Seven Things
Sometimes you just spend the night watching both Tron movies with your besties and then somehow stay up through all Monster High webisodes well into the morning and then you go home but realize that it's past Stupid O' Clock and there's no going back and you just decide to stay up because you have coffee and a meme to fill out.
And, ideally, I do like being awake in the morning, where I can write and look out my bedroom window, wistfully, while indulging in a big fuck-off cuppa.
My topics, as provided by kihanna
1. Tribal Decoration
2. The Last Unicorn
3. Your Characters
4. British Media
5. Bees
6. Rankin Bass
7. Your Favorite LJ Icon
1. Tribal Decoration
What a coincidence! I just cancelled my order for the Pictorial Webster's Dictionary on B&N and changed it to Natural Fashion (I don't know if Webster's is out-of-print or what, but it was delayed for several weeks, and then they just informed me it would take up to another month for it to get shipped out...uh, I'll just find another resource, thanks?)
I hold a great fascination with anthropology and cultures in general. Diversity is something I value highly, and just to observe the differences between lifestyles, customs, and ethics among people is very gratifying. How some groups are seemingly untouched by time, in contrast to all the change that the western world has grown so accustomed to. Or, how they manage to keep their traditions alive despite the surrounding urbanization. Taking objects readily available in nature and using them directly for another purpose...it's organically innovative, and no less stunning. It's making the most of what you already have. Needless to say, it largely influences not only my creativity, but keeps my perspective on life in check.
2. The Last Unicorn
It's 70s animation at its finest, and really, who doesn't love the groovy soundtrack, man? But past all the singing butterflies, drunk skeletons, and one-eyed, peg-legged cats (which was awesome, not hatin') lies a deeper moral within the story. One which may be more appreciated by an older audience, I think. The scene that personally does it for me is the moment when Molly Grue meets the unicorn for the very first time. She doesn't respond with awe or happiness, like one would imagine, but anger. The unicorn's presence only reminds her that she is no longer young, innocent, or beautiful. My eyes well up every damn time, without fail. I used to think it was her loss of innocence that I found so heartbreaking, but now I feel that it's the regret she held for the life she had chosen out of that naivety. Seeing the unicorn lets her realize that, and she chooses to join in on their journey, because she saw the opportunity to change her life.
This whole theme of the human condition also makes itself apparent when the Unicorn later is transformed into her human counterpart, Lady Amalthea, which she mostly holds in contempt and fear. She doesn't want to be human. Being human also means enduring mortality, emotions, suffering...things that creatures of legend are not meant to experience. Even after the Red Bull is defeated, after the Unicorn reverts back to her original form, she will never be the same. She will forever know what it is like to feel love and loss.
3. Your Characters
They’re in a state of constant flux, just like me! I’ve had a few different/non-related stories rumbling around in my mind for awhile, but Into the Mist is the one that mainly stays at the forefront. It would be a miracle if it ever kept still enough to permanently pin onto paper, but for now I’m just content with letting the world and characters develop at their own pace. It’s funny to think that the ones I’m most committed to happened more by accident than anything; I didn't make a conscious effort to create them, they just sneaked their way onto paper and eventually into my psyche and haven't left me alone since. I suppose that at its core lies a war story, like many others. Perhaps a little different, though, because these individuals have some peculiar standards.
Here are some recent sketches of them. Got some berserkers, birds, and bombers.
Joskava & Illythnl on the left there. Sorry, they're susceptible to keyboard-mash name syndrome.
I blame some weird Norse/Gaelic/Welsh origin hybrid.
Avarian! That's not her name, but the race.
Mustard bomber lady. Main antagonist of sorts? I hesitate to use that term.
This is a story where the "good guys" are sorta cannibals, so...
4. British Media
Despite Sherlock bringing about my resurgence as an anglophile, I have actually been a fan of British entertainment for many a year. I can't really pin-point how it started, but back in my early teens I watched a Canadian show called "Trailer Park Boys" which aired on BBC America (canadia is british, right guys?) while visiting my da. and then...just leaving that channel on exposed me to various Britcoms like Little Britain, Peep Show, The Young Ones, etc. Around this time, Netflix was also becoming a thing, and I ended up renting a lot of indie/foreign shows and movies. I was drawn to the rather dry, matter-of-fact wit and sardonic nature that the dialogue of the shows/films offered. They tend to bring up topics that are obscure or looked-down upon in the typical, mainstream slog most of us are accustomed to in the US. Let's not forget the decent amount of openly gay individuals in the business and no hesitation towards cross-dressing whenever possible. Simple pleasures, what can I say!
