#Villa Louise

[orphancookie69]

10/2024: Wisconsin Family Trip!

It is funny how life happens. In one month I pass up like 4 trips and in the months after when things "calm" down I go on back to back trips in the same week! I am not sure what killed me more but I am mostly alive still! No regrets though, family reunions are great!

Monday:

We flew from SNA to PHX in the early afternoon. There was a small layover in Phoenix. The first flight was 1 hour and then the next flight was 3 hours. We flew from PHX to MSN. Both flights went great. We rented a car, a KIA SUV, and man Kia came to play-it was a solid car. It was a 2 hour drive from Madison to Bloomington. There was also a 2 hour time difference, so it was uber late when we got in. One of our family members met us in town and guided us in, which was really nice. We stayed up way too late talking but it has been a minute since I have had such a warm welcome-especially since I have not met many of these people before. (If I did meet them, its been many years and I was very young).

Tuesday:

Waking up the next day, with California being 2 hours behind Wisconsin, was fun. Family members came by that lived down the road or in the next city over. We were told that there was a bakery down in town that was good, so we walked to get some donuts. It was funny, as my family has a reputation so when we walked in-between association or small town news-people looked at us funny. It was really dark when we came in so we took a drive to see the state in daylight. Driving to St Feriole Island was so pretty. Man that is God's Country. We saw the Wisconsin River and the Mississippi River. Villa Louise is nearby so we made plans to tour that later and go to Shihata's Orchard after. Beautiful lot, great products-I can't wait for them to have an online store. We tried Apple Salsa and Jalapeno Berry Jelly. SO GOOD. We toured Villa Louise and I loved it. The house and furniture dated back to 1839. We headed back to the family house. By the time we were back, dinner was done and kids were home from school. The energy a house has when its full of people is amazing. We played some Farkle. We got a family photo, and man that was pretty cool.

Wednesday:

Everyone woke up and we had breakfast. I had a request from back home for Wisconsin Cheese, and really I don't blame them. So we went to Carr Valley Cheese in Fennimore. We hit a thrift store and a coffee shop on the way back. We came back and had dinner with everyone and did more Farkle. We had an early bed time and packed as much as we could the night before.

Thursday:

We got up really early. 2 hour drive from Bloomington to Madison. We dropped off the rental car and went through security. General rule of thumb is to get to an airport 2 hours before the flight leaves. Before we board, they make an announcement that there are some technical issues they are working on. They "fix" them and we board. The flight time gets delayed twice and then we deboard so they can fix the issue. We reboard and then take off AN HOUR LATE. So the original flight we planned to catch got changed around. When we landed we went back to California/Arizona time. Short layover. Then we flew to SNA. It took an hour to get back to my house from the airport, and another hour to get my grandmother home. Funny to think how little ground you cover in 2 hours in california vs wisconsin.

My mom works for American Airlines with her Fiance and set this up to see her mom's side of the family for her mom. We were her first flight trip she set up since she started working there. The weather was supposed to be colder but it was surprisingly warm for this time of year. Most things start to shut down for the season as winter starts to come. I generally enjoyed this trip, some trips feel more like work than relaxing for me. But family is everything and I look forward to seeing them again. Would you go to a family reunion?

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode illustrée, no. 29, 21 juillet 1912, Paris. Les nouvelles fleurs en tissu. Louise Villas. No. 1. — Rose en ruban. (Contour de la fleur: 40 centimètres.) No. 2. — Rose en taffetas. (Contour: 13 centimètres.) No. 3. — Rose pompon. (Contour: 6 centimètres.) No. 4. — Pavot. (Contour: 27 centimètres.) Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

No. 1. — Rose en ruban.

Exécution. — Tailler une rondelle de mousseline à patron de 6 centimètres de diamètre. Se procurer du ruban de faille très souple de deux jolis tons de rose. Le plus foncé réservé pour le cœur de la fleur. Il faut 1 mètre 30 de chaque teinte sur une largeur de 6 centimètres. Froncer ensuite le bas du ruban en réduisant la longueur à 40 centimètres au plus.

Pour simuler les pétaies il suffit de "pincer" le ruban de distance en distance en fixant les plis par un point. Les premiers pétales sont formés à 10 centimètres de distance (prise à la lisière du ruban), puis on augmente progressivement jusqu'à 18 centimètres pour les plus grands pétales.

Ceci fait, on commence par coudre au centre de la rondelle l'extrémité froncée du ruban foncé, puis l'on tourne en colimaçon en cousant le ruban. La jonction des deux teintes est invisible, puisqu'elle s'opère sous un pétale. Une fois la fleur terminée on repousse intérieurement la rondelle de mousseline, afin de produire une cavité qui donne du relief à la fleur. Ajouter une tige avec feuillage artificiel.

