New! What a strange way to start but so many things in life are New. Hey, my name is Lydia Nytes and I’m New to MSA, and this is my fist blog! before I get into this chapter in my life let me interduce myself real quick,
I’m sixteen
I play the flute
I am one of seven children
I was born in Bali Indonesia
I love writing in my free time
I work at VBS every summer
Cats are my favorite animal I love cats
I’ve lived in Mississippi for almost two years
I’m a military child so I’m from a little bit of everywhere
And in my free time I love volunteering around my community
Learned, Mississippi
Moreover, now that we know a little bit about me, this brings the topic of this blog NEW. What does New mean to you? New, one word three letters. It has many meanings in one-word; New life, New chapter, New friends, New school, it can even be New shoes! So many things in my life are New, but New is not New forever.
For example, was when I was living in Vilseck Germany I did not know the basic words. I did not know how to get around, where to go, what was happening, so everything was New to me. But after about a month, I figured out to say some things, I figured out paths, figured out where to go. So after it was not New to me it was not this big scary place anymore it was just a small town.
Bruges, Belgium
Even with making friends it may be weird and uncomfortable at first since its New, and you don’t know them, but soon you will be familiar with those people, and it will feel like you have known them forever those friends won’t be New to you anymore, also some of those friends you met in with that one weird New interaction could end up being lifelong friends.
So Furthermore, New is what I chose my title and theme of my first blog to be Since a lot in life is New but not for long. You just have to get familiar. Everyone is still learning, MSA is New to some of us juniors, the people here are New, there are New techniques of writing, traveling to a New place is New. Everything in life is New and we need to embraces it because it is not New for long just a period of time.
Hiiii! My name is Sarah and I’m a junior literary. I loveeee color guard, hanging out with my friends, watching musicals and movies, and listening to music.
I am soooo excited to start posting on blogspace and see where this leads. I am planning on using my blogs as a way to express my thoughts and like not annoy my friends since I talk a lot…
My blogs are probably not going to have a set tone or whatever, I’m just going to type out my thoughts and see what gets the most traction tbh.. Like if I want to wake up and talk about how bummy my math class was I’ll talk about that, but if I wake up and want to rank every single Hamilton song, (act I and II BOTHH,) I’ll do that.
Oh, another thing I’ll probably use this for is to get the “scraps” of writing that I have out of my notebook and out on some platform. The reasoning behind that is because if I never put it somewhere I’ll never know if it’s something worth exploring, y’know?
Also, I have no clue how long to make this so bear with me!
A little bit more about me is:
I’m from Shannon, Mississippi, and I’m proud of it no matter how much bad everyone hears about it.
I am literally obsessed with learning about bugs.
I’m currently reading 3 books. (If he had been with me, Why we broke up, All the bright places.)
God is my rock, and I will probably write about my beliefs here as well.
I love all kinds of music… except country… It’s just not my cup of tea.
I will in fact be bringing up my friends a lot.
My favorite movie is “The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.”
My favorite book is “Eleanor and Park.” GUYS HEAR ME OOUUUUTTT.
My favorite food item is a grilled cheese burrito from Taco Bell…….. It’s so fire.
I love writing more than anything. I love writing free verse poems and short stories the most.
Well, that’s enough from me today but seriously I hope this helped you understand what I’m here to do. I’m actually so awesome and cool and like the best person in the world perchance (in the most non-cocky way ever.)
Thank you for reading all the way to down here, tune into next week if you are interested! <3
( !! Spoilers for the Percy Jackson Series, The Owl House, The Walking Dead, Avatar: The Last Airbender… honestly, just proceed with caution. !!)
When I think of Fandom spaces one of the first things I think of is how certain characters (. As complex or as single-faceted as they may be) may be handled. I’ve seen genuine strong, complex, and dangerous female leads be reduced to a forced romantic subplot or over explained to the point she’s just some 13-year old’s new oc. I’ve seen simple, nearly background, male characters be forced into spotlight, and for what? He’s got no flavor! Nothing exciting! He’s just a random white guy with brown hair, there’s no substance! Why is he everyone’s favorite!?
