The Yard: Volume 13 Issue 1 by CisternYard Media

Elusive explorations of the human subconscious.

Drea In this issue, we delve into the language of dreams, from nostalgic fantasy to eerie nightmares and visions.

Involuntary occurrences that reflect our deepest desires, fears and mental fixations.

ams Follow us as we journey through the spectrum of the surreal.

Letter from the Editor To the Reader,

AI generated media. This spectrum of content, from light to dark, is something we hope you notice throughout the magazine in the articles, the design, and the photography. The Dream Issue wants to take you on a journey that hinges on the center spread’s photography and grows progressively darker as you ﬂip the pages.

Thank you for opening The Dream Issue of The Yard! As a final note, I want to write my thanks to the many people who made this process Cistern Yard News has always prioritized possible. To Madison Como, who stayed being a space run by students for students up late nights with me combing through to create whatever they wish. As the CY commas and misspelled words, I truly News staff thought about the direction we could have done that with no one else. To wanted to take our first issue, we knew we Alix Averitt, your excitement for every elewanted that idea of creative freedom to be ment of the magazine pours into the room at the center. After rounds of brainstormand creates an irreplaceable energy that ing in our utility closet turned office space, is so important to Cistern Yard– thank we decided to create The Dream Issue. As you. To Camila Carrillo-Marquina, whose a staff of people new to their positions, photography and overall vision made the myself included, our eyes were huge with magazine come to life, I am so impressed the long-awaited opportunity of making a by you and forever thankful to work next magazine with and for our campus in the to you. To Anna, Devin, and Blakesley, way we wanted. Together, we could not thank you for your close work with the arthink of something more exciting than ticles and invaluable insight into the magthat. It was a dream for all of us. azine’s process. Without y’all’s help during meetings and hours put into editing, this Starting and finishing this first issue tomagazine would have never come togethgether has been everything but smooth. er. To Charlotte Ottaino and Joey Izzo, I We met many obstacles, from diminishing thank you both for being so involved in budgets and tight deadlines to navigating the magazine process. Your passions make new territory together, but I am proud of creating this magazine worthwhile, and I the work we produced. The people on staff am eager to continue working with you. Fiand the amazing volunteers on campus nally, thank you to the Cistern Yard Media created a brilliant issue, and one that I Executive team, who I could not have done am proud to represent as my first issue as this job without. Editor in Chief. The content of this magazine ranges from dreaming of our shared childhood memories to the frightening future of

All of my best, See you next issue Lara O’Dell

meet the staff!

LARA ODELL- EDITOR IN CHIEF

BLAKESLEY RH

ETT- FEATURE

S EDITOR

DEVIN DEHOLLA NDERCITY NEWS EDITO R

ALIX AVERITT - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

MADISON COMO- MANAGING EDITOR

CAMILA CARRIL HEAD LO-MA OF PHO RQUINA TOGRA PHY

ANNA RO

WE- OPIN

IONS ED

ITOR

CONTRIBUTORS LAYOUT DESIGNERS CHARLOTTE OTTAIANO SALLY PHAM MENA SPENCER ROASALIE SWETT JACK WATSON SABRINA SAN AGUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHERS CHARLOTTE OTTANIO BELLA CAUSE

JOEY IZZO

ELIZABETH SMITH

WRITERS JOEY IZZO CAROLINE CHURCHBORN JULIA BIANCHINI CAZ KOPF AMELIA LAWSON ELLIE DUKES LEWIE NASBY

MODELS NOAH HAMMETT MYLES LEMOINE

The Necessity of Painful Dreams of the PastEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind's Profound Message on Relationships By Joey Izzo

If you’ve ever experienced a harsh breakup, you're familiar with how memories, both joyful and painful, will flood your mind afterwards, even in your dreams. If you could erase all memories of a relationship after a breakup, all memories of that person, would and should you do it? That’s the question 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” presents, a beautiful mind numbingly tragic romance film that has continued to stay in the public psyche nearly 20 years later as one of the greatest in its genre. Compared to other romance films, what makes this one so special, and even profound? The story of the film revolves around the fallout between Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski’s (Kate Winslet) relationship. Joel finds out that Clementine has undergone a procedure to have all memories of him and their relationship erased from her mind. Reasonably upset, Joel decides to undergo the same procedure, where a machine sorts through Joel’s mind in his sleep and erases the trail of memories involving Clementine in reverse, while Joel simultaneously experiences them as dreams. It’s during this procedure that Joel realizes he doesn't want to forget Clementine, even after all the pain he's been through, and it’s up to him and a version of Clementine in his memories to try to resist the procedure before waking. Conceptually the plot may seem predictable, but it’s the film's execution in specific aspects that makes it so special. The aspects that make this film stand out nearly decades later as one of the best is its beautifully crafted and twisted dream sequences, its extremely accurate portrayal of the gritty reality of the uglier side of dating, and its profound message on the most painful parts of relationships in its conclusion. The dream sequences showcasing Joel’s memories are masterfully crafted. We get to see snippets of memories that span the entirety of Joel’s and Clementine’s relationship in literal dream-like sequences. Some of these memory dreams play out normally, but when Joel begins to realize he doesn't want to forget Clementine and wants to stop the procedure, the dreams literally begin to break down. People's faces begin to get morphed into a blur. Memories transition directly into each other in almost a maze-like fashion as Joel walks through them. Visual and audio distortion is used for a hazy effect that clouds the consciousness. Lighting gets extremely and anxiously tight to the point where Joel’s surroundings look like a void. When Joel tries to escape with Clementine into a memory before they met, we get a glimpse into Joel’s childhood. Perspective and set design is used to make everything look bigger and brighter. Another childhood dream that he leads her into shows both Joel and Clementine as kids, where they play together and he heartwarmingly wishes they knew each other back then. It then abruptly cuts to Joel’s childhood home dilapidated as he stands alone. The film does an amazing job sequencing these memories together, and the sporadic order of them adds to the dream-like aesthetic. Clementine’s hair color in these scenes is the best indicator of where each memory is in the timeline of their relationship, which is a clever way of showing continuity. The best example of these scenes though, and probably the most memorable part of the film, is the beach house in Montauk. It's the final memory Joel has left of Clementine and his last chance to remember her, the memory of when they first met. She leads him into an empty beach house at night to have some fun together, but Joel recalls how he left the house because he was scared, and how he now wished he would've stayed. They didn’t get together till later on, but Joel wonders if things would have played out differently if he didn’t leave back then. The house literally begins to crumble, the floors turning into sand as water begins to flood

in. Clementine asks what would happen if he decided to stay this time, but he replies that he already walked out the door. Joel falls to his knees as the house collapses. They share a final goodbye and he confesses that he still loves her as she too fades away from his memory in maybe the most heartbreaking scene in any film ever. While other films in the genre romanticize a majority of all aspects of a relationship, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” manages to show the gritty reality of the uglier side of dating. The flaws of the two main characters are very real and something we can all relate to in our own love lives. Joel tends to be closed off with his feelings, he journals them instead of actively communicating them to Clementine. This clashes with Clementine's open book personality and eventually causes a rift between the two. He deflects by explaining how communication isn’t always necessary, but she refutes by saying that sharing things is what intimacy is and she feels as though he doesn't trust her. His refusal to change his ways played a big part in their fallout. Joel, being a very reserved and observant person, tends to search for flaws in people. This was another factor in their fallout, and is brought up again at the end of the film. Clementine is shown to be a very impulsive person. Her constant changing of her hair color is the most blatant example of this nature, and she admits that she gets bored too easily. She is shown to lead Joel out of his shell throughout the memories in the film due to his nature, but she eventually gets frustrated and tired of it. This leads to a build up of animosity towards Joel’s nature as a result, and her refusal to change played a part in their break up as well. The downfall of their relationship because of these issues is portrayed with shocking accuracy. We see the two of them laying on a frozen lake as Joel professes he's never been so happy that he could die then and there contently, and then the stark contrast of an argument in the streets when Clementine wants a baby and Joel doesn't feel they’re ready yet. We see the decline in communication as the relationship progresses, with sweet scenes of the two of them lovingly in deep conversation under colored blankets in bed and then date nights of eating chinese food in mostly silence. Then we see the end with how much animosity grew between the two leading up to their final argument, how brutal they were to each other, and how they never got a proper goodbye. The Four Horsemen, terms used to describe the fall of a relationship, can all be applied to scenes throughout the film. Criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling, it’s all there to analyze. All these scenes feel so real, so lived in, and I can’t think of many other films that convey the feelings that these stages of a relationship come with as accurately as this film does. Joel, unable to stop the procedure before waking, forgets all memories of Clementine. Then, the scenes from the beginning of the film play out again. You, the audience, begin to realize that their meeting on a train to Montauk was not how they met and fell in love, but how they met again. The fact that even after forgetting each other completely, they still found each other and fell in love again is as heartwarming as it gets in these kinds of films. An employee of the practice that does the memory erasing procedure, realizing the unethical reality of it, decides to send all previous patients they’re audio recordings pre-procedure so they can remember what was taken from them. Both Joel and Clementine listen to their tapes and don’t know how to feel, remembering all the happiness but pain and heartbreak that came before and how their relationship ended. Clementine

leaves Joel’s place but Joel runs to stop her. It’s here that the final and most profound scene takes place. Joel wants to try to make things work again, but Clementine states that he’s just going to end up finding something that he doesn’t like about her and that she will get bored. It’s then after a brief silence that Joel says “Ok”. Beginning to cry out of happiness, Clementine says “Ok” as they both laugh happily. This exchange is what truly makes the film so special. Remembering the painful memories that came before instead of forgetting, and embracing each other’s faults is what makes relationships so beautiful. This ending is different from the likes of other romance films where the conflict is fully resolved and all the bad is forgotten or ignored. Joel and Clementine know that they can try to change for the better, but they’re still going to have their faults. They proactively know that they will still have their differences in the future. Joel will still have his reserved nature and Clementine will still have her impulsive nature. It’s the fact they love each other for it anyways, that’s the real beauty of love. I can’t think of another film with relationship advice as profound and beautiful as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and that’s why decades later it’s still so moving.

