#Central American Goth

[nugothrhythms]

"La Tentaci​ó​n" by Costa Rican all-woman post-punk, new wave, and batcave-inspired band DYSTT off of their 2024 album Rito

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Rosa oscura" by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their upcoming 2024 album Estados Latentes, to be released next month

[raybeesmustsuck]

Went storm chasing, almost hit a 10ft alligator, and had an impromptu photo shoot in the rain🐊

Oh and if my fat body bothers you, good🖤

Also the last photo is Venus shinning above me😌

[l-1-z-a]

📺 Let's start exploring the facts about The Sims and The Sims 2 development from the recent stream with Will Wright

On the stream, Will Wright gave some interesting facts about the development of the original The Sims:

The Goths family came from experimenting with test characters and is based on the Addams Family.

The game used characters with distinctive traits to test mechanics, such as Darren and Samantha from Bewitched, or Edith from All in the Family.

"When we were doing the original Sims, we put in a few test characters... We had Darren and Samantha from Bewitched, Edith from All in the Family, and then we did the Addams Family, which kind of evolved into the Goths." (00:50:20 - 01:16:38)

Samantha from Bewitched

Samantha is the main character of the television series Bewitched.

Bewitched is a cult American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 17, 1964 to March 25, 1972. The series, created by Saul Saxon, tells the story of the unusual family life of a witch who decided to live as an ordinary housewife and her philandering husband.

The main character is Samantha Stephen, a kind and charming witch who falls in love with a mortal man, Darrin Stevens. After her marriage, Samantha decides to give up magic to live a normal family life, but her abilities and the interference of her eccentric relatives, especially her witch mother Endora, often become the source of comical situations and conflicts.

Each episode reveals how Samantha tries to combine her magical abilities with everyday problems, from dealing with neighbors to interacting with her husband's co-workers.

Samantha, whom Will Wright mentions, can be found in The Sims Steering Committee (1998), a prototype for The Sims.

In levels 2 and 3 she is the central character, and in level 4 she is a member of the family. In Level 2, Samantha shares a room with a female character named Mercedes.

She was also one of the first characters created for The Sims.

This article describes an early stages of development of The Sims, including its original title "Jefferson", the formation of the key development team, changes to the user interface and the introduction of the first characters, and the difficulties Maxis faced in trying to convince Electronic Arts of the value of the project. Written by LUCPIX a researcher of the development history of the first installment of The Sims. It mentions all those characters mentioned by Will Wright on the stream.

Interestingly, in The Sims 2: Apartment Life, Samantha Cordial lives in Belladonna Cove and is ready to become a good witch. She has the ultimate good witch in her friends.

Darren

Darren was also one of the first characters The Sims created for testing.

There are two characters named Darren in The Sims 2:

Darren Dreamer:

Darren Wood, one of the pre-made gardener from Strangetown:

Edith from All in the Family

Edith is the wife of Archie Bunker from All in the Family.

All in the Family (1971-1979) was an iconic American sitcom created by Norman Lear. It revolutionized television with its bold approach to social issues. The series is adapted from the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and tells the story of the lives of the Banker family living in a working-class neighborhood in New York City.

The main character is Archie Bunker, the conservative, grouchy head of the family who often expresses outdated views on politics, race and society. He is contrasted with other characters, including his wife, daughter, and son-in-law, which sets the stage for satirical and insightful discussions of social issues.

Edith was the first character created for The Sims.

Edith's concept art:

The character, Edith, won the hearts of Maxis, to the point where they renamed the development tools after her.

Here are all the characters:

All the works from which these characters were drawn are iconic American TV series that, despite their different styles and genres, addressed important social and political issues.

The Addams Family (1964–1966) used the eccentric yet loving Addams family to satirize the standards of "normalcy" in American society, emphasizing the importance of embracing differences and authenticity. The Addamses, while living in luxury, rejected consumerism, upheld family values, and demonstrated an alternative approach to happiness.

Bewitched (1964–1972) employed the story of a marriage between a witch and an ordinary man as a metaphor for intercultural relationships facing societal prejudice. The show also tackled feminist issues, portraying a woman with immense power who chooses a traditional role while maintaining her individuality and independence.

All in the Family (1971–1979) boldly and satirically explored racism, sexism, and political divisions in 1970s American society. Through the character of conservative Archie Bunker, the series depicted generational conflicts and addressed issues such as gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-war sentiments amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

Thus, the characters used for testing and development in The Sims were not chosen by chance. Their prototypes from these iconic American series not only had vivid and recognizable traits but also reflected profound social and cultural themes that remained relevant for decades.

These series not only influenced popular culture but also inspired Maxis developers to create characters capable of conveying the complexity and diversity of human relationships. Through these figures, The Sims inherited the ability to subtly mirror societal realities, bringing the spirit of experimentation, humor, and social reflection into the game’s universe.

Source (RU):

[fatehbaz]

hi! SUPER interesting excerpt on ants and empire; adding it to my reading list. have you ever read "mosquito empires," by john mcneill?

Yea, I've read it. (Mosquito Empires: Ecology and War in the Greater Caribbean, 1620-1914, basically about influence of environment and specifically insect-borne disease on colonial/imperial projects. Kinda brings to mind Centering Animals in Latin American History [Few and Tortorici, 2013] and the exploration of the centrality of ecology/plants to colonialism in Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World [Schiebinger, 2007].)

If you're interested: So, in the article we're discussing, Rohan Deb Roy shows how Victorian/Edwardian British scientists, naturalists, academics, administrators, etc., used language/rhetoric to reinforce colonialism while characterizing insects, especially termites in India and elsewhere in the tropics, as "Goths"; "arch scourge of humanity"; "blight of learning"; "destroying hordes"; and "the foe of civilization". [Rohan Deb Roy. “White ants, empire, and entomo-politics in South Asia.” The Historical Journal. October 2019.] He explores how academic and pop-sci literature in the US and Britain participated in racist dehumanization of non-European people by characterizing them as "uncivilized", as insects/animals. (This sort of stuff is summarized by Neel Ahuja, describing interplay of race, gender, class, imperialism, disease/health, anthropomorphism. See Ahuja's “Postcolonial Critique in a Multispecies World.”)

In a different 2018 article on "decolonizing science," Deb Roy also moves closer to the issue of mosquitoes, disease, hygiene, etc. explored in Mosquito Empires. Deb Roy writes: 'Sir Ronald Ross had just returned from an expedition to Sierra Leone. The British doctor had been leading efforts to tackle the malaria that so often killed English colonists in the country, and in December 1899 he gave a lecture to the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce [...]. [H]e argued that "in the coming century, the success of imperialism will depend largely upon success with the microscope."''

