haze

My sister got completely nuked while waiting to go into the screening because someone was loudly discussing the ending!

It’s crazy how a story that is so clearly extremely personal to its creator can be so cathartic to others simply because of the creator’s vulnerability.

Like the story is truly a magnum opus of working through unique traumas and the identity created around those traumas. But by navigating personal experiences with the world, gooseworx is allowed to also meaningfully portray the world and the different niches that people occupy within it.

As though through an analysis of oneself and creating one’s personal identity, a person is also allowed to peel back all the layers of the world itself. Whilst there is a unique human experience, there is a commonality that transcends all, and that is what TADC reveals. It is truly about how memory, trauma, coping, and support inform our unique human experience (displayed in each of the characters) that is still full of kernels of relatability simply because of our shared humanity.

And all of this is A FRICKIN CARTOON WITH PEAK WRITING!! This show truly represents how independent projects are key in preserving genuine storytelling.

The first version brings me internal comfort, feels like me in the most basic sense. Who is not masculine or feminine, but just is. They don’t have to worry about accentuating curves or finding flattering hairstyles. This person doesn’t have to worry about what their hair, makeup or clothes may imply. They don’t have to like or dislike anything on the basis of masculinity or femininity. They don’t have to worry about what their hobbies or conversation topics may reveal. They find satisfaction in questioning glances and confusion when people consider their identity. They lean into and thrive within the lines of ambiguity. And they are difficult to discuss because they just exist, and that’s okay. It’s not beautiful or pretty or soft. It doesn’t have to blanket itself with dominance or baggy clothes or manly interests to disguise its gentle appearance. It’s neutral in the way that people are, in the way that people respond. A blank canvas that speaks louder than a painting that highlights rosy cheeks, wide hips, and plush lips. This version has a natural softness that doesn’t have to be acknowledged because it doesn’t have to mean more than existing.

The second version brings security and stability, who people like because she can be pretty. Whose masculine presence can be easily reconciled with a glance at the feminine wrappings. The version that looks like she enjoys being a woman. Looks like someone a man would want to flirt with, who can bat her eyelashes or swing her hips when people get too close to figuring out the truth. Who can use her softness and delicate appearance to smooth out the correct perceptions because sometimes being known is dangerous, and sometimes knowing yourself is too big of a hurdle. She has to preoccupy herself with ensuring her words aren’t too harsh or blunt. Because the disparity in how she views herself when contrasted with her big eyes and sloping nose and soft edges may reveal too much. If she leans on her inherent femininity, she doesn’t have to acknowledge the discomfort that arises when people draw attention to her body. Because then she has to think about how maybe it’s not her body she hates but the woman it implies.

It has a clean shot,

Laying a deadly claim to

its very own American Dream.

The snake oil was sold to It

within the scripture

of approved classroom readings,

Proclaiming the brilliance of

A premium offer,

A once-in-a-lifetime deal,

A brand new model ,

The Idealized Purchase,

A wise investment,

Only at the cheap, cheap cost of integrity.

How do I buy my very own American Dream?

The soul of It has become polluted,

Distracted by the mirage

of a sparkling exterior.

They’re pumping It full of a hoax so vile

that the flavor of its mandated daily bread

has given way to the taste of dread.

The dream of Our Country,

Born of the blood on its soil,

Has fattened itself on the feast of others’ toil.

Taught to fantasize of only gorging itself

on The American Delicacy.

Routinely sold to It at top dollar

Is only a tool to justify its own slaughter:

Among the privileged seedlings

that manage to grow,

Some have the misfortune

of falling outside the designated flow.

Beyond the preordained limits.

Such cursed seedlings are

destined to be harshly uprooted.

Though, not all can persevere

in the midst of such cruel treatment.

Of those permitted:

The gift of life the roots provide

is a whisper that never echoes.

While the blossoms that spring

are celebrated through

neat shouts that sing.

This chorus bounds

across the plotted fields.