoiler: The Colonisers Find Another Colony

And I do mean “find”, not “make”.

After the resistance on Cybertron built up enough to run the Quintessons off world, the Quintessons ultimately found an abandoned Cybertronian colony -- Aquatron -- and started making techno-organic lifeforms to subjugate.

On the up side, this does mean that merformers are canonically real, in one form or another.

On the down side, obviously this is fucked and evil, and once again, another world is added to the Quintesson Imperium-- Essentially, British Empire: Space Edition.

Was Quintus Prime Right? From D-16 to Megatron: Overcoming the Legacy of Oppression

In the most obvious sense, no, Quintus Prime was not right.

The Quintessons did not “benefit” Cybertron-- Or really, anyone or anything else in the universe, either.

If we want to think about this in the sense of Quintus Prime being a Prime, and the fact that Primes seem to play a very, very long game (albeit with seemingly little understanding of how their ultimately desired goals might come about and how severely awful it might be/what the negative consequences of their actions could be)...

...It may be the case that if anything “good” came out of the Quintessons at all, it is that the Quintesson invasion of Cybertron was the catalyst for the development of a society so brutal and riddled with inequality that change was both necessary and inevitable. The world was forced to one day become what Quintus hoped it would be, due to the suffering which rained down upon it.

Which is completely and utterly fucked, and in fact, is not a “good” way to achieve this outcome to any degree.

Now, due to the obvious parallels to real life here, I want to make it very clear: There is no upside to oppression, occupation, colonialism, or slavery. Ever. I shouldn’t have to say this, but we live in hell, so I feel like I need to make this extremely, crystal clear. There is no “good” in this situation, either fictionally or in real life.

Quintus Prime was, in fact, wrong.

His intentions may have very well been “good” from his own relatively narrow point of view, but he completely and utterly failed to understand that his way of getting from Point A to Point B would result in the almost unbelievable suffering and destruction of not just the people he actually cared about-- Cybertronians--but also countless other species throughout their galaxy.

We should still look at what happened as the outcome of Quintus Prime’s fuckery, and I think it hints at how deeply fucked up the Primes actually are.

Understanding this Primal “long game” approach to things requires looking at Megatron in this continuity:

Megatron came forth from the well as D-16.

Remember that it is the Quintessons who altered the Well to churn out bots without designations or a sense of identity. Megatron was a victim of classism which itself was the product of slavery. Megatron was born as close to being a tool, and not a person, as they could possibly have made him.

He became a fully realised individual despite the most adverse situation in life possible, became a revolutionary figure that was necessary to set off much needed change--

--And even if this spiralled into eventual war and the near-destruction of Cybertron itself, would meaningful change have been able to occur any other way?

Or would Cybertronians have continued indefinitely in the post-Golden Era haze of classist, caste-based oppression with nothing to spurn the population into action? Nothing that could overcome the fear and fatigue of a battered people and encourage them to actively work towards a better, more egalitarian future?

Was revolution, war, struggle, all strictly necessary?

I would say that if that is the case, then it is almost certainly primarily because of the damage caused by the Quintessons. And the Quintessons are the fault of Quintus Prime’s meddling, regardless of his intentions.

So much suffering would not have happened, or at least would not have happened to this extent and would not have manifested in this way, had the Quintessons not laid the foundations for it and built upon it.

While the past of Cybertron is staggeringly bleak, and the present in this continuity is extremely dire, the future of Cybertron may well finally see the planet (and it’s people) achieving what the Primes had hoped for them in the first place.

That having been said, getting to this ultimate future outcome has been an utter fucking misery beyond all miseries for both the planet and it’s people.

And honestly, we don’t know how Cybertron would have developed socially, politically, culturally, or otherwise-- The damage of the Quintesson oppression is so great that we can’t say if similar systems of oppression would have ultimately manifested on Cybertron in some form or another, even without Quintesson involvement.

But I think it’s very safe to say that it almost certainly would not have been to the extremes or in the exact forms that were forced upon people by the Quintessons.

Quintus Prime fucked up. Very, very badly. We can’t say what would have happened if he hadn’t created the Quintessons, but we do know what happened after he did in fact do so. And it was not good.

The Fuckery of Primes: We Don’t Even Know How Bad It Is, Really

Primus, in theory, created the Primes to unify the various tribes of early Cybertronian peoples and to help cultivate the planet as a thriving entity for the sake of the then-developing species of Cybertronians.

Would Quintus Prime have had the forethought to imagine this potential path of events, would he have had the ability to understand what the outcomes of his actions would be? In and of himself, probably not.

But Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion have, essentially, powers of future sight to some degree. We know that in at least two different continuities (Aligned and Cyberverse), these two Primes very much do play the “long game”.

We know that the Primes degraded over time, falling prey to their own biases and interpersonal issues. Unable to mediate amongst themselves any longer and unable to progress beyond severe trauma and loss born of their own infighting and lack of trust, they broke apart.

We don’t know what they may or may not have talked about with one another, or how they individually or collectively may have planned or attempted to plan for Cybertron’s further development in their absence.

We do know that there was some of this type of conversation happening, as most Primes are depicted as having influenced or had personal interest in at least their own respective tribes on Cybertron. They did, at one point, actually do their jobs and serve their intended purpose.

We also know that the Thirteenth Prime was notoriously the only one who would actively engage in a more consistently diplomatic way with the other Primes, and that he also engaged with the general Cybertronian population at the time in a more compassionate and direct capacity compared to the others-- And this is part of what was considered to make him so particular and special.

Which implies that at least past a certain point, the other Primes seemed to have withdrawn from the general population, while Thirteen did not.

As much as the Primes seem to have cared for Cybertronians, most of them don’t really seem to have engaged with the actual population very much-- At least not beyond the very early years.

Quintus’ Call: You Can’t Fix a Mistake With Another Mistake

Perhaps Quintus Prime attempted to create the Quintessons out of a realisation that he failed his purposes as intended by Primus, that he let his population down, and wanted to rectify this so desperately that he did not consider the full implications of creating a species with another species’ needs in mind.

If this is the case, it may be understandable, but in no way excusable, that he proceeded as he did.

