#do you know how funky those industries are

[pheonix-inside]

I wish I was a popular streamer who could stream just about anything and still get a decent amount of views, bc then I'd play so many games. Bc the thing is to me, part of the fun of streaming is interacting with viewers. But I don't normally have viewers. So. Oof.

But I desperately wish I could have an audience and play Undertale and nerd out the whole time and have viewers enjoy it too like how Ranboo played Portal 2 that one time or something like that.

[evilminji]

Okay, you know how bird don't ACTUALLY look the way we think they do?

They are far more colorful? But only to the eyes of other birds?

And it has to do with how light reflects off them and how their eyes are shaped etc etc.?

Well..... humans can see the most shades of green, right? But! We sure as shit can't see UltaViolet and InfraRed? Or shades BEYOND those. Ectoplasmic colors. Magical ones. Third eye, need to see with your SOUL type ones.

Danny? Could very well still have lil baby "kitten's eyes who haven't open yet" syndrome.

He thinks the Zone is Green and his hair is white.

But it's not.

His hair is Starlight colored. Frost. His suit is specifically "the void between stars" colored. Which looks... different? Then black? No, no, guys. How can you guys not see it? It looks REALLY different! How did he not NOTICE before?! They're not ever CLOSE to the same shade! It's like calling salmon and hot pink the same. You know... if you were to compare an actual fish and some irradiated, violently glowing version of "hot pink".

......guys?

His gloves are.... guys, these ares stars. Pressed so close together there's no gap. His body is the night sky, all rearranged. He's wearing SPACE, guys.

*continues to stare at his gloves for the next five hours*

Now... why is this relevant? Because! Danny slowly, as all humans do, adjusts! It's like finally having glasses after years of blurry vision. He... forgets, what it was like, not NOT See Zone Colors. Not completely, mind you, but enough he has to be reminded.

And the Zone? A Realm of the Dead. Specifically, the great catch-all and highway of the Dead. They get EVERYBODY. Misfits and vagabonds. Those who don't quite fit. Funky lil dudes. And of course, assholes, but everybody has those! See, Zone colors?

Are DIFFERENT.

They're all of um!

It's like looking at the technicolor, stobe light, multi galaxies in one, Sun. Tingly(tm)!!! You get used to it. What helps? Is that as garish as the Zone is? The painting and grand tapestry of it all? Keeps changing. Like weather. If it's too much for you, you can stay inside your Lair until the current Color changes. Until the designs shift. Vibe changes.

There are even glasses for that! "Temperate" areas for people to set up, that get headaches or are just... kinda killjoys. Too each their own. Though the stormy areas? Those guys are freaks. Watch out for those guys. They're the kind who stare directly are stars until their eyes burn out.

Where was I? Oh yeah! Danny!

No longer a wee baby, smol baby, twig-o!

Sad. We miss it.

But he did get used to Seeing The Colors. Got a handle on his powers. And! Finally worked with his parents on how to safely turn the portal OFF. There was much booing. Cries of "kill joy" and "booo! You suck!". But? Like? Dude DID have the right to protect his home. Go to college. What can you do?

Problem with THAT is? Baby grew into his "built like a brick shit house of constantly running off to literally tackle the Supernatural excellence" Fenton genetics. He Tall. Muscles! And he PUMPING out "somethings fucked up with me" Vibes!

Add in his DEEPLY Sus off hand comments. Weird ability to tell when someone has or is about to die. Basic immunity to the cold. Fuckin EYE GLOW?

Ha ha... *Horror movie screams from his college dorm mates*

Clearly a demon!

He gets kicked out. Well... not kicked out. He's a model student and broken no rules. They'd never survive the lawsuit. But... he's? STRONGLY INCOURAGED to finish his education elsewhere. Repeatedly. By like... 15 colleges.

Sam is not just livid, she's actively foaming at the mouth.

Breathe, Sam! Remember what your doctor said! Your mortal body can't handle that kinda Vengance spiral! Think of your blood pressure! Breathe!!! (Were not for the laws of this land... and the weak, fleshy constraints of her mortal form!)

Thankfully? Tucker's been interning, remotely of course, with Wayne Industries. He asked his manager where he could find some of those scholarship forms. (Since Gotham University is just a touch out of Danny's price range.) Manager wanted to know why. And oh! Oh holy shit. Apparently? Danny is the hot new office gossip.

People in the main office are OUTRAGED. Danny's "too spooky"?! Too FUCKIN SPOOKY!? Are you KIDDING THEM? Even juicier, a Meta kid from some wacky ghost hunters turned scientists. From a line of Supernatural hunters. Wants to be a aeronautics engineer.

Ooooooh how SPOOKY! Better watch out! He'll design an ENGINE at yooooou!

Fuckin casuals. Non-Gothamites are WEAK. "Too scary" their collective asses. Yeah, maybe the kid SHOULD come too Gotham. He can be the weird kid. Mildly unsettling or something. His powers won't be SHIT in Gotham. Just remind him to buy a gas mask.

So! Danny gets his Scholarship! Merrily packs his bags for darker, Gothic hellscape hills. Unaware... that Constantine has been following reports of a "demon" that he's? 80% sure is a Banshee but MIGHT be a winter spirt with a shtick? For the past 13 colleges. He's getting closer. And this sucker is a strong one.

Not "this is going to cause me serious, life imperilling danger" strong. But more? "Man, that cat is HUUUUUGE". Could he still get mauled a lil? Yeah. Scratched to all hell and back? Probably! But DIE? Unlikely.

He just needs to know why the FUCK this spirit his hanging around colleges.

Which is made harder... by the fact that what HE sees? And what OTHER people see? When they look at this guy? Separate things. Yeah, he'd LOVE to give you guys a description! IF HE HAD ONE.

@the-witchhunter @hdgnj @hdgnj @spidori @babbling-babull @nerdpoe @lolottes

[animehouse-moe]

The Confusing World of Anime Credits- Delicious In Dungeon

I think it's great that Trigger always shares tweets of various keyframes from the episodes as they air, as it really helps viewers put names and ideas to the individual effort that creates these works.

However, this is more a complaint of the weird world of credits than it is praise for Trigger's transparency. They pull some funky stuff with credits, and it's confusing to a lot of people out there. Allow me to explain.

This keyframe is the sole culprit of this issue. It's hard to read because of Tumblr compression shenanigans, but the point is that it contains two names as opposed to the typical one- being split between LO and 2KA.

Typically you'll see 2nd Key Animators cleaning up work even from 1KAs, but this is different because Akihiro Sato is only credited with LO (Layout).

For those that don't know, Layout is essentially the "beginning" stage of actual animation. You put pencil to paper and work on flow and feeling more than refinement and detail.

It's just, usually, Layouts are done by first Key Animators. And that's really where the issue begins.

LO and KA are a bit of a square-rectangle conversation, where credited first Key Animators will (typically) always do Layouts, but Layout artists don't always do Key Animation.

And why is that a problem? The credits for Layout and Key Animation are (usually) never separated. In this case, Akihiro Sato's credit is with the rest of the 1KAs for the episode, despite the fact that they only did Layout.

It becomes this really confusing piece, because when you credit someone as a Key Animator, the usual assumption is that they did Layout and Key Animation. Here though, Sato has only done Layout, but will inevitably be credited as a Key Animator on various aggregate staff sites.

So finally, end rant. It's just one of those weird things that shows how the anime industry has shifted in terms of roles and responsibilities, and that ultimately transparency somewhat falls prey to tradition and standards. After all, Layouts used to be a totally separate role from KA, but now they've become one in the same (for the most part) and the credit has (typically) been removed.

[gooseprotocol]

Spice Girls interviewed by Kathy Acker in 1997 for the Guardian Weekend edition.

All Girls Together by Kathy Acker

The Spice Girls are the biggest, brashest girlie group ever to have hit the British mainstream. Kathy Acker is an avant-garde American writer and academic. They met up in New York to swap notes – on boys, girls, politics. And what they really, really want.

Fifty-second street. West Side, New York City. Hell’s Kitchen – one of those areas into which no one would once have walked unless loaded. Guns or drugs or both. But now it has been gentrified: the beautiful people have won. A man in middle-aged-rocker uniform, tight black jeans and nondescript T-shirt, lets Nigel, the photographer, and me through the studio doorway then a chipmunk-sort-of-guy in shorts, with a Buddha tattooed on one of his arms, greets us warmly. This is Muff, the band’s publicity officer. We’re about to meet the Girls … They are here to rehearse for an appearance on Saturday Night Live. Not only is this their first live TV performance, it’s also the first time they’ll be playing with what Mel C calls a “real band”. If the Girls are to have any longevity in the music industry, they will have to break into the American market and for this they will need the American media. Both the Girls and their record company believe that their appearance here tonight might do the trick.

There is a refusal among America’s music critics to take the Spice Girls seriously. The Rolling Stone review of Spice, their first album, refers to them as “attractive young things ... brought together by a manager with a marketing concept”. The main complaint, or explanation for disregard, is that they are a “manufactured band”. What can this mean in a society of McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and En Vogue? However, an email from a Spice fan mentions that, even though he loves the girls, he detects a “couple of stereotypes surrounding women in the band’s general image. The brunette is the woman every man wants to date. Perfect for an adventure on a midnight train, or to hire as your mistress-secretary. The blonde is the woman you take home to mother, whereas the redhead is the wild woman, the woman-with-lots-of-evil-powers.” So who are these Girls? And how political is their notorious “Girl Power”? Even though I have seen many of their videos and photos, as soon as I’m in front of these women, I am struck by how they look far more remarkable than I had expected, even though Mel C is trying not to look as lovely as she is. I had intended to say something else, but instead I find myself asking them: “If paradise existed, what would it look like?” Geri speaks first, and she is, I think, reprimanding me for being idealistic. “Money makes the world what it is today,” she says, almost before I have time to think about my sudden outburst, “a world infested with evil. All sorts of wars are going on at the moment. Everyone’s kind of bickering, wanting to better themselves because their next-door neighbour’s got a better lawn. That kind of thing.” “Greed,” Victoria adds. Mel C: “Instead of trying to be better than someone else, you have to try to better yourself.” In a few minutes, they are explaining to me that the Spice Girls is a type of paradise, Spice Girls is a lifestyle. “It’s community.” That’s Geri again. She and Mel B – one in a funky, antique Hawaiian shirt, the other in diaphanous yellow bell-bottoms and top – do most of the talking. Mel C, in her gym clothes, is the quietest. Geri: “We’re a community in which each one of us shines individually, without making any of the others feel insecure. We liberate each other. A community should be liberating. Nelson Mandela said that you know when someone is brilliant when having that person next to you makes you feel good.”

