what will i do when i don't have you to hold onto in the dark?

[lllookalive]

Ugh, this has taken me long enough.

Hey, manipulant, I hope you love me with all of your bourbon heart, okay?



Two more for the Into The Woods set. (And I post in the order they were drawn, not the order of the chapters. Just... FYI. Like it matters.)

I feel like at this point it's mostly pointless/redundant to state just how completely I employ the term "loosely based upon", but for posterity. VERY. VERY LOOSELY BASED UPON.

Frankelstilskin


In what was probably one of the most appropriate casting decisions made within fandom, Frank Iero plays a guitar-toting Rumpelstiltskin. Strums straw into gold and doles out free relationship advice. Bonus penis-having recognition abilities.



The Pea Episode


WAITWAITWAIT HEAR ME OUT, IT MAKES SENSE, I PROMISE. Well. Kind of it does.
So the Princess And The Pea. Better known as the Pea Episode. I had no idea what to draw, because it's all... tame. Like, nothing really horrible happens to anybody, there's no impending doom, no swan-dives into giant piles of thorns. Everyone is kind of cranky and petulant, but that doesn't exactly translate to my, uh. Style. If you could call it that. But then there's this creepy-ass dream sequence with pseudo-zombie Brendon (manipulant, correct me if my interpretation's wrong) that goes all nuts and starts pushing people off cliffs and just being all sketchy all over the place. So duh. Artistic license blah blah excuse to draw creepy veiny organ-chair blah.



and night comes to Tallahassee


This just sort of happened while I was listening to Oceanographer's Choice on repeat. John Darnielle writes some of my most very favorite words.



And a bonus doodle!

you are my anchor


My Man Without Wax fangirling, let me show you it.
Although, I'm pretty sure that when they put You are my anchor on their band shirts, they meant it in the nice way.
...Ohwell.



Bigger, shinier versions here, at my Blogspot.
...Maybe someday I'll even have followers. And like. triple-digit pageviews. Lol.

Comments

[speep.livejournal.com]

That's kind of where I was at pre-bandom. I think the fun thing about bandom for me was it challenged me to draw likenesses and stuff. I used to be fair generic in my art, now it's like a personal mission to make people look like the people they're supposed to.

and yeah, I get you on that. Bandom for me is more about flailing about bands I like, and drawing mostly generic fanart. I read some fic, but not actually all that much. I haven't been too involved in the fic!side of bandom, most of my bandom peeps art artists? :D I just really enjoy doing bbb, I like illustrating stories.

I work in the ski industry (idek how/why, I don't ski.) and it's winter here atm so I don't even have time at work for slacking off online/drawing (this reply is coming to you from my lunch break :D) so i have to wait till I'm home, and that wont be till late. sad times.

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

Idk, I'm just kinda... neurotic. Like, the hardest part of bbb for me was having this fic by someone who doesn't know me, doesn't know how I operate, which meant that so as not to look like a huge douche, I should probably actually draw something that looked related to their story, rather than just inspired-by kinda stuff. Usually I just kinda draw whatever, and a lot of time it's based around stories or music, but it's still pretty loose.

Amen to band flailing! You friended me, so uh. Welcome to the neverending OHGODOHGOD GUYS THIS BAND LET ME TALK ABOUT THEM FOREVER show that is my journal. You missed April, though, so you're lucky that way. I was seriously ready for people to start defriending me if I posted another concert review (I went to like. Six. In two weeks.). I'm obsessed with music, so I guess it makes sense kinda that I started reading band fic finally? But at the same time it feels weird and a little rude sometimes.

My free-time days are numbered. I start graduate school in August, which means moving halfway back across the country and quitting my job and selling my soul for tuition, so I get to spend the next month and change drawing ALL OF THE THINGS. It's gonna break my heart when I don't have hours every night to just sit and draw. I work overnights on a psychiatric residential ward for teenagers, so if nobody is freaking out and the paperwork is done, I can just kinda hang out for awhile. It's nice, but it's a lot of sitting alone in the dark sometimes. No internet and I'm not even supposed to LJ on my phone (like last night ha) since it tanks my minutes, but whatever. It's worth it.