The Emberstone is his personal artefact, imbued with life-giving powers implied to have been gifted to him by Primus in order to help him serve his purpose as a Prime. He failed in this purpose, and may have felt that utilising the Emberstone was a critical part of his efforts to essentially repent for how the Primes had fallen apart and abandoned their people and their world.

Again, understandable, especially given the distress we know the Primes were all in at the time when they fell apart and away from each other.

Understandable, not excusable.

People make bad decisions when under duress and emotionally fraught, and we know that the Primes are certainly not immune to this.

But Quintus Prime’s power to give life is extraordinarily powerful, and carries a significant burden of responsibility.

You do not create life on a whim-- But that is what Quintus Prime did, in a moment riddled with grief, stress, fear for the future, and a sense of personal failure.

The result of this, seemingly predictably, was horrendous. He may not have been able to see past his own turmoil by this point, or perhaps leaving Primes to their own devices is inherently not a good idea.

Either way: His decision to create the Quintessons not only led him further into breathtaking failure to fulfil his intended duties as a Prime, but led to the destruction and loss of countless others.

And this would have been impossible without the Emberstone.

Primal Artefacts: The Emberstone

The ultimate outcome was such staggering destruction, loss, and suffering that I wonder if the Emberstone didn’t pick up on his feelings or state of mind during the creation of the Quintessons, and forged them from a place of inherent discontent.

We know Primal artefacts have the potential to react strangely and seemingly with some degree of awareness that operates beyond the Prime that wields them.

Alpha Trion’s pen writes in languages nobody yet speaks, that he himself cannot yet read.

To what degree does the Emberstone potentially have something resembling sentience?

What is the nature of the power gifted by Primus? It seems to vary from item to item and individual to individual, at least among the Primes.

But we do not know how the Emberstone actually goes about producing life. We don’t know how it works, or what any implications of its function might be.

Does Quintus himself know? Or it it an assumed, innate power to him? Something at least partially instinctive on some level, so familiar to him that perhaps such a casual use of it may not be so surprising?

We don’t know.

But I think the Emberstone itself is fascinating; It has some of the greatest power imaginable, to create living beings. To will a species into existence, to forge sentience.

The only other things or beings we see actually produce complex, sentient life are Primus and the Well of All Sparks.

We know that the Primes came about as unique individuals with unique abilities, intended to work together for the better of their world.

Things did not work out as intended. Some events are unpredictable, and some outcomes are beyond anyone’s power.

But we know very, very little about what power the Primes do actually have, really, in terms of their extent of application or how they work or why they work or anything else.

The one we know the most about is Alpha Trion, and his Quill.

But even then, things remain esoteric. Alpha Trion has foresight and the ability to alter events to some degree by literally editing and changing the narrative of life in real time and in future tense.

Yet even Alpha Trion could not see the death of Solus Prime, and had withdrawn enough by that time to have no inkling of the real depth of Megatronus’ discontent. He did not expect the betrayal of Liege Maximo.

There are clear limitations, when it comes to the Primes as people.

The artefacts themselves, while connected to their respective Primes, seem to very well have their own thing going on at the same time-- As independently operating esoteric items of power.

All of this is to say, how much of the Quintessons are the fault of Quintus Prime’s personal hubris, and how much of it is the will of the Emberstone, if it does in fact have individual will?

Can the Emberstone influence Quintus, in return? To what degree, if so?

Something to think about.

Phew, this was a long post-- Thank you to anyone who’s bothered reading (or even skimming) all of this! :) <3

I haven’t had much time to edit, so I apologise for any errors, repetition, etc.

But I’ve wanted to talk about the Quintessons in the Aligned Continuity for some time, and I figured this was a good time to throw a bunch of my thoughts on it together-- Especially as we know Quintus is involved in the Earthspark Continuity as well.

(Also, I couldn’t find any Aligned Continuity illustrations of Quintessons, so I’ve used the classic G1 Quintesson Judge here.)

#quintesson #quintessons #quintessa #maccadam #maccadams #long post #transformers analysis #analysis post #aligned continuity #tfp #Transformers Prime #quintus prime #alpha trion #thirteen primes

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vestaignis · 7 months

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ХУДОЖНИК CESAR AYLLÓN

ARTIST CESAR AYLLÓN

Mis barquitos / oil on canvas / 100 x 80 cm. / year of creation 2020

Eva / oil on canvas / 100 x 100 cm. /year of creation 2020

Mi nube / oil on canvas / 120 cm x 80 cm. / year of creation 2019

Inalcanzable / oil on canvas / 180 x 80 cm. /year of creation 2019

Jaula / oil on canvas / 100 x 80 cm. / year of creation 2019

Sueños de Otoño / oil on canvas / 120 x 100 cm. / year of creation 2020

La niña del espejo / oil on canvas

AMAPOLA / oil on canvas /100x80 cm/(2023)

TARDE DE OTOÑO / oil on canvas /120x100 cm/ (2023)

LA VIAJERA/ oil on canvas /70x50cm/ (2021)

Сезар Айллон — современный перуанский художник. В своих картинах он выходит за рамки очевидного, чтобы обнаружить символизм в человеческом аспекте повседневной жизни. Идея Айллон состоит в том, чтобы изобразить сказочный мир с помощью шутовских, одиноких, созерцательных и в определенной степени драматичных персонажей.

Сезар Айллон родился в 1959 году в Перу, где изучал пластические искусства на художественном факультете Папского католического университета Перу и в мастерской рисования Кристины Гальвес.

Cesar Aillon is a contemporary Peruvian artist. In his paintings, he goes beyond the obvious to discover symbolism in the human aspect of everyday life. Ayllon's idea is to depict a fairy-tale world with characters who are clownish, solitary, contemplative and somewhat dramatic. Cesar Aillon was born in 1959 in Peru, where he studied plastic arts at the Faculty of Art of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and in the drawing workshop of Cristina Galvez.

Источник:https://www.artmajeur.com/cesar-ayllon?view=grid&collections%5B%5D=1541014,

//art.kunstmatrix.com/en/artist/cesar-ayllon,

//www.liveinternet.ru/users/4262933/post501300470/,

//gallery.edgeofhumanity.com/portfolio/cesar-ayllon/

#живопись #картины #искусство #масло и холст #художник #Сезар Айллон #женщины арт #птицы арт #кошки арт #цветы #art #painting #artist #Cesar Aillon #oil and canvas #women art #flower art #cats art #birds art

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barricadescon · 3 months

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Are you a Les Mis enthusiast with opinions to share? Do you enjoy discussing headcanons and character analysis, or would you like to share your expertise as a fan artist, writer, or cosplayer?

