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weaselbeaselpants · 5 years ago

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Rewritten Alastor notes (TW: NSFL, Cannibalism, Vore, animal abuse)

This is unexpected I know, but I’m suffering from a major headache and I need something to do.

Alastor the Radio Demon in my non-existent Hazbin repaint. Things he has in common with his canon self:

Human soul of a man who died in the 1930s. Was a cannibal in life.

Tried (and succeeded) to corrupt a bunch of lesser demons.

Respected by the big-bads of Hell, like Valentino and Vox. Feared among them as well because he creeps even them out.

Deer + wendigo motif still very much still at play.

Still asexual, though I wouldn’t recommend putting him on any pride flags.

Gets along with Charlie and loves antagonizing Vaggie.

Treats Nifty and Husk as goons and/or pets.

His weird hair tufts emote along with him like ears. I don’t know if they are ears though. I think Viv has the right idea not confirming what the frack is up with his anatomy.

Can’t ever stop smiling. Ever. That aspect of Al’s design is something real special that I think Viv has the right idea implementing. A character who can not stop smiling makes for a lot of terrifying and hilarious reactions. Just look at Sans near eternal smile.

Inexplicably likes pineapple pizza. Funny out-of-character gag.

AGAIN: CONTENT WARNING ESPECIALLY FOR ANYONE WITH TRIGGERS TO THE STUFF ABOVE. KEEP READING AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Changes made to his character:

I do not mind Hazbin being crass and vile and offensively-over the top as long as it has a good grasp on what the joke is (like Helluva Boss :>). My Hazbin thesis is that all of the characters are “demons” in as much as they’ve done bad things or were bad people, but are not maniacal or sadistic + there’s hope for some of them. THEN there’s Alastor who absolutely lives up to the demon-reputation and did genuinely evil things in life. Alastor’s the kind of person who absolutely should be purged but has escaped because those who are supposed to be for justice aren’t threatened by him.

He isn’t involved in voodoo or has any affluent Creole background. With all do respect that aspect feels just a little too lifted from Dr. Facilier. My Alastor’s background is American “mutt” with an Algonquian-native grandmother.

His sin in life - and in Hell itself - is Gluttony. Taking a page from the OG Wendigo mythos, which describes them more as pulsating, gorging Elderitch abominations, Al’s MO in the show is to consume everyone and everything there is.

Alastor’s demonic powers are presented as a wave of high frequency radio static that messes with a demon’s psyche so much it physically hurts them. Al then scoops up his victim’s souls to power his microphone and everything that demon had in it’s possession beforehand crumbles or becomes his.

Angel is afraid of him. Unlike in the canon cartoon, Angel is the one who recognizes Alastor and knows he’s dangerous, not Vaggie. Turns out, Angel had a run in with the Radio Demon sometime during the mid twentieth century (so when they were both pretty young in demon years). Angel tried to steal Al’s microphone but Al flung a nasty radio-frequency in Angel’s face, taking out one of his eyes. Angel was present during Al’s first attempt to take over Hell, so he immediately knows Al’s bad news and Alastor never misses the opportunity to mess with Angel in season 1.

Alastor is a shape-shifter. In what is probably the most grizzly detail about my take, he technically self-mutilates in order to re-imagine himself ala the Hellraiser Cenobites - which he does quite a bit to hide from Charlie’s parents.

Technically, Al is naked. What looks like a suit is actually his flesh. Look closely at you’ll see that he’s all stitched together like a crude taxidermy piece. Beneath his “skin” are his bones; which all look like mechanical radio parts and move independently of another. Sometimes Al tears them out if he thinks his “wiring needs to be reworked”, which is Al for ‘feeling an emotion’ and he doesn’t like that.

The motif my Alastor is supposed to invoke is everything about him was “stolen” and crudely pieced back together: he collects and traps other demons inside his microphone; he eats by unhinging his mouth and swallows in one gulp. Alastor’s anatomy invokes a lot of vore imagery as well as Ero Guro. Despite being ace, there is a sexual (but not arousing) edge to his character, which leads to a lot or horror and humor.

Alastor does not like that he was human. He’s even in denial of it and insists “I was always a demon. I simply had a nightmare that I was a man. Now I’m awake and the nightmare is long gone”.

Alastor’s human name was Edward; he was a sad, pathetic little man whom everyone walked all over. Edward wanted to be a radio host but was denied that position cause he ‘couldn’t smile’. Edward was deeply disturbed and fixated on ingesting human meat (a condition called ‘wendigo psychosis’). Despite committing murder and then eating all his victim’s bodies, he can’t recall most of the process and was frightened by his behavior, knew what he was doing was wrong. BUT he never went about treating his addiction with meat; he’d have “cold periods” where he didn’t kill and thought he was ‘fixed’ only for his psychosis to resurface.

Alastor’s demon self aims to be all the things that he wasn’t in life: happy, fulfilled, complete, confident, cheery, and satisfied. Al relishes in his self-made creepy image and no doubt took his demon name from a famous Alastair from his youth.

Al’s character arc throughout the ‘show’ (there is no show, why am I treating this like genuine pitch bible blah) goes as follows:

For the first season leading up the the finale and beginning of season 2, Al pretends to be Charlie’s friend until he backstabs her and takes over her hotel to harvest the ‘redeemed’ souls so he can restart his broadcasting-takeover that was just barely stopped years before. Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel intercept him however and destroy his microphone - which holds all the souls - causing him to loose his power. Charlie personality terminates his physical form leaving only his ‘heart’, which Lucifer makes Charlie eat so that Alastor will forever be under her control. The downside to this is Al’s soul+heart+person exists within Charlie now, and he of course speaks to her within her mind, trying to discourage, belittle, threaten or taunt her plans and feelings throughout the second season. Season 3′s opening would be about the main cast trying to get Vaggie out of Heaven once they learn it’s as corrupted as Hell. Charlie needs Al’s expertise, so she vomits him up. Al agrees to help her but is obviously not happy and vows to get his freedom back. In the second half of season 3, the main characters have to lay low while the angels partake in spiritual warfare against Lucifer. So Charlie and co. escape to the human world disguised as humans. Though an agreement, Alastor comes along and aquires a foreclosed motel for the demon’s to live (he intends to trap mortal souls while he’s there, though Charlie intercepts this too).

Angel and co. end up discovering Al’s human identity (something he tried to cover up any evidence of having in Hell) and invite his now elderly human daughter to the motel. It works too well however, and the fright of seeing his daughter again triggers an all out anxiety attack in Alastor causing him to merge with the motel. Charlie has to traverse his insides to try and get to his crumbling psyche which would be very Akira-inspired.

Meanwhile, inside Alastor’s mind we see his demon form finally baring a frown and freaking out as the pathological spirits of his victims sing to him in a radio booth about the life he’d chosen and the lives he took away from them. (Yes, this is absolutely taken from Bojack Horseman)

Once Charlie cuts to his core+Al faces the fact that there never was another demon responsible for his actions, it was always just him, Al relinquishes his hold on that motel and his physical form become that of a baby deer, whom Charlie nicknames ‘Deerlastor’. Deerlastor doesn’t appear to have any of Al’s powers, memories, or personality but Angel and the other demon’s Al’s abused insist on killing it, sure that this is just another one of Al’s weird forms. Because of Alastor’s absence, it takes a lot longer and harder for the main cast to get back to hell and help Charlie’s dad’s stop the (previously human) angels who want to wipe purge ALL of hell.

To take out the main ‘enlightened’ angel that’s in the middle of trying to purge ALL of Hell, the demon’s need a power of their own. Deerlastor agrees to sacrifice its body and because of that, Alastor pops out from the deer’s body and head on collides w. the big bad angel-villain, eliminating both their souls. Alastor gets no proper redemption arc kids, he just gets to be the one to take out the main villain.

Edward/Alastor’s daughter’s name was Lavinia and she was the closest thing to genuine ‘love’ he had in his life and the only person who obviously looked up rather than ignore or abuse Edward. When Ed was arrested and confessed to his crimes, his daughter wasn’t allowed to see him and the knowledge that her father was a cannibalistic serial killer haunted Lavinia all her life.

His crimes were not sexual. This is NOT AN EXCUSE for what he did though because -

- two of his victims were children. Yep.

Unlike the rest of the filth-spewing demons, Al doesn’t appreciate racism or sexism. He thinks himself a feminist for his day...despite also having killed women and children. Keep in mind he’s also from the 30s, so he’s as “progressive” as people could be for back then, AND he believes that his partial native ancestry means it’s okay to call himself a ‘wendigo’.