—

Cut a round of patterned muslin 6 centimeters in diameter. Get some very flexible faille ribbon in two pretty shades of pink. The darkest reserved for the heart of the flower. It takes 1.3 meters of each shade over a width of 6 centimeters. Then gather the bottom of the ribbon, reducing the length to 40 centimeters at most.

To simulate the petals it is enough to "pinch" the ribbon from distance to distance by fixing the folds with a point. The first petals are formed 10 centimeters apart (taken from the edge of the ribbon), then gradually increase to 18 centimeters for the largest petals.

This done, we start by sewing the gathered end of the dark ribbon in the center of the washer, then we turn in a spiral by sewing the ribbon. The junction of the two shades is invisible, since it takes place under a petal. Once the flower is finished, the muslin disc is pushed back inside, in order to produce a cavity which gives relief to the flower. Add a stem with artificial foliage.

No. 2. — Rose en taffetas.

Ce genre de fleur est destiné aux garnitures de robes, employées en bouquets pour retenir les plis d'une draperie, ou rangées sur le devant des corsages en guise de boucle de ceinture.

Chaque rose se compose d'un cœur et de cinq pétales. Le cœur se fait avec un biais de tissu replié. Il a une longueur de 12 centimètres sur une largeur de 5, centimètres, ce qui donne 2 centimètres 1/2 une fois replié.

Commencer à fixer le fil à l'extrémité d'un des bords supérieurs mis en double, descendre en biais en comptant les points jusqu'au bord inférieur, remonter en formant le même nombre de points et continuer ces zigzags sur toute la longueur du biais. Tirer fortement le fil. Rouler cette petite ruche qui formera des pointes chiffonnées, la lier par le pied, et couper le surplus du tissu. Ses pétales sont des carrés de toile de soie ayant 10 centimètres de largeur pour les deux premiers, 12 centimètres pour les trois autres, cinq pétales étant nécessaires pour faire ces roses. Après les avoir taillés, on les ploie en "mouchoir" et l'on passe un fil allant d'un angle à un autre, en prononçant plus ou moins la courbe du côté de la pointe du milieu suivant le relief que l'on désire obtenir. La pointe qui reste au milieu doit être ensuite supprimée.

Tirer sur le fil sans trop serrer et arrêter solidement. Procéder de cette façon pour chaque pétale. Les monter ensuite autour du cœur en commençant par les plus petits.

Les feuilles s'obtiennent aussi avec avec un carré de tissu. On les reploie également en mouchoir. Mais ici on coupe l'étoffe de façon à former deux triangles, ce qui fait deux feuilles par carré.

Reployer ensuite le triangle. Faire une couture partant du sommet jusqu'au bas. Retourner ce cornet. Le côté pointu simule le haut de la feuille. Le bas froncé très serré forme des plis imitant les nervures. Chaque feuille se fixe ensuite sous la rose qui doit rester assez plate.

—

Each rose consists of a heart and five petals. The heart is made with a folded fabric bias. It is 12 centimeters long by 5 centimeters wide, which gives 2.5 centimeters when folded.

Begin to fasten the thread at the end of one of the upper edges doubled, go down on the bias by counting the stitches to the lower edge, go up by forming the same number of stitches and continue these zigzags over the entire length of the bias. Pull the thread strongly. Roll up this little ruffle which will form crumpled points, tie it by the foot, and cut off the excess fabric. Its petals are squares of silk canvas, 10 centimeters wide for the first two, 12 centimeters for the other three, five petals being necessary to make these roses. After having cut them, we fold them in a "handkerchief" and we pass a wire going from one angle to another, by pronouncing more or less the curve on the side of the point of the medium according to the relief which we desire. The tip that remains in the middle must then be removed.

Pull the thread without tightening too much and stop firmly. Proceed in this way for each petal. Then mount them around the heart, starting with the smallest ones.

The leaves are also obtained with a square of fabric. They are also folded into a handkerchief. But here we cut the fabric so as to form two triangles, which makes two sheets per square.

Then fold the triangle back. Sew a seam from top to bottom. Return this cone. The pointed side simulates the top of the leaf. The very tight gathered bottom forms pleats imitating the ribs. Each leaf then attaches under the rose which must remain fairly flat.

No. 3. — Roses pompon.

Destinées soit à un chapeau, soit comme bouquet de corsage.