Deb Roy also writes elsewhere about "nonhuman empire" and how Empire/colonialism brutalizes, conscripts, employs, narrates other-than-human creatures. See his book Malarial Subjects: Empire, Medicine and Nonhumans in British India, 1820-1909 (published 2017).

---

Like Rohan Deb Roy, Jonathan Saha is another scholar with a similar focus (relationship of other-than-human creatures with British Empire's projects in Asia). Among his articles: "Accumulations and Cascades: Burmese Elephants and the Ecological Impact of British Imperialism." Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 2022. /// “Colonizing elephants: animal agency, undead capital and imperial science in British Burma.” BJHS Themes. British Society for the History of Science. 2017. /// "Among the Beasts of Burma: Animals and the Politics of Colonial Sensibilities, c. 1840-1940." Journal of Social History. 2015. /// And his book Colonizing Animals: Interspecies Empire in Myanmar (published 2021).

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Related spirit/focus. If you liked the termite/India excerpt, you might enjoy checking out this similar exploration of political/imperial imagery of bugs a bit later in the twentieth century: Fahim Amir. “Cloudy Swords” e-flux Journal Issue #115. February 2021.

Amir explores not only insect imagery, specifically caricatures of termites in discourse about civilization (like the Deb Roy article about termites in India), but Amir also explores the mosquito/disease aspect invoked by your message (Mosquito Empires) by discussing racially segregated city planning and anti-mosquito architecture in British West Africa and Belgian Congo, as well as anti-mosquito campaigns of fascist Italy and the ascendant US empire. German cities began experiencing a non-native termite infestation problem shortly after German forces participated in violent suppression of resistance in colonial Africa. Meanwhile, during anti-mosquito campaigns in the Panama Canal zone, US authorities imposed forced medical testing of women suspected of carrying disease. Article features interesting statements like: 'The history of the struggle against the [...] mosquito reads like the history of capitalism in the twentieth century: after imperial, colonial, and nationalistic periods of combatting mosquitoes, we are now in the NGO phase, characterized by shrinking [...] health care budgets, privatization [...].' I've shared/posted excerpts before, which I introduce with my added summary of some of the insect-related imagery: “Thousands of tiny Bakunins”. Insects "colonize the colonizers". The German Empire fights bugs. Fascist ants, communist termites, and the “collectivism of shit-eating”. Insects speak, scream, and “go on rampage”.

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In that Deb Roy article, there is a section where we see that some Victorian writers pontificated on how "ants have colonies and they're quite hard workers, just like us!" or "bugs have their own imperium/domain, like us!" So that bugs can be both reviled and also admired. On a similar note, in the popular imagination, about anthropomorphism of Victorian bugs, and the "celebrated" "industriousness" and "cleverness" of spiders, there is: Claire Charlotte McKechnie. “Spiders, Horror, and Animal Others in Late Victorian Empire Fiction.” Journal of Victorian Culture. December 2012. She also addresses how Victorian literature uses natural science and science fiction to process anxiety about imperialism. This British/Victorian excitement at encountering "exotic" creatures of Empire, and popular discourse which engaged in anthropormorphism, is explored by Eileen Crist's Images of Animals: Anthropomorphism and Animal Mind and O'Connor's The Earth on Show: Fossils and the Poetics of Popular Science, 1802-1856.

Related anthologies include a look at other-than-humans in literature and popular discourse: Gothic Animals: Uncanny Otherness and the Animal With-Out (Heholt and Edmunson, 2020). There are a few studies/scholars which look specifically at "monstrous plants" in the Victorian imagination. Anxiety about gender and imperialism produced caricatures of woman as exotic anthropomorphic plants, as in: “Murderous plants: Victorian Gothic, Darwin and modern insights into vegetable carnivory" (Chase et al., Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009). Special mention for the work of Anna Boswell, which explores the British anxiety about imperialism reflected in their relationships with and perceptions of "strange" creatures and "alien" ecosystems, especially in Aotearoa. (Check out her “Anamorphic Ecology, or the Return of the Possum.” Transformations. 2018.)

And then bridging the Victorian anthropomorphism of bugs with twentieth-century hygiene campaigns, exploring "domestic sanitation" there is: David Hollingshead. “Women, insects, modernity: American domestic ecologies in the late nineteenth century.” Feminist Modernist Studies. August 2020. (About the cultural/social pressure to protect "the home" from bugs, disease, and "invasion".)

---

In fields like geography, history of science, etc., much has been said/written about how botany was the key imperial science/field, and there is the classic quintessential tale of the British pursuit of cinchona from Latin America, to treat mosquito-borne disease among its colonial administrators in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. In other words: Colonialism, insects, plants in the West Indies shaped and influenced Empire and ecosystems in the East Indies, and vice versa. One overview of this issue from Early Modern era through the Edwardian era, focused on Britain and cinchona: Zaheer Baber. "The Plants of Empire: Botanic Gardens, Colonial Power and Botanical Knowledge." May 2016. Elizabeth DeLoughrey and other scholars of the Caribbean, "the postcolonial," revolutionary Black Atlantic, etc. have written about how plantation slavery in the Caribbean provided a sort of bounded laboratory space. (See Britt Rusert's "Plantation Ecologies: The Experiential Plantation [...].") The argument is that plantations were already of course a sort of botanical laboratory for naturalizing and cultivating valuable commodity plants, but they were also laboratories to observe disease spread and to practice containment/surveillance of slaves and laborers. See also Chakrabarti's Bacteriology in British India: laboratory medicine and the tropics (2012). Sharae Deckard looks at natural history in imperial/colonial imagination and discourse (especially involving the Caribbean, plantations, the sea, and the tropics) looking at "the ecogothic/eco-Gothic", Edenic "nature", monstrous creatures, exoticism, etc. Kinda like Grove's discussion of "tropical Edens" in the colonial imagination of Green Imperialism.

Dante Furioso's article "Sanitary Imperialism" (from e-flux's Sick Architecture series) provides a summary of US entomology and anti-mosquito campaigns in the Caribbean, and how "US imperial concepts about the tropics" and racist pathologization helped influence anti-mosquito campaigns that imposed racial segregation in the midst of hard labor, gendered violence, and surveillance in the Panama Canal zone. A similar look at manipulation of mosquito-borne disease in building empire: Gregg Mitman. “Forgotten Paths of Empire: Ecology, Disease, and Commerce in the Making of Liberia’s Plantation Economy.” Environmental History. 2017. (Basically, some prominent medical schools/departments evolved directly out of US military occupation and industrial plantations of fruit/rubber/sugar corporations; faculty were employed sometimes simultaneously by fruit companies, the military, and academic institutions.) This issue is also addressed by Pratik Chakrabarti in Medicine and Empire, 1600-1960 (2014).

