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dlamp-dictator · 4 years

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Allen Rambles about Code of Brawl

Man... remind me to never talk about having a future Rambling in the works, it’ll instantly fall into draft-hell. But anyway, I’ve been meaning to talk about Arknights in depth for a while now, but I’ve never had much drive to actually finish the damn draft of my initial thoughts a few months ago. I couldn’t tell you why, I just lost the drive to finish the thing. However, with Code of Brawl coming to a close and my thoughts on the event still lingering I think I can use it as jumping off point to actually talk about the game.

That said, here’s the synopsis.

Arknights is a Tower Defense game for the PC mobile devices placed in the world of Terra, where an infectious disease known as Oripathy ravages the land, slowly turning people to minerals in a slow and painful process. You play as the Doctor, an amnesiac military commander of the Rhodes Island pharmaceutical company who fights against the Infected radicals known as the Reunion.

That’s about as far as I can go in a single paragraph for main story, but Code of Brawl instead focuses on the eccentric adventures of Pengiun Logistics, side faction of the game that’s a seemingly innocent delivery company with quite the ragtag group in it, consisting of the happy-go-lucky gunner Exusiai, the cold and dismissive swordswoman Texas, the excitable and energetic Sora, and the business-savvy Croissant. All led by the charismatic and multi-talented Emperor. However, as their new intern Bison comes into the fold the group is caught in a series of gang wars and organized crime trying to snuff out the company.

And unlike Fire Emblem Three Houses, that really is the basic plot without me sarcastically building anything up. With that all said, I think I can move on and talk about...

The Story

The story of Code of Brawl honestly has the best and worst of Arknights writing. I think having a story that focused on a group outside of Rhodes Island was for the better. For all the lore blurbs and archive notes we get, I think Code of Brawl proves just how little Rhodes Island is involved with the world of Terra at large despite it’s apparent reputation as a weird and quirky company with some terrifyingly powerful Operators and lofty ambitions. And while I’m still only on Chapter 4 since I’m grinding out some E2 before moving on, Rhodes Island really does more reacting to random Reunion plans than anything proactive with their goals of curing Oripathy. They feel more like a counter military force to Reunion, and a barely effective on at that given the point of the story I’m at. Code of Brawl, being focused on another group with a more direct conflict and villains, feels a lot more cohesive and interesting, as Penguin Logistics’s goal is to just get Bison through his first day and take out whatever force is harassing them this week.

Penguin Logistics as a whole is a rather interesting bunch of ruffians and seeing them is gallivant around Lungmen trading blows and bullets with gangsters is a joy to read and see. Seeing some of the inner workings of Lungmen society, seeing a bit of the underbelly, as well as getting to see the cast just have more casual interactions with each other is great. We learn that Sora really is just gay for Texas, and the all of Penguin Logistics has only 3 function braincells with Texas having one and Mostima having the other two. We get to see that Sora has probably beaten someone to death with her microphone at some point given how willing she is to bar fight. A lot of fun stuff.

And then... there’s Mostima.

Look, I like this story, I really do, but Mostima really didn’t need to be here as far as the story is concerned. All she does plot-wise is rile up Exusiai, drop some cryptic advice for Bison, shows she knows more powerful than she leads on, and is a bit of a deus ex machina for the end of the plot, and not even by that much. You could had replaced her with Chen, Swire, Hoshigumi, ShiraYuki, or anyone else that would logically be in Lungmen at the time. Hell, ShiraYuki knowing everything a being cryptic about it would at least be in character for her.

And that’s not to knock Mostima. I actually pulled her in my last ten-pull (didn’t get Waii Fu though, and I’m still salty about that), she’s a pretty good and damn near god-tier once you get her to E2 if some of the guides on her are to be believed, though her kit is a little niche for an AoE caster of her cost. However, as far as the story is concerned she shows a serious issue with Arknights as a whole. That’s its constant need to have half of their characters be mysterious.

Mysterious Characters

So, just to give an example, here is a list of characters in Arknights with a Mysterious Past™. These are characters that either have their archive notes explicitly state their past is unknown, or characters who’s past is implied but but deliberately kept unconfirmed.

With that said...

Mostima

Myrtle

Cuora

Skadi

Specter

Shining

Siege

Projekt Red

Specter

Blue Poison

Lappland

Texas (?)

ShiraYuki

AMIYA

Okay, I’m cheating a little with Texas since she has enough of her past implied, but it’s still technically a mystery as far as the specifics go. But you see my point, right? A lot of characters have a Mysterious Past™, which is a nice shorthand to not go into depth about writing their background. Now, you don’t need to give twenty paragraphs on their backstory, but something would be nice. Keeping things a mystery might be nice for the theory-crafters, but for me it’s annoy as hell to see so many character, so many high-rated that really just have their skills and design to go off of, especially with most the cast overall having a pretty simple background to them that are interesting when you read through the lore blurbs and think about it. Breeze is a former noble that wanted to do more good in the world than throwing money at a problem. Liskarm is a protective friend that joined Rhodes Island to make sure the problematic Franka integrated without problems. Frostleaf is a child soldier that wants to do some good in the world after becoming Infected. Kroos, Beagle, and Fang joined Rhodes Island after getting kicked out of their old jobs. You don’t need to be flashy, but giving answers isn’t an admission of lacking creativity. The hints might be nice for the analysts, but the fans would likely want some answers.

Again, Mostima isn’t a problem, and a lot characters in that list do have some concrete hints about their past. Texas and Lappland are likely a former mafia heiresses and old rivals. Shining was likely a highly skilled mercenary before realizing she could do more good in the world with a healing staff instead of a sword. Siege is likely apart of Londinium royalty, but was either exiled or ran due to political turmoil. But that’s the issue, likely isn’t confirmed. Mostima being a powerful character with a mysterious past just feels like a cop out to me. It’s not bad, but she’s a symptom of what some of the issues of Arknights story is. I’m not asking for AFK Arena-levels of lore, just... an explanation here or there would be nice.

But anyway that’s my main issue, moving on.

General Gushing

Despite that large critique I have, there’s a lot I love about this story. For simplicity sake, because I’m tired of all the editing, I’ll put it into list form:

Penguin Logistics in general was just a joy to see. Watching them in action and just how laissez-faire they are is hilarious, especially when paired with the straightforward and reserved Bison freaking out over the wackiness.

Speaking of, Bison made for a very good straight man to balance out all the wild antics of PL. He really kept things from getting too crazy by at least questioning the zaniness, and the point when he finally stops caring and just charges in with a crazy plan of his own just gave me the giddiest of smiles.

Given how they discuss it, PL apparently trade blows with criminals and thugs on a daily basis, and since they’re just a delivery company this implies they likely deliver drugs or other hot cargo the mafia and gangs want... and given Emperor’s personality, that wouldn’t shock me.

Emperor in general is a delight of a character. He’s about as charismatic and wild as his aesthetic makes him look. I would legit whale for him if he ever become an operator.

Learning a little bit about Lungmen culture was fun as well, as little of it as we see. It’s my personal headcanon now that the mafia and general thugs of Lungmen don’t mess with civilians because they’re either a sleeper agent under the Rat King’s protection or they might be a kung fu master in plain clothes like Waai Fu.

Waai Fu and Texas fist fighting in the streets of Lungmen is just hilarious and awesome. I honestly don’t know what that says about either of them. Texas is holding her own against a martial artist with over 10 years of experience barehanded, meanwhile Waai Fu is holding her own against what lore blurbs have implied is the former heiress/hitman of a mafia. All the while drunkards and Texas’s coworkers are egging them on. This is the dumb content I live for.

Save for some of the absolute bullshit of the challenge maps, I found the actual game content to be pretty fair and interesting. The Bullies required good defender placement, a lot of the ranged units focused on targeting the helpful buildings that buffed your characters and increased the operator deployment count, and maps themselves had a few clever chokepoints to work with... At least until they started spamming Fanatics.

Bison actually has a pretty solid kit for a free Operator. He buffs a lot of adjacent units, has a no real weakness, his tools don’t feel niche like Grani or Celycon, overall a great unit. Once I finish E2-ing all my main Operators I might build him next.

While I have issues with her as a story element, Mostima is a 6-star that has instant utility once you promote her to E2, much like Chen and Siege. This is something I’m relieved to say as a lot of my 6-stars aren’t worth much until you E2 them and I’m still trying to E2 some of my easier units like Cuora and Gavial for Chapter 5 and CC.

That’s really all I have to say on that front. So to close things off...

For the Future

Like I always say in these Ramblings, I don’t like the idea of people prattling on about being able to “fix” or “rewrite” something has already been made. It always comes across as both arrogant and ignorant to me. However, I think it’s completely fair to make requests and suggestions for the future. ‘

That said, I'd like to continue seeing side stories without Rhodes Island’s involvement. Both to see other factions in their natural element and because, frankly, Rhodes Island always feels a little out of place when involved in other stories, or at least more of a distraction than a good element if chapter 2 and 3 are anything to go by. I think a Black Steel side story would be nice. Jessica, Franka, Liskarm, and Vanille getting into shenanigans in Columbia or something sounds like a fun time. Maybe have the leader/high commander of the organization as a new operator and they’re a really powerful Supporter than can buff the party, like a 6-star version of Sora or something that gives operators insane ASPD buffs... I don’t know, something like that anyway. Ideally something a little less wordy than Code of Brawl at least.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say. Next time... I’ll talk about something else. Maybe discuss a manga or something.

See you all later.

#arknights #your dictator is speaking

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possibilistfanfiction · 6 years

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a shelter from oblivion (we will be in history)

[so this is a new years gift for @turnandchasethewind bc i shes my best pal but also bc we are sluts for teen vogue & the new 21 under 21 issue is SO LIT so heres some ridiculous fun queer fluff for u:

lexa & clarke are both activists featured in 21 under 21. they might fall in love a little.]

a shelter from oblivion (we will be in history)

queers are intimately familiar with the costs of being queer—that, as much as anything, makes us queer. the question really is not whether feelings such as grief, regret, and despair have a place in transformative politics; nor is it how to cultivate hope in the face of despair. rather, the question that faces us is how to make a future enough that even the most reluctant among us might want to live there.

—heather love, feeling backward: loss and the politics of queer history

you know a lot about lexa woods: a queer, trans activist who argued legislature when she was 15, started a non profit for lgbtq+ youth and legal aid in brooklyn when she was 16, spoke at the women’s march in new york, is now 19 and a sophomore at harvard studying political science and queer theory. also, notably—because you admire her and also because, honestly, she’s hot as hell—has walked the past two fashion weeks in both paris and new york and is the new face of mac.

so, whatever. you know a lot.

you’d expected her to be intense, which she is, and professional, which she definitely is, letting like five people in front of her in line at craft services during your shoot and sitting down for her interview after literally shutting off her iphone, smiling gently, and leaning forward like those next twenty minutes were the most important of her life.

what you hadn’t expected, though, is how she’s funny, and kind of silly, even, and actually honest to god giggled at a stupid joke you made when you were talking to her after you finished your interview.

and now, now, you’re at some vegan diner in the middle of east williamsburg, because she’d started talking to you about your art and you’d talked to her about how you always want to be more inclusive—both in your subjects and what your art is conversing with itself—and then she was grabbing your coats and leading you to the L train. she’s sneaking a little whiskey into your milkshakes with the sexiest, cutest wink you’ve ever seen, and, just.

‘i’m sure you get this all the time,’ you say, trying to let the milkshake cool you the fuck down, because your cheeks are burning, ‘but you’re the prettiest girl i have ever met.’

her smile is small, bashful, radiant, and you want to see it for your entire life, you think, in that moment. which is dramatic and young but whatever. she’s beautiful.

‘i don’t, actually,’ she says, and it’s full of a little sadness and the sort of bitterness—in a different way, but not too dissimilar—also know.

‘well,’ you say, ‘that’s dumb. because like—’ you gesture at her, and she looks down, blushing, ‘wow.’

‘i’ve thought similarly of you,’ she says, ‘since i saw some of your art two years ago.’

your heart pounds at the confession but before you can say anything, or reach under the booth and grab her hand, your server comes by with the bill, flushed cheeks and stammering at lexa, or maybe at the two of you, who knows. that’d be cool.

you climb out of the booth and it’s cute, the way lexa methodically pulls on her scarf, then her jacket, a little beanie, gloves, before she heads to the door. you think distantly that your mom would admire that kind of precision, that carefulness, and then you have to reel that in because, really, meeting your mom?

lexa smiles at you, turns a little in the chill under the streetlamp. ‘i’m afraid i have to go back to boston tonight.’

‘that’s cool,’ you say, ‘i have class tomorrow too.’

she nods, seemingly hesitant, and you think she might kiss you, which would be so fucking awesome, but then she shrugs. ‘i would love to work with you, if you wanted? i always need more designers and artists for events for my non profit, and i can commission you.’

you smile, and it’s gentle, because she’s nervous and swallowing a lot and her eyes are really green, and maybe she’s not nearly as put-together as she seems. ‘that’d be cool as fuck,’ you say, and she grins with a laugh, then nods.

‘you can take the L all the way back to your school,’ she says, and it’s sweet and not condescending at all.

‘i know, you say, elbow her good naturedly when she blushes. ‘i come down to bushwick a lot.’

‘right,’ she says, almost to herself. ‘artist.’

‘and the parties.’

there’s silence—like she doesn’t quite know what to say, or even how to say anything, but then she nods and says, ‘my ride is here,’ and points to a black town car.

‘it was nice to finally meet you, clarke griffin,’ she says, offers her hand very formally.

you shake it with a roll of your eyes—but you don’t want to invade her space without asking or anything. ‘it was nice to finally meet you too, lexa woods.’

she smiles with a single nod of her head and turns to walk toward her car.

‘wait,’ you say, jog a few steps.

she looks surprised, embarrassed, a little turned on, and you hand her your phone.

‘i need your number,’ you say, ‘if we’re gonna work together.’

‘of course,’ she says, and types it into your phone with thin, agile fingers and jesus fucking christ your mind thinks of some Things quickly. you have to swallow when she hands it back to you.