‘The Spicey life vibey thing’ ... The Spice Girls film the Euro 96 theme song video. Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

“Not envious,” adds her cohort, Mel B. These are the two baddest Girls. At least on the surface. I suspect otherwise. “It inspires you.” Geri again. “That is what life’s about. People should be inspiring.” I can’t keep up with these Girls. My generation, spoon-fed Marx and Hegel, thought we could change the world by altering what was out there – the political and economic configurations, all that seemed to make history. Emotions and personal – especially sexual – relationships were for girls, because girls were unimportant. Feminism changed this landscape in England, the advent of Margaret Thatcher, sad to say, changed it more. The individual self became more important than the world. To my generation, this signals the rise of selfishness for the generation of the Spice Girls, self-consideration and self-analysis are political. When the Spices say, “We’re five completely separate people,” they’re talking politically. “Like when you’re in a relationship,” Mel B takes over, “and you’re in love, you feel you’re only you when you’re with that person, so when you leave that person, you think ‘I’m not me’. That’s so wrong. It’s downhill from then on, in yourself spiritually and in your whole environment. In this band, it’s different. Each of us is just the way we are, and each of us respects that.”

“As Melanie says,” adds Geri, “each of us wants to be her own person and, without snatching anyone else’s energy, bring something creative and new and individual to the group. We’re proof this is happening. When the Spice Girls first started as a unit, we respected the qualities we found in each other that we didn’t have in ourselves. It was like, ‘Wow! That’s the Spicey life vibey thing, isn’t it?’”

Geri turns even more paradoxical: “Normally, when you get fans of groups, they want to act like you, they copy what you’re wearing, for instance. Whereas our fans, they might have pigtails and they might wear sweatclothes, but they are so individual, it’s unbelievable. When you speak to them, they’ve got so much balls! It’s like we’ve collected a whole group of our people together! It’s really, really mad. I can remember someone coming up to us and going, ‘Do you know what? I’ve just finished with my boyfriend! And you’ve given me the incentive to go ‘Fuck this!’” At this, the Spices cheer. Giving up any hope of narrative continuity, I ask the girls if they want boys. “Some of us are in relationships.” Mel B. “I live with my boyfriend. For three years now, yeah.” I tell them that I’ve never been good at balancing sexual love and work. “Of course you can. It doesn’t make me a lesser person to be in a relationship makes me a better person. Because I can still go out and . . . flirting is natural.” I’m listening to Mel B, but all I can think, at the moment, is how beautiful she is. “I can stay out all night and come in when I want. Your whole life doesn’t have to change just because you’re with somebody else.”

What man could handle all this? ... The Spice Girls at the 1997 Cannes film festival. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

“It depends on the individual,” says Geri. “I think whoever we would chose to be with should respect the way we are... and our job as well...” Mel B. “The way we are together. None of us would be interested in a man that wanted to dominate, wanted to pull you down, and wanted you to do what he wanted you to do.” I wonder what man could handle all this.

“If one of us was to go out with a dweeb of a man,” says Mel B, “he would probably feel threatened by the five of us. Because we do share things about our relationships, so it’s like a gang. Like a gang, but we’re not. We can have relationships, but they have to be on a completely different level.” Emma talks only about her mother, and Mel C is very quiet. What hides, I wonder, behind that face, which appears more delicate and intense than in her photos? Victoria, I learn later, is upset about an ex-boyfriend’s betrayal of her confidence – throughout our discussion she looks slightly upset. Several times she says that, above all, she wants privacy. Perhaps paradise is not as simple as it seems. I know that, to find out more about these Girls, I must change the subject, but instead, I just blurt out: “Let’s stop talking about boys!” “Yeah,” agree the Girls.

Do they think the Spice Girls will go on forever? And if not, what will they do after it ends? What do you really want to do? “We talked about that the other day, didn’t we?” Geri, sitting on the floor, turns around to the three girls sprawled on a black sofa. Emma, in a white from-the-Sixties dress, perches on a high chair. Their hair has been done, their faces powdered, and they’re ready for the photo.

Spice Girls: Say You’ll Be There - video

“I want to own restaurants,” Victoria takes the lead. She wears a skin-tight designer outfit, perfectly positioned Wonderbra and heels seemingly too high to walk on. Unlike the other girls, she never lets her mask break open.

“The entrepreneur,” remarks Mel B fondly. “Restaurants and art,” Victoria continues. “I’ve always liked art. Ever since I was...” She pauses. “And I’d like a nice big house, and to fill it with, you know...” “Sculptures!” Mel B. “Nude men.” That’s Mel C. All the girls are laughing. Victoria admits – and her emotions finally start to show – that’s she’s always fancied doing art. A few years ago, she and Geri were going to return to college, but they didn’t have the time. Now the others are teasing her about her shoes. I like these girls. I like being with them. “I don’t know what I want to do.” Mel C. The Spices who haven’t yet said anything are now talking. “At the moment I am completely into what I’m doing, and I find it hard to think, right now, what I want to do later on.” Mel B. “I want a big family, like the Waltons,” Emma admits. “I like taking care of people, I love kids.”

“You can look after mine.” Mel C.

Everyone’s saying something. Victoria wants to live with her sister, and maybe her brother Emma’s thinking of her mother. I’m beginning to realise how different from each other the Girls are. Mel C says she likes living alone, but wishes she were geographically closer to her family.

“Me and Geri,” pipes up Mel B, who’s rarely silent for more than a minute, “come from up north. It’s like living in a little community, isn’t it? And moving down into London, it’s like moving into the big wild world. I don’t even know my next-door neighbour, do you?”

“No,” answers Mel C. I like these girls. They’re home girls. “I’d be in a cult, or join a naturist camp or something, and just live there, like back in the Sixties in the hippy days,” Mel B is gesticulating, “where everything’s just One Love, everything’s free, and there are no set rules, where nobody judges you...” Geri tells me that she is a jack-of-all-trades. After speculating whether she might do her own TV show, or go into films, write a movie script, she announces that her model is Sylvester Stallone.

I think of Brigitte Nielsen. “I’ll tell you why.” He couldn’t get a part in Hollywood, she explains, so he wrote, directed and produced Rambo himself. “I just think that’s what it takes I always love it when the underdog comes through.”

The Girls have been in showbusiness for years. Emma started when she was three. All of the others were professional by the age of 17 or 18. I’m beginning to understand why these Girls have been picked, consciously or unconsciously, by their generation to represent that generation. Especially, but not only, the female sector. In a society still dominated by class and sexism, very few of those not born to rule, women especially, are able to make choices about their own work and lifestyle. Very few know freedom. None of the Spices, not even Victoria, was born privileged nor, as they themselves note, are they traditional beauties. Christine, a student of mine, watching them on Saturday Night Live, remarked to me: “They’re not even slick dancers or exceptional singers! They’re just the girl-next-door!”

And they are they’re just girls as more than one of them remarked to me, “We never really had a chance until this happened!” They’re the girls never heard from before this in England look, there are lots of them ones who’ve known Thatcherite, post-Thatcherite society and nothing else, and now, thanks to the glory and the strangeness of British rock-pop society, they’ve found a voice. Listen to the voices of those who didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge, or even to Sussex or to art school...

Geri: “I didn’t really know that much, you know, history, but I knew about the suffragettes. They fought. It wasn’t that long ago. They died to get a vote. The women’s vote. Bloody ass-fucking mad, do you know what I mean? You remember that and you think, fucking hell. But to get back to what Victoria was saying about us, that we never got anywhere, you know, the underdog thing. This is why I feel so passionate. We’ve been told, time and time again, you’re not pretty enough, you’re too fat, you’re too thin...” All the Spice Girls are now roaring. “...You’re not tall enough, you’re not white, you’re not black. What I passionately feel is that it is so wrong to have to fit into a role or a mould in order to succeed. What I think is fan-fucking-tastic about us now is that we are not perfect and we have made a big success of ourselves. I’m swelling with pride.” But you are babes. They all protest. “We were all individually beaten down... Collectively, we’ve got something going,” says Geri. “Individually, I don’t think we’d be that great.”

“There’s a chemistry that runs through us and gives us... where I’m bad at something, Melanie’s good, or Geri’s good at something at which the rest of us are bad,” says Victoria. Look, I say, I’m feeling stranger and stranger about these politics based on individualism. There are lots of girls who have the same backgrounds as they do, right? “Right.”

So what is holding those girls down? Keeping them from doing what they really want to do? They start to discuss this. I can hardly make out who’s saying what in the ensuing commotion. I hear “society and conditioning”; another one, Emma perhaps, is talking about being in showbiz, receiving job rejection after job rejection she’s saying how strong you have to be to keep bouncing back. Geri mentions Freud, then states that parents’ beliefs often hold back a child, parents and then the child’s reception in her school. “When you go and see a careers officer,” ponders Mel C, “and you sit down and say, ‘I want to be a spaceman’, instead of responding ‘Go study astrophysics’, they go, ‘Yeah, but what do you really want to do?’ That is so wrong. I think there should be a class in – what do you call it? – self-motivation. Self-motivation classes, self-esteem classes.”

I still feel that a bit of economic realism is missing here, but I can’t get a word in edgewise. Not in all the girl excitement. These females are angry.

“I think it all goes back to everyone wanting to feel that they’re part of an ongoing society,” Geri tries to analyse. “The humdrum nine-to-five, you know what it’s like... What do you do when you leave school? You go and get a job to have money to pay off the mortgage, you get a flat and have a nice boyfriend, pay off your bills, you go to work with your briefcase and your suit, and that’s it. That’s people’s normal, everyday thing, isn’t it? And if you branch out from that, it’s... well, ‘What does she think she’s doing?’ It’s going against the grain a bit – which not many people do. It’s not even going against the grain it’s just clinging on to the bit you want to do and thinking I’m going to do it, who cares?” The Girls, including Geri, tell me that they’ve got an American philosophy, an American dream. “But me,” says Mel B, “before I was in the band, I thought I’d like to be a preacher. I still do. Something like that. They’ve actually got this place in London which is called Speaker’s Corner. You get up on your stand there you can speak about anything. I’d like to speak about people, the emotional or mental blocks people have, especially regarding other people, things like that. That’s what the tattoo on my stomach means, ‘Spirit, Heart and Mind’, because that’s what fuels me – communication fuels me. You learn about yourself, about other people and life in general, through communication.” She says that’s she’s been writing since she was 11, writing everything down, “why the world is this shape, what would happen if everyone on earth died...”

“Stoned questions...” murmurs another Spice. “I’d love to go back to the Sixties,” Emma says in her clear voice. “I’d love that. I wouldn’t wear headbands though.” What about some of the politics of the Sixties, I ask. Malcolm X? The fight against racism? “The other day I watched The Killing Fields.” Now Geri’s doing the talking. “That was in the Sixties, Vietnam. I think it’s very healthy that there’s an element of that today. Through the media today we can see people demonstrating for human rights. In Cambodia, on the other side of the world. I think it’s brilliant when you see people standing up, when they have a voice, it kicks the system, a little bit, into touch.”

Spice Girls: Spice up Your Life - video

But what about in England today? I mention that in the US, racism is still a big issue.

Mel B and Geri start talking about racism. Geri tells me that she’s learned about racial prejudice from Mel B, who says, “The thing I find really bizarre about America and England ... You say that the racism thing is worse in America, yet if you look at television here [in NYC], they’re really scrupulous about making sure, for instance, that they have a black family in an advert. On the adverts in England, you wouldn’t find that.” Suddenly all the Spices are talking among themselves. I can’t understand anything. Then we’re on the subject of Madonna, of people who have inspired us, and Geri starts speaking about Margaret Thatcher. Why she admires her. “But we won’t go down there!” “Don’t go down there!” advise the Girls.

