#electronic new music for space travel

[its-mooceline-fyi]

New music out soon new music out soon new music out soon! The Geneva Suggestion, a 5-track EP of glitch, bass, and other assorted sounds. Going to have it drop on the 3rd on Bandcamp and on streaming services hopefully by then too.

[vodika-vibes]

omg I can absolutely request something for kix, literally I'll take anything i love him so much

i'm not too fussy but maybe something hurt/comfort vibes with non-established relationship? if that takes your fancy, can be sfw or nsfw however it works out

love your writing sm :)

Watching Over You

Summary: ou know that Kix is “dealing” with his new truth by not dealing with it, and you know it’s only a matter of time before he falls apart. You’ll be there for him, until he no longer needs you.

Pairing: Pre Pirate!Kix x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1113

Warnings: Kix is straight up not having a good time.

A/N: So, this could be seen as platonic or pre-romantic, but I'm happy with it, but that might just be because it's Kix. Anyway, I hope you like it!

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“Alright, we’re all set,” You say as you step out of the shop while tugging your new gloves over your hands, “You sure you don’t need anything while we’re here?”

“From Nar Shaddaa?” Kix asks, as he tears his gaze away from a stall selling, probably stolen, speeders. “Hard pass. How do you know those are going to be any good?”

“Leather gloves are leather gloves, babe.” You counter as you hold your, now glove-covered, hands in front of your face, “They don’t need to be the best leather gloves in the galaxy, they just need to be able to protect my hands from the cold.”

Kix huffs, “You should let me run some blood tests. There’s no reason for you to be cold all of the time–”

“Hard pass, Doc.” You counter, “If I’m dying from some blood disease, I don’t want to know.”

Kix sighs again, and finally focuses his attention on you, “You’re impossible.”

“And yet still so adorable.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

“Thanks! I will.”

He shoots you a look, and you grin at him, “Come on, Kix. Let’s get out of here before the Hutts take offense at our presence.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He falls into step next to you, while you chatter his ear off about anything and everything that crosses your mind.

In the almost year that you’ve known, and traveled, with Kix, you’ve learned that he doesn’t like quiet. When there’s too much quiet he gets lost in his own mind, and starts spiraling.

And so, you fill the silence with stories, with mindless chatter, with music or movies or shows. Anything and everything you can do to make his suffering a little easier, you will do.

Honestly, you’ve never spoken so much in your life as you have in the past year.

You stop mid-sentence, when you glance to the side and realize that Kix is no longer walking with you. Quickly, you scan the crowd around you, and you quickly find him.

At first, you’re not sure what caught his attention, but as you approach him, you see what his gaze is locked on, and your heart sinks. He’s standing in front of an electronics store. An electronics store that has a massive holo showing a documentary about Darth Vader and his 501st.

Your jaw clenches and you slowly exhale, before you move to his side and wrap your arms around his arm, “Kix.” You keep your gaze on his face, on the pained, almost lost, expression that he wears when he’s lost in the past, “It’s time to go.”

He doesn’t react to your voice, but he also doesn’t stop you when you start tugging him away from the shop. And he doesn’t fight you when you walk him back to the spaceport and back to your ship.

In fact, in spite of your chatter, Kix is completely silent. 

He doesn’t say anything until you’re back on your ship. “Hey, can we wait a bit before we take off?”

You watch him for a moment, “Why?”

“I’d like a proper shower, and the water shower doesn’t work properly in space.” Kix replies.

“Mm, yeah. Okay.”

You pretend that you don’t notice him grabbing the portable holo as he heads into the fresher, and half an hour later, when you hear a quiet sob from the fresher, you turn on some music so he can have some privacy.

There’s no way for you to understand his grief.

Kix once had 2 million brothers…and now he’s alone in the galaxy. Only, he’s not alone, he has you, and he’ll continue to have you until he no longer needs you. And even then, you’ll stick around until he tells you to leave.

Personal loyalty to your friends has always been your fatal flaw, according to your old school teachers.