‘i’ll text you.’

‘goodnight, clarke,’ she says, walking to her car with a little wave.

one thing’s for sure: you know a lot of things about lexa woods, but you sure want to know more.

clarke griffin has had art in the MoMA and the tate, and in so many galleries you voluntarily lost track. she goes to the new school, has worked alongside multiple sexual assault support organizations, and primarily focuses on the female form—in all its varieties—and consent. she paints, sculpts, photographs.

she’s exquisite, you think, and undoubtedly brilliant, and then you’d met her and everything you’d accomplished in your life somehow seemed very small when her eyes were so blue and she was talking so openly about art, and her own work, and how she wants to be more inclusive and contemplative.

she, also, has been texting you for 12 days, which has been really great other than the fact your heart almost leaps out of your fucking chest each time you get a message, which is a lot because clarke is somehow able to produce incredible art at almost a superhuman rate and also text you back about the most random, mundane shit, like how dirty manhattan snow is, and her dad’s mild obsession with still trying to take her to the batting cages—she complains but she loves it, you can tell.

you wait a few days before mentioning that you’re going to be in the city over the weekend; you think modeling is not really where you should be devoting your time but anya insists that it’s making a difference and you get it, representation matters and all that, but you don’t want to do casting calls because you’re tired and have a 12 page paper on willa cather due tuesday, but whatever. it’s fun and you get the prettiest clothes you’ve ever seen and people fawn over your hair. you can handle a weekend.

when you tell clarke—finally, the wednesday before you head down on a friday—she’s casual and relaxed when she responds, asks you if you want to come by her studio if you have time on saturday night because there’s some friends coming for drinks and stuff. you have to snag anya from the library and talk it over first, not because you’re hesitant but because you’re nervous, but anya rolls her eyes and slings her arm over your shoulder and tells you to be safe and come back with details.

you go about your casting calls—some of which are really awesome, some of which are not, but nothing horrendous—before you’re outside the address clarke gave you, some huge building in bushwick with industrial doors and gigantic windows. you want to laugh because, of course, bushwick, but you do the breathing techniques you’ve practiced with your therapist. you used to have to do them a lot when you were really dysphoric, or when people would call you names or shove you into lockers, but now you’re on the cover of a magazine and maybe a pretty girl will kiss you tonight so.

there’s that, a great big fuck you to everyone who was shitty, you think, and it makes you smile.

the door buzzes and you walk up, bottle of really expensive champagne in hand—you’d been given it today, so that’s convenient—and then it’s loud and fantastic, a loft full of paintings and strings of fairy lights and a lot of queer people. you feel happy, and safe, and then clarke sees you and smiles, leaves the group of friends she was talking to and walks over.

she hesitates for a moment but then you pull her in for a hug, and she sinks into it. she smells so good, and her breath is warm against your neck.

she backs up and kind of sucks in a breath when she looks at you, and you do the same because wow, her lips are so pink and, whatever, sue you, that dress is doing heavenly things to her boobs.

‘i’m glad you made it,’ she says, after a few seconds of just staring, and you nod, then take off your coat and hand her the champagne. she looks at the label and then whistles. ‘you were with miu miu today, i guess.’

‘why would i lie about that?’ you ask with a laugh, following her to the kitchen to get two glasses.

‘to impress me,’ she says with a shrug, handing the bottle to you to pop. you do, carefully because it’s good champagne and it’s not worth wasting for flair, and she takes it back and pours.

‘i think my track record is already impressive enough.’

clarke laughs and hands you a glass. she clinks her with it and says, ‘it’s not terrible, i’ll give you that.’

you know a lot about lexa woods but now you know this: she is absolutely splendid beneath you, full of the kinds of dips and curves you’ve dreamt of sculpting your whole life. her lips are swollen and her eyes are hooded and green and her pupils are blown and her hair is fanned out all around her, and, like. she’s an actual goddess, topless in your bed, heaving with this smug little expression.

you’d kissed at the party, and then the next day after brunch while you walked through central park, and you’ve kissed a few times since.

but tonight it was just the two of you, after dinner near your apartment, quietly and you’d laughed as she’d fumbled with the button on your jeans, and your heart is pounding when your hands are above her waistband.

‘is this okay?’ you ask, softly, because the lights are soft and she’s soft and so beautiful.

she nods, then says, ‘yeah,’ then says, ‘yes,’ and you kiss her because, like, you’re a little bit in love with her.

you take her jeans off reverently, her underwear off slowly, and you catch yourself staring while she swallows. ‘is everything—are you—’

‘everything is perfect,’ you say, and the look of relief on her face is wonderful and kind of heartbreaking. ‘you’re perfect.’ she kisses you, pulls you toward her. you break it, though, because she’s about to cry and you really don’t want that. ‘also, i’m perfect, as you’ve told me a number of times now, so let’s not ruin that, okay?’

she laughs and sniffles but she nods, and you touch her, and she touches you, and, like, whatever.

it’s perfect.

it’s not the first time you’ve woken up in clarke’s bed, and it’s much the same: she’s awake, over by a huge canvas, in one of her dad’s old t-shirts, hair in a messy bun and usually barefoot, even in the winter. you put on your glasses and watch her contemplate which stroke to make next, which oil to press to the surface, what to bring to life.

she paints you, more than anything, especially this early. you watch her paint for a while, watch her get the green of your eyes right, watch her think carefully about your shoulders. she’s beautiful and she makes you feel venerated, seen, and you want to give that back to her, even though sometimes you don’t think you really know how.

you sigh and stretch and get out of bed, in a pair of her sleep shorts and a sweatshirt because she always runs warmer, and you’re always cold, and you kiss her forehead.

‘i’m really glad we’re incredible people,’ you say, to make her laugh, ‘so we met.’

‘i’m glad we met too, goof.’

‘i’m going to go get some bagels,’ you say, because you’re overwhelmed with the way she’s smiling at you.

‘okay,’ she says.

you get ready quickly, in comfortable quiet, while she paints.

‘lex?’ she says, as you’re grabbing your keys from the counter.

‘yeah?’

she looks at you, tilts her head like you’ve seen her do when she takes in rembrandt, or van gogh, or hadid.

‘i love you.’

you don’t know if you’ve literally ever been this happy. you stay rooted in place, because what else can you do? if you touch her right now you think you might explode.

you can tell her, though: ‘i love you too.’

you know a lot about lexa woods, including the way she says i love you, bathed in sunlight in your doorway, hair gathered on top of her head, wrists still in their panic and in their comfort.

she says it back again, laughing, and, whatever.

this is probably the coolest thing yet.

#here olivia happy new year karmas got its kiss for u ilovia u #possibilist #possibilistfanfiction #listen yall gotta read the 21 under 21 issue lol #clexa fanfiction #trans lexa #anyway if ur shitty abt trans lexa i will block u so yknow dont be #:)

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brianna-lei · 7 years

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Anonymous Butterfly Soup asks, batch 6

IT’S RIGHT NEXT TO THE BIG TOBLERONE I’M ALIVE

Being covered by a big gaming news site was one of my fantasies, so I’m elated this happened. The article is here, for anyone curious!

More asks under the cut!!

A note before I start -- if you submitted a bug, I saw it!! Thank you for reporting them!

Yes, she did! Her Facebook profile pic is her posing in front of a store at the mall, and you can see Jun’s reflection taking the pic in the store window

Akarsha didn’t realize, but Noelle totally heard it. Noelle kind of had a sense of what was up already, but actually hearing it worried her. She was debating whether or not to intervene when Min showed up.

On a small note, Min trying to cheer Akarsha up slightly improved Noelle’s opinion of Min (even though Min and Akarsha almost end up fist fighting again afterward).

Min plays video games too, imagine them playing Team Fortress 2 and later Overwatch together... Diya, Min, and Noelle have all seen some basic anime like Pokemon, Digimon, and Yugioh, but Akarsha’s the only real hardcore anime fan. I’m glad she met “Sakura”, “Yuki”, and Ester through the baseball club, because now she has weeb friends to talk about that stuff too.

(Ester is less obvious about liking anime than “Sakura” and “Yuki”, but you can still tell by her outfit’s style. Lowkey but not lowkey enough)

I can totally relate to all of them, but I’d say Diya!

Yes, they grow close over the course of the year and Noelle has to try really hard not to cry LMAO They still keep in touch afterward.

Yep, they both feel this huge gulf between themselves and their parents due to cultural differences. Many Asian immigrant parents are extremely conservative so it feels like they’re on a completely different wavelength from you, and at the same time they have complete power over you. It’s kind of a bad feeling.

...Also, shadowing their faces saved me the work of drawing their different facial expressions.

Min was actually out of town when the fire happened, so Diya had to call her and tell her what happened :( Diya (and eventually Min) sleeps on Noelle’s couch for a bit. Noelle and Akarsha aren’t living together at the time and Noelle has the nicer/cleaner apartment

It sounds really miserable, but they’re ok in the end

Noelle's passion is math and science, so she definitely ends up doing something in STEM that she likes, just not what her parents were expecting. Akarsha is similar and becomes a software engineer -- They’re actually both naturally interested in those subjects, which says a lot about how bad the parental pressure really is.

I like to think Diya and Min actually manage to break into minor league baseball and eventually MLB

Most of my outfit inspiration comes from my tumblr/twitter feeds. I wish I could recommend you fashion blogs, but I’m not following any?! They’re all just fandom mutuals who randomly reblog cool clothes sometimes.

I used to have trouble deciding what clothes characters should wear, so every time I see an image of a cool outfit I save it for reference. After doing this since high school I now have...uh...

And those are just the unorganized ones, the ones i have in folders are like...

Now if I’m stumped for what a character should wear, I just browse these massive folders for inspiration. I can actually pinpoint the omocat jacket that gave me the idea for Min’s:

I thought, “it should be a warning: high voltage sign on the back!”, and then I just went on Google images and looked them up.

Sorry if this isn’t helpful!

I don’t think Min really minds, but The Squad is even better! Deke squad

Yeah, Akarsha’s parents wouldn’t approve either. Out of the main four, Diya is actually the only one whose parents are fine with it

Ooh thank you this is an awesome compliment to receive!!

I REALLY want to make merch some day! I’ve never made physical merch before and I’m a bit intimidated not knowing where to start/how to handle shipping, so it may take a while, though :(

I didn’t give anyone last names and I doubt I ever will, sorry! Feel free to give them your own if you want

This was intentional, but at the same time I can’t believe everyone IMMEDIATELY noticed. You guys are so in tune with 4/20

Diya and Akarsha are Indian, Min-seo is Korean, Noelle is Taiwanese, Chryssa is black, Liz is…mostly Irish, I think? “Sakura” is Pakistani, “Yuki” is Filipino. I’ve heard a lot of guesses for Ester, but she’s half black and half Chinese!

i got u son!!

Thank you, I really love hearing this because the feeling that this narrative was missing was what made me want to make this game in the first place!

you might feel a bit more sympathetic to min when you reach her part of the story! Your mileage may vary, though

If you want to make a game like Butterfly Soup, try the program Renpy! It doesn’t require programming experience to use and there’s a lot of guides online on how to use it. My NUMBER ONE BIG ADVICE IS MAKE A REALLY, REALLY SMALL GAME FIRST. My first game, Pom Gets Wi-Fi, was only 30-45 minutes long. If you make it any bigger than that, you almost guaranteed will never finish it. The dream game that you want to make is probably longer than that, so don’t make your dream game first! That’s kind of why I was so alarmed when Pom Gets Wi-Fi took off -- I’m very proud of that game and still love it, but it was like my test for the games I dreamed of making like Butterfly Soup. (Also, 17 is a great age to start making games, good for you!) Other stuff I’ve learned: Programming: I mostly learned super specific things that can’t be easily applied to other situations. If you want to know how I did a specific thing in Renpy, message me!

Writing: If you’re struggling to write something, it might be for a good reason. Maybe the scene is unnecessary or boring, your mental image of the scene doesn’t translate well to the format of your work, or the character motivations aren’t convincing enough. Deleting a scene altogether isn’t defeat, sometimes it’s the best path forward! Give up more!

Artwise: Drawing for non-pixel art games takes FOREVER. The sheer amount of time it’d take to draw all the characters and backgrounds was so demoralizing that I found myself procrastinating because I didn’t want to tackle it. Not only did I have a large cast of characters (9 in the baseball club alone), but because of flashbacks, I had to draw half of them again as kids!

To anyone thinking about making a game by themselves, SERIOUSLY consider making it a pixel art game. If you’re that set on making a non-pixel art game, SEVERELY limit the number of characters and backgrounds you have to draw!! I’m begging u...learn from my mistakes...

You’re welcome!!! :>

I loved USC! The Interactive Media major was cool and fun -- I met a lot of good friends through the program! It was probably the best few years of my life.

Unfortunately...I felt like it did nothing to prepare me for finding a job. There are very few classes for aspiring game artists and game writers. There wasn’t a single professor who worked as an artist at a triple A studio while I was there, and only one who was a major writer. I get that you gotta be self motivated, but I wish I had someone in the faculty I felt comfortable discussing my career path with. Some of the professors had clear favorite students and if you weren’t one of them, they’d make very little effort to reach out to you or interact with you. I know I'm introverted, but I never got this feeling with my general elective classes -- I had plenty of chances to talk to my writing professor, architecture lab professor, art teacher, etc., yet I came out of a lot of my Interactive Media classes wondering if my professors even remembered me.

If you want to be a game designer or maybe a writer, and are really focused/outgoing with your professors, it could be the major for you, but if you want to be a game artist I’m not sure it’s the best place to be.

I was actually crazy stressed out when it came out, so nope! It’s happening this weekend

I was super nervous right after it came out because I was worried people wouldn’t like it! I put a lot into it, and actually teared up writing parts of it, so it was a ridiculous relief to see that people were touched by it. I’m really happy now and really want to make a sequel. Also, I’m beyond grateful to my friends/mutuals/fans spreading the word and tweeting/posting about the game and making fancontent ;~; I really owe everything to them! A few people wondered about how I was holding up attention-wise, and actually...as a fanartist I sort of thrive on this, haha. Also, this is much less intense than when I released Pom Gets Wi-Fi. For perspective, it took Butterfly Soup a week to reach the number of downloads Pom got in one day.