---

Meanwhile, there are some other studies that use non-human creatures (like a mosquito) to frame imperialism. Some other stuff that comes to mind about multispecies relationships to empire:

Lawrence H. Kessler. “Entomology and Empire: Settler Colonial Science and the Campaign for Hawaiian Annexation.” Arcadia (Spring 2017)

No Wood, No Kingdom: Political Ecology in the English Atlantic (Keith Pluymers)

Archie Davies. "The racial division of nature: Making land in Recife". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 270-283. November 2020.

Yellow Fever, Race, and Ecology in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans (Urmi Engineer Willoughby, 2017)

Pasteur’s Empire: Bacteriology and Politics in France, Its Colonies, and the World (Aro Velmet, 2022)

Tom Brooking and Eric Pawson. “Silences of Grass: Retrieving the Role of Pasture Plants in the Development of New Zealand and the British Empire.” The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. August 2007.

Under Osman's Tree: The Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Environmental History (Alan Mikhail)

The Herds Shot Round the World: Native Breeds and the British Empire, 1800-1900 (Rebecca J.H. Woods, 2017)

Imperial Bodies in London: Empire, Mobility, and the Making of British Medicine, 1880-1914 (Kristen Hussey, 2021)

Red Coats and Wild Birds: How Military Ornithologists and Migrant Birds Shaped Empire (Kirsten Greer, 2020)

Animality and Colonial Subjecthood in Africa: The Human and Nonhuman Creatures of Nigeria (Saheed Aderinto, 2022)

Imperial Creatures: Humans and Other Animals in Colonial Singapore, 1819-1942 (Timothy P. Barnard, 2019)

Biotic Borders: Transpacific Plant and Insect Migration and the Rise of Anti-Asian Racism in America, 1890-1950 (Jeannie N. Shinozuka)

[patheticbatman]

As of Chapter 81, this is crew of the Courageous from Time to Orbit: Unknown, a marvellous space drama and mystery by @derinthescarletpescatarian . Original sketches & character guide below. Many of the character appearances are based on headcanon, but the ones with asterisks are based on canon sources.

I drew Celi first! I figured I would do the people in front, who I would have to draw most of their bodies, and work from left to right. Celi has had multiple organ issues, so she looks a little drawn (lol) and is still recovering in her wheelchair :). I drew her with small braids just hanging from the top of her head, as I imagine she’s too tired to take care of her hair very often, but still wants to keep some, so she has a sort of cap of braids. There’s probably a term for the style, but idk. Celi is of North African descent.

Next to Celi is Renn. His head looks wonky because I was drawing at an angle at the time. He’s been mostly depilated, and I imagine him in a sort of Aang-meets-European-in-a-tracksuit outfit because he’s calm and tries not to do much drama, but is condescending. Renn is of West Asian/American/Tarandran descent.

Then we have Public Universal Friend (PUF) 2 with the twists. I figure it doesn’t want a lot of hair to take care of, and this style keeps it out of its face. Same clothes as the other PUF. It is kneeling, with one leg propped up. It is of coastal Southern East African descent.

*Then laying on the ground is Tal. Ke is looking at kes tablet because ke doesn’t like focusing on other things. Tal is unfortunately at the wrong angle to show off ke’s face tattoo. Small afro kept stylishly kept, along with some garters and a short skirt. Ke is laying down because ke feels like it. Ke is of West African/American/Texan descent.

*Then we have Aspen, the POV character, smack dab in the middle. Canonically, they’d don’t have a headband as far as we know, but I think their hair looks nice pushed up like that. They are wearing a jumpsuit like last time, but this time has a belt for flair, because Tal and Sunset convinced them. Aspen sits cross cross because they can and it’s a common sitting posture in Arborea. They are of West African/American/Arborea Atlantican descent.

Lina is kneeling like PUF2, but facing the other way. I gave her buns and square jewelery because I based her off of a Hopi woman’s ’do that I really liked, and Lina can be short for names like Catalina. She has freckles because they’re fun. She’s gained some muscle and weight since the last picture, which is great! She is of Hopi/Latin American descent.

Last is Sunset. She is a zeelite, a subculture interested in replicating and investigating pre-Neocambrian (aka our time) cultures. She is largely inspired by what she knows of punk, pastel goths, drag, and to be honest, Barbie (2023). She is voguing because she knows and appreciates the importance of looking good. Sunset is of Central African/of Sirius descent.

Now for the top row, left to right again!

First, we have Heli. She wears functional but pretty clothes because she appreciates utility but always wants to show off what she’s got. The newest addition to the crew, she’s a little spiky, but has a soft spot for Adin. She was inspired by a picture of a Sistergirl from Australia (my headcanon, I only saw a picture of her and was unable to find more specific information). Heli is of Indigenous Australian descent.

*Next, we have Adin. I keep forgetting to draw him with tattoos, so I added a neck one last minute. His look has probably changed the most - his canon picture came out only a few months ago, so I drew him differently the first time. Adin cooks a lot, so he doesn’t try to wear anything or have a hairdo that could be ruined by cooking. Adin is of West African/Arborea Atlantican/American/Texan descent.

*Next up, the tallest of the bunch (and I forgot to draw his left arm until last minute, we have Denish! He’s doing the Arnold Schwarzenegger pose. The gentle Giant of the group, I was unable to recapture his face quite the same way as last time, but I still think he turned out well. He’s one of my favorite space pirates. I think he wears high collars to hide Tinera’s hickeys. Denish is of West African/American/Texan descent.

Right in front of Denish is PUF 1, AKA Dr. PUF. Still has tousled hair, still has the same robe. PUF is kneeling. It is of European descent.

*Hanging off of Denish is Tinera! She’s changed also, as her official looks came out, though I think I’ve kept her pretty nice looking still! I forgot to give her glasses though :(. I gave her Garnet (Steven Universe) finger gloves because they look cool. Tinera is of Central African/Lunarian descent.

Under Tinera is Sam. He’s partly visually inspired by the Dad of some kids I watch, and Ballister from Nimona. He likes to gaze at the stars and wonder about all the stories that will be told about them. Sam is of South Asian descent.

*Lastly is Keldin (AKA Captain Sands). He’s always dressed well and keeps his hair well-coifed. Hardly anyone from the ‘first’ crew likes him. He is standing awkwardly farther away because he knows everyone near him isn’t his tan. Keldin is of West African/American/Trandran descent.

