Very famous and important artists that I should really know the name of at this current moment in time. (This post was made under extreme outside duress, topical research and not at all a caffeine addled and procrastinary state that no one asked for.)
Is it the effort, the thought, the talent? The execution? What makes it so magical?
I've uncovered the secret.
It's this metallic rich espresso paint
This is the secret of these things. The influential root of their genius. There are no other reasons. It's not just that I really like this paint/colour (plus the obvious similar colours in it's colour spectrum and relation such as copper, or the shade of green that would pair really well with this. That pearly white or the kind of white that's really white. You know the kinds; aesthetic fall in paint form.)
All the people in my carefully curated list of sources have used this in their colour palates. They seem to gravitate, at least in the specific examples that I pick out and generalize, have a thing for this spectrum of metallic colours.
The point to all of this you ask? There is none. Somehow this paint shade is involved. This is how I recommend things. You should all know this by now.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) is, at it's basic level, a cartoon starring a horse. According to the synopsis for the movie, Spirit sets out on 'an action-packed quest against impossible odds to regain his freedom and save his homeland...' things happen, people are met, story happens. It's an incredible movie that had a deep impact on me when I was a kid and it's never lessened with time. If anything I appreciate it all the more. If you have seen it, you know. If you haven't, ignore this whole post and go watch it. If you have seen it and decided you don't like it, this blog is not for you. Get out.
As the on-the-nose-yet-necessary-name-Spirit suggests, he's the embodiment of the wildness, the spirit of the west. In the movie Spirit gets captured after spotting evidence of humans and out of curiosity he goes off to investigate. After getting captured (mostly because he is protecting his herd, but originally because he was cocky) from his herd and home to be bought by this militant Calvary group. The Colonel in charge decides the way to break his spirit is to starve him for 3 days with no food or water. But Spirit can't be broken. When the Colonel tries to ride him to show his domination if you will and finds that even when Spirit is on the verge of falling over, he will fight back and this challenges the Colonel's image and ego. When the Colonel realizes that Spirit is refusing to be owned, he goes for a gun to kill him. Because he can't have him, no one will.
When Spirit is in the camp of Little Creek, he is not bridled or tied down. He's in a pen. A much looser containment system then the rigid Calvary, but he's still not free. The thing with Spirit, is that he will do whatever he needs to do to be free. The Calvary's attempted mark of ownership was going to be a brand. Little Creek tries to paint a brand on him. Obviously this is a far less intense version, but it's still a mark of ownership and Spirit doesn't give him the satisfaction.
The key difference after this failure to show this mark of ownership was that the Colonel tried to kill him. He wanted to own him. Little Creek simply laughs it off. While this process clearly worked fine for other horses, Spirit won't be something owned. That's kind of the point. Spirit had deep loyalties, but he was never something that was ever going to be owned. He had his own things. He had his own herd, his own home. His home/family being the most important thing that he would do anything for. He wasn't going to stay for anyone. This wasn't his. It wasn't home.
In The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, there's a fox. The little prince and the fox have a conversation where they talk about being tamed. The fox explains that being tamed means that one has to establish ties. That those ties are what tames him. Then he can play with the little prince because now they mean something to each other. Now they have importance to each other, rather than just being like any other little boy or fox.
Everyone trying to keep Spirit didn't realize one very critical thing about him. They made the mistake in thinking that because he was wild, they could 'tame' him. But really he had already beentamed in his own way. His home was his ties. Hence the importance in the narration when Spirit says that he wanted to share his homeland with Rain later on in the movie.
Little Creek eventually starts to understand Spirit. He treats him less like something to be kept. When he goes to ride him, he already knows Spirit won't be bridled, so he doesn't try. Every time he tries to ride him, he takes away anything that makes Spirit feel contained. Eventually he lets Spirit go altogether. This is the only moment that Spirit ever shows indecision. For a moment, he almost stays. Suddenly this thing has gotten more complicated. What was so clear at the beginning he's now a little less sure of. Incidentally, Little Creek is the only person Spirit lets ride him willing. The only person that he knew wouldn't hold him back. In saying this, Spirit also puts his own initial plan on hold when the ones that he cares about are in danger. When Little Creek's camp his attacked, Spirit goes to save them.
It's funny the moments of symbolism that happen so naturally. When Rain looks at the apple in the tree but knows it's too far for her to reach. She has a moment where she longs for it, but then shrugs it off and eats the grass. She wants something, but doesn't know that she can take it. It's too far and so she can't have it. Spirit doesn't have to make the discovery that she can have it. He already knows. It's not a matter of not getting it, he's going to. But he did notice that she wanted it. So he made it something reachable. He sort of defies his own limitations. Because sometimes he believes he can fly. And yet it's not even a passing thought to him. He just does it.
There's an argument or at least an observation to make between the parallels of her looking longingly at this thing out of her reach and Spirit's look where it's already his. It's just a reminder of what he already has. There's several moments in the movie where it shows that Rain longs for the same thing, the same need for freedom that Spirit has. She just hasn't let herself take it yet. Also the hilarious part about her, considering everything that Spirit does, she really knows how to mess with him.
When he's captured and on the train, he kind of gives up for a moment. For a moment, he doubts and that it's ever going to work out. He has his own sort of dark moment where he stops fighting. But he had friends and they saw him. It didn't really change anything in the moment, but when he realizes he still has the want inside of him, when he regains his self, he goes over to them. The spirit that couldn't be broken, almost, almost, had a moment where it broke. But then it came back. He remembered what he was fighting for. He started the movie so reckless and sure of himself. While he does mature, it never changes who he is.I don't know. This movie emotionally comprises me and inspires me every time. This isn't news. Moving on. I could talk for ages about this movie and there just isn't time enough.
This past year, I read the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. It changed my life. I honestly think each book gets better and better. I'm really not even sure where to begin. The protagonist is Vasya and the books are loosely inspired by a Russian folktale which they bring up in the books. Vasya is one of those characters that I'm always looking for but find incredibly hard to find. Her ability to just seem so human and yet bigger than life and her ability to not take no for an answer and draw things out. She's a force to be reckoned with and I don't know Katherine Arden did it. The books feel so alive. While Spirit and Vasya are clearly very different characters, I mean one is literally a horse, there's quite a few parallels between them. The way that Vasya goes from feral girl to the wild fate-changing 'witch' that she becomes. I just... Characters hunt her down, try to claim her if that makes sense, or try to tame her, somehow she's too big to be contained. She has her loyalties, she has intense feeling, and somehow the world itself changes for her. In other books, I'd find a character like her to be too contrived. They would get it wrong. But these ones. These books are special. Even Vasya as a character aside, these books are written so beautifully. They feel like clean air. They're incredible.
Essentially this post is me doing my version of 'if you like this thing, you'll like this other thing'. Keeping in mind of course, while there's similarities, they're both completely different things.
But then again, maybe you won't. Who knows really.
January is the anticipatory month. The month before the drop. The drop we handle in different ways, it's the expectation of the drop that gets us. The anxiety before the event.
So as a reminder for myself, you can't trust what comes out of January. It's a strange month. It's a month of restart; nothing in the year has happened yet. It can mean anything. It can also be the reminder that it's been another year. Somehow or other, you've come to this place again. A place already firmly situated in the months of seasonal depression. It's a bitter month for me that throws me for several months afterwards and it's a hell of a time feeling situated again. The first few months of the year are usually just me trying to figure out where I am in an almost literal way. If you're anything like me, you can't trust what comes out of January. You'll lose your mind. For all the strangeness of the month, later on, no matter how fast the year has gone, January always feels like a distant creature that almost doesn't feel real. In the end, you always kind of forget January until you meet them again. It's an emotionally abusive thing and I'm calling it out for what it is. For all the promises, there's no love in the end. January, for all it's potential, usually just leaves me feeling lost and untethered. January isn't a failure, it's a reminder that you'll figure it out day by day. You're getting there, to wherever or whatever that is. January's just a bastard, treat it like it is.
So here's to January. To the potential and the failures, it's always a hell of a ride.
That's it. That's the whole post. Bless the person that created this and added it to Pinterest whoever you are. *Africa-Toto plays on repeat in my head*
Mother's Daughter- Miley Cyrus (swearing and would recommend the audio version)
The Yawning Grave- Lord Huron
Maniac- Conan Gray
Run Run Runaway- Victorious
Movies:
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (slasher)
Labyrinth (1986) (80's fantasy)
The Gray Man (2022)(hitman gets/protects a kid)
A Walk to Remember (2002) (cute/sad)
Spencer (2021)(pretty as heck. oddly relatable)
It's been a minute. I've been working mostly, putting things off, asking for redo's of things I put off because I can't do more than one thing at a time. How you guys balance work, life, and homework I don't know but you have my respect. Doing just one thing takes it out of me so even just doing one is impressive to me. I'm a little tired and a little stifled creatively I haven't done much because I felt guilty that I'm not doing the things I need to do but I'll stop there.
Anyways this post is just to say I'm more or less alive I guess. There's a small pulse coming back for the atmosphere and the weather getting a little cooler. *points at the mist beginning to happen* there's magic in them there hills.
Nie created this and tagged me for it, (thanks btw!) I've been really excited to do this one.
The Rules
no lies allowed. if an answer is too shameful to expose you may substitute the answer with a gif/image of someone drinking tea. e. g. →
there are optional bonus additions to questions but these are not for the faint of heart. if you complete the tag having answered every question + the bonus additions (no gifs used), you are dubbed a certified tea chugger, and you deserve a badge to show the world that you are not afraid of a steaming hot cup of TRUTH. tag at least one other person (a tea party with just one is not very fun. trust me.) untagged persons are more than welcome to fill it out as well (nothing cooler than crashing a tea party).
THE QUESTIONS
what is a 'bad' (generally disliked) movie that you actually love?
There's quite a few... The 4th Pirates Movie maybe. I rewatched that one recently and while it has it's problems I genuinely love it.
what is your most shocking reading habit?
Stealing Nie's thing here a bit but I get so much food on my books. My memory is terrible but for some reason where I got that orange stain on page whats-it of whatever is clear as day.
tell us the number one lie you write in your posts.
As far as things I actually say, it's probably that I'll do something. Unless I do something right away, it's probably not going to happen.
tell us the worst character name you've ever thought up. {bonus: share a character name you find ridiculous in a book/movie}
I think a long time ago I had a character named Gunner because there was going to be battles in this book. I vaguely remember thinking Stalker was a good name. There was a barn kitten I saw at one point with that name and I was like 'Stalker, like hunting which means guns, which means battle things which means absolutely nothing...' Pure brilliance.
I'm blanking on specific examples at the moment but those fantasy name that have a lot of random letters or you really have no idea how to pronounce them.
what is the real reason you procrastinate writing your work in progress?
It's because I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin when I was little and now I can't use the letter 'Q' in words. It's truly made writing really difficult all these years.
In reality it's the usual reasons, perfectionism, the fact Youtube exists...the list goes on...Also because I've never really finished a writing project, I'm not even sure how to stretch out a story properly so it makes the length of a novel. Thus, while I might have a vague idea of a plot, I don't really know how to write the story into the dimensions it needs to be in for the story to be functional if that makes any sense.
what is a genre of music you secretly love?
Wildly different songs being paired together. It must be stupid and the person singing must be wildly invested.
if you're a plotter, what do you really think of pansters? and if you're a panster, what do you really think of plotters?
I think plotters have a much better chance at actually writing something than I do. Although, I'm rather suspicious of plotters who are working on their 11th book in a planned series of (insert-a-rather-insane-number) that doesn't actually exist yet. That seems like too much planning.
share at least three lines of dialogue from one of your first writing projects {bonus: give us the good stuff. your most gruesome butchering of the English language)
I would put more but I honestly don't remember most of what I've written. I've blocked out or deleted most of the bad stuff and for the most part I've only kept the bits I liked.
They both screamed as they stabbed each other.
If that doesn't explain my struggles at actually writing fight action sequences (or anything for that matter) I don't know what does.
tell us the title & artist of the last song you listened to.
This one is hard to answer because it changes constantly. Honestly the very last song I listened to was Aisling Bea singing Mary had a little Lamb in the style of Beyoncé's Crazy in Love. (full warning there is a bit of swearing) it's amazing. Best rendition of either song that I've ever heard.
which beloved book/movie character do you dislike & why?
Luke Skywalker. I actually really liked him in the Last Jedi and Mark Hamill himself is great, but aside from that I just find him so boring...yet a lot of people adore him. I just don't get it. He just doesn't have much discernible personality to me
tell us the title & topic of a post you have left in draft.
The McDonald's Monopoly Game Conspiracy
and then there was going to be a link to a video of the same name. That's it, that was the whole post.
what is a book you pretend you've read/would like to read but know you never will? {bonus: share a time when claiming you've read a classic/well known book didn't end well}
1984 probably. I know what the story is and I feel absolutely no need to read it.
I don't think I've ever pretended to have not read a well known or classic book. That I can remember actually.
For whatever reason, I've always been very against reading anything by Sir Walter Scott and I don't have a reason for that. I know practically nothing about him or his books except that one of his books is called Ivanhoe.
tell us the title & topic of the most embarrassing post you've ever written. {bonus: include. the. link.}
If the amounts of views that show up on blogger are accurate, I find it embarrassing that my most viewed post is 'A Request for Q&A Questions'
It's a post of like 5 sentences of me saying 'please send questions, or don't if you want' and then there's a gif. I'll never be able to top how many views that post has. The actual post of me answering the questions doesn't have that many views XD
I tag Quinley from Adventure Awaits, and whoever else that would want to do this tag.