Now, don’t get me wrong. Mischaracterization can be displayed in a lot of ways, not only complex characters being reduced or boring characters being elevated (for what? He’s hot??). Sometimes it can be something as small as, say, people latching onto the fact a character cries a lot and reducing them to something weak, unworthy, or annoying. Or an annoying character being bad. A lot of the time, I’ve seen, it’s just someone taking a character so far away from their original plot that It’s not even the same guy anymore!
What is mischaracterization?
Mischaracterization is the incorrect portrayal or description of something. When a character is thought of in a way that is not intended by the original author. See, this is different from the instance of Misperception, which I find may directly lead to and be caused by Mischaracterization. Do I have to explain the correlation between the two? No. Do I want to? Also no. I still want to, so you guys are getting a link.
I’m SOOO good at explaining things, I know. A whole external link explaining my argument, and I’m continuing to use the term Mischaracterization when it’s clearly misperception that I’m thinking about.
Is Mischaracterization/Misperception the end of the world? In most cases, No. Not at all. Get over it. Except I can’t get over things, and it is the end of the world! Yay!!
What are you even talking about right now, dude?
Good question! I’ve no clue! Joking, joking. This blog is basically the types of mischaracterizations that I see a lot in FANDOM spaces. Heavvyy emphasis on FANDOM spaces.
The first, worst type: He’s bisexual I didn’t know that
I do think this one is the end of the world, yeah. I can get all into how we treat queer men in media as if they’re lesser, and how we portray them as extremely feminine in fandom spaces and how that draws back to societies perception of men and masculinity; however, I’m not going to do that. I prefer keeping this brief (I say at 564 words), so I’ll yell about it some other time.
(Flip this coin: How queer women are treated in media, and how fandom spaces deal with that like it doesn’t matter as much or they force one party into a masculine role, because women can’t possibly be taken seriously.)
The first character that comes to mind is Nico di Angelo. He’s so badly misperceived by fans that I honestly don’t even know how to characterize him myself. Thanks for that one, Rick.
Sorry i just wanted to put a picture of him. Anyways.
He has this incredibly complex character with so many ties to literal fascist Italy (???) with complex storylines and arcs!! Oh and by the way, He just so happens to be queer. “So this means he can be reduced to a blushing hyper-feminine queer teenager?” Uh??????? No????? Can we touch on the terrible, terrible religious guilt he feels?? ??? ?????? (A few more question marks for emphasis, ??????????)
Honorable mention of Jack Twist, the most criminal instance of a character being reduced to their queerness and stripped of all other sort of personality. He’s so much more than what people claim. ILY Jack Nasty. <33
Second, Tragically: OH EM GOSH, ROMANCE!!!
Powerful Women with forced romantic subplots.
KATARA, BABY! RUN GIRL!! RUNN!!
I will always be a hater of their entire romance thing. Sorry not sorry (extra not sorry). This isn’t even from he fandom, since the WRITERS THEMSELVES did it and it just does not make sense for her character. Not saying powerful women can’t have romance in their lives, but the entire subplot was so forced. It was just an excuse for the “Beats the bad guy, gets the girl” trope. Horrible. 0/10. to the chopping block with you.
Okay, okay. I can’t do much about what the writers did, because in the end that’s what happened. I can however complain. And I’m choosing to complain about how the fans, somehow, reduce her ENTIRELY to a motherly friend and Aang’s girlfriend. free her. free her from her prison.
Another few characters worth nothing are Maggie Rhee from The Walking Dead, Mary Linton from Red Dead Redemption 2, and Katniss everdeen.
(Honorable mention of Geralt from Netflix’ Witcher series. don’t know much about that guy but allegedly he’s a powerful woman reduced to a romantic subplot. love that for him.)