Ces roses se font en toile de soie de deux tons avec feuillage artificiel. On procède pour les faire comme pour les précédentes, avec cette différence que les dimensions en sont très réduites. Le cœur est taillé sur une longueur de 12 centimètres sur 3 centimètres de largeur. Les zigzags sont beaucoup plus petits et on adapte ce cœur à une tige de laiton qui sert de monture à la fleur. Les pétales, au nombre de six, se cousent un à un. Les premiers carrés ont 4 centimètres 1/2 de largeur, les autres 5 centimètres 1/2. Procéder comme pour le précédent modèle, en enveloppant bien le cœur de façon à ce que la fleur ne soit pas trop épanouie. Enfiler les fils de laiton dans des tubes de caoutchouc et terminer par quelques feuillages.

—

Intended either for a hat or as a corsage.

These roses are made of two-tone silk canvas with artificial foliage. We proceed to make them as for the previous ones, with this difference that the dimensions are very small. The heart is cut over a length of 12 centimeters by 3 centimeters wide. The zigzags are much smaller and this heart is adapted to a brass rod which serves as a mount for the flower. The petals, six in number, are sewn together one by one. The first squares are 4.5 centimeters wide, the others 5.5 centimeters. Proceed as for the previous model, wrapping the heart well so that the flower does not bloom too much. Thread the brass wires into rubber tubes and finish with some foliage.

No. 4. — Pavot.

Pour faire cette jolie fleur on emploie du ruban à picots qui existe en de charmants coloris souvent ombrés, ce qui permet dans la largeur de trouver deux fleurs d'un ton différent. Il faut environ 75 centimètres de ruban sur une largeur de 12 centimètres pour faire deux fleurs, soit 6 centimètres de largeur pour chaque fleur.

Diviser en cinq parties ces 75 centimètres. Les séparer. Froncer le bas de chaque bande en partant du picot et en décrivant une courbe comme pour les roses. Abattre ensuite les pointes qui restent de chaque côté. Serrer fortement le fil et arrèter.

L'armature du cœur consiste en un bouton quelconque de 1 centimètre de diamètre ou d'une simple rondelle de carton rembourrée d'ouate, que l'on adapte à un fil de laiton. Recouvrir ensuite cette armature avec une sphère de toile de soie vert pâle en la fronçant autour de la tige.

Passer des fils noirs en les entrecroisant sur toute la surface du cœur. Adapter autour une petite ruchette ayant 1/2 centimètre de hauteur et faite comme il à été dit pour les cœurs des roses. Presser fortement les plis afin d'imiter les pistils et coudre autour du cœur. Employer du taffetas ou de la toile de soie noire, gros bleu, violet ou un ton changeant très foncé. Une fois le coin terminé, placer les pétales autour en les chevauchant l'un sur l'autre. Terminer par une branche de feuillage.

On peut tout aussi bien employer du ruban sans picots; et ces fluers, exécutées en rouge, imitent à s'y méprendre les coquelicots des champs.

—

To make this pretty flower we use spiked ribbon which exists in charming colors often shaded, which allows in the width to find two flowers of a different tone. It takes about 75 centimeters of ribbon over a width of 12 centimeters to make two flowers, or 6 centimeters in width for each flower.

Divide these 75 centimeters into five parts. Separate them. Gather the bottom of each strip starting from the picot and describing a curve as for the roses. Then cut down the remaining tips on each side. Tighten the thread strongly and stop.

The frame of the heart consists of any button 1 centimeter in diameter or a simple round piece of cardboard stuffed with wadding, which is fitted to a brass wire. Then cover this frame with a sphere of pale green silk fabric by gathering it around the stem.

Pass black threads criss-crossing them over the entire surface of the heart. Adapt around a small hive 1/2 centimeter high and made as it was said for the hearts of the roses. Firmly press the folds to imitate the pistils and sew around the heart. Use taffeta or silk black, deep blue, purple or a very dark changing tone. Once the corner is finished, place the petals around it, overlapping them one on top of the other. Finish with a branch of foliage.

You can just as well use ribbon without pins; and these flowers, executed in red, imitate field poppies unmistakably.

Louise Villas

[zn-alessia]

OTT. 24

[postcard-from-the-past]

Louise Villa and Breiner Hotel in Abbazia, modern-day Opatija, Croatia

Austrian vintage postcard

[mcgnussen]

kevin is leaving behind life in copenhagen and has bought a house on the same street as his in-laws and close to his dad and siblings near his hometown ✌️

[farkledagain]

Sketch page! I actually labeled everyone. I do like both of the Nor/Taran sketches and might clean them up one day. Good faces and body language.