Good!!! You’re welcome!

you’re welcome!!!

#Butterfly Soup #briANSWER #ask #my post

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heliconus · 7 years

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S U M M E R in S U M M E R out FEAT. Helicon Exec Board

Hello hello and welcome back to School Szn. We all hope that you had the most fantastic summer- going for swims, walks in the park, leaving the country (or just your house), seeing art, making art or really just taking a solid 4 month break. This is what we were up to while we were away:

OLIVA

Role: President Year: Senior Major: Art & Design

My name is Olivia Kinker and I am this year’s Helicon president! I am an art and design major and art history minor. I am from Northport, Michigan and spent most of my summer there, except for the four days that I spent in Vegas!

Las Vegas is not normally I place I would choose to visit, however my friend, Felix, is a representative for a shoe company and invited me to come and help him work at shoe convention. We stayed in a hotel right on the strip, saw a cirque du soleil show, and spent three days (8am-6pm) hanging out in the booth and taking orders. The building that the convention is held in is huge, definitely larger than a football field. It is divided into a maze of sections each housing some fabulous brand of shoes. Buyers wander around, looking for new lines or checking out what their regulars are offering for the next season.

The shoe company that I worked for, Rovers, is German based and manufactures their shoes in Portugal. They have a very unique, funky style. One of the benefits of this little job was that I got a free pair of shoes, and they were pink, which is extra awesome.

JULIA

Role: Event Coordinator Year: Senior Major: History of Art and French

Hello readers, I am Julia and I am also Helicon’s event planner. I began my summer in Paris, France, which is also where I spent the last semester. There, I nannied two young children and explored the beautiful metropolis that is Paris. The city is defined by art – the architecture, the urban design, the countless reputable museums. I spent much of my time admiring these things – a trip to the Louvre alone eats up an entire day. However, what struck me the most about the city was the art of Parisian lifestyle. It’s a finely tuned, well considered way of living, despite its outward appearance of laziness. The most enticing aspect of the city is the artfulness with which Parisians live their lives – the way they pair patterned clothing, the hairstyles they sport, and the attitude they give when smoking a cigarette.

In Paris, jobs do not bear the same weight they do here in the States – it is considered more important to spend time with family and friends, appreciate a good bottle of wine, or watch the sunset from your fifth-floor balcony. All of these charming activities pair nicely with the smell of trash, the countless homeless refugee families, and the drunkards that fill the city. The contrast is sickeningly beautiful – it is the stuff of paintings, poems, and songs. It is the inspiration behind the art we call masterpieces and it will continue to inspire artists for generations to come. The clash of traditions, beliefs, social groups, and sometimes even physical bodies is the true art of Paris, and I spent the first half of my summer catching but a small glimpse of it.

Then, I came home to Michigan and it has been a quick blur of mundane reality. Regardless, I’m excited to bring my experiences forward with me this year and I’m so looking forward to another beautiful year of Helicon.

ALISON

Role: Treasurer Year: Senior Major: Art & Design

Hi! I’m Alison, and I joined Helicon last fall. Over the past year, I have had so much fun hanging out with other students who love art just as much as I do and working together to create an exhibition, visit museums, and publish an anthology of student art.

I would love to say that I spent this past summer backpacking across Europe or even taking the great American road trip; however, I spent much of it here in Ann Arbor taking classes. That being said this gives me an opportunity to highlight some of the amazing Ann Arbor art that is accessible to all of us via a short walk or blue bus ride! I spent many afternoons escaping the heat in the UMMA (University of Michigan Museum of Art). For being a university museum, UMMA’s collection is an artistic force to be reckoned with, as it boasts works by Picasso and Monet as well as the largest collection of Asian art in the state of Michigan. My inner museum nerd is starting to ramble, so anyways: UMMA definitely check it out.

This summer, UMMA’s contemporary gallery served as the perfect escape between my classes, and I found Peter Campus’ Kiva to be especially compelling. Kiva is comprised of a tv monitor with a camera on top that points directly at the viewer; what is more, the camera’s view is manipulated by the placement of suspended mirrors. The camera records through a hole in one mirror onto the surface of another which results in a beautiful fragmentation, as the camera simultaneously takes in aspects of the room, the viewer, and the lens of the camera itself.

Aside from art and classes, I spent the remainder of my summer taking short weekend trips to my family’s cabin in northern Michigan where I kayaked until the skin between my index fingers and my thumbs ached, but in the best way possible.

LIAM

Role: Secretary Year: Junior Major: History of Art

Hello everyone! My name is Liam Dougherty, and I will be serving as the secretary for Helicon this school year. This will be my second year in the group, and I’m looking forward to another year of exposure to the amazing artistic community at the university and beyond. We have a great exec board group this year that I know will help the members of this club to cultivate and explore their passion for art.

This past summer I went home to Denver, Colorado for a very art-infused stay. I was fortunate enough to be able to work as a studio assistant for local sculpture named Andy Dufford. His studio focuses primarily on large scale outdoor sculpture and landscape architecture. It was fairly hectic as we rushed to finish projects while moving studios, but it was an incredibly fulfilling and educational experience. This is one of the semi-finished sandstone pieces my friend and I worked on for a hotel in Vail up in the mountains.

We were commissioned to create several stone totems for a park and outdoor amphitheater, and it was wonderful to be able to spend a few days working up there to install all of our pieces. Here’s another photo of us having fun with some of our rocks.

I hope everyone had a very relaxing, enjoyable and art-filled summer, and I can’t wait for all the exciting things in store for this year!

KATIE

Role: Public Relations Year: Senior Major: Art & Design

hi my name is katie raymond and i am running PR for helicon this year (!!!!!!). I have been in helicon for 2 years and am super amped to be running the blog and our print publication this year!! this summer I spent 5 weeks photographing paris. My 5 weeks taught me more about photographic process, about being uncomfortable and flourishing in that discomfort, about the human condition, navigation, being lost in translation, asking for permission, being denied permission and how to constantly be looking- through my eyes and the lens of my camera.

something I learned and wrote down in my journal: “I am not sure what it means to be a master of photography. If one could be a master of photography then in turn that must make them a master of life, to which that is simply impossible. I know that I will never be a master, I will always be learning.”

I am always learning and growing and am excited to keep on doing that this year!

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ruveluarna-blog · 7 years

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Development, Process, Collaboration

(This is our entire Facebook chat group, which shows our process of thought and elimination).

