Young Writers Society

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1. MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: THE LUMINEERS
2. MEDIA TALK
3. THE WORD OF THE WEEK: OBSTREPEROUS
4. TWO CENTS: IDENTITY
5. NEW ARRIVALS
6. LINK ROUND UP
7. SHAMELESS PLUGS
8. SUBSCRIBERS

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: THE LUMINEERSwritten by Iridescence < PM: >

Hello everyone! In this edition of Squills, I will be doing a Music Spotlight on The Lumineers.

The Lumineers is a band that was formed in Denver, Colorado and they formed in the year 2005, in which they performed in New Jersey. The band members consist of Wesley Schultz, vocals and guitar, Jeremiah Caleb Fraites, drums and piano, and Neyla Pekarek, cello; Schultz and Fraites are the founding members, and Pekarek was added into the band in 2010. They're an American Folk Rock/Americana band.

They're mostly known for their song "Ho Hey," which took the world by storm in 2012. Their self-titled album became a multi-million seller. They've been performing on thousands of stages since then and they've grown in popularity.



Their second album, Cleopatra came out in 2016. The album is full of touching stories.

The title track, “Cleopatra”, sprang from an encounter with a taxi driver Schultz met in the Republic of Georgia, who related a tale of personal tragedy without a trace of self-pity. “As an American, a lot of what we do is tell the world how great our life is,” says Schultz. “People create stories about themselves through social media which are completely disconnected from what we personally know about their lives. I felt cleansed to be around someone who was just telling me how it actually was for them.”

The full story is told in the video, "The Ballad of Cleopatra." It includes music videos set in order in which the story goes.



Or here is a separate video of Wesley Schultz telling the story himself.



The album cover of Cleopatra is actress silent film actress Theda Bara in the 1917 production of Cleopatra.

Overall, I think the band is a great band. They take very simple elements and combine them. There's really no bells and whistles added. It's just very simple and it has an older and acoustic sound. Each song has meaning behind it, which makes every song beautiful. I highly recommend that you check them out!

Media Talkwritten by Nikayla < PM: >

We're back with another week of Media Talk here to talk about the media that I've consumed throughout the week! This can come by way of reading, watching, or listening to something, so there's a place all across the board in case you're more of a fan on hearing my opinion on one medium over another. With the opening finished, let's get started!



I haven't seen any movies this week unfortunately! I know I promised to but I've gotten sidetracked here so I only have a couple of shows that I've watched. The first that I wanted to shed a bit of light on is My Hero Academia, which is a show that didn't take long to breeze through. It's an anime built in a world where the majority of people have powers, and the main character Midoriya doesn't.

This interferes with his main goal, seeing as he wants to be a hero. Interesting way to write a shounen, I've found after watching the two seasons. A nice cast of characters with different powers, though everything comes back to Midoriya, at least for the first season--in a smart way.

The other show I've been watching and one that I've blown through the first two seasons of is The Legend of Korra! I loved the original series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and before this only watched one and a half seasons of Korra, so I'm now treading into new territory. While I'm aware that the show has its points of weakness, such as the first season being rushed and some other complaints, particularly with the romance or Korra's character, there's a lot to like here.

Watching this immediately after ATLA, a wonderful masterpiece of animation, may not be a great idea since it's hard to get into when attempting to compare it to Aang and his adventures. At the same time, that's what I love about this show. There are old elements of the previous show to enjoy, and new elements we hadn't yet seen before to love alongside them.



Recently, I listened to How To Treat The Ones You Love by Donovan Wolfington. It's an indie rock album that isn't as well known, and I have to say I enjoyed it! I'm unsure how many times I'd listen to it again, though it's an accessible album for fans of other indie rock acts and only lasts for around thirty minutes. If this sounds like something you might like, give it a shot!

This is not the only album I've listened to recently. Another new one is the self-titled Tigers Jaw that I found to be quite interesting. It ended up being nothing new, though there's a sound akin to Modern Baseball or Sorority Noise--or really, any pop punk band that's on the more obscure side, so if you're into that, check it out!

That's all we have for this week. Hope you find something that you end up liking here!

THE WORD OF THE WEEK: OBSTREPEROUSwritten by megsug < PM: >
Pronunciation: uh b-strep-er-uh s

Part of Language: adj

Definition: noisily resisting control

Used in a Sentence: The obstreperous toddler kicked and screamed, attempting to get out of his father’s grasp.