[slapiz]

Moisés Finalé: La belleza radical

Moisés Finalé ... “un arte con dimensiones antropológicas y vocación intercultural donde los colores y los contrastes dan toda su autenticidad a los misterios que esconden” YT

Otredades, nueva expo del artista cubano Mosés Finalé, podrá ser visitada en la Galería Villa Manuela (interior de la UNEAC ) del 20 de abril al 20 de junio. Yamilé Tabio En ese ir y venir cruzando el océano, Moisés ha encontrado un estilo que lo identifica, una marca, un código lo suficientemente inclusivo como para permitirse la asunción constante de nuevas técnicas y estrategias…

[frenchcurious]

Villa à Hellerup, Danemark Conçue en 1931 par Frits Schlegel (1885-1965). Photographie Marie-Louise Høstbo. - source Art Deco 1920.

[mesetacadre]

When the Red Army entered Korea in early August, 1945, heavy battles took place in the north, but the Japanese rule remained tranquil in the south, for the Russians stopped by the Yalta agreement at the 38th parallel, while the Americans came several weeks after the surrender of Japan, and ruled at first through the Japanese and then through the Japanese-appointed Korean officials and police. So naturally all of the pro-Japanese Koreans – former police and officials, landlords and stockholders in Japanese companies – fled south to the American zone. The flight of all these right-wing elements amazingly simplified North Korean politics. The Russians did not have to set up any left-wing government, assuming that they wanted one. They merely set free some ten thousand political prisoners and said, by implication; “Go home, boys, you’re free to organize.” Under Japanese rule all natural political leaders either served Japan or went to jail. With the pro-Japanese gone, the ex-jailbirds became the vindicated heroes of their home towns. They were all radicals of sorts, including many Communists. Anyone who knows what a tremendous reception was given to Tom Mooney when he was released to come home to the workers of San Francisco, may imagine the effect on the small towns and villages when ten thousand of these political martyrs came home. North Korea just naturally took a great swing leftwards, and the Russians had only to recognize “the choice of the Korean people.” People’s Committees sprang up in villages, counties, and provinces and coalesced into a provisional government under the almost legendary guerrilla leader Kim Il Sung. Farmers organized, demanded the land from the landlords and got it in twenty-one days by a government decree. (Compared to the land reforms of other countries, this sounds like a tale of Aladdin’s lamp!) Ninety per cent of all big industry – it had belonged to Japanese concerns – was handed over by the Russians “to the Korean people” and nationalized by one more decree. Trade unions organized, demanded a modern labor code, and got it without any trouble from their new government, with the eight-hour day, abolition of child labor, and social insurance all complete. Another decree made women equal with men in all spheres of activity and another expanded schools. Then general elections were held and a “democratic front” of three parties swept unopposed to power. The natural opposition had all gone south, to be sheltered – and put in power – by the Americans. This is the, reason, I think, for the almost exaggerated sense of “people’s power” that the North Koreans express. Their real class struggle is coming; it hasn’t fully hit them yet. The reactionaries all fled south, where they are bloodily suppressing strikes. In North Korea the farmers are building new houses and buying radios because they no longer pay land rent, while the workers are taking vacations in former Japanese villas. The North Koreans assume that this is just what naturally happens when once you are a “liberated land.” “They aren’t yet liberated down south,” they told me. “The Americans let those pro-Japanese traitors stay in power.”

In North Korea: First Eye-Witness Reports, Anna Louise Strong, 1949

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 ✧• ─

𝟔 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William was spotted at a local pub in Norfolk with his mother-in-law, Carole.. 𝟏𝟎 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William released a personal tweet congratulating Rachel Daly oh her fabulous career with the Lionesses as she announced her retirement from the national team.

𝟏𝟐 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William and George attended the UEFA Conference League Semi-Final between Aston Villa & Lille at Villa Park.

𝟏𝟑 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William and Catherine released a personal tweet expressing their condolences for the Sydney terror attack.

𝟏𝟖 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William was received by Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey (Mr. Michael More-Molyneux at Surplus to Supper. William made a donation from the Adelaide Cottage Kitchen of a crate of pasta, potatoes, and tinned soup for the charity and joined them in making deliveries to the Hanworth Centre in Feltham.

𝟏𝟗 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : He attended the Memorial Service for Major Michael Sadler at Hereford Cathedral.

𝟐𝟑 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : The Prince of Wales was appointed Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath by The King.