Hey gals! Alrighty, we need to get this project underway! Let's all post our ideas on here and we can throughout the week decide on an idea we really like? MarleenaYeah that sounds like a good idea i will get back to u guys with an idea tomorrowMAR 31ST, 11:20AMMarleenaOkay, so there's a work in week 4's powerpoints (topic: responsibility) called "Rythm 0" by Marina Abramovic. Basically, Abramovic lay out a bunch of props and allowed museum goers to manipulate her body, with or without the props, for six hours. Yoko Ono did a reinterpretation of the idea, but allowed the audience to take turns snipping pieces of cloth from her clothes.MarleenaI think it'd be really interesting to take these ideas and spin them in a more positive and constructive way. (The Rythm 0 artwork ended pretty "violently" - someone used the provided loaded gun to position it against her forehead, and then there was a fight in the audience to make them stop etc)ImmiYes will have a look into this later today !MAR 31ST, 1:19PMYes I really liked that one, I checked it out on YouTube!I'm down for thisMaybe we can even do an installation type thing and record itSo many ideas! Where do you live Marlena?*marleenaI'm thinking we should all get together sometime before class next week if we can, if not we can prepare it all over here MarleenaI live near liverpool, western suburbs Im still trying to brainstorm ideas on how we could reinterpret the work tho Hmm okay that's like a 55 minute drive MarleenaLOL we can try meet up at uniI reckon if we all agree on this artwork, let's each brainstorm ideas on any sort of way in which we could reinterpret it, then just post ideas here. Maybe on Sunday we can try and decide on what we like best?Yeah I think so hahahMarleenaokay lets do that, sunday we'll make a decision on what idea to pursue Im not too familar with "time-based work" sooo gotta do some researchMAR 31ST, 6:09PMImmiAPR 1ST, 9:37PMHaha all good!APR 1ST, 11:19PMHere are some very rudimentary ideas so far!Oh I just had an idea, we could go up to randoms on campus and out in the city and get them to write one word and hold it in front of them and we can film them holding it up. We can get them to write down whatever; what they think life is, beauty is, what is real, what dreams are, what they are labelled, whatever you want!Just an idea APR 2ND, 9:31AMMarleenahey just finished reading your ideas! looking good so far i think right now though the ideas as they are dont really link to responsibility clearly or are resolved enoughim looking at some of the stuff u written and trying to think of ways to push them furtheri think the idea of taking something that is meant to shed light on the negative parts of being human, and flipping it to show positivity is something really interesting relating to responsibilityi think that idea of asking people a personal question, like what life is etc, that u suggested touches on that and has potential reminds me of that artist who let people write on a wall what they want to do before they diesorry if the stuff im saying sounds kinda disjointed or weird, cos i just woke up and im just writing what i think as it goes in my head hahaMarleenaan idea i had about transforming marina's work, is maybe laying out a table of items like she did but including "caring" items instead, like bandaids and spa stuff and chocolates. we can put out a chair and a camera, and people are allowed to use the stuff as long as they sit in the chairMarleenahey about that idea with recording people's smiles, itd be kinda cool to expand it and do it about human's relationship with others, not just smiling but hugging talking and high fiving etc. itd be interesting how it relates to physicality, and itd probs contrast really well with the marina workImmiHey guys! Soz for being a little MIA I was going to have a good look this morning and see if I can workshop some of the ideas we've got too so I'll let ya know :)) awesome job so far teamMarleenano worries ive been supa swamped with stuff too hahaAPR 2ND, 11:22AMImmiok so i was having a look at some of the work in the lecture slides from the documentation and editing week and this work i thought was pretty interesting-- we could have a wall where we get people to collaborate by writing ideas or or drawings on like sticky notes or scrap paper and then organise them on a wall and then the time based aspect could be a sped up video of people writing and adding to the wall? http://monumenttotransformation.org/atlas-of-transformation/html/c/crisis-of-capitalism/crisis-of-capitalism-ayreen-anastas-rene-gabri.htmlCrisis of Capitalism | Ayreen Anastas, René GabriCrisis of Capitalism | Ayreen Anastas, René Gabrimonumenttotransformation.orgImmicould be like a question related to stuff going on in the world and how they would fix it? or invent something? and get people to draw sketches or write ideas?i don't know just thinking :))APR 2ND, 6:19PMMarleenai think thats an interesting take on documentation... like, it relates to the idea of a kinda "communal" documentation?its pretty interesting to create a public forum for documentation, kinda like designated grafitti walls or online forumsImmiYeah nice!APR 2ND, 7:58PMMarleenahi everyone, dunno bout u guys but im still kinda conflicted about this assignment hahai think all the major ideas we came up with so far have been pretty interesting and im having trouble deciding which one i like the mostwhat are your opinions on this assignment?? is there anything u guys r super keen on so far?or anything u rly wanna do?for me, i definitely wanna do something that's hyper creative and outside the box - for this assignment im a little afraid of doing something thats been done or reminds me of a facebook or youtube vid i watchedi think no matter what idea we pick i definitely want to push it to its limits Yeah Marlena in response to your first response I agree, they were all heaps rudimentary ideas that I quickly wrote down before bed and definitely need expansion - they were just an idea to kick us off I like the smile/high 5/hug ideas. I definitely want to do something "fresh" as well so I'm with you on that! No body likes the same old same. I'm still conflicted about the assignment too haha. The only thing is we have to think about the readability of it all - we don't really want to spend money buying items, etc, and we have to think about how we can record it and where we will do it MarleenaThanks for brainstorming so much im definitely also keen on saving money too - doing something performance-y like suggested or just paper and pen like immi's idea seem like practical ideas to keep costs lowYep I like!MarleenaThe idea i suggested about the "caring" items would probs be no good for thatHaha maybe not Good thought butOkay let's keep brainstorming then and maybe decide by Tuesday night?MarleenaHaha yeah lets see how it goesWorse comes to worse we can talk it through with the tutor on wednesdayYeah, I'm sure we will figure it out but!MarleenaI will try make a list of ideas like u did No probs. We could even make a Pinterest board or whatever MarleenaOohh high tech hahaAPR 3RD, 1:09PMOkay so let's decide tonight on something solid so we can each conduct rudimentary experiments tomorrow on our own and document on TumblrMarleenaOk understood Immiyep nice.. i think maybe doing a time lapse or something could be interestingand maybe doing a trial of that? could get audience involved through drawing? I'm happy to do that at college?MarleenaIm looking at that email again and i think that tutor is only talking about her class, not ours, so i doubt when we rick up to class our tutor is going to expect us to have anything prepared (she will probs even send us an email herself)Immiok coolMarleenaBut doing a little experiment for tumblr ourselves actually sounds like a good idea to get us started, practice-led research and suchImmianother random idea hahah could be to record sound? and say have a story where each person hears the previous story and then adds to it?MarleenaThat sounds like a fun experiment to try im down for that Immiawesome! just not sure which artist it would relate to?i guess we could just say we used "so and so" as a starting point and then developed our own idea?MarleenaUr documentation one defsImmiok cooland then could focus on sound/ voice documentationMarleenaThe idea is to deform and experiment anywaysImminice!MarleenaHow bout for our first experiment, immi u can make a voice recording of the beginning of a story, u can send it to me and i will send my bit to ruve So its kinda like chinese whispers hahaImminice!! so just do it ourselves? or with other people?MarleenaAfter ruve we can keep sending it along and in the end we can compile itImmiyep sounds goodMarleenaImmiwill havd to do it later this arvo though once I've finished work hahaMarleenaAll good Immiawesome! nice work teamMarleenaWhat's the concept of this voice thingy? Soz I'll be at work for the next few hours so I won't respond ehahahMarleenaSo basically one person makes a voice recording of the beginning of a story and passes it along, and the next person continues the story with their own recording and passes that along kinda like chinese whispersOkay, how do we get ransoms to do that though? Also I'm keen to try some experiments with people where I live tonight/tomorrowImmiI recon just ask people if they want to be apart of it hahaJust a trialMarleenaWe were just going to start with our group and maybe we can ask our friends to volunteer? HahaImmiAnd we can build on itYeah coolImmiMarleenaWhat kinda live experiments were u thinking of ruve??Another idea - photograph people's shoes, and get them to describe them self in one word. Show the pic to someone else and get them to describe whose shoes they see in one wordOr something like thatI don't knowMarleenaThats kinda interesting its kinda like that saying "if u were in their shoes" APR 3RD, 7:31PMHahah APR 4TH, 10:43AMMarleenaHey guys this is just a compilation of the total ideas we made up so far! Feel free to add it to ur tumbr as documentation I brainstormed some more ideas and such and added them to the list, too responsibility – marina abramovik, rhythm 0 Sit in a busy location with a sign explaining what to do – one of us filming place cameras on campus that people can draw on create an instagram page like ‘humans of UNSW’ where people take selfies and talk about themselves get randoms in the city to write one word and hold it in front of them and we can film them holding it up – the prompt can be: what life is, beauty is, what is real, etc recording people interacting affectionately with their friends/other people – smiles, hugging, high fiving ask a question and get people to write their answers and stick them on us ask them to write one sentence if that was all they had left to say documentation – ayreen anastas & rene gabri, crisis of capitalism have a wall where people collaborate by writing ideas or drawings on sticky notes or scrap paper and then organise them on a wall – time-based aspect would be a sped up video of people writing and adding to the wall – could be a question related to stuff going on in the world and how to fix it, maybe just sketching or writing ideas recording sound – have a story where each person hears a previous story and then adds to it (currently experimenting with this idea since it’s low effort and cost effective) wouldn’t it be sick if we could make a kinda song and beat out of every person’s clip of audio? Haha would definitely be interesting photograph people’s shoes and get them to describe themselves in one word – show the pic to someone else and get them to describe whose shoes they see in one word some of the ideas we have here would definitely relate to both responsibility and documentation artworks – I think both topics just both naturally overlap really well PS: in the above ideas I left out ideas which would be too expensive or unrealistic to carry outMarleenaoh god i just realised the formatting is really wack hahaanyways I JUST HAD AN EXPLOSION OF INSPIRATIONim excited to hear what u guys think of it!! i will type it up. i kinda tried to continue upon what u both already thought of (just uhh typing it up)ImmiAwesome Marleena!! Killing it with the ideas I recon they are all good starting points- we can discuss in class tomorrow and I think next step will be about pushing the ideas so they are more interesting and unexpected and perhaps considering time based and getting creative with how we approach it, so we aren't just creating a 5min film or audioMarleenayeah i definitely agree with interesting and unexpected ImmiImmiWe'll have lots to discuss in class :))Marleenaso uhh here's that exposion of inspiration i was talking about. reading it again, some of the logistics dont make any sense like how the projection is going to work but i will share it here anyway in the spirit of experimentation MarleenaGet a large sheet of blue cellophane and draw a picture of a crying person. Draw exactly the same picture but instead on a sheet of paper of the same size. (In faint pencil instead) Have people draw/write on the sheet of paper what they would do to cheer the crying person up. Record the entire process of people drawing/writing on the paper. Turn the video into a time lapse. Hang the sheet of cellophane in front of a projector. Play the video on the projector, align the pictures of the crying person. Result: get a cool time lapse video of people drawing, be left with awesome looking artworkImmiMarleenaHahahaHey guys, you're both awesome! I have to go to work again now but I'll check this all out later and post something to Tumblr!ImmiNice yeah I've got classes pretty much till 5 now so will check back in laterMarleenaAg ttyl APR 4TH, 9:52PMAlright, so I'm going to update my tumblr with our ideas, I really like what we've got so far!And I'm going to pinterest ideas too. Then tomorrow in class maybe we can discuss with Anna our inability to choose an idea because we like them all hahahAPR 6TH, 1:51PMImmihttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8dukQ49_29jkB9ViKhWvooZRMLgVwbAOS3aFafhOuU/edit?usp=sharing hey guys I've made a group doc here which i recon will be easy to post info on and share ideas APR 6TH, 7:17PMMarleenathanks immi! checking it out now ImmiNot much info now haha just added a tiny bit before will some more tomorrow Add what you want and we can start formulating and idea to pursue Cool! Love what you've written so far - I've never used google docs though so I may take a little to get used to it APR 7TH, 12:28PMMarleenahi immi! would u be able to give me edit access for the doc? i sent a request, ty ImmiYeah I'll do it when I'm back at uni APR 8TH, 4:39PMImmihttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8dukQ49_29jkB9ViKhWvooZRMLgVwbAOS3aFafhOuU/edit?usp=sharing sox guys had it wrong setting should work now!APR 8TH, 6:40PMCool I'll try to figure it out ImmiAPR 9TH, 9:36PMYeah I'm liking these ideas guys maybe we should do some experiments around these concepts?MarleenaIMMI i just read your comments and i think you're right about just picking something and pushing through with itdoing some experiments around this would be an excellent ideaim thinking of just trying out some basic things on my family haha like instructing them on things, and seeing their reaction when ive told them what theyve done is the artwork lolYeah I like the instructions and the audience creating the artwork through their perspectiveBut I love film too so I'm keen for eitherBut yeah if we pick one then we can each do experiments around that and see what worksMarleenamaybe in one of ur experiments u can try think of a way to incorporate more film elements??im not too sure how to do that cos i dont think im creatively inclined that way but it could be rly cool like... maybe you can play a film with realy different sound from whats actually being played, and have the audience watch it once blindfolded but then reveal the actual footage afterYEAAAAHThat's cool!MarleenahahaAPR 13TH, 6:27PMMarleenahi guys! im just checking in to see how you are all feeling about the assignment i did some stuff and put it in the google doc, and i kinda have a vision for what i think would be goodAPR 14TH, 11:24PMHeya girl, I literally haven't thought any about it this week as I've been so busy, it's due first or second week back? Also I'm keen to try whatever MarleenaHaha no worries due wk 8 first week backLel we should probs get on it then Let's decide on it and run with itMarleenaI was continuing our asmr video idea and writing a script for the instructions and voice - some is in the google doc If u wanna continue that idea, could u look into ways we could get a voice to say the instructions? How to record it, and maybe possibility of having music to it too?I dont think this idea will be too hard to accomplish with the little time we have leftAlso help and ideas on the script would be amazing Sorry if it seems im just pushing watevs i wanna do lol its just an idea if u guys wanna get the thing over and done with lolNo totally cool, we've only got about 12 days so all good I'm keen to look into music and voice recording, I could get my brother to say it? He has a nice audio voice. I can do some recording for experiments and send them through and post on Tumblr?I'll send you through an example here too0:09This was for another assessmentJust a thought hahaMarleenaThats a gr8 idea! Itd be awesome if ur brother could do it thatd be way better than a text to speech robot lmaoId love to see some experiments and stuff 2 on the tunblrIll try get the script done asap too hopefully by early next weekIm a total noob at voice recording and stuff like that so uhh might need to rely on u guys for that lolHaha cool, I'm down! I'm with my family this weekend so I'll record my brother doing some experiments and I'll post to tumblr Any ideas on what you want him to say?I'm going to check the google doc nowMarleenaYeah its all there its kinda unpolished but just what u want with it Have fun with ur family!!!Yeah cool, I like what you've written so far, I think it could be really cool! I'll get my brother to read out the script so far, and I'll play around with some rad sound effects to go with it! Are we still getting the audience to close their eyes?Also I reckon we could even do just the one piece, but have parts slowed down, made faster, toned up or down, with different 'music' or sounds to it to create different emotions?Maybe instead of having three different ones, show how we can create the atmosphere just through exploration with tone, etc?MarleenaThe stuff I've written i intended to just be one piece, its just i wrote different versions and wanted to include in thr doc as documentation the second script is the latest draft. Sorry should have clarified. I rly like the idea of using music and tone to create emotion and atmosphere! Pushes the limits of what audio can be MarleenaI think getting the audience to close their eyes would be good for immersion Oooh i just reread the docYeah rad, all good! Alrighty, so do we want the instructions to go for like 2.5 mins or so with their eyes closed, and then they have 2.5 mins to create the artwork? or do we actually want them to just sit an listen the whole time?hahahaMarleenaYeah those three paragraphs at the end r supposed to be part of the same script Making them sit there for 2.5 mins thinking of the artwork sounds sadistic but totally marina-esque xDI say we do ithahaahah okay!MarleenaItd probs be 3 parts audio 2 parts thinking instead thoHahahaso say we provide them with the artistic tools needed, they sit there eyes closed, then produce the work in the dark still with music/sounds still playing?MarleenaThis is the kinda thing which makes normal think arti d ts are crazy lmaoahahhahahlove it but!so trueMarleenaI reckon including the actual creating if the artwork by the audience would be interesting! We wouldnt even have to have them blindfolded for that bit. Would be rly interesting to see wat they imagined Hand out pieces of paper and set up pencils etcmaybe in keeping with marina's style, we could give them a bunch of mediums to choose from, i.e. giving the audience even more controlyeah definitely not blindfolded, but maybe keep the lights lowish?are we going to blindfold them?that could be funMarleenaI was thinking of blindfolds during the audio instructions but probably not for the creating part yeah agreedMarleenaYay! This is exciting This is gonna be fun hahaYeah I'm keen!what sort of mood are we thinking? because the sound effects will create the mood and toneor are we trying to evoke more than one emotion?MarleenaIm thinking a calming and compelling moodIf we're going to evoke an emotion itd be inspiration?Or enlightenmentalrightyso maybe some intense parts to make them really think, but sort of calming as well?MarleenaYeah! radI'll get to work MarleenaA+Since we're including a creating part, maybe the length of the script we have is enough?Do u reckon u'd be able test that in ur experiment?I just realized the time lmao. Goodnight all! Im off to bedYeah no props haha night!APR 15TH, 9:46AMImmiNice guys!! I will have a read of the script and stuff today Awesome I was checking out some awesome social vids on YouTube last night and they were really inspiring! I'll some the links through and you guys can check