#because i want to live in my bubble and fill in the netflix gaps with happy healthy geraskier/gerlion emotions

[pillage-and-lute]

I feel like Netflix messed up a little with Jaskier and Geralt’s relationship. Wiedzmin was a delight, and the books (that portion of them i’ve been able to get through) even the games (ive only watched gameplays but still) all have a better relationship.

Watching the netflix tv series, i have to fill their relationship in in my head because I know the character of Jaskier/dandelion is a good one with a close relationship with geralt, but they mostly show him being pushy.

I really like writing Geralt and Jaskier, (especially because theres a definite ASD + ADHD dynamic there) but my Jaskier is more of dandelion, and always will be, because Netflix gave us so little and almost no actual characterization

(PS dont hate me, this isnt a criticism of the actors, any pairings, or any of the other works, but Netflix decided that their mountain issue would be a big scene without giving it the proper emotional background so then I go and do the emotional legwork in my fic)

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Bianca Bosch, The Kissing Booth 2

Bianca made her feature film debut in Netflix’s global hit franchise The Kissing Booth as the flirtatious and fun-loving Olivia, leader of The OMG’s, which she reprised in The Kissing Booth 2. She will next appear in the third installment of the franchise—The Kissing Booth 3, slated to debut in 2021. Born and raised on the eastern cape of South Africa, Bianca started ballet at just four years old and trained and competed in high-level contemporary dance until she was 19. A small role in a production of Evita solidified her passion for bringing characters to life, which she followed to The New York Film Academy and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Bianca is passionate about giving back to her local communities in St. Frances Bay and Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and hopes to inspire women of all ages and from all walks of life to go after their dreams and heal those who need it, with strength, wisdom, and empathy.

What do you find exciting about portraying Olivia?

When people first meet me, they always sum me up as the bubbly, dramatic, ditzy blonde, and don’t anticipate my intellectual aptitude. They also soon realise that I’m super laid back, easy-going, and value a great sense of humour. Many people always say my exterior doesn’t match the interior. With portraying Olivia, I got to push those qualities that people assume I am at face value, as well as those mannerisms that come naturally to me, but are actually far from who I really am. It was so much fun living in that heightened, exaggerated bubble. 

Can you tell us anything about Olivia’s development between the first and third installments of The Kissing Booth? 

Being the “it girl” of the school, Olivia knows all the gossip going down and will not let any information slip past her because she is the ring leader, and has to have a first peek at any potential. As the story evolves, you see a softer, more supportive side to her, for example, when she cheers on Ollie and Miles as they have their first kiss at the kissing booth.

Which character from The Kissing Booth do you personally identify with most, and why?

I identify mostly with Elle. Navigating relationships can be hard and confusing, especially when the person you love lives far away. Having faith in your relationship and in yourself is important, but not always easy. I have been through those doubts and dilemmas. At the end of the day, communication and respect are vital to making a long-distance relationship work.

Alongside acting, you train in Vinyasa Yoga and Reiki, while also running a lighting/interior design business called MOODMAKERS. How do you cope with wearing so many hats? 

I’ve got to keep up with my lifestyle somehow! Obviously, with acting, you’re not always employed and shooting. You might constantly be auditioning, but it’s been said that you book 1 in 25 auditions—so in between, someone has to pay the bills! Why not incorporate jobs that are already a part of my daily routine and always will be?! Plus, I find that the busier I am, the more I actually get done. Educating and practicing Reiki and Vinyasa yoga are more hobbies than jobs for me; plus, they all coincide with wellbeing and creativity.

Do you have any advice for young women who would like to become entrepreneurs themselves? 

You have to think about your individual strengths and potentially use those to fill a gap in the market by providing a good or service. In my case, it was a product, in the form of a portable light. The opportunity in South Africa was the inconvenience of load shedding, which refers to rolling blackouts that occur due to the lack of electricity in our country. My father is an interior designer, so being surrounded by design my whole life sparked the idea to provide a stylish solution with portable, rechargeable lamps.

How do your experiences as a dancer influence your acting work? 

I feel very in tune with my body, and every character needs their own physicality. So it helps me to sink into and develop the character’s mannerisms. Not only is it great for keeping correct alignment while staying physical, but also it provides discipline through general practice.

You engage in charity work in your hometown, can you tell us a bit about that?

Well, recently, with COVID-19, volunteer work has changed with social distancing in place. I believe charity starts at home, and home for me is in Saint Francis Bay. So, we’ve shifted focus to the local townships’ impoverished areas. We coordinated and prepared meals once a week and delivered them to the local soup kitchen for as many residents as possible. After going there each week and seeing the living conditions, and how excited these families were for their meals, I felt guilty but also so appreciative to come home and live the life I do.

How do you practice being an ally, and what does your allyship mean to you? 

It means being a part of something bigger than yourself. My mission statement is to inspire young girls to go after their dreams, not only through my own actions and successes but also by mentoring them in person where possible. Being an ally also means being committed to educating myself on struggles that differ from my own experience and standing up for others in unjust situations.

How can mental and physical wellbeing and self-care help to sustain creative work? 

I think physicality, mental health, and self-care are as vital as working on your acting skills. This career path takes dedication and perseverance. Keeping grounded in the madness and focused on your goal is crucial. This industry is tough on your body, especially when you’re working long hours on set or doing back-to-back night shoots. It’s not the usual 9-5 job. Plus, you want to be looking and feeling your best for the camera. You need to promote wellbeing for concentration and maximum performance. Having irregular sleeping patterns due to shooting schedules throws off your circadian rhythm, which can have a huge effect on your adrenals, which ultimately affects your skin, moods, and weight. You want to feed your body with the best nutrients, so when the tough times come, your immune system holds up strong. I generally tend to stick to a gluten-free + dairy-free diet and pump my body with loads of greens! Lean proteins and healthy fats! It’s so hard to say no to sugars, so when desperate, I try to go towards the natural sugars (honey, xylitol, etc.), because if I don’t, it results in inflammation and feeling sluggish. Also, I recommend loads of water to promote glowing skin and avoid water retention! Although this might all be beneficial for aesthetic reasons, it’s also preserving your body long-term for your career! Mental health is highly important, as this industry is mentally taxing when it comes to confidence and self-love. I practice meditation every day to promote self-worth and to help me stay grounded.