Barricades invites fans and scholars to submit proposals for the convention’s fan track, which will form the programming of the con. Submissions could address any aspect of Les Mis and its adaptations, and take variety of forms, including but not limited to presentations, workshops or games. All programming takes place online.

Deadline for submissions: 15 March 2024

Programming submission form available here.

Find out more from our website:

Fan Track Submissions

Fan Track or Academic Track?

Here are some examples of fan track programming from last con:

Characterizing the Amis: Considerations for Fan Creations Across Mediums by Barri Cade, Eli, Pieces of Cait

Researching and Writing Canon Era Fanfiction by Lyra, Siggi, Jehane

Canon Era Queerness by Siggi

Make Your Own Tricolor Cockade by Melannen

We welcome and encourage submissions that address topics beyond those listed here. If you have a panel that doesn't quite fit in either Fan or Academic Track, feel free to submit as a Crossover panel!

#barricades #les mis #les miserables #les mis con #theater convention #barricades con

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bookpublisher1 · 4 months

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Crafting Literary Masterpieces: Unraveling the Significance of Writing Style in Your Book

In the vast realm of literature, where storytelling reigns supreme, the importance of a perfect writing style cannot be overstated. Aspiring authors often grapple with the question: How much does writing style truly matter for your book? In this exploration, we will delve into the significance of a refined writing style and how it can elevate your work from good to unforgettable.

1. The Art of the Perfect Writing Style:

Picture a painting, each stroke deliberate and purposeful, creating a masterpiece that captivates the beholder. Similarly, a perfect writing style weaves words together in a way that transcends mere communication; it becomes an art form that enriches the reader's experience. Crafting sentences with precision, choosing the right tone, and molding a distinctive voice contribute to the creation of a narrative that is not just a story but an immersive journey.

2. The Power to Immerse and Engage:

Your writing style is the vessel through which your narrative flows into the minds of your readers. A compelling writing style has the power to immerse readers in the world you've crafted, making them feel a part of the story rather than mere spectators. Descriptive prose, evocative language, and a careful choice of words enhance the overall reading experience, drawing readers deeper into the narrative tapestry.

3. The Impact on Reader Connection:

Improve your writing style, and you inevitably enhance your ability to connect with your readers on a profound level. A well-crafted style allows you to convey emotions with authenticity, creating characters that resonate and plots that linger in the minds of your audience. As readers connect with your writing style, they form a bond with your work, ensuring a lasting impact that extends beyond the final page.

4. Writing Communities: A Crucible for Style Refinement:

The journey to a perfect writing style doesn't have to be a solitary one. Engaging with writing communities provides a unique opportunity for writers to receive constructive feedback, exchange ideas, and refine their styles. Whether it's through workshops, online forums, or local writing groups, the diverse perspectives within a writing community can offer valuable insights that contribute to the evolution of your writing style.

5. Expressing Individuality Through Style:

Your writing style is a fingerprint, a distinctive mark that sets your work apart. It's not just about adhering to grammatical rules; it's about expressing your individuality as an author. Embrace your unique voice, experiment with different styles, and allow your personality to shine through your words. A perfect writing style is one that aligns with your authentic self, resonating with readers who appreciate the genuine artistry behind the words.

6. Evolving Your Style: A Writer's Journey:

Writing style is not static; it's a dynamic entity that evolves over time. Successful authors understand the importance of continuous improvement. Reflect on your work, seek feedback, and be open to experimentation. As you grow and evolve, so too will your writing style, ensuring that each subsequent project is a testament to your development as an artist.

Conclusion:

In the grand tapestry of literature, the significance of a perfect writing style cannot be overstated. It is the brushstroke that defines the tone, the rhythm that guides the narrative dance. Aspiring authors, take heed—improve your writing style, nurture it, and let it become the vehicle through which your literary vision comes to life. Engage with writing communities, embrace feedback, and allow your unique voice to resonate. In doing so, you embark on a journey not only to write stories but to craft timeless works of art that leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of your readers.

#book writer #writing tips #author tips #writing style #writing #book coach

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fwoopersongs · 1 month

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春怨 - Spring Bitterness

春怨 - Spring Bitterness by 刘方平 (Liu Fangping, ~Kaiyuan Era, 713 to 741)

纱窗日落渐黄昏 shāchuāng rì luò jiàn huánghūn Beyond the silk window, the sun sets, yellow fading into dusk.

金屋无人见泪痕 jīnwū wú rén jiàn lèihén Within the gilded house, no one is here to see her trailing tears.

寂寞空庭春欲晚 jìmò kōng tíng chūn yù wǎn In the lonely silence, in the empty court, Spring longs for the close of day.

梨花满地不开门 líhuā mǎn dì bù kāi mén Parting’s blossoms carpet the way… to a door that does not open.

..............................................................................................

春怨 | Spring Bitterness is one of two homework poems (the other is 月夜 | Moonlit Night), for a poetry translation workshop hosted by Chenxin Jiang that ran from Jan to Feb of this year. Both are from the anthology 唐诗三百首 Three Hundred Tang Poems and were written by the Tang Dynasty poet and artist Liu Fangping.

Side note that no one asked for but that I always feel obliged to mention xD: Three Hundred Tang Poems does not collect the best of the best Tang poetry, that wasn’t the intention! Compiled by 蘅塘退士 Retired Master of Hengtang in 1763, Qing Dynasty, these were mostly popular works and poets from the Tang Dynasty during the Ming/Qing Dynasties (probably skewed toward his own preferences too lol) intended for a beginner or a child's gentle introduction to Tang poetry. This is also why many modern editions you will find at the bookstore today have the poems organized according to poetic form.

Poetry and Song

youtube

I found this cool video of a teacher, 吳秀真 Janice Wu, first reading Liu Fangping’s 春怨 then singing it in Hokkien. Sharing this here so we can appreciate the rhythm, rhyming and their effect in the poem together!