Your regency stuff. Just. ♥

[speep.livejournal.com]

I'm always a bit worried about that, but then people tell me I should shut up, as if the author will hate it. etc. I feel that should also apply to you, you drew awesome stuff, your author loved it, success! :D

When I read bandom fic, in my head it's no longer about people in bandom. It's about character's loosely based off their stage personas. Who aren't actually real. I don't like it to have details about them in it that are TOO intimate (because that creeps me out in such a bad way) It's why I love bandom!AUs where it's like 'well, what if panic were like, idk, PIRATES!' and I am all 'hells yes, pirate panic!' it's like fic!film clips? :D

and whoo! concerts. I'm so bad at doing concert reviews, I have issues putting into words why I thought a concert was so great? but sometimes I post sketchy things I drew during concerts (I'm a little odd, you'll get used to it) and I love reading them, so I'm all for that being on my flist :D I wish I went to more concerts (and more local concerts tbh) but it's gets so expensive; I think mostly because our tickets have to cover the cost of flying their gear/crew out here.

Good luck with the move! I'm doing something similar in January; going back to my home city halfway up the country to do a graduate diploma so I can teach in highschools and stuff (language&cultural studies. whoo.) except I'm kind of excited for it; I might be studying, but I wont be working full time in this job anymore, it's such an exhausting job [I run a website for a ski shop, it's grown by about 8 times what it was when I started. It's now a full time job and a half!] Your job sounds pretty interesting though, do you work with the patients much? (I used to work in maternity ward; I saw way more naked!ladies than I ever expected to in a work place.)

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no, you're totally right. It's one of those things where I feel like I have to freak out about their reaction, but it's mostly for posterity in the end. I just felt so lucky that I got a good fic, let alone one I really legitimately liked. I think I was so relieved that the piece I drew turned into this giant OHGOD THANK YOU FOR NOT SUCKING homage in my head.

YES! THIS. EXACTLY. That's basically where I ended up, with regards to fic, too. Like. It's just roles being played, and I tend to prefer AU's just to help add to that. It makes me so, so uncomfortable when authors write fics around or heavily emphasizing the character's irl issues or like, amping up the supersekrit pain and agony and whatever. It's so classless when authors try to capitalize on these people's personal issues in the name of cheap entertainment. Or make up even more ridiculous issues for the sake of gratuitous angstmongering (HIV fic, I'm looking at you.).

I... have a lot of words. Especially where music is concerned. I'm going to a show on Friday and another on Sunday and it never fails to turn me into a fourteen year-old fankid, all OMG OMG I GET TO GO SEE BANDS OMG BANDS, GUYS! BANDS! 8D And yeah, it sucks you're so far out, so it turns into a huge expenditure. I grew up in Hawaii, where we get a total of no concerts ever. I feel your pain. And I hope my ridiculousness entertains you.

Thanks, you too! I'm stoked to be going back to Chicago, but until I'm settled and in class and have my routine set up, it's going to be a hail of panic and mayhem. And yeah, I work with the kids directly. Like, I'm not a therapist but my job title ends up doing pretty much all of the hands-on counseling and making sure the clients get their needs met and all the rules are enforced etc etc. I am the fun-ruiner. (And I love my job, like. A lot. I'm just also glad to be moving on and getting a higher certification so I can actually have some power in the system. Oh, social work.)

[speep.livejournal.com]

sometimes you get fic that is just uninspiring. Which kind of bites. But hey, usually you can find something in it to draw, I don't like to idk, let them down by dropping their fic or something; they worked hard, it just wasn't my thing? I'm glad you enjoyed your fic! :D :D (I drew for some killer fic my first year, one was like Monster's Inc AU, and I got to draw tiny green dinosaur pete :D best.)

I don't mind some of their personal issues being mentioned in fic, like in a 'well they mention them in their songs, so it's part of their 'character''way, but idk, I don't want a fic that explores why pete and ashley split up. That shit was between them.
Also, I have a lot of dislike for fic (or well anything ever) that uses rape as an angsty plot device to AID IN THE FINDING OF THEIR TRUE LOVE. I also can't read HIV fic, ever, it's too personal an issue for me and I find either it's done so BADLY it upsets me or done too well that it upsets me; either way, upset.
basically, in my world, fic needs moar butterflies and rainbows.