em, maybe we can use some of the ideas for experiments or whatever. Also for the actual product, maybe we can include some more personally encouraging words, like starting with, 'you... are amazing... beautiful ..." etc and continue with the script?Just an idea ImmiCool I'll have a read of the script and let you guys know what I think :)) so far seems v v good hahaRadddd I'll have to post the links later on as I'm out and don't have them hahahttp://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&vq=mediumThe Power of WordsHarness the power of words to grow your business today: http://tinyurl.com/phokf69 For personal transformation order Andrea Gardner's book 'Change Your Words...youtube.comCheck this out!ImmiI think itd be more interesting to have the audience create the artwork at the same time as the recording so maybe we could do a trial using this script.. I can do it with my brother and have hie draw at the same time and if one of you wants to do the script and have someone draw after? And then we can discuss the implications and results of each?Marleenaok sure i will test out having someone draw the thingo afterwards ImmiAwesome :))APR 15TH, 6:29PMyeah great idea, that can be one of our experiments I'm getting my brother to record it tonight so once it'd done I'll send it through and start playing with sound effects )ImmiQuestion, do either of you play an instrument?also I've added the youtube vids to google doc if you wanna check them out Marleenaunfortunately i dont haha all good, was just wondering for the soundtrack alright, here is my first edit!Play-5:01Unmutelet me know what you do/don't likeI added a few words to your script Marleenahope that's okay!APR 16TH, 10:13AMImmiokki so just did this with my brother and feedback is: that if we are drawing at the same time as the audio then it should be a littler more instructional.. not telling you what to do explicitly but perhaps having some words like "draw" or "translate this thought to the page" so that the audience knows to communicate the image they have in their head on the page. However, also good to draw after so having say 1-2 minutes of straight talking about imagining different things and then 1-2 mins after to drawMarleenai listened to the audio and i think the words u added helped out the script a lot ruve enhanced it moreso i just tested out the audio and i definitely agree, the way it is designed now is best suited to having the drawing/creating component after the audioi think if we want to create a more "immersive" and ASMR-like experience, keep the drawing and audio separateMarleenai really enjoyed the music of the audio, i think it fits the tone of the piece well my only thoughts are to add longer pauses between certain lines (like the one which says "i'll give u a minute" - this will help with immersion and give the audience space to think) and also refining the script more (tho i think it's pretty alright now)Marleenaother than that, only the final details are left. for the drawing/creating component, we can hand out A4 pieces of paper and any other materials to let people use (im sure the class will have stuff they can use to draw lmao) and for the audio part, i was thinking of just tearing up old rags and such for blindfolds we could probably also get bedsheets to block out the window light as well, if u guys wanted ImmiI agree with the audience closing their eyes but it might be enough for them to just close their eyes? As then they have to conscious of not seeing and focusing on imaging? Also it could be good to leave the drawing up to the audience where they either draw during or after?Like if they have an idea they can jot it down but then have time after to drawAPR 16TH, 12:36PMMarleenai agree blindfolds might not be necessary, i just thought it might be good for immersion if its completely dark for them (and if their eyes open up a little bit, they still cant see) - i think for the sake of being immersed in the audio, it would better to have drawing afterwards so they can concentrate on thinking of what they will drawMarleenaim a bit worried if we leave it up to the audience they will chit chat during the audio lolAPR 16TH, 6:26PMImmiTrue pointAPR 16TH, 10:55PMRad! Glad you guys like it yeah I definitely think I need to make some pauses longer, my brother said it pretty quickly. So you think the songs good to keep then? Yeah I reckon just to really immerse the audience we should blindfold them, and get them to draw once the voice says "open". The music will still be playing and I reckon keep it dark to keep the mood. Do you want to add anything else to the script? Also I reckon we should provide the art materials so we can point to that being the "responsibility" of us as the artist's APR 17TH, 9:45AMImmiYeah and I think discuss, in linking to marinas work, responsibility in terms of the 'creator' and whether the artist has to be the creator or whether the audience can be the creator etcYeah APR 17TH, 11:24AMMarleenaok, i will look over the script thing again soon - u guys can go over it again and add what u want as well umm im not really too sure what to add and i guess adding too much might be bad for time limit reasonsglad things are coming along!! feeling less stressed already lolOkay no props, I'll work on it later today all good! don't stressAPR 18TH, 9:52AMMarleenai just checked over the script again added a few things here and there! looking good guysTUE 8:34PMOkay cool, let's have it finalised by tomorrow night then? And I'll get my brother to say it again Marleenasure thing! im fine with it if everyones ok with this deadline ImmiYep cool! I'll have a look in the morn sorry I've been trying to get a science report done ahh haha tomorrow night is good though WED 9:16AMImmiokki cool i re-listened to the audio and left a couple of comments on the google doc in regards to specific parts. If you guys want to have a look and then we can workshop the ideas into the final piece? :)) keen to do it in class and see what results we get hahaMarleenahullo ur up early!! hahai just checked ur comments and took ur advice into account and removed+added things i think its pretty much done!! i think its pretty interesting how u felt super relaxed and didnt feel like making art afterwards listening to it am also keen to see what everyone else things - for me, its more like it inspires me rather than gives me great ideas etcWED 1:38PMImmiNice ! Yeah I think everyone will respond to it differently which is cool THU 1:11AMRad! I'll send the script again to my bro and then put together the piece, did you want me to keep the same musical soundtrack? Anything else you want me to add to it? We could even get the audience to just simply write one word about it or whatever as well THU 8:25AMMarleenaI think the same music is gr8, the only thing i rly wanna add is dramatic pauses xDFRI 12:04AMYeah great, I'll do it!FRI 9:37AMMarleenaso about the drawing bit, did any of youse have a4 paper and other drawing supplies at home that you could bring in for next wednesday?ImmiI've got A4 cartridge paperI've got pencils and heaps of mediums they can useAlso, what are we as the artist's going to do during this process?Are we going to do it too, or sit there as an object, watch and take notes, what?FRI 12:53PMImmimaybe we could also do it?then there isn't an 'us' and 'them' its just everyone responding to the audio?Marleenai think we might need to explain things a bit (like telling everyone to remain seated in the beginning and relax, and afterwards explaining we're going to give them to tools to draw what they want afterwards) because the audio isn't extremely explicit about thisso we might not be able to participate because we need to keep things running hahaImmitrueMarleenajust trying to think of the logistics because our class is pretty chatty/distracted sometimesImmior we could explain at the start everything and then the audio goes and once its finished we just have time to draw?haha true marleenaMarleenahahahayeah thats a good ideagive a little explanation at the beginning, prepare the art stuff, and then we can all participate togetherImminice :)) and then if we have to just stop and explain thats fine toowe won't really know how its going to pan out until we've done it any way! so will just have to see eee!Marleenayeah no worries at allid appreciate if u guys could bring in the art stuff you have, i will too, i dont thing we'll need much paper just one sheet for everyone (like 20-30pcs), will only need pencils and other basic stuff as well, not to mention everyone in class probs has their own stuff tooImmiyeah for sure! i don't have a whole heap of stuff just cos I'm at not living at home but I've got some acrylic paint that i could bring ? and ill bring what ever i can find :))FRI 6:12PMMarleenanice! thanks FRI 9:04PMYeah man I have heaps I'll bring it all! What if I get my brother to say all of that, so we don't have to even talk at all? That could be kind of cool - like we remove ourselves so that we become part of the artwork, instead of having to explain ourselves? And then we can participate too?MarleenaYou know, that could work! We'd have to figure out the timing etc but itd be awesome!! Okay, I'll tweak the script a bit and get it done!FRI 10:51PMMarleenathanks i will also tweak a little to help, if its not too lateYeah go ahead! I'll get him to do it tomorrowSAT 1:22AMImmiNice!!I'm happy to record stuff too if you need but otherwise it's looking v goodSAT 2:52AMSure, if you like just for continuity though do you think we should have just one voice? We could both record people tomorrow and compare the sound before I edit it if you like? SAT 8:14AMImmiHmm true, maybe it would work better with just one person? I guess depends if we want the instructions and audio to be connected or separate, what do you guys think?Marleenai think connected would be less jarring ImmiYeah true, ok in that case ruve are you ok in recording both parts?Marleenait should be ok, i just checked the script again and added in more instruction-type phrases and there's not much extra ImmiOk cool :))Marleenaso i read the script a dozen times lol, i was thinking instead of adding in the script "please use the materials at hand to create your artwork", we could have a slide on the projector instead say it? so that it kinda doesnt break the narrator's character as "our conscience"so that when everyone opens their eyes, they see the instructions on the projector to begin creating their artwork etcImmiYeah that could be good! We would just have to make sure that everyone stays on task I guess cos it could be easy for people to just stop thinking once the audio is over?Or we just have in the introduction that after the audio we will be drawingAnd then have the slide up? So that the audience is already thinking about creating a work from the audio and then once the audio is over they can go straight into it?Marleenai tried adding that bit to the audio but i think it breaks the atmosphere and also "ruins the surprise"cos i was thinking of our intentions and it might be better to have an authentic "first impression" by the audience?ImmiYeah trueMarleenaits kinda like, the intrigue plus if they knew theyd have to draw stuff, it might spoil the effect of the audioImmiYeah nice and then I guess linking to responsibility too and that they don't know before hand they are drawingMarleenayeah!ImmiYep I agree, will take away from the meditative aspectOk cool maybe we have the slideMarleenaalso about staying on task, the music will still be going during the drawing, and they're not drawing for too long, so it shouldnt get too crazyuhh hopefully LOLImmiHahaMarleenacos audio is what, 2 or 3 minsImmiYeah about thatI think 2 mins plus Intro?Marleenayeah i reckon it will be ok ImmiMaybe we can record the audio at the end of ruves brother saying the bit about drawing and then we can cut it out later if it interferes too muchBut at least we then have the option Marleenagood idea, doesnt hurt to try it outnice!! glad everything's coming along!! SAT 10:49AMYep cool, I'll get him to say it all then I'll do two recordings (we can use one for an experiment for Tumblr). If we have a slide, do you think the light of it will be too distracting? Or maybe we could have a really dark slide, almost like an artwork in itself, and have the words almost hidden there so they have to concentrate on reading it? Also, if we place paper in front of them they'll know they have to draw, so for an element of surprise we could perhaps place maybe a box with things in it secretly when they are listening (but then we can't listen) or we could just put the materials out front and let them choose? But that could take too longThoughts?MarleenaWhile their eyes r closed and theyre listening to the recording, we can just put on the slide and set up the art things we can make the slide have a black background with white textI think the light will be ok like that - also btw i dont think i will end up making blindfolds because it doesn't seem too necessaryI think it will be fine just asking them to close their eyes - simplicity is bestIts a shame if we do it this way we wont be able to participate, but it sounds like it will run most smoothly if we handle the behind the scenesIm not too sure wat u mean about placing a box with things in it, putting all the stuff out front sounds good and simple and i dont actually think it will take too longIm worried having the text be too unreadable will take focus away from the limited time they have to draw Yeah no not so unreadable they can't read it, just dark enough so the light isn't too much, but yeah a black background what I mean by a box is just having all the same materials placed inside maybe a box, one for each table, so they don't have to get up which should take less time?I know, what if we do the audio after we finish making it before class, and include it in our final product and compare ours as the artist's with the audience?That way we still get to do it and it could be more of a comparison?MarleenaThat would be pretty interesting do u mean doing it alone or meeting up?I think its a little l8 to meet up but i can try it out defsImmiYeah we could do it separately or before class if there's time?No we wouldn't have to meet up, I mean each of us do it respectively at home ImmiOk yeahMarleenaYeah defs!ImmiAnd we could also compare doing it by yourself vs with other peopleJust so it adds another element to it?Yeah!ExperimentsLolMarleenaI think the box idea for each table is gr8, you dont even have to get a box u can just evenly spread it out on each tableSo we could bring ours in and maybe even display them nicely whilst everyone has eyes closed? But maybe have them flipped so they can't see them until we reveal them at the end after they've drawn something?Yep okay cool MarleenaHahaha i like thatAlso, we don't want them to talk or look at each other's work right?What can we do to stop them doing this?MarleenaSlap their wrists with a rulerAlso don't forget the lights can't turn off, so are we blocking out the windows?Hahahah Hahahah#marinaMarleenaHahaAlso is there anything else that needs to be added to the script before I record?MarleenaWe could block them out, only thing wed need is sheets white is ok but still lets light in, black would be betterIts not entirely necessary but might be coolAlso ye done with the script, the blue writing is the instruction bits I think having the calming music playing moderately loud will make them not talk as much - should keep them in the moment for 2-3 minsSo maybe in the audio u could raise the volume of the music just a little during the creating phase? We could include on the slide that they shouldnt talk etc but i think that's the extent of our power Yeah great idea I can do that Okay I'm not sure I have any black sheets but let's see what we can findAnd good idea having the instructions in blue!I'm keenMarleenaBlue font! Good idea No stress, the sheets arent entirely necessaryRadMarleenaOH i thought u meant have the instructions in blue font xDLike on the slideHahah that's okay, what colour do you want them?MarleenaAhh it doesnt really matter as long as the background is black - i was thinking dark grey, white or calm blueYep coolSAT 9:42PMOkay so they are going to have about 40 seconds to get down their ideas lolBut that could be coolSAT 10:46PMOkay! I've done the edit, I'll send it through once it's uploaded and you can see what you think Also we should definitely give it a title Should we make note of the fact they don't have long and say that it was for a specific purpose?MarleenaSounds good! Good for reflectionAlso once I send it through, do you reckon we should get 3 people each to do it, and then we can compile these pieces together, maybe make a collage to post on Tumblr, and can display them on Wednesday as well?Just to add even more depth?https://www.youtube.com/uploadYouTubeShare your videos with friends, family, and the world.accounts.google.comhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNIUppJHQTYRUMINATION (audio artwork)This audio piece was a collaboration with two other art students. We have created an audio set of 'guidelines' in the contemplative stage, or the conceptual ...youtube.comsoz ignore the first one!I've called it Rumination for my youtube account, but if you don't like that we can change it! let me know what you guys think of it and if you want something changedAlso we can't forget to write our 300 words SUN 1:52AMImmi awesome! And thankyouu Haha would have likely forgotten about thatSUN 9:23AMMarleenaomg not gonna lie i completely forgot that as wellalso i think testing the audio out on ppl and displaying them is a nifty idea not entirely necessary tho so dont have to stress about itMarleenaso just listened to the audio... having a mixture of putting the instructions on the screen and having ur brother read them out worked surprisingly well! that was a good touch. i think we can actually afford to cut out some of the audio to make more time for the creating process at the endMarleenahmm ohh actually, i think a minute is alright, i just went over the audio againi went to the google doc and i underlined the chunk we could cut out if we wanted to extend the creating time, lemme know what u guys think im pretty happy with what we have so far btw, i think we did a gr8 jobSUN 9:58PMCool! I think I actually don't mind the monologue taking up most of the time, because for me personally, I see the work as something that stimulates the conceptual stage rather than focus on the production of a piece, so I reckon a minute is okay. But I can edit it again if you both like if we had a little extra time at the end we could possibly gather the pieces and display them out the front, but that may take too long anyway. Also, shall we all just write 100 words each about the project? Say we allocate a dot point each? Or would you prefer to do it a different way?Marleena100 words each sounds good Immiyeah i agree i think the drawing doesn't need to be too long as it is mostly about creating an image mentallyMarleenaYeah, im ok with not cutting much out tooImmiand yep 100 words sounds goodAlrighty, leave it as is then? Okay great, let's look at the rubric then decide what we shall each write?Also, do you mind if I post the vid to Facebook? I wanted people to do it and send me pics of their work, just to see what they created MarleenaLol no worries at all go ahead!Rad!I'm just looking up the assessment now Immiyes for sure!MarleenaYeah same Ahh sweetImmiim going to bed now cos I've got my stats exam tomorrow :// so will be able to do my 100 words tomorrow afternoon/ evening after the exmaMarleenaNo worries, good luck with ur exam Immiahhh thanks! hahaAll good! Good luck!!I think I need to make the music a bit louder during the drawing process?Just listened to itMON 8:35AMMarleenathat sounds like a good idea considering we're going to be playing it in a large room, which might make the music sound even softerso i checked what the 300 word statement has to be about, and it basically needs to include: the original artwork chosen, the relevant weekly topic, and the process of productionso yeah! we can just pick a subject each, and write 100 words on that if u guys dont mind, i will get started on "the original artwork"Yep cool! Immi want me to do the process of production so I can talk about the editing process?ImmiAwesome so I'll do weekly topic and how it links to responsibility?Marleenayup. woohoo! ImmiMarleenaso i just put mine in the end of our google doc for convenience MON 12:14PMImmiMON 7:25PMAwesome! Let's all put them there and then collate it so we can put it on our tumblrs MON 10:24PMHey girls! I've done my piece too, so I'm just editing them all together now, I hope that's okay how'd you go today Immi?ImmiGood exams all done and I've put up my 100 words to the docWill do the audio tomorrow and drawing etc tooI'm happy to edit them if you want ruve! You've done heaps of work already :))Awesome! Yeah I know, I'm stitching the three together It's okay I'm almost done! I'll post it and then you can change it if you like ImmiOkki cool :)) awesomeOh yes I'll do the audio tonight too! Though it's hard with us because we already know what to expectOk it's up so you can check and change if you like Chat Conversation EndSeen by everyone Type a message, @name...