Moving-pictures aside, a good deal of authors (especially fantasy!) incidentally hail from the UK, as well as a favorable amount of musicians that I listen to. It's not that I actively LOOK for these kinds of things, mind, they just...happen to originate from there. (Not to mention English was also my favorite class during school)
5. Bees
I think it's safe to say that bees are destiny. How else could something so simple as a silly "hobby" for a RPG character I merely created become such a life-altering concept? It was just something I grabbed out of the air, really. But upon consideration, there's this sense of "belonging" that I get from envisioning such an idyllic lifestyle, which actually brings me back to fond childhood memories, where attending Waldorf seems like dream, especially now. Waldorf was a very...humanistic school. Toys were made from wool and wood, we often had tea and oatmeal (or was it quinoa?) for lunch, and there were enough beeswax candles to shake a ...beeswax candle at. Yes, everyone was pretty much a new-age hippie and I loved it. ANYWAY, my class mascot was, in fact, the honeybee. My teacher gave each of us a handmade crocheted "hive" with a little poem and drop of citrine-like stone. I still have it around somewhere. (There was also that time in montessori where I had to dress up as a bee, but that's another story for another time...) So, after choosing this mildly obscure but gratifying hobby for a Shadowrun character, my fate was undoubtedly confirmed when learning that, upon his retirement, freaking Sherlock Holmes moves to the countryside and becomes a beekeeper. Just...isn't this a bit out of left-field? What am I to do with this information?!? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO PERFECT?!?
And so started the beginning of my bee-appreciative life.
There's also that bit where bees are necessary for pollination, the existence of crops, and ultimately our own existence....but you all know that. :)
6. Rankin/Bass
For me, the holidays haven’t been properly observed until there’s been a Rankin/Bass marathon! The TV specials, that is. I remember being somehow traumatized by their renditions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Maybe it was too intense, maybe I was only five, maybe it was because Aragorn had no pants. But they handled The Last Unicorn very well, though it came out several years later. I do commend them on their definitive style--it's instantly recognizable. However, despite the ones mentioned, I’m not very familiar with the rest of their productions, ashamedly. I should rectify that, because I love me some 2D and stop-motion, and they were quite the pioneers of the latter. Plus, Mad Monster Party looks cute? (and available instantly on Netflix!)
7. Your favorite LiveJournal icon
Admittedly, my icon selection is in desperate need of an overhaul to better reflect my interests. There’s a bunch of older ones that I rarely use but still hang onto, for whatever reason. Mycroft!Poppins seems to be a popular choice, mainly from its crack-induced silliness, but I think Bunny Munch takes the cake.
It’s animated, it’s from Watership Down (which is also British, just sayin’). It’s a bunny. What’s not to love? I tend to only use it for food-related posts and responses, though, so goes a tad neglected.
Honorable mentions:
I realize it's no longer morning.
And, ideally, I do like being awake in the morning, where I can write and look out my bedroom window, wistfully, while indulging in a big fuck-off cuppa.
My topics, as provided by kihanna
1. Tribal Decoration
2. The Last Unicorn
3. Your Characters
4. British Media
5. Bees
6. Rankin Bass
7. Your Favorite LJ Icon
1. Tribal Decoration
What a coincidence! I just cancelled my order for the Pictorial Webster's Dictionary on B&N and changed it to Natural Fashion (I don't know if Webster's is out-of-print or what, but it was delayed for several weeks, and then they just informed me it would take up to another month for it to get shipped out...uh, I'll just find another resource, thanks?)
I hold a great fascination with anthropology and cultures in general. Diversity is something I value highly, and just to observe the differences between lifestyles, customs, and ethics among people is very gratifying. How some groups are seemingly untouched by time, in contrast to all the change that the western world has grown so accustomed to. Or, how they manage to keep their traditions alive despite the surrounding urbanization. Taking objects readily available in nature and using them directly for another purpose...it's organically innovative, and no less stunning. It's making the most of what you already have. Needless to say, it largely influences not only my creativity, but keeps my perspective on life in check.
2. The Last Unicorn
It's 70s animation at its finest, and really, who doesn't love the groovy soundtrack, man? But past all the singing butterflies, drunk skeletons, and one-eyed, peg-legged cats (which was awesome, not hatin') lies a deeper moral within the story. One which may be more appreciated by an older audience, I think. The scene that personally does it for me is the moment when Molly Grue meets the unicorn for the very first time. She doesn't respond with awe or happiness, like one would imagine, but anger. The unicorn's presence only reminds her that she is no longer young, innocent, or beautiful. My eyes well up every damn time, without fail. I used to think it was her loss of innocence that I found so heartbreaking, but now I feel that it's the regret she held for the life she had chosen out of that naivety. Seeing the unicorn lets her realize that, and she chooses to join in on their journey, because she saw the opportunity to change her life.
This whole theme of the human condition also makes itself apparent when the Unicorn later is transformed into her human counterpart, Lady Amalthea, which she mostly holds in contempt and fear. She doesn't want to be human. Being human also means enduring mortality, emotions, suffering...things that creatures of legend are not meant to experience. Even after the Red Bull is defeated, after the Unicorn reverts back to her original form, she will never be the same. She will forever know what it is like to feel love and loss.