In reference to an oooooooooooold ref sheet Viv made for Alastor back in the day, Deerlastor gets shot in the head and dismembered a lot but always gets up like nothing’s wrong.

Alastor does not like electroswing. He likes jazz, doowop, twist, show jingles, and lots of American Folk ballads. You know, the stuff they’d jam the radio’s with back in the 30s.

Big influences on my Alastor are They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, American Murder Song, My Friend Dahmer (a graphic novel), Llamas with Hats and Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk.

(Ima thinking of renaming my Hazbin gang to better distinguish them between the canon. Alastor’s the only one who won’t be renamed though, just probably spelled a different way. (Alystar, Alaster, Alastar))

#alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel rewritten #the radio demon #rewrite #TW: GORE #tw: cannibalism #tw: child abuse #tw: animal death #tw: ero guro #tw: vore

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bobdylanrevisited · 4 years ago

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Blood On The Tracks

Released: 20 January 1975

Rating: 10/10

Often regarded as Dylan’s greatest album, and potentially the greatest album of all time, it’s hard to disagree. Released on Columbia Records following Bob starting a relationship with an employee whilst his marriage to Sara was crumbling following the 1974 tour, the record is actually two different recording sessions. One was in New York, with a much more mellow feel, the other was in Minneapolis with a backing band, following Dylan’s brother stating that the New York songs sounded too similar. Whilst the original recordings are available on the Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks, and are fucking fantastic in their own right, the final product is a thing of inconceivable genius. It’s an album that perfectly captures the turbulence of divorce, love, longing, and self reflection, and is easily the most beautifully written collection of songs ever released.

1) Tangled Up In Blue - Once again, Bob opens the album with one his best ever compositions. A non-linear tale of love and loss which would rival the postmodern writing style of Kerouac and Ginsberg. The story he tells here is both sweet and tragic, filled with nostalgia and longing for a companion. Potentially partially biographical in nature, the lyrics are among his very best, relatively simple at face value, but filled with references and meaning that could take a lifetime to fully digest. His voice continues to sound more mature and even quite commercial, though his brilliant nasal twang is still present, particularly when he hits the title line. This Minneapolis version is astonishing, it may be the perfect song, though the slower and more chilled out New York recording is equally as brilliant. Although for me the defining performance is the one found on his 1984 live album ‘Real Live’, which completely alters most of the lyrics, something Bob carries on doing to this day.

2) Simple Twist Of Fate - A beautiful track about the cruel nature of fate and losing a soul mate. The song talks of the life cycle of a relationship, through metaphor and abstract imagery that wouldn’t be amiss on ‘Blonde On Blonde’, and feels like a dream sequence that ends with waking up alone and confused. The walking bass in the background and soft acoustic strumming create a relaxed and almost floaty tune that only elevates the vivid lyrics. As this is the ‘divorce’ album, the song ends with the lover being gone and Dylan deep in regret, and whilst he says this record is based on the work of Chekhov, I believe this is how Bob viewed and dealt with his separation. Sara came into his life through fate, and he let her slip through his fingers, it’s a moving song that is drenched in a need to understand the confusing and painful side of love.

3) You’re A Big Girl Now - Bob is begging for forgiveness here, promising to change and asking to be taken back as he sings through tears. I do take issue with the idea of Bob saying it pains him to see Sara walking away from him given his infidelity, however he does accept that it is entirely her decision and he is pleading his case. Ultimately, despite the brilliant performance Bob gives of desperation and pain, along with some great piano and guitar playing from his band, I do think this is the weakest song on the album due to the lyrics bordering on self pitying. It’s still a great song, I just don’t think Dylan comes across the best here. The rest of the record focuses on either anger, sadness, or regret, whereas here it seems he’s focusing on himself and almost being absolved of his own wrongdoings.

4) Idiot Wind - Though Bob claims this isn’t about the causes of the breakdown of his marriage, I think we all can take that to mean that it definitely is. It also happens to be the best song on the album, Bob is snarling his way through an epic poem of accusations and falsehoods, betrayal and bitterness. It harks back to his finger pointing songs of 10 years earlier, and it doesn’t hold punches against the press and those who had been circulating rumours about both him and Sara. It’s fucking amazing, Bob sounds genuinely enraged and yet also confused at the exaggerated actions he’s having to defend or downplay. Not only are the lyrics both chaotic and fascinating, the organ playing is superb. Throughout the 7:47 minute song, every time Bob sings ‘Idiot Wind’ it’s like a direct insult to those who meddled in his relationship, as well as another nail in the coffin of his once happy marriage.

5) You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - It’s been argued as to whom was making Bob lonesome, is it Sara or his Columbia girlfriend? Either way, it’s quite a happy sounding song that’s actually a heartbreaking tale of loss and reluctance to accept life moving on. Bob invokes the poets Verlaine and Rimbaud’s turbulent relationship, with Bob very much being the Rimbaud of the 20th Century, to describe the breakdown of love and happiness leading to feeling alone and self-reflection. As with the whole album, the backing band sound great alongside Bob’s relaxed vocal style and joyous harmonica, and the song creates a tragic feeling of putting on a brave, upbeat facade as life goes on. It’s undeniably becoming much sadder and, as the title suggests, much more lonesome, but Bob attempts to carry on and learn from his mistakes. It’s a hard message to convey in under 3 minutes, but Bob’s pained and honest writing from this period manages it perfectly.

6) Meet Me In The Morning - Musically, this is the best song on the album. All the instruments have a brilliant bluesy feel to them, and Dylan’s voice matches this style, with his nasal tone elongating phrases and making him sound like the blues singers of old. From what I can gather, the protagonist of the song is asking his lover to a rendezvous, but waits from dawn to dusk with no appearance from her. Throughout the song he wishes they could be elsewhere, and compares his love and longing to the darkness of the night and the setting of the sun. It’s a difficult song to unpack as Dylan is the master of mysterious and metaphorical storytelling, but understanding every line really doesn’t matter here. The song itself is a joy to listen to, proving that Dylan shouldn’t just be applauded for his lyricism, but also his ability to compose and record with various musicians to achieve a specific and memorable sound.

7) Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts - I’ll quickly mention that Dylan and his harmonica sound amazing on this song, as do the backing band who evoke the sound and atmosphere of the cabarets of old. However, it would be impossible to do the lyrics to this song justice in one small paragraph. This song is the ‘Desolation Row’ of the album, a sprawling epic poem featuring a host of characters in various criminal and romantic encounters. It’s an incredible piece of work, more interesting and exciting than most of what we see on the silver screen. I urge you to fully immerse yourself into the world Dylan creates here, as for nearly 9 minutes, he and his band weave a perfect story worthy of Homer.

8) If You See Her, Say Hello - This song reminds me of ‘Girl From The North Country’. It’s about passing on well wishes to a former lover, letting them know you’re still thinking about them, even though they’ve left your life and moved on. The lyrics are heartbreaking, as Bob remarks that the love still burns within him, but he wants to ensure this information isn’t passed on to her. A brilliantly moving and desperate song once again, with another beautiful backing arrangement and a pained voice longing to rekindle what he has lost.

9) Shelter From The Storm - A love song that focuses on being saved, clearly Bob is talking about Sara and his needing to be rescued from the hurricane of fame, drugs, and parting of 1965 when they met. It’s a romantic story featuring religious imagery, showing Bob’s true feelings towards how he viewed himself and the period of life that was now being ripped apart by his actions. The near angelical way he describes Sara, and his ending thoughts on how he still feels about her nurturing and caring personality, are a far cry from some of the earlier tracks on the album, but this feels like perhaps the most personal song on the record. The stripped back instrumentation allow the bittersweet lyrics to take centre stage, with Bob again sounding much more mature and accessible with his relaxed vocal style. Whilst this version is incredible, I’d also recommend the live 1976 recording on ‘Hard Rain’. The song is much rockier, Bob barks the lyrics, and it sounds fucking brilliant.

10) Buckets Of Rain - The album closes with a genuinely lovely track, both simple and sweet as it addresses a lover. The melody is delicate and Dylan’s singing is soft and full of warmth. There’s not much else to say about this beautiful song, other than it feels like Bob showing us that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that everything will work out in the end.

Verdict: I could happily just listen to this album until the day I die. If Dylan going electric is the most important musical moment of the 1960s, then this release is the 1970s equivalent. It’s pure art, it captures a feeling most struggle to internally process, let alone articulate in such a poetic and moving way at only 33 years old. The lyricism on this one record alone proves Bob is the greatest poet of the 20th Century. Even the outtakes from this album, especially ‘Up To Me’, are better than most artists creative peak. This may be Dylan’s most personal record (despite his insistence that it is not autobiographical), and I imagine it will be studied for centuries to come as his magnum opus. In typical Bob style, he would bizarrely head out on an exhaustive tour called the ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’, playing at small venues with a band that resembled a circus show, whilst his family life continued to disintegrate. But before he managed to capture the spirit of these carnival-esque performances, he gave permission for some mythical recordings from 1967 to finally be released.