[greensparty]

Nirvana Boston: Part 2 - ManRay

This year marks 35 years since the release of Nirvana’s debut album Bleach and it also marks 30 years since the passing of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain. In honor of one of my Top 3 Favorite Musicians of All Time, I’ve begun a multi-part series Nirvana Boston, in which I’ll look at all of the concerts Nirvana did in Boston. Part 1 looked at their July 1989 show at Green Street Station.

The second installment of this series is their second MA show!

April 18, 1990 ManRay (Cambridge, MA)

ticket stub

Since the last time Nirvana played Boston guitarist Jason Everman parted ways with the band and they were back to being a trio: Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Chad Channing (who was in his final months with the band). The band had done a lot of touring for their debut album Bleach, which was released on Sub Pop the previous Summer. On this particular date, the band was back in town for a show at the Central Square club ManRay, which was known as a goth club at the time.

WFNX's Duane Bruce was one of the early supporters of Nirvana in the Northeast and he was playing some of their songs late night on his show Radio Free Boston. He was at ManRay to emcee the show. He hung out backstage with the band and WFNX's Kurt St. Thomas (another early supporter). According to Bruce (he's also the author of Hang the DJ and the host of the American Debauchery podcast where he has discussed his time with Nirvana), Kurt Cobain said "So you guys are from a commercial station, on the other side of the country, and you play our music?" as Cobain put his arm around Bruce's shoulder and said "That's a first."

There was also an interview the band did before the show. That video has since surfaced online.

Nirvana interview backstage at ManRay

There were about 75 people in attendance. Local band The Bags opened this show. Crispin Wood, guitarist for The Bags, recalls "We hung out during their soundcheck and they hung out during ours." He says "The dressing room area was in the basement of ManRay. Pretty big space. The guys in Nirvana were nice. We partied together. Krist was the friendliest of the three." In attendance was Sluggo, who hosted Nirvana the previous Summer when they played Green Street Station and was in the local band Hullabaloo (they actually appeared on some compilation albums with Nirvana including Hard to Believe: A Kiss Covers Compilation). During Nirvana's set, Kurt dumped a pitcher of water on Chad. Sluggo says "Chad never saw it coming. Poor guy. But I suppose at this point he was use to the abuse - i.e. all the times Kurt would launch himself at the drumset." They mostly played songs from Bleach, although they did preview some songs off of Nevermind released a year and a half later, including "Breed", "In Bloom" and "Stay Away".

Cobain and Novoselic at ManRay photo by JJ Gonson

Cobain at ManRay photo by JJ Gonson

Photographer JJ Gonson, who got some great photos of them crashing at her apartment after the Green Street Station show the previous year, returned to this show to get some pics.

Here is the video recording of the show from YouTube:

Up Next: Part 3 will explore their 1990 show at MIT.

[northernpintail]

Okay, since you are Duck Posting Central, do you know what these goth ducks are called???

Looks like American Coots to me! :)

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

[Ghostbusters] Brainwaves: Mini Bios (1984) C.U.P.S Professors & Students

Tagging @ariel-seagull-wings @spook-central and @soulman133 Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged from Brainwaves posts. These are just bullet point bios for the main groups of characters, as in the female professors, Ghostbusters and Ghostbuster staff, the C.U.P.S students, Nova's family (some of them are in C.U.P.S, but won't be in this post) and then the others™ (e.g. Dickless, Dana)

Following Characters:

Heather Nieto-Jorge

May Keaton

Allison Wada

Nova Teufel

Jacob Blumenthal

Cecilia Hedlund

Long post so it's under the cut

Doctor/Professor Heather Nieto-Jorge, PhD. 'Nieto':

Face Claim / Actress: Jennifer Beals

Full Name: Heather Bárbara Yasmin Nieto-Jorge

Doctor / Professor / Miss. AKA: Barbie, Hettie, Nieto

32 in 1984. Born November 7th 1952 in Panama. Lives in NY, NY

Panamanian, Female, Bisexual, Catholic, Scorpio, Smoker

Speaks Spanish, English & Portuguese

5'8" and 152 lbs, Brown eyes, Black Hair with a Bleached streak

Matching rose tattoos on her hips, pierced ear lobes

Teaches Agriology, Anthropobiology & Demonology at Columbia

Doctor/Professor May Keaton, PhD. 'Keaty':

Face Claim / Actress: Tracy Chapman

Full Name: May Olive Keaton

Doctor / Professor / Miss. AKA: Livi, Keaty

33 in 1984. Born May 1st 1951 in Indiana. Lives in NY, NY

African-American, Female, Straight, Christian, Taurus

Speaks 15 languages to varying degrees, including English & Greek

5'4" and 145 lbs, Brown eyes, Black hair, no tattoos, pierced ears

Teaches Folkloristics, Genetics & Hepatology

Undiagnosed but possibly Autistic, ADHD/ADD

Doctor/Professor Allison Wada, PhD. 'Allie':

Face Claim / Actress: Cherie Chung

Full Name: Allison Saki Wada

Doctor / Professor / Miss. AKA: Ali / Allie / Ally

34 in 1984. Born April 9th 1950 in Saskatchewan. Lives in NY, NY

Japanese, Female, Straight, Non-Religious, Aries, Rarely Smokes

Speaks Japanese, English and Spanish

5'5" and 150 lbs, Brown eyes, Black hair, 1 tattoo, pierced ears

Tattoo of a Chinese dragon up her spine

Teaches Biophysics, Biochemistry and Haematology

Doctor/Professor Nova Teufel, PhD. 'Novocaine':

Face Claim / Actress: Meg Ryan

Full Name: Nova Eris Teufel. The Teufel Family are supposed Psychics

Doctor / Professor / Miss. AKA: Professor Goth, Novocaine

31 in 1981. Born January 2nd 1953 in Brooklyn. Lives in NY, NY

German, Female, Demisexual, Biromantic, Wiccan, Capricorn, Smoker

Speaks English, German, French, Spanish and Latin

5'8" (5'11" in her boots) and 152 lbs, Blue eyes, Blonde hair, Dyes her hair often

10 tattoos making up a 1/2 sleeve on her left arm, Ear Lobe & Helix piercings

Teaches Criminology, Mortuary Science & Eschatology

Misdiagnosed and given Anti-Psychotics, Undiagnosed but Autistic and Anxious

Grew up in Psych wards, now lives with her older brother Mars

Jacob Blumenthal. 'Jake':