3. Your Characters
They’re in a state of constant flux, just like me! I’ve had a few different/non-related stories rumbling around in my mind for awhile, but Into the Mist is the one that mainly stays at the forefront. It would be a miracle if it ever kept still enough to permanently pin onto paper, but for now I’m just content with letting the world and characters develop at their own pace. It’s funny to think that the ones I’m most committed to happened more by accident than anything; I didn't make a conscious effort to create them, they just sneaked their way onto paper and eventually into my psyche and haven't left me alone since. I suppose that at its core lies a war story, like many others. Perhaps a little different, though, because these individuals have some peculiar standards.
Here are some recent sketches of them. Got some berserkers, birds, and bombers.
Joskava & Illythnl on the left there. Sorry, they're susceptible to keyboard-mash name syndrome.
I blame some weird Norse/Gaelic/Welsh origin hybrid.
Avarian! That's not her name, but the race.
Mustard bomber lady. Main antagonist of sorts? I hesitate to use that term.
This is a story where the "good guys" are sorta cannibals, so...
4. British Media
Despite Sherlock bringing about my resurgence as an anglophile, I have actually been a fan of British entertainment for many a year. I can't really pin-point how it started, but back in my early teens I watched a Canadian show called "Trailer Park Boys" which aired on BBC America (canadia is british, right guys?) while visiting my da. and then...just leaving that channel on exposed me to various Britcoms like Little Britain, Peep Show, The Young Ones, etc. Around this time, Netflix was also becoming a thing, and I ended up renting a lot of indie/foreign shows and movies. I was drawn to the rather dry, matter-of-fact wit and sardonic nature that the dialogue of the shows/films offered. They tend to bring up topics that are obscure or looked-down upon in the typical, mainstream slog most of us are accustomed to in the US. Let's not forget the decent amount of openly gay individuals in the business and no hesitation towards cross-dressing whenever possible. Simple pleasures, what can I say!
Moving-pictures aside, a good deal of authors (especially fantasy!) incidentally hail from the UK, as well as a favorable amount of musicians that I listen to. It's not that I actively LOOK for these kinds of things, mind, they just...happen to originate from there. (Not to mention English was also my favorite class during school)
5. Bees
I think it's safe to say that bees are destiny. How else could something so simple as a silly "hobby" for a RPG character I merely created become such a life-altering concept? It was just something I grabbed out of the air, really. But upon consideration, there's this sense of "belonging" that I get from envisioning such an idyllic lifestyle, which actually brings me back to fond childhood memories, where attending Waldorf seems like dream, especially now. Waldorf was a very...humanistic school. Toys were made from wool and wood, we often had tea and oatmeal (or was it quinoa?) for lunch, and there were enough beeswax candles to shake a ...beeswax candle at. Yes, everyone was pretty much a new-age hippie and I loved it. ANYWAY, my class mascot was, in fact, the honeybee. My teacher gave each of us a handmade crocheted "hive" with a little poem and drop of citrine-like stone. I still have it around somewhere. (There was also that time in montessori where I had to dress up as a bee, but that's another story for another time...) So, after choosing this mildly obscure but gratifying hobby for a Shadowrun character, my fate was undoubtedly confirmed when learning that, upon his retirement, freaking Sherlock Holmes moves to the countryside and becomes a beekeeper. Just...isn't this a bit out of left-field? What am I to do with this information?!? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO PERFECT?!?
And so started the beginning of my bee-appreciative life.
There's also that bit where bees are necessary for pollination, the existence of crops, and ultimately our own existence....but you all know that. :)
6. Rankin/Bass
For me, the holidays haven’t been properly observed until there’s been a Rankin/Bass marathon! The TV specials, that is. I remember being somehow traumatized by their renditions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Maybe it was too intense, maybe I was only five, maybe it was because Aragorn had no pants. But they handled The Last Unicorn very well, though it came out several years later. I do commend them on their definitive style--it's instantly recognizable. However, despite the ones mentioned, I’m not very familiar with the rest of their productions, ashamedly. I should rectify that, because I love me some 2D and stop-motion, and they were quite the pioneers of the latter. Plus, Mad Monster Party looks cute? (and available instantly on Netflix!)
7. Your favorite LiveJournal icon
Admittedly, my icon selection is in desperate need of an overhaul to better reflect my interests. There’s a bunch of older ones that I rarely use but still hang onto, for whatever reason. Mycroft!Poppins seems to be a popular choice, mainly from its crack-induced silliness, but I think Bunny Munch takes the cake.
It’s animated, it’s from Watership Down (which is also British, just sayin’). It’s a bunny. What’s not to love? I tend to only use it for food-related posts and responses, though, so goes a tad neglected.
Honorable mentions:
I realize it's no longer morning.