#bob dylan #blood on the tracks

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sheminecrafts · 5 years ago

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Facebook and Instagram launch a week of grad-themed events and features

Facebook today revealed its plans to celebrate the 2020 graduates this week across both Facebook and Instagram. The series of events, starting today on May 11, will include the company’s previously announced plans to air a virtual graduation ceremony on May 15, featuring celebs like Oprah Winfrey, Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles and Miley Cyrus, among others. Facebook will also now introduce a range of new graduation-themed products and programming across both Facebook and Instagram, including AR effects, chat filters, stickers, challenges, student spotlights and homages, contests, gift guides, collaborative films and more.

The events serve a dual purpose. In addition to celebrating grads, Facebook aims to extend the time students, their families and friends spend on its apps, outside of the virtual graduation ceremony itself.

To that end, it programmed a week’s worth of online activities for graduates and others to participate in.

Starting today, May 11, Instagram will add a new graduation countdown sticker for Stories that will promote the May 15 graduation ceremony. Users can also re-share from the main @instagram Story and set a reminder for themselves about the event. Instagram is additionally introducing two new hashtag challenges, including a throwback #GradPhotoChallenge and #MySeniorQuote challenge to feature quotes from seniors across the U.S.

On Facebook, the company is beginning the “Student Spotlight” series that will celebrate this year’s outstanding grads.

Both platforms will also gain grad-themed AR effects. This includes Instagram’s AR graduation speech and cap filters with customizable tassels and Facebook grad cap and walk stickers on Stories. Facebook will offer profile frames, as well, in a variety of school colors.

A grad-themed video chat filter will launch on Messenger, featuring a grad cap experience in a range of styles. College-themed grad cap and gown experiences will also launch in the Effects gallery in Instagram’s Stories.

On Tuesday May 12, Instagram will host a virtual senior night focused on athletes, featuring star athletes including Sabrina Ionescu, Myles Powell, Shay Knighten and Andrew Pryts.

Wednesday, May 13 begins a virtual Instagram comedy show featuring Quinta Brunson, Cameron J. Henderson and Christine Snaps. Meme creator Daquan is also launching an exclusive graduation meme on @instagram and @daquan.

Facebook on Wednesday will begin airing a feature film by Jenn Nkiru of Iconoclast, which gives voice to this year’s graduates as they share excerpts of Marina Keegan’s “The Opposite of Loneliness” essay using imagery from their own school years.

Facebook will also on Wednesday begin to share grad walks on its Facebook app Page’s Stories section, and encourage others to do the same using the hashtag #GradWalk2020.

Thursday, May 14 starts Superlative Day on Instagram, where featured creators will share some of the best superlatives from students. Instagram will also be home to an art contest co-hosted by @brooklynmuseum and @design, which is asking for student portraitures to appear in a virtual “art show” on both accounts, with support from Instagram’s own @creators, as well. Five winners will be awarded $5K grants from Instagram.

The @creators account will additionally feature Bryce Xavier, Nia Sioux and Livvy Dunne and “yearbooks on Instagram,” starting on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Instagram’s @shop will open a graduation gift guide featuring products from a number of small businesses that can be shopped right in the app.

Friday, May 15 is the big day with the virtual ceremony, #Graduation2020, at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET via Facebook Watch within the Facebook app and on facebook.com/facebookapp. Highlights from the event will be posted to the @instagram account and on contributors’ own social media.

Facebook today announced new additions to the ceremony, which was already set to include an introduction by Sheryl Sandberg, an address by Oprah and performance by Miley Cyrus (“The Climb.”)

It’s now adding Cardi B, DJ Khaled, La La Anthony, Kristen Bell, Selena Gomez, Sterling K. Brown, Matthew McConaughey and Milo Ventimiglia to the event and has released a full list of other contributors who will join at some point during the broadcast.

These include:

AdamRayOkay (as Rosa), Amy Schumer, AnnaSophia Robb, Antoni Porowski, Ashley Graham, Becky Lynch, Bailey Sok, Bobby Berk, Bretman Rock, Cardi B, Charles Melton, Chiney Ogwumike, Chris Paul, Chrissy Metz, Cookie Monster & Grover, Daddy Yankee, Damian Lillard, David Dobrik, David Oyelowo, Desus & Mero, Dillon Francis, Diplo, Dixie D’amelio, DJ Khaled, Drew McIntyre, Dude Perfect, Emily Ratajkowski, Gloria Estefan, Gordon Ramsay, Hailee Steinfeld, Huda Kattan, Iliza Shlesinger, Jess & Gabriel Conte, J.J. Watt, Jonathan Van Ness, John Mayer, Joshua Bassett, Julian Edelman, Kandi Burruss, Karamo Brown, Kofi Kingston, Kristen Bell, La La Anthony, Lacy Evans, Lana Condor, Lisa Leslie, Lisa Vanderpump, Lizzy Greene, Luis Fonsi, Marlee Matlin, Marsai Martin, Marshmello, Matthew McConaughey, Milo Ventimiglia, Nick Kroll, Olivia Rodrigo, Ronny Chieng, Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, Selena Gomez, Sterling K. Brown, Steve Aoki, Sofia Carson, Sofia Wylie, Steve Harvey, The Miz, Tim Tebow, Tori Kelly, Whitney Cummings, Wilmer Valderrama and Winnie Harlow.

Also on Friday, friends and family and other community members will be invited to share advice and well-wishes with the Class of 2020 as part of a “Dear Grads, Love Groups” initiative. These will be compiled into a film directed by Chris Wilcha and made available on the Facebook app after the commencement. Instagram’s @shop will then close the week of events with a Stories takeover from small business founders who will also share their advice with grads.

In the weeks following graduation, Facebook will begin allowing students, teachers and alumni in the U.S. to offer and request assistance in their college communities in its Community Help feature. This will focus on categories like career help, housing, moral support, fitness and supplies.

The week-long list of events is only one of several online graduation celebrations that students can join this week, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to cancel their planned in-person ceremonies due to the pandemic and forced lockdowns. While many schools are offering some sort of virtual experience for graduates, some students said these have been disappointing and report feeling sad, depressed and having missed the chance to celebrate an important milestone.

Along with Facebook, other online events include YouTube’s virtual gradation on June 6 featuring commencement addresses by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, plus participation from BTS, Lady Gaga and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. There are also a number of graduation-themed TikTok challenges, and individual schools are often promoting their own social media hashtags for their virtual celebrations.

But despite the star-studded nature of some of these virtual events, they may not address students’ feelings of loss. The pandemic has taken away many things, but students having to miss out on milestone events like prom and graduation are particularly difficult because they can’t be revisited at some later, “safer” date further down the road.

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innonurse · 5 years ago

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#travelgram: live tourist snaps have turned solo adventures into social occasions

- By Michael James Walsh , Naomi F Dale , Raechel Johns , The Conversation -

In the years since selfie sticks went global, it has become clear that the mobile phone has changed the way we travel. The ubiquity of social media means tourists can now produce content on the move for their networked audiences to view in close to real time.

Where once we shared slideshows post trip and saved prints and postcards as keepsakes, we now share holiday images and selfies from the road, sea or air — expanding the “tourist gaze” from the traveller to include remote audiences back home.

Instagram-worthy

Travelling has gone from a solitary quest to a “social occasion”. As such, gazing is becoming inseparably linked with photography. Taking photos has become habitual, rendering the camera as a way of seeing and experiencing new places.

Travellers take selfies that present both locations and people in aesthetically pleasing and positive ways.

Indeed, the “instagrammability” of a destination is a key motivation for younger people to travel there - even if filters and mirrors have been used to create a less than realistic image.

This transforms the relationship between travellers and their social networks in three important ways: between tourists and destination hosts; between fellow tourists; and lastly, between tourists and those that stay home.

The urge to share travel imagery is not without risk. An Australian couple were released from detention in Iran in October, following their arrest for ostensibly flying a drone without a permit.

Other tourists earned derision for scrambling to post selfies at Uluru before it was closed to climbers.

Meanwhile, there is a sad story behind the newly popular travelgram destination Rainbow Mountain in the Peruvian Andes. It has reportedly only recently emerged due to climate change melting its once snowy peaks.