𝟐𝟓 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William carried out a series of engagements in West Midlands. He visited St. Michael's Church of England High School where he was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands (Sir John Crabtree). Afterwards, William was received by Vice Lord-Lieutenant of West Midlands (Mrs. Louise Bennett) at Woodgate Valley Urban Farm. He later opened Anchor Point and was received by Deputy Lieutenant of West Midlands (Dr. Derrick Anderson). Kensington Palace released a statement in support of United For WIldlife's India Chapter via social media.

𝟐𝟕 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : Duffryn Mawr Country House, released an unseen photo of William and Catherine from their 2023 stay with them.

𝟐𝟗 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William and Catherine celebrated their 13th Wedding Anniversary. Kensington Palace marked the occasion by releasing a new portrait from their wedding day taken by their private photographer Millie Pilkington. 𝟑𝟎 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 : William was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham (Mrs. Susan Snowdon) at Low Carbon Materials. Afterwards, he officially opened James' Place was received by the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear (Ms. Lucy Winskell).

[coochiequeens]

Finally I'm able share some good news

Wild festivals, exquisite fruit-bowls and unusually realistic renderings of motherhood and female friendship – not to mention a glimpse of Lady Hamilton as an enthusiastic follower of Bacchus – will go on show in Madrid on Tuesday as one of the country’s most famous galleries seeks to spike the patriarchal canon of art history with a new, and avowedly feminist, exhibition.

The show at the Thyssen-Bornemisza – called simply Maestras (Women Masters) – uses almost 100 paintings, lithographs and sculptures to show how female artists from the late 16th to the early 20th centuries won recognition in their own lifetimes, only to find their works forgotten, erased or consigned to dusty storerooms.

Organised into eight chronological sections that reflect artistic and social changes, Maestras also explores how female artists, gallerists and patrons worked together to create and celebrate art while living and working in the grip and gaze of sexist, and often misogynistic, societies.

Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, The Shoe Shop, 1911. Photograph: Elyse Allen/© Art Resource, New York Scala, Florence

Seventeenth-century works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Fede Galizia and Elisabetta Sirani give way to still lifes of fruit and flowers before the exhibition moves to portraits – including Élisabeth Louise Vigeé Le Brun’s Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante – and then to Orientalism, depictions of working women, images of maternity, sisterhood and, finally, to images of female emancipation.

Among the show’s early exhibits is one of Gentileschi’s anguished studies of Susanna and the Elders, while the later pieces include Mary Cassatt’s bleary-eyed Breakfast in Bed and Maruja Mallo’s playful Fair pictures.

“This exhibition speaks positively of that other half of art history,” said the exhibition’s curator, the art historian and critic Rocío de la Villa.

“For a long time, the feminist history of art has been beset by all the handicaps and obstacles that had been put in the path of female creators. For example, they couldn’t access the same artistic training that their male colleagues could. They generally lived in an extremely patriarchal system that denied them their rights and in which their signatures had no legal value.”

There were, however, “certain moments and certain places” in which conditions were more favourable to female artists, and the show aims to offer “a series of windows through which we can see a mutual understanding and a camaraderie between artists, gallery owners and patrons”.

It also reminds visitors that some talented women caught the eye of European royal courts, and that some had husbands who helped them in the studio – or even looked after their children – because they knew that their wives’ gifts far exceeded their own.

Mary Cassatt, Breakfast in Bed, 1897. Photograph: The Huntington Library, Art Museum

Guillermo Solana, the artistic director of the Thyssen-Bornemisza, said Maestras was another example of the museum’s continuing commitment to feminism, education and addressing the prejudices of the past.

“I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t do any mansplaining today but I can’t help it when it comes to explaining what I’ve learned from the process of doing this exhibition, because I’ve learned a lot,” he told journalists on Monday morning.

“The first thing I learned from this exhibition – and which I think the public will also learn – was so many new names; so many fantastic artists I’d had no idea about and had never heard of. Of course, we knew about Artemisia Gentileschi and Frida Kahlo or Paula Modersohn-Becker, but how many important artists have got away – or been taken from us?”

Frida Kahlo, Portrait of Lucha María, A Girl from Tehuacán, 1942. Photograph: akg-images/© Rafael Doniz @ 2023 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, México, D.F./VEGAP

De la Villa agreed. “The public is going to ask, ‘How can it be that we didn’t know about these female artists?’” she said.

“How is it that their works were in storerooms until recently? Maestras is a feminist exhibition that seeks to emphatically correct the prejudices that have come about as a result of the patriarchy – prejudices that have meant that works by female artists have remained in museum storerooms during the 20th century.”