Living in australia means we only get american/british bands when they're here for festivals. Which is usually in jan, or like, in august. The rest of the time, we live off our own music industry for live stuff. Panic's doing soundwave (which is such an odd festival for them; metal punk bands + panic) with the Used this year. They haven't been here since, 2008. I'm hoping they do sideshows, because soundwave = really such a bad festival.

Oooh, Chicago. whenever people try to explain Chicago to me, it's always basically 'it's like America's Melbourne.' - which, seriously, I want to visit chicago one day based just on that. I love melbourne, it's such an arty, creative city.

I understand you dude, your job sounds awesome & rewarding, but yeah, finishing your degree off = the best plan. You'll be fully qualified and able to make a difference in the field?

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess my theory was that I might not get a fic I liked so much, but that I wasn't too concerned with that, I just wanted to draw for someone. So when it turned out I really DID like the fic, it was this huge bonus. And yeah, frustrating because I'm not used to adhering to guidelines very tightly, but my work is so, so much better if I'm doing it FOR someone. That's why nearly every piece I have as a little blurb crediting someone or whatever. I just enjoy it more if I know it's going somewhere.

Okay granted I should have said- yeah. Stuff that features into the music is fair game. I mean, technically it's all fair game. What bothers me is when it feels gratuitous; exploitative. I think I take it more personally than I could, in light of my work, itLs just frustrating to see stuff I deal with every day in a very real sense used for sensationalist agendas. I'm really lucky, my couple of bandom friends have pretty similar opinions, so the recs I get tend to steer away from that crap and usually I can keep my professional adult side at bay with regards to fandom. Stuff like "Gerard used to drink a lot! D:" and "Brendon's parents were slightly less than supportive >:(((" isn't what bothers me. It's the angstmongering it gets used for. These people are obviously quite successful, can we all just calm down about their epic tragedies? Bring on the rainbows and cupcakes and Gabe Saporta's warm, cozy basement.

I'm so sorry about your concert deficiency. Seriously. I know the pain.I feel SO LUCKY every time I get to go to a show, although I'm getting picky in my old age. I don't do festivals and I don't do arenas. I saw Patrick Stump in the equivalent to someone's basement in April and it was basically the culmination of my existence. Whereas Panic! on Friday? I'm terrified. Not a huge venue, but... bigger than I'd like and the fans...

Chicago is great. I lived there right out of college, before moving to Portland, and I'm glad to be moving back. It's great for local scene stuff and divey shows and cheap beer and big buildings. I know next to nothing about Melbourne, but yeah, if it's kinda arty... not in the hippy sense, more like. In the uberprofessional sense.

Yeah, it'd be nice to have some more options in the field. I love working with teenagers, and ultimately would like to keep doing something similar to what I do now, but I'd appreciate being able to do more. You said you're aiming to teach high school?

[speep.livejournal.com]

I work surprisingly quickly on art, so i've done art for 11 fic in the three years I participated on bbb; pinch hitting and claiming another once i was finished with one etc. Some of them were my favourite things ever, some not so much; but I liked all the art I did for them? I think it was because I just feel like hey, the author must have worked really hard on their fic right? so I should work really hard on their art too!

I like brendon when he's characterised as this dude that sure, his parents aren't as supportive as he'd hoped they would be; but he's going to be happy and just get on with it. It's a sad thing in his life, but it doesn't define who he is.

Coming from Canberra to melbourne last year, I maybe spent a fortune going to every show I could possibly go to in my excitement at the fact that I didn't have to drive three hours to sydney to see them. (Canberra might be the national capital, but it's tiny so tours don't often pass through, you have to drive to sydney.) I keep waiting for the glee to wear off, but then like Pulp announce shows in australia and i'm down $90 for a ticket. :D

I never do festivals (I have always gotten migraines pretty easily, I can't hack a day in the sun with loud music and crowds. at all.) but I don't mind arena concerts if I have seating.