Testing the effects

To understand the way social media photography impacts travelling, we undertook an exploratory study of overnight visitors at zoological accommodation in lavish surrounds.

We divided 12 participants into two groups. One group was directed to abstain from posting on social media but were still able to take photos. The second group had no restrictions on sharing photos. Though the numbers were small, we gathered qualitative information about engagement and attitudes.

Participants were invited to book at Jamala Wildlife Lodge in Canberra. The visit was funded by the researchers — Jamala Wildlife Lodge did not sponsor the research and the interviewees’ stay at the Lodge was a standard visit. We then conducted interviews immediately after their departure from the zoo, critically exploring the full experience of their stay.

The study confirmed that the desire to share travel pictures in close to real time is strongly scripted into the role of the tourist; altering the way travellers engage with sites they are visiting, but also their sense of urgency to communicate this with remote audiences.

Pics or it didn’t happen

Participants Mandy and Amy were among those instructed to refrain from posting pictures to social media while at the zoo. They described having to refrain from social media use as a disappointment, even though it seemed to further their engagement.

Interviewer: Did you look at your social media throughout your stay or did you refrain?

Mandy: A bit yeah. But even then, probably not reading it as much as I often would. I don’t think I commented on anything yeah.

Amy: Even today when we put something up [after staying at the Zoo] about the things we’d done today and only a few people had liked it, there was that little bit of disappointment that ‘Oh more people haven’t liked my post.’ Where we didn’t have that for the previous 24 hours [because of the experiment] … because nobody knew about it.

The desire for social media recognition resumed after leaving the zoo. For Michelle, posting after the experience presented new concerns:

Interviewer: How did you feel about not being able to post?

Michelle: Spanner in the works! For me personally not being able to post was a negative experience because I wanted to show people what we’re doing, when we’re doing it.

And I also feel, like a couple of people knew we were going to the zoo, right, and knew that we couldn’t use social media. So, when I eventually post it, they’re going to go, ‘She’s been hanging on to those and now she’s posting them and that’s just a bit weird.’ Like, to post it after the event. Everyone normally posts it in real time.

Later, Michelle commented that withholding content from posting to social media also diminished a part of the experience itself:

I sort of feel like if we don’t share the photos it’s like a tree fell down in the forest and no one heard it, like, we’ve had this amazing experience and if I don’t share them, then no one’s going to know that we had this experience, you know, apart from us.

youtube

Tips garnered from travelgrammers fill lots of online video tutorials.

Centre Stage

Digital photography and social media transform the relationship between the travelling self and its audience, as individuals have an expanded — and potentially diversified — audience.

Selfies in tourist contexts reflect the tourist gaze back at the tourist, rather than outward.

The perfect digital postcard now incorporates the self centrestage. As one participant suggested:

Shannon: It almost feels like it’s kind of an expected behaviour when you are doing something touristy … We’ve actually had tour guides before … kind of a bit disappointed if you don’t take a photograph.

The purpose of photography has shifted from a memory aid to a way of sharing experience in the moment. There is tension now between the need to capture tourist experiences for digital sharing and individual engagement in the tourist activity. Decrying the desire to use photography as a way of communicating experience will not constructively address this tension.

To ensure tourism sustainability, and engagement with their target market, tourism providers need to explore better ways to manage travellers’ face-to-face and digital engagement.

Digital engagements have become a defining part of travel, and organisations should be encouraged to promote online sharing of experiences — phone charging stations and photo competitions were two suggestions offered by our interviewees.

In contrast, device-free days or activities could be another way to encourage face-to-face engagement and prompt tourists to be more considered with their online sharing.

Michael James Walsh, Assistant Professor Social Science, University of Canberra; Naomi F Dale, Associate Professor of Management, University of Canberra, and Raechel Johns, Head of the Canberra Business School and Professor of Marketing and Service Management, University of Canberra

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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My DIY Moment: Adjusting my iPhone X Nomad Case

#psychology #Social media #social networking #sociology #mental health #solo traveler #traveller #instatravel #instagram #instaphoto

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technicalsolutions88 · 5 years ago

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To that end, it programmed a week’s worth of online activities for graduates and others to participate in.

On Facebook, the company is beginning the “Student Spotlight” series that will celebrate this year’s outstanding grads.

On Tuesday May 12, Instagram will host a virtual senior night focused on athletes, featuring star athletes including Sabrina Ionescu, Myles Powell, Shay Knighten and Andrew Pryts.

Facebook will also on Wednesday begin to share grad walks on its Facebook app Page’s Stories section, and encourage others to do the same using the hashtag #GradWalk2020.

Thursday, May 14, starts Superlative Day on Instagram, where featured creators will share some of the best superlative from students. Instagram will also be home to an art contest co-hosted by @brooklynmuseum and @design which is asking for student portraiture which will appear in a virtual “art show” on both accounts, with support from Instagram’s own @creators, as well. Five winners will be awarded $5K grants from Instagram.

The @creators account will additionally feature Bryce Xavier, Nia Sioux and Livvy Dunne and ��yearbooks on Instagram,” starting on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Instagram’s @shop will open up a graduation gift guide featuring products from a number of small businesses that can be shopped right in the app.

Friday, May 15, is the big day with the virtual ceremony, #Graduation2020, at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET via Facebook Watch within the Facebook app and on facebook.com/facebookapp. Highlights from the event will be posted to the @instagram account and on contributors’ own social media.

Facebook today announced new additions to the ceremony, which was already set to include an introduction by Sheryl Sandberg, an address by Oprah, and performance by Miley Cyrus (“The Climb.”)

It’s now adding Cardi B, DJ Khaled, La La Anthony, Kristen Bell, Selena Gomez, Sterling K. Brown, Matthew McConaughey, and Milo Ventimiglia to the event and has released a full list of other contributors who will join at some point during the broadcast.

These include:

In the weeks following graduation, Facebook will begin allowing students, teachers, and alumni in the U.S. to offer and request assistance in their college communities in its Community Help feature. This will focus on categories like career help, housing, moral support, fitness, and supplies.

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3bgW86s Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

#Technical Solutions #SEO #Online Earning #Youtube Marketing #Android Developer

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digitalmark18-blog · 6 years ago

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How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for Virtual Reality

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-create-a-content-marketing-strategy-for-virtual-reality/

How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for Virtual Reality

Customers are more inclined to engage with or purchase from brands they feel the strongest connection with. This isn’t a new development. What is new is the definition of the term “engagement.”

So, what defines a customer’s engagement today? Among other things: interactivity.

For many customers today, an experience is inauthentic if it’s not interactive. In other words, they have to be able to reach out and feel like they’re grabbing the thing you’re selling, which is a far cry from the days when leaving a comment on a blog post counted as a sufficient interaction.

71% of consumers think a brand that uses virtual reality is forward-thinking. And however you feel about the term “forward-thinking,” one thing is for sure: these brands stand out and gain consumer attention.

Despite what you might think about virtual reality (VR), it’s no longer an inaccessible marketing tactic. Creating a content marketing strategy for VR isn’t that different from a written or video-based content marketing strategy — the difference is that it requires you to understand how to engage your customers by interacting with them.

Let’s explore what a sound VR content marketing strategy looks like today.

How to Create VR Content for Your Next Marketing Campaign

Know Which Type of Experience You Want to Create

In general, there are four types of VR experiences you can create, and the one you choose will depend on what you want your viewers or customers to learn (or feel) as a result. Here are those four experiences:

Live video: By taking a live-action video in VR, you can allow your viewer to watch the video from the point of view of the video’s recorder, panning around to see the experience as if they were there when it happened.

Live photo: Snap a live-action photo that your viewer will be able to pan 360 degrees around and feel as if they’re standing on the scene. Google Earth recently made its Street View viewable in this type of experience.

3D video: Animate a service you offer, creating a 3-dimensional demonstration that your viewers might need to see from a firsthand point of view to properly understand it.

3D model: Design a 3-dimensional model of a product you offer, such that your viewers can examine every angle of the item with their smartphone or VR headset.

In any of the VR experiences above, viewers can interact with your content in 360 degrees by moving their mobile device around or literally looking around their periphery while wearing a VR headset.

Know Which VR Tool You Want to Use

Depending on which type of VR experience you choose above — and how elaborate you want it to be — your smartphone’s camera app won’t suffice (well, it could … keep reading).

Luckily, there are some easy-to-use apps you can download to become a quick VR designer for your business. Here are a few and what they do:

Android Photo Sphere: This is a native function of most Google and Android mobile devices. Similar to a panoramic setting, it allows you to hold and pan your smartphone camera to capture more imagery — but a full 360 degrees around your standing point.