She said the male-dominated artistic system had always sought to defend itself by denigrating female artists. Equally damaging, she added, was how historians had played down the achievements of women until their voices were silenced and their creations overlooked and then hidden from view.

“When women are hidden, or robbed of their past, they are robbed of their identity,” said De la Villa. “The power of culture is very important. It just can’t be separated from the social conditions we enjoy, or which we suffer.”

 Maestras is at the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum from 31 October to 4 February 2024

[eskiix]

Roberto/OC Enemies-to-Lovers, Post-Villa

Chapter 6

Read on Ao3

Summary: Louise cares too much about everything, and the only thing Roberto cares about is his career. Neither is strictly true, but that's how everyone sees them. Including each other. —-- Just when Louise thinks everyone’s moving on and leaving her behind, she’s handed the golden opportunity to fix everything by planning her best friend’s hen do. At least, that’s the idea, anyway. One week of sun, sea, cocktails, clubbing, and… the world’s most arrogant pilot.

[mariacallous]

“Greetings, Lovers, Legends, and Gods of Desire!” read the Partiful invite for the pre-Valentine’s Day gathering. “Eros, the god of love, drives us all with his mischievous arrows. On this night, we will surrender to his playful whims.” Then, sternly and in all caps: “YOU MUST BE PRE-APPROVED TO GET IN.”

A couple of days later, a text blast came in; the planners of this in-person dating meetup for singles were budgeting for 200 attendees, but more than 1,000 people applied, so there'd be a venue change. RSVPs closed at 3 pm sharp the day of the event. Then, at night, Barbarossa Lounge in San Francisco’s Financial District welcomed the lucky guests who managed to get their names on the list. The event, Love in the Stars, was hosted by local event promoter Spice King and the online platform Paloma, which describes itself as a dating-oriented members club.

Per the invitation’s instructions, attendees dressed to signal their status; the singles wore a dash of red to make themselves identifiable as the ones looking for love. Their non-single supporters wore a splash of white or gold to signal they were already spoken for. Within an hour, there was no room to move. Small talk and awkward flirting filled every inch of the dark bar, with the question “So, do you like working in tech?” bouncing around at the same tempo as the clubby beats.

Welcome to Silicon Valley’s in-person dating scene. These regular events are only accessible to those already in the know. They feature pre-vetted guest lists; invite-only gatherings at villas in Hillsborough, one of the wealthiest towns in California; WhatsApp groups that gather monthly in apartments around town; and private parties with secret locations promising Stanford alumni and “creatives” in attendance. In an area that’s notoriously tough on daters, at a time when dating app fatigue is at an all-time high, the appetite for ways to find love face-to-face is growing into a frenzy.

“We have all collectively realized that dating apps are the worst,” says Allie Hoffman, the founder of the two-year-old organization The Feels, a nationwide in-person dating event series with a strong presence in San Francisco. “There is no intention around how depleting, bot-y, ghosty, breadcrumb-y, gaslight-y and fishy they are. Nobody’s feeling seen or nourished.”

In October 2024, The Feels had hosted an exclusive event at the city’s new spa, Alchemy Springs, and another one is planned for the last week in March at The Center, a yoga and sound bath space.

“Swiping culture doesn't really work for our generation anymore,” says Spice King, a local event organizer and well-connected private investor who asked to be identified only by his internet handle to protect his career. “Online dating also tends to make you kind of miss a lot of the important things when you are actually searching for a partner.”

While the local market might be flooded with run-of-the-mill ticketed speed-dating events, the trendy gatherings of the moment—like the one hosted by Spice King and Paloma back in February—offer a buffer of curation and certainty.

“A lot of my events are referrals only,” says Spice King. “Every single time somebody comes in, we ask for their LinkedIn, and oftentimes for their ‘sponsor,’ the person who invited them. Then we cross-reference and basically check their network.”

Love Club, which was launched a year ago by Louise Ireland, cofounder of the cybersecurity platform Metabase Q, started as an invite-only WhatsApp group, which now has close to 120 members. The Club holds quarterly meetings at private residences around San Francisco, in which attendees discuss matters of the heart over snacks and drinks. The atmosphere is welcoming, and the chat group is active, with members frequently sharing links to other referral-based singles events.

Ironically, the interest in in-person dating events has been rising so swiftly in the Bay Area that even new dating apps and matchmaking platforms have turned to them. The new video-based dating platform Sable Dating threw an in-person, champagne-fueled event at a location that was only disclosed to attendees upon registration. Paloma occasionally hosts events for its members and for nonmembers to increase exposure, including a Date Week festival.