Origin: From the late 1500s, obstreperous comes from the Latin obstrepere which means to make a noise at.

Related words: obstreperously (adv); obstreperousness (n); obstreperosity (n)

TWO CENTS: IDENTITYwritten by Aley < PM: >

On the internet we have to make our self-image through any personal choices we get on a website. I've talked about this before with usernames, but today I'd like to discuss the ways those usernames and avatars are reflective of our identity and not just how we want to represent ourselves to others, but how we feel and think.

In today's article, I'll be interviewing a few current members of YWS about their choices for avatars and usernames to better show you what I'm talking about. Today's guests will be @Nikayla @LadyLizzLovelace @Kyllorac and @reason. We talked on the YWS discord about the topic and here's what was said.



Nikayla: I feel like it, Kurama. It goes with my mood.

Kyllorac: Change is good, but I do play favorites.

reason: I don't change my image!!

LadyLizLovelace: Mostly I do it because of a movie. I want something fresh and then find a gif from some comedy movie I watched recently



N: My current avatar is you, Kurama. I picked it because he is pretty too.

K: I'll go with avis I like
but I kind of have a pretty animanga boy theme going on
with occasional doses of for the lulz

r: (if i could find my original yws image ...)



r: because there is too much change in this world, i want my username and my image to be a source of consistency.



L: Everything is linked to personality in the end

K: honestly, my lack of regular avi changes has more to do with laziness and forgetfulness than a conscious decision not to
also, Fai is pretty

r: i value consistency, stability, and therefore strive to have it in the smallest of ways because i currently lack the control over major aspects of life -housing, food, and my neurological make up

K: though BotW Link is pretty too
I'll probably change to him
at some point
eventually

N: I don't change frequently. I like changing my avvie when it gets stale though
So I guess it shows I get bored visually easily

K: one of these days, I might just make an avi of my ME character Commander Bohemian Shepard and run with it
for the lulz

L: In my case, I'm one of those people who always feels like they must change it, otherwise they'll fall into a pit of unknown

N: Will people go like "What is Lizz?" if you don't change it? =P

L: You can't see me but I'm sarcastically clapping

K: oh man I wish Rosey were here
she had the same avi for almost a decade


N: I think I remember that vaguely
What was it? xD

K: pink unicorns kneeling in grass
it was a rectangular image

N: I know she's had the waterbender one for awhile now though

K: yes, but like
it was a Big Deal when she changed her avi and name
we both had a good laugh over it

N: I think she mentioned this to me xD

K: kind of like how we had a good laugh over when I first changed my name to Murtle
I was, and sort of still am, one of the very few mods who hadn't had a name change so I changed it as a prank




K:Rosey's name and avi had been a constant for ages
while everyone changed around her, she was a point of constancy
and then she wasn't

N: I changed my name five times I think?

L: I'm aiming for third time's a charm on username changes
E Lovelace was to get out of a sticky
Lizz Lovelace was basically Hannah and a year of thought situation



L: Hannah got me back into the Knights.
I changed it because I started a new order.




N: Usually nothing much. I'd like this to be my last name change. People usually know it's me though

L: Um for about three months no one knew who I was with the first change.
I once walked into chat with people I'd known since the beginning.
And a good few didn't recognize me

K: I usually go "again? whyyyyyy? I just got used to the other one..." but I am old and set in my ways u_u
[Kyll shoots judgey eyes at @Nikayla]
because it's been so long
I will forever remember Spark's though
forever

L: That's the best way to be about it tho kyll
If everyone could just forget.
That would be fabulous.

r: i don't recognize usernames therefore i act wary of people claiming to be whoever it was i liked




N: I change my name because I want to change myself



L: You have to wait for the two sides to balance out

N: I change my name when I know I want to change, Nikayla being more feminine than Kaos mainly

r: i dislike username changes as it is typically a reflection of that person being gone before they leave for good from the site/game

K: so, the few times I changed my name to Murtle as a joke, I noticed a very big difference in how people viewed me
particularly new members
new members came rushing to me with all sorts of questions and issues because Murtle with the turtle was cute and approachable

N: I used to find you a little intimidating
back in like 2015 when I joined, Kyll
But like
also legendary

K: yup
apparently the name Kyllorac exudes INTIMIDATING PERSON HERE
OBEY OR BE BANDARRED
useful when modding a rowdy chat