“We won’t go down there, but...” and Geri, who never seems to listen to reason, begins. She says that when politicians discuss the economy, they’re just talking about shifting money from one spot to another, and someone always suffers. This is the same distrust of government that so many Americans, both on the right and left – and especially among lower and working-class people – are feeling and articulating.

Mel C says softly, “We talked about suffragettes and getting the vote to women, and all that. But a lot of women don’t vote a lot of our generation doesn’t vote. I don’t. I don’t feel I should because I don’t know anything about politics ...”

“That was what I was going to say,” adds Emma. They blame the lack of political education in schools. Whether they like or dislike Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair, they distrust both the political industry and the related media. “Intellectual people chatting in bathrooms,” comments Mel B. “We are society,” exclaims Geri, “so really ...”

“... We should be running it,” Mel B finishes the statement.

“I’d like to run it for a day,” says Victoria, looking directly at me.

“But Victoria, who’s going to let you do such a job?” Geri reminds her. “The only way to go is growth,” says Mel B. “I think everyone’s turned a bit to the spiritual life.”

“You know,” interjects Victoria, “if you believe in evolution, we only use 20% of our brain ... if that. So it’s natural that we can evolve to the next level. We’ve got to, really.”

“Nowadays, people do sit down and ask themselves ‘Why am I doing this?’” Mel B continues. “They question themselves and what they’ve got around them. I know I do it, and you find your own little mission. And you fucking go for it. A lot more people are like that now.” Do they all feel like that? There’s a general quiet, then a “Yeah” all around me. I ask the Spices to describe themselves. For a moment, they’re lost for words. Victoria: “I love what I’m doing. I’m with my five best friends, and I’ve seen some great countries. I’m happy, I’m very happy. I care a lot about my family. Regarding my personality, I’m private. There are things for me to know and no one else to find out.” She hesitates. “I just accept the way I am. You have to make the most of it, make the best of yourself. I’m a bit of a fretter. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it properly. I want to do the best I can. I’m a perfectionist.”

Emma: “Me, I’m definitely a bit of a brat. I worry about what other people are feeling, that sort of thing.”

Geri: “I have quite an active mind. Quite eccentric, really. A conversationalist. I believe in fate in a big way, a very big way.” Mel B: “I’m always asking inward questions about things. I live off the vibes, I do, that people give me. If I don’t like someone then I won’t speak to them, even though something might be coming out of their mouth that I should listen to. I like to think I’m a bit of a free spirit. I don’t run by any rule book. I live on the edge a little bit. I always think, well, at least I’ll die happy today rather than worrying about it tomorrow.”

Mel C: “I’m very regimented. I really enjoy my own company, although I love being with other people.”

I’m watching the Spice Girls perform Wannabe on Saturday Night Live, but not seeing them. In my mind, I’m seeing England. When I returned there in July last year, lad culture was in full swing. Loaded was running what had once been a relatively intellectual magazine culture. Feminism, especially female intellectuals, had become extinct. “Where have all the women gone to?” I asked. Then came a twist named the Spice Girls. The Spices, though they deny it, are babes – the blonde, the redhead, the dark sultry fashion model – and they’re more. They both are and represent a voice that has too long been repressed. The voices, not really the voice, of young women and, just as important, of women not from the educated classes. It isn’t only the lads sitting behind babe culture, bless them, who think that babes or beautiful lower and lower-middle class girls are dumb. It’s also educated women who look down on girls like the Spice Girls, who think that because, for instance, girls like the Spice Girls take their clothes off, there can’t be anything “up there”.

The Spice Girls are having their cake and eating it. They have the popularity and the popular ear that an intellectual, certainly a female intellectual, almost never has in this society, and, what’s more, they have found themselves, perhaps by fluke, in the position of social and political articulation. It little matters now how the Spice Girls started – if they were a “manufactured band”.

What does this have to do with feminism? When I lived in England in the Eighties, a multitude of women, diverse and all intellectual, were continually heard from – people such as Michele Roberts, Jeanette Winterson, Sara Maitland, Jacqueline Rose, Melissa Benn. Is it also possible that the English feminism of the Eighties might have shared certain problems with the American feminism of the Seventies? English feminism, as I remember it back then, was anti-sex. And like their American counterparts, the English feminists were intellectuals, from the educated classes. There lurked the problem of elitism, and thus class.

I am speculating, but, perhaps due to Margaret Thatcher – though it is hard to attribute anything decent to her – a populist change has taken place in England. The Spice Girls, and girls like them, and the girls who like them, resemble their American counterparts in two ways: they are sexually curious, certainly pro-sex, and they do not feel that they are stupid or that they should not be heard because they did not attend the right universities. If any of this speculation is valid, then it is up to feminism to grow, to take on what the Spice Girls, and women like them, are saying, and to do what feminism has always done in England, to keep on transforming society as society is best transformed, with lightness and in joy.

[not-soup-333]

I'm Nobody's Rockstar Girlfriend (pt 1)

Hobie Brown x Fem Musician!reader Warnings: N/A Synopsis: Hobie ends up missing part of the most important gig of your career to date, and not only has it been an increasing theme, but you're getting fed up. Other Details: a little angst maybe? (happy ending tho), reader doesn't know Hobie's spider-man, use of pet names instead of y/n, established relationship, Gwen is in this but it's like Gwen in Hobie's universe so she's not a spider person, I'm assuming with earth-42 miles and other Miguel there are others of all the spider people A/N: I'm more in the metal scene than punk so wish me luck. (I am a musician tho so sorry if desc of show stuff/slang seems a little funky weird or technical.) Also, I may have accidentally gotten a little too into how much the music industry hates women a tad sorry guys. (Also if you guys want to see more please don't be afraid to send me some asks!!)

You loved Hobie Brown. Especially when he was on stage. There was something magical about being in an audience full of people and still knowing every song he sang was one that you'd heard first. Every lyric had been bounced off you before it ever made it under the stage lights. The way the light hit his dark skin always made him almost look like he was glowing. Long fingers gliding over the fretboard as he played.

You loved him even more after the performance when he made a beeline for you. Those long fingers you loved tracing designs into your hips as he asked you what you thought, the look in his eyes hoping you loved it each time.

But right now really wasn’t the time to be focusing on Hobie’s music. You were supposed to be focusing on the show you were playing tonight. As you finished checking the tuning of your guitar for the third time, you glanced out of the dingy side room you and two other bands had been shoved into. You definitely weren't looking for Hobie. Even though he'd promised he’d bring you dinner and a pep talk before the show since you’d forgotten to grab something after load-in and sound check had started. Especially when Gwen’s drum set had fallen apart halfway through her setting it up.

As your eyes scanned the large room, it was nearly packed wall to wall with people. "Be back in a minute!" You called over your shoulder to your bandmates before slamming the door behind you. (It had a habit of not closing if you didn't do it forcefully.)

Wandering the large room, you saw a lot of faces you recognized and many more you didn't. Finally after what felt like an eternity of searching you found a few of Hobie's friends standing near the far wall. Walking up, you stopped in front of the group. "Have you seen Hobie?"

One of them looked down and smiled. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

That question made you pause and glance around again. Had Hobie not invited them? You hadn’t thought about that before he’d walked up, he was usually the loudest person in the crowd during your sets. "I'm playing tonight."

"Oh! Congrats! We'll make sure to cheer for you." One of Hobie’s other friends raised his beer in agreement.

"Did Hobie not come with you then?" You felt your face heat by the question, not liking how it probably made you seem reliant on your boyfriend to them.

"Nah. He was supposed to, but then he ran off. Said he forgot something at home or something like that."

Your throat went dry with the answer and you nodded once. He didn't miss gigs. Something had to be wrong. "Oh, okay."

"I'll give him a call and let you know if I see him after the set though."

"Thanks." You mustered up as you turned away from the group. "I'll see you guys later."

As you returned backstage a few people called out a hello and you mustered up a smile before slamming the door shut behind you again and leaning against it. Gwen, looked up from her phone and saw your face, immediately turning to concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Hobie’s… god I feel stupid saying this it’s just… Hobie’s not here.” You covered your face with your hands and tried to push the tears down that were welling up in your eyes. You didn’t like feeling this way. Like your heart was about to burst out of your chest simply because your boyfriend had missed a gig. You had been a fiercely independent person your whole life until you’d met Hobie about a year ago at a basement show. From that moment you’d felt like your life had been tied to his, and suddenly it was important that he missed your show.

“Oh… it’s okay I’m sure he’ll show up. He’s not the kind of guy who’d miss a gig this big for you.”

That sat heavy in your stomach for a long moment before you felt anger rise up in your throat. “This isn’t the first time he’s missed one though, and he’s been missing them more frequently lately. I mean, I haven’t missed one.”

Gwen fell silent but placed a hand on your shoulder as you continued spiraling further and further into your thoughts. “I’m almost always there for his shows and when I’m not there it’s usually some crazy circumstance, and I always listen to his songs before he plays them on stage. I’m supportive of him all the time so where is he right now? Gwen, I will not just be some rockstar’s girlfriend. I have my own career to worry about.”

Gwen nodded and her hand slid off your shoulder. “It sounds like you need to talk to him.”

“Well, I’d love to if I knew where he was!” You shouted, kicking the door right before the headliner’s manager pulled it open. “You guys go on in five.”

Turning to grab your guitar and sling it over your shoulder, you gave your band a look and said. “Let’s go prove we’re a real fucking band yeah?”

While the rest of your band nodded in agreement, Gwen just sighed and grabbed her sticks from where they lay next to her drum pad.

Nothing but adrenaline was going through your veins as you stepped out onto the stage, the bright lights making it impossible to make out most of the crowd as per usual. Still, you noticed when halfway through your set a familiar head of wicks entered the door. That was enough for you to boil over the edge. Turning to the rest of the band after the song was over you pushed the mic you’d been near away from your mouth. “Let’s finish with the new one.”

“But you haven’t been able to finish it without messing up.” Your singer said, pushing her own mic away from her mouth for the moment. 

Knowing this was precious time wasted you shook your head. “Let’s do it.”

“Is this about Hobie?” Gwen said from over her cymbals as your singer turned back to the audience.

“No.” You lied. Well, only partially lied. You needed to prove yourself, but it was also a better closer than the one you all had settled for. And you’d gotten the riff at least once in practice without messing it up. “It’ll be fine. We're going to kick ass." You walked back to your amp and hit the pedal switching the channel for the next song and the show went on.

Your eyes, betraying you, continued to flit back to Hobie as he joined his friends and continued to watch you from the corner. You hated him right now, and the guts he had to show up late to the gig that could possibly be your break. But still his eyes met yours and the smile he gave you made the rest of the world melt away. If only for a moment. Because then you remembered you were mad at him and turned your focus back to your guitar.

By what was either talent or sheer adrenaline, it was the best show you’d ever played. At the end your fingers were sore, and one may have been beginning to crack, but it was good. Incredible even. As you stepped off the stage, breathing heavily and grinning. You saw Hobie leaning against the door to get backstage, arms folded over his chest and legs crossed.

When his eyes met yours he immediately pushed himself off of the wall and began walking to you, a grin on his face. You couldn’t decide if you wanted to kiss him or yell at him. “You were on top of it Love. That was amazing.”

“It would have been even better if you’d been here for the whole thing.” You replied without fully thinking. Well, you supposed it was going to be the latter now.

“I’m really sorry, something came up. I got here as fast as I could.” One of his hands went to your hip but you pushed past him.

“Unlike one of us here, I’m reliable and have to go help with load-out. Let’s talk about this later.”

“I ain’t the one picking a fight here Ma,” Hobie said, wrenching the door open and holding it for you. A twinge of annoyance had entered his voice which left you feeling both oddly satisfied and like a black hole had opened in the pit of your stomach. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for the whole thing but I really tried to be here.”

“Yeah well, sometimes trying just isn’t enough. I’ve never missed a gig of yours. Except that one time I was really sick but that doesn’t count. And not only that, but this is the most important gig I’ve ever had.” You laid your guitar in its case and latched it shut with more force than was likely necessary. You unclipped the ring that had the key on it from your belt loop and locked the case with such a loud click for a moment you worried that you’d broken off the end in the lock before you pulled it out and put it back on your hip. “I always do my best to support you as much as I can and I haven’t been getting that in return lately. And Hobie I may love you more than even I understand but I am not just some rockstar’s girlfriend and I’m not going to be.”

“Okay.” Hobie’s face was unreadable as he reached out and grabbed your guitar case from where it still lay on the ground. Guilt already began settling in your stomach.

“Hobie-”

“Car’s in the back yeah?” His deep brown eyes didn’t look at you as he pushed the door open and walked out behind the venue.

[aqua-dan]

Fav artist for Garth?

I have been thinking about this ask for multiple hours, and I am unsure if I can pick a true favorite because there are so many wonderful artists who have drawn Garth over the years! However, I think I built a pretty solid list of my top 5 artists for Garth (oops!), so here goes:

#1: Phil Jimenez

I have so much love for the way he draws (and writes) Garth! Of every artist out there, I feel he has the most love for drawing Garth and I can feel that care and attention to detail in all his work. I am absolutely in love with the way he draws Garth's expressions too! He allows him to have exaggerated expressions and really allow us to feel the emotions of the story through the art. He's not afraid of showing him in painful and less than idealistic moments, and allows his face to reflect that. I think it's something that a lot of current comic book artists shy away from for fear of making characters look "ugly." But Jimenez goes all in on it and still makes Garth look stunning 24/7!

#2: Ramona Fradon

Ramona Fradon was one of the co-creators of Garth, and was, in my opinion, one of the most incredible people in the comic's art industry. She sadly passed away last month at age 97, and she only just announced her retirement from art a month prior to her passing. Her influence on the industry, especially for female artists, was monumental, and her art style stood out so uniquely amongst others. I've always loved how fantastical her art is. She creates fascinating underwater creatures and has an absolutely precious way of drawing Garth. I appreciate that she made the decision to draw him looking as young as he was at the time, especially since a lot of other teen sidekicks were drawn to look older. I feel very lucky that I was able to get a piece of art from her (the first pic in this section!) around the time of her passing. I will treasure it forever!

#3: Nick Cardy

There is something so charming about the way that Nick Cardy draws Garth! There's a simplicity and retro feeling to it that comes off as so fun! I don't know exactly what it is about his art, but it always makes me smile!

4: Mark Buckingham

Buckingham's style is like if "stretch and squash animation" was a static art style, and I LOVE it. It looks so funky and bouncy and expressive! It's one of those styles that I don't think everyone loves, but it really works for me and makes the comics extremely enjoyable to read for the art alone! It's not super polished and has some rough edge qualities, but that's precisely why I like it!

5: Lucas Meyer

Meyer is a newcomer in the scene of comics, but WOW! I am not immune to how gorgeous his art style is. I'm so happy that he's been named the ongoing artist for the current series! (Even if I can't get good writing, I'll at least take the nice art!) I think his style is so clean and pretty. I do wish that he went more "all-in" on expressions sometimes, as I do feel that his characters all look slightly generically pretty and don't emote particularly much. That said, the art is undeniably gorgeous, and he's already skyrocketed himself up onto my personal favorites list despite only starting with DC in 2022.

I do have a few honorable mentions as well, which include: Ivan Reis and George Perez.

There have been plenty of artists who did a great job, but these are my personal favorites! Thank you so much for the ask!

[phantom-fleetways]

oh for your cotl au

do you have info on any other characters?

im really interested! especially about what kind of peole he gets to join

I'm so sorry it took so long for me to answer this. Originally I was gonna respond with some nice and well polished digital art. But seeing as I can't seem to find a sense of motivation to draw but I CAN to write, I shall explain more below the cut!

I know I know, I answer a lot of stuff below a cut. This is for my sake frankly. Especially since no answer I give will be short.

So: Silver's Cult!

Frankly speaking, the building of his cult is hard. Especially when his very first crusade (and escape from Infinite's Domain) is sort of a bust when it comes to finding sacrifices.

Infinite's Domain, Rubyharth, is a vast desert torn to sunder by war. The Bishop who rules over is our funky little jackal man. And while he sends his Phantoms to hunt and kill off Silver who just... Resurrected himself (or at least appeared to). Silver stumbles onto his VERY first friend in all of this mess.

Mighty!

(look I know the art doesn't look great, just bare with me. This is the best you're getting for some of them.)

Mighty the Armadillo is a kind soul and former bearer of the Red Crown. He helps direct Silver out of Rubyharth and into the safety of a mysterious portal inside of a patchwork of temple ruins. On their way to this way out, Silver stumbles (a bit literally unfortunately) onto a young bee child.

Charmy!

Now... I'm not going to lie. Silver's original reaction to finding Charmy was to... Avoid. Not because the child was secretly a phantom or something stupid. Merely... Silver (reasonably so) felt a bit off about indoctrinating a literal child. But, Mighty urged him to bring the young child with them so that Silver could have an easy ticket for more suitable followers.

And this... Is how it is for a few weeks once they escape Rubyharth. Ending up in a nice grove seemingly leagues away from the harsh desert sun, yet not too far away from a nearby river. It's just Silver, Mighty, and Charmy.

Despite Charmy's age, Silver does task him with "chores" around the commune. Mostly on making simple and safe meals or keeping his sleeping quarters safe. Mighty helps with the more labor intensive stuff. Despite being blinded in one eye and lacking depth Perception, Mighty is *very* handy with an axe.

Later on though, when Silver starts to actually crusade and gather more followers. He learns to be picky. Only taking in those he seems fit to follow him and learn of his god.

Outside of Charmy, Silver only takes in full-fledged adults. Gathering about 6 people before Mighty decides to take his leave.

All 6 are just going to be a grab bag of whoever I want. So they aren't set in stone. But all the people Silver is inclined to bring into his fold are people who have these traits:

Naturally Obedient

Faithful

Zealous

Gullible

Industrious

Hedonist

Although, if a follower requests it, he will bring in those who lack any of these traits. (Silver dislikes this, but he'll do anything to keep Mephiles happy.)

Of course, a trait he hammers into his followers is belief in sacrifice and the belief that the good die young. Mostly since, Silver is just a bit weird and doesn't wish to send Mephiles any followers who are too old to serve him.

Over all! Silver's Cult is well behaved. Very obedient too! Oh and Charmy is definitely Silver's first disciple. When he's an adult of course, since it would be weird to make a kid a disciple.

[blackownersseekingsuccess]

The Resurgence of Cult Jam: Why Their Comeback Is Worth Celebrating

by Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

Step back in time with me to the 1980s, when New York City's art scene was bursting with vibrancy and color. From the underground Hip Hop culture to the iconic Paradise Garage and Funhouse, the city was a haven for creatives of all kinds. Whether you were into New Wave, CBGB's Punk Rock, Graffiti art, or Breakdancing in Times Square, NYC was the place to be.

Amid all this creative energy emerged the musical group that would take the city by storm: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam featuring Full Force. "I Wonder If I Take You Home" sold out in record stores as the soulful voice of Lisa Velez and the group's unique sound made them an instant success.

But with fame came a price, and it was a steep one. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Michael Hughes, one of the founding members of Cult Jam, and discuss the challenges that come with success in the music industry. From the highs of topping the pop, R&B, and dance charts to the struggles of navigating the industry's demands, We spoke in-depth regarding the price of fame. I was fortunate enough to have musician Michael Hughes share his insights on making it in the music business in the 1980s and today

Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.: How are you, Mr. Mike Hughes? You came out of a very vibrant art scene in NYC that pretty much centered around “you had to be there to understand” How would you describe those days in the early 1980's on W. 26th Street in NYC at the Funhouse? 

Michael Hughes: At that time in New York City, at that age was phenomenal. Music and dance were so experimental then. We had such a great variety of music. Not just House music, R&B, or just Funk and Disco if it had a great rhythm or said something special, it got played; mixed crowds, straight or gay, we danced all night. 

LWC: Back in those days you had innovators like Keith Haring, Basquiat, Jellybean Benitez, Madonna, Africa Bambata, Shep Pettibone, Mister Magic, Funky Four Plus One More, and on and on and on; even Sade once worked at the Danceteria what was it about that period in a time in which none of the useful tools that young people now have easily at their disposal is made available; but yet so much creativity came out of that scene of music artist, graffiti artist, makeup artist, DJ, dancers, etc.?

MH: When you appreciate and respect all that came before you. And feed on the creativity of those around you. It's impossible for the seeds of growth not to enter your soul.

LWC: Cult Jam was the first Street/Urban act that came out of Columbia Records which is now Sony take me through that from A&R to executive decisions it was apparent that they were jumping on a bandwagon by opening the door to an act that had street-cred yet were still musically accomplished to be a gateway for the Hip-Hop that followed once you guys opened the door with two #1 smash hits on the Pop charts Head To Toe which also topped R&B and Dance Charts as well, and Lost In Emotions which to me aged better than Head To Toe and that music video was amazing; especially given the time of cheap urban videos. What was your take on that?

MH: Cult Jam came out following in the footsteps of groups like "Secret Weapon ", Unlimited Touch, GQ, and Shannon; other groups and artists came behind us continuing the music flow. Labels and the so-called powers that like to put music in boxes/categories so they can control what they usually don't even understand. 

LWC: CBS/Columbia Records {note: CBS/Columbia records is now SONY} did a poor job promoting the group the name was too long ‘Lisa, Lisa & Cult Jam featuring Full Force’ I feel it was a marketing strategy that was also being used with Miami Sound Machine to breakup the act and create a solo space for Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez) do you agree? 

MH: The add-on to our name ‘Cult Jam’ was merely a shot in the dark at marketing something catchy. You never really know about that stuff. We used to say what's in a name. It's a stupid name until you have a hit.

LWC: How has the music industry changed since those early years? 

MH: The industry is different now, but what remains the same is money makes promotion make success. 

LWC: Do you guys, Cult Jam {note: founding member drummer/keyboardist Michael (Cultjam)Hughes, guitarist/bassist Alex (Spanador) Mosely, and their latest female vocalist/soultress, Long Island native Mystina Sol} feel more empowered today, or was the industry machine better than the social media and internet freedoms of today?

MH: We as a lot of indie artists are empowered. We can create something we love 100% with no interference or someone looking over our shoulder. Those creations can feel like your children. But the company machine can be very helpful. There is a give and take in every situation. Life is full of compromise. 

LWC: Talk a bit about where you are now and Cult Jam in its current form and describe your music genre. Are you still under the umbrella of Hip Hop and freestyle? What is the evolution?

MH: Cult Jam music can be best described then and now as feel-good-good. You dance and sing we supply the ambiance.

LWC: I represent a Black Literature space as well as a college student base that often is unaware of music beyond the same mainstream artist that’s constantly being streamed if there was one song of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam to introduce them to your music what would that one song be?

MH: I wonder if I take you home our first puts you into the feel of what comes in the colors of Cult Jam. Celebrate what love can do from our current creations and keep that sexy feel essence. 

LWC: So now my question is how would you introduce someone unfamiliar with your previous music to who you are as Cult Jam today?

MH: Seeing Cult Jam live has always been what represents us best. We were a touring band from day one.

LWC: Thank you so much for speaking with our audience today. You are a boss.

MH: Much love and appreciation - Mike "Cult Jam" Hughes. 

*New Music* Holding Back The Years - Cult Jam / 2024

Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

Editor, BOSS NYC

[a-suspicious-lack-of-bagel]

I've been thinking about old railway uniforms, and come to the conclusion that the textiles could be INTERESTING in a steampunk world.

If steam power is widespread and commonplace, that means that there's going to be plenty of steam piping and/or boilers around. A lot of it would probably be insulated for safety and efficiency, but that still probably means that a significant part of the population has to work around HOT steam-powered equipment fairly often. I don't think that EVERYONE would necessarily be going around in protective double denim, but I think there'd just be less demand for fabrics with worse heat resistance.

That probably means that textile innovation wouldn't focus so hard on inventing New materials; but rather on improving natural fabrics. With a focus on mechanical innovation, I think your steampunk inventor would have an ENORMOUS array of linkages available to them - for converting a continuous mechanical input to various complicated and adjustable movement patterns. I think that having a lot more workers in hot environments would also lead to wide-spread use of mechanical refrigeration.

I've seen a few videos of industrial fabric-handling machines - they seem to have a Lot spiky metal fingers making repetitive movements. I think a steampunk world would be GREAT at making those little fingers do different, interesting patterns of movement! I recently saw a Matt Parker video about a continuous lattice of 7 different directions of pencil, and there was a cool animation of its cross-section. Imagine the funky patterns you could weave with thread going in more than 2 directions - either coplanar with eachother or in 3d space. All the cool decorative patterns woodworkers can do with plywood and veneer - imagine that with thread!

One of the reasons that a lot of tradespeople wore denim was because the pattern of the fabric obscured oil and grease stains. Could you achieve the same effect with the above funky patterns if they were dense enough? SO many workwear fashion options. And if you've got hot steam on tap as well as decent refrigeration - heat treatment would be easy to incorporate. What sort of interesting features would they be heat-setting into their clothes?

And if you want to build any sort of articulated machine/robot with steam as the power source; you need something to carry that steam - a flexible, high-pressure, heat resistant pipe. That sounds like a braided hose to me - and if you're using more colourful metals than stainless steel, your steam plumbing could get COLOURFUL! You know how we have braided hoses with a red or blue strand for hot or cold water? JUST IMAGINE the industry standard colour coding schemes for different temperatures, pressures, and phases of various fluids they could have!

Colour coded flexible pressure hose reminds me of an electrical system - I wonder how a steampunk world would do mechanical calculation? Did someone say Convoluted Fluid Based Computers?? With advances in textiles, hoses, and ropes - surely at some point they'd invent wire or fibre-wrapped pressure vessels! (Just think what they'd do with carbon fibre!) A society with (admittedly probably building-sized) computers that's used to dealing with high-pressure fluids - SURELY they'd invent jet propulsion? Perhaps not for rockets or aircraft - imagine pressure-jet steampunk ships, submarines even.

Actually where I can see modern-ish chemical rocketry in a steampunk world is in miniature steam generators - either HO bipropellant (your choice of liquid or gaseous) or peroxide monopropellant. A vigorous chemical reaction with hot, fast H2O as the product - sounds like a (rather explosive) portable power source.

Anyways, TLDR i'd LOVE to see what technological innovations a steampunk world would have. What paths they'd go down for research.

[hestiashand]

Drop those team taka head cannons

omg i adore team taka altho i feel i don’t even have the most particularly interesting headcanons for them LOL a lot of them will be design headcanons bc thats what i normally think of as an artist hehee uhm.. i’ll start with suigetsu bc i love suigetsuuuuu

for suigetsu as shown in my drawing of him from today i like the thought of him dying the tips of his hair blue….. the way the anime shades his hair is far too cool to accept it’s shading and not act like those are dyed tips….

[ ID: two screenshots of suigetsu. END ID. ]

like cmonnnnn the blue tips are the coolest thing in the world. it is NOT shading TO ME ☝️☝️☝️☝️ also i didn’t draw this in my recent suigetsu bc i forgot when i was drawing it 😢😢 but i do imagine he has scabs on his lips and around his mouth often from accidentally biting his lip T.T sometimes i bite too hard and draw blood i can only imagine having sharp teeth and doing that T.T also he wears smudged eyeliner. uh this ones maybe kinda obvious but to me he doesn’t have much of a sense of boundaries and doesn’t have much shame in his body so T.T being his roommate would be a constant battle to make sure he walks around the apartment in *some* clothes. like by everything holy just *something*

this one is absolutely not based at all but it’s my brain and i can do to jūgo as i please with it ☝️☝️ and i like to imagine jūgo likes to wear accessories on his head a lot. like hair clips, hats, maybe he starts growing it out a bit more and ties parts of it up. it catches little birdies attentions more too which he enjoys and is a bonus other than it just being cute to me. to me he’s also the friend that carries around a big bag to hold everyones shit in when they get tired of carrying their own stuff. like yeah man just toss it in… it adds nothing i already have anything you could imagine in here anyways. y’know y’know. most of my jūgo headcanons are not based at all ajksjsjss i’m sorry but i also like to imagine he might pick up smth like woodworking/carving maybee knitting/crotchet (but i lean most towards wood carving) to keep himself distracted and occupied. less likely to have episodes and intrusive thoughts for him. obviously doesn’t stop everything but it helps the tiniest but plus it’s fun :) i think if he were to do carvings and stuff he’d give like a few to his friends if it was smth they specifically liked but i think he kinda likes and prefers to just leave them around, to either be lost to time or be found by someone else! i think he has lots of scars on his hands and knuckles— between the wood carving and his rampages i think his hands take quite the damage. and y’all know i like scars so i ignore any jutsu that may deter scar creation so to me he defo gets scars. except suigetsu’s jutsu actually.. i dont think suigetsu gets scars at all.

i like to imagine karin with a bunch of neat kind of earrings. anything fun/funky. also she has one industrial piercing too to me.. sasuke has two of them but karin had one before she knew sasuke did 😭😭 just a coincidence she swears she swearssss. this one would like.. technically be canon anyways in the first half but bc of all the bite marks she has n stuff her skin would be suuuper bumpy… i think she probably doesn’t like people touching her cause strangers/non team taka end up commenting on how gross it is T.T she prolly wears long sleeves as much as she can. which i rlly don’t know much about boruto but i think long sleeves in that one is canon too. i like to work with out of canon clothings so even then if i end up starting a karin fashion board it would have strictly long sleeve outfits in it. also i like to imagine her with some vocal tics. i dont imagine her with tourettes but just a small tic disorder. i think she mostly does like clicking sounds and hums… not any words or anything :) also i feel like her eyesight is just constantly getting worse and worse. i imagine she’s legally blind but still it gets worse. when she’s older like maybe her 50s or 60s she goes blind and just relies on only sensing ppls chakra to know who’s around w/o asking. i mean she heavily relies on that anyways even when she does have eyesight.. i like to just think she uses it a lot instead of straining her eyes when her prescription starts changing.

uhm and for sasuke some more team taka centred headcanons instead of just some hcs in general… i mean i’ll just state the obvious here because soooo many ppl tend to ignore this but. team taka are sasukes best friends…. not the rest of the konoha 12… so jot that one down. i feel like even when they branch off and do their own thing (again idk anything about boruto none of that is canon to me akshjshsjsjs so don’t be like “uhmm well actually 🤓🤓”) they like to keep in contact. even if not often they’ll send messages. i like to think if they’re aware they’re gonna end up being somewhere near-ish the others they’ll all go out of their way to pay a visit. uh also i DONT think this actually happened like it’s not a headcanon of mine but i do think the thought of suigetsu being sasukes first (very short term) bf is a funny thought…. it does not last tho cause anytime they’re tryna talk about sweet things and their thoughts sasuke just talks about naruto T.T again i dont actually headcanon that happening but it is a funny thought to me… uhm also i don’t particularly think there’s a moment in which this would end up happening but i do think that out of all of team taka sasuke trusts jūgo the most to just… have a personal conversation with. like he doesn’t go out of his way to ever talk about personal shit with him, but i think if a situation were to come up in which he had to/felt like he needed to i think jūgo would be the one he’d go to c:

most importantly no matter how much they do argue with each other team taka does all love eachother.. and they certainly stay friends for life. even if they don’t talk much i think they will all always consider them a group of friends that they can just send messages to without the thought of it being strange after it being so long. it doesn’t even have to be some kind of important message either. just a little random message whenever they think of it.

[ultimate-msleading-simp]

Maniac Ramblings of an Antimai Enjoyer

Hi hihHhii okay so. I (one of the ops of this account) did a sin called going on Twitter and doom scrolled for around 3 hours because I didn’t want to do my essay in like December last year. I have been seething for a month now with the Twitter’s cruelness to Antimai so I am now going to crucify myself in the name of Antimai. Or… here is my opinion/review of Antimai. BY NO MEANS IS THIS AN OFFICAL REVIEW!! (it's also barely peer read, it really is ramblings)

Basic rankings:

C - LoTown.

B - Poverty, Industry, Luxury and Nature.

A - Middle Class and Patrol.

S- Tower. 

The whole album opinion

Love this album. I’m one of the newbies to The Dear Hunter, so this was the first full album I listened to (maybe Act V first? I don’t remember). I thought it was incredibly groovy and I love the concert/brass instruments when done correctly - which it definitely was here! I love a mixture of genres, pace and themes in music too, Antimai hitting all of those boxes very nicely. One of my favourite things to think about for this album is the pronoun usage, but that is because I’m incredibly excited for Sunya and like to look to see what narrative could be transferred over to the next album. My overall rating? Like 9/10, I would never do my dishes without Antimai. It only loses one point because I can never escape Patrol. 

Ring 8 - Poverty 

Preface for all the other songs, Imma say they all SLAP me real good, love them, 10/10. Poverty, while I don’t find any absolute melting love for the lyrics alone, the way they are set up is honestly brain melting. I highly enjoy how the song flows, especially the chorus with the instrumental, some gnarly music mixin’ there and I tip the hat to the funny dear men for that one. The music alone however, is something to appreciate fully. I always thought the tone of the music did not match the tone of the lyrics and that was odd to me - am I mad about it? No :). I love how jazzy and involuntarily dancy the music is and I can’t help but do a lil boogie… even if I’m on the edge of a mental breakdown from having to read my fourth short story in 3 days!