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imaginedeux · 7 years

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On Your Left! Zack Merrick AU Part 9

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ‘

Trigger Warnings: Tattoos, Tattoo Needles, Self Image Issues

-Weeks Later; (Y/N)’s POV-

“Okay, I'm going to start, this is the last time you have to back out.” The tattoo artist said wiping at my ankle. I nodded before I looked away from him.

“You’re going to be okay, it’s smaller compared to the ones the rest of the crew have.” Zack said from next to me, his hand over mine, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles, trying to calm me down.

“Defiantly smaller than the one Rian has.” I said taking in a sharp breath feeling the needle come in contact with my ankle. “Yup, shit place for a tattoo.” I mumbled before Zack laughed.

“I told you to get it on your arm, but nooooo Pikachu knows everything.” Zack mocked as I flinched as the needle got closer to the bone.

“Yeah, this next part might suck, so Zack, can you make sure she doesn't move her leg.” The tattoo artist asked wiping the extra ink getting more to continue the line he was on. I turned to see Zack nod and place his other hand on my shin.

“You’re doing awesome (Y/N), just a little it more.” Zack whispered leaning his head against the side of my head. We had only gotten closer and closer after that night on the roof of the bus, it started with secret smiles, hand holding when no one was around, and most recent was cuddling with each other when we watched moves in the living room. “Hey, think about it, you’re the first one in the group to have a different kind of tattoo from everyone else.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to have an exact same one...” I smiled thinking back to when I designed the small skull with cross bones. It wasn’t that amazing of a design, it was simple, a couple of lines, no filling, it was different but it still looked like skull and cross bones the guys had.

“There you go, you’re all done.” The tattoo artist said putting a liquid onto the tattoo before wiping it away. I looked down at the quarter sized tattoo and smiled, it was exactly the way you had designed it.

“Thank you! Its exactly the way I wanted it!” I said happily giving the man a hug. “It looks like I'm officially a part of the All Time Low family.” I smiled at Zack who still had his hand on mine as the guy wrapped my ankle up.

“Babe, you’ve been a part of the family since the day you stepped onto the bus.” Zack chuckled lacing his fingers with mine helping me up from the tattoo chair. I blushed at the pet name, I still wasn't use to the pet names and the PDA we showed each other out in the open. After paying for the tattoo, hand in hand Zack and I stepped out of the cold shop into the warm air of Hawaii. About a week after tour ended, I temporarily moved in with Zack while we planned our adventures for after Christmas, where we’d spend it here on the island with a group of friends I was going to meet tonight. “So what do you want to do? We still have a couple of hours until we have to meet with my friends until the get together.”

“Not to sound like a total girl from a movie or something, but I still kinda need an outfit for tonight. Most of the clothing I brought with me from home fit a bit big on me.” I confessed blushing. The whole buying actual clothing was still new to me, in college I spent most of my time in jeans and band tees, and now I was in basketball shorts and old shirts.

“Thats nothing to be ashamed of (Y/N), we can go shopping for an outfit, and its not a fancy get together so you don't have to worry about that. Look there’s a store, we can start there and if you don't like anything we can go to another one.” Zack knew very well I was still kind of insecure with my body, and there were still shirts and pants that didn't fit me that well, so he knew that shopping for clothing was a scary thing to me. Luckily for me I was able to find a cute and comfortable outfit and some pretty sandals to go along with it within 30 minutes which gave us enough time to get to Zack’s place and get ready at a calm pace.

Getting to the house I quickly undid the dutch braids my hair were in since last night when I did them after my shower. This allowed my hair to become fake cork screw curls and gave me more time to do make up, which still took me life to do even if it was simple.

“Babe, you ready?” Zack asked knocking on the bathroom door I were behind applying some liquid eye liner for the millionth time.

“Yeah, sorry still getting the hang of liquid eyeliner!” I yelled ripping open door to find Zack putting on one of his snapbacks. “I should have asked at the store but does this look okay?” I asked looking down at my outfit, it was a loose light blue blouse that had a couple of buttons at the collar, one of which I left undone, some form fitting dark capri jeans, and some nice sandals, I left my tattoo wrapped not exactly sure where we would be heading throughout the night. I honestly felt like a mom on vacation, but I still felt comfortable.

“U-uh, y-yeah. You look incredible (Y/N).” Zack blushed looking at my outfit. He had a fit black tee on, some dark jeans and his usual Supras. “Wow.”

“Um, thanks. You look good yourself there Merrick.” I smiled walking past him to the room we’d been sharing since we got to the island, to grab my wallet and my cellphone. “Did your friends ask us to take anything?” I asked looking into the mirror one last time just to make sure I didn't look like a total fool.

“Um, yeah, I got it done while you got ready.” Zack explained coming up next to me as I messed with my hair a bit more. “Hey, you already look perfect, no need to worry.” He said grabbing my hand stopping it for messing with my hair more. “Come on, lets take a picture.” He smiled this time putting his arm around my shoulders.

“You really want to take a picture?” I asked looking up at him as he took his phone out and put it in selfie mode. “Hah! For once I actually look tiny next to you!” I laughed looking up at the camera, Zack taking a couple of shots while I laughed. “I wasn't ready!”

“You still look perfect (Y/N), but here we can take some on your accord.” He laughed handing me his phone.

“Yes, let the professional photographer take the pictures, now stand behind me.” I ordered him laughing. He stood behind me as pointed the camera at the two of us. He laughed seeing that he would have to bend down so his face could come out in frame. “Alright, one two three!” I said smiling while I took the pictures, Zack quickly kissed my cheek as I took the last photo.

“I think thats going to be my favorite.” Zack said grabbing the phone from my hands and ran out the room to the dining room. “Come on (Y/N), we need to leave!” Fifteen minutes later the two of us had arrived to the get together, food in tow.

“Liam!” Zack yelled seeing the man who was just as buff as Zack, open the front for the two of us.

“Zack! Long time no see, good to have you back on the island.” Liam said bringing Zack in for a huge hug. “And this must be the ever so popular (Y/N). When we would talk while you all were on tour, he couldn't shut up about you. Its nice to put a face to a name.” Liam said bringing me in for a hug, that wasn't as tight as the one received. “Come in, come in, were only missing a couple of people before we can really get this party started.” He yelled happily before grabbing onto the dish of food I was holding.

“You didn't tell me there were going to be this many people.” I whispered before most of the people in the house yelled for Zack.

“I didn't think there would be this many people either. Everything will be fine, if you need to out of here for a bit, just squeeze my hand twice and well find a quiet place to chill for a bit.” Zack whispered back holding my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. For the next 30 minutes Zack took me around introducing me to all of his friends, all of them, thankfully, were nice. Until we hit the last bunch of people.

“Hey Malia, Jess, Rick, nice to see you all again!”

“Nice to see you again man, long time no see. How you been?” Rick asked giving Zack a ‘bro hug’. “Who is this?” He asked gesturing towards me.

“This is my- um (Y/N). She’s our photographer and graphic designer for tour. We’re going to be traveling a bit after we celebrate Christmas here. So I thought it was a good idea to introduce her to everyone before Christmas in a couple of weeks.” Zack explained, gripping onto my hand a bit tighter. We never really talked about what we were with each other, we weren't in a relationship yet, but we were most defiantly not just friends.

“So you're sleeping with the help?” The red head questioned giving me a nasty once over. I suddenly felt as if I was taking up a lot more room than I should be.

“Jess, what the hell?” The blonde next to her yelled. “Im sorry (Y/N), Jess can be a bit, salty.”

“I’ll fight for whats mine Malia.” Hers? Wait was Zack in a relationship? Am I the other woman? I slowly let go of Zack’s hand stepping away from the group.

“Wait, no, I was never yours Jess! We went to lunch once, and we agreed nothing was going to happen between us.” Zack argued before looking back at me, trying to keep me near him. “Nothing ever happened between us Babe, I promise you.”

“Pet names already? Its funny how i’ve never seen Zack mention you once or even posted about you on Twitter or Instagram.” She shot back, the venom dripping in her voice.

“Because she asked me not to.” Zack retaliated, he was right, I had asked all the guys and Tom not to post any photos of me on any social media after the incident when Tom took a photo of Kellin, Zack and I, and Zack had his arm around my shoulders. Most of the comments were targeted at my weight, which was my main source of insecurity so I though I would make it easier on myself if there weren't any photos of me.

“Or maybe she realized that she’d never be good enough for you Zachary.” Jess said, throwing the finishing blow to my gut. I squeezed Zack’s hand twice, and ran.

#all time low #Zack Merrick #all time low imagine #zack merrick imagine #all time low au #zack merrick au #On Your Left Imagine #On Your Left! AU

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phillymakerfaire · 5 years

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Break Through is a podcast series about making. Making discoveries, making a difference in the community and making the world a better place. It’s the stories of startups and inventors who are developing products that have social value by solving real world problems. It’s about artisans and entrepreneurs who have broken through the mold to live their best lives.

In this episode we spoke with Terrance Vann; a multi-discipline artist, designer, and street-muralist in Wilmington, DE who has been highly recognized and received an individual artist fellowship from the state in 2017. His work has been shown across the region including the Delaware College of Art & Design. Terrance dove right in to tell us about his journey, what inspires his art, and how Blockbuster Video helped put him on his path.

Ron Bauman Terrance, thank you for joining us here today at NextFab South Philly. How are you?

Terrance: Blessed. It’s awesome to be here. I’m feeling some extreme creative vibes going on right now, so it’s awesome.

Ron Bauman Good, that is the desired effect of being here.

Terrance: Yeah, yeah, yeah, big time, big time. You’ve got robotic things happening, very cool.

Ron Bauman Well Terrance, why don’t you tell us who you are and a little bit about yourself.

Terrance: My name is Terrence, Terrence Vann, Terrance Ism. I go by different monikers, I guess you could say. I’m an artist. I’m from Wilmington, Delaware. I’m a painter, muralist, overall creative entity, I guess you could say. I just like to inspire people and just to stay in a creative place when I make my art, just to get it out there.

Ron Bauman Where do you find inspiration?

Terrance: Where don’t I find inspiration? Honestly, I’ve had bowls of cereal and got an idea from eating a bowl of cereal. I’m not even making that up. Putting my clothes on, I’ve been inspired by how my jeans wrinkle when I pull them up. One of my dreadlocks will fall down and be curled a certain way and it’ll make me think of an object in a painting.

Terrance: It could literally be anything at this point.

Ron Bauman How does that translate into your art?

Terrance: Vibrations, vibrations. It’s like finding a way to communicate that inspiration to someone who didn’t see what you saw. It usually boils down to a feeling more so than a literal image. Well for me and my art, so it’s like how do I get someone to feel how I felt when I was creating this?

Terrance: Not only that, but to see something through, whether it’s a symbol or a color even to tell a story, how do I do that? That’s what I’m constantly thinking about.

Ron Bauman Where did you find your passion for art? At what age? How did this develop for you?

Terrance: With Dragon Ball Z, oddly enough. Yeah, yeah, with Dragon Ball Z.

Ron Bauman All right.

Terrance: When I was in fourth grade, Dragon Ball Z was like the biggest show ever. All my cousins were actually fairly decent artists at the time. They were in like middle school and high school. I was in fourth grade just trying to do what they were doing with the little characters. My parents put me into the music side. Art was just always my thing. From there it just took on many different lives since then, from graffiti to all different types of things, yeah.

Ron Bauman You grew up in Wilmington, correct?

Terrance: I grew up in Wilmington. I traveled a lot as a kid, just back and forth. My family, like my mom and dad weren’t together, so I was always up here, in lower Delaware, Philly, all over the place.

Ron Bauman Right, do you think that had an effect on your art?

Terrance: For sure, for sure. I think it had an effect on me, because I had to constantly be thinking, because I’m in new environments all the time. You have friends here and then you have friends there and friends here. It’s not always the same.

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: It made me a creative person, and I come from a creative family. My cousins and my granddad is an artist. I think it was a thing that was meant to happen.

Ron Bauman Yeah, it’s in your genes?

Terrance: Definitely in the genes, yeah, yeah, for sure.

Ron Bauman What kind of art does your grandfather do?

Terrance: He’s strictly a portrait artist.

Ron Bauman Okay.

Terrance: He used to really make these like hyper-realistic portraits out of pencil.

Ron Bauman Painting? Oh, pencil.

Terrance: Pencil and charcoal.

Ron Bauman Okay, old school.

Terrance: Old school, yeah, definitely old school. It was funny, because when I started getting into it, I draw weird trippy stuff. I would be like, “Hey granddad, hey, check this out.” He’s just like, “What is that?” In the beginning they discouraged me. I won’t lie, because he was so technical and so clean and the generation gap of course. I don’t think he saw how the ideas translated that I was working on at the time. I mean, it didn’t discourage me, it just made me think, “Okay, well that’s not what I want to do.” You know what I mean? We don’t have a lot of art conversations. I think now he’s just like, “Whoa, I like those colors you used there.” “Those shapes, that’s really interesting.” I think his mind is opened since then.

Ron Bauman Now you ended up going to art school, you went to Delaware College of Art and Design?

Terrance: Well, I didn’t really fully attend there. I actually went to School of Visual Arts in New York, but then I dropped out. I was all over the place for a little bit, but I didn’t graduate from there. I actually ended up graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia doing web design.

Ron Bauman Oh, okay.

Terrance: I quit art completely. I was like, “Man, I just need to make some money, forget all this.” Web design …

Ron Bauman Was that a natural transition for you?

Terrance: No, no, you want to know what happened? I don’t think I’ve ever really told this story.

Ron Bauman Exclusive content, I love it.

Terrance: It is, it is so I applied, I dropped out and stopped. I had gotten a full ride to go to U Arts. I had a full ride to go to DCAD and a few other schools. I really wanted to go to SVA, because at the time, I think it was the number two school art school. I went up there and I got the full brunt of yuppie New York vibe. It wasn’t necessarily anything wrong, but it just discouraged me from what I thought art was in the art industry. A lot of kids had tons of money and they had ends that I didn’t have. I’m like, “Man, I’ve got 10 bucks and I’m in New York. This is tough, man.”

Ron Bauman Expensive city too.

Terrance: Yeah, the school was $75,000 a year. It was just like, “Oh, I can’t do this, man, this isn’t for me. Not for four years.” I was like, you know what? I’m going to apply to Temple for Tyler, because I had some friends that went there and I didn’t get in.

Ron Bauman Okay.