“The Bay Area doesn’t have as many social clubs as LA or NY, so people really crave connection,” says Paloma’s founder and CEO Luba Yudashina.

Look closer and you’ll find many more reasons why these types of events have been thriving in Silicon Valley in particular. According to Spice King, who has hosted events for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, events with Harvard graduates, and events for people working in blockchain tech or AI, the critical component is a sense of security; “When you go on Tinder, you're at the mercy of some randomness,” he says. “People want to feel the safety and comfort of a community. Tech tends to move like that too.”

Hoffman seconds this. “We see a really strong value placed on word of mouth, especially among men,” she says. “And we do get asked a lot if we vet or screen.” The Feels does not screen potential attendees, Hoffman says, but the somewhat steep price of $100 per ticket makes sure that attendees are “thoughtful about their dating life.” In other words, and as a unifying factor of these events, the vetting isn’t just about the person’s appearance or their social media presence. It’s also meant to weed out people with problematic reputations, or less than serious intentions—as Hoffman calls it, “folks in their ‘fuck around and find out’ phase.”

Anna Naidis, a San Francisco single in tech—she’s the cofounder of Aparti AI—has tried numerous in-person dating events in the Bay Area. As someone who has gone through many networking and pitching events for her startup, she sees why the tech scene is already primed for the in-person dating boom; small talk and ice-breakers come naturally to her. “It’s a transferable skill," she jokes.

Hoffman has noticed that too. “In other places, we’ve seen people be really anxious about showing up with openness,” she says. “We haven’t had issues in the Bay.” Compared to raising a $1 million round for your startup, seeking love IRL isn’t nearly as intimidating.

[postcard-from-the-past]

"Marie-Louise" villa in Franceville-Plage, Normandy region of France

French vintage postcard

[humberg]

Detachment

Detachment can be both physical and emotional. It refers to being disconnected from the feelings or the presence of other people. This can involve an inability or an unwillingness to get involved in the emotional lives of other people or an inability to engage in the moment. While this detachment may protect people from stress, hurt, and anxiety, it can also interfere with a person's psychological, social, and emotional well-being. Detachment can sometimes occur as a coping mechanism when people are faced with stressful or difficult situations.

It is made clear throughout that Kerry struggles with detachment regarding his mental heath. Being detached from the world can make you lost within your own head. Pointed out by Nancy that only Kerry and Johnny were friends within the band during the Samurai days, it was after the loss of Johnny that Kerry detached himself from the world and those around him.

Kerry's coping mechanism, to be closed off within his four walls and produce music. And although it is hinted that he does make an effort to form attachments as shown by the marriage and separation from his ex-wife Louise, his inner demons still play an overwhelming factor in terms of how he engages with those around him and the lifestyle that he lives. In an extreme case, his lack of emotional attachment toward others had him destroy equipment and even threaten Us Cracks for his own gain.

Paired with his depression and anxiety, his lifestyle is shown to be chaotic when we first find him in his trashed villa .Briefly reunited with Johnny and introduced to V many years after Johnny's death, although Kerry is quite detached from V at first with his unexpected departures. It is due to his attachment with Johnny, and his adventures with V and the familiarity that came with having Johnny nearby, that Kerry finally got to have his closure with Silverhand and finally welcome someone else into his life.

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Ahhhh! These stills took an insane amount of time to do, not to mention I had to move every NPC that sat on top of them every five minutes 😭 But I think I did pretty good in the end 🥳

We should never be afraid to talk about mental health, it is just as important as physical health. I hope you are all doing okay on this lovely sunday evening!

[elvenbeard]

Long rambly headcanon post about Kerry's sexuality incoming (because I have been thinking about this ever since I first met him in game and I wanna write it down somehwere).

Disclaimer: this is my personal headcanon. You don't have to agree with any of this, this is for fun and games. If you do happen to agree with this though hmu bc I need someone to talk Kerry with desperately xDD

So, first of all: I think Kerry himself doesn't give a fuck about labels. Too old for this shit, confident in his own sexuality, what difference does it make? Labels are great for those who need them, he's not against them at all, but I don't think it's something that's he's thinking about a lot. Is he gonna put on a rainbow shirt for Pride? Yeah why not, especially if his partner would like to go protest and celebrate togther. But I think it's not a top priority of his (at least not anymore, in 2077, at the ripe old age of 89. A young Kerry living in our times was probably louder and a lot more outspoken, but in this post I'm gonna talk about my thoughts on grandpa Kerry).

So, let's dive into the game. When the topic of Louise came up during my first playthrough (the first and only time sadly, I'd love to know more about her as a character - more headcanons incoming in a minute), internally I went like... what? Where does this come from? Not in a judgemental way, just honest surprise, because up until this point, Kerry had only been depicted as attracted to guys (making the saddest puppy eyes at Johnny, making out with a fan backstage, Johnny's various comments on him, their sexual-tension-filled relationship with each other). Beyond that, what we know from Kerry himself, he seemed to have tried to get something going with Ariel (who I think is a man - correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while since I played the actual conversation between him and Johnny at the villa and I'm not sure if he mentions Ariel's gender there). In the Temperance ending, if V was in a relationship with Kerry, Kerry will recount his other shitty exes of which at least one was also a man, and in the Sun ending, when his (male) manager calls, V can ask if that is "an ex of [his]".

That being said... yeah, Kerry flirts with V regardless of gender. Why? Maybe he doesn't know that himself, maybe he thinks V is cute, maybe it's a power play, maybe he just wants to annoy Johnny who cannot escape the situation, who knows, anything goes. His whole rockstar persona is this carefree, laidback sexgod thing, of course he's gonna be flirty. He is flirty with the Us Cracks girls, too (at least I'm getting the impression - they definitely are flirty with him and he doesn't mind, but it could also all be part of the show). So me personally, yeah, I think Kerry is bisexual, but with a strong preference for guys (sincerely, me, a bisexual who also has a preference for guys). Maybe Louise was his bisexual awakening, or a once-in-a-lifetime thing that never happened again with any other woman, or a mix of both. See also: Kerry turns a female-presenting V down when things get serious. Flirting is fun, she is nice and kind and into it, so why the hell not? But he's not gonna lead her on when he notices she wants more than what he's willing to give. Friends can flirt with each other without it turning romantic or sexual. And yeah, I think Kerry is generally attracted to people regardless of what's in their pants, but as soon as things get serious he is infinitely more likely to go for a guy than for a woman.

That being said (and now we're back at Louise), I think it's absolutely fair to headcanon him as gay, too. There is so little we know about the nature of his only (canonically depicted, spelled-out "that's my ex-wife" style) long-term relationship with a woman. This is the dark future, where you can genetically engineer your child to look however you want it to look. Maybe Kerry and Louise were just two sad and lonely individuals that were like "let's raise kids together to fill the void in our hearts!" - and, using Kerry's words, that went as well as you'd expect it. Could be that Louise is a lesbian who wanted a family and kids, and Kerry, being a close friend of hers, said yeah let's do it (and maybe I won't be so fucking lonely anymore and find a new purpose in being a father)! And for reason xyz it was easier to raise the kids if they were also married (something something about getting married to be allowed to have kids - I etiher heard or read something in game once about a 1-child-license or something, again, dark future fuckery could be involved here). Also, historically, there are certainly countless examples of queer men marrying queer women to get their conservative families off their backs. With how little we know about Louise, not even how old she was when they got together, it could also be something like that. And (turning back now to Kerry's flirty behaviour around women when someone else is watching) everything else could have been part of the show - for families, for the media, for the public, for the fans, everything goes.

What I'm trying to say, there's hundreds of ways to headcanon a fictional character's sexuality. Maybe Louise and Kerry were friends with benefits, maybe they fell madly in love, maybe there's more women in Kerry's past than what the game depicts (there's countless women's clothing items across his villa - that could be anything from leftovers of wild parties in which he wasn't involved to him taking home groupies and everything beyond that and inbetween).

You could also just say "Kerry is gay cause I say so, that's as deep as it gets" and that is just as valid. Don't be like me and spend your sleepless nights thinking about this because my brain works in mysterious ways. If you wanna headcanon him as gay because it brings you comfort, wholeheartedly, go for it. If you wanna heacanon him as not turning down your female V because it brings you comfort, go for it, by all means! If you wanna headcanon him as cis, trans, everything inbetween, hell yes, be my guest!!

Kerry is a fictional character, he's not gonna be offended or hurt. And every real person who gets upset about how someone else likes to play with their favourite pixel ken doll then, well... touch some grass @ that person. Headcanons do not take away representation from marginalized groups. Block and blacklist what you don't wanna see and move on, it's so easy (and on that note, anyone who wants to be weird or hateful on this post is gonna get blocked, too xD).

As I said, this is all my thoughts and opinions, if you don't agree, that's fair, I get it, I don't agree with 80% of headcanons I come across (not even just regarding a characters sexuality, but in general). But yeh I'd also love to talk if you have similar views on him!

On that note... happy pride xD🏳️‍🌈 be kind to each other!