When he finally emerges from the fresher, his eyes are red and he looks exhausted. Bone deep exhausted.

You watch him for a moment, and then you sigh, “Kix,”

He glances at you, “I’m fine.”

“You’re not okay, Kix. And that’s okay.” You set the bowl that you were using to make some meatballs on the counter and walk over to him to take his hands in yours, “I...have given you your space, but maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“Listen, you don’t have to do this.”

You squeeze his hands, “Yes, I do. I…cannot even begin to understand the kind of loss that you suffered. I can’t. No one can. But you’re not alone in this.”

“My whole family is dead, cyare.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re alone.” You counter, “I will be here for you, for as long as you accept it. And probably longer.”

He stares at you, and then he sighs and drops his cheek on the top of your head while hooking his arms around your waist, “I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re wrong about that too, but I can be patient with you.”

The pair of you don’t say anything for a while, “What are you making?”

“Meatballs. We’re having pasta for dinner. With homemade noodles.”

“Huh. Have you made the dough yet?”

You smile at him, “Nope, I know you like that part. The ingredients are in the fridge.”

Later, as he’s kneading the dough while you sing along to the radio and form meatballs, he turns down the music and glances at you out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s up?” You ask, without looking at him.

“Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Whatever you need, Kix. You just need to ask.” You reply, turning to look at him with a fond smile on your face.

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he sighs, “Also…?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think you can put me in contact with Luke Skywalker? I’d like to get to know him…and maybe share some stories about his dad.”

“Mm, I don’t know if I can get you in contact with Master Skywalker, but I can probably get you in contact with General Organa-Solo.” You reply lightly, “She might be able to get you in touch with Master Skywalker.”

“...thanks, cyare.”

“Like I said, Kix. Whatever you need. For however long you need it.”

The pair of you go back to your respective projects and as you finish forming the last meatball and pull your food prep gloves off, he reaches over and takes your hand in his, “Thank you.”

You grin at him and thread your fingers with his to give his hand a squeeze, “No worries, Kix. I’ll watch over you until you’re ready to look after yourself. And then I’ll keep doing it. That’s what I do.”

@imabeautifulbutterfly

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@dukeoftheblackstar

@trixie2023

@kimiheartblade

@padawancat97

@falconfeather23435

@etod

@bb8-99

@kiss-anon

@continous-mistakes

@yoitsjay

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@rebell-ious

[animenostalgia]

Some sad news to share, friends - Leiji Matsumoto, the iconic creator of Space Battleship Yamato (aka Starblazers), Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and many more, has passed away at the age of 85. A manga artist since the 50s who originally got his start in shoujo manga, Matsumoto’s works were a cornerstone of early anime fandom. American sci-fi fans of the 70s may not have known the terms “anime”, “manga”, or “cosplay”, but they knew and loved Matsumoto’s work, which was many fan’s first exposure to anime back in the day. One of the first recorded “cosplay” gatherings in the US was of fans dressed as mostly Leiji Matsumoto characters!

In other parts of the world, they also fell in love with Matsumoto’s work: as in France, where Harlock was known as Albator, and won the hearts of many fans. So much so that Matsumoto won many prestigious awards there, and would eventually be knighted in 2012 by the French government. French electronic duo Daft Punk was highly influenced by his work, and in 2001 collaborated with Matsumoto to release anime music videos (and eventually a feature-length film version called Interstella 555).

Modern anime & manga owe much to his work, as he was THE pioneer of space opera and what he liked to call “boy’s romance” stories--”romance” in the literarily sense--full of angst, heroism, and fighting for independence while celebrating nature, brotherhood, and friendship. He helped many people learn to never give up on themselves and their dreams, no matter how fantastical they may seem.