Ring 7 - Industry 

Pretty whacky boy here. It gives a good idea of how important technology is to Antimai though - since there is a whole ring dedicated to industrial business. I am incredibly neutral on the actual sound of this song? I can say I do enjoy it when I listen to it, but I don’t always pull an experience from it like I do with some of the other tracks on this album. One thing I always remember is how much I love the delivery of the line “you were up in the pantheon,” it brings me joy and I don’t know why, let me live in brain rot I beg. This song lore wise is very important for setting up the rest of the album. Middle class, Patrol and Luxury wouldn’t have the same level of understanding if we lacked Industry. In conclusion on this one since my thoughts on it is clearly a disorganised mess, I think it has a very nice sound to it, still down to get funky with the sound and it’s a doormat for the rest of the album to welcome you in. 

Ring 6 - LoTown  

My least favourite out of the whole album. Doesn’t mean I hate it, just kinda?? Wow?? Farm people?? Epic?? Slammin trumpets though and the held note at the end is executed immaculately. I am obviously a biassed person and I’ll admit I have a slight bias against slower songs - that could be why it is marked so low in my mind. One kudo I will give to this song is the build-up and release between verses-chorus, always makes a song so much more enjoyable when some dynamic spice is added.

Ring 5 - Middle Class

I love this song to death, I have one gripe with it. It scares the ever living shit out of me whenever it randomly comes on when I have shuffle on. This song is a fresh ass gold mine when it comes to analysing lyrics. Almost all of the lyrics in this song have double meanings and important shards of lore that we need to put together to truly uncover what Antimai is. For literal, in world meanings, the Middle Class lets us see into the culture of Antimai directly; we get insight on how the religion functions in practice, the exploitation of it and the labour of all the people below Ring 5. For the double meaning and reflection on the real world, it can apply to a lot of the middle class people who are living in some form of comfortable privilege. The music to the song is also just a full jam session so it’s always a funky little time when that part comes around, love the grooves!!

Ring 4 - Patrol 

If I could meet God face to face, full eye contact I would ask one thing only. To be freed of the beginning riff of this accursed song. I could be in full meltdown sobbing time and this stupid song comes on and I feel the scraps of amusement I can muster taking over my body in the form of the happiest disappointment. Most people feel it is a very “slap you in the face” type of song. The lyrical meanings are literally thrown at your feet, and it’s not much of a analytical exercise in regards to theme, but I forgive it because I feel as though I’m in a 80s-90s mall and the damn mall cop is following me around because I have the audacity to wear a backpack into Winners or something. The song does however finally introduce one of the biggest themes of Antimai - which is p o w e r !!!! and subsequently, the power of power (in regards to corruption). I think using an officer going down this path as the literary tool to display this is a smart move - especially in the language switch between choruses. While this individual has gained power, they also lost their identity, only referring to themself as “we” towards the end. Great song, love that stupid melody even if it does haunt me when I’m trying to focus in my grown up college classes.  

Ring 3 - Luxury 

The absolute unit of this song. The power it holds in single handedly parting this fandom like its the red sea. I am on the side of … it’s alright? I can slightly agree with a lot of the people not enjoying the first part of luxury (Hall of the Guides?? I guess?). I however, think a fast paced, word vomiting verse is very fitting for the people Casey is trying to show us. These people (more like… gross “not snails or robots” things)... are horrible, they have no regard for the safety of the people below them. A rap is perfect for a type of meeting between people who plan to dilute themselves further into a greedy madness - any other type of genre would feel too slow or soft. To me the chorus of the first part also slaps hard and I wanna boogie to it. The second part is where things look up in my opinion. I love the smoothness that contrasts the first part - while still egotistical and straight discriminatory towards the lower classes, it presents itself differently; The way the lyrics are sung almost remind me of how the lyrics in Tower seem to flow into each other. Personally I have not analysed The Cream of the Crop too much lyrically, I just really love that one small part just before the outro cha-cha slide like imposter… I can’t help but feel like I have my head out of a window, moving at rapid speeds and going somewhere!! Where?? IDK!! The lyrics tell me not to!! (Add-on, also interesting at the use of very aggressive cussing?? The dear boys don’t use that language too often in the music, so it’s a little important to show how these not snail or robot things just really suck ass.)    

Ring 2 - Nature

oooOOoohoh talking treeesssss,,.,. I do love this song though. It is short and sweet compared to the unit of the last song, but it tells the story it needs to tell. This one I’m focusing more on the tone of music and the thematic importance of this song. Nature definitely really fits the theme it laid down for itself. The music feels like I’m in a forest or some prairie type setting and a feeling of belonging and harmony (especially at the beginning), it’s just a cozy song! The theme is the key importance to this song however, explaining the nature of humans and how we exploit resources for unjustified reasons. I argue this song is very peaceful for the most part, but I swear this song hosts the most menacing line to ever exist. The outro is very well done, but the lyrics and how they are sung feels definitely like there is a horrible, ominous presence above them - and it will hurt you. IT IS NOT NO WORRIES AND THERE IS NO LAUGHTER. Considering what bitch we’re about to be introduced to, I say it’s a good vibe to end it on.  

Ring 1 - Tower

So when I first listened to Tower on July like… fourth, I have been consumed. My immediate impression was that this lil rich kid singing to me right now was trying to be a Regina George wannabe and writing his unchecked power high in his dream diary with a pink gel pen with a fuzzy pom-pom on the end of the pen, probably owns some rare monster high collectable dolls or something. I am incredibly biassed when it comes to loving this song - I am weak in the knees to queer coded villains and this man was oozing and dripping LGBTQIA+ vibes - while simultaneously seeming like the biggest homophobe ever - I beg of you to relisten to Tower with the lens of queer, no one says power like that who isn’t into BDSM. Moving on past bashing the emperor of Antimai viciously, the song itself is important thematically - as well as the way the song sounds. Tower is already a song built off of an important motif from The Indigo Child - which already makes me think we have an argument behind the abuse of religion and the abandoning (?? in some places ??) of religion (in some people) back to either this current Emperor or others before him (I am referencing verse 3 mostly). I also see this song as a slight foil to other songs, as mentioned in a review done by another person (James Fenny) It has a very different sound than the rest of them. The other songs use brass and concert instruments as the main sound, while Tower is almost solely based in synths - excluding the outro. It could not be important to any overall story, but I do think that fact is quite neat and it makes me love Tower a little more… it stands out musically and literally.

[incarnateirony]

Okay so, you guys know I went from some pretty recent highs to a series of unfortunate lows as disability onset. But as I see the finish line clear as day, and things actually getting REAL GOOD HERE SOON, I really got no choice to ride it instead of stress--and I've been laughing.

So enjoy the story of:

"Man, you guys think autistic executive function is bad? Let's try Autistic Executive Function With Effectual Narcoleptic Disorder.", which I'm actually now laughing at myself the last few months.

Because god DAMN is it debilitating to pass out all the time.

So anyway, some months back, monnnnths back I got REAL sick. It used up most of my PTO. Afterward, I started passing out, which they wanted separate notes for, for any kind of leave. But I have my funky medical history and my clinic was backed up and by the time I got in, it was too late basically. I mean doc has on file I'm basically screwed, so there was that. Weird silver lining but okay.

My bosses were great, apologized, said if I ever felt I could do the old 9-5 style again they'd take me back in a heartbeat rehire policy be damned, but that was a pretty big limiter. And like that, poof--my insurance, including my disability insurance I was trying to file for at the same time which would pay me about 1200/mo forever even BEFORE federal SS--boom, gone.

So at this point, you're probably like, wow, I'd be panicking. But really I was too tired from falling asleep over and over through the day to care? I was like. well i have some savings and I can pull my peasly lil one year 401k i'm good.

So at this point it's like early november. You know you're an industrious person and can make this work. You got time, and a variety of side income options. And. You fall asleep. And--you know you're an industrious person and-- you fall asleep.

Yo okay this rebooting shit is getting wild. Is today tomorrow new zealand? Wait, what day is it. Oh shit how did I lose a week?

So around then it's like. Mid November suddenly. You're not sure when that happened somewhere in the last 100 times you passed out but it sure the fuck did. In that time you've been getting up to do various processes that need done. Like dishes. Or trash. Or posting online. Or stuff. But there was zero concept of time much less ability to prioritize by it. THINGS WERE ACCOMPLISHED SUCCESSFULLY, BUT NOT NECESSARILY AS NEEDED.

So in this time you're like, trying to fill out paperwork and shit, like disability and all that good stuff. Only this also falls in the various miscellaneous life tasks pile, complete with passing out a few times at processes like 'get a copy of id' or whatever. So somehow this only gets in at like. End of month. But now it's holidays anyway so god knows ain't nobody opening it until today when I'm making this post, if I'm lucky.

So. Like. Somehow you just had to pay out not just October and November, but December from those spare funds and you realized, wait. When's the last time I paid my FUCKING utilities. FUCK. FUCK I DIDN'T PUT THAT ON MY LIST.

Even while I was working, I realized my passing out schedule; what I didn't think about was why it was a passing out schedule. I spent months, these many months, fighting it. Like, maybe if I try this diet thing or cutting coffee or doing whatever, I can do... something. It has to be something I can adjust. But no.

And some point around early december I got an insomnia bit, it shifted my schedule half a day, and I slept through what I can only call peak passout period. And yeah I woke up groggy like mornings and took a while to get moving but... I really only passed out like once in a few weeks, and that was while figuring out this could, in fact, be a schedule.

But you know. That's in a few weeks. So basically, Merry Christmas, go you, you figured out How To Fucking Function Again.

So this last week has been primarily that, and I've even scouted out a WFH job that might suit even these limitations, though still letting other things pend. I got stressed from the roomies being late on shit and went full middle class suburban housewife in panic for a second there. And yeah I'm in the red bad this month, but I can just post another garage sale in the basement if I really gotta push just enough to hop ahead.

For what it's worth, the doctor literally put on file that he can't figure out what's causing it, just that it's clearly debilitating. But my health is so complicated the simplest thing demands minimum 12 blood panels because, for most people, it's usually X thing, but for me, it could be 100 things, something he's literally said. He has to treat me like an episode of House whenever I come in, only instead of being an asshole, he's quirky and gay.

not all doctors get a zebra in their lifetime, but the ones that recognize they ARE there instead of regular ol horses tend to end up REAL keen docs.

But that said, that IS why I pushed my patreon and stuff a bit this month, to help bridge the gap if you will, but I brought myself down like. Nono, LET them bring this to court, this will go so bad for them. I show up with my 1700 receipts from THEIR negligence they've been dodging and they come at me over being a few weeks late once like their weird autotrigger threat emails. Nawwww. open that can, assholes. So I'm good. Got what I need for the second, and know over the next week I got enough liquid cash coming in to do whatever it is i need to do.