--ack! work is closing so i have to leave. I'll continue this reply when I get home. D:

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty quick, but my problem is how I want to do EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING EVER. So it's this constant battle of prioritizing. I wanted to do more bbb in the first wave (I'm signed up for second wave, too), but I was literally right in the middle of the last few pieces I did and when I'm going, I'm... uh. Zealous. Might be a good word. The one I did for Hey Gravity!/An Inch From The Ground was basically eating up my brain until it was out on paper, and by then it was a couple of days to the bbb artist deadline. I'm hoping the second wave will give me more opportunity to push myself into working directly from the source material. ...Feel free to pressure me about this, it helps.

Yeah, like. ...Ugh, okay, I'm trying not to get super-wordy-opiniony here. Once the personal background stuff starts to play heavily into the story, I have serious trouble reading it as just a story and not some fangirl's agenda manifesto. I like that nice, safe wall of separation where it's still just fiction.

Yeah, the glee never wears off. Twelve years of going to every show I can (and living on the mainland/having some modicum of disposable income/time has greatly increased this statement), and I still start vibrating in place like a plasma molecule days in advance. I'm seeing Fun. and Panic! on Friday and then the Ataris unplugged with one of my favorite local Seattle bands, Man Without Wax, opening on Sunday. I'm actually more excited about MWW than anything. And this is after April when I saw MCR on a Friday, Travie McCoy on Saturday, and then flew to Chicago for Patrick Stump's first-ever solo show. HI. WELCOME TO MY OBSESSION. I hope for your sake Panic! does do some side shows. Screw festivals, there's no personality there. ...I could make some paper airplanes with helpful suggestions on the topic to chuck on stage tomorrow on your behalf?~

Hah, I got to work a couple hours ago, and then got sent out to retrieve my coworker so he could come in and sign for a controlled med he missed this morning, so now we're sitting in a coffee shop parking lot so I can jack to wifi to write this. I'll respond more when I get home in like, a million 8 hours.

[speep.livejournal.com]

I'll totally be around to prod you in the right direction; you might be able to actually encourage me to stay in for wave two. I'm feeling a bit burnt out on it all.
Usually I draw way more, like in my first year I drew for five fic; but this year I was a bit anaemic and didn't know? so I was pretty exhausted for most of the month. whoops. I only had the energy/time for one fic. Sadness!

No I get you, I just want my fic to be a story, about characters based loosely on the characters in panic at the disco; fandom starts to creep me out when it confuses the line between 'pretend' and 'reality' though. Pretty sure stage gay was just that. Brendon and Ryan weren't dating. (THIS ALL BEING SAID, i love this fandom, I've met some of my most favourite people through it.)

Oh dude, that's a killer line up. I have a few concerts coming up next month (James Black, The Hives, The Grates, Pulp) but it's not so exciting in my life music concert!wise. I've been filling the gaps with movies, plays, stand up comedy and pub!gigs. :D
(I'm so jealous of seeing Travie btw, GCH and Cobra are my most favourite bandom bands, but GCH have been to australia twice, once as Gwen Stefani's support act, and once in a festival with no side shows ever. sigh sigh. one day! Is he good live?)

& it's taken me... nearly five hours to reply, but to continue my reply I was in the middle of;

Melbourne is the city where people tend to come to study art, but then when they graduate they move to sydney, because that's where all the actual media based jobs are? It's ~creative and young.


& giving yourself more options is always a good idea!
and yes, I did. I've just got a year long diploma to do first. I'd be focusing on teaching LOTE(Languages other than English; Japanese) and SOSE (Studies of Societies & Environment; History/Cultural Studies/Sociology etc) because that's what I'm qualified to teach. I'm a bit of a nerd for japanese grammar & more so for world history (my speciality = historical asian literature/poetry/mythology... so useful.)

I hope your shift wasn't too tiring! (I'm about to pass out for the night. it's laaaate, I have to be at work in 8 hours. I'm missing out on sleep time!)