A Look at Local Bands By Alix Averitt This is an introspective article on up and coming bands in the Charleston area. Who are the locals making music? What led them to pursue it? What does the music scene look like here? And how is it evolving? I sat down with 2 local bands for an interview to find out: Easy Honey & Mantra. Here’s what I learned.

EASY HONEY There’s nothing easy about honey. It’s a metaphor for life in a lot of ways. To get to something sweet, you have to go through tough things as well. Darby McGlone, Selby Austin, Webster Austin and Charlie Holt are the 4 members of one of Charleston’s fastest-growing bands. In any discussion of Charleston’s music landscape, it would be negligent not to mention the unmistakable presence and artistic contributions of Easy Honey. Imagine a sunny day, all of us sitting around a table in the backyard of our friend’s little pink house. Overgrown grass. A palmetto tree for shade. An oasis tucked away from the busy downtown area. I couldn’t have picked a better location to sit down with everyone. Easy Honey’s musical journey is a tapestry of diverse influences and familial connections. Completely enamored with the guitar after a sleep away camp on top of the Arkansas mountains, Selby returned home and learned guitar, teaching his younger brother Webster along the way. Darby was enveloped in a world of music from an early age, with the radio always playing, his dad on the piano, his mother singing and his older brother who introduced him to the guitar. Charlie also began playing because of his older brothers and is now an incredibly talented drummer. The formation of Easy Honey can be traced back to college at Sewanee around the year 2017, where Selby and Darby met and began writing songs. After adding Charlie to the group, the band played at college parties, addressing the lack of live music on campus. Webster later joined the band as the bass player, creating a group of musical talents and shared experiences that define Easy Honey’s distinctive sound and camaraderie. After relocating to Charleston post-college, the group’s sound has flourished into East Coast surf rock with touches of folk from their time back in Tennessee. With Webster on the bass, Charlie on the drums, Selby and Darby on the guitars, this group has a sentimental element of actual storytelling, all of which is accompanied by their collective voices.

Alix: How did you figure out what you wanted to play? Darby: It never really was planned or premeditated. It all came from what we all individually and collectively listened to. Brit-rock was a huge connecting thread for them–David Bowie, the Beatles, Elton John, Billy Idol, Wilco, Radiohead. Bruce Springsteen, B-52’s, Big Star, Wilco were names also repeatedly thrown around. Selby had a talent for planting seeds of appreciation within his band members towards artists and bands he liked. The group’s dynamic formed from shared musical tastes and commonalities which kindled a curiosity within them to find their own sound. At the core of their artistic journey and desire to create original songs has always burned brightly. Prioritizing the creation of their own musical narrative has led to a unique sonic identity, one so loved by the locals. Alix: Do you think being in Charleston influences your music at all? Anything about this city? Or is it just where you’re at right now and it has nothing to do with your sound? Webster: I would say for sure. Darby: Well it’s not an intentional, conscious thing like ‘oh we’re in Charleston so we’re gonna start writing more surf rock stuff.’ I think it’s ‘we’re in Charleston so we started surfing and spending a lot of our time at the ocean’ and that’s just one of the aspects of the city that has influenced our demeanor, personalities and interests which then also shapes our creative aspirations. Webster: It’s super important to the band because to me, we really are the city of Charleston in the sense that we’re kinda laid back people but also very in touch with the high arts and history. It’s an interesting kind of crossroads, or melting pot, of those things. But we leave so much too and tour so much, and spend a lot of time in other cities so we write about those places too. I don’t know. Does that spark anything? I didn’t really explain that well. Darby: I think you said it. Webster: You know you go to New York or Los Angeles and you say you’re from Charleston and no one is like: ‘oh it’s just a sleepy town’ like it might’ve been 20 years ago. It’s more like: ‘oh that’s a cool-happening town’ and that’s kinda how I feel like our band is…. Darby and Selby: Cool and happening? Webster: Cool and happening! They all laughed. And in this place that’s kind of taking off, I feel like we’re parallelly taking off with it. Alix: I agree, I feel as if the music scene in Charleston has never been as intense as it is right now. And you’re right there with it. Darby: There really are so many communities within the music here…There’s everyone who goes to Royal American, everyone who goes to Dead on the Deck every Wednesday…everyone goes to PourHouse. Or like the Windjammer. Having these niches within Charleston provides for more of a dynamic and excitable stoke for those who really love music! From starting out performing in dive bars like Burn’s Alley, selling out shows, playing the Windjammer and the Refinery, to curating and executing a surf tour, Easy Honey has accomplished so much in their time here in Charleston. These musicians work hard to make connec-

tions with people through their music, even if it means writing a song about a venue in hopes that they would be allowed to perform there. Darby: We wrote a song about Royal American, special, because we couldn’t seem to land a show there. We finally got booked there and then the goal became to sell out there. Fucking did that! And then we headlined for the first time. And then the goal became to play Pourhouse. We did that! Alix: Do you have any pre-show rituals that you do as a group or even individually? Darby: Charlie starts hammering away on his practice pad, getting into the groove. Webster: Yeah he warms up a ton. Points to Selby. You warm up and meditate. Everyone has their own way of feeling comfortable. I might just go to talk to people. Selby likes to be alone. Darby: What do you like to do when you’re alone? Selby: I frantically walk around the venue and try to bring good vibes. We all laughed. I’m frantically checking on everything. But if I could spend 10 minutes with a guitar, that’s the most ideal situation for me. Webster: In conclusion, we just warm up. Selby: It used to be hit the bowl. It used to be slam a beer. It’s not like that anymore. Webster: Yeah, now right before we go on, minutes before, seconds before, we come together and take a moment. Having just finished their last few cities of their surf tour not too long before this interview and about to go on their fall 2023 tour, they were still on a high from all the excitement of being on the road. There was a sense of urgency and a burning desire to dive back into their creative endeavors- it was almost palpable. Darby, Webster, Charlie and Selby are incredibly kind and talented individuals. It’s clear that they have passion and respect for what they do. They had such an infectious energy that I wasn’t expecting and they were so easy to talk to, easy like honey.

MANTRA Mantra. An instrument of the mind—a powerful sound or vibration that you can use to enter a deep state of meditation.

Mantra draws inspiration from soft rock and indie, and is sonically serene. This local Charleston band consists of guitarist/vocalist Ben Patrick, keyboard player Noah James, drummer Alex Brouwer, bass player Justin McCraney and lead guitarist Damon Otero. What sets Mantra apart is not just their musical style, but their attitude of not taking themselves too seriously. They approach their craft with a refreshing lightness, allowing their music to flow organically and effortlessly, resulting in a sound that is both captivating and revitalizing. I joined Mantra and their manager, Campbell Dickson, at one of their studio recordings to do their interview. They all started playing music at a young age. 9 year-old Alex started off with guitar but switched to drums pretty quickly and that’s been his main instrument for the past 14 years or so. McCraney started playing the trumpet when he was 10. He had a very classical concert band upbringing until about 4 years ago. Now he labels himself as a “jack of all traders, master or none,” doing what is needed for the band. Noah got into the keyboard because his dad was a musician, collecting vintage keyboard’s throughout his life. “I started playing when I was 15. I was drawn to the instrument in a way. Mantra has been my main thing since that” Noah stated. Damon started taking guitar seriously at the age of 16. Damon: I got interested in music for a pretty pragmatic reason. I started playing guitar not because I was interested in music or anything, but because I figured when I was older, I’d be bored if I didn’t have anything to do. Ben: That’s such a Damon answer. Everyone laughed. Ben learned guitar out of curiosity and lack of other driving interests. Ben: When I was 15, my mom caught me one night when I snuck out. She was really upset with me, and I had already quit sports at that point. She would only let me hang out with my brother’s friends, and they were all really into music and stuff. And I didn’t have anything to do so I learned guitar. I realized that it was actually really fun. And then, I just kept doing it. I started writing songs and realized that I loved doing that as well. Mantra all started in 2018 when Ben was an alumni judge for the Battle of The Bands at a local high school. Originally not wanting a keyboard player in his band, Ben changed his mind after seeing Noah, a senior at the time, playing the keyboard. “It was so fucking sick,” Ben said. McCraney, one of Noah and Ben’s old high school friends, had dropped out of college where he was studying to be a music teacher and moved back home. McCraney: I remember Ben being like ‘Yo you wanna join my band?’ and we were in quarantine so I thought it would be fun. It was just a hobby at first. Some months after seeing an ad for a guitarist on Instagram, Damon joined Mantra and introduced the guys to Alex, a drummer from another band he was in.