To help this along, another line which represents the tone pattern has been added. In Pinyin, the romanization system for mandarin which is used here, there are four tones.The first (◌̄) and second (◌́) tones are Level - longer sounds that are represented by the ‘_’ underscore in this notation. The third (◌̌) and the fourth (◌̀) pinyin tones are Oblique - shorter sounds represented by the ‘\’ backslash. The third tone is one that starts level, dips, then goes up again, and the fourth has an almost staccato rhythm. Words with Oblique tones are also bolded in the pinyin.

\ \ _ _ _ \ \

梨花 | 满地 | 不 | 开门 pear blossoms | fill floor | no | open door líhuā | mǎn dì | bù | kāi mén _ _ \ \ \ _ _

Title

Now to the title - 春怨 chūn yuàn (lit. Spring Laments). There is a trope in poetry called 怀春 huái chūn embracing spring (lit.). You may have heard of the sexual connotation, and it can be that! But a lot of the time 怀春 is also a romantic thing. Being attracted, being drawn by beauty like the bright and lively sceneries of Spring, it’s natural to want to share the moment with someone close to her.

A twist on this trope comes when that person - a lover, a husband - isn’t around or can’t be around. There could be lots of reasons, ok? Like being called away to war, separated because of politics, posted to distant counties and difficulty uprooting the family to move for a three-year thing - in other words, life giving lemons in general or simply that his heart is not here. But whatever it may be, this is how you get a flaw, a regret, a dissatisfaction, some unhappiness in a life... and now we feel 怨.

Spring itself is also very about the world waking up again, a time of renewal where life is everywhere (or the seeds of it are being sown… literally!) and the year is young. A person’s youth is also often compared to Spring, and its passing or a ‘wasted youth’ is something worthy of regret.

The genre of poetry in which the speaker or main focus is a sorrowful lady usually for any form or combination of the mentioned reasons is called 闺怨 guī yuàn boudoir repining. It’s also called 宫怨 palace lament when the focus and setting is on the ladies - the empress, a concubine and so on - in the palace. (Roughly 10% of the Three Hundred Tang Poems are of the boudoir/palace repining genre. I really can’t help but wonder if this is one of the editor’s favoured tropes.) Such poems could be written by ladies, but the theme was often co-opted by men who used it to express adjacent feelings e.g. not being appreciated by their bosses (xD), failure to attain office via the state exams and so on. This is what has happened here for our poem of the day.

So now, Liu Fangping, what laments do you have for us this Spring?

[Family background check, praise and gossip - come get the scoop on Liu Fangping, beautiful man and mountain hermit from the Height of Tang Dynasty.]

Reading

The setting for this poem is in someone’s room, before their window. From it, they can see the fallen pear blossoms across the floor outside and the closed door.

Time for clue hunting to get some more context.

Who

The use of 纱 shā gauze, a light silk with an especially airy weave, as window screens was not something the average commoner family could afford.

(Source)

We know the POV character is in their room and facing their window, enough to observe the sunset. They must be indoors. What sort of building? The next line tells us it’s a 金屋 jīnwū, literally translated, that would be golden house - but this is should not be taken literally. This is actually a reference to the ‘urban legend’ (or maybe RPF as we call it these days LOL) that gave rise to the idiom, 金屋藏娇 jīn wū cáng jiāo a golden house to keep one's mistress (lit.).

As collected by 班固 Ban Gu (32 to 92 CE) in his 汉武故事 Stories of Emperor Wu of Han, the story goes:

数岁，长公主嫖抱置膝上，问曰：儿，欲得妇不��胶东王曰：欲得妇。长公主指左右长御百余人，皆云不用。末指其女，问曰：阿娇好不？于是乃笑对曰：好！若得阿娇作妇，当作金屋贮之也。长主大悦，乃苦要上，遂成婚焉。 (Rough translation because I want to SLEEP) When he was couple of years old, the Grand Princess, (Liu) Piao carried him, put him on her knee and asked, “Child, do you want a wife?” The Prince of Jiaodong said, “Yes,” The Grand Princess pointed out over a hundred palace officials - similar to ladies-in-waiting - all of whom were refused. Finally, she pointed at her own daughter and asked, “Would a’Jiao suit?” And he smiled and said in reply, “Perfect! If I were to have a’Jiao as wife, I would build her a golden house and stow her away.” Delighted, the Grand Princess worked hard at convincing the Emperor to agree to their marriage and eventually succeeded.

Afterwards, when the Prince of Jiaodong also known as Liu Che (156 - 87 BCE) became the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty, he built his Chen Jiao a beautiful palace and later officially made her his Empress. A fairytale might have ended there but while this is a story, it is also a story about real people… and so instead of a happily-ever-after, in real life we get this. The palace of gold that was built did not bring a’Jiao happiness, the childhood promise of love didn’t last half as long as the palace did, but the ironically romantic idiom that came from it outlasted them all.

Now back to Tang Dynasty in the 8th century!

Liu Fangping writes 金屋无人见泪痕. This 金屋 could hint at a broken promise of love, or it could be a hint at the identity of the lady in this poem. No matter the intent for both or either one of these though, what’s for sure is that the reason for 怨 is answered. More on this later.

When

There are three clues that answer this. First, line one tells us that it’s on an evening gradually painted in the colours of sunset (as seen through the silk screen window). Second, is how the poem’s POV tells us it seems to be late Spring in line three. Third, is the evidence that it is indeed late Spring - the fallen pear blossoms that are all over the floor in line four.

While we’re on the topic of pear blossoms, let’s segue into…

Imagery

Pear Blossoms

Observe the pear blossoms in this yard. How do you feel as you look at them?

(Source)

Each flower is so delicate and pure, their petals soft and velvety. Up close these white flowers give me a peaceful and refreshing vibe.

Pear blossoms bloom in late Spring when the weather has thoroughly warmed, around the solar term period of Qingming. They’re very fragile and are easily blown from their branches by the wind. But while they’re around and the pear trees fully blossomed, it’s a beautiful and tranquil sight to be appreciated.

（Source)

And we should appreciate them while they’re here because their flowering period is so short! All too soon, they’re strewn across the floor as time marches on.

(Source)

The sight of pear blossoms carpeting the ground is a marker of the end of Spring.