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I respond very well to peer-pressure and like, mass amounts of validation. It's a little gross how much hand-holding I require to create shit in a fandom forum. And I'll totally return the favor if you like, sure. Literally nobody but the bbb mods and cloudlessclimes had seen my piece before it got posted, so it'd be interesting to see how it works with more feedback. Also, since I'm sure you got the email and therefore would understand- this is what happens when I have too much time on my hands. It felt like a challenge.

Okay, your pieces for the five fic are SO CUTE. GUH. I can't even. The way you handle expression makes me happy. And the fact that you obviously have a very distinct style you seem comfortable with.

I love me some stage gay, not gonna lie, but yeah. It was stage gay for a reason, people. But okay- watching Conor Oberst basically make out with his lead guitar for most of a song was pretty fucking entertaining. I love how I see MCR, Black Cards/Travie, and Patrick Stump (I'm pretty sure he and Matt Rubano have little music-love cartoon hearts popping over their heads every time they look at each other, it will never get old), and then the Bright Eyes show is still the gayest thing I encounter.

Speaking of which-
YES ohgod Travie was such a good show. It was the night after MCR, which wasn't a huge venue, but the crowd were a bunch of douche canoes, so I ended up hiding in the balcony to avoid death. Going to see the Sgt Schlepper's Who Needs Hearts Club Tour the next night was like, the antithesis to that. Pete Wentz was the third opener with Black Cards, but Bad Rabbits also played (they're amazing, this sort of r&b/rock fusion with synchronized dance moves while playing, if you aren't already aware), and mostly we just got drunk until the music got dancey enough to infiltrate the under-21 crowd on the floor. And yeah, Travie himself was great. He did Cupid's Chokehold with the singer from Bad Rabbits, which was awesome, since when I saw Patrick Stump the next night, he did Cupid's, too. Travie was basically as happy and adorable (even while talking about some chick who dumped him in a text) as one might expect, and it was super laid back.

Oh and HELL YES Cobra and Travie corner of bandom. And The Academy Is... I mean, I can't really stand TAI's music, but DAMN they are kind of precious and ridiculous and entertaining as shit. Especially when paired with CS and GCH. William Beckett is one of my favorite things about life.

I'd say that Chicago is probably more like Sydney, then. I've never been very involved in any art scenes, but Chicago is huge in publishing and design. It's a huge city, and generally pretty brutal and unforgiving, but it gets shit done. The school I'm headed to is one of the oldest social work programs in the country (social work originated in Chicago), so I'm pretty stoked to be headed back. My undergrad is in comics illustration and that's all well and good, but it isn't a very fulfilling profession for me. I prefer to keep drawing for fun.

Oh man, major props to you, wanting to teach. Especially being so into your subjects, it's so much more productive to learn from someone who cares about the material. I took Japanese back in grade school, 1st-7th grade, and then a year and a half in undergrad, plus a ton of Japanese/Asian art history, so I totally get the nerd factor. I did this giant geekfest cum term paper on the Ogata Korin iris screens at one point, it was ridiculous.

My shift was... relatively uneventful. Minus the short roadtrip at 1am, which was a good excuse to pretend to get lost and drive around for a few minutes listening to really loud music and getting paid for it. Have a good night!~ ...And work, for that matter.

[speep.livejournal.com]

so many people get sent my art when I'm working on things, I found I produce better things when I step back from it and ask for outsider opinions. I mean, it might make perfect sense to me, but if it doesn't to like, my housemate, or my mother, it wont make sense to anyone else tbh. I think it's a good thing, it's not hand holding? :D

and i love that image! bathing suit!ryro. I laughed. out loud. at work. My co-worker gave me an odd look. Such is life. :D

I used to worry about my bbb authors being a bit ... dissapointed by the scenes I'd choose to illustrate. they were never "BIG MOMENT" scenes or anything, just little moments in the story that endeared me to them. Then I just ... stopped caring? because like, I don't do well at illustrating BIG things, i like taking little moments and amplifying them instead. :D

I love stage gay in unexpected concerts like that. :D

Oh I love Cupid's, so jealous! :D :D that sounds like an awesome night!