Alix: How did you figure out your sound? Alex: We all came from different branches of rock. These two, Ben and McCraney, being the main songwriters and you know, being in a band with Damon and Noah, I was like ‘ok there is really something here that can all come together’ and the more we wrote, the more it did. Damon: Yeah. I think we’re still figuring it out. That’s the answer I’d give. How did we figure out our sound? We’re still figuring it out. Noah: It’s a constant work in progress. Dam0n: I think that our sound is not so much something that we have tried to figure out, honestly. I think that if we tried to figure out a sound, then it wouldn’t happen in a super organic way. Our sound just really consists of, as corny as it sounds, who we are as people and what we like to play. We’ve kind of figured out a way to make our differences work together from this thing that, at least in my opinion, sounds pretty unique to itself. Mantra’s writing process is a collaborative and dynamic journey that starts with a song’s skeleton, often brought to the table by Ben or McCraney. With each member of the band contributing their unique knowledge, skill and experience, they collectively breathe life into the music. Collaboration is key, as sometimes Ben and McCraney work together on different aspects of songwriting, with one focusing on chords and melody, while the other crafts lyrics and vocals. In the studio, their approach is meticulous, dedicating their attention to one song at a time, ensuring each piece receives the care and creativity it deserves. Throughout this creative process, they rely on their producer, Wolfgang Zimmerman, as a crucial barometer to guide their decisions and help them achieve the distinctive and harmonious sound that defines Mantra’s music. Mantra’s manager, Campbell Dickson, also plays an indispensable role as the backbone of the band’s peace and success. Being the first band he’s managed, his journey with Mantra has been marked by a deep brotherhood and mutual understanding. He wears multiple hats, ensuring the band’s smooth operation. From booking shows to coordinating merchandise, capturing media and handling logistical aspects on and off the road, he takes on the many responsibilities required to keep the band moving forward. With experiences working in Charleston’s music landscape since high school, including Easy Honey, Campbell Dickson has honed his skills and passion for the industry, ultimately finding his stride as the dedicated manager of Mantra, turning his lifelong dream into a vibrant reality.

Alix: Do you think being in Charleston or having started in Charleston has influenced who you are? Ben: 100%. When you’re a kid, you feel the undertones of where you grew up. I feel like Charleston does have this soul to it that you can only feel in vulnerable moments or if you’re a child here. I think that we try to emulate that. I asked Mantra if they had any pre-show rituals. A group cigarette, 2 cold beers, and a 30 second sound check was the collective answer. So much has happened for Mantra and there is so much more to come. Their first show at Royal American was sold out. They headlined at Pourhouse and are considered the main house show right now. Mantra’s first tour is looking to happen next May. Their single “Waiting” is coming out November 10th! As the interview went on, I could feel their energies bouncing off of each other as they reflected on how they got to where they are now and what was in store for them. I found them to be chaotic yet controlled, pensive yet carefree, each member different from the next but fitting together in such a cohesive way. Their music reflects that, and I hope you decide to take a listen. 23

l a n o i t t o r m o E pp Su ffed u t S imal An

By Caroline Churchbourne

We’ve all had one. Ask anyone and you’ll find that most young-children, and still many teenagers, have one. You might’ve even given yours a name. Over the years they’ve gone from a pristine little teddy-bear to a crusty, smelly, deflated football. Sometimes they even have a missing eye or limb. Despite this, we still keep it; It’ll still be in that same spot on the side of the bed when we get back home or when we wake up. Even though it’s a little damaged, compared to a brand new stuffed animal, in terms of quality (and maybe cleanliness), it pales in comparison. But, we’ll pick it over any other stuffed animal all day long. But why is that? Stuffed animals have been an important part of many of our lives; some of them have been with us ever since we’ve been born, and we have refused to part with it since. This is our “emotional support stuffed animal”. We dragged these companions of ours on vacation, to Grandma’s house, and eventually to college. They bring us a sense of security and comfort. There’s this sense of nostalgia attached to our little companions. A certain smell, or the feel of our childhood home. They give us a feeling of protection that helps us get through and cope with challenging situations. They give us the ability to build secure emotional attachments, which can help us live better, and happier lives. Sleeping with stuffed animals, even as an adult, has been proven to help with anxiety, and pressure. They automatically boost our mood and reduce our stress. As college kids, this sounds like a packaged deal.They are the comfort we need to prevent early fears, anxieties, and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. All ages can find these creatures

beneficial to their lives. It might seem embarrassing to still be attached to it at the ripe age of 18. You might find yourself hiding it when you bring your sneaky link into your room so it doesn’t have to endure your teenage activities. But no matter how old you get, or how embarrassing you think it might be, you can’t find yourself getting rid of it. You also can’t bring yourself to wash it, no matter how nasty it gets. Gross. But that’s just the nature behind them. They remind us of home. As college kids, we’ve all felt that aching feeling that comes with missing home. Even if you are an hour, or 10 hours away from home we feel the sense of longing for home; a hug from our mom and a fight with our siblings. In our times of solitude, we turn to our emotional support stuffed animals for comfort. They smell like home. We squeeze them tight as we curl into our floating loft beds. When we hold them tight to our chest suddenly we forget our responsibilities as young adults. The science behind the comfort we feel from our fuzzy friends, based on the Good Life Bean article, “The Science Behind Emotional Support Stuffed Animals: How they Boost Mood and Reduce Stress” is that stuffed animals can tap into our power of touch, which provides us with

a desirable experience, releasing feel good hormones including oxytocin and dopamine. They help reduce feelings of anxiety and insecurity, aiding in our loneliness or that ache of missing home. It’s not just the crusty teddy bear that sits on our bed that gives us comfort. It’s all stuffed animals. Yes, we might have a special connection with that one, but for some reason all stuffed animals bring us some type of joy. They have been a symbol of comfort all our lives. Even if you were a blanket kid, they brought you a sort of comfort. When we hold them and touch their soft fur, dopamine sirens go off in our head. We are automatically overwhelmed with calmness. So is this why as adults we are willing to spend 30 dollars on the viral “Jelly-Cats”? The reason we invest our time and money into these plush creatures is for the pure feeling of nostalgia. Adults who buy these products describe acquiring them as a kind of “self-care” according to the Wall Street Journal. We consider this self-care because of the benefits mentioned before that come with these huggable creatures. They help us sleep better and improve our happiness. When thinking of the commercialization of stuffed animals, the evolution of furry creators comes to mind. How on earth did we go from the simplest teddy bear to squishmallows? How come we are so into these inanimate objects with eyes and feet? If we go back to around the 1800’s, the first stuffed animals were made of felt, velvet, or mohair, and stuffed with straw, or horse hair. After WWII, manufacturers started producing with more synthetic materials, and then the first teddy bear was born. Even though they were rough and crude looking back in the day, we have evolved to make them more

friendly, cute, and squishy. This adds on to their effect of being comforting and our cute companion. We have transitioned from bland stuffed animals to cute companions due to “pure” marketing and what will sell to the current generation. That means that if the current generation has a thing for an object with legs, so be it. Stuffed animals are a social media phenomenon, which isnt surprising. Gen-Z is obsessed with them, and it’s not certain if that’s concerning, or healthy. With the power of one click, we

have turned the product into a social happening. We have probably sky marketed the squishmellow

market in the matter for a couple years. It seems like their popularity came out of nowhere, but it was the magic of social media that brought them to life, and gave stuﬀed animals in total a new meaning to society. If you are on twitter, or other social media, you have probably seen the trend of your stuﬀed animal before and after it’s been “loved”. A lot of parents were clever enough and kept backups of their kids’ favorite toys.

Those parents have kept those stuﬀed animals until their child has grown up and gone away. When you

compare the backup and the “loved” one, the results are amazing. These objects really look like they’ve seen some stuff, from missing eyes, limbs, stuffing, and discoloration. They have been cuddled so hard, and have been everywhere the kid has, from planes, trains, cars, airports, and school. They’ve been loved, lost, and sometimes even replaced. My mom probably bought a million “Lambys” for my brother when he was a kid. They all did the same job, protecting him and comforting him from the scary outside world. These cuddly creatures have been with us our whole lives. Our first steps, first words, first birthday, first kiss. But, we wonder, when is it time to give it up for good? At what point in our lives have they finished serving their purpose? Do we ever stop cuddling our favorite stuffed animal? When is the end of our childhood era? The answer is a tough one to find. Some eventually give them to Goodwill, or you can be like my mom and pass it on to her children. The age for stuffed animals is truly indefinite, and we use these furry friends as an escape into our childhood. But what happens when we find someone to replace our teddy bear? Do they fill the place of our teddy bear in the bed at night? Significant others provide comfort when we feel sad and potentially can replace the security our furry friends once gave us. If this happens, it is truly the end of an era. It’s up to us where our childhood companions and first friends end up after we are thrown into adulthood.