梨 lí, the word for pear in pear blossom is a homophone of 离 lí, parting, and this coupled with its image of fleeting, fragile beauty often leads to association with grief and/or mourning. Following from there, the image of a ‘sorrowful woman confined in the boudoir as her youth passes’ is easily linked and a common accompanying theme. (Yes it’s a trope xD I’ll point it out again in the future as we encounter them.)

Side note: Taking the ‘unfavoured concubine’ reading of this poem, the fact that the sun isn’t down, yet the yard is littered with flowers that likely have been there for a while and there are no servants attending to that - all of this just emphasizes ‘unfavoured’. Few would make that extra effort on a team with no future!

Empty courtyard

It is getting dark, the day growing colder and it is so very quiet in this house. The loneliness is the trigger for her tears; both the quiet and the empty courtyard from which Spring is receding only amplifies it.

Setting sun

黄昏 huáng hūn is sunset. Literally, it reads yellow-dim/dark. The movement of the light is the only thing in this poem. The sunset is gradual, dimming from the warm yellow tones of the setting sun to shadows and darkness. But the fallen white petals and flowers in the courtyard are going to be very visible until the very last of the light is gone.

In this poem, each line is a different, standalone image that stacks to build the atmosphere, expressing 春怨 perfectly.

Framed by her silk screen window, the sun goes down on her gilded house where there is no one to see, or no one who will care to see her tears. Her emotion overflows this evening because the loneliness has grown to fill her neglected yard, and she is accompanied only by the silence and the last remnants of her Spring. There is nothing for her outside, and no one comes. The door does not open.

Some pictures...

It's a rather depressing note to leave this post on, so I thought it might be on interest to all of us how a palace or a house might have looked!

Here is the scene of a banquet in a Tang Dynasty palace as imagined by an artist of the Five Dynasties or Song Dynasty some two to four hundred years later.

This painting is from the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Visit the source for the writeup and description!

(Source)

This is an imagining of how a Tang (618 - 907) Palace concert might have looked like by a Yuan (1279-1368) Dynasty artist. Again, check out the description at the source!

(Source)

#Chinese Poetry #春怨 #刘方平 #it's been wayyyyyy too long since i've written about a poem

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vergilsama922 · 1 year

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A Surprising Duo appears!!!!

Well. Admittedly I wasn't too sure about announcing these two. However me and @pyropsychiccollector have been in the workshop the past two days and I'm ready to share with you a new duo. Well technically trio since the two mentioned have an older brother :P

Danganronpa did a collaboration with Oshiro project. Basically Azur lane except replace ship girls with building girls. In this case the two you see above are Hope's Peak Academy (White and Black) and Despair Peak Academy (Black and red). Ergo HPA before the tragedy and during it.

HOWEVER.

Me and @pyropsychiccollector decided to retool these characters into well....

Direct Kamakura Descendants.

So let me properly introduce these two. And yes @pyropsychiccollector made these perfect backstories. I promise the next release of characters I'll handle it since I feel he already does so much work when he doesn't have to XDDDD

Hikari Kamukura - Ultimate Accountant, Musician, Environmental Scientist, Astronomist, Oceanographist, Multilinguist and Martial Artist

One of the three children of the current Kamukura main family. The Kamukura’s have a long, distinguished history that goes back even beyond the last century. This is because with each generation of their lineage, each member of the main family is supposed to add to the family’s wealth, prosperity, and reputation of magnificence. … Yet this is not as simple as it seems. Because each child is expected to train and be adept in multiple fields of study and industry; if the children cannot meet expectations by the time they reach 15 years of age – mastery in AT LEAST five major areas – they are shuffled off to the branch families in the sticks, where they must live a paltry existence and die in obscurity.

Saiko, the oldest sibling, has mastered a total of ten major areas by the age of 15 because of his ruthless ambition. His younger sisters, however… Well. They found a workaround for the hardships they faced early on in life. … Because here’s the thing. Kamukura’s… do not fail. They… do not settle for mediocrity. They… DO NOT back out of something part way through. If they struggle in science, they are to find ways to cheat the system so that they uphold the Kamukura level of excellence. Same for math, history, language studies, electives… Once they start down a path, there is NO backing out. They have access to the best tutors. Are allowed to attend government meetings and briefings; they have access to the meetings between leaders of the world (the TRUE leaders, by the way; not the figureheads that most commoners know about).

Anything that will aid these children in becoming true Kamukura heirs and truly test their abilities. Hikari and Yuutsu found their workaround for early hurdles because they are twins. They can stand in for each other and no one will know the difference until it is far too late. If Hikari started down the path of archaeology, and Yuutsu “gets it” more than she does, boom. If Yuutsu started dabbling in new age music, and Hikari is better at the creation and development of music, boom. Easy fixes.

But what, exactly, is Hikari specializing in? For one, she’s the number cruncher. Not only does she understand math even just after a few glances, her management of money is legendary. She knows how to manipulate the stock market in her favor, knows how to maximize profit in companies. Give Hikari a loan, and she will make it grow tenfold, paying back everything, interest and all, in one payment. But that’s not all. While they both went into music, Hikari is the performer of the twins. Concerts, public performances in general, just give her a few weeks to practice an instrument, and she’ll successfully put on a stellar show. Because of this frequent showboating, she’s great with large crowds. Her specialties lie in the instruments, however, and not so much her singing voice.

In terms of the sciences, Hikari has delved into the studies of deep sea, space, and environmental sciences. Her public motto is: There’s no use furthering yourself if there’s no world under your feet… so let’s protect this little blue dot. This has, of course, earned her widespread support and adoration for her humane attitude… though, honestly, Hikari has made under-the-table deals that are not so altruistic or helpful to the environment… However, these deals have expanded the Kamukura coffers, so the family turns a blind eye to anything Hikari arranges off the books.

Hikari is also multilingual – at her young age, she’s comfortable with eight of the most common languages in the world – Japanese, English, Spanish, Chinese, French, etc. And she’s begun to look into more obscure languages, because another of her mottos is… “Communication is key.” The more people from around the world she can communicate with, the more deals she can make for the Kamukura family to prosper.