Three: I’m a horrible person but I’m also hot!!! So its okay!!!
The most often that i’ve seen this is in men. No comments. Just complaints.
I lied. There are c0mments. so many comments.
I’ve been so angry about Shane (TWD, not SDV) and his existence that I’ve genuinely been unable to sleep.
Also from The Walking Dead. I haven’t met him yet but apparently Negan Smith is a horrible person. I wouldn’t know.
This is just criticizing the lengths people will go to in attempt of excusing.. certain actions within media.
The Last, the WORST mischaracterization: WHERES MY MELANIN@?!!??!?!?!?!
Guys. Guys. Whitewashing is bad. Seriously trying to find a picture of Damian Wayne where he looks how he’s supposed to is incredibly difficult. Also one where he doesn’t look like someone just pulled him out of a lint trap.
For reference, He is described to be Arab and of Chinese descent on his moms side, and pretty pasty on his Dad’s, who is, uh, Bruce Wayne. Ignoring that. He’s BROWN. He’s supposed to be BROWN. WHAT HAPPENED YALL?????
(They just wanted him to look like his dad)
She can’t catch a break. free her.
I don’t think i even WANT to talk about how bad some of her fanarts are. because actually what???
Connie WHYYYYY Do they take your melanin babe you need thatt it makes me sick
A lot of what i’ve seen about her is, and i’m QUOTING here, “Her being brown doesn’t fit my image of her character.” Great! Because she’s not your character!! You’re really weird!
Also him
Okay!!!! I had to cut down like more than half of this because it was getting to be like 1.5k words and I think this one is at a similar length again (??) So!!! I didn’t yell as much as I wanted to but here’s like.. the worst instances of what I STRONGLY dislike in fandom spaces.
Hi! Hello! Nice to meet you! I’m your host, AJ, and it’s lovely to have you here. This week’s first-ever blog post is about my new club at MSA: Dungeons and Dragons! Alright, alright, settle down. I’m just as excited as you are.
So, to start us off with a simple question, what is D&D? Dungeons and Dragons, often shortened to D&D, is a tabletop role-playing game. Typically, you have a Dungeon Master/Game Master, who is essentially the guide and narrator. Normally, you have 3-6 players who are the main characters of the story! It’s a collaborative storytelling game with creativity and battles. Normally, your group meets once a week to play, or once a month, depending on scheduling.
Sounds cool, right? Well, I, AJ Eubanks, will be the club DM. I’ve been in the D&D community for over 4 years now, but this is my first time DMing. This club is going to be open to all players, whether they’re experienced and know the ropes or are brand new and don’t know what dice to get. I want to create an exciting and fun group for nerds to gather and express themselves through the power of roleplay and storytelling. I will help you with your character creation and even make cheat sheets to help with your class and abilities. I will also provide dice you can use during game sessions (several made by yours truly). Water bottles will also be given out!
So why am I starting a D&D group this year? I wanted to bring the same joy and community that I was given with Dungeons and Dragons in 7th grade, because I feel like everyone deserves a good, safe place to express themselves and their creativity. I want to bring a place where those who feel like they might not “fit in” can feel comfortable and make friends. So far, I am loving MSA and want everyone else to have a great experience too!
Now, enough with the sappy stuff, let me tell you how the group itself is going to go. We will be doing a one-shot/session 0, which is a pre-game to get familiar with your characters and the basic D&D rules. The one-shot is very simple: The placid waters near a fishing village have been invaded by a huge, aquatic beast. The creature is destroying the ecosystem, attacking villagers, and blocking passage to an island full of healing herbs. The party needs to act quickly, before the creature claims its next victim. It is a very easy start and allows new players to get comfortable with the mechanics and storytelling aspects.
So, to wrap up this nice adventure with a golden bow, I would like to thank you for reading! I appreciate it greatly. Next blog post is going to either be my monthly favorite animal facts or my current fixation on cross-stitch. Pictures coming soon!! 🙂
The album Showbiz is Muse’s 1999 Debut album. The band could have made a album that was palatable and easy for listeners to attract to but instead they made a statement with each song. I will be explaining my take on each song in order.
Sunburn
This song opens with “Come waste your millions here” already establishing entertainment as a theme. This is then followed by words like “sneers” which suggests a darker side to this innocent entertainment and “corporate” which ties this into the entertainment industry specifically. The song then proceeds on with a extreme theme of guilt such as “I’ll hide from the world behind a broken frame” and “guilty conscience grow” these both show how indulging in whatever was first brought up in the beginning has made them shameful.
Muscle Museum
If you were to look up Muse in the dictionary then Muscle and museum would come before and after it, which is how it gets its title. This song is one of the most subtle of all the songs in the album. The lyrics talk about people not facing they’re inner feelings. the music video shows people doing normal day things such as brushing their teeth or eating, except they are ugly crying as they do them. This also contributes to how everyone feels these emotions no matter how boring the life.
Fillip
This song has a very debated meaning but i personally see it as a uplifting song. I see as a song about readying for big things and chasing the memories of life instead of the worries.
Falling Down
This song definitely is about growing up in a small town, the singer references how the place he’s looking for isn’t the small “five thousand houses” town. Even if the town is not remarkable he still wont forget it even though he’s “heading straight for the clouds
Cave
Inspired by Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray, Cave has almost the same theme as the book its inspired by. Cave describes how men retreat into themselves when in distress, using lines like “Leave me alone, it’s nothing Serious” and “please close your ears and try to look away” show how they hide they’re emotions. Other lines like “I’ll do it myself, it’s got nothing to do with you” and “ don’t ever come my way” draw out how men try to do things by themselves without help.
Guys I want this blog to just kind of be a good send off. It’s the last blog of the year and being at the Mississippi School of the Arts has just taught me so much. Going to this school has made me more independent, driven me to work harder, and just overall taught helped me excel in areas where I once was mediocre or less than. I will not be returning to this school next year, but I still am so thankful that I got to attend for even a year and learn as much as I have. I have made a great circle of friends this year that I plan on trying to keep in touch with and I have a great roomate who I got along very well with. Of course, I’ve also had some rocky moments here like navigating having to be so independent and having to learn how to control some of my symptoms. That is okay though in my opinion that’s what growing up and learning is. I am not excited to leave (mostly because of all the packing we have to do) and I’m going to start a new chapter of my life back at home. I plan on getting a job and going back to my old school where I will likely only have two classes a day and then I will work when I’m not in school and will go back to my home gym which I miss dearly. It’s almost like coming home to a new world so I’m also excited for that I think it will all go well even if it seems a bit scary right now. I will have things I especially miss and things not as much. Like having to take my medicine at certain times at night and being on such a strict schuedle. But I will obviously miss my friends and how funny all of them are! That’s all for my up’s and downs though and I can’t wait to use my knowledge learned in the future.
I’m so glad I finally have it in me to make a creative blog again. My past seven blogs have been embarrassingly uncreative and, rather than the soul, they came from my brain and ego under the desire to tell people about myself and what I like.
I recently turned seventeen. As soon as midnight arrived, I felt this deeply rooted fear come out and, over a month later, it still hasn’t left. I know I’m young, so there should be nothing to worry about. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. Yet all I can do is worry and, I think, that’s a sign that I’m growing up.
If anyone from the generations that raised me (Baby Boomers and Generation X) read this, they would probably laugh at everything I’m about to discuss. Growing up with people significantly older than me started this ideology that I shouldn’t worry about adult things and just focus on being young, but now that I’m inching closer to becoming a legal adult, no one has told me to stop worrying. Actually, I think most people in my life are unknowingly encouraging my anxiety with all the talk about college and jobs and don’t even get me started on a future family.
It’s all a big mess that I just have to turn my head away from because I can’t clean it up or walk away from it. I’m too young to tackle those problems head on, but I’m too old to not worry about it. So I’m in this dreadful in-between period, just trying to distract myself from the slowly approaching tsunami of stress.
Recently, I’ve taken my mental health very seriously. I’ve been observing myself like a friend: predicting my own actions, keeping track of my worries, and even counseling myself. I have three, going on four, planners/calendars. I still end up needing extra help, though. I feel like I can’t even catch a break.
With my birthday, grades of college classes, regular classes, and arts classes, and relationships with people, this last semester has completely knocked me down, stomped on me, rolled me into a ditch, threw a bunch of trash on me, and then I’m still expected to get up, dust myself off, and buckle in for an extremely busy summer break.
“But I believe in myself,” I say to myself, knowingly lying. “I can do it. Nothing I haven’t done before!” *extreme eye twitching*
This blog was originally supposed to be a sweet reflection of my junior year, but the more I write, the more I realize I’m so glad it’s over. Usually, I would say I’m not ready to be a senior and I’m afraid to grow up. But right now? I can’t wait to be free from my shackles. The sad thing is, I already know that summertime will put on a fresh, new set of shackles right on these weary wrists until I enter my senior year. Then it’s like I’m switching shackles again.
I know right now is a difficult time for me, and I know senior year will also be difficult. But I hope I can find the joy in… wearing shackles. I’ve worked incredibly hard to discover my weaknesses and aid them over the past few months, and I can only hope I care about myself this much in the upcoming months.
I will admit: I’m very thankful for my junior year at MSA. I think this has been one of the best moments of my life. I’m very grateful for all of my friends and teachers and even myself. I’ve gone through a lot of self discovery and I can definitely feel myself developing into a young adult.
It’s a strange process and it’s even stranger to physically and mentally feel it. It’s easier to let time pass then look back and think, “Wow, I’ve changed a lot!” but it’s so incredibly weird to look in the mirror and say, “Hey, I’m changing. Like, right now.”
I hope I’m able to write a sweeter blog when I return for senior year or maybe even as I graduate. Maybe then, I’ll be emotionally recharged enough to cry over the fact that the biggest chapter in my life is about to come to an end.
Wish me luck over the summer! If you’re wondering, I’ll just share all of my plans here. In June alone, I plan to attend a week-long writer’s workshop and then go to the beach immediately after and then visit family for another few days. I also plan to go camping, get my driver’s license, deep clean the entire house, renovate the backyard, and on top of all of that, take Spanish 1 and 2 as college classes.
To any of my peers that are planning a busy summer, I wish you the best. And if you’re clearing your entire schedule for summer to rot in your room, I wish you well too. I can’t wait to see how much I’ve changed by the time I return to MSA, and I can’t wait to see my soon-to-be seniorly peers!
First off, I just want to say that this year has been amazing. I never would have expected it to end so fast, but here we are. It feels surreal how fast the times have come and gone, but it also feels like a victory. When I first got here, I was super scared of what being a literary major would be like. I knew I liked to write and build my own characters, but I was terrified of sharing my work. It was fine when I was just reading stuff to my mom but reading my work to complete strangers was definitely a challenge for me.
Besides that, I was also scared that I would not be good enough. When I first got here, I lacked confidence when it came to writing, and I felt it was because of the change in environment. As many people know, coming to MSA is a very big change.
However, I’ve realized that it wasn’t a bad change. I’ve learned about my art, and I’ve learned a lot about other people’s art too. I’ve learned about character building and descriptions and details and the ways it can make a story flourish. I’ve learned other very important and crucial writing tips to carry with me on my writing journey. I’ve also had the opportunity to see growth in my writing, my communication skills, my social skills, and confidence.