Google Cardboard: If you don’t have an Android smartphone, the Google Cardboard app gives you the same functionality as the tool above, as well as video recordings that are immediately viewable in VR through YouTube and the Google Cardboard headset.

Unity: This app is actually a game-development engine, but has become one of the most popular platforms for creating interactive and animated VR content beyond simple photos and videos.

InstaVR: This desktop software allows you to edit your own photos and vides into VR experiences in a matter of minutes.

A-Frame: A-Frame is a web-based VR tool, wherein you use HTML to edit live-action images and design 3D models for the purposes of creating virtual experiences that are viewable in 360 degrees.

Keep Your Existing Audience in Mind

How does your ideal customer consume your content already? Is it through a weekly webinar or Q&A? Or maybe a daily vlog from the CEO’s desk? Whatever content routine you’ve created, you can continue that strategy while incorporating VR technology.

For example, if your primary medium is Facebook video, you can start producing virtual reality content on Facebook Spaces. Although Spaces is still a new tool, it’s poised to become a Facebook standard in the not-so-distant future. There’s no better time than the present to start thinking of ways Facebook Spaces can benefit your brand.

Does your business have an app, either for the company website or an event you host? One emerging trend for app-based businesses is to create VR content for use with a Samsung or iPhone-paired VR headset. Take mega-ticket marketplace StubHub as an example. This company has now added a 360-degree virtual reality view to every ticket purchase, allowing customers to simulate the view they’ll have from their seats on game day.

Screenshot via Recode

These virtual views have been available on StubHub for a while now, but used to be standard (rather than 360-degree) images. Thanks to the incorporation of VR, the brand has enhanced their customer’s existing experience, and helped them better navigate to a purchase.

Just think of how many times you’ve decided against buying tickets because you weren’t sure about the view. StubHub is effectively solving this problem by tweaking their existing content to enable VR capabilities.

Don’t Just Create Content, Create An Experience

The notion of a content marketing strategy combined with virtual reality might be misleading. After all, VR is not about the content — it’s about the user experience. Thus, your content creation strategy should aim to be immersive for the consumer, giving them an in-depth view at your product offerings.

Here are two examples of businesses that have applied VR to their marketing strategy in different ways.

Conduct Store Walk-Throughs

Create a 3D model of your product (the fourth type of VR experience listed above), taking the customers through your store and showing them your best inventory firsthand. Shopify, the e-commerce giant, is about to release its all-new thread studio, which is a VR app that will take consumers into a virtual studio to view t-shirt designs and other apparel.

Image via Shopify

Once Shopify’s viewers have mixed and matched colors and found the design that’s best for their project, they are sent to Shopify’s print-on-demand provider, Printful. From here, they can turn their virtual vision into a real-life, tangible product.

As brick-and-mortar stores continue to shut their doors, they’ll be replaced by these virtual stores that allow consumers to walk through and browse without leaving their house.

Show Consumers What Products Will Look Like (Augmented Reality)

Giving consumers a visual of what furniture and household items will look like is an important way to encourage them to purchase.

Home improvement giant Lowe’s has already added a VR element that mirrors the home customization idea. Known as Holoroom, it takes customers through a model home to provide a look at what the space would look like with their products.

IKEA has been adopting a similar concept for years, in the form of a product catalog developed in augmented reality (AR). The company also recently launched an AR app called IKEA Place.

Augmented reality is very similar to virtual reality, but in AR, artificial content is layered on top of a real background, as shown in IKEA’s app below. A popular, consumer-focused example of AR today is the mobile app Pokémon Go, wherein you can catch Pokémon as they appear in the live-action environment in front of you when seen through your smartphone’s camera lens.

Image via: Architectural Digest

Seek Long Distance Customers (Yes, Really)

Not that you should only seek customers who live far away, but VR will make it easier to craft content to a more widely located buyer pool.

Just think about how VR will transform the home buying process. If you’re a realtor, you’ll be able to take potential buyers through a completely virtual tour of your property. People from around the world can see a home inside and out like they’re visiting in person.

Forbes writes about VR’s influence on buyer reach in its article about VR in real estate, but it adds another possibility to the mix: Using a VR app, realtors will soon be able to allow their clients to simulate custom changes they’d like to make to a potential home. This would makes processes like home-buying much more interactive, giving clients a clearer vision of what it’d be like to live in the property.

Provide an Emotional Journey

Honor Everywhere provides a VR experience to terminally ill military veterans, allowing them to “visit” the war memorials in Washington D.C. Volunteers are bringing VR headsets into assisted-living centers to give to the veterans and let them enjoy the experience.

Image via WTOP.com

Although there’s nothing quite as unique as VR made just for military veterans, you can still find ways to take customers on an emotional journey through your own VR content.

“Emotional” doesn’t have to mean sadness, though. Think in terms of what your audience is most passionate about and produce content that stimulates those passions.

For example, if you’re writing a travel blog that doubles as an affiliate site, your goal is to truly sell the one-of-a-kind experience a customer will feel by purchasing your vacation package. Through the immersion of VR, you can take effectively transport them to the beaches of Rio de Janiero, or atop the Eye of London in a millisecond of time.

You can even take a page out of the always adventurous MythBusters‘ playbook, and give consumers a first-person tour of a wrecked ship that rests in shark-infested waters. Experience it below.

youtube

There’s nothing like a swim among sharks to rouse people’s fears … er, rather, emotions.

Embrace Your Location

If the goal is to immerse your virtual audience into a new space, it only makes sense to show them a fun location.

Offer them a virtual tour around your city, show them a famous landmark, or take them to a special event. If a San Diego-based company is creating VR content in mid-July, for example, it might want to show its audience around the floor of Comic Con, which takes place each summer in San Diego.

Use Crowdsourced Content

Perhaps the most underrated — or under talked about — aspect of content marketing is the cultivation of a community of users, many of whom can contribute their own content.

Thanks to tools like Facebook Spaces, Periscope, and now YouTube, your brand can easily integrate user-produced VR videos onto your website.

Reach out to consumers through channels like social media, email marketing campaigns, and calls-to-action on your website.

What to Do as a Content Creator

Should you overhaul your entire content strategy to make room for virtual reality? For most of us, the answer is no.

But now’s the time to acknowledge not just VR’s existence, but its influence, and begin experimenting with it. Don’t know where to start? A/B test with and without virtual reality technology, then gauge the user’s response.

Rather than dedicating your entire site to VR, start with individual posts or pages, then begin building as you see fit.

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/content-marketing-strategy-for-virtual-reality

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torreygazette · 7 years ago

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The Angelic Announcement is Ours

Weeks before Advent begins, I can see the slow kindling of the evening worship candles in my mind. It might seem funny to describe anticipating Advent weeks in advance when Advent itself is an anticipation of Christmas. But there it is, my cards are on the table. The white candles are easiest for me to imagine since I am never confident about the colors of the others—darn my “color deficiency.” The green wreathe surrounding the candles does not reveal its age in my mind, but it does when it finally is set out on the table. (Alaina might kick me for that.)

All of this is part of the great Advent tradition. It is something I look forward to with joy. But it is also particularly popular at the Torrey House. We turn off the lights and sing as the candle gets lite. The tiny face circling the wreathe as the darkest part of the house becomes bright. And then at the conclusion, the kids take turns every evening blowing out the candles after family worship (heresy to some, I know). Given the number of times our kids have climbed over chairs and tables it is amazing that we have no fires or facial burnings to report. Truly it is a blessed season. The weekly increased number of candles makes for more satisfied children but no fewer fears of a fire breaking out. And this chaos that is my children fighting to blow out their chosen candle, a visible reflection on the closeness of the Nativity appears.

You see, my eyes are not what they once were. It seems that no matter the size of the candle or the size of the text, my eyes struggle to read the Scripture verses during the first week of Advent. When a light dimmer is available, I will use it gradually less and less each successive week. By the fourth week, however, it seems like I can sit on the other side of the table and still read the Scriptures. The candlelight nearest the end of Advent accommodates my deficiency. Similarly, the Divine Light at the end of Advent is given because of human infirmity. The imagery and practical examples are not lost on me. The great dawning light of Jesus Christ slowly creeps into Advent until the point that it is begging us to acknowledge it and forgo the patient spirit of Advent.

This spiritual yearning that occurs the final days before Christmas reminds me of the carol “Stars of Glory.” Written by Catholic Priest Frederick Charles Husenbeth, the stars are asked to “shine more brightly” to “bring the hour that banished sadness.” The lights of heaven including the moon meant to rule the night (Gen. 1:16) are petitioned to bring about the day of “redemption down to earth.” There is an echoing call for the signs and wonders that accompany redemption:

Stars of glory shine more brightly,

Purer be the moonlight’s beam.

Glide, ye hours and moments lightly,

Swiftly down time’s deepening stream.

Bring the hour that banished sadness,

Brought redemption down to earth,

When the shepherds heard with gladness

Tidings of a Savior’s birth.

As the weeks of Advent pass, anxiety grows. The practice of patience grows tedious. And no, I am not talking merely about the children’s attitude towards presents. But if Advent is a true season of waiting, then the eagerness to wake up in celebration of Christ’s birth should also increase. We are often tempted to relish the reality of Christ's birth without the waiting. And who can be blamed?

In the commercialized season of Christmas, waiting is difficult. Christmas seemingly begins immediately after Halloween. There are Christmas parties and carol sings that naturally emphasize and celebrate Christ's birth. Some practical measures need to take place to be patient during Advent. Songs like Husenbeth’s remind me there is wisdom in meditating on lyrics that petition the coming of Christ (e.g. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”). But what does it mean to petition the Lord for something that occurred two thousand years ago? For that, I believe we need to look at the Angelic announcement contained in the early portion of Luke's gospel.

In the Field

No Scripture story comes closer to the dawn of the new created age of Christmas than the Shepherds “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk. 2:8). Though chronologically after the birth of Christ in the Nativity story, the announcement of the newborn King has not yet occurred. The birth of Jesus Christ did not come with streamers, fireworks, and a light show that any passerby could see and experience. Ignoring the pending Angelic announcement, the birth of Christ is barely a whimper in disturbance to the flow of history. It is a dot on a very long Old Covenant sentence. But the night does come and the shepherds doing their thing do not know they are on the brink of history:

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” — Luke 2:8-15

This bright Angelic announcement is what typically comes to mind when we think about the birth of Christ. The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree is probably only trumped by Scripture in terms of association with this event. It's iconic. And yet, in the great scheme of things, the number of individuals made aware during this announcement was probably quite small. It was certainly small in comparison to the sleeping cities that surrounded the shepherds. The announcement itself was glorious, but the crowd was meager. The announcement truly contained “good news of great joy for all the people,” but it was not universally proclaimed. The shepherds acted on the unique event them. A special event in which "the Lord has made known to us" the birth of the King.

Many of us take for granted that after Advent comes Christmas. Heck, many who celebrate Christmas take for granted that Christ came down to earth for them. Nonetheless, we know when Advent will end. But for the Jews, awaiting the promised Messiah the wait seemed like it could last forever. And I imagine that we sometimes take for granted that we know Christmas will eventually come even if we merely twiddle our thumbs and play along with the church calendar. But I think this deprives us of petitioning God and meditating on His infinite mercy in revealing and announcing His Son. We assume the mercy of God proclaimed in Christmas.

But the truth is that while Christ came down for all men, He has not been revealed in the same degree to all men. The story of the shepherds reveals that to us in some small sense. Armed with this reminder, Advent can become a time of waiting and petitioning that the Lord would once again shine His light and announce His Son’s birth to us in our churches and homes. Yes, the Lord has been born—in our case two thousand years ago—but we are still dependent upon the ever new mercy of God to be familiar with our Savior. We are never too old, intelligent, or even "Christian" to become satisfied with the level of knowledge concerning our Savior.

And so, if we take this Angelic announcement for granted, we will almost certainly not respond with the vigor of the shepherds. Once again, I appreciate the vividness of Husenbeth’s words:

See the shepherds quickly rising,

Hastening to the humble stall

And the newborn Infant prizing

As the mighty Lord of all.

Lowly now they bend before Him

In His helpless infant state.

Firmly faithful, they adore Him,

And His greatness celebrate.

One of the benefits of celebrating Advent is that it truly "puts Christ back in Christmas" in a way that arguing about Starbucks cups can never do. It's not merely the birth of Christ that gets emphasized, but the reminder that we are dependent upon the revelation of God about that very birth of Christ. And so, throughout Advent, we can eagerly anticipate "quickly rising" on Christmas morning. We can encourage our household to hasten "to the humble stall and the newborn Infant prizing."

There is nothing impious about the chaos of opening gifts. There is no shame in lazily staying in bed or getting up early strictly to fix a grand breakfast. When Advent is celebrated correctly, the whole heart is meditating on the magnificent glory of God. "In spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24), we "bend before Him" and "His greatness celebrate" by His grace. After four weeks of anticipation, the Angelic announcement is once again ours. And though while not as obvious or time-consuming, we certainly will all "adore Him," "the might Lord of all."

#Advent #Luke

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upontheshelfreviews · 7 years ago

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If you’re new to the blog or just want to revisit from the beginning, click HERE to read the review for “Tourist Trapped”.

Previously on Gravity Falls: Twelve year-old twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are spending the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon, a little town where the strange and supernatural are almost everyday occurrences. When Dipper’s not trying to learn the identity of the Author of the enigmatic Journal that’s been aiding him in his adventures, or Mabel isn’t trying to start the perfect summer romance, they’re evading ghosts, monsters, zombies, and attracting the attention of a powerful demon who once sought to wreck their great-uncle’s mind. As of late Mabel’s formed a tentative truce with her former rival and rich bitch Pacifica Northwest after saving her from some murderous mini-golf balls, but things are complicated when it comes to her and Dipper…and they’re about to become even more so…

C-can it be? An episode review perfectly appropriate for Halloween at last? Huzzah!! Come everyone, let us partake in the Dance of Joy!

We begin not with the Pines family but with the Northwests in their resplendent mansion overlooking Gravity Falls. Preston Northwest (Nathan Fillion) and his wife are preparing for a gala event they’re set to host the following evening. Pacifica enters wearing the wrong dress – lake foam green, not sea foam green like her mother requested. Pacifica insists that she likes wearing this dress, but her father rings a tiny bell that silences her protests.

Without warning, the plates, silverware and chairs begin to float around the room and smash themselves. Preston insinuates that this unusual occurrence is a strangely familiar one. With only several hours left to deal with this supernatural problem, the Northwests happen upon the one person who could save their party.

The next afternoon Dipper settles himself in for a nice long marathon of his favorite show “Ghost Harassers”. Too bad for him it’s preempted by Mabel, Candy and Grenda wanting to watch live coverage of the rich and famous arriving at the Northwest Mansion for their annual high-society gala. Only the uppest of the upper-crust are allowed in while the common folk must content themselves by tailgating outside the manor gates.

Dipper shares my thoughts on these kind “news stories”; that it’s pointless celebrity worship that nobody should care about, especially when it’s about the Northwests, who have caused them so much trouble in the past. He even says that he’d tell Pacifica Northwest she’s the worst to her face. Then Pacifica shows up at the door asking for his help. His response?

When Mabel overhears Pacifica telling him to name his price for his aid, she demands Dipper give in so she and her friends can attend the party. Dipper and Pacifica reluctantly agree and she drives them up to the mansion. While Candy, Grenda and Mabel fawn over the fanciness, Preston welcomes Dipper and has Pacifica go dress him in more suitable party attire.

The girls get a sneak peek at the guest list and learn a wealthy young hottie from Austria, Marius Von Hauser, will be attending. As much as they want to pursue him Candy says that chasing someone in that league would only end in disaster and they tentatively agree that he’s off-limits. That doesn’t stop Mabel and Candy from taking turns flirting with him when Grenda’s not around since her outspokenness usually scares guys away. But Grenda finds out, they fight, she tries the whole “your shoe’s untied” trick on Marius to prove a point and I’m just getting this B-plot out of the way rather than cutting back and forth to it so we can focus on the A-plot.

All paranormal activity signs point to a painting of a very manly lumberjack in a room decorated with hunting trophies by Gaston (though there’s a surprising lack of antlers in all of this decorating). Dipper’s not too concerned with dealing with the pesky poltergeist, though. When it comes to the Journal’s ghosts, you’ve got your Caspers, your Slimers, your Pinheads and your Freddys to name a few, and chances are a spirit that pops in and out of pictures and just floats furniture around is gonna be in the first category.

And then Sam Raimi takes over directing duties.

Flesh, skin and clothes appear on the skeleton and it takes the form of a disfigured lumberjack with a beard of hellfire. It declares its thirst for Northwest blood and chases the kids through the manor grounds and back. A quick look through the Journal reveals that ghosts from paintings can be trapped in a silver mirror and Dipper spies one hanging on the wall of the bedroom. But Pacifica refuses to let him fetch it since their muddy shoes would ruin her parents’ favorite carpet and get them angry.

While arguing they fall through a portrait into a secret room where discarded furniture and other things are stored away. The ghost follows them in, ripping dust cloths off old paintings and knocking over boxes of silverware in its haste to kill Pacifica. Dipper finds a silver mirror in one of the boxes and throws it in the ghost’s path before it can finish her off. The impact blasts them out the window into the garden, but the ghost is captured and Pacifica uncharacteristically shows a fair bit gratitude to Dipper for saving her life.

The Northwest family thanks Dipper, none more so than Pacifica, and her parting with Dipper is adorably awkward. He leaves to make sure the ghost is exorcised properly, wondering aloud that maybe Pacifica isn’t as bad as he thought. The ghost laughs ominously, saying Dipper’s naivete reminds him of how he once felt when he was alive, and shares his tale:

Years ago the Northwests asked the lumberjacks of Gravity Falls to build them a mansion with the promise that, upon its completion, they would throw a grand party for the entire town once a year. Many hardworking folk died to ensure the mansion was built, but after years of labor the task was done. Yet the Northwests refused to let the common people who toiled away for them to be a part of their celebration and shut the gates to them permanently. As they trudged off, only the lumberjack remained behind to rail against the Northwests; but the deforestation around the mansion’s hilltop caused a terrible mudslide which resulted in his death. With his last breath the lumberjack cursed the Northwests, vowing to return 150 years to the day should the mansion gates still be closed, and spill the blood of the family who could never keep their promises. And not only did the ghost keep his word, but the Northwests knew he would…somehow.

Dipper is furious that the Northwests used him to avoid responsibility. Preston is welcoming guests, including Gravity Falls reclusive and ancient Mayor Befufftlefumpter, when Dipper storms back in. Pacifica is happy he returned but he tells her to can it and accuses them of not breaking the curse when they knew how to do it themselves all along and making him put his life on the line. Preston gloats that there’s no way he could hold a party for the richest, most powerful people in the world and have “his kind” mingle among them. Pacifica tries to apologize that she couldn’t tell him the truth but her father rings the bell again and she instantly shuts up.

This convinces Dipper that Pacifica is as terrible as her whole line and declines the invitation to stay at the party to finish exorcising the ghost. The lumberjack tells him that if he sets him free instead, they can both take revenge on the Northwests and their kind; but Dipper refuses only because Mabel is still at the party and he doesn’t want anything to befall her. He does however give in to the ghost’s final request to take one last look at the forest. Unsurprisingly, it’s a trick to get Dipper to drop the mirror. Once broken, the lumberjack is freed and it flies back to the mansion with Dipper in hot pursuit. He brings the taxidermied animals to life and begins turning all the terrified guests into wood.

Overhearing the lumberjack proclaim the only way to reverse the spell is for a Northwest to open the gates, Dipper searches the mansion for Pacifica and finds her in the hidden room in one of the most striking visuals of the episode.

In an episode that features some of the darkest imagery so far in the series, these are a few brief seconds that have resonated heavily with fans. Here we have Pacifica, raised from birth to act like an adult shown as what she really is – a lonely, scared, sad child.

Pacifica shows Dipper the reason why she’s so down and out with her flashlight. Surrounding her are portraits of every deceitful selfish act committed by her bloodline, things long covered up that she once believed were lies, now sneering down on her.

You wanna know why this room was locked up? This is what I found in here – a painted record of every horrible thing my family’s ever done. Lying, cheating, and then there’s me. I lied to you just ‘cuz I’m too scared to talk to my stupid parents. You were right about me. I AM just another link in the world’s worst chain.

Dipper promises her that it doesn’t have to be this way and they rush back to the great hall, which has become a forest of humans (even Mabel isn’t saved). Dipper confronts the ghost but it turns on him and leaves Dipper screaming for his life as he is transformed into wood.

“The last form you will ever take.”

For the coup de grace, the ghost begins to set the mansion aflame with the intention of burning everyone inside. Pacifica distracts him by promising to open the gates but the ghost calls her bluff. As she reaches for the lever, her parents pop up from a hidden shelter demanding she think of their reputation. Pacifica hesitates, but presses forward.

Then her father brings out the bell.

The tiny ringing drives Pacifica crazy, though to Preston’s annoyance she won’t give in.

And finally she jams down on the lever.

As the plebs pour in, the satisfied spirit gratefully tells Pacifica she is not like her family, lifts his curse and moves on to the afterlife. Preston is helpless as the masses turn his soiree into a uncouth but lively shendig. Even Pacifica and Dipper get in on the fun, messing up the carpet without a care. Pacifica thanks Dipper for believing in her. As for the girls, Mabel and Candy apologize to Grenda and the three reaffirm their friendship. Marius then approaches Grenda, confesses he’s taken by her boldness and gives her his phone number. Everything is going perfectly for nearly everyone…

…until Dipper bumps into Old Man McGucket, who’s been looking for him. He just finished fixing the laptop and wants to warn Dipper that something crazy is about to happen soon, something that could very well mean the end of the world. Dipper’s not in the mood to worry about that kind of thing, however, and he goes back to the party, leaving the inventor to fret over their swiftly impending doom.

This episode is easily among my top ten favorites. “Northwest Mansion Mystery” did to Pacifica what “Society of the Blind Eye” did to Old Man McGucket, taking a character we didn’t think could be capable of such depth and shining a light on them, with the added bonus that “The Golf War” helped foreshadow that. I’ve made no secret in the past that I wasn’t a fan of the one-dimensional valley girl bitch stereotype that Pacifica was in Season One – a sentiment shared by fans and the creators alike – so seeing her do a complete 180 while providing a peek at just why she turned out the way she did was certainly welcome. Those scenes with the bell, while not delved into, are pretty uncomfortable to watch; that on top of Pacifica’s repeated “You wouldn’t understand!” when Dipper asks why she’s so afraid of upsetting her parents brings up some unfortunate implications.

Speaking of Dipper and Pacifica, I never really took the fans shipping them seriously until this episode. In fact…it kind of made me ship them too. Their banter is fun to listen to, there’s some good chemistry, and they end up bringing out the best in one another. Sadly this is as far as a possible romance gets between the two of them, but you need only look as far as the internet if you’re not fully satisfied (just be careful when you do).

This is actually one of the very few episodes where Mabel’s subplot doesn’t really hold my attention; when it goes back to the girls arguing over pursuing Marius I just patiently wait for the scene to end so we’ll return to Dipper and Pacifica. Kevin Michael Richardson does a menacing turn as the lumberjack ghost, though there’s not much of a difference between his voice and the one he does for Sheriff Blubs. And I don’t know what it is about Nathan Fillion and douchebags but he plays them so well. As for the rest of the episode, there’s a lot of great spooky atmosphere, from the colors and strong shadows to the ghost’s haunting, which like I said is very reminiscent of Evil Dead. Much like the episode itself it manages to be both funny and scary, and like the best Gravity Falls’ adventures, is tied together with a lot of heart. And of course, there’s that ending which hints at greater and more terrifying things to come…

And the Internet Went:

End Credits Craziness: In the midst of the ghost’s chaos, a couple hides inside a closet. That couple is none other than… Agents Powers and Trigger in disguise! Powers reports that the bureau is detecting increasing readings from the Mystery Shack, and it’s time for them to act. Then they bicker like a married couple over where Trigger put his cell phone before Tambry stumbles upon them and makes things even more awkward.

Callbacks: Now that the Society of the Blind Eye is no longer a thing, supernatural happenings are gaining more attention as seen by the newspaper in the opening. That same giant vampire bat was featured in the Journal in the very first episode. Mabel and Pacifica are still on good terms after the events of “The Golf War”. Dipper casually rubs in the fact that Pacifica’s family lied about being the town founders as discovered in “Irrational Treasure”. McGucket has kept his word to look into his past and fix the laptop as a result of “Society of the Blind Eye”, though he keeps up the kooky old hillbilly act to throw off suspicion.

And then there’s the way Dipper is frozen into wood, as prophesized by the Shapeshifter from “Into the Bunker”…

There’s also the matter of a book I’ve failed in my duties as a Gravity Falls aficionado to mention, a large oversight considering I own a copy signed by Alex Hirsch (yes, really.) It’s called “Dipper & Mabel’s Guide to Mystery and Nonstop Fun!”, and it’s a cute little book full of activities and jokes aimed mostly for kids. Why I bring this up, however, is the inclusion of hidden messages sprinkled throughout that foreshadow certain events that were brought to light in this episode: Grenda will marry rich, the mayor of Gravity Falls is not long for this world, and the end of the world will come quicker than the end of summer…

Crowning Line of Hilawesomness: In an episode so full of good ones it’s hard once again to choose, but I think I’ll go with a tie between Pacifica’s confession and what she says to Dipper once she breaks her cute-awkward thank you hug –

“…Can I pay you to pretend that never happened?”