Terrance: At the time, I was 19, it really hurt my ego man. I thought it would be like I’m in, no problem. They saw I was in a school, they had my portfolio and I didn’t get in.

Ron Bauman Did you find out why?

Terrance: Terrible descriptions.

Ron Bauman Really?

Terrance: Really, at the time I had very limited ideas on how to express myself through writing. Trying to translate what my art meant, it just didn’t click. I could see them seeing it and being like, “This kid’s not ready. He may have the natural talent,” but I don’t think it really fit for that program.

Terrance: Long story short, I was depressed man. I dropped out, the school that I knew I was getting into had rejected me and I had no other plan. There was literally no other plan. I moved back home with my mom from New York, and I was just bummed for six, seven months. Just was like, “Man, forget art.” You know what I mean?

Terrance: I’m not even doing this, because I saw what happened in New York. I just got rejected on the school that I really in my heart of hearts wanted to go to. I started working at Blockbuster, oddly enough. I mean, who knows what that is …

Ron Bauman You’re not old enough to work at Blockbuster, come on.

Terrance: The last year it was around.

Ron Bauman Were you at the last Blockbuster?

Terrance: No, but probably one of the last 10, no joke, one of the last 10. I started working at Blockbuster, because I had a friend that worked there and I could get a bunch of video games for free. I was like, “All right, cool.” Oddly enough, she had met somebody up here in Philly that was like, “Do you know anybody that does art or that …”

Terrance: He was a recruiter for Art Institute of Philly.

Ron Bauman Okay.

Terrance: They have a conversation. She calls me up and says, “Hey, I told this guy all about you. Would you want to do an interview with him for school?” I was like, “Man, whatever man.” I’m like, “Is this guy just trying to poach me just because he has a quota to fill or blah, blah, blah?”

Terrance: I was just like, “Nah, man.” Then I just looked at the website, I was like, “You know what? I don’t got shit that’s going on. I’m working at Blockbuster. It’s not like it’s some high end job here.

Ron Bauman The clock’s ticking, right?

Terrance: Yeah, yeah, it’s not a lot of career advancement. Then they shut the store down.

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: I’m like, all right, the store got shut down. I got the guy’s email, emailed him. He shows me the stats. I said, “What can get me a job?” He said, “Web design is a 98% job placement rate.” Signed up right there, and there was no portfolio needed, so I was like, “Hey …”

Ron Bauman Blockbuster was that final shove that you needed to get back to art school?

Terrance: Yeah, it was, it was.

Ron Bauman Never would have saw that coming.

Terrance: Yeah, so Blockbuster, once it shut down, I was like, “Man, I might as well try this.” Once I started, I forced myself to fall in love with it.

Ron Bauman What period of time is this? What year was this that you ended up at Art Institute?

Terrance: Late 2010 into 2011.

Ron Bauman Okay. Still a lot of web design activity, and the front of it, obviously websites were around at that point, but still very much at the height of people needing web design.

Terrance: Oh, it was like the boom. The mobile app boom.

Ron Bauman Right, exactly.

Terrance: It was a good field to get in and I was doing graffiti at the time, so I was living like two lives. I had my little graffiti game that I ran with, and then I was going to school. During that time it was a wild time, it was a wild time.

Ron Bauman Were you back living in Philly now at this point?

Terrance: No, so I was living in Wilmington at first and then I ended up moving back to Philly probably when I had one year left in my tenure there.

Ron Bauman How long did you go there for?

Terrance: Three years. It was really nutty, because I was waking up at 6:00, walking to the train station, which was 10 blocks from my house. Catching the train from Wilmington for my 8:00 AM class, and had three classes all four hours long, and then catch the last train to come back into Wilmington and then go paint outside in the streets for about four or five hours after that.

Terrance: I had a job at a restaurant, and so I was just running wild at that time. I think a lot of it was because of the art not really materializing like how I wanted to.

As the conversation progressed, Terrance described how he started his career in web design for corporate America, and the role it played in his art.

Terrance: After I graduated, I got a job the next day. I literally got a job.

Ron Bauman They weren’t kidding about that 98%!

Terrance: They were not kidding, like it was almost too soon, because I was like, “Damn -”

Ron Bauman Give me some down time, right?

Terrance: Yeah, like I’m trying to –

Ron Bauman Decompress.

Terrance: At the same time, the job was offering me $16 an hour, which I was like, “Hey man,” I was working in a restaurant for tips. I was like, “I need health care, all these different benefits that they have, hey, I’m in there.” I was working for Yellow Book actually, the phone book company.

Ron Bauman You go from Blockbuster to the Yellow Pages.

Terrance: Yellow Pages, it was the same thing when I got there, they went through a whole company rebrand and changed it to Hibu, which was weird.

Ron Bauman Yeah, I remember that.

Terrance: Yeah, yeah, so they changed to Hibu.

Ron Bauman The online directory type of thing?

Terrance: Exactly, so I was in the web department doing that.

Ron Bauman Okay.

Terrance: It was just a factory man. I mean, we’re talking –

Ron Bauman Not artistic at all.

Terrance: No, no, just fields of cubicles.

Ron Bauman Just cranking out –

Terrance: Yeah, cranking out subpar material, just because. Not even for any artistry. I was working there and at first it was cool, I could buy some new clothes, I got a car. I was just getting used to even being able to support myself.

Ron Bauman Existing, right.

Terrance: Right, and then about a year in really just corporate America really hit me. I was like, “Whoa, this is big, there’s something going on here that’s representative of something I don’t want to be a part of and not in that capacity.” Do you know what I mean?

Terrance: I started to be a defector, like I stopped going to meetings. I was one of the best designers there, so no one would really bother me, because I could take all the extreme clients. I was really good at customer service, so I was the only guy that could really take the extreme clients and do it right there on the phone.

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: They would pretty much let me do whatever I wanted. I stopped going to meetings and it all started because someone told me to take my hat off. There’s people walking around the office with hats on. I’m like, “Why do I have to take my hat off man?”

Terrance: They’re like, “It’s a department to department thing. I’m like, “We’re on the same floor.”

Ron Bauman Right?

Terrance: I’m literally sitting next …

Ron Bauman Why isn’t just a company thing?

Terrance: Right, I’m sitting next to the IT guy, I’m sitting next to DNS and they have hats and they’re chilling and it was all casual anyway. I’m like, “Why are you asking me to take my hat off?”

Ron Bauman You weren’t client facing, right? You’re probably all over –

Terrance: No, no, no client facing at all, so I was just like, “I see what’s going, you guys are trying to control me, man, that’s what’s really going on.” I started doodling and that’s when I started growing my hair. My locks are literally my journey into art like how long they are, because that’s exactly when I started growing my hair as a protest for them telling me to take my hat off. It started to get wild man.

Ron Bauman That’s awesome.

Terrance: During that process, when I started to grow my hair out, I started to then care less. Now I’m in there doodling. I was borrowing everyone’s highlighters. I had this huge highlighter repository in my joint. I would do these little doodles, I’ll show them to you after.

Ron Bauman Yeah.

Terrance: During my 15 minute break, and then it started being 30 minutes. Then I’m doing hour long, full blown drawing illustrations in the office. People are walking by like, “Hey man, can you draw something for me?” I’m like, “Yeah, sure man.” I’ll draw something for their little desk.

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: A few months later I looked down into my drawer, I have a stack like this, hundreds, hundreds of sketches, hundreds of sketches. People were like, “What are you going to do with them? What’s the goal?

Ron Bauman What can you do with them?

Terrance: What can I do? Then it hit me, it hit me literally like a gift. They had industrial scanners.

Ron Bauman At the Yellow Pages.

Terrance: At Yellow Pages. The great thing was –

Ron Bauman Top of the line printer equipment, everything, right? Technology, right?

Terrance: All of it, so I had all the apps I needed and I made a book out of them. I literally made a book all on company time. Literally the entire thing was on company time and I called it killing time. Yeah, that’s what got me started. I made this book, and during that process I started to get back into painting, which I hadn’t done for years.

Terrance: I was terrible at it, and it was really starting to … I was like, “Man, I’ve got to get better at this. I have all these drawings, but it doesn’t feel impactful enough. A painting will take it so much further.” I started just staying up all hours of the night. I’m used to the graffiti hours, so it wasn’t really a problem.

Terrance: I’d get home from work. I was painting 5 to 10 hours after I get home from work.

Ron Bauman Wow.

Terrance: At a certain point –

Ron Bauman Getting obsessive with it.

Terrance: It was just getting crazy, and I knew I no longer really wanted to work at that job. I was putting literally all of my spirit and energy was going into this. Then I would just post little things on Instagram about just what was happening to me just overall with the art and everything.

Ron Bauman What year is this by the way?

Terrance: This was 2014.

Ron Bauman Okay, so Instagram is really starting to hit and get popular?

Terrance: Exactly, exactly. The drawings that I was doing each day, since I would get to work at 7:00 AM, I would check Twitter and get all the news before anyone’s awake. I would do the drawings. It was like magic to people, because by 11:00 AM the news that they’re just hearing about already had a topical drawing about it.

Ron Bauman You were drawing inspiration from current events and news and things you were seeing on Twitter, and then making art from that and putting it on Instagram.

Terrance: Exactly, and some of them were going viral, because it was like no one was up.

Ron Bauman So timely and topical.

Terrance: Exactly, and this was before Instagram was super artist heavy. It wasn’t really a lot of that topical –

Ron Bauman You were cutting through all that static.

Terrance: Exactly, exactly, so it got to a point where then people were just like, “Hey man, what are you doing? Where are you going with this?” And I was like, “You know what? I want to have an art show.” I didn’t know what it really meant to have an art show.

Terrance: Things just started to fall together at a point where it was just beyond synchronicity. It was just actual purpose. Then I recognized it, and that’s when everything changed. I recognized it, not like, “Oh, this is happening. Oh, that’s a coincidence.”

Terrance: Like, no, this is happening because you’re literally supposed to be doing this. You’re not supposed to be doing anything else, especially at this time. Once I recognized that, I was like, oh, no fear. I don’t care about my eight bosses that I have.

Terrance: I’m scanning hundreds of drawings in front of them, like literally in the executive quarters area. I’m scanning these drawings and people are just walking by like this is normal. I was like this is the what I’m supposed to be doing. Then I get a call from a buddy of mine who’s like, “Hey I have a girlfriend who’s opening up a tea shop/gallery. She just opened it up and she wants to have -”

Terrance: I went and looked at the space and I was like … It just like popped into my mind, like literally a just another gift. I saw the whole layout. I knew exactly what I had to do.

Ron Bauman You visualized it, you knew exactly what you wanted to do?

Terrance: I knew exactly, because literally the art series that I was working on, she had painted her walls all these crazy colors. I had no clue. I walked in and saw this and met her and everything, and then she didn’t really see my art though.

Terrance: We just had a conversation, and this is when I knew. The next time I brought the entire collection and was showing her and she cried, she teared up, because she knew what was about to happen. In February I had the show, it was called Life Through Color and 200 people show up.

Ron Bauman Wow.

Terrance: I make like $1,000 my first show. I sold out all my prints and it was just like complete confirmation. I had no other experience on curation or anything like that.

Ron Bauman That’s amazing.

Terrance: I was like, “Oh yeah, I’m out of here man.” Probably seven months later, so I had the show in February, so that year, and I was still working at Hibu, that year from February to November, I either had or participated in about 10 art shows.

Ron Bauman Okay.

Terrance: Once people saw it, it just started to exponentially grow. By November I quit –

Ron Bauman Each one more successful than the last?

Terrance: I wouldn’t say that, but it was like the first one was so big that it was just adding to momentum though. They saw this first one, and they were like, “All right, well how did this … ” Everyone was asking me how I did it and I’m like, “I don’t know man, like I really don’t know.”

Ron Bauman It started with doodles.

Terrance: Yeah, seriously, because a lot of seasoned artists weren’t … It was almost like a coup happening. No one had anticipated it, it came out of nowhere. It changed the whole city, like once once they saw, because I didn’t take any of the avenues to get there that everyone else took.

Ron Bauman This is happening in the creative district down in Wilmington along Market Street?

Terrance: Absolutely, absolutely, and I was one of the first artists that they reached out to, to really start to facilitate some community relationships. It was so surreal to me, because I’m like, I don’t even know how I got here. Do you know what I mean?

Terrance: I’m still working and it came to November and I get this email. It’s from my friend who’s been poaching the Philadelphia Mural Arts listserv and just forwarded them to me. She’s like, “The Sixers need somebody to come up with these mural programs.”

Terrance: I’m like at my desk, at my job and this is when I knew I was going to quit. I was just like at my desk, if I call this man …

Ron Bauman This is it, right?

Terrance: I had no mural experience at the time. Yeah, exactly. I had no mural experience at the time. I had no programming experience at the time.

Ron Bauman Are you a Sixers fan?

Terrance: Oh yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

Ron Bauman Right, so you’re excited, right? This is exciting for you, right?

Terrance: As soon as I saw the Sixers, I was just like, “Okay, if I can somehow weasel my way into being this experienced artist that they’re looking for, I’m in, it’s over at this job.” I knew it, so literally I get on the phone, go into the break room and I call the guy.

Terrance: I’m like, “Hey, I saw your email, I’m an artist here based in the Philadelphia area, blah, blah, blah.” He was just like, “Well, send me some stuff.” I’m just panicking, like, all right, “Let me get some stuff together and I’ll send it to you tomorrow.”

Terrance: Sent it to him. I didn’t hear back until the end of the week. I was just like at my desk, just like please, please. The guy was like, “Oh, it looks great. We’ll give you a call next couple of days and we’ll start setting up how to get you the supplies, blah, blah, blah.”

Terrance: I was just like boom, do you what I mean? The following week, I was just looking around and –

Ron Bauman On cloud nine?

Terrance: Yeah, I knew it was over. I told my manager, I was cool with my manager and I told him, I was just like, “I’m done here. I’m not doing two weeks, I’m not doing any of the formal exit stuff, I’m just done Friday.” She was just taken back, but she was like, “You know what? Everyone knew it was coming.”