Face Claim / Actor: John Belushi

Full Name: Jacob Jasper Cassidy Blumenthal

AKA Blue, Blue Man, Cas, Cassie, Coby, Jack, Jake, J.J

30 in 1984. Born January 24th 1954 in Chicago, Lives in NY, NY

White, Male, Straight, Christian, Aquarius, Smoker

Speaks English, Spanish, French and Japanese

5'8" and 222 lbs, Brown eyes, Black hair, stubble & lots of body hair

Has a smiley face tattooed on his left butt-cheek, no piercings

Has been in every classroom at least once, takes Nova's classes because he likes annoying her for attention

Cecilia Hedlund. 'Celia':

Face Claim / Actress: Gilda Radner

Full Name: Cecilia Juni Hedlund (Soon to be Solberg)

AKA Cece, Celia, Cilla, C.J

30 in 1984, Born June 28th 1954 in Sweden, Lives in NY, NY

Swedish, Female, Straight, Lutheran, Cancer

Speaks Swedish, English, Norwegian, French, Spanish and German

5'6" and 145 lbs, Brown eyes and hair, ears pierced, no tattoos

Engaged to an American

Part of the exchange programme & C.U.P.S

[mildredpierce8]

BEAR WITH ME AND MY RANT ABT THE NEW FITO PAEZ BIOPIC TV SHOW ON NETFLIX

OK......

So, basically Netflix released a biopic tv show about the life of Argentinian rock star Fito Paez and I'm literally so excited to watch it for a number of reasons, but the second I found out that this was a thing I got the urge to go on tumblr and just explode so here goes.

The show is called "El Amor despues del Amor", named after Paez's sensational hit song linked below:

*please listen its actually so good

Anyways the gringos butchered it and dubbed the show in English to be called Love After Music which makes no fucking sense because the song literally translates to Love after Love not Love after Music and it is just sooo stupid, but anyway what can I do abt that.

This show excites me so much, first of all, because I think Fito Paez 10000000% deserves this kind of recognition, because he really is one of the most iconic latinamerican artists of his generation, and his music challenged the assumption that good pop and rock music could only be made and produced in English.

I guess mostly the reason this show excites me is because it is a show about a latinamerican rock artist, which you just don't get that often and I have been dying to see one. (Also, Argentinian alternative rock is definitely one of my hyper-specific fandoms and new content being produced for it is really exciting).

My mission in life, amongst other things, is to give the South and Central American rock scene the recognition it deserves, because often times people act like it doesn't exist, and new wave/ 80s pop/rock only came out of the US or England. Latinamerican rock serves an extremely important purpose in society, as it was quite literally revolutionary. (I'm bullshitting and tired, so ignore the uneccessary sentences, but my point is valid). Rock in Argentina was used to fight back against A LITERAL MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. And the fact that all the rock music biopics are still England and US centric is really annoying.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy shows or movies about music produced in the US or England, but there are so many amazing stories to tell from the perspective and about the lives of Hispanic musicians. Why are they constantly overlooked?

AND NOT JUST ABOUT MUSIC

Where are the movies about Argentinian Military Dictatorship? (IK they exist guys im just saying we should talk more about the fact that it happened). Actually for anyone interested pls watch the movie "Argentina, 1985", it is great!

Where are the movies about indigenous communities being wiped from existence in virtually every South American country?

Or, as a Colombian, can we get a show about terrorism or the drug trade in Colombia that isn't made from the bullshit NARCOS perspective of white guy policemen saviors, when we all know that all American cops did in Colombia was militarize our police forces and teach them how to abuse the public.

I'm getting off topic

THERE ARE AMAZING MUSIC STORIES COMING OUT OF LATIN AMERICA

Like the entire Mexican punk rock scene it is so cool

Cafe Tacvba, Maldita, Caifanes.

Where's the series abt Colombian metalheads. The metal scene was huge.

Or the goth scene. There was a time where you would walk on the street and you would see crowds of Morticias going to dance The Cure at a club.

Or the fact that Seru Giran recorded their first album in exile in Brazil bcs the government literally had them on a hitlist.

Which speaking of Seru Giran, how is there not a movie abt that yet. Seru Giran is such an iconic fucking band led by none other than Charly Garcia. They are a gift from God to humanity, they are pioneers of progressive rock, I don't know anyone like them. And I'm always saying this but if Seru Giran were British or American they would be just as highly regarded as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd because they are just too good.

Here are some Seru Giran songs everyone should listen to:

*this man is everything. synth on top of a keyboard on top of a piano.

Anyways, if you're still reading at this point you are very dedicated and i appreciate that.

And side note, please watch this performance of Charly Garcia, Fito Paez and the one and only Fabi Cantilo bcs it is too good:

*ojos de videotape is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and sometimes idk if its even real.

OKAY SO, TO CONCLUDE THIS EXTREMELY INCOHERENT RAMBLING,

I am extremely happy about the fact that latino stories are being told in media like this because its something that i feel as a fan of rock music and a latina i have been missing from my life. And you may think why do we need movies abt dictatorship or drug deals or terrorism. Doesn't that just perpetuate the stereotype that that's all your country has. NO ON THE CONTRARY. When it's told by big American corporations, it often loses meaning. Shows written by latinos about latinamerican experiences showcase the reason I am so proud to be latina. Because we are a resilient people. Our humanity shines through even in the darkest of times. In the midst of wars and dictatorship, we can come up with shit like this and it is so cool. And I wish there was more recognition for that.

So yeah maybe this isn't a rant abt Fito Paez, even though I love him so much. And I'm more than sure this show is about his life and not about Argentinian military dictatorship.

But I guess mostly I hope this will encourage more latino filmmakers to tell our stories. Tell our stories because they are so cool, and I love watching movies abt rockstars. But I would love it so much more to watch movies about rockstars who look like me.

So I'll get back to this after I watch the show. Chau :)

[brookston]

Holidays 6.26

Holidays

Alexandra Rose Day

American Lottery Day

Anti Drugs Day (India)

Armed Forces Day (Azerbaijan; UK)

Bar Code Day (a.k.a. UPC Day)

Beautician's Day

Bike to Work Day (Colorado)

Boardwalk Day

Canoe Day

Crimean Tatar National Flag Day (Ukraine)

Festival of the Tarasque (France)

Flag Day (Romania)

Forgiveness Day

Global Africa Day

Good Earth Day

Good Manners Day

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Harry Potter Day

Human Genome Day

International Angel Shark Day

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (UN)

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (UN)

International Stitch Day

LGBTQ Equality Day

LP Demonstration Day

Murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne Anniversary Day (Batman)

National Beautician’s Day

National Cancer Wellness Awareness Day (Canada)

National Canoe Day (Canada)

National DCE (Director of Christian Education) Day

National Fossil Day (Australia)

National Milkman Day

National Ranboo Day

National Rat Catcher’s Day

National Report Trade Agreement Act Fraud Day

National Sarah Day

National Sports Day (Fiji)

National Toothbrush Day

National Zachary Day

Ommegang Pageant begins (Belgium) [Ends 7.6]

Pied Piper of Hamelin Day (according to the Brothers Grimm)

Prosecutor’s Office Employees Day (Belarus)

Public Prosecutors’ Day (Turkmenistan)

Reserves Day (UK)

Same Sex Marriage Day

Senior Citizen’s Day (Mason County, Michigan)

Shallot Day (French Republic)

Shreya Ghoshai Day (Ohio)

626 Day (Lilo & Stitch)

Sunthorn Phu Day (Thailand)

Supply Chain Geek Day

Support. Don’t Punish. Global Day of Action.