The Cobra/GCH side of bandom is how I got into it, I drew a lot of cobra art, and some panic sometimes, but then I basically got asked to draw MCR a lot. I didn't ... really listen to them before bandom? Cobra/GCH/TAI crew are definitely my favourite things in bandom though. So much love for them <3

Sydney is more like San Francisco though, with it's beaches and stunning and tanned peeps and sunny weather and large gay population.
Melbourne is like, this overcast cold city, with bitingly cold winds coming of the antartic. I think if melbourne had the population sydney did we'd have more creative jobs and people wouldn't have to move to sydney. :D

I avoided doing art as a degree for that same reason; I don't really want to turn it into a job, it sucks all the life and fun out of it for me. :D I wish my uni had a bit more ~art in my asian cultural core classes; but I did do this amazing class on the ramanaya where we basically wrote fanfic every week, and at the end I did a short comic retelling of the kidnapping of Sita, but with like, MAFIA and HIPSTERS and shit. idek what I was doing, but I got 110% for my final grade for the course. *is awesome*

I love being paid to do things like that, back when I had just started at this job and web orders weren't so over the top, I used to be paid to stand in line at the post office every day; then stop by at this little gallery on my way back to the office. I miss doing that now that we have someone pick up all our parcels everyday. (speaking of, i need to get onto packing todays orders, it never ends SIGH SIGH.)

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

Oh, what I meant by handholding is when I inevitably have one of my giant meltdowns and freak out and threaten to tear up all my stuff and delete it from online. It... will happen. Just to warn you. I get stuck in these notgoodenoughnotgoodenough loops. I'm aware even as they're happening are totally irrational and crazy, so I have a couple of people I know will talk me down if I ask. That's what I meant, mostly. I need... managing. The whole V&V: It Came series thing made me a little nuts, because I couldn't tell if I was pissing people off on my flist, or like, making myself look like an idiot or whatever. I'm not very accustomed to fandom interaction, especially on that level, so it got a little nerve-wracking. So just know that when I'm wigging out, I'm usually aware of how irrational I sound.

Usually my feedback while I'm in-progress on a piece comes from whoever's around in person at the time (I had a makes sense to me/not to them moment over the first try with Frankelstilskin's background. Ugh.), so it'll be fun to have a wider opinion base to draw from.

Something I've been craving more of his FOB fic. I'm shameless for a nice, sweet, derpy Pete/Patrick, and I think it's because at this point in time, stuff that was written for them back in the day is like legitimate fiction. They're both so far-removed from that scene now in real life that it's just awesome stories with some vague historical context. Plus, fictional them tend to be some of my favorite things about fanfiction in general. Same goes for TAI and CS, since they literally ENCOURAGE the fanfic writers, I feel that reading anything for them is just ten times more amusing. Watching Alex Suarez talk about, "Yeah, man. I stole Ryan Ross from Pete Wentz. It was so nice they thought of me! :DDD" cracked my shit up forever. That is the reaction I'd have to people writing fic about me. Like, yeah some of it's nuts (Waycest NO BUENO), but in the end it's all just fiction and it's funny to see what people come up with.

Okay, climate-wise, Melbourne sounds like Chicago, yeah. I cannot WAIT to be back up to my eyeballs in snow. I can't even tell you.

Oh. Oh my god. Ramayana mafia hipsters? ...What are the odds I could read this if I asked reeeeally nice? That is AWESOME. I had an Indian art history class wedged in there, too, but mostly my fangirling comes from having the Ramayana on audiobook when I was a kid. *dork in training ALWAYS* I dropped out of high school and went right to college, so I had basically no idea what I wanted to do. I'm glad I did art and had fun and made the excuse to get better, but I'm also glad I have more than just art for professional goals.

DUDE! Sylvia Ji (on the gallery site)! Did she design/inspire the Jose Cuervo billboards that are up right now? ...Or maybe you guys don't have them, idk. They just look EXACTLY like her stuff and I pass two on my way home every day and I've been meaning to draw something based around them for ages. And wow, it's nice your shop is doing well, but that sucks about the complete lack of fun-time.