Describe each of the following in one word: who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item. 

Who you are - Firecracker 

What you value most - Family 

What you’d be if you were a food item - Peach  

Thanks for taking the time, Bianca! The Kissing Booth 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

[detroitbecomeyandere]

The Unquiet Grave

Ahhhhhh okay so I was re-watching Penny Dreadful on Netflix and wanted to do something with the same dark romantic feel. And after talking to @confessions-of-a-yandere-freak I got the idea to do a Frankenstein thing. Thank you so much CoaYF (follow her she is amazing) Thank you @birooksun for talking with me about it and figuring out more of a direction to go in. And thank you @tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016 for beta reading for me! Love you guys so much.

Italics are flashbacks 

Summary: Markus creates his monster

Warning: Medical procedures, kind of gory

Word count: 1.6k

The storm was moving in much slower than Markus would have wanted, the entire ordeal taking a greater toll on his mental state than he had anticipated. Even in his own laboratory the anxiety of being caught before his experiment could even truly begin was eating away at him. Hearing thunder off in the distance Markus made a short walk to the window to glance out, hoping to calm his nerves but only able to think of the illegal act he committed not even a day ago.

The shovel was a familiar and comforting weight in his hands as he made the trek through the cemetery, having only the cold light of the moon to illuminate his way.

“A lamp will only bring attention” Markus had told himself, being caught and sent to prison was not something he wanted to experience. Walking as swiftly and quietly as possible he made his way to his destination, a fresh grave.

A flash of lightning in the sky brought him back to the present. Turning to his experiment he made his way across the room quickly, retrieving the tools of his trade.

“There’s still work to be done.”

He placed the tray full of sterile medical equipment next to the body, briefly he mused if using sterile tools even mattered when the patient was already dead. Pushing the amused smile off his face he set to work. The body was in a relatively decent state, no noticeable decay had set in. The eye he had to replace looked almost normal, needing proper healing for it to settle in. As Markus worked on opening the body for the internal examination his mind started to drift again.

The grave was easy enough to find, with the burial being just that morning. The earth still fresh and slightly damp, the soft spoil making a satisfying “thu-sh” sound as he began the task of digging. It should have been a morbid task this grave digging, something that would have made those with true morals shudder at the thought of defiling a final resting place of the departed. To Markus however it was nothing more than a necessity, though maybe it was because he had already buried those thoughts deep within himself this morning as he watched the body laid to rest. It’s in the name of science, surely the poor soul who was under this dirt hadn’t wanted to die so young. A whole life was head of them, a life he could restore.

“Thunk”

The sound of metal scraping against wood snapped him out of his small moral crisis. Tossing his shovel out he moved as much to the side as he could and pulled the lid back.

Rain started to fall against the windows, causing Markus to realize just how little time he had to finish the examination. Truthfully he should have done the exam before now but his work at the local surgery had kept him busy much longer than he would have liked. Then the task of having to find a replacement eye hadn’t been easy, he thanked his stars when he went to the morgue and found a fresh body. He moved swiftly in removing the left eye, it was a different colour than that of his specimen but he supposed a heterochromia wasn’t all that strange. In a way it made it feel more personal to him, almost as if his creation would be more like him.

Attaching the eye into the socket was a simple enough task for someone trained as he, Markus found himself wondering what had caused you to lose an eye at this age. You couldn’t have been more than 23 years of age, he found himself thinking of his childhood stories of pirates and their eye patches. He laughed as he thought of someone as soft and young as you battling at sea, the more likely explanation was that you had simply gotten an infection in your eye causing it to be removed.

A simple incision was made, skin and muscle tissue peeled back, ribs cracked carefully to reveal the chest cavity.

The heart looked healthy enough, no tears or clogged arteries that needed repair. Kidneys and liver fine, intestinal tract intact, reproductive organs healthy. The lungs had a bit of scarring and upon further inspection they looked slightly damaged.

“Consumption, that must have been how you died. A painful death of drowning in your own blood, a shame.”

Inside the casket laid what Markus could only describe as an angel. Your skin almost porcelain in appearance, most likely due to the lack of blood, your hair carefully combed and styled in an appropriate way for a funeral. The only thing that gave away the body before him as deceased was the fact that there was no rise and fall of the chest. Upon closer inspection of the face he could see the left eyelid was slightly caved in, clicking his tongue Markus thought it a pity that a creature such as yourself had to live a life damaged in any form.

“You will do.” Quickly Markus scooped up your body and laid it in the tarp he had brought with him, mindfully wrapping you up for an easier journey home.   

Finished with the examination and pleased with the results he set to placing your ribs back and stitching your chest cavity up. Sutures was one thing Markus had always prided himself on, even in medical school his professors admired him for his steady hand and his tight stitching. Snipping the thread after the final stitch Markus had nothing more to do than to wait for the storm to grow closer. 

Standing to admire his work he was once again struck with anxiety in his stomach, what if this didn’t work all his hard work would be for naught. His sins would weigh upon his soul forever, surely he would be damned to whatever Hell there was for robbing a grave if this did not work. Perhaps even if it did work God had already damned him for trying to do what only the divine should do.

Markus thought back to his adoptive father, the anguish and emptiness he had felt when Carl passed. If he could prevent other hearts from breaking like his own then surely the eternal damnation in hellfire would be worth it. 

Cradling your bony cheek in his hand he begins to imagine what will become of the creature he creates.

“What shall your life be I wonder. Will you know the pain, happiness, and sorrow that life has to offer? Who will you become, a heartless demon of a person like my brother, or someone kind and soft as my father. What wondrous heartbreak is in store for you my dear one, I will be sure to guide you for as long as I can. Be by your side in all your trials and tribulations, documenting them all.”

As he spoke Markus’s hand drifted along your body, down your neck, along your collarbone, further down until he reached your chest. Lightly ghosting his fingers over it he imagined what your skin looked like when it was flush and alive, a loud crash of thunder made him realize that image may soon come to fruition.

Working quickly as the storm grew stronger Markus moved your body into the tub of chemicals. Markus then pulled the lever to open the sky light in the ceiling, running the lighting rod through the opening and anchoring it in place. 

Careful not to slip he runs to the switch, there he waits for a strike. Rain pours over his head and soaking him to the bone, suddenly the air filled with tension and the arm on his arms stood up on end. 

“CRASH”

Bright white electricity runs it’s way down the rod and into the tub, Markus pulls the lever down and the electronics surrounds the vat glow a bright blue. Sparks shoot from the devices causing them to short circuit, shutting the whole system down. 

Frantically Markus moves to the tub, watching as the liquid bubbles and churns around you. His heart beating against his chest so hard he’s sure it would be out of his chest. Lighting a small lamp he watches you closely for any sign of life.

5 minutes 

10 minutes 

The longer time goes by Markus fears his experiment is a failure, heartbroken and on the verge of tears he closes the sky light. Exhausted, he walks to his desk to write down his notes and failures. As tears roll down his face as he sorrowfully writes down what happened. Markus knows he will try again in the future, but that brings him no comfort in this moment. 

Slumping in his chair he absentmindedly watches the ink dry, his silent tears turn into body wracking sobs and wails. So caught up in his disappointment is he that he misses the sound of water moving. He misses the small gaps for breathe as you emerge from the tub. He doesn’t miss the sound of a body slamming into the floor. Alarmed Markus stands his chair falling and ink spilling, whirling around he seeing you. Shivering, cold, trying but unable to stand on your legs as if you are a new born fawn. As he moves toward you he sees you shrink into yourself and look at him with wide mismatched eyes, reminding him again of a fawn.

Shrugging his coat off he drapes it over your shoulders, your pale shaking hands wrap around it and pull it closer to him. Kneeling in front of you he places his hands on your shoulders.

He had done it, Markus was on par with God Himself now. 

“Hello, I’m Markus Manfred. Your creator”

[jordanrosenburg]

The Reboot Bubble

When your favorite TV show ends, how do you feel? Lost? Depressed? Lonely? All of the above? I am someone who usually sobs at the end of a beloved TV show. The end of Avatar: The Last Airbender still gets me, I can remember crying when Awkward ended, and even having not watched the last two seasons, I absolutely bawled my eyes out at the series finale of Glee. There are times we want the shows we love to go on forever. Adventure Time was on for over ten years, a dystopian cartoon about a boy and his dog. Even though I was sad, I knew it was time for it to come to an end. That was a show, much like Glee, that I had stopped watching before it ended. But like a good, true fan, I watched its finale. 

I think we feel sad when these shows end, especially the ones that last for many years, because we have grown with many of the characters. I started watching many of the above shows when I was in middle school and high school, and some didn’t end until I was in college, or even after college. It’s like a piece of our younger selves end with it. We wait for these shows to pop up on Netflix or Hulu, so maybe once in a while we can fall down the rabbit hole again. Usually I have to ask myself, “Am I really going to put myself through this again?”, as I push play to rewatch Glee for the seventh time. 

Not every show I rewatch gives me such emotion. I can contently watch reruns of That 70′s Show or Sex and the City and pretty much not feel a thing. I will admit when Eric and Donna break up I feel sad, but not enough to cry! 

I think it’s when our favorite TV shows end in a way that we didn’t like when we feel like it should come back for one more round. Fix the mistakes it made, let the characters we love be happy. Some of us turn to fandom to help cushion the blow. We chat with each other, read what others have to say, or even read fanfiction to help us grieve the loss over one of the things that would help us escape for a little while. 

Reunion specials started happening. These could be simple panels when actors get together to answer questions about a show. Or even as witty as the Seinfeld season on Curb Your Enthusiasm. A lot of people wanted to see their favorite characters together again. One of the reasons I had actually made an account on Tumblr back in 2012 was because The Legend of Korra had come out and I wanted to see how other fans had felt about the sequel series to the show I held so closely to my heart. As much as I wanted to see the characters I knew, I was happy to see new characters in the same universe. 

And then...Fuller House became an extension of Full House. I couldn’t even get through the first episode if I’m being honest. Watching all of the actors turn to the camera and make a funny face after making a joke about the Olsen Twins really turned me off. Gilmore Girls had a four episode reboot. I would say this one of the first, worthy of note reboots. I think most fans were disappointed with how the show actually ended, so getting to see these characters ten years later helped fill in a lot of gaps. I won’t get into how I felt, but I will say I didn’t love what they did with Rory. I was sad to see that she didn’t end being a successful journalist as she had hoped, but such is life. Will and Grace got a reboot around the same time, or shortly after. A show, ahead of its time, had come back. I would have been fine with just a reunion special, but a whole season was made, and then a second season was picked up shortly after. Clearly, there were some stories left to tell. 

Murphy Brown had a failed reboot, which came to no surprise. Did people really want to see a woman in her 60′s going through the same problems she had in her 30′s/40′s? But the networks must have seen how well Will and Grace was doing, and hopped on the bandwagon. Many networks are realizing that the 90′s nostalgia is alive and well. Whose Line is it Anyway also comes to mind. Another beloved show, but this time with a new host and some new comedians. A bit of a face lift, but still funny. Roseanne, now The Connors, was something I was surprised to see comeback. A program that truly showed what a middle class family looked like, and how they lived. This show came back at a good time because many other sitcoms today are all rich families. Is Modern Family only modern because of the different races and sexual orientations depicted? I know a lot of families, and they do not live nearly as comfortably as these people. 

Roswell New Mexico is an example of a reboot that no one really asked for, but am so glad it happened. This is a show that, to me, is the true definition of a reboot. They took the good stuff from the original, recast the entire thing with adults playing adults, not adults playing teenagers, and gave this show a fresh new spin. I sat and watched the original series, and it had its moments, but there’s a reason it only lasted three seasons. This new version of it is something I can see lasting for many seasons to come. 

I know everyone says they want a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reboot, or an Office reboot, but do they really? Wouldn’t you rather see someone die a hero than see them live long enough to become the villain? 

What made me want to write this in the first place was because I was on Facebook the other day and saw that a reboot of Reba had been green-lit...SERIOUSLY REBA? A show that I know only because they would show re-runs on ABC Family. Don’t get me wrong, Reba wasn’t the worst show in the world, but what stories do they really have to tell that warrants 12-24 episodes? AN ENTIRE SEASON? I could see a reunion special on Netflix, a tasteful hour, to an hour and a half of Reba roasting Barbara Jeanne would be great. 