May his spirit travel on, in a new adventure in the endless sea of stars.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

you know,with the rotom dexes and phones im wondering how good of a pet they are

That is a good question, and a bit of a tricky one. See, there seems to be some inconsistency between the behavior of wild rotoms as described in the pokédex and the rotoms we see working alongside humans all over the Pokémon world. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

To begin with, rotoms are a great size for a pet: They’re both tiny and not confined to the ground, meaning that space will be no issue. That being said, I would advise not touching your rotom when they are not possessing a tangible electronic, as they are known to do, as their bodies are composed of plasma (Diamond/Pearl)! Move-wise, rotoms could potentially pose a bit of a problem. Like a lot of electric-type pokémon, they have the capability to paralyze targets with electrified attacks like Discharge and Thunder Wave. Thankfully, it seems like rotoms aren’t particularly violent by nature, so the usage of these moves on humans would most likely not be malicious. That doesn’t mean, however, that they wouldn’t use them. Rotoms are described in the Pokédex as being avid pranksters (Platinum). This is a pokémon that loves to cause mayhem: I think it’s not too far out of left field to say that a rotom might delight in temporarily paralyzing you for laughs, not being aware of any potential health risk that could pose.

Rotoms posses the unique ability to enter into some machines to take control of them, gaining a new typing. Rotoms have been described as using these new forms to explore new avenues in pranking, some of which could be really dangerous or just plain annoying. Rotoms that posses an oven, for example, like to “sear the surrounding area” (Violet - Heat Rotom) and “gleefully” burn clothing (Shield - Heat Rotom). Rotoms that posses a refrigerator might freeze your bath when you least expect it (Shield - Frost Rotom), while those that posses lawnmowers will mow down every flower they see without hesitation (Shield - Mow Rotom). Essentially, if the pokédex is to be believed, anyone caring for a rotom is going to need a lot of patience and good insurance.

As you alluded to in your request, however, there is a bit of a contradiction between observed rotom behavior and that described in the pokédex. In regions all around the world, thanks to a recent invention by an unknown boy (Sword), devices are utilized that make use of rotom’s unique ability to posses them. Traveling the world you’ll find rotoms in pokédexes, phones, drones, and even special PCs called Rotomis. These rotoms seem to be less inclined to making their owners’ lives a mess, less prone to pranking. This brings up an important question: is the pranking behavior described simply a cry for attention? If cared for and loved by a human, does a rotom become more friendly and co-operative? Or is it that only the most reserved individual rotoms choose to fill these roles? We may never know.

Overall, caring for a rotom has a pretty decent chance of being miserable. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to keep a rotom from possessing whatever machine they’d like, and their pranking efforts are unrestrained and occasionally cruel. I like rotoms, don’t get me wrong, but I personally don’t want a pet that will hop into my computer and delete all my files before doxxing me on the internet and blasting music all day just for fun.

[kellterntempest]

@tyrannysaurusfloof i thought maybe sending you 2,500 words in your askbox wasn't the best way to send this lol and apparently tumblr doesn't let you send documents in DMs, so i have it in separate post here for u!

Stobotnik Subnautica AU fic snippet

Out of all the Earth luxuries Robotnik was forced to live without, he missed music the most. His CDs, his mixtapes, his curated playlists. He missed the deafening pulse of industrial drum and bass, the intricate rhythms of funk and jazz, the comforting pop classics, and invigorating rock melodies that he could dance to.

Robotnik never fully realized just how miserable a world without music could be. He began humming to himself, even sang songs he only half remembered the lyrics to in an effort to stay sane in the deserted, depressing isolation he was surviving in.

And here he was, humming a Tears for Fears tune while he piloted his submarine vessel 500 meters down under the sea. The submarine that Robotnik constructed and christened "The Eggmarine" was holding up perfectly, just as planned. He never made mistakes when it came to engineering, it was just like breathing to him. Physics, math, science, electronics, all of it was second nature.

Robotnik was able to harness the near endless power supply of the blue quill and recycle parts of his prototype – as only an extraordinary genius like him could do – and he created something incredible after losing nearly everything.