Our Bedside Tables and the Stories They Weave Alix Averitt Artist Spotlight

My photographic piece, “A Nightstand Study”, explores the uniqueness that comes with an individual’s nightstand. The small table placed next to our beds that we have collectively decided to call a nightstand is, in my opinion, one of the most private and intimate spaces in our homes. Nightstands are the physical manifestation of an individual’s personality through the collected items kept in such close proximity to their bed. I find it so fascinating what someone chooses to keep on theirs. In today’s fast-paced world, where so much of our lives are on display through social media and carefully curated online profiles, the nightstand provides a stark contrast. It’s an unguarded space, where the facade often presented to the outside world is stripped away. In the intimate space of the bedroom, the nightstand becomes a sanctuary for personal artifacts, a glimpse into the inner sanctum of an individual’s life. This work was inspired by Sophie Calle and her series The Hotel and The Sleepers. I photographed 31 nightstands. They were not cleaned off or curated in any way. Each nightstand was photographed in its natural state. The choice of items on a nightstands can be both deeply personal and revealing. It might include things like books, photographs, medication, journals, or even a childhood toy. Each item is a thread in the tapestry of a person’s life, a fragment of their story. Furthermore, by photographing 31 different nightstands, you’re not only showcasing the diversity of personal lives but also highlighting the commonalities that unite us all. We may have unique stories and experiences, but there are universal aspects of the human condition that connect us, and our nightstands can serve as a microcosm of those shared experiences. Through this work, I am inviting viewers to contemplate their own nightstands and what they might reveal about themselves. It’s an exploration of the everyday objects that silently bear witness to our dreams, fears, aspirations, and routines. Your work echoes the sentiment that even in the seemingly mundane, there is beauty and profundity waiting to be discovered. In essence, this piece is a celebration of the ordinary, a tribute to the small, overlooked corners of our lives that hold a world of meaning. It’s an opportunity for viewers to connect with the intimate and personal aspects of others, fostering empathy and understanding in a world that often emphasizes differences.

DID I DREAM THIS UP? TRIPPING ON Y2K FILMS By Julia Bianchini In the summer of 2005 kids across the country filed into their local theaters, unaware of the unforgettable journey they were about to embark on. Their vehicle– the scratchy red seats of an AMC – and their destination, the bizarre and breathtaking film production that is “Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” As they donned their 3-D glasses, kids settled in to experience a milk river with cookie rafts, a larger than life philosophical robot, Taylor Lautner with chiseled shark abs and many more oddities that made up the world of Planet Drool. Robert Rodriuguez’s film has such a strange, but noticeably prevalent hold on the childhood of many young adults today. While the critics’ reaction to the film was less than positive, the movie has managed to maintain its grasp on modern media over the years.

Reasoning for that instant connection felt by so many may be explained by the origin of the film’s story: a kid.

That relevance in the lives of many Generation Z viewers is a result of the strong emotional connection they had with the movies and the memories connected to each nostalgic movie. Rodruiguez’s son, Racer, inspired the plot for the movie after he was left dissatisfied by a game of sharks and minnows in the pool and decided to create the character, Sharkboy, to incorporate in the game. Racer took inspiration for Lavagirl from another popular children’s game, “The Floor is Lava.” The characters and storyline were refined from Racer’s original ideas in the production stage, but the film stayed true to the original ideas of a kid. “No offense to the kid, and not to squelch his enthusiasm, but it shows” is one of the negative comments written by Christy Lemire in her review of the film for Associated Press. Lemire points out it is obvious that the concept of the movie was planned out by a kid, causing the movie’s downfalls. While many fans wouldn’t disagree with the point itself, the movie does look like it was written by a kid, many of the young adults who vouch for the film would disagree that the point has a negative impact. The source of content for a movie about childhood dreams and imagination is most authentic when it comes from an actual child’s dreams and imagination. That may mean the dialogue is cheesy and the plot is confusing and completely unrealistic,

but it leaves no room for discussion about how relatable it is for the kids who grew up watching the film.

Even while saving Planet Drool with powers very enticing to a seven year old, the heroes act like kids; name calling and bickering between themselves. The oddities and weird While superhero films and the motivational plot points that critics would often poke fun aﬃrmations accompanying them have alat are probably some of the elements that are most realistic to a child’s dream. This ways been marketed to kids, the beauty of representation of child transparency makes this movie’s messaging lies in its realistic approach. Often, popular hero figures in the movies relatable to its viewers, and gives other movies would inspire kids to be their the film memorable moments that now ocbest selves and find the “super” within them, cupy Generation Z brains. but Sharkboy and Lavagirl both struggle with elements of their personal identity Upon revisiting these memorable moments, and what it means to be “good.” Lavagirl 2000s kids have found commonality in regrapples with her powers and is constantly flecting on the acid trip movies that shaped in question of “ who [she is],” and if she is their childhoods, and “Sharkboy and Lavamore than “destruction or a simple flame”. girl” is only one example. You’ll be talking

with your friends when the topic of those weird movies gets brought up and everyone laughs at the strange plot lines and looks at eachother like “did we really all witness that?” Movies like “Thumbelina,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” share many of the characteristics that make “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” bizarre. The visuals of these movies set them apart from modern content by contributing to intense feelings of nostalgia. Just as movie production has changed in every other aspect since Generation Z’s were kids, the visual quality of kids movies has evolved. The limits of computer generated content and digital editing have been pushed and has allowed for the creation of the visual

masterpieces being presented to kids. Today, the movie worlds these kids are experiencing are presented in 4K definition with lifelike visuals, garnering praise from both the children and professional critics who witness the movie magic. But not all production companies have been devoting their time to utilize this tech for new concepts. There has been a trend among popular movie makers with young audiences, like Disney and Dreamworks, to revisit old content and reimagine or simply remake films. So far, Disney and Pixar have put out 23 live action remakes of the classic films that hold a special place in Generation Z’s hearts. This choice has a lot of financial benefit to

the company because they don’t have to hire new writers and producers of a completely new concept, and it also provides somewhat of a safety blanket when it comes to the movie’s profit margins. From a more technical standpoint, these movie remakes are “four-quadrant films,” meaning they appeal to men and women above and below 25. Ultimately these films are successful because they know nostalgia sells. If the companies were able to capture our attention ten or so years ago with a half-boy-half-shark combo and a girl who can shoot lava, why wouldn’t they want to reel in a whole new audience with the same characters and concepts? Troublemaker Studios, the production company responsible for producing “Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” decided to capitalize off of this trend through the creation of the action movie “We Can Be Heroes.” Whether or not the film can be considered a true sequel is questionable, but the influences from “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” are definitely apparent. The movie has a similar plot; superhero kids and their parents, two of which happen to be the adult Sharkboy and Lavagirl, are in charge of saving the fate of the world. Where the movie differs is in the massive upgrades to the visual appearance of the characters and their superpowers. The classic shark rocketship has returned, but now it actually looks like someone could successfully fly it to another planet. Lavagirl has a similar aesthetic but now it looks like her lava powers could actually be real. There’s no doubt the production upgrade has helped to gain kids attention, but it’s disappointing that they will hold this movie in equivalence to the true experience of “Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” The kitschy graphics and the cheesy dream song are what emphasize the true authenticity of taking a child’s dreamworld and putting it up on screen. It’s in those so-called downfalls of the original film that kids can continue to look back at and see why they were so mesmerized by these two superheroes in the first place. If there’s a day of college when the real world is feeling a little too real, go ahead and give “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” or another one of your old favorites a rewatch and see how it makes you feel. Hopefully you can look past the questionable cinematography and let the pure childlike wonder shake some of the stress away.

By Amelia Lawson Many deﬁne the concept of justice as fair and ethical procedure ensured within a social, political or economic ecosystem. But it is when we sit with justice that we begin to personalize, and therefore humanize, its condition. Justice is to declare our identities to the world without undertones of disparity, to feed and house ourselves without consequence, to equitably move through the complex machine that is our world within the nuanced vessel of our identity. For many Charlestonians the priorities of city politics have neglected patterns of injustice that have continuously plagued the marginalized and working-class. This harsh reality has left many with little opportunity for idealistic fantasies of hypothetical justice as merely surviving the consequences of misrepresentation has taken priority. To Charleston City mayoral candidate Mika Gadsden it is mobilizing one’s dream of a more just tomorrow that has historically moved our society forward. In the 2023 Charleston City municipal election, it is Gadsden’s dream for Charleston that sparks hope in many residents, and her ﬁght is one

this city has never seen before. When elaborating on her dream for Charleston, Gadsden emphasizes that this dream will be realized once equitable representation and engagement within our democracy is attained. This precursor is a lofty goal by itself, but Gadsden remarks that the very possibility of a working-class Black woman’s mayoral candidacy is due to a dream materialized: I am a full-figured, curvy, Black woman, unambiguously Black, Gullah Geechee, I am the descendant of the enslaved, I am the daughter of two Jim Crow refugees; this city has never seen a leader like me, nor do they typically view leadership in vessels like mine It is Gadsden’s identity that ensures a nuanced perspective on widespread issues such as rising costs of living, rapid gentrification and environmental injustice, which disproportionately affect working class residents who are underrepresented by municipal leadership. In a city whose table is crowded by a wealthy voting majority, the prioritization of

pressing matters within Charleston’s socioeconomic minority are cyclically left unaddressed, contributing further to pre- existing inequities. Gadsden’s municipal leadership would prioritize an equitable coalition of all socioeconomic identities so that a collective dream can be democratically realized and achieved. No one person is going to come and change Charleston for the better. This eﬀort is going to require everyone’s input and engagement. I am leaving chairs for the working class to sit at this table.

But this dream does not come without its woes. With Charleston’s voting majority being wealthy residents who align with party values, even in this nonpartisan election, there is clear reservation to Gadsden’s progressive candidacy in comparison to more partisan aligned candidates. Many within this voting population believe Charleston is not ready for progressive policies, but Gadsden disagrees:

No one person is going to come and change Charleston for the better. This eﬀort is going to require everyone’s input and engagement. I am leaving chairs for the working class to sit at this table.