Mabel SWatch (Sweater Watch): Mustard yellow with a cartoon moose and hot pink pine tree border on the sleeves and hem. The pink dress she wears to the party just barely counts as a sweater since she knitted it herself.

Dear Princess Celestabelleabethabelle: Our family’s past and upbringing are not what make us, it’s what we choose to do in spite of it.

Have You Seen the Agents?

“…We really should have picked a better place to hide.”

Where’s that wacky triangle at?

Next time on Gravity Falls –

Hey, I just realized Grunkle Stan wasn’t in this episode. I wonder where he could be…

“Hey Shelf, you finish the review yet?”

(gasp) Kitty!

“Ugh, it’s me, Cynicism. I’m trying out my Halloween costume. I’m going as Optimism. What do you think?”

Wow, I didn’t even recognize you. Nice work.

“Yeah, yeah, save it for the actual holiday. Are you done yet or not?”

Just finished.

“You made any progress with the…you know…”

I wish I could say I did but –

“Oh come ON! It’s been a month since we last talked and you did NOTHING to get ready like you told us?!”

Don’t blame me, I’ve got a life outside this blog you know.

“Yeah, some life. Some life that isn’t even gonna exist with the rest of us if you make one more slip-up. But hey, what do I know? You’re the one sitting around working on your dumb little picture books while ordering everyone else to prepare for the -“

All right, all right, I’ll see what I can do for November!

“You’d better. I know we don’t have that many readers but there’s a fair few who’ve been looking forward to what you’ve had planned since last year.”

You think I don’t know that? You think this is the first time I’ve let my readers down? Listen to me you adorable little abomination, I may be stuck right now when it comes to doing movie reviews, but no matter how long it takes, I always finish what I start.

“Good. Now quit yappin’ and get crackin’.”

I will.

But you know, since I’ll most likely be too busy to go out on Halloween, I might be more motivated to finish quicker if someone were to bring me back some candy…

“…Fine. But I’m gonna throw out the junky ones so it can form into a giant child-eating monster.”

I wouldn’t have it any other way. Gravity Falls Review: “Northwest Mansion Mystery” (S02E10) If you're new to the blog or just want to revisit from the beginning, click HERE…

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ezestudio-blog · 7 years ago

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A recent glance at the calendar made me realize ÉZÈ Studio will have its one year anniversary this August. This comes right after the events this summer in Charlottesville, VA with neo-nazis and white supremacists taking to the streets; torches lit. With this realization, I am left wondering what has changed in the past year, if anything at all? I thought back to when I picked up my first DSLR and created a website dedicated to uplifting people in my community. In the short year, I have done a lot of work within Winnipeg’s black community. But I leave myself wondering, what did it amount to?

What was I able to change?

Did anyone find any resolve or comfort in the events and content I helped create?

Was I being naive to think I could somehow make a difference?

I say this because recently, an old friend saw some of my photos and asked me what made me start doing photography. They also asked why I focused on images of black artists and imagery that’s Afrocentric. To be honest, I hadn’t shared the reason with almost anyone because it was a depressing one. I also felt, due to being a self-taught photographer, I can be insecure about the quality of my work.

Black Space Winnipeg (protest)

BLT Winnipeg: Black Leaders of Tomorrow (live performance)

BLT Winnipeg: Black Leaders of Tomorrow (audience)

Initially, I thought I would just share a different/ safer story I’ve shared before about how ÉZÈ STUDIO began. It was a story about a series of conversations I had with my co-founder, Niasha. When we first met in early 2016, the two of us shared stories of our upbringing and connection to our culture. That became the foundation for us wanting to start something like ÉZÈ STUDIO. The reality was that after these conversations, we hadn’t planned much of anything. It wasn’t until we got further into 2016 that we realized we had to do something.

The low point for me was during the week of the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. During that week, I felt this type of sadness and grief that distinctly felt helpless and I mostly kept it to myself. This was a sense of crushing dread I couldn’t express to anyone at my work or nor among many of my friends.

Over time, the repeated stories of the police shootings and racial injustice took its toll on me. To some extent, I had started to become numb to what I was seeing because it had become so frequent and the justice that followed was seldom resolving.

This was a problem and it had to stop. I had to refuse to let myself become complacent in what I was seeing.

Myazwe: rapper, producer

Kelechi, co-founder of ÉZÈ STUDIO

Niasha, co-founder of ÉZÈ STUDIO

In the song ELEMENT. by Kendrick Lamar, he touches on the different elements of life that have shaped him into the person he’s become. When I think back to my upbringing, I think back to how I grew up in a proud Nigerian household. My home contained many elements of music, food, art, educations, and values tied to spirituality and morality. Seldom were any of these elements reflected in the mainstream media coverage our the open discussions of what was going on.

The aspect of a human life once loved and now lost seemed erased in much of the media coverage and this wasn’t isolated to just the United States. From Canada’s numerous missing and murdered indigenous women to the celebration of Canada150 and what that means to Canada’s indigenous community. At times, when outlets wish to cover topics of racial inequality, they can be equally informative as they are dismissive on the impact had on those connected to it. With each headline of another death, I would be left to wonder what the stories of the victims were;

What were their hopes for the future?

What loved ones did they leave behind?

What memories did they share with their loved ones?

These elements are what compose each of their lives and connect each of us to our family and friends. It is through their names we see ourselves. That’s what makes what happened in Charlottesville so painful – after everything so far, this was still no surprise.

I felt I had to do something but didn’t know what approach to take. I never saw myself as a political activist, but this was different. I wasn’t taking a political stance or directly tackling an institution of racism. This was about taking care of myself. A celebration of self – a reminder to go back to self-care, self-love and connecting with one another.

Tino Hove The Poet

Marisolle Negash

Alexa (left), Dubem and Helina

Within a few weeks after the death of Alton and Philando, I went to a local Best Buy where I bought my first DSLR. I had no clue what I was doing, but I decided to teach myself to take photos. For my own sanity, I needed to personally change the images I was seeing that were around me that showed who were the people doing incredible things in my life. We have these conversations around police brutality and racial tension being on the rise, but it’s often from a politic stance or the guise of a social issue needing to be discussed. It, of course, is important to take into account the social and politic dynamics of these topics. However, these issues do take a disproportionate toll on people of colour; we repeatedly see these headlines that repeat a cycle of the injustice.

For me, this had to change.

I took that camera with me, first shooting and recording the things my family and friends in Winnipeg who had made a positive impact. From artists and musicians; entrepreneurs and community leaders. I wanted people to see what I saw in the people I loved and the community I proudly identify with.

ATLAS Screening & Fashion Show @ The Metropolitan

Spur Festival

Women’s March on Portage Ave.

As I posted my photos online, I had been approached for other opportunities. I had worked with Spur Festival, local art galleries, movie theatres, held live events, sat on panel discussions and more. Many of these opportunities were Afrocentric and were run by black people and POC that I otherwise may have never had a chance to work with.

I say all this to go back to the beginning of this post when I asked myself what was the point of everything I had done when things like Charlottesville continue to happen? I soon learned to stop asking myself those types of questions after that friend asked about my photography. I shared with them the real reason I went and got my first DSLR, created a website and what this past year has meant to me. They were very supportive, said they could see the emotion behind the images and encouraged me to continue.

Jen, dancer

Edmund, writer/artists

Lorraine, actor

After a panel discussion, we hosted in June, a black woman came up to Niasha and I thanking us for putting on these types of events. She explained she had seen us in the Metro newspaper just a half-hour before the panel discussion began and was elated that such an event was even taking place in Winnipeg. She recalled stories of what it was like for her growing up – never having a platform to share her thoughts and ideas. Near the end of our conversation, she became emotional and encouraged us to continue to support black leaders and our community.

It’s these kinds of conversations made me realize then that what I was doing was not for those white supremacist standing outside a college campus with tiki torches. It was for my community and the people I am able to form a connection with through my work. My work was a letter to self, and other people of colour (POC), affected by repeatedly being on the receiving end of systemic racism. A reminder that our worth is not tied to what we are subjected to but what we create for ourselves.

Much love,

Kelechi.

ezestudio.com

Blog No. 6: One Year Later…Where are Things Now? What really started ÉZÈ STUDIO A recent glance at the calendar made me realize ÉZÈ Studio will have its one year anniversary this August.

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