UN Charter Day

World Bunny Chow Day

World Nupe Day (Nigeria)

World Refrigeration Day

Wrong Trousers Day (Wallace & Gromit)

Ziua Tricolorului (Flag Day; Romania)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Chocolate Pudding Day

National Coconut Day

National Haskap Berry Day

Tropical Cocktails Day

Independence & Related Days

Batanes Day (Philippines)

Madagascar (from France, 1960)

Schwanensee (Swan Lake; Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Somaliland (from UK; 1960)

St. George (Principality Declared; 2007) [unrecognized]

4th & Last Wednesday in June

National Day of Joy [Last Wednesday]

National Parchment Day [Last Wednesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning June 26 (4th Full Week)

Glastonbury Festival (thru 6.30) [Last Weekend]

National Tire Safety Week (thru 7.2)

Festivals Beginning June 26, 2024

Beauregard Parish Watermelon Festival (DeRidder, Louisiana) [thru 6.29]

Carnival of Veracruz (Veracruz, Mexico) [thru 7.2]

Flavors of Albany Park (Chicago, Illinois)

Fusion Festival (Lärz, Germany) [thru 6.30]

Glastonbury Festival (Pilton, United Kingdom) [thru 6.30]

Linn County Fair (Central City, Iowa) [thru 6.30]

Monmouth Fair (Monmouth, Maine) [thru 6.29]

Niort Jazz Festival (Niort, France) [thru 6.28]

Seoul International Book Fair (Seoul, South Korea) [thru 6.30]

Smithsonian Folklife Festival (Washington, DC) [thru 7.1]

Sun Valley Center Wine Auction (Sun Valley, Idaho) [thru 6.28]

VidCon Anaheim (Anaheim, California) [thru 6.29]

Feast Days

Anthelm of Belley (Christian; Saint)

Archie McPhee Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Branwell Brontë (Artology)

Carbonara Day (Pastafarian)

Centre Earth Secret Entrance Reveal Day (Mount Scartaris; Ancient Iceland)

Corn-Ripening Ceremony (Native American Corn Mothers)

Daoud Corm (Artology)

David the Dendrite (Christian; Saint)

El Cid (Positivist; Saint)

Enzo Apicella (Artology)

Feast of All Saints

Feast of Salavi (Spruce Tree Rain God; Native American)

Handing Back of Tiger-Get-By’s Presents (Shamanism)

Hermogius (Christian; Saint)

Isabel Florence Hapgood (Episcopal Church)

Jack (Muppetism)

Jan Paweł Lelewel (Artology)

Jeremiah (Lutheran)

John and Paul (Christian; Martyrs)

John of the Goths (Christian; Saint)

José María Robles Hurtado (One of Saints of the Cristero War; Christian)

Josemaría Escrivá (Christian; Saint)

Lev Grossman (Writerism)

Lynd Ward (Artology)

Mar Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Maria (Muppetism)

Maxentius (Christian; Saint)

Milton Glaser (Artology)

Pearl S. Buck (Writerism)

Pelagius of Córdoba (Christian; Saint)

Pelayo (Christian; Saint)

Salvius and Superius (a.k.a. Suave; Christian; Saints)

Solstitium I (Pagan)

Summer Poem Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Vigilius of Trent (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

After the Rain, by Nelson (Album; 1990)

Arctic Antics (Silly Symphony Cartoon; 1930)

Baby, I Love Your Way, by Peter Frampton (Song; 1976)

The Bear and the Hare (MGM Cartoon; 1948)

The Big Clock, by Kenneth Fearing (Novel; 1946)

Darby O’Gill and the Little People (Film; 1959)

Delta of Venus, by Anaïs Nin (Short Stories; 1977)

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), by Richard Wagner (Opera; 1870) [Ring of the Nibelung #2]

Donald in Mathematic Land (Disney Cartoon; 1959)

The Dower House Mystery, by Patricia Wentworth (Novel; 1925)

Dragonslayer (Film; 1981)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Film; 2020)

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, by Hunter S. Thompson (Political Book; 1973)

For Your Eyes Only (US Film; 1981) [James Bond #12]

Freeway Fracas (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1964)

Full Metal Jacket (Film; 1987)

The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin Film; 1925)

Goo, by Sonic Youth (Album; 1990)

The Great Muppet Caper (Film; 1981)

A Hard Day’s Night, by The Beatles (Album; 1964)

The Hurt Locker (Film; 2009)

Illustrated Daily News (Daily Newspaper; 1919) [1st illustrated daily newspaper in U.S.]

I Wanna Be a Lifeguard (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1936)

Jean de Florette (Film; 1987)

Little Rover (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1935)

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson (Short Story; 1948)

The Mad King (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1932)

Muzzle Tough (WB MM Cartoon; 1954)

My Spy (Film; 2020)

Never a Dull Moment (Film; 1968)

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (Animated Film; 1973)

Out of Sight (Film; 1998)

The Philosopher’s Stone (a.k.a. Sorcerer's Stone), by J.K. Rowling (Novel; 1997) [Harry Potter #1]

Pink-A-Boo (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1966)

Spaceballs (Film; 1987)

Sparky the Firefly (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1953)

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (Film; 1952)

Stripes (Film; 1981)

Suffering’ Cats (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1961)

Sweet Sioux (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Symphony No. 9, by Gustav Mahler (Symphony; 1912)

Tax Man Tax (Money Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1995)

Ted 2 (Film; 2015)

Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake (Novel; 1946) [Gormenghast #1]

A Tough Egg (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1936)

Who Let the Dogs Out, by the Baha Men (Album; 2000)

Wilful Willie (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1942)

Yankee Doddle Mouse (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1943)

Today’s Name Days

Anthelm, Vigilius (Austria)

David (Bulgaria)

Ivan, Pavao, Vigilije, Zoran (Croatia)

Adriana (Czech Republic)