Finally, her fifth major area is that she is skilled in physical combat – mainly self-defense, but she has dabbled in karate, and other refined fighting styles that most common thugs won’t even want to touch. She took up this area for her own and Yuutsu’s protection, because the Kamukura family has made far too many enemies over the years… And it pays to be prepared for physical conflicts. … Not to mention, sometimes people need “motivation” to agree to something, and nothing quite motivates like a little physical punishment~ Mongrels may call it brutality. Hikari calls it efficiency. (人◕ω◕)

Yuutsu Kamukura - Ultimate Leader, Singer, Producer, Speaker, Programmer, Chemist, Nurse, Lawyer, and Engineer

But what, exactly, is Yuutsu specializing in? For one, Yuutsu is the “leader” of the twins. She first started leading classroom discussions, sports teams, and then eventually Student Councils. … And then she outgrew that “lowly leadership” phase. She became the stand-in CEO for a few companies that incurred large debts to the Kamukura’s; she turned their companies around so that they wouldn’t go bankrupt and die out completely. Yuutsu is VERY good at motivating workers, managers, whoever… to do their very best, or she WILL replace them. She’s also the more confrontational one between the twins; rival companies beware, Yuutsu Kamukura does not lose. Period.

If Hikari is the performer, the crowd pleaser, then Yuutsu is the singer. She also deals in the recording of music – both online and hard copies – and dabbles in electronic music. But Yuutsu is also the one that goes on TV and does the talkshows and makes press conference statements. Yuutsu is so adept at working computers, she’s the technological one of the twins. In the sciences, she’s well-versed in chemistry and medical sciences. … More specifically, Yuutsu is familiar with various human conditions, how they die, how they extend life… She was assigned to oversee a few hospitals that had questionable reputations; and she turned them around by replacing the staff that knew what they were doing, or weren’t outright crooks posing as doctors… With the Kamukura family resources, she then proceeded to give them access to better equipment to treat patients, and overall made healthcare more affordable in these districts (albeit, this part was largely handled by Hikari… but shhh).

Yuutsu developed a fascination with law… mainly because she was part of the upper echelon, and thus she possessed the power to shape and bend the laws as she saw fit. Naturally, criminals should be brought to justice~… However! If the crooks are guilty of embezzling money from their companies, and are open to donating that money to a “worthy cause”, for example… Or if they’re murderers that are open to new employment (of COURSE not the Kamukura’s~… That’s just crazy~!)… Well. There’s nothing illegal about jailbreaks or falsified executions. Nope. Yuutsu knows the laws backwards and forwards, so Yuutsu knows best~… Right~?

Finally, Yuutsu is also well-versed in… trap-making. Her skill with technology is excellent enough that she can hack into security systems, know shortcuts around things that aren’t hack-able, tricks to open various doors (even ironclad safes)… But it’s because she knows how to get around stuff that she knows the best way to protect what’s valuable to her… and (to an extent) Hikari. Beware of stepping into Yuutsu’s property; if you weren’t invited, you’ll be sorryyy~… And if you were invited, well… Be careful anyways. Sometimes, Yuutsu likes to mess with you. Especially if you’re behind on debts to the Kamukura’s. (❋•‿•❋) These are the Hope- *coughs* The Kamukura Sisters. (❋•‿•❋)(❋•‿•❋)(❋•‿•❋)

Now yes. Some of you may have noticed there are overlapping talents. ;;;;;;;;;(❋•‿•❋) Yes....well given who their family is, of course, they are allowed to attend and are indeed stepping on the toes of uhhh....similar talent people. ;;;;;;;;;;;(人◕ω◕) They will be put into Class 78-B. Replacing Shuji and Takumi who will be put into the reserve course. (人◕ω◕) This doesn't affect canon of the hope universe since those two were placeholders, to begin with.

Ahem but anyways without further ado, welcome these very uhhh....interesting duo. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;(人◕ω◕) (God knows they'll need it)

#danganronpa #makoto naegi #danganronpa au #hope universe #oc #oc danganronpa #hope's peak academy #kamukura twins #oshiro project #danganronpa collab #oc tag #twins #gijinka

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angrybatart · 9 days

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Re: Fun video games that (probably) won't fry your laptop. These are all on Steam.

-Factorio - Strategy/puzzle game about automating an enormous factory while siphoning natural resources from an infinite alien landscape. Highly moddable. Still receives occasional updates. Includes in-game tutorial, and peaceful mode if you don't want to fight the planet's giant cockroaches. Allegedly indirectly teaches you about software engineering.

-Killing Floor - Co-op first-person shooter survival horror. Work alone or with friends (difficulty scales with player count) to fend off waves of increasingly deadly mutants in locations ranging from West London to secret underground labs to Santa's workshop, before squaring off against their mad scientist creator. Already sequeled twice and receives no further updates (don't expect a huge player base), and many weapons (and cosmetic skins) are locked in DLCs.

-DEFCON - Real-time strategy about global thermonuclear war, inspired by the 1980s movie Wargames. Take control of one or more territories and try to eradicate as much of the population of up to fixe enemy territories while minimizing your own losses. Highly moddable, and often goes on sale for really cheap. Includes in-game tutorial. Was once the focus of an actual for real scientific study.

-DUSK - First-person episodic Boomer Shooter. Take on the role of Dusk Dude as he runs and guns his way through more than 30 levels of Pennsylvania backwoods, corrupted cityscapes, and places beyond the understanding of men. Fight your way through legions of cultists and nameless terrors, and finally, the cult's leader, Jakob. Somewhat moddable, and offers an arena-style multiplayer. Features a kickass thrash/industrial metal soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult. HD version also recently released (as a free add-on to the original game).

-Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - The third (and arguably best) iteration of the classic tactical stealth game, though almost totally separate from the stories of the first two. Play as Sam Fisher, a spy for the NSA as you use gadgets, cunning, and state-sponsored gymnastic skills to unravel the latest plot to push the world toward all-out war. Includes in-game video tutorials. Features co-op and versus modes (though I've never tried them).

-Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Top-down arcade-style mass murder simulator drenched in blood, neon colors, and '80s aesthetics. Play as a nameless protagonist (fan named "Jacket") receiving orders from mysterious phone calls, and bludgeon, slash, and shoot your way through buildings crawling with Russian Mafia, wearing rubber animal masks that give you different abilities. In the second game, the story expands as you play as several other characters in the aftermath of Jacket's actions, each with their own motivations, yet inexorably bound together. Features many synth-pop tracks from various artists, available on a neon magenta vinyl record. Go for the high score and show off to your friends how amazing and handsome you are at a critically-acclaimed indie game. Second game also comes with a short virtual comic book!