[speep.livejournal.com]

I need hand holding to get through being an adult; I loose it at the most irrational things (and the whole while I'm doing it, I'm aware of just how totally irrational I'm being) so I think i get you. maybe? At least you know you're being irrational, that helps.

& if you ever want to hit me up via email etc with 'art opinions?!' - speep.me [at] gmail.com = the best way to get in touch with me. :D

I find MCR fic creeps me out for the most part because the boys in MCR are so anti-fic about them. They hate it. So it just seems mean if we keep writing it?
Cobra and their love of fanfic are my favourites, ever. Nate's told a story about his dad reading fic about him and his best friend on the internet once, and his father, assuming it was a true-facts report had emailed nate right away to ask 'NATE, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE GAY? ALSO DID YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE SEEM TO KNOW A *LOT* ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE. D: ' - which really, poor nate.

(and I love pete/patrick, that fic is always so sickenly sweet and fluffy. It's like my pick-me-up OTP? :D )

I haven't seen the Jose Cuervo billboards (i don't know what Jose Cuervo is so I don't think they have much of an australian market) but tbh, it's probably Sylvia Ji's stuff. She's the queen of appropriating mexican/native american culture in her art. I've yet to decide if I approve, I've never really looked into WHY she does it.

[look-alive.livejournal.com]

I feel like a certain level of irrational freakout once in awhile is good for the soul. Keeps shit real, idk. I'm lucky, I have people I can text at 1am when I'm hiding in the kitchen at work trying to figure out why I bother existing. Fifteen minutes and some OMG STFU YOU DON'T SUCK text messages later, I'm a functional human being again. It's a system. :D Ironically, actual adult shit like my work and career and grad school and like, bills and whatever? Usually doesn't phase me. (Just call me Cleopatra, queen of Denial.)

Hahah look out, I have this habit on Thursdays especially after work of going completely manic and emailing hapless victims these ridiculous flails about nothing. I'm deathscytheheck @ gmail dot com, and you're more than welcome to hit me up any time. And idk your feelings on Twitter, but I'm lllookalive.

Dude, RIGHT? MCR fic has basically lost all appeal for me. There are some REALLY really AU ones I still love, but that's because they're basically just familiar names stuck in awesome concepts. But yeah, once they freaked out about all the fic (which yeah, they get some crazies), I mostly lost interest.

But omg NATE NAVARRO. CAN I JUST SAY. ♥ ♥ ♥
That whole band. I don't even know what to do with them, besides like. Laugh at them forever with boundless adoration. Speaking of, this might be relevant to your interests. I also love the Twitterfests that go on between TAI and CS, and William talking about how Gabe is the best fuck in bandom so would fans please write them together? Ohmygodddd. These people.

OTP. YES. Or, since I'll never be able to un-think it after reading this one ridiculously meta Pete/Patrick, OH PEE TEE. They're sort of my favorites, with this awesome balance of all their slash fic being so far removed from present reality that I can read it without feeling weird, and then their present selves just having this epic long distance bff bromance. Tweeting about spending Easter together and shit. Like, way to be, boys. Way to be. And Patrick's ongoing fits this last tour of his (and I can vouch for this firsthand) about HOMG WTF FALL OUT BOY IS NOT BROKEN UP CALM THE FUCK DOWN EVERYONE I'M GONNA SING A SONG NOW. >:(((((
Only actually less >:( and more 8D

Oh, right. Jose Cuervo is tequila. Sorry. XD
I'm thinking if it isn't her, it's directly inspired by. It's this blue, black, and white Dia De Los Muertos face thing that looks just like her stuff. I'm not really sure about her reasoning, either, but I have a hard time disapproving. Maybe in a certain sense it's a little exploitative? I think it would really depend on her public presentation and attention to cultural awareness/diplomacy. Personally, on a purely aesthetic level, I love it. It's just my brand of over-the-top anachronistically-geared strange. Plus I have this giant gooey weak spot where Mexican sugar skull/death mask imagery is concerned.