Pelagius (Denmark)

Manivald, Vaane, Vaano, Vaino, Vane, Vanevald (Estonia)

Jarkko, Jarmo, Jarno, Jere, Jeremias, Jorma (Finland)

Anthelme (France)

David, Konstantin, Paul, Vigil (Germany)

Makarios (Greece)

János, Pál (Hungary)

Elisa, Filippo, Rodolfo, Vigilio (Italy)

Ausma, Dzejs, Ingūna, Inguns, Ulvis (Latvia)

Jaunius, Jaunutis, Viltautė, Virgilijus (Lithuania)

Jenny, Jonny (Norway)

Jan, Jeremi, Jeremiasz, Paweł, Zdziwoj (Poland)

David (România)

Adriána (Slovakia)

José, Pelayo (Spain)

Lea, Rakel (Sweden)

Arley, Harlan, Harlene, Harley, Thelma (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 178 of 2024; 188 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 26 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 21 (Xin-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 20 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 19 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 28 Blue; Sevenday [28 of 30]

Julian: 13 June 2024

Moon: 72%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 9 Charlemagne (7th Month) [El Cid]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 7 of 94)

Week: 4th Full Week of June)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 6 of 31)

[nugothrhythms]

“Arte pl​á​stico” by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their upcoming 2024 album Estados Latentes, to be released this June

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Falsas Apariencias" by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their 2024 album Estados Latentes

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 6.26

Holidays

Alexandra Rose Day

American Lottery Day

Anti Drugs Day (India)

Armed Forces Day (Azerbaijan; UK)

Bar Code Day (a.k.a. UPC Day)

Beautician's Day

Bike to Work Day (Colorado)

Boardwalk Day

Canoe Day

Crimean Tatar National Flag Day (Ukraine)

Festival of the Tarasque (France)

Flag Day (Romania)

Forgiveness Day

Global Africa Day

Good Earth Day

Good Manners Day

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Harry Potter Day

Human Genome Day

International Angel Shark Day

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (UN)

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (UN)

International Stitch Day

LGBTQ Equality Day

LP Demonstration Day

Murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne Anniversary Day (Batman)

National Beautician’s Day

National Cancer Wellness Awareness Day (Canada)

National Canoe Day (Canada)

National DCE (Director of Christian Education) Day

National Fossil Day (Australia)

National Milkman Day

National Ranboo Day

National Rat Catcher’s Day

National Report Trade Agreement Act Fraud Day

National Sarah Day

National Sports Day (Fiji)

National Toothbrush Day

National Zachary Day

Ommegang Pageant begins (Belgium) [Ends 7.6]

Pied Piper of Hamelin Day (according to the Brothers Grimm)

Prosecutor’s Office Employees Day (Belarus)

Public Prosecutors’ Day (Turkmenistan)

Reserves Day (UK)

Same Sex Marriage Day

Senior Citizen’s Day (Mason County, Michigan)

Shallot Day (French Republic)

Shreya Ghoshai Day (Ohio)

626 Day (Lilo & Stitch)

Sunthorn Phu Day (Thailand)

Supply Chain Geek Day

Support. Don’t Punish. Global Day of Action.

UN Charter Day

World Bunny Chow Day

World Nupe Day (Nigeria)

World Refrigeration Day

Wrong Trousers Day (Wallace & Gromit)

Ziua Tricolorului (Flag Day; Romania)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Chocolate Pudding Day

National Coconut Day

National Haskap Berry Day

Tropical Cocktails Day

Independence & Related Days

Batanes Day (Philippines)

Madagascar (from France, 1960)

Schwanensee (Swan Lake; Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Somaliland (from UK; 1960)

St. George (Principality Declared; 2007) [unrecognized]

4th & Last Wednesday in June

National Day of Joy [Last Wednesday]

National Parchment Day [Last Wednesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning June 26 (4th Full Week)

Glastonbury Festival (thru 6.30) [Last Weekend]

National Tire Safety Week (thru 7.2)

Festivals Beginning June 26, 2024

Beauregard Parish Watermelon Festival (DeRidder, Louisiana) [thru 6.29]

Carnival of Veracruz (Veracruz, Mexico) [thru 7.2]

Flavors of Albany Park (Chicago, Illinois)

Fusion Festival (Lärz, Germany) [thru 6.30]

Glastonbury Festival (Pilton, United Kingdom) [thru 6.30]

Linn County Fair (Central City, Iowa) [thru 6.30]

Monmouth Fair (Monmouth, Maine) [thru 6.29]

Niort Jazz Festival (Niort, France) [thru 6.28]

Seoul International Book Fair (Seoul, South Korea) [thru 6.30]

Smithsonian Folklife Festival (Washington, DC) [thru 7.1]

Sun Valley Center Wine Auction (Sun Valley, Idaho) [thru 6.28]

VidCon Anaheim (Anaheim, California) [thru 6.29]

Feast Days

Anthelm of Belley (Christian; Saint)

Archie McPhee Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Branwell Brontë (Artology)

Carbonara Day (Pastafarian)

Centre Earth Secret Entrance Reveal Day (Mount Scartaris; Ancient Iceland)

Corn-Ripening Ceremony (Native American Corn Mothers)

Daoud Corm (Artology)

David the Dendrite (Christian; Saint)

El Cid (Positivist; Saint)

Enzo Apicella (Artology)

Feast of All Saints

Feast of Salavi (Spruce Tree Rain God; Native American)

Handing Back of Tiger-Get-By’s Presents (Shamanism)

Hermogius (Christian; Saint)

Isabel Florence Hapgood (Episcopal Church)

Jack (Muppetism)

Jan Paweł Lelewel (Artology)

Jeremiah (Lutheran)

John and Paul (Christian; Martyrs)

John of the Goths (Christian; Saint)

José María Robles Hurtado (One of Saints of the Cristero War; Christian)

Josemaría Escrivá (Christian; Saint)

Lev Grossman (Writerism)

Lynd Ward (Artology)

Mar Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Maria (Muppetism)

Maxentius (Christian; Saint)

Milton Glaser (Artology)

Pearl S. Buck (Writerism)

Pelagius of Córdoba (Christian; Saint)

Pelayo (Christian; Saint)

Salvius and Superius (a.k.a. Suave; Christian; Saints)

Solstitium I (Pagan)

Summer Poem Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Vigilius of Trent (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

After the Rain, by Nelson (Album; 1990)

Arctic Antics (Silly Symphony Cartoon; 1930)

Baby, I Love Your Way, by Peter Frampton (Song; 1976)

The Bear and the Hare (MGM Cartoon; 1948)

The Big Clock, by Kenneth Fearing (Novel; 1946)

Darby O’Gill and the Little People (Film; 1959)

Delta of Venus, by Anaïs Nin (Short Stories; 1977)

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), by Richard Wagner (Opera; 1870) [Ring of the Nibelung #2]

Donald in Mathematic Land (Disney Cartoon; 1959)

The Dower House Mystery, by Patricia Wentworth (Novel; 1925)

Dragonslayer (Film; 1981)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Film; 2020)

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, by Hunter S. Thompson (Political Book; 1973)

For Your Eyes Only (US Film; 1981) [James Bond #12]

Freeway Fracas (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1964)

Full Metal Jacket (Film; 1987)

The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin Film; 1925)

Goo, by Sonic Youth (Album; 1990)

The Great Muppet Caper (Film; 1981)

A Hard Day’s Night, by The Beatles (Album; 1964)

The Hurt Locker (Film; 2009)

Illustrated Daily News (Daily Newspaper; 1919) [1st illustrated daily newspaper in U.S.]

I Wanna Be a Lifeguard (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1936)

Jean de Florette (Film; 1987)

Little Rover (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1935)

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson (Short Story; 1948)

The Mad King (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1932)

Muzzle Tough (WB MM Cartoon; 1954)

My Spy (Film; 2020)

Never a Dull Moment (Film; 1968)

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (Animated Film; 1973)

Out of Sight (Film; 1998)

The Philosopher’s Stone (a.k.a. Sorcerer's Stone), by J.K. Rowling (Novel; 1997) [Harry Potter #1]

Pink-A-Boo (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1966)

Spaceballs (Film; 1987)

Sparky the Firefly (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1953)

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (Film; 1952)

Stripes (Film; 1981)

Suffering’ Cats (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1961)

Sweet Sioux (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Symphony No. 9, by Gustav Mahler (Symphony; 1912)

Tax Man Tax (Money Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1995)

Ted 2 (Film; 2015)

Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake (Novel; 1946) [Gormenghast #1]

A Tough Egg (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1936)

Who Let the Dogs Out, by the Baha Men (Album; 2000)

Wilful Willie (Terrytoons Cartoons; 1942)

Yankee Doddle Mouse (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1943)

Today’s Name Days

Anthelm, Vigilius (Austria)

David (Bulgaria)

Ivan, Pavao, Vigilije, Zoran (Croatia)

Adriana (Czech Republic)

Pelagius (Denmark)

Manivald, Vaane, Vaano, Vaino, Vane, Vanevald (Estonia)

Jarkko, Jarmo, Jarno, Jere, Jeremias, Jorma (Finland)

Anthelme (France)

David, Konstantin, Paul, Vigil (Germany)

Makarios (Greece)

János, Pál (Hungary)

Elisa, Filippo, Rodolfo, Vigilio (Italy)

Ausma, Dzejs, Ingūna, Inguns, Ulvis (Latvia)

Jaunius, Jaunutis, Viltautė, Virgilijus (Lithuania)

Jenny, Jonny (Norway)

Jan, Jeremi, Jeremiasz, Paweł, Zdziwoj (Poland)

David (România)

Adriána (Slovakia)

José, Pelayo (Spain)

Lea, Rakel (Sweden)

Arley, Harlan, Harlene, Harley, Thelma (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 178 of 2024; 188 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 26 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 21 (Xin-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 20 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 19 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 28 Blue; Sevenday [28 of 30]

Julian: 13 June 2024

Moon: 72%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 9 Charlemagne (7th Month) [El Cid]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 7 of 94)

Week: 4th Full Week of June)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 6 of 31)

[kerringtonthoughts]

The Goths

Greetings, Gothic enthusiasts, and interior design critics! Today, we're venturing into the unsettling world of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," where mansions crumble faster than a game of Jenga, family drama is as twisted as a pretzel, and everyone seems to have a flair for interior decorating that would make Martha Stewart reconsider her life choices. Join me on this sarcastic journey through the haunted halls of Usher, as we explore how this Gothic masterpiece relates to early American times and our own modern-day domestic nightmares.

Roderick Usher, the man who proves that home renovation projects can lead to more than just a Pinterest fail. In the grandiose halls of the Usher mansion, where every creak echoes like the ghost of an HGTV host weeping, Roderick's attempts at DIY interior design result in a home that makes the Winchester Mystery House look like a model of practical architecture.

Madeline Usher, the queen of family drama with a plot twist more shocking than a reality TV finale. In the gloomy shadows of the Usher estate, where secrets are as abundant as cobwebs, Madeline's grand entrance is the stuff of early American soap operas. Move over, Downton Abbey; the Ushers were serving drama before it was cool.

The Usher mansion's aesthetic is the OG haunted house chic, inspiring generations of horror enthusiasts. Fast forward to today, where homeowners embrace the haunted house aesthetic in the form of distressed furniture, peeling wallpaper, and ghostly moans that may or may not be the central heating acting up.

The Ushers had a family curse that makes modern family dynamics look like a Disney sitcom. In early America, where family feuds were as common as smallpox, the Usher curse takes the cake. Forget sibling rivalry; Roderick and Madeline redefine "sibling goals" in a way that would make the Kardashians nod in approval.

Roderick's melancholia is the early American version of "emo" before it became a music genre. In the depths of the Usher mansion, where gloominess is both an aesthetic and a lifestyle, Roderick sets the mood for centuries to come. Move over, Hot Topic; Roderick was the original purveyor of melancholic vibes.

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a sarcastically dark comedy of family drama, haunted house aesthetics, and questionable interior design choices. So, the next time you find yourself contemplating a home renovation or caught up in family melodrama, remember: the Ushers did it first, and they did it with Gothic flair. Stay sarcastic, my haunted home enthusiasts!

[flimsy-roost]

fig. 1) a selection of common inputs and outputs of the lolita/egl alternative fashion subculture. sample population consists of western (primarily N. American and European), primarily white/white-passing, primarily cis female/femme-identifying subjects. these observations are inexhaustive, and are based on several years of anecdotal observation by a single researcher.

[a top-down ms paint flowchart describing different people who get involved with egl/lolita fashion, both before and after their immersion in the subculture. inputs: "weeb," "other alt fashion participant (ie goth, punk, retro)," and "oh what's this this looks kind of fun let me try it." each input is in a box, with an arrow pointing down towards a central box labeled "lolita" in a cursive font. four arrows emerge from the "lolita" box, pointing down towards four separately boxed outputs. outputs: "that was fun but eh not my thing anymore nbd hobbies and interests change throughout a lifetime," "drag," "tradwife pipeline," and "enby/transmasc."]