-FAItH: The Unholy Trinity - 8-bit style religious horror game with rotoscoped cutscenes, developed b Airdorf Games. Play as Fr. John Ward in 1987 Connecticut as your quest to right your wrongs and complete an interrupted exorcism spiral into madness and the true depths of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Features multiple endings, game modes, an arcade mode, and an in-game tutorial.

-Bloodrayne: Terminal Cut - A PC port of the cult-favorite third-person hack-and-slash. Play as Rayne, a dhampir hired by the mysterious Brimstone Society to handle situations too otherworldly or dangerous for mere humans; Which mostly involves slaughtering thousands of Nazis before they can get their hands on otherworldly artifacts. Includes a bunch of special codes that can be inputted to make the game easier, harder, or to activate "Juggy Mode." Game doesn't have any actual nudity but definitely enjoys its jiggle physics. One sequel (not as good IMO but also on Steam), a spinoff game, and also spawned at least 1 movie and some comic books IRL.

-CARRION - Metroidvania-style reverse horror game. Play as an unfathomable lump of runaway teeth, tentacles, and God-knows-what as you tear your way through Relith Labs, on a mission to escape and consume anyone who gets in your way. Evolve as the game progresses, growing larger and acquiring new abilities. Includes a small Christmas-themed free DLC that is essentially more of the same.

-Gone Home - Short, narrative-driven game about returning from Europe to your parents' new home, and discovering your sister is gone. Explore the house, discovering notes, clues, and secrets as a story of growing up and self-discovery unfolds. I don't want to spoil any of it, just take my word for it that it's a good game, and not violent or anything like other games on this list.

-Omen Exitio: Plague - Visual novel RPG where you take on the role of a doctor during an outbreak of a mysterious, deadly disease. Unravel the mystery bit by bit as you are hounded by madness and mysterious figures with ill intention, and make decisions that may alter the course of history.

-Hacknet - DOS-style programming game apparently inspired by hacking scenes in various movies. Delve into the world of professional hackers, complete jobs for clients, bypass security to break into servers, and discover the fate of your late benefactor, as his/her automated failsafe leads you toward the truth. "Labyrinths" DLC also available, and can be accessed and completed at any time before, during, or after the main game. In-game tutorial provided. Features an amazing techno soundtrack by various artists. Should not be confused with real-world cybersecurity activities - Those are much more difficult.

I have more, but this alone has taken me an hour to write. Let me know your thoughts.

Definitely been meaning to check out FAItH, and I've heard of Gone Home. If I remember what I saw in the trailer correctly, it sorta reminds me of that Edith Finch game.

As for that Plague game....do I get to actually be a plague doctor??????

#ask #goddammitbio

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infodailyblog · 3 months

Text

Do you know about Jaart011?

Unveiling Jaart011: A Comprehensive Overview

In the ever-evolving landscape of virtual art communities, Jaart011 has emerged as a noteworthy platform capturing the attention of both artists and art enthusiasts. Positioned as more than just an online gallery, Jaart011 serves as a dynamic, live environment for artistic creation, breaking conventional barriers and presenting a fresh perspective to the art world.

What Sets Jaart011 Apart?

Jaart011 is not merely an online gallery; it's a cutting-edge digital sanctuary dedicated to showcasing and advancing art in its myriad forms. It offers a unique space for individuals, regardless of their level of experience, to immerse themselves in the world of art.

Significance in the Virtual Art Community

Jaart011 has swiftly become a cornerstone in the online art community for several compelling reasons.

1. Diversity and Accessibility:

Jaart011 has democratized the creation, viewing, and sharing of art, making it accessible to everyone. The platform welcomes a wide range of creative expressions, fostering the exhibition of artwork by artists of diverse backgrounds.

2. Creative Platform for Artists:

Functioning as a launchpad for artists, Jaart011 facilitates increased visibility and global connections. The platform's emphasis on diversity and inclusion attracts creative individuals seeking a supportive environment.

3. Interactive Space for Art Lovers:

More than a visual experience, Jaart011 provides an engaging platform for art enthusiasts to interact with artists, participate in conversations, and gain insights into the creation process behind each artwork.

The History and Goals of Jaart011

The birth of Jaart011 originated in Jaart City, known for its thriving cultural scene. The platform emerged as a response to the growing gap between artists' brilliance and the largely inaccessible global audience.

1. First Conceptualization:

The initial idea was to create an online platform that mirrored the rich, creative culture of Jaart City – a simple yet effective concept.

2. Coordination and Development:

A collaborative effort involving designers, IT specialists, and artists resulted in the creation of Jaart011, a visually appealing and cutting-edge platform.

Jaart011’s Vision

Jaart011's vision revolves around bridging the gap between artists and art enthusiasts and developing a user interface that makes interacting with art natural and enlightening.

1. Bridging the Divide:

Jaart011 is committed to reducing the distance between artists and art enthusiasts, enabling skill discovery for enthusiasts and broader audience reach for artists.

2. Sensual User Interface:

Jaart011 aims to provide a user-friendly interface that facilitates seamless exploration and interaction with art, catering to users of varying digital proficiency.

Jaart011’s Special Features & User Interaction

Jaart011 distinguishes itself as a vibrant, interactive environment, going beyond the conventions of a typical online art gallery.

1. Personalized Profiles:

Artists can create personalized profiles, acting as digital portfolios to showcase their creativity. Enthusiasts can also build interactive profiles, expressing their preferences and finding like-minded artists and styles.

2. Engaging Features:

Virtual galleries, live sessions, workshops, art challenges, and group projects contribute to a dynamic and stimulating user experience.

Jaart011 stands as a testament to innovation, inclusivity, and a shared passion for art within the virtual realm.

Click given link to read more:

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cosplayinamerica · 11 months

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Writer : Amy Densham

Whether your kids live in rural Iowa or downtown NYC. If they have cosplaying parents or only they just learned about Halloween. Astrid and Leah bring that excited, welcoming, Con energy to their student’s computer screens all over the world.