I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to share and connect with different people. It’s such a blessing to be educated on something that I love (most of the time). I’m also excited about the summer and what it might look like. Saturday is going to be my first job interview, and I can’t wait to see what my summer workplace is going to be. It’s an agriculture center in my town, which works perfectly for me because I love everything about science and nature. I also thought it might be good to check out certain fields. Especially since my senior year is right around the corner.
Besides working, I do plan to rest too. I want to make sure I am getting proper rest, especially since I’ve been heavily neglecting my sleep schedule during these past few months. Of course, it has everything to do with me, so I am taking matters into my own hands this summer by going to bed at nine o’clock every night. I’m not letting anybody talk me out of it.
Something else I’m looking forward to this summer is a weekly camping trip I do with my friends every year. It’s super fun and it gives us an opportunity to get out of our houses and meet new people. I’m so excited about it, and I’m also excited to meet with my friends again on a weekly basis. I feel like I haven’t talked to any of them since coming to MSA, so it would be nice to see them more often. I hope you guys have also had a positive experience at MSA and I hope to see you next year!
“You have been drawn,” are a few of many words on the page. I can’t stop reading those four words. I can’t stop thinking, “I’m going to die.” I’m going to lose everything I care for. No one has survived. They can say they have all they want, but no survivor has been seen. I can’t believe I’m next. Why won’t my legs move? They feel so heavy. I need them to get to the door.
“Parker?” my mom calls from the driveway.
“Parker, what’s going on?” my dad asks standing next to her.
“They… they drew me,” is all I can mutter back.
My mother fell to her knees after hearing those words. It’s crazy how big of an effect just a few words can cause. Thes words cause me to stand frozen and cause my mom to weep on the ground and cause my dad to stand there trying to figure out what to do.
About two years ago, the U.S. Government implemented a draft like plan. Every month, a handful of people would be drawn basically from a hat. If you are drawn, you are forced to have this experimental surgery. The surgery is supposed to help the government get a better understanding of this new biotechnology. Apparently, it’s supposed to revolutionize the way we live. Once used, it’s supposed to change everything. But the problem is, they won’t tell us anything about it. What it is, what it does, why we want it. Nothing. `
Everyone who gets drawn goes and never comes back. They always tell us that people survive all the time, but that is just a lie. My uncle got drawn in the first year. When he didn’t return, they told us he survived a moved somewhere else. Then every week we would receive letters from him saying how good his life was now and how his “enhancement” makes everything so much better. The problem was, he didn’t really talk to us much. So, why was he sending us letters.
After many moments of crying and silece, we all decided to walk back inside. My dad holds my mom as she continues to cry. He carries her through the door where he lets go of her so she can go to the couch.
“What do I do?” I ask.
“What can you do?” my dad answers. This makes my mom weep even harder.
“But I’m not ready to die,”
“You won’t. Your uncle survived. I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” he tells me.
“We haven’t seen him since he left for the surgery. We have no idea if those letters are even from him,” I yell.
“I’ve told you time and time again, stop saying that! My brother is alive, and you know that. You will survive. We will have you back. There’s nothing for you to do,” says my dad.
“No, I have to go. I have to run. Y’all have to take me somewhere. I can’t risk this. My whole life will go away,”
“Run where? They’re going to find you no matter what. You have to do this. We will not let you run from this. For once in your life, you need to be responsible,” he yells at me.
I look at my mom to see if she is willing to help. Our eyes connect, but she looks away. That was all I needed to see to know that she was on his side. At that moment I knew that I couldn’t stay there. My own parents weren’t willing to help save me. So, now I must go to a place where I can get help.
Six months ago, not long after my uncle was drawn, I was taken to the police station after stealing a few things from a clothing store. Though I’ve been there a few more times since then, that was my very first time being arrested. I’m not sure why I steal. My parents don’t really support me in the way that I need them to. Maybe it’s for attention. Maybe it’s for freedom. I can normally get out of trouble easily, though. I’m a good liar. I use the young and stupid excuse all the time. It works like a charm.