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: Do you know what I mean? My coworkers came to my first show and they were just like, “Who the hell is this guy?” Do you know what I mean? Then I quit my job and simultaneously while quitting my job, it was all on faith, but I moved into a new apartment.

Terrance: All my bills doubled and I quit my job, do you know what I mean? I’m trying to tell my girl, I’m just like, “Trust me please. I know this sounds crazy, but it’ll work out.”

Ron Bauman Yeah, just believe in yourself.

Terrance: I was just believing like pure, because the events that got me there were so out of my control that I was just like, “This is going to happen, we don’t have to worry,” do you know what I mean? The next month in December, someone who bought some art from me calls me and is like, “Hey, I have two extra tickets to Art Basel in Miami if you want to go.”

Terrance: It was insane, so right after I got done the Sixers thing, we go down to Miami for Art Basel, which is the central art experience in the country really. This is two months after I quit my job. I go down there, first I walked into a hotel that was having an art show.

Terrance: All the art shows are mostly free. I walk in there and Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys are standing right there. Do you know what I mean? I walk into another show and literally bump into Kehinde Wiley, literally bump into him. He turns around, I’m like, “Whoa.”

Terrance: It was just another confirmation, you can take this to the highest level, do you know what I mean? Then I started 2016 off, no job, the most inspired I ever been in my entire life and my rent was paid for two months. I didn’t have to stress on it.

Ron Bauman Right.

Terrance: I just went to town, I painted a whole art show in two weeks, just locked in, just literally locked myself in the studio and was painting for 12 hours a day just off of pure inspiration.

Ron Bauman That’s awesome.

Next Terrance describes his impressions of Nextfab, his first project region’s top makerspace, and being an “artrepreneur”.

Terrance: For years I was just trying to get so good at painting that I wasn’t really thinking about how I could create, not only with other mediums, but in a 3D space. Recently that’s been something I’ve really been trying to focus on, because I’ve got to a place with painting that’s beyond what I thought I could get to.

Terrance: It’s a bizarre, like weird. It’s like I thought it would take me like 10, 15, 20 years to get to the point where I’m able to paint some of the things I can do now. It’s just like, okay, I have to do something else.

Ron Bauman You need another outlet.

Terrance: Right, I need another outlet or this is going to start feeling like a task.

Ron Bauman You just get tired of it after a while. It’s like a musician who keeps playing the same type of music all the time. You can only play the blues for so long before you move onto jazz or country or whatever.

Terrance: Yeah, just expanding what you believe you’re capable of. When I’m in here and I’m seeing 3D printers and I’m seeing laser cut wood being made into these beautiful designs and all these tools, this has been outside of my reach for so long, because I couldn’t afford a 3D printer to … Do you know what I mean?

Terrance: Some of these things just haven’t really been in my consciousness. Walking through here is like walking through Willy Wonka, a chocolate factory type thing for artists, so it’s trippy.

Ron Bauman Awesome, well, I probably know the answer to this, but do you consider yourself an artist or an entrepreneur?

Terrance: Artrepreneur.

Ron Bauman Artrepreneur?

Terrance: Artrepreneur, yeah. Yeah, I’m going to blend them, because artrepreneur is an artist on conveying ideas, developing an idea. An entrepreneur can come up with a new way to develop toilet paper and be a billionaire. Do you know what I mean? Had nothing to do with creative spark, but then artists are, it’s going to sound weird, but artists are almost like a different species of like …

Terrance: It’s almost like some X Men type stuff. Do you know what I mean? A lot of artists, since they’re so in their own minds, a lot of the time they don’t really know how to monetize what they’re doing and how to develop it. I talk to a lot of artists, and the thing that’s missing is they never got encouraged to do that.

Terrance: What’s been reinforced in their mind is that artists are going to be starving. Artists aren’t going to be able to –

Ron Bauman I was going to say, and you’ve really bucked that stigma. You’ve slapped it right in the face. Terrance: Well, there’s ups and downs. Do you know what I mean? I’ve made a lot of money and then bills, parking tickets, court fees, things can add up, do you know what I mean?

Ron Bauman Those who make a lot, you tend to spend a lot too.

Terrance: Yeah, well and it takes a lot to maintain. Making my own prints, developing my own banners.

Ron Bauman It’s not all profit.

Terrance: No, no, no, definitely not. I mean shoot, you can make $10,000 and you’ve got to spend $9,500 on the next project or something. It’s like, “Damn -”

Ron Bauman It forces you to look at it in more of a business sense, as opposed to truly holistically an art form?

Terrance: Absolutely, and I knew I didn’t want it to be just a hobby, so I had to change my thinking. I think because of the first show being so monetarily successful, it supercharged that, because I didn’t have to go through five years of it not working out and not being able to make the money.

Terrance: I saw that it could make money immediately. A lot of artists just didn’t know how to do it. It was because I was working at a place that I learned how to scan my own images, I could scan my paintings and make my own prints. Some artists didn’t know how to do that.

Terrance: I had entrepreneur friends, so I signed up with PayPal and got the card reader for the first show.

Ron Bauman Sure.

Terrance: I had things in place in my mind that were bigger than just creating as an artist. It’s a mix of things.

As our guest always do, Terrance concludes with some advice for aspiring artists.

Terrance: Number one, belief that you can do it, and believe that there’s something larger to you that will help you do it when you’re locked into it.

Terrance: The universe really is paying attention to your intention. If you’re like, “Hey, I want to be an artist,” that’s one level, there will be no response. Then if you’re like, “Hey, I want to be an artist,” and then you start doing it, then it’s a little opportunity comes your way.

Terrance: All right, you could get one opportunity and I’ve seen some people get opportunities and their ego explodes, do you know what I mean? Then that actually prevents them from being able to manifest further things. Believe, stay humble, stay aware of yourself as you grow, and stay aware of the market you’re in, your surroundings.

Terrance: Just stay aware period and have fun with it. Have fun with it somewhere. Even if you’re painting about tough subject matter or have fun painting it, like the actual physical part of painting it, or have fun marketing it. Somewhere along the line, have a lot of fun with it, so that you stay almost in the mind space of a kid.

Ron Bauman Right. It keeps you genuine. Keeps it authentic.

Terrance: Absolutely, absolutely. The last thing I would say is work hard, period. That’s actually the number one for real. I mean, some people are blessed where things just happen, but there’s a lot of internal work that could have happened that people don’t see, do you know what I mean?

Terrance: For me, I do so much mental work before I even get to the canvas. It’s almost harder than physical work.

Ron Bauman Are you ready to have some fun with this Philly weekly box?

Terrance: Yes, yes.

Ron Bauman Let’s give our audience a little a clue into what we’re doing. Terrance here for his first project at NextFab is going to work on a collaboration with Philadelphia Weekly, who is refurbishing their old newspaper boxes. They’ve got a bunch of new ones in. We’re going to take the old ones.

Ron Bauman We’re going to decorate them. We’re going to find some other artists. Terrance is going to be the inaugural artist decorate the PW box here in the paint room at NextFab South Philly. You ready? Terrance: I’m ready.

Ron Bauman Awesome. Well thank you very much for speaking with us today, Terrance. We really appreciate you taking the time traveling up here. Your story is truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see around the shop.

Terrance: Yeah, appreciate it, man. Thank you.

Ron Bauman All right, man, you got it.

Terrance: No doubt, no doubt.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Break Through. I’m your host, Ron Bauman, serial entrepreneur, founder of Milk Street Marketing, and NextFab member. To learn more about how NextFab can make your ideas come to life, visit nextfab.com and be sure to follow #nextfabmade on social to see what our members are making.

The post Break Through: Terrance Vann appeared first on NextFab.

#IFTTT #NextFab

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elkanee · 7 years

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Login Search NEWS LIFESTYLE BEST OF MTL THINGS TO DO IN MTL Share 0Like us on Facebook! @umontreal Sponsored content Emilie Gosselin · January 18, 2017 Choosing which university to attend can be a rather overwhelming process – at least, it was for me. Hours of research and endless pro/cons lists later, I was still so indecisive that I applied to nine different places. NINE. Fun fact #1: I ended up at Concordia University. Fun fact #2: Now I’m at UdeM! (and no, you don’t need to be strictly francophone to study here) Application deadlines are just around the corner, and there are many things to take into consideration before making the final decision, from teachers and programs to overall campus life. Well I’m here to make your life a bit easier and let you in on some of the great reasons you should study (or should have studied) at Université de Montréal! 1 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Leafy Campus Located on the side of Mount Royal Park, near the historical Oratoire St-Joseph, the campus at Université de Montréal is absolutely breathtaking and offers loads of hidden spots to explore and hike or even to study if you’re looking to get some fresh air between classes and take in the view. Comprised of 40 buildings, UdeM is easily accessible via metro, bus and bike paths. 2 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their World-Class Education Québec’s largest teaching and research institution and 2nd among research universities in Canada, Université de Montréal is also one of the top 100 institutions in the world in the field of life science and medicine, and ranked 35th for pharmacy and pharmacology! Its world-class research facilities make choosing UdeM a no-brainer if you’re at all interested in Science and Health Studies. And not only do you get to fulfill yourself intellectually when studying at UdeM, you stand out from other job applicants because of the renowned quality of your education. 3 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Flexible Programs UdeM offers flexible and customized programs within its 15 faculties and schools, so you basically can take linguistics and psychology classes, for example, while doing a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience! Your degree can also focus on two main fields at once, such as Communications and Political Science, so out of the 250 undergraduate programs, you’re sure to get what you are looking for out of your time at UdeM. Faculties and Schools at UdeM include: Environmental Design (architecture/urban studies), Law, Medicine, Music, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Education, Veterinary Medicine, Kinesiology, Optometry, Public Health, Continuing Education, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. 4 -You wish you went to Université de Montréal because they offer a Multicultural Experience Université de Montréal offers a vibrant multicultural environment, with over 9,000 international students and teachers from around the world. There are also courses available at their language center for almost every modern spoken language and culture, so if you’re planning on working in a multicultural environment, in another country, or simply travelling, all the resources you need are in one establishment. And if you want to study abroad, UdeM is affiliated with 486 establishments in 30 different countries and offers university exchanges that allow you to discover a new culture, and even a new educational system altogether! 5 -You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Awesome Workshops With over 150 training and development workshops, there is certainly no shortage of ways to better yourself, learn new skills or challenge yourself at Université de Montréal. From theater, singing and dance lessons to jewelry making and film animation, you are sure to find something to enrich your life, and enhance your overall university experience! 6 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their fun Cultural Activities and Contests Each year, Carrefour SAÉ hosts a kick-ass frosh week, which they call Semaine A, wherein you can participate in a ton of fun activities to start off the academic year, including outdoor yoga as shown in the photo above!! The FAECUM student organization also organizes a winter carnival, as well as multiple concerts and other cultural activities throughout the year. There is also a cinema on campus at Université de Montréal, where they show a number of movies every week, for a minimal fee! As for exciting challenges, UdeM participates in an inter-university comic book contest, as well as a photography contest, wherein you can win up to 500$! And they also put together a variety show every year in March to highlight its talented students – those who aren’t necessarily following a Performing Arts program. So if you have a knack for performing, whether you’re a comedian, singer, dancer, playwright or storyteller, you have a shot at performing on stage alongside your talented peers. 7 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Sports Clubs and Facilities With the largest university athletic center in Québec, Université de Montréal has a wide array of sports clubs and facilities to accommodate whichever way you prefer to stay in shape. You can try out for one of UdeM’s competitive sports teams – be a part of les Carabins! – such as cheerleading, soccer, football, swimming, hockey, downhill skiing, cross-country and rugby! Athletic clubs also include rowing, cross-country skiing, baseball, squash, triathlon, and hear this: they have a Quidditch team! Say whaaaat! Their sports center also offers many recreational courses for all types of physical activity, including rock-climbing, martial arts, fitness, golf, and even snowshoeing! 8 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Reputable Teachers Each year, UdeM makes a point to hire new waves of teachers as a refresher for the staff as well as the students in terms of approach and experience. On campus you can run into renowned professors from major universities from around the world, such as Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, U of T, UBC and Paris-Sorbonne. 9 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because of their Green Initiatives One of my favourite things about UdeM is their ongoing effort to cultivate a more sustainable environment. They compost food scraps in student cafés, have four FIXIT stations for bicycle repairs, and even collect and recycle old sunglasses and pens! The campus is entirely free of plastic water bottles, and just a few months ago they set up a bunch of tables near the cafeteria to sell used clothing. Pretty sweet initiatives if you ask me. 10 – You wish you went to Université de Montréal because… they’re in Montreal! Let’s face it, Montreal is simply the best place to be a student. With one of the largest post-secondary student populations in the world, it’s the greatest research city in Canada, has a bilingual population, an extremely vibrant cultural and artistic scene, a SAFE environment, affordable cost of living, remarkable quality of life, European atmosphere, etc. etc.!! If there’s one thing I’ve learned about choosing the right university, it’s that it certainly doesn’t hurt to apply. Once the door is open, then – trust me – the best option for you will be clear as day! Visit Université de Montréal’s website to find out more about admissions and programs, and check out their Facebook page for all the latest news and info! And if you’re in Ottawa this weekend, meet up with UdeM reps this Saturday, January 21st. This article is part of a sponsored content activation. Learn how we can promote your company > favorite Share Emilie Gosselin MORE FROM MTL BLOG: 9 “Zero Waste” Restaurants In Canada You Need To Try Before You Die 14 Places In Montreal With Nicknames That Only True Montrealers Would Know About 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Canada’s 24,000 KM Great Outdoor Trail JOIN THE DISCUSSION MTL Blog daily, in your inbox email address Subscribe KEEP ON READING Lifestyle100 The 10 Best Decisions You Can Make In Montreal MTL Blog · 22 hours ago Things To Do In MTL1.4K 50 Poutines To Eat At Montreal’s Winter Poutine Festival 2017 Miranda Cipolla · 2 days ago Best Of MTL 11 Cheap Spas Close To Montreal You Can Take Your Girlfriend To For Valentine’s Day Emily Draicchio · 4 mins ago Advertise Contact Us Jobs Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions © 2017, Narcity Media inc.

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