Though for the achievement of this coalition, Gadsden urges working-class voters to dissect their values in the face of structural injustice and understand that they are deserving of a leader who can relate to their suﬀering. It is through the unprecedented, mutual understanding between Charleston municipal leadership and the working-class that frustration can be mobilized into equitable engagement and targeted policy.

Naysayer pragmatists who say that Charleston isn’t ready for progressive policies need to be taken off of a pedestal. Charleston needs more working-class people to run for office, because the idea of an infallible and supernatural individual in an office is not healthy.

But this is the name of the game, Gadsden remarks, and although she aims to develop a more just Charleston for everyone, she is regularly in close contact with the working-class voters of her community that she initially sought to advocate for. Though Gadsden has access to fewer campaign resources than candidates aligning with big party politics, she

has found more personal, community oriented ways to campaign and broaden her scope of votes. Being so close to working class people puts me in contact with them every day. By virtue of the work I do, I am always looking to engage them. and it’s difficult because I don’t have the same reach, but I’m fighting for a new and underrepresented profile of votes.

parent. Luckily, a grassroots organization forced the Metro Chamber of Commerce to reschedule, allowing for Gadsden’s attendance at the new upcoming mayoral forum. Attempts to smother campaigns like Gadsden’s is nothing new to Charleston municipal elections, especially so that a status quo of white male political leadership can stay intact. Gadsden knows this, but in the name of her idealism, she refuses to back down, staying relentless in her ﬁght:

Being so close to working class people puts me in contact with them every day. By virtue of the work I do, I am always looking to engage them. and it’s difficult because I don’t have the same reach, but I’m fighting for a new and underrepresented profile of votes.

Though her resourcefulness can be observed through her strategic fight for underrepresented voting populations, Gadsden’s tenacity is further exemplified by her unrelenting fight to assert herself as a capable, Black-female candidate. Earlier this month the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce attempted to hold a mayoral forum, to which they announced that Gadsden and the only other Black woman candidate would not be in attendance. This was an active choice to exclude Black women, asserted Gadsden, and with only male candidates chosen to attend the forum, this fact seemed all the more ap-

I speak truth to power, and I am not afraid to interrogate the direction that power is flowing. I am going to fight like hell to ensure that people like me have their voices heard. You will hear it on a debate stage, at a forum, and throughout this campaign. That is how I navigate as a Black woman. I have to be bold and daring. It is this defiance to the status quo in the name of equitable representation that makes Mika Gadsden such a competitive candidate

in this municipal election. She will not back down due to the love she has for the people of Charleston and the humanity within her message. Fighting for a coalition of equitable representation and diverse engagement, Gadsden’s inﬂuence leaves the underrepresented personifying justice once again, piecing together a story behind the collective dream we can only hope her leadership nurtures. It is our responsibility as Charleston residents to harness the power of democracy and dream beyond the status quo of political leadership. I urge you to interact with your city, dissect the structural implications of injustices and continuously question your values when evaluating your potential or current legislators. To learn more about the upcoming 2023 Charleston City municipal election, visit vote. charlestoounty.org and to learn more about Mika Gadsden’s campaign, visit votemika. com. Now is the time to practice making informed decisions on the future of our city, so when polls open, I urge all city resident College of Charleston students to go vote!

The Male Body: Good For Things Other Than Sex and Sports

ByDevin DeHollander

Find the closest man to you right now. It may be you, it may be your partner, your friend or even just your roommate. Ask this man (if appropriate) to recall a time he felt comfortable in his body. When was the last time that he felt worthy of celebrating his physical form? Chances are, a lot of men will answer with stories closely related to one of two contexts- sports or sex. The male body is often celebrated when it comes to athletic achievements. In the competitive world of sports, men have to view their bodies the way a Nascar driver views an engine. Many of them have fantastic physiques, but their sense of self-worth doesn’t come from a feeling of security in their own body. No, it comes from an ability to perform. An athlete of any gender has to treat their body as a valuable commodity, but for men, this drive bumps up against the societal objectification of their bodies as tools. Often, men are told that their sense of value comes from our ability to serve a function and to provide. Hence why so many report high levels of depression in retirement and why stay-at-home fathers are often mocked. As a man, you don’t have any inherent value- it’s something to earn. This is especially true in the athletic realm, where all of one’s effort, training and dreams are either validated or squashed by one of two binaries- victory or defeat. It doesn’t matter how much worth you think you have- if you lose, your body is immediately rendered inadequate when measured against the victor’s. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve watched men have their mental health crushed by a scoreboard. Victory and loss are one thing; it’s supposed to feel bad when you lose- that’s what pushes you to improve. But athletics are one dimension of an identity, one that has too much placed on it in the athletic world, especially for professionals. When there’s so much money on the line for major sporting events, bodies become commodities to be traded and sold. They become visible through the lens of their athletic performance alone, worthy of celebration only when a point is scored, their value directly tied to the numbers on the scoreboard and at the bottom of the earnings report. These men are human beings who exist all of the time, not just when they’re on the field. They stretch their legs out in bed and relax into the soft sheets. They stand in the shower, beads of water falling from the tips of their fingers. Are these moments not just as beautiful as kicking a ball into a goal? Now, chances are, if you’re attracted to men, you might have gotten a little excited at those last couple of descriptions (assuming I would make a good smut writer). The image of sexy guys stretching out in

bed or standing nude in the shower is evocative, sure, but maybe these men don’t want to be seen as sexual. Maybe they’re just trying to relax in bed or clean themselves. This leads us to the other way in which men’s bodies are discussed- SEX! Now, women face an insane level of sexualization by the media, society and the patriarchy, but sexual objectification isn’t an exclusively female problem. When men aren’t on the field or in the gym, chances are they haven’t been taught to think about their bodies. That is, unless we’re talkin’ sex. We’ve already discussed one reason a man might destroy his body in the gym- to get better at sportsbut let’s talk about another- to attract a partner. There are two reasons why a man’s body might be highlighted in a piece of media- if he’s accomplished something with it, or if he’s deemed sexy. Almost all of the male bodies seen in media are fit, often to an unrealistic degree. Similar to airbrushed female bodies, they feature impossible curves, a miniscule body fat percentage, and muscle groups that don’t even exist. It doesn’t help that so many of these fine-bodied, attractive men are fetishized as dumb brutes. Like cattle good only for pulling carts or for breeding, so many men are reduced to their musculature, and any emotional, artistic, spiritual or interpersonal depth is flattened beneath the weight of their bodies. As a result, the sexual objectification of both genders creates an issue. Straight men look at unrealistic, airbrushed female bodies in media and see a holy grail. Physical flawlessness is just… normal for girls, right? Thus, in the straight male mind, women become seen as perfect goddesses. If every girl’s body is flawless, then surely none of them want anything to do with a man less than so. And in a world where men are taught to believe that you either win or you lose, a lack of sexual attention from women is attributed to a failure on the part of one’s body. A man without someone has an inadequate body, lesser than all the other dudes who actually have girlfriends. However, the instant that body is given a female seal of approval, the man has “won.” He’s all of a sudden “worthy.” This creates a cycle: You can’t get woman’s approval without a good body. But you can’t have a have a good body without a woman’s approval. See the problem here? The solution is astonishingly simple- stop objectifying people! Regardless of gender! To all men reading this, I want to say that it’s okay. It’s okay to lie in bed and enjoy the feeling of your soft covers, even if you’re alone. It’s okay to take your shirt off without flexing. It’s okay to relax in a warm shower, no matter how much time you’re “wasting.” It’s okay to eat something carby without worrying about losing definition. It’s okay to wake up the day after a workout and not feel sore. It’s okay for you to feel proud of your body, even if no woman does. It’s okay for you to lay in the sun with your toes stretched out and a smile on your face. You deserve to be comfortable in your own skin.

Religion in REM By Anna Rowe We all dream. We dream of big and ﬂashy things, of wealth and prosperity. We dream of health and success, of love and clarity. Dreams are the keyholders to our past, our future, and the unknown. They act as an explanation for experiences beyond comprehension. People lean into dreaming as a way to validate their fear of the unknown, much like religion does. Both concepts are built upon the ability to ease minds of what lies beyond comfortability. Beyond the unknown is not knowing when your, or someone you love, life ends, not knowing if the decision you made is the right one, not being able to understand why something so horrible, unfair, or sad happens to you, and not knowing what happens after death. Dreams and religion give those who are lost, who are unsettled by reality, a purpose. It reestablishes hope into a person’s mind, and reminds them of their drive for the future. Religion fosters a connection with something that is beyond our reality, beyond tangibility. As do dreams. So how are they connected? How does one compliment the other, and do certain religions hold dreams with more value than others? Dreams can be easily understood through a psychological lens, a mundane and boring way to interpret the fascinating imagination of our brains. Dreams act as a form of entertainment, a way for our body to decompress and reset. They have a special power; they can make us happy, sad, angry, worried, or scared. They can take moments from the past and put it on full display. Our most vivid dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement), which is when the brain is most active. One reaches REM after about 90 minutes of sleeping, with NREM (non rapid eye movement) stages occurring beforehand. Researchers say dreams exist to help solve problems in our lives, incorporate memories, and process emotions. They are vital for a stable emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. But is that all dreams are for? Or is there something more? Religion is everywhere you look. Its symbolisms and teachings are in every nook and cranny of American society. In religion, there is meaning behind every mistake you make, every success you achieve, and even the unexplainable events of your life. Religion is arguably the most powerful force in the world; it has started and ended wars, inspired peace, and has been credited towards the most signiﬁcant of success. It could even be said that religion drives dreams by shaping and providing meaning to a somewhat unfathomable process. From Egyptians to Hindus to Christians, there is always an explanation for even the craziest of dreams.

Let’s analyze one of the most profound civilizations of history, the ancient Egyptians. One can only imagine what people during that time were dreaming about. Luckily, ancient Egyptians kept “dream books” where they recorded images of what they interpreted their dreams to be, many dating back to 1350 BC. Instead of having nightmares about missing out on a party, Egyptians were dreaming about drowning in the Nile. Dreams were a vital source for Egyptians, as it was the channel that God could communicate through. The type of dream an Egyptian had was based on the meaning of the word associated with the dream. If there was a donkey present in the dream, the dreamer may be experiencing some good luck in the future. Ancient Egyptians believed so much in the potential of dreams that they had dream temples devoted to their individual dream interpretation. There were priests who had the ability to read dreams and communicate information from the gods to the dreamer, deemed oracles. Some of this ancient takes on dreams include Dreams may act as a link between a follower and their God, but if we go beyond ancient times, we will find that dreams carry much more weight than that. Judaism, one of the oldest religions in the world, interprets dreams not as a message to the dreamer, but as a warning or prophecy for the future. Dreams are a narration of what’s to come, and can be made painstakingly obvious or filled with riddles. If someone were to dream of a man named Huna, they are likely to see a miracle. The name Huna comes from the letter nun, which in Hebrew means miracle. For those who practice Judaism, dreams serve as a mediator of the divine will, a gateway into the most sacred and unrealistic aspects of ourselves. They are the keyholders to a place that is beyond normal capabilities, unlocking a path to greater wisdom, peace, and fulfillment. Ever wonder why you dreamt about your mother? Or why your teeth were falling out in your dream only to wake up with all your teeth accounted for? Hindu’s interpretation of dreams can help you understand why. Dreaming is a personal experience of a realization of enlightenment and the falseness of reality. Objects, people, and emotions are all symbols that are necessary in analyzing and interpreting the future. Dreams of your mother represent health and wellbeing, whereas dreams about your teeth falling out means that there is an impending loss or change that will likely occur. Every single symbol that is prominent in your dreams can be interpreted to mean something significant, even the most miniscule detail. If water made an appearance in your dream, a baby may soon be born. Although the symbols may not indicate the most obvious of predictions, they all hold equal value. Dreams through the lens of Hindus are simply illusions that rationalize the seemingly aimless storylines we conjure up while we rest. Both dreams and religion are how we make sense of incomprehensible aspects of our consciousness- the unknown. We paint a picture using both to rationalize what we cannot control. But, they are both beautiful things that add hope and meaning within our lives.

The Dark Side of Dreams PSYCHOLOGY AND NIGHTMARES By Ellie Dukes In the realm of dreams, where our minds roam freely, there exists a shadowy corner that often elicits terror and dread: nightmares. These unsettling nocturnal experiences have haunted humanity for centuries, leaving us to ponder their origins and psychological implications. What are nightmares, and why do they invade our otherwise peaceful slumbers? In this exploration of nightmares and the psychology behind them, we delve into the depths of our subconscious minds to unravel the mysteries that shroud these haunting dreams. A nightmare, as most of us have experienced, is a disturbing dream that evokes intense fear, anxiety or unease. Nightmares are characterized by their vividness and the overwhelming sense of dread they provoke. Unlike ordinary dreams, which can be surreal or whimsical, nightmares transport us to a world filled with danger, making us feel vulnerable and potentially even helpless. Psychologists and researchers have long sought to understand the mechanics of nightmares. One theory suggests that nightmares may be a way for our minds to process and cope with negative emotions and traumas. According to Dr. Rosalind Cartwright, a renowned sleep researcher, nightmares may serve as a form of emotional release. In her view, nightmares are a natural response to stress and anxiety, allowing us to confront and process unresolved psychological conflicts. Trauma, whether recent or buried in our past, often plays a significant role in the genesis of nightmares. Individuals who have experienced traumatic events may find themselves plagued by recurrent nightmares related to their trauma. This phenomenon, known as post-traumatic nightmares, can be especially distressing, as it forces individuals to relive their traumatic experiences during their sleep. Dr. Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard psychologist and dream researcher, explains that post-traumatic nightmares may serve as a form of exposure therapy. By repeatedly exposing the individual to the traumatic memory, the mind may attempt to desensitize itself and reduce the emotional distress associated with the trauma. However, this process can be overwhelming and debilitating for some, highlighting the importance of seeking professional help when nightmares become too distressing. While nightmares are often linked to significant traumas, they can also be triggered by everyday stressors. The demands of work, relationships and personal challenges can seep into our dreamscape, manifesting as nightmares. Dr. Ernest Hartmann, a leading researcher in the field of dream psychology, suggests that people with a high level of emotional sensitivity may be more prone to experiencing nightmares when faced with stress.

From an evolutionary perspective, nightmares may have served as survival mechanisms. Nightmares often involve threats, danger or situations that require immediate action. This heightened arousal during a nightmare may have helped our ancestors respond more effectively to real-life threats, ultimately increasing their chances of survival. While this theory remains speculative, it offers an intriguing perspective on the adaptive value of nightmares. For those plagued by recurring nightmares, lucid dreaming may offer a ray of hope. Lucid dreaming is a state in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming and can exert some control over the dream’s content. Some individuals have successfully used lucid dreaming techniques to confront and change the course of their nightmares, transforming them into more positive or neutral experiences. When nightmares become frequent or interfere with daily life, asking for help is crucial. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for nightmares (CBT-N) is a proven therapeutic approach. It involves identifying and addressing the underlying causes of nightmares, as well as developing strategies to reduce their frequency and intensity. Nightmares, those mysterious and often terrifying nocturnal visitors, continue to intrigue psychologists and researchers alike. As we explore the psychological landscape of these unsettling dreams, we uncover their potential to help us process trauma, face our fears, and even offer insights into our evolutionary past. While nightmares may remain an enigma, the power of the human mind to adapt and heal is undeniable. Through understanding and therapeutic intervention, we can confront the monsters that lurk in the dark corners of our subconscious and, in doing so, transform the terrifying into the enlightening.

Modern Technology As

MAGIC

By Devin DeHollander

I still remember the first thing I ever saved up for- a Nintendo DS handheld gaming console. I was hardly seven years old when I first opened the cardboard box as if it were the ark of the covenant. My hands shook as I freed the black handheld gaming device from its plastic-wrapped imprisonment and switched it on for the first time. I can, to this day, recall exactly where I was when that DS screen first flared to life. I was sitting on the floor of our TV room, as far from the outlet as the charging cord would allow when the now-iconic jingle of the Nintendo DS’ startup sound echoed through the room. I nearly lost my mind when that pixelated light hit my eyes. Here was this tiny little box that fit in my pocket, and it could play games just like our TV? And I could take it anywhere? No, there had to be some kind of catch- this was too good to be true.

tion of the joy. I have access to any song, movie, painting or photograph I could desire to see, and I don’t really feel like doing anything. When did that bright-eyed kid, content to simply draw on a touch screen, turn into this jaded twenty-something scrolling through TikTok at three in the morning with a pair of bloodshot eyes and a heavy soul? There are many answers: Short-form content has ruined our attention spans. Recommendation algorithms have intentionally made us depressed and anxious. Technology companies have bad intentions. The freedom given to people with harmful opinions has ruined discussion. Blue light. Ones and zeroes. Studies and charts. Numbers and facts. Statistic, not soul.

I’d like to offer another lens, an alternative way of viewing our relationship with technology and the world as a whole. One that involves I spent the rest of the day on my DS. I didn’t acknowledging the wonder in our technology, even have any games yet; it was enough for or in other words, seeing the magic. me to just scroll through its menus. The mere freedom of being able to click a butI don’t think I have to tell you that, as children, ton and watch the screen change, that was the world seems full of endless possibilities enough for seven year old me. That was and delight. There’s a giant, magic ball of fire magic aplenty. in the sky that gives life to the fields of beautiful plants spread across our planet. These Now here I sit, tired eyes reflecting the life- plants give life to animals like humans and less glow of my iPhone as I scroll, scroll, the pets we love so dear. The sky, the ocean, scroll. I play games on my Xbox hundreds the energy and the life. It’s all so indescribably of times more impressive than what my DS beautiful. could render, and yet which bring me a frac-

And then you get older. The sun is just a huge ball of hydrogen and helium. There aren’t as many ﬁelds of beautiful plants as you once thought. Pets are only cute because we engineered them to be as cuddly as possible without regard for their quality of life. Slowly, this modern quantiﬁcation of life stamps out any possibility of wonder. You have friends not because you like them, but because human beings evolved to be social creatures. You fall in love not because your soul is bound to another but because your lizard brain wants to pass on its genes. And it creeps into the way we view technology, too. Wonder curdles to guilt, which rots into dread. Technology transforms from juicy, plump fruits hanging from the boughs of lush trees into lumps of fattening chocolate cake, able to be enjoyed only as an occasional snack and not without heavy guilt. The media tells us we are slaves to our devices and their algorithms. That the encroaching, iron boot of corporate interest and technological development has turned our lives into a Black Mirror episode. Advice is slung around- spend more time outside, interacting face-to-face and away from screens. Read a book instead of watching a video. Go outside and meditate instead of scrolling on TikTok. But what if I told you these things aren’t mutually exclusive? What if it’s possible to sit beneath an oak tree and marvel at its beauty without shunning the technology that has brought us so far? What if we can gaze upon the 4K, screens of iPhone 15s with the same childlike wonder as our old Gameboys?