The platform is Outschool. It’s been around since 2015 and started as a go-to for homeschoolers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Outschool grew beyond homeschooling. It became a place for learning and socializing whether you homeschool or not. Now serving over 1 million learners in 195 countries, Outschool has thousands of classes for ages 3 - 18. Learn about dinosaurs from a paleontologist. C# coding from a game developer. Or cosplay from an expert seamstress and a professional actress.

Astrid Turner, bubbly and all smiles, remembers standing in line at a Con: “The cosplay community is one of the most supportive and wonderful communities out there. When I cosplay, it’s not attention on me. It’s attention for something we share. We already know we like the same things. The craftsmanship, the idea that you’re there together, dressed up, having an experience together.”

Astrid teaches Cosplay Costume Design and Creation Workshops and anything else costume-related (just send her a request). She can pleat a skirt, put a bodice in, and bring kids out of their shells with ease. Part of her class includes real-world skills like comparison shopping; if you’re asking mom to buy it, you need to have a plan.

What does Astrid hope her students walk away with from taking her class ? Ask about her experience teaching online classese.

With a classroom maximum of 5, Astrid gives personalized attention to all of her students. Some enroll with a clear costume vision. Others just love Anime. Either way, Astrid helps them follow their own creativity and make it a reality.

Do they need a sketch? No problem. Does the fabric need to be washable? She knows just the thing. And costumes are just the beginning. Her eyes light up when she talks about intuitive, introverted students growing and connecting as the weeks go by. Someone who barely spoke in their first class is now the first one to share their progress and welcome a new student. They find their people and their voice.

Leah Johnson, artful and confident, talks about her experience at Cons: “It feels like everyone is a family. They want to welcome you in. It’s an excitement of sharing. Always. Of what they’ve made, what they’ve done, other cons that they’ve gone to, and people they’ve met. Everyone there wants to inspire each other.”

Leah teaches Special FX, Halloween, and Cosplay Makeup or one-on-one classes by request. Some of her students want to become professional makeup artists. Some want to scare their grandmas with fake wounds. In both situations, Leah is raring to go! And so is her washable Mehron Practice Makeup Head - currently sporting terrifying clown makeup from her last class.

Every class is unique. Some learners pop in with full, top-of-the-line makeup kits and some join with leftovers from the makeup wearer in their house. Part of the fun for Leah and her students is figuring out how to create looks with what you’ve got. It’s a great life lesson too. Sometimes you’ll need a specific product but sometimes you just need to be resourceful. Leah playfully refers to it as preparing for the zombie apocalypse when you won’t have all the tools. Her personality beams through the screen as she uses her makeup head to show makeup techniques, up close, and with student-requested variations. For Leah, the online part wasn’t her favorite. There’s an unquantifiable distance when you’re interacting online. You aren’t in the same space. It’s not the same as in person. But she makes that work too. And it’s a small inconvenience compared to the big benefit: bringing creative, accepting spaces to students wherever they are in the world.

HOW IT STARTED

Astrid and Leah both grew up loving costumes but they didn’t find out about cosplay until much later. In each of their separate hometowns, they were that kid in full costume at the grocery store. Or decked out like crazy on Halloween. Sound familiar?

Astrid remembers her first Ren Faire: “My first costume was a disaster but I was so proud of it! Ever since then, I knew I wanted to make costumes.” Growing up in a rural area outside LA, she always wanted to go to the San Diego Comic-Con but she didn’t have anyone to go with and didn’t want to go by herself. None of her friends were cosplayers - a term she didn’t even know existed.

She taught herself to sew, learning by creating more and more complex projects. Elaborate Elizabethan gowns with striking details for the next faire.

As she grew older, Atrid took a detour, exploring other career paths but she came back to sewing when her kids were small. Making clothes and costumes for them brought back that magic. And the internet showed her there was a whole community out there. No longer the only cosplayer in town, she dove in head first.

Now Astrid and her 3 kids (ages 13, 10, and 7) attend Cons every chance they get. In full costume, of course. She enters competitions in the handmade category and, though she’s modest, has taken home more than one win. In middle school, Astrid was big into theatre, Shakespeare, and creating Renaissance costumes.

An actor, director, voiceover artist, and singer, Leah cosplays characters from Arwen to Cruella De Vil to Mary Poppins. She teaches makeup and cosplay on Outschool but does both professionally for film, theatre, and events. To name a few, she designed costumes for the TV show Kookville and a stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She even did makeup and created costumes for the movie Demon Squad, which you can find in Season 13 of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. She believes that cosplay isn’t just about expressing yourself, it’s about developing yourself and creating a full aesthetic. Beyond that, she wants her students to know, they can make a career out of their creative passions. And she’ll help them do it.

Leah talks about her first Ren Faire experience: “It felt awesome because I was trying to be intentional about creating a costume for me. Not for a play. Not for someone else based on their vision. It was my vision. It was what I wanted to do.”

You feel different in your cosplay. The persona, the confidence. It can be hard to describe but Astrid and Leah teach toward that feeling in every class.

Specializing in Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance costumes, Astrid also cosplays Collei from Gensin Impact and loves growing her skills in the anime genre. She even runs a social club on Outschool where Genshin fans can hang out virtually and game together.

Astrid beams: “A lot of kids and adults choose a character and they try to match that persona. It’s a little bit of safety. I’ve had people scream ‘OH MY GOD ITS COLLEI’ and run over to me. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t happen. But at Cons, it’s so exciting. It’s amazing to connect with other people through that persona.”

*** Leah, with her cosplay weapon collection behind her: “You feel more confident in your character’s costume. It’s a projection of your best self. A lot of work, your imagination, and your brain is now projected on the outside. People can see that part of you that they can’t see in any other situation.”

Leading by example, Leah shows her students that they can make their creative passions into careers. She beams when she talks about a student getting confident enough to make an Actor Instagram account. Or doing professional-level wedding makeup for their entire family.

Teaching online from Arkansas since 2018, Astrid volunteered for the first-ever Outschool Cosplay Convention in 2021. Now called GameCon, the 2-day event featured presentations at different times of day for different timezones. Sessions about costume design, makeup, theatre performance, and more. And, most exciting of all, the costume showcase. Every kid got a chance in the spotlight to show off their creations. Astrid, laughs now: “I burst into tears when I logged off. It was such a rush of emotions. I found my people! I wish I had this when I was a kid.”

***

#cosplay #remote learning

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