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Oh dude, bills or whatever don't bother me it's more like, finding mold in my house and having the biggest freak out imaginable. I think it's more I'll be kicking along being awesome at this 'being an adult lark' then something throws a wrench in the works and I lose it.

dude, i love emails. I can't like, endlessly browse things at work, but I can email and stuff (and slowly reply here, whilst I wait for things to upload.) and twitter, i've just added you (and you've added me back, so that doesn't really need to be announced!)

I only really like MCR fic like, that one, were gerard is a priest and frank gets stigma and stuff. Epic and awesome and only really playing on the basics of their personalities.

Oh oh oh, that post. So much Ryland and Alex; those two are my favourite people. of all bandom. hands down. I kind of wish there was more Alex/Ryland epic bromance fic. I don't even care what it's about, i just want fic about them being bffs. (It is so weird that the bands that don't mind people writing fic, have so few fic in the scheme of things.)

I love the pete/patrick dynamic in fic. It just warms my heart. So much.

The whole issue sometimes goes over my head with the 'APPROPRIATION IS SO RASCIST' rants that tumblr kids get on their soap boxes over; because I've always seen appropriation as a good thing? you're including cultures other than your own in your life? I just get a bit iffy about when you're exploiting someone else's culture in a disrespectful way for your own personal gain that it's lame. (Her art is gorgeous though, so I like it, I just want to know why she does it? Her bio doesn't really... explain anything.)

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Fair point. I used to live in the deep South (please make jokes), and the last summer I spent after graduation living alone in this ancient townhouse deal was fucking TRAUMATIC. There were spiders the size of small dogs, and I ended up spending nearly every night on the phone with my then-girlfriend, wrapped up in mosquito netting and crying while clutching a can of Raid while she researched whatever breed of monstrosity I described so I'd know the best way to kill it. I had no internet so I'd have to tell her, like, "Uh, it's huge and brown and hairy and it leaped at me from around a corner. FIND OUT WHAT IT IS AND IF IT'S GONNA LAY EGGS IN MY EAR." /tangent

Oh good. So do I. And I have a fun habit of sending them while drunk. And also posting to LJ while drunk. And Twitter. Just... fair warning. Email is actually better for me for legit conversations, too, especially while at work, since I can access email really easy from my phone, but LJ kills it.

As MCR AU fic goes, have you read The Anatomy Of A Fall or A Guided Tour Of The October Country? Both by novembersmith. They're my personal favorites and SO MUCH of what I draw is rooted in those fics and the imagery there, and a lot of Bradbury by proxy. And they're so, so AU, it's just names and yeah, like you said, really basic archetypes of the pre-existing personalities.

Dude, isn't it weird how they don't have much fic? You'd think people would be ALL OVER that shit, like, seeing as the bands promote it. Psh. Lame. I want more Alex/Ryland rad bromance in general. I mean, their existences basically constitute fic without even trying.

When nothing else in life makes me happy, a good Pete/Patrick makes me happy.

I agree, I'd feel more comfortable exploring her work if there were more explanation around it. But I also agree that yeah- isn't the idea of restricting yourself to only taking aspects of your own culture or whatever a little... contradictory? To the idea of art in general. Or, to the idea of, oh. I don't know. Modern society? ...Heathens.

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god, I think my flip outs would be a hundred times worse if I didn't have the internet. I NEED TO GOOGLE HOW TO FIX MY PROBLEM RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. and if my problem is not something that is instantly fixable (ie the internet tells me I need to wait.) I get very, very anxious about it.

haha, man, we should really carry this over to the email dude, this comment chat has already collapsed it's gone on that long! :D

I don't think I've actually read either of those, I don't read much MCR fic so yeah, I've heard the names but never actually ...read them. I'll totally read them when I get a chance though! If they inspired so much art from you, they must be awesome! :D

Oh god, I just, Alex/Ryland, their life is an epic fic of impossibly adorable meet/cutes and hipster awesome. They grew up together, and like split up for seven years to do their own things (drama school, being a chef etc) but then like, one day, just ran into each other in a store or something and decide to start a fairly awesome band (then get internet stalked by gabe saporta. the end.) - why is there no fic? D:

word dude. I think people get a bit too tied up in being so politically correct; and idk, like, how can you learn about something and not ... learn something from it/appropriate it into your life?