We’re taught that the natural is magic and the manmade is sinister. But what if technology can be magical too? To answer this, let’s talk about ChatGPT and astrophysics. I know, just bear with me. It’s not hard to see emerging technologies like ChatGPT as sorcery upon first use. After all, any software that can write an entire essay in thirty seconds has to be fueled by baby sacrifice or something, right? But chatbots have been around since the nineties. If you ask any programmer, they’ll tell you the truth- ChatGPT isn’t that impressive, the tech’s nothing newit’s just the first major chatbot to present itself in an easy-to-use and attractive format. However, what I want to focus on more than the capabilities of ChatGPT is the process behind its creation. When algorithms were in their infancies, programmers directly gave them instructions. If the user clicks on this, then do this. However, in the modern web, it isn’t so simple. Now, instead of just recommending a webpage or a link based on your history, the TikTok algorithm, for example, has to select a single video at a time to show you out of the millions of hours of content on their platform. No human programmer can keep up with this level of demand and complexity. So, programmers design “teacher” algorithms and “student” algorithms. The teacher programs run through millions of iterations of tests, weeding out the very best students and continuously improving them until they reach a satisfactory level, like ChatGPT. The issue is, that human beings aren’t involved with this at any stage in the process. No programmer can sit you

down and comprehensively tell you exactly how ChatGPT works. It just kind of… does. If magic is just science we don’t understand, then algorithms like TikTok’s, or bots like ChatGPT, are- by definition- magic. They’re powerful forces that affect our everyday lives and we have no idea how they work. If this scares you, it’s because it should. But it doesn’t have to scare you in a bad way. Let’s talk about quarks, shall we? Most of you are probably familiar with atoms. They’re the smallest building blocks of the universe, right? Well, not exactly. Atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons, as you probably know. These are actually made of even smaller particles called quarks. Without getting too much in the weeds, there are many different kinds of quarks, but they all ultimately degrade into one of two types- up quarks and down quarks. These “up” and “down” particles are opposites of one another, and are either positively or negatively charged, respectively. These form the smallest building blocks of the universe (as we can tell), and everything around us is made of them. This is eerily similar to binary code, the foundation of computer programming. Modern computers use incredibly complex languages, software and systems to communicate with each other, but ultimately, everything can be broken down into ones and zeroes. The two types of quarks serve as the fabric that makes up the entirety of the universe, similar to lines of code. Now this has all kinds of philosophical and scientific implications. Like, are we living in the Matrix? I dunno. But what I do know is there is something fundamental about the universe that we have harnessed to make our modern technology possible.

This way of viewing technology has completely changed my perspective. Instead of having a hunk of metal in my that is designed to make me depressed, I have a crystal ball that harnesses the fabric of the universe. Instead of being a framework of servers hooked up to satellites, the internet is actually a shared connection of consciousness and energy that binds all life together. Instead of “developing software,” I’m casting spells. I’m not a user, I’m a wizard. And like all wizards, I can use my magic for evil or good. That’s the thingmagic is just power, and power can be utilized in a million different ways. In a hundred years, who knows what the world will look like. Maybe there will be flying cars. Maybe we’ll blow ourselves up back to the stone age, or maybe we’ll all transcend our physical forms and become immortal cyborgs. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know it’s something we get to decide. The modern human race may be many thingstired, depressed, confused, afraid, overwhelmed, alone- but it isn’t powerless. So the next time your phone lights up with a notification, just think about it for a second. Someone’s magical tablet of light launched an invisible spell into the heavens that bounced off one of our floating pylons in the sky and redirected it back at your exact location. Your tablet of light then received this invisible spell and reassembled it into the written word, all so that you could receive yet another damn email from the CofC bookstore. And as you sigh with disappointment and turn your phone screen over, just remember what you are. You’re not a slave to tech companies. You’re not a like or comment. You’re not a mindless consumer. You’re a wizard.

LIMINAL S PA C E S Elizabeth Smith Elizabeth Smith is Senior Studio Art major from Raleigh, North Carolina. For as long as she can remember, she has been interested in art. She started photographing bugs and taxidermy in high school and has always been fascinated by surrealism, which is part of why she is drawn to dreams. Elizabeth says that she likes to portray dreams in her work because there is somuch to do with them, they are “limitless” and “inﬁ nite.” With this piece, Elizbeth wanted to capture liminal spaces and tell a story with the absence of objects.

Analyzing the

Ottessa Obsession

By Lara O’Dell It is the unsaid, human and arguably disgusting parts of existence that Ottessa Moshfegh ﬁnds so easily within her characters. Moshfegh approaches these unsavory truths of existence with language that speaks of the shocking in an ordinary tone. She convinces the reader that here, in this book with this character, we will dissect the most vile compulsions and actions without an ounce of grimace or judgment. As a reader, I saw her expose the humanity in the grotesque. This is precisely why I latched onto her books and characters. Inside Moshfegh’s characters are ﬂaws that are on display for consumption. She follows her them to moments that happen when no one is watching. Whether this is a mental break, a thought that you hope no one will ever know or a gross habit, the reader is spared from none.

aesthetics into personality characteristics, Moshefegh’s books have become a staple. The foremost title pictured in aspirational ﬂatlays is her 2018 publication, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation.” The cover is “A Portrait of a Young Woman in White” by Jacques-Louis David with hot pink, modern text overlaid displaying the title and author name. The painting depicts a young woman sitting relaxed and unamused, staring oﬀ to the side. Her calm face, body and gaze give the viewer an impression of someone detached from reality.

The woman’s relaxed demeanor contrasts the incessant optimism connected to stereotypical femininity. On social media, this cover is typically posed in purposeful dishevelment among traditionally hyper-feminine objects like lace, ribbon, lipstick, pastel pink candles and pearls. The presence of the cover connotes that an internal disdain for the feminine is an aspect of its performance, The internet’s uptake of Moshfegh’s writing just the same as the pink lipstick it lays behas not gone unnoticed. Her portrayal of the side. feminine resonates with a large portion of the population. For those who curate visual The typical reader of Moshfegh, I am point-

ing to myself, revels in the underside of femininity being brought to the forefront of the author’s novels. A throughline found in Moshfegh’s work is the subject of disgust. From viscerally disgusting to the daily gross details of life, I found the inclusion of the usually excluded to be interesting to read. However, the deeper I looked into Moshfegh, the more I grew slowly revolted by what I previously enjoyed. Unfortunately, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” ’s pretty cover art, and the interesting conversation around femininity that the internet has birthed from it, may be the extent of interest and positive novelty this writer gives to society. As Moshfegh’s novel has been passed around the internet in tandem with the increase in hyper-feminine, ‘coquette’ aesthetics, the author has claimed to not identify with feminism. In an article written by Ariel Levy for the New Yorker, she writes that “Moshfegh never identiﬁes herself as a feminist: it would require too much allegiance to a group.” Further, this article reveals that Moshfegh would rather not be compared to a “database of women” writers. This comment is particularly unsettling as Moshefgh’s novels largely revolve around femininity, yet she rejects aligning with feminism in her personal life.

Readers of Moshfegh have confronted her with claims of her writing lacking diversity and including blatant offensive language. She seems to have given us a glimpse into her answer to these claims in her writing for Bookforum where she writes that novels should disregard the “pressure to write for the betterment of society.” Her diminishment of her audience’s concerns show her blatant disregard for the ramifications of her writing. To Ottessa’s comment, if literature does not exist for the betterment of society, in one way or another, why does it exist? Literature reflects the human experience back to readers and increases our humanity. Also, there is nothing apolitical about literature; it has always been a powerful point of political activism. The concerns of racism, lack of diversity and violent language in Ottessa’s writing are valid, and they absolutely have a place in the sphere of novel writing. Moshfegh’s dismissal of literature’s role in our society, and her growing part in it, is incredibly irresponsible and dissapointing. Moshfegh’s eye catching cover art may be garnering her rapid support on social media, but the content-- nor her-- are obsession worthy.

THE GIRLHOOD Girlhood is running down street-lit sidewalks and rubbing chalk stains off our palms onto our shorts. It is allowing frosting to linger on our noses and an ignorance to the facial contortion of genuine laughter. It is primitive, it is free, it constructs an identity separate from the social condition of womanhood. When I was in first grade, I wanted to be a writer. Though my P’s sometimes looked like Qs, my heroine was always the same. She ran away from the world, to start a new life as a woman, far away from the reality of her girlhood. It was always her girlhood that somehow inhibited her freedom. Though it was as I sat on the floor of my empty childhood bedroom, awaiting my drive to college the next day, that I pondered this long-held belief. I ran my fingers along my aged wooden floors and wondered if the girl who had played here would rise in the morning as a woman. It was only then that I began to grieve.