Rocko’s Modern Life and Invader Zim both have specials on Netflix right now. Rocko’s Modern Life did it right. A quick special, twenty or so years later, that pretty much made fun of itself. I haven’t been able to watch the Invader Zim special yet, but I’m sure it will be done in a similar way of just answering the burning questions fans have. Even Hey Arnold came out with another movie a couple of years ago. This was something fans wanted for years! We all wanted to know what happened to Arnold’s parents. We finally found out, and it was great. Do all of these shows have a chance of coming back with a full season? It depends on the ratings and what the creators of the shows want to do, but these small specials are enough. It’s good fan service. 

But now the networks are just getting greedy. Not only is getting harder to watch TV because every network now has their own app, or they will, that you need to pay for to use, but it seems like every network is rebooting just to make profits! Netflix made watching TV without cable a cheaper option. Now I have to pay for all of these apps separately just to watch TV? Is cable going to become the cheaper option again? Or are all of these shows going to be exclusively on these apps? It’s ridiculous! 

I digress...Let’s talk about Disney for a second. Raven’s Home became an extension of That’s So Raven. I will say, I think this reboot was done right because it’s about Raven and her kids, but now even shows like Lizzie McGuire are getting rebooted. Yes, we’re all excited to see Hillary Duff back at it in the big city, but who are the target markets for these shows? Are people my age sitting down to watch them? Are families watching these shows together? Do the younger generations know or care about the original shows? High School Musical is also coming back, but this time it’s mocumentary style about the kids who actually went to east high that also do theater. At that point I’d just love to see the original cast do another movie. They really missed their opportunity for High School Musical: 10 Year Reunion if you ask me. 

I just want to know when will it all end? Are there truly no original ideas left out there anymore? Are we only able to produce TV shows based off of ones that have been off the air for years, only to bring them back? What’s next? Dharma and Greg, a modern Mork and Mindy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer??? Let’s go back to thinking of these shows fondly, and letting the good ones rest as they were. Eventually the networks will run out of shows to reboot, and the bubble will burst. 

[bethsblog-languageandnewmed-blog]

Nose Dive: Satire? Or a hint of reality...

Any fellow Black Mirror fans will instantly know what I’m talking about, but if you don’t, tonight you should head on over to Netflix and watch Black Mirror’s episode entitled “Nose Dive”, which is the first episode of the third season. Not only is the idea behind it genius and to be honest a bit haunting, it really highlights the dependency so many of us have on social media and it’s effect on how we view others, and how that dependency could lead to pretty sinister consequences.

The premise of the episode really relates to the ‘filter bubbles’ we were discussing in class, as the society featured live by a score system, in which each interaction with another person is rated generating a social score for the individual. The higher the score, the more privileged you are and are consequently treated, with those above a 4.5 experiencing the world as their oyster: being able to use express queues, hire better cars, get priority flights and even get discounted housing... all of this based on your social media score. Crazy, right?  Could this be a hint of things to come?  

Or.. maybe not so crazy. This scoring system, although not so clean-cut in our society (thank goodness) compared to the fictional one of Nose Dive, does exist to some extent - not necessarily in allowing us cheaper housing and flight perks, but in the way other people view us as individuals, our success, and our happiness based on our likes and social media presence. The importance placed on the way we represent ourselves online can sometimes lead us to lose sight of what is really important in life, and these ‘filter bubbles’ have a HUGE influence on how we view the people around us and what is successful or not.  

Cast your mind to your Instagram feed for a second. Out of the hundreds of images and videos on your screen, how many are photos of people with last nights makeup on, hungover in bed, or in their mis-matched pyjamas? How many videos are there of people doing their household chores, assignments or other boring activities? Maybe a picture of their microwave meal? How would you react if you saw a post about one of these things? Now, how many are posts about the night or weekend before, from last summers holiday, a day trip or cocktails with the girls? Think about how you’d view one of these? I’d say its a pretty uneven ratio... maybe even 1/10, and you’d almost definitely question why someone uploaded any of the posts I mentioned initially. 

That’s because no one would want people to view them like this, and, to be honest, why would they? Why show people the bad times when you can load your feed with enviable trips and outings and have your followers think you lead the perfect life? Social media influencers are one of the worst culprits for this, and create a unbelievably high standard for others to live up to, often leading people to think that their jet-setting, brand-filled, airbrushed lifestyle is their reality... 

Whether you want to admit it or not, you get sucked into this subconsciously, and you’ll see that with a quick look at your own Instagram page. I for one am definitely a culprit and this can be seen in my own Instagram feed, which looks pretty normal... until you look at the dates. That picture of me and my best friend at Reading festival? Posted in November... months after the festival. A picture posted in December of me and my housemates at our pre-drinks? Taken on a night out in September... again, months before. Just because I felt that I hadn’t posted in a while, and probably trying to keep up appearances with old school friends who are on a never-ending gap year and are currently travelling the world. 

It can be hard to escape these bubbles of a painted reality, especially due to algorithms that target your interests and likes, and even the likes of the Instagram explore page that uses these likes to provide you with MORE enviable content... thanks Instagram. Although it’s hard not to compare your life to those who seem to be constantly travelling, (or even people not travelling the world, but who are going to brunch every morning in idyllic and picturesque cafes) when you are at uni or chilling in your bedroom or in the library working on yet another assignment, remember this might be their “reality” now, but it won’t always be that way, and one day it’ll be you on that beach! Remember, they might even just be recycling pictures with the #TBT excuse.

So, what I’m trying to say is: never take anything you see on social media at face value. Everything in your artificially created filter bubble isn’t always reality and honestly, probably rarely is. We, as social media users, have a responsibility to remind ourselves of the rose-tinted glass we see the world through and ask ourselves: are you happy? If the answer is yes, who cares what people on the internet think? 

[timselgo]

A Fable About Sports and a Pandemic

Thomas was a sports junkie. When he was a kid, he couldn’t get enough of sports.  He was the kind of young boy that was described by his coaches as “he eats, sleeps, and drinks _________” (fill in the blank with football, basketball, or baseball, whichever was in season).  In summer he would golf for fun.  In winter he would bowl for fun.  He also loved to play ping pong, shoot pool, go swimming, race on the track. Thomas was a competitor.  Even board games or card games were competitions for him and since they kept score, he wanted to win!