So now that I'm sitting here realizing I'm 100x better than good just Not Right This Second, but finally in relative mastery of my schedule as long as I stop trying to conform, I can't help but look back at the lunacy of the last 3 months.

Like sure, in life I was always more nightowl aligned. But I could snap into Adult(TM) schedule. With the random passouts, I couldn't. I literally couldn't. And for some reason the heat of them came pretty much during normal 9-5 work hours. Then, duh, I decide to sleep through the worst period of my flares after a few months instead of Trying To Make It Work, and omg, I'm mostly functional.

Who woulda thunk if I didn't spend all my spoons fighting my body just to fit Normie Shit, I'd be able to hold coherent days.

That's where I've been since the holidays roughly, though the last week is realizing I HAVE finally found a tempo that works for more than a few days, this is NOT a temporary resolution. Now it's just working in those constraints.

But what a wild timeless dream ride like October through December were, jesus christ. Goddamn groundhog day. I feel you, Sam, I feel you buddy.

For what it's worth, finding that schedule has you know, given time meaning, instead of floating through Just Being In The Cosmos But Somehow Paying Rent In It or whatever that was for a season there. Jesus christ.

Literally none of it was lack of effort. The effort was there, it was just in a million tasks I could never finish before passing out again. Or at least not in the necessary order. WILD shit to experience.

[musicarenagh]

The Creative Process of Richard Berger: Insights into 'Retrovert' Now I am really excited to introduce you Richard Berger an amazing artist based on LA. His latest album Retrovert is really a perfect piece of work – the combination of deep and inspiring lyrics, melodies on the guitar, spacey synths, and fat grooves is great, and it just makes you want to bob your head to the beat. Songs like “Another One” and “Ignore Me” are simply those songs that would make your ears happy. Richard, especially, has this funky rhythmic flair and quite expressive melodic sensibilities with synthesizer-driven emotive quality. There are sounds lifting from the classic songs of The Beatles and the psychedelic indie sounds from Tame Impala. But he makes the sound completely his own – nostalgic but modern at the same time. Even more impressive is the fact that Richard is a completely self-produced musician who also has a day job and works as a researcher at one of the largest film studios in Hollywood. Oh well, what can I say, they are the original multi-taskers; talk about wearing many hats!But his passion for music remains as passionate as before. I was able to have a brief interview with Richard on how he comes up with ideas, his sources of inspiration, and his experiences as an indie artist. I asked him everything I wanted to know, and I am excited to share the conversation with everyone. Prepare yourself for the musical odyssey of Richard Berger with these magic songs! Listen to Retrovert below https://open.spotify.com/album/1H9UnKG4IhyaMcojDPItI2?si=ACddhdOMS5i5Syr1urCDQg Follow Richard Berger on Spotify Soundcloud Bandcamp Youtube Instagram What is your stage name No stage name - Richard Berger is my real name. Is there a story behind your stage name? No stage name Where do you find inspiration? So many different places - hard to say just one thing - I generally just like to make time for myself on one of my keyboards and just play and tune into whatever comes. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Music has been one of the most important things in my life ever since I can remember. My earliest memories are of the Beatles and Beach Boys - I could not get enough of their music. Then I discovered Steve Wonder, Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac and so many I can’t name. Discovering new music and new artists is still to this day one of my favorite things to do. There is nothing quite of finding a new artist that blows you away. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Not really - my grandmother played piano but nobody in my immediate family plays an instrument. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? Funny - I don’t really feel like I am part of the music industry. I have been writing and recording music since I was a teenager, but my first official release was an EP back in 2018. And as an independent artist that self-distributes music, I don’t feel a connection to the “music industry” per se. I have met some great independent artists and I like the idea of being part of that community. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I started playing piano as a young kid and took to it right away, but as young kids often do, I lost interest and rebelled against the more formal aspects of taking classical piano lessons. But I still loved playing around on the piano. And, when I bought my first synth in high school, everything changed for me. I just started writing my own songs. In college, I took some music theory and jazz classes which helped me understand what I was writing. When I started recording my songs, I would always find someone else to sing as I am not a natural singer. Over time, I started singing background vocals and eventually lead vocals on some songs. It is really only in the past 5 years that I have focused more on singing. I am always learning. [caption id="attachment_55634" align="alignnone" width="1080"] I started playing piano as a young kid and took to it right away, but as young

kids often do, I lost interest and rebelled against the more formal aspects of taking classical piano lessons.[/caption] What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? The first concert I went to was Billy Joel when I was in high school. Thinking about it, you asked what inspires me….every time I see live music, I am inspired. How could you describe your music? I really have a hard time describing it because I tend to blend genres, so it really depends on the song. Also, I really prefer not to put my music in a box and let the listener decide for themselves. If pressed, I will describe it as melodic, introspective - retro vibes but with a fresh new take. Describe your creative process. It really just starts with making time to play and being open to what comes to me. I find myself playing some chord progressions that set a mood which inspires me to further express the way I am feeling. I almost always focus on developing melodies on top of the chord changes and then find the words that more or less fit the melody. But my process is really about the music first, lyrics second….but only in sequence, not in importance. What is your main inspiration? If you mean my main inspiration to make music - the answer is simple - I don’t have a choice. It is something I just have to do to be who I am. At times, it is the most pure way to express myself. What musician do you admire most and why? I could not possibly pick one. There are so many musicians I admire for various reasons. I would say Stevie Wonder’s music has played an important role for most of my life. Of the newer artists I admire, Kevin Parker has created some of my favorite music in recent years. Both of these artists write, play multiple instruments, and have incredible voices. There are so many others I could go on and on about. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Yes - for sure. Even when I have gone back to revisit songs I have written years ago…the new version of it sounds very different from how it started when first conceived. I think my musical style has evolved due to a combination of personal growth and the ever-evolving access to new music and new artists that influence and inspire me. Who do you see as your main competitor? I don’t. This is not a competition. I love discovering other artists and I love making music. What are your interests outside of music? Spending time with my family and friends. I am also a huge cinephile. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? That’s an easy one. Music is not my career. I run a R&D tech lab for the major motion picture studios. I suppose for now I am a just part-time artist. Maybe some day that will change. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? The biggest challenge for an independent artist like me is to find their audience. The good news is that it is far easier than ever before to get access to the tools you need to create really high fidelity music. That said, I read somewhere that there are over 40,000 songs uploaded to Spotify every day - and that is just one music service. So, how does an indie artist rise above all the “noise” and find their audience? Please let me know. https://open.spotify.com/artist/63h8Z4eF860KJ1M83WHiVu?si=Zgg1Zbw6Rb2JPGyHJhD5tg If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? There is no silver bullet to fix the music industry. Any time you mix business with art, there are going to be challenges. I wish it was easier for indie artists to find their audience and for fans to find the new music they will love. I really do hope that people continue to appreciate and embrace new music and the connection they can make to the artist. I know I really appreciate people who listen to my music. Why did you choose this as the title of this project? “Retrovert” is the perfect name for this album. My definition is - A dreamer to say the least - someone who appreciates a past time or condition.

What are your plans for the coming months? I am putting a band together to play some shows here in Los Angeles. I am excited to play the album in front of a live audience. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans I am always open to collaboration with other artists. I have reached out to a couple people so we shall see…stay tuned. What message would you like to give to your fans? Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoy the music as much as I enjoyed creating it.

[lady-snow-flower]

Sagittarius Sun ~ Cancer Moon: A Gem Morey Playlist

@gem-morey

So my first goal with this playlist is, like with all playlists that I make, I just want to make people listen to songs I like and many of those songs are by international artists who don't always sing in English. Sorry not sorry lol. With this one specifically my goal was: i'm going to put nothing but DPR Ian on this playlist and make Tina listen and like DPR Ian so help me god

Don't worry I didn't do that !

My goal became more like: I want to show a different side of the Korean music industry especially because Gem is Korean (!!), so that meant indie, rap, and R&B, all of which feel/sound like Gem to me personally. But then as I was going through my music I saw some Gem songs and I was like wait what if I did an A side and a B side bc Gem is a very A side B side kinda dude?

And so that is what I did: the A-side based on his Sagittarius Sun/Rising, and his B-side based on his Cancer Moon, that he doesn't show the world. The artists on this playlist are majority Korean but no, they're not all Korean lol but i am happy with the artists i represented here (who are majority diasporic and sing in two languages) and if nothing else would someone else like DPR Ian and talk about him with me!!! bye.

So I Danced | DPR IAN

All of a sudden, they just wanted to know This is how I really feel This is how I really feel So I just danced

This entire song is so vibey, so cool, so dark and broody bad boy -- but the thing that screams Gem to me is how lackadaisical its attitude is. Gem is always masking or playing down his emotions because he believes those emotions are dangerous - and lbr, emotions make him feel vulnerable too because he's out of control. So I feel like the devil may care attitude of this song suits him. As does my personal agenda to make Tina (and maybe the broader rp) listen to DPR Ian who is hot, talented, and visionary.

Sriracha | The Attire ft. WOOSUNG

I bring disco back to life I wear all black on summer nights I go downtown, don't think twice Don't give a fuck if you don't like me Old school in my whip I got quicksand in my kiss I like dancing with a twist And my sriracha extra spicy

I have shown Tina this song before. But again - its attitude is so very Gem, the Gem he tries to be for people. It's both the sagittarius sun AND the sagittarius rising tbqh. It's also sexy and groovy and I like it. WOOSUNG as a vocalist for The Rose shall appear later on; The Rose is also a Gem-band I'm trying to make happen. The agenda continues.

Blow | Jackson Wang

Twinkle, twinkle, where's the star? Passed out in the back of my car Blacked out from the night before How'd we let it get this far?

Smoke metaphors! Maybe it's on my Snow Quartz playlist, maybe its not, who is to say! Plus, my Jackson Wang Agenda. Literally nothing but agendas.

but okay c'mon again this is so Cool. The first half of this playlist is so Cool. It's like what TSwift was talking about when she wrote Style, but these songs also sound like the James Dean guy, who feel me? This song also wrestles with that theme of 'wanting what you shouldn't have' which is extremely Gem.

So Beautiful | DPR Ian

Come get your funky love story I love it when the skiеs can't sleep I left a message еncased in me So bye-bye (So bye-bye) A flawless ending So beautiful

once again, this song is so cool so vibey literally just the soundtrack at the beginning of a bonnie and clyde style heist. it's literally not even about the lyrics. What I'm trying to communicate about why this is a Gem Song is the following key ingredients: the thunder?? the whistling! the twinkly piano notes! those menacing strings in the post-chorus are we kidding! the fucking MATCH BEING LIT!! the door opening noise?? closing?? THE SAXOPHONE SOLO! GOD. This song is filled with an entire workshop of sounds it's so fun to listen to and that evokes imagery that feels Gem-appropriate to me, like storms and smoking and strolling down the streets with ur hands in ur pockets. Enough of me, DPR Ian can talk about this song better than me or anyone:

"This song was heavily inspired by the idea that a lot of times what we label ‘monsters’, as monsters to be scary or wrong, are usually the most that are misunderstood. So it depicts on that idea. That’s why in the music video, when you first get to see MITO in his true form, that’s something very eerie and creepy about it, but he has a type of dark beauty aura, I don’t know if it does make any sense – laughs – but he had to be very elegant."

and like sure if u want to interpret it in a different way something something beautiful things destroy us something something (snow quartz core)

Come Alive | Jackson Wang

There was fallin' again I hear you callin' my name I want you You're the match and the flame Oxygen to the brain Yeah, I want you

The DPR/Jackson Wang sandwich. And so we continue the last theme: beautiful things destroy us something something something. I love how creepy and dark this song is (I recommend the music video - very dramatic and comedic and Hauntley core). This is very 'post burning a body' lol. Again, ideas of control and desire etc.