The essence of what the world called growing up was on the floor of my childhood bedroom and all I could equate it to was a sentence. Girlhood, which I so early on viewed as an obstacle to my independent liberation, was what I now desperately grasped for. It was the trap of constructing the identity of a hypothetical woman all my life that stunted my freedom during its purist phase: when I was just a girl, dancing upon the earth. It is the patriarchy that capitalizes off of this common practice. We throw away our primal freedoms built upon a self-defined girlhood for a patriarchally-defined womanhood. The norm of identity being defined within the social construct of gender inhibits the comprehension of a self void of worldly concepts. Girlhood is a name that began on the binary, though it stands for the more existential notion of how girls revel in the metaphysical freedoms of the earth, while being damned to inevitable submission.

This is why women feel nostalgia to such a degree, I believe. We are continuously yearning for an identity that doesn’t fall so necessarily into the binary of the power implications of gender. To be a powerful woman exists not without comparison to the power of a man; to be a free woman is to be so romantically and at the disposal of the male counterpart. To defiantly liberate oneself in opposition to this system is to do so with the patriarchy as your puppeteer. And so, I beg the question: is there a way to trim the strings? For womanhood to be as girlhood– outside of the gender binary as its own metaphysical entity? “I am” being followed by an authentic declaration? Though initially hopeless, this existentialism left me pondering on my bedroom floor what the young girl inside me was made of. What in her transcended the contamination of womanhood? It was nothing other than love. It is love’s primitiveness that makes it such a revolutionary tool. Love, which can be socially constructed in some aspects, also has the malleability to transcend even the most harsh

and strangling concepts of human creation. It is love that moves the body that is free from the ever-present voyeur that is hate and dominance. It is love that raises its voice in passion and love that forgives the rocks that scrape our knees and the rain that washes away our masterpieces on the pavement. And it is through the abstractness of love that we can forgive the structural hatred of human creation and transcend it. Love is a god I found between the floorboards of my childhood bedroom, and when I went to bed that night, I hoped that as I shut my eyes, it would baptize me. I hoped that I would be reborn into the girl I once was, but as the sun slipped through my window the morning of my departure, I knew all I could do was approach the precipice of growing up through my bedroom door. As I turned the knob one last time, I knew that I would leave as I am, except my ribs would crack open revealing my heart once again to a young girl who will never let me go.

WE GRIEVE

By Amelia Lawson

By Lewie Nasby A wet palm and an embarrassing amount of nearly dried drool is often the side eﬀect of a perfect gay dream. The kind of dream that is heavy, slow and almost so real you wake up as the secondary self to the real one that is oﬀ loving, somewhere distant. With the Charleston fall coming so soon, I’ll try to endure an evening walk. But with the overbearing late September heat, I’ll have to retreat somewhere—after being dunked in a pool of my own sweat—so I can become normal and presentable again, in secret. This hiding spot happens to be the Battery, and I’ll sit in the grass and look at the boats, the water and if I’m lucky, those river otters who like to poke out of the rocks at dusk. Continuing on, near the edge of the White Point Garden, there’s a stone engraving that reads: “Near this spot in the Autumn of 1718, Stede Bonnet, Notorious “Gentleman Pirate” and

Twenty nine of his men—--met their just deserts” I’ll stand still for a moment, and read it again. Stede Bonnet died right here, beyond the cobblestone, hung and washed into the sea. It feels like the death of a dream. This is not because I mourn for a real pirate, I don’t have an endless amount of emotional pity to give around (usually). The real death of Stede, and this eerie stone marker, strangely makes me ache for the fantasy of a proudly queer pirate, lost in real history, but now, reverberated and vibrant in the queer consciousness. The dream Stede. Our Flag Means Death, written by David Jenkins and produced respectively by Jenkins, Basch, Halstead and producer of What We Do in the Shadows as well as Reservation Dogs, Taika Waititi, first aired on March 3, 2022 on Max streaming services. It follows, in somewhat of a theatrical and lackadaisical manner, the true story of Stede Bonnet or the “Gentleman Pirate,” a wealthy landowner who deserts his wife, his past and his children, to buy a boat, a crew and what seems to be a mid-life crisis vision of piracy. The episodes are abundantly whimsical, especially with the Kiwi talent of Rhys Darby as Stede, Leslie Jones as Spanish Jackie and many other familiar comedic faces: Fred Armisen, Kristen Schaal and Nick Kroll. Most notably, in my opinion, Vico Ortiz makes an important mark in the cast as the revenge seeking nonbinary pirate, Jim, whose gender expression makes me seethe with envy. Stede is flamboyant, fashionable and beyond delusional. His crew hardly respects him, and they waste time hooking up with each other and playing board games (part of me thinks that is more than historically accurate). The energy shifts when Stede, in his failings of being a “real pirate–” his first robbery was a wilted plant– meets the master of his trade, Black Beard (Taika in the most bold leather attire imaginable).

Black Beard overtakes Stede’s boat after a failed mission and finds Stede half hung, half stabbed and muttering in his sleep. While Stede dreams, Black Beard watches, scrutinizing, placing a gentle hand on Stede’s hand. The true dream begins. Both characters, as David Jenkins has illustrates in his interview with The Verge, find this experience to be just as new, just as unboundedly exciting, as the audience when finally, two middle age men were actively plummeting towards an onscreen romance: “Yeah, I think they’re both very undeveloped in certain ways, but I think this is Ed’s first time falling in love, too, honestly. He’s more experienced, and he’s, I think, probably more physically experienced than Stede. It made sense to have that love be almost like a teenage version of falling in love — one with all these intense and conflicting feelings. They’re middle-aged, but Stede’s young. Ed’s young.” Black Beard falls for Stede’s unapologetic lack of skill, strange handiness in places he admires and, most of all, Stede’s complete lack of tact. Black Beard, who is reckless, violent without a purpose, finds this invigorating, hauntingly arousing and as the audience, we start to see him fall (in very subtle ways) for Stede. Stede finds the same chaos equally beautiful in Black Beard, whose real name he finds out to be Ed. Stede admires Ed’s power in an unorthodox living style—-something he never thought he could personally achieve in his marriage and predestined life at home. Stede realizes his cowardice in his restrictive past is something that can be mended, with a complete freedom and choice to exist how he wants. Black Beard finds a newcomer to piracy, who shows him the joys of his occupation all over again, lighting a joy into his formally predictable life as a renowned and feared pirate. Both in their escape, in the dream-world

of pirating, even though they have very diﬀerent mannerisms, thrive on a complete lack of control.

ease and abandons Ed at the However, both are running from a very real dock. world with these exact limitations of chaos. Ed, heartAs Stede dreams in a feverish state, still on broken, the edges of death, he travels through a quick becomes comet of his own memories. His lustless mar- violent riage, his failings as a father, his weakness and puras a child and his belief that everything he poseless touches, he will inevitably destroy. Ed, farther once more. into the season, portrays a ghost story of the The dream, Kraken, with all of the touches of a mystical the gay dream, sea legend. He ends the tale with the sorrow- cannot live ful note that the beast murdered his father. without the abHowever, later Ed reveals to Stede that he solution of real existence. Both in fact killed his own drunken father in an effort to save his mother from further abuse. cannot love He whispers, “I’m not a good person Stede,” each other feeling unworthy of any goodness. without settling Ed escaped his traumatic past to live into the dreamscape of being the Kraken, a monster so indestructible on the high seas it became more of a tale, than a real, breathing creature, just as he wove an image he forced himself to fit. Stede, in an effort to run from the entropy of a closeted and dissatisfactory view of life and his own self worth, runs to the dream of being alone, hardly touching anything and never destroying lives or families. Both are disillusioned into thinking they chose chaos, but really, they chose complete safety. As both come to terms with their love for eachother and share the most hesitant and passionate kiss–simply a moment that moved the earth on its axis and I’m not kidding–they agree to flee together after being captured by the British. The dream, the escape, is still alive. However, Stede encounters a ghost of a man who he killed, and thus the ghost of himself. Stede, through this nightmare of his past life, reaffirms his idea that he himself is a dis-

who they are as people. Fantasy can not exist without a complete surrender to reality. As a queer man who has lived off of the fantasy of what I could be, I resonate with this so deeply. A life of freedom is not a life fitting into an image, even if that image is laced with an ideal of freedom, and I do even mean the image of cunty queer. Even the archetypes we as queer people try to fit into, in an effort to escape our past and our memories. Finding a fantasy is not surrendering to a chaotic mirage of what really is just another box. You can be boring! You can be annoying! You can be a silly, silly person. You can be kind of terrible, and you can know this, and you can be working on it. And I’m sure lot’s of queer people know this, because a part of self discovery is accepting all of these unique attributes. But I love affirmations, and as we come into the new fall and the beginnings of a new year, it is a good reminder. Fantasy is allowing ourselves to remember who we are and loving it so much it seeps into the very present, in whatever form we would like to take. Because when you love yourself so much, you don’t forfeit who you were to be what you have always been! Because that’s the best part—waking up from the dream in the same form, in the true form, that we feel most safe in. As the second season is set to release on October 5th, I implore everyone to catch up and emotionally prepare themselves for the next chapter of this fantastical romance that gutterally pierces into the tumultuous core of the queer experience. Along with the changing leaves, the colder weather, two pirates will battle, reunite and possibly create a fantasy within their newly understood and accepted versions of self. Also hoping for explicit middle aged gay sex, but alas, that is but a dream….. 75

Until next time...