N: I was like "woahhhh"
But now both of you I know are harmless floofs
c:

K: not so useful when making friends with people ;.;

r: depends, i've heard of those two ripping people to shreds

K: with good reason

N: Was that a pun

K: actually, pretty sure most of the people in this convo have seen us do exactly that
name changes have a pretty huge impact on how people see you online
I might get around to finally changing mine now that the insta-terror of my name is no longer needed for chat modly things
embrace my inner fluff
expose it to all the world




r: i dislike it because i may be nice to someone i don't appreciate on accident



r: i do dislike username changes, there was an incident that i lost all respect for a particular user. i returned two years later and spoke to that same person under a different username
and I'm just like YOU CHANGED YOUR NAME I DIDN'T KNOW

K: I have a list of people I Do Not Review for Reasons
usually because they ask me to not review them in the future, so if they changed their name, I'd wind up accidentally reviewing them

N: Lol Kyll
I don't think I get on very many bad sides
At least not as many as I used to

K: I kind of have a reputation as being one of the harshest reviewers on YWS
but like I don't try to be
and I don't sugar coat it.

N: I used to be harsh but like
Now I'm just honest.
I'm more mellow now?

r: i made people cry with my reviews

K: if something is bad, I will say it is bad, and then go into detail about how exactly it is bad, and then ways to possibly fix it
most people tune out at the "it is bad" part.
very few make it to the final bit

N: See if I get good reviews
I can feel bad
For a bit
Like I love honest reviews
but I have a shutdown period where I get upset for a bit and then I'm like 'okay time to edit'

K: something I also rarely do is talk about the stuff they didn't mess up
like, if something is well-done, I will mention it but if it's just okay or average, it just doesn't come up in the review, which is apparently mean.

N: Oh I mention well-done stuff
At least once
Most of the time anyway.

K: because I'm not praising them

N: But I praise when it's actually deserved
When I'm like "Hey that's good"
I don't hide what I liked or didn't like
I just say it

K: my reviews tend to be fairly long and substantial, so by the time I finish with the issues, it's like
I'm doneth
this review is too long as it is
submit

N: I've more conservative with length nowadays
Just because I've gotten better
at condensing my thoughts

K: I also like discussing my reviews

N: same

L: Just one more thing.
Even though people didn't know me for this period in the middle of name changes, it gave me some freedom.
I liked the temporary freedom.



After this interview, I think it is safe to say that there are multiple ways people go about choosing how to present their identity through avatars and usernames. For some, like Lizz and Nikayla, it's all about timing, personal growth, and staying current or keeping themselves up to date. For an older user like Kyllorac, it's more about actually remembering it's possible to change the avatar, and being willing to change which does happen, just not as regularly as some of our younger members. Lastly, for a user like reason, who has built an identity around an image and a name, they become consistent things that are a trademark of their identity online.

No matter how you treat and handle your username, the decision is up to you and what you want in the end. I think it's valuable to note that when you do change your username, if you don't talk about it ahead of time with people who know you, or change it to a nickname you already have, then you can end up in a place where you no longer have the identity you've built over time reviewing, posting, and talking in uYWS. This gives us a chance at a fresh start, even if it is only for a little bit, and while we can only change our usernames once every six months, I think it's a useful tool as we age, develop our writing, and improve our reviewing.

If you are interested in changing your username, talk to a Global Moderator, or a GM who has a dark green name.

NEW ARRIVALS
written by EternalRain < PM: >

Take a moment to welcome this week’s newest members to the site!

@kostia has done 7 reviews in the short time they’ve been here - two past their first review star!

@gxldencrxns seems pretty active, with a total of 11 reviews and 4 forum posts.

@SynonymousTom has up a poem of theirs they wrote, Oblivion

This Week’s Link Round Up 6/25 written by megsug < PM: >

Get motivated to make banners and analyze poetry in This Week’s Round Up!


@ChieRynn is making banners for a price of 50-125 points, depending on how complex the request is. My favorite example of hers is:



Check it out and get a custom banner!


@Mage wants to know how to get motivated again. Many users have come to give their two cents of advice. @occymay discussed their habit of writing a hundred words a day since May:







Read all of the helpful tips or leave one of your own!


@Aley has posted another poetry resource, and this one is about analyzing poems. She covers rhyme scheme, syllables, and types, including meter. As someone who could never grasp stressed and unstressed syllables, she had a great tip:

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