D-Day | Agust D

Lotus flowers bloom brilliantly even in mud A feeling of inferiority, self-loathing compared to others Aim your gun at these things starting today (Yeah, yeah, yeah) What are you? Break the limits, man Don't regret the past, don't be afraid of the future, man

This is the kind of cocksure fuck you braggadocious song that Gem deserves to be the last of his Sagittarius Sun section, don't you think? I love how brutal Agust D's confidence is in this song, does that make sense? His rap flow has always felt like a fucking weapon -- sometimes like a sword and sometimes like a machine gun. He wields it well in this song that's basically about saying fuck it, I'm leaving my past behind, I'm embracing whatever is to come. And I think that's what Gem would Like For Himself.

also the lyrics r beautiful and packed with meaning thanks.

CANCER MOON SECTION~

Star Ceiling | Paul Blanco

Back when I was broke It was me and bro Post up by the street store Post up where the fiends know Devil want my soul Put that on my folks Out here smoking big dope I live what I speak

this is what i call the gem's past song, before the moreys ! because it's kind of about that, y'know, like having this kind of rough background and feeling judged for that. Despite that though, the song is about owning that past. i love the line 'i live what I speak' because I do feel like that applies to Gem. He doesn't REALLY bullshit. He might hide his feelings, but he's pretty honest about who he is now.

i also Love Paul Blanco he's got such a smoky raspy tone and I recommend all of his stuff. agenda-- continuing.

pacman | eaj

Oh it's killing me how Fear is holding me down But I wanna hold you Oh I might burn to the ground But see me burn with a smile If I die it's with you

to be honest most of this song lyrically isn't accurate to gem but i love how powerful, what a punch it packs, in its short runtime of like a minute thirty or whatever. and that end, where it explodes, it's 100% gem excuse me. like the fear holding him down, but he wants love so badly it's going to burn him up inside?? yeah, this is his sensitive inner cancer moon ppl

eternal flame | griff

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?

i love this cover!! very minimal and emotional and affecting and again it's about emotional vulnerability. i looooove the harmonies in the last half of the song too. its like Almost an acapella song. what i also like is that it kinda frames the 'burning' as something positive which you know... hopefully gem can get to. embrace his eternal flame or w/e.

could you love me while i hate myself | zeph

Could you love me while I hate myself? Because I don't know how this works

ah yes. more moody self-hating angsty girlie music for gem's sensitive cancer moon. you know i'm right though. isn't this part of his inner monologue? also like that it highlights gem's own lack of experience in... well, lots of things. relationships, sex, friendship, emotional intimacy etc.

We'll Never Have Sex || Leith Ross

Depollute me, gentle angel And I'll feel the sickness less and less Come and kiss me, pretty baby Like we'll never have sex

TBH this was the song i was scrolling through my likes and i was like *points at it dramatically* that one. But yeah, i think this song undermines the 'playboy' image that Gem has let pervade. I love how soft and tender it is and how it redefines what intimacy looks like. because while i know gem would probably like to have sex, i think he would pick a HUG over it in an instant ok. and also like, this idea of intimacy and love given generously with no expectation? something so pure and good and cancer moony.

Eclipse | The Rose

And of all the things I left behind I am haunted by the things I didn't try And it creeps on me like a moonrise And it swallows me into blue skies Back to dawn

i said the rose would be back and here it is! i wanted this song to end the playlist for an obvious reason-- it's kind about the converging of two opposing forces, in this case the fire sun and water moon lol. More than that, it's also about how you first have to visit the dark to be able to leave the dark behind. Pretty typical message, but very true when it comes to Gem who needs to face his magic if he is ever going to gain control over it. (And also face his mistakes etc, and forgive himself for it.)

[msclaritea]

Steven Soderbergh Concerned About Lack of Streaming Data Transparency

"Labor unrest has fully taken hold in Hollywood amid the ongoing dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Although the AMPTP and WGA agreed to resume talks, a gulf between the two sides remains as writers and actors fight for better pay and better protections within the workplace. A number of issues beyond compensation need to be addressed too, including fears of generative AI taking over human jobs - a fear that studios have done nothing to assuage. Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh has never been quite as concerned by AI's ability to replace workers. Rather, in an interview with Defector for his new web show Command Z, he explained why he's more concerned about the lack of data transparency from streamers and how it affects creatives.

"Data transparency is the one that keeps me up at night," Soderbergh said when discussing where he stands on AI. Since working with Max on projects like Let Them All Talk and Full Circle, he revealed that the streamer gave him next to no information on how his work was actually performing on the platform, opting instead to use vague statements like "We feel good about these numbers," and "The comps are right in line with what we were hoping for." If a show is successful, the public, too, is usually given only a confusing metric to go by to define that success. To Soderbergh, AI is a tool that can be dangerously misused, but this adherence to keeping numbers hidden indicates a deeper rot in the industry.

"Well, it's just, there are two potential reasons that we're not getting all of the information," he continued. "One is that they're all making a lot more money than anybody knows and that they're willing to tell us. The other is they're making a lot less money than anybody knows. And they don't want Wall Street to look under the hood of this thing in any significant way because there'll be a reckoning that will be quite unpleasant." While all signs point to the former, he thinks either result is bad news for the industry as a whole. He believes there need to be sweeping changes to how streaming as a whole works, starting with getting information into the hands of the public and, especially, the creatives.

"It's one of those two. My attitude is, I'd rather work in a version of the business where I know what's going on. And if I have to take a haircut, to work in that business, and bet on myself more and take less upfront, which I've done a lot, then I'll do that. That could, though, mean, potentially, a drastic reduction in the amount of things that get made. If we tear this thing down to the studs, and find out that the math is funky, it's going to be quite a transformation. And so my feeling—and I'm operating from a place of real privilege—is the sooner we find out the better, because one way or another, it's gotta get rebuilt, you might as well start now."

Soderbergh's thoughts ring very true in the context of a few streaming horror stories, namely that of Orange Is the New Black. Last month, it came out that the cast of the hit series that put Netflix on the map was exploited with unfathomably low pay and residuals relative to the success of the show to the point that several members were earning more from their day jobs. This was all despite CEO Ted Sarandos bragging about the universal acclaim and attention the series was receiving. Despite becoming overnight superstars, the cast and even the series creator Jenji Kohan weren't shown data on just how strong the performance was until after the final season was done.

A better deal as a result of the dual strikes could ultimately remedy many of these issues by making streamers send more residuals and revenue to the pockets of the smaller actors and writers who need it to get by. Transparency, however, helps keep these streaming services and studios accountable. With better data available, it would mean a better understanding of the success of a show or film and fewer opportunities for companies to mislead those working on the project about how much their work is pulling in."

[pascalishere]

Foil: Picking right up where we left off I see. Progression feels very dynamic, even in the shorter timespan. I felt that was one of Incunabula’s weaknesses, the longer songs blew everything else out of the water tbh. This is good, but I don’t really see why this is one of their most popular tracks? I do like how the main texture gets progressively more worn out/glitched, nice touch.

Montreal: Already hooking me a lot more. The changes are so subtle and gradual, but then they suddenly just pop up in your ears? I like it. Oh, love those synths buried behind the rattling sound. This album feels a lot moodier already, I don’t know how to explain. There are so many small sounds that I can just barely hear, it’s so detailed! I might need to buy better headphones though. Ooh, really liking this last minute. Also, the mixing is excellent all around. All these beats at the end sound like they’re coming from different directions, it’s a really cool effect!

Silverside: Are those strings real? Either way, they sound fantastic! I’m curious to see how this one unfolds. Ack, that voice spooked me! Not loving how loud it is. Oh, that beat is killer against the strings, menacing! Didn’t love this one, but the last fifteen seconds are a great outro!

Slip: Oh, this is much more my speed. Sounds cute and peppy, in a way? Feels like I’m walking through the album art. Definitely my fave so far, it keeps changing while I’m not looking though! This song is doing so many things right that I’m losing track of them, help!

Glitch: Oh, so this is the progenitor for so many textures I’ve heard in electronic music before, that makes sense. Oh damnit it’s different again. Well, it still sounds great, feels like it’s speeding up! Love the knocking sound, subtle, but it adds so much. Oh, the last minute is really getting it together, love this filter(?) everything is being put through.

Piezo: Oh, I love this already. Come on, give me a dancey track! The arcade-sounding effects are doing a lot for me. Oh, I hear a big synth coming in, shits about to get p r o g r e s s i v e! Really like the tiny chirping noises. Oh cool were floating now thats rad. Is my tinnitus acting up? I can’t tell.

Nine: Oh, very funky sounds, I love it! I think this is my new favorite song overall, let’s see. Yeah, I feel like a plebeian for saying this, but Nine is hands down one of my top Autechre tracks as of right now. It’s short and sweet, but still very pretty!

Further: The twinkling sounds are so pretty, like I’m in a cave that’s dripping water from the stalactites. The beat is booming too! Was that a key change? Definitely getting eerier vibes now, very natural progression being done back there! Why is this the one I’m dancing to? Agh, there’s too much to comment on! Last three minutes are becoming very pretty. Minus the bursts of industrial noise. Actually, plus the scary noises.

Yulquen: Nice comedown after the density of Further. Very pleasant and calm sounding so far. More eerie noises, sounds like distant waves. And now a squeaky wheel? There are so many quiet sounds that I can’t tell if some of them are in my imagination or not, sounds like I’m hearing all this over the thrum of an elevator. Oh the main/introductory loop is changing in a very nice sounding way, love that sound. Damn, this last minute is seriously beautiful. How do their outros always slap?

Nil: This sounds like the beginning of a HL2 action setpiece track, I mean that in the best way possible. Love that raising and lowering synth tone to the sides. Oh what the fuck this is incredible what am I hearing? Back to the start and YEEESSSS this bit again. So beautiful. The barely audible drum hits! The knocking sounds again! The weaving synths! Everything is great. Oh, and it’s all together now, so cool!!!

Teartear: Oh this is building up to be something epic, I can tell. Everything gels so nicely together on this one it’s crazy. There’s way too much to focus on aaaaaaa. The slowdown and the speed up, you love to hear it! The drums in the second half are all fantastic. Once again, perfect track to close out on.

…I’m beginning to think that trying to have actual thoughts about this kind of music is a losing battle. I’m enjoying most of what I’m hearing, but I don’t feel like I’m smart enough to really get it. All I can say for certain is that I definitely enjoyed the second half of Amber a lot more. The first handful of tracks were a bit too skeletal for my preference. Slip and Piezo onwards felt much more “complete”, I think. Maybe the album will grow on me, we’ll see. Tri Repetae, I’m coming for your ass tomorrow morning.