When he grew into an adult he loved watching sports.  Attending in-person was his favorite entertainment where he would be a part of the roar of the crowd and hear the bands play to stoke his emotions.  It didn’t matter if it was high school, college, or pro sports.  The next best thing was watching sports on TV or on his mobile phone.  Sports took him away from the daily responsibilities of life and helped him, for a few hours, forget about the stresses that came with those responsibilities.  He was a part of a generation, thankfully for him, in which sports evolved from occasional entertainment to its own industry and he couldn’t get enough of it.

And then the pandemic hit. Thomas had played the board game, Pandemic, with his teenage kids.  He, of course, tried to win but it was challenging to be the player to discover the cures for all four diseases that have broken out before they wipe out huge amounts of the population.  When it occurred in real life, Thomas thought “Uh-oh, if this is anything like the board game, this is not good”!

At first, he paid scant attention to the news of the pandemic, thinking, “this can’t happen in 2020”.  And then March Madness was canceled.  That got his attention.  What were Americans going to do without bracketology!

And then all spring sports at every level were canceled.  The sports world was stunned.  How could we survive with sports?

Thomas realized that first weekend without live sports “gee, I now have to talk to my wife on the weekends”! After a few weeks of binging on several Netflix series and reruns of sporting events, he was ready for live sports again.  He kept hearing about the pandemic of 1918, the “Spanish Flu”, so he did a Google search and this was what he found,

“As the NBA prepares to resume play in its Disney World bubble and NFL and college football are planning their seasons in some form, they should visit the past to chart the future. They should start here: The 1918 World Series probably played a big role in starting a second wave of the deadly Spanish flu.

Looking at the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 is like looking in a mirror from 2020. Masks were de rigueur. In many cities, public gatherings were banned — schools, churches and businesses were shut down. Makeshift hospitals were built and filled. Sports canceled games and altered schedules. Governments suppressed news about the pandemic for political reasons.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of the world’s population was infected with the Spanish flu virus and at least 50 million people died.

And that was only half of the nightmare that the world was living then. World War I was raging simultaneously. World war and a virulent virus created the perfect storm for a pandemic, a contagious illness and a rapid means of spreading it. Millions of soldiers were sent to war around the globe, sowing the virus wherever they went.”

Again Thomas thought “uh-oh, this ain’t good”!  

As important as sports were to him, Thomas came to understand that life would go on in America without sports just fine.  He recalled seeing stats of pro leagues where there were gaps in the annual stats that said: “no contests” or “shortened season” due to a pandemic and/or a World War and sports came back stronger than ever.  

Thomas took comfort in that because of his belief that history will repeat itself and he’ll once again walk into a football stadium with his heart thumping to the marching band sounds and hear the bouncing basketballs and the squeaking of the sneakers while the pep band juices the crowd and experience the thrill of seeing that beautiful green baseball field again when he walks through the entrance.

In the meantime, Thomas the sports junkie realized he rather enjoyed his walks with the family, dinner at the dinner table with every member of the family, paying more attention to national and world news, reading more than watching “mindless” television, working at improving his spiritual life, and getting more rest due to the less “busyness” in his day.  He didn’t feel rushed to do everything every day just so he could enjoy watching sports.  

Thomas chuckled to himself as he realized: “yeah, I could live without sports”. But in his next thought, he said: “but I can’t wait until they come back to normal”!  

Editor’s note - This too shall pass folks.  Hang in there.  Wear a mask in public, wash your hands a lot, practice physical distancing, and if you aren’t feeling well, don’t go to school or work.  We’ll get through it as previous generations have.  Let’s do it better though and lessen the suffering by taking it seriously.  

[her-culture]

The Insecure Yet Incredible Black Woman

I am currently obsessed with watching and discussing the show Insecure starring Issa Rae and the Netflix film The Incredible Jessica James starring Jessica Williams because of how these women have made me more confident as an ‘insecure’ yet ‘incredible’ black woman. I wanted to break down how exactly they taught me this based on the general lessons I’ve learned from them.

Having More Open Dialogue Can Make You Less Closed Minded

There is limited light shed on how important it is for the black community to be able to express their individual imperfections without feeling as though it falls upon the shoulders of the whole race. A show like Insecure constantly has the characters evaluate themselves as they make judgements or assumptions about others.

Jessica and I are both storytellers. We write about people so much that we assume we know enough about them. Our biggest challenge is allowing people to see our more vulnerable side, since we don’t talk about it.

Both Jessica and Issa are characters which live within this bubble of determining if they are really ‘woke’ or have been missing opportunities to further expand their knowledge. I enjoyed watching both Insecure and Jessica James for the honest discussions. These works motivate me not only challenge myself to speak more honestly, but also to listen to the various truths that others may share with me.

Don’t Front About Grown Woman Struggles

A lot of my time in college has been preoccupied with figuring out what type of ‘grown’ woman I am becoming or trying to be. I don’t necessarily always feel grown, but I know that there is no way of going back to a juvenile state when adult pressures start to weigh on me. Throughout my life leading up to this, I have always wanted to be an adult mostly because I loved the idea of having more independence and being taken more seriously. As most people come to realize, being an adult is much harder than it actually looks. Most of the time, I feel the need not to complain about those struggles, since everyone is facing similar challenges with adulthood and it is just something you have to deal with.

I feel that there is a lot to be gained from being comfortable with newfound independence, but there is also a lot lost when you pretend that you are equipped to handle every problem you face on your own. Watching Issa stumble, fall and manage to pick herself up with the various experiences she has as a black woman in her mid twenties has given me hope as well as some fear of what the future of my grown woman state will look like.

While watching The Incredible Jessica James, there were small moments where I saw bits and pieces of what Jessica’s upbringing was like. I recognized her story as my own. She grew into somebody her younger self would be proud of, but that still doesn’t feel like enough. Jessica now expects more out of life. She did not realize it would take so much effort just to get to this point in her life and still not be as successful as she thought it would be. Grown women are supposed to have it all figured out, or so I used to think. Seeing Jessica and Issa figuring out what comes next in their lives encourages me not to rush trying to have mine completely figured out right now.

Don���t Be Consumed by the Fear of Intimacy

Since starting college a little more than a year ago, I have become hyper aware of and surrounded by intimacy. The idea of making not only a physical, but maybe even an emotional connection with someone in that way scares me to my core, but it is also an experience I strongly desire to have. In a society full of dating apps and impersonal ways of getting to know someone before things possibly get personal - it’s been really hard figuring out if any of this is a path I actually want to take. In all honesty, relationships and the idea of trusting another individual so deeply is not something I feel ready for at the moment. This has led me to realize that perhaps I’ll be best satisfied with quick interactions. I can invest in it more physically than emotionally, but the challenge is first getting extremely comfortable with someone. I don’t want to have to worry about there being a misunderstanding in what we need from each other at that particular moment.

It is not necessarily judgement or shame I fear, but the idea of letting these feelings that I’ve been oppressing gain more power over my life than they should. In simple terms, I would say that I’m afraid of how messy these type of experiences can be. It was so refreshing to see a character like Jessica open the film with stating her stance on her own wants, desires and boundaries. For most of the film, she executes control over the new relationship she becomes involved in, which originally was just meant to be a one night stand. She did not give into allowing her full emotions to come into play until she understood what she wanted and needed out of her next partner. Jessica took her time and I admire that,because I hate the idea of rushing any kind of connection with someone just for the sake of trying to fill a void in your life. Issa on the other hand does let her encounters get a bit carried away, and while that’s not really inspiring for me, I appreciate the fact that the show realistically depicts how simple plans can unfold into complicated actions.

Issa was also trying to fill a gap that opened after the ending of her last relationship. However, as the show progressed, she started to let those experiences define her. What I try to keep in mind after viewing both works is that it is difficult to separate your body and mind from certain interactions, so it is best to be upfront not only with the person you are sharing intimacy with, but with yourself about why you want that experience. Sometimes it will just be sheer impulsiveness that drives it, but even before that initial moment of contact, you may have enough time to assess why you want this to happen now and if you are prepared for what might come later.

Pursue the Hell Out of Your Passion

Both Issa and Jessica have showed me that without holding onto some kind of passion or goal, life more or less becomes a hard job you didn’t apply for. It was especially after watching The Incredible Jessica James that I became proud of my own persistence and drive with film and television, which mirrored Jessica’s nonstop pursuit of storytelling in the theater world.

The business of entertaining people is very fickle, so you have to want it for more than just being known for your work or becoming a public figure. Jessica James and I both want to use storytelling as a tool of communication. In the film, there are several scenes where she leads a theater program in an attempt to get young children to create their own plays and see their imaginations come to life. I’ve experienced something similar to that by leading short film workshops for young women in my community in my senior year of high school. While it will always be rewarding seeing people appreciate the work I put out there, it is a special and unique kind of accomplishment to be able to help other people get their work to come to life. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. I am at a stage in life now where I have a strong idea of where I want to be and how I plan to get there - but I know that my plans could easily be interrupted. So I have to take each moment as it comes and enjoy what they not only teach me as an artist, but as a person. A journey only stops once you are no longer moving forward.

Being Wrong Sucks More When You Can’t Admit It

Like most people I’ve encountered, I hate being wrong. It is not just the idea of failing to provide a right answer but also the fact that being seen as wrong tends to cut a bit at my confidence. Providing a valid contribution to any situation reaffirms to me that I am on the right track with something. Being aware that I did something wrong stunts me momentarily. It’s like I don’t want to participate any further out of fear that I will be on some sort of losing streak.

The character of Issa on Insecure often finds herself making seemingly wrong choices to the point that it makes her feel like nothing she does will ever be right. Issa wants to be helpful to her friends and community, but tends to put a bit too much weight on just herself. This causes her to become extremely frustrated with herself if a plan didn’t quite go well, or if anyone is unhappy with her efforts. I strongly relate to this because sometimes I feel that one of my best traits is my resourcefulness. When I am not able to fulfill this position the way I want to, I basically begin to question everything.

It was very confronting to see a character in the film The Incredible Jessica James who was able to confront Jessica about being wrong, without making her feel wrong. It was important for me to see Jessica learn how to accept and open up about being wrong, and not facing any of the consequences she feared. I’ve also seen this throughout the show Insecure, when Issa and the other characters learned that once they can acknowledge where they went wrong, they can get started on making things right - or at least work on preventing similar mistakes in the future.

A Few or a Single Good Friend is Better Than an Unreliable Squad

The main characters in Insecure and The Incredible Jessica James have a main best friend and then a sort of small social group. The relationships between the characters are very strong and relatable. Since Insecure is a show that gives more room for stronger character development, I was able to see how Issa and her best friend Molly, played by Yvonne Orji, go through a lot of turmoil in their relationship, but manage to remember that their bond is stronger than the drama they have at the moment. This has become more relevant to me lately because I’m used to being such a solitary person, and sometimes I don’t allow my friends into my little world. Friendships at the core are relatively similar no matter what age group you fall in but I see that the older people get, friends are less about how much time you spend together and more about the quality of time you spend together.

I’m still getting used to the idea of having friends I actually love so deeply because I’ve often tried to prevent myself from letting people outside of my family affect me in that way. It circles back to my fear of intimacy all around - physically, mentally and emotionally. In observing how Issa and Molly’s friendship strengthens throughout the show, I noticed that it is not just about keeping it “real” with each other. These two women also have learned that sometimes it is best to let your friend live in a fantasy for a little bit. Sometimes the way people cope with certain issues is by reimagining the problem in a way that looks better to them. It may not always be helpful to the situation, but a good friend doesn’t also need to be your therapist. That puts more pressure on them to always know how to help you and that isn’t a realistic ideal that should be apart of any friendship.

Jessica has a friend Tasha who also is pursuing a career in the theater world. Their friendship from what I could tell in the movie is centered around ambition. They both are free spirits who just want to live off their art. Tasha seems more optimistic than Jessica at times and Jessica seemed more grounded than Tasha at times. I really loved this dynamic they had because both characters could fall back and forth on each other without one feeling like they have more weight on their side.

A friendship should never be solely based on what people can take from each other, but what they can give. I do all I can to give and show my friends support and that always looks different depending on which friend that is. Oftentimes, many people may think that more friends means more supporters but in my experience, there is no real correlation there. One or a few people can show you more support than a million.

Most of my closest friends happen to be black women. I believe this is because we start off relating to each other through shared struggles and experiences. It has especially become more prominent now for me to surround myself by a supportive group of black women because we are a community which often puts ourselves last and others first.With each other, we can make each other’s well being our priority for once. This is not to say that my friendships with people of other backgrounds are not as strong, but to exemplify that women, especially those of color, need each other the most.

Blackness is Beautiful. Period

I went through various phases in my life where I had to unlearn things that I was taught by Euro-centric beauty standards. A couple of months ago, I decided that I wanted my hair to be in its natural state (with no toxic chemicals or heat inserted into it). I could’ve never imagined making that decision years ago, when I often looked at my natural hair in disgust unless it was straightened. I was mainly influenced by representation, especially seeing Issa rock a different natural hairstyle nearly every episode. This was huge to me - beyond inspirational actually. Not every black woman needs to wear natural hair, but no black woman should be ashamed of her natural hair - this is easier said than done. Something simple as watching Issa casually walk around with natural hair seemed to change my thinking overnight. Not only did she wear it everyday, she was confident in it.

There was a similar realization I had about natural hair when I watched The Incredible Jessica James for the first time. I had never looked at locks or long braids as something I desired or imagined in my own head, but seeing Jessica flaunt and wear them so effortlessly was mesmerizing. She was practically a goddess in every scene. Less than a month ago, I tried extended braids for the first time and it actually felt pretty empowering - like I had been missing out on something great. It was not only the style that looked good, but I felt good, and I had a confidence about my appearance that I hadn’t quite experienced before.

Jessica Williams, the actress who plays Jessica James is also a tall black woman standing at around six feet. This meant the world to me as well because I’m five feet and eleven inches and have always been embarrassed about my height. I still have lingering insecurities about it but seeing Jessica Williams fiercely tower over everyone without a single slouch really moved me. I have slowly started paying attention to how I sit and stand more. Issa is also considerably tall at five feet and eight inches. It’s amazing actually to see tall women, tall black women feel that they can move around in their bodies freely, in their femininity freely without any visible fear of being seen as aggressive, masculine or even undesirable. They know their worth, both as their characters and in real life.

Lastly, watching beautiful brown skin glisten on screen really takes the cake for me. It is not a secret that lighter skin is traditionally seen as more desirable. I grew up thinking that maybe my life would be better if my skin wasn’t as dark as it is. I no longer doubt the beauty of my skin, but it took me such a long time to not only say it out loud, and actually believe it. Colorism in the black community is very much a common thing, which causes low self esteem in many black people with darker skin tones. The best way to combat it has been increasing the amount of darker skinned black people on television and movies in positive roles, just like the ones Issa and Jessica are in. I couldn’t be more grateful to these women for making this content so that people like me can see it and start to feel more confident about who they are.

[jennypark-phases]

Week 5 - Future Worlds Contextual Research

Millennials - the anxious generation

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=millennial+generation+anxiety&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiryLul0I3WAhVHObwKHRKoC8IQ1QIIaygB&biw=1311&bih=739

Millennials are considered an anxious generation, and people are generally all too ready to give reasons why.

Simple explanations tend to revolve around the modern day obsession with technology. A lack of sleep is caused by watching one too many episodes of the latest binge worthy Netflix series; stress comes from an obsession with social media, which either paints the picture that everyone is out having fun but us, or has us checking how many likes our latest selfie has in the same anxious way we check how many pounds we have in the bank.

There’s no doubt both these things have caused a disenchantment with politics, which in the current climate of elections is a fair cause for anxiety. However, just like the impact of technology, this is not an issue exclusive to Millennials, and doesn’t tell the full story of Millennial anxiety.

Instead, the answer lies in the fact that anxiety comes from uncertainty, and Millennials, as an age group and a generation, have plenty to be uncertain about.

Millennials spend longer in education, in differing jobs and in gap years, than any generation before them. They also marry later. As a result they spend longer at a stage in life where employment isn’t a guarantee, lifestyles aren’t built around rigid routine, and they can’t look ahead to the future with complete certainty.

There are milestones for the typical life which we are all aware of. Getting GCSEs and A-Levels, passing the driving test, moving away from home, entering full time employment, owning a house, etc. But there’s no doubt that attitude and access towards the things that society considers to ‘settle’ us, is changing.

In reality, the abundance of opportunities available today means that doing something different to what was once the norm is nothing millennials deserve to be made feel anxious about.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/millennials-are-an-anxious-generation-and-this-is-why/

https://generationanxiety.com

Generation Y is the most anxious generation in history. With so many of us feeling constantly stressed, we believe that anxiety isn’t just a medical problem to be treated like a bacterial infection, but as a sign that something is deeply wrong with our society.

Young people today have a lot to be anxious about: we face high unemployment, insecure housing, a looming climate crisis, mounting debts, growing inequality and increasingly less support from government.

Part news, part analysis and part group counselling session to help our generation get out of bed in the morning. Generation Anxiety explores the social conditions that are making us stressed, and asks how can we work together to solve them.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2017/feb/25/anxiety-is-a-way-of-life-for-gen-y-in-an-insecure-world-is-it-any-surprise

Increasing job insecurity, housing stress, economic and income instability, and a future of climate change, environmental destruction and conflict, have turned stress – and in turn anxiety – into a way of life.

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=the+anxious+generation&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiryLul0I3WAhVHObwKHRKoC8IQ1QIIbCgC&biw=1311&bih=739

Anxiety disorders are not just medical problems. They are inherently social illnesses

Just as significant stressful events are shown to cause anxiety disorders, research suggests that this long-term stress has a similar impact. For example, research from the University of Michigan found in 2009 that stress from job insecurity is worse for your mental health than unemployment. Similar data has been found regarding housing, with research from the Swinburne-Monash Research Centre finding a strong correlation between different forms of housing insecurity and mental health problems such as anxiety. Many researchers also believe that when it comes to climate change we are undergoing “a collective anxiety that is insidious, even if we haven’t managed to connect all the dots”.

These material conditions are met with what Richard Eckersley calls a “western cultural crisis” – a breakdown of communal structures that are important for our mental wellbeing. Whether it is the commercialisation of public space or increasing working hours that reduce time for social activity, we live in a society in which we are all increasingly socially isolated and lonely, destroying one of the key mechanisms available to protect against mental anguish.

Anxiety disorders are not just medical problems. They are inherently social illnesses, ones that are becoming more of an issue as economic insecurity increases and social connections are destroyed.

“Anxiety-as-disease is treated much like an infection, as if the symptoms were a bacterium that should be eradicated.” NGO campaigns are very similar, with awareness programs, which dominate the sector, working primarily in an after-the-fact approach.

But if we really want to solve our anxiety epidemic we have to think of solutions that look at the causes of the problem, and not just the symptoms. Otherwise we face a whole generation or more plagued by this illness.

Music Festival Culture

http://liveforlivemusic.com/features/inside-the-rapidly-rising-bubble-bursting-culture-of-music-festivals/

While each festival had its own unique aesthetic, at the core, they were all the same. They provided a rare opportunity to separate from society and submerge in another world, where you could explore the simplest pleasures in life without judgment or consequence.

A decade ago, there were no smart phones or selfie sticks in the air — just hands and gravity-friendly fans seeking a better view. Social media hadn’t been invented yet. Silent disco was the only way you could describe the 3 a.m., music-less dance party at your neighbor’s campsite.

Advancements in mobile technology and the rise of social media have also played a massive role in filling out these events . Following artists and the entire music scene has never been easier, thanks to blogs (like this one) and social media platforms.

Listening to music and expanding one’s palate has become an instantaneous exercise with a few swipes and thumb punches on a smart phone standing in the way. As the artist impressions stack up, so does our desire to see them beyond the screen.

This is basically the mass commercialization of an underground culture that was already alive and well,” Browning said. “There’s no doubt (the EDM) scene has been responsible for a ton of the growth, because you’re talking about a captive audience that has a relatively large disposable amount of income and they like to come together and do drugs and that was apparent to (many successful promoters out there).”

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/around-the-world-in-60-music-festivals/

https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/four-questions-changing-nature-music-and-festivals

The technology that amplifies sound has allowed for better experiences for huge outdoor venues. You can steadily see festival sizes growing. In terms of technology, I also suspect that there are links between the ways people relate through social media, which creates bonds between fans as they document their festival experiences.

Q: How has technology impacted and influenced musicians?

A:  We're still finding out what technology is doing to the industry. In the past five years, the number of times you visit a band's Wikipedia page can tell if a band is going to break in the next year or so. For instance, about eight months before The Weeknd began to play across radio stations throughout the country, there was a huge spike of views on their Wikipedia page. And there are now firms that create analytics of data of the number of YouTube clips that are played.

Another way record labels or representatives of an artist are able to tell if an artist is going to break is through the use of Shazam (an app that identifies the media playing around you). Shazam is able to show the most "Shazamed" song in your particular area. For instance, in Tucson right now, "Guys My Age" by Hey Violet has been Shazamed more than any other song in Tucson. With this data, a record label or artist representative is able to promote the artist or their music by showing this data in the hopes of getting it released nationally.

This is very different from pre-social media and the pre-internet era, because technology creates data that the industry can use which reflects actual taste and not instinct. In the past, record executives would instinctively know this song or artist was going to be a hit. But that led to repetitive-sounding music that often was the same thing time and time again. Now we have songs and artists that sound really distinct, and that diversity is in part because it's possible for the data and technology to draw attention to people's taste.

https://thebubble.com.mt

“I am impressed by the strong focus on sustainability of The Bubble Festival; the event is a very positive occurrence which allows people to celebrate sustainable living.”

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/07/28/festivals-more-popular/

https://www.umbel.com/blog/entertainment/6-factors-driving-massive-growth-of-music-festivals/

Technology’s impact on music festivals

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-wilson/the-future-of-music-festi_b_6806904.html

t’s an amazing moment and a symbol of the new elements that technology is constantly bringing to the festival experience. Top EDM DJ Hardwell shares his thoughts on it’s role: “Technology has grown to play one of the most important roles in the festival experience. From lighting to visuals to live streams, it has added an entirely new dimension to live performances.”

TommorrowWorld is a completely cashless festival, these same wristbands lighting up the dance floor are being used for all transactions and can even sync with those around you and connect you on Facebook.

“Millennials are an experience generation, they want you to take them somewhere totally unique.” - Joe Silberzweig, SFX Entertainment

TomorrowWorld came from the massively successful TomorrowLand festival in Belgium. SFX is constantly working to extend the festival experience to those that can’t physically be there, or to those who were and want to remember it. They are famous for their festival videos, typically racking up over 100 million views on YouTube.

The result is a virtual festival experience that allows you to explore the entire festival, from the campgrounds to heart of the dancefloor. Watch stunning sunsets or see what the world looks like from the perspective of a headlining DJ. In the YouVisit office in New York, Morreale and his colleague Endri Tolka, YouVisit’s COO/CFO, shared how they wanted to take users places where no one gets to go, giving people the chance to experience something they may have never have had the chance to go to.

“It’s not just recreating the experience, it’s taking them places where no one gets to go.” - P.J. Morreale, YouVisit

When the virtual tour was released on the web, fans from all 50 states and over 100 countries engaged with it: Fans reliving the festival, others around the world seeing it for the first time. Viewable within a browser, even optimized for smartphones, the average engagement with the tour was ten minutes, which is huge. It helped build excitement for the release of 2015 tickets, of which 360,000 were sold in under an hour.

This type of digital engagement is essential as festival brands seek to remain connected with their audience throughout the entire year.

The Natural Extension

Technology is playing a huge role in creating original experiences for audiences, from Hologram performances from TuPac to 3D projections that place the performer in some kind of action movie. Millennials want to experience something unique that they can be a part of and share with the world.

https://www.umbel.com/blog/entertainment/6-factors-driving-massive-growth-of-music-festivals/

http://www.futurity.org/music-festivals-technology-1322452-2/

https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/xlive-2016-event-tech-festival-experience-ds00/

http://mashable.com/2012/04/22/smartphones-concerts/#z.H09H410qqa

http://edm.com/articles/2016/3/28/virtual-reality

Scholarly Article on the future of music festivals

http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/23073/7/eventmanagement_publishedversion.pdf

Projecting onto a custom-shape

http://vsquaredlabs.com/project/

http://id-labs.org/in-our-minds-holographic-installation/

http://projection-mapping.org/3d-360o-projection-mapped-skull-burning-man-2014/