The Eggmarine was an engineering marvel in and of itself, but he had even bigger blueprints in progress. His ultimate mission: to construct a space shuttle capable of interstellar travel. He was going to make it back to Earth no matter what. He'd make it home by Christmas. He declared it boldly to himself out loud after barely surviving the crash landing of his prototype on one of the many islands of the alien planet.

Another great feat that the doctor took pride in was the detailed cataloging and analysis of every single new thing about this alien planet. Countless unknown species of flora, fauna, megafauna, biomes and climates, lifeless ruins of what seemed to be some kind of ancient civilization with astounding technology… It was all exhilarating.

Robotnik was at heart a brilliant scientist, and though the circumstances bringing him to this planet were absolutely horrid, he often found himself feeling like a kid discovering the wonders of science again. He intensively studied the new alien technology he found in the ruins – He was so close to cracking the code to their written language – and vastly advanced his progress  surviving on the planet. With the alien technology he was able to build a much improved habitat and small laboratory with ease.

It had been 63 days now since Sonic sent him crashing through the ring portal in Green Hills. If there was anything he had now, it was down time. Day 63, and he'd already recorded over two hundred new species, determined multiple theories of their evolution, mapped out the string of islands he crashed on, not to mention narrowly escaping being killed and eaten countless times by the local mega predators – which there were plenty of.

Robotnik had faced an assorted deadly lineup of insects, poisonous animals, scavengers, hunters and predators both on land and under the sea, and the kings at the top of the food chain: Leviathan class mega predators – gargantuan creatures similar to the dinosaurs back in earth's ancient history.

Robotnik learned very quickly he had to create a predator of his own if he ever wanted to get off this planet unscathed. 

So he did what he did best, and built a robotic mech suit designed for combat, capable of both land and marine travel, and resource gathering. With it, he was now able to hold his own against most predators, and even fought a few different leviathans in the depths of the ocean and escaped the battles unharmed. But stealth was always the best policy so far – less damage to his precious machine, and less risk of being drowned or eaten.

Robotnik had not found anything that resembled anything close to a sentient life form yet, and the chances of doing so were growing smaller and smaller. He laughed out thinking, was it really that different here from the 8 billion barely sentient monkeys back on earth?

"Passing 750 meters. Pressure stabilized." The robotic voice of the vessel's artificial intelligence spoke, showing the status of all ship systems in green. "Scanners indicate traces of nickel ore below, south west."

Robotnik was currently in search of rare minerals to craft his escape plan. Minerals that he determined could only be found beneath the sea floor in a thermal, volcanic climate. 

The A.I. spoke again, this time with a warning. "Detecting multiple leviathan class life forms in the region. Doctor, are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?"

Of course the exact biome where he needed to go would be crawling with dangerous monsters. The statistical probability that he calculated before was, again, unfortunately proven correct. Of course he had to be right, every time! He thought with a groan. Sometimes, it was worse to be proved right. Even the warm glow of smug satisfaction wears off quickly when you're chased by savage animals out to make you their next meal.

"Shut your trap and keep scanning. I'm not leaving until I get my hands on that ore." Robotnik continued the descent, passing tall black hydrothermal vents – a good sign that he was heading in the right direction.

There was no sound now but the engine's hum, and the steady ping of the sonar system every 7 seconds.

984 meters. Ping. The sonar mapped out the deep trench he was in, and showed a massive crevice opening further down. He was getting readings of small-scale volcanic eruptions in this region, and hoped that crevice was the entrance to his destination.

A loud, organic screech passed through the dark waters, and Robotnik instinctively rushed to hit silent mode.

The internal and external lights went out, and the engine shifted gears. Robotnik sat in the pilot seat, frozen, waiting for another noise.

It was almost worse that he heard nothing.

The artificial intelligence spoke up quickly, casting information in red in the control screens. "Proximity Alert: Threat Detected. Leviathan class life form."

Robotnik cursed out loud, white knuckling the control wheel. 

"Proximity: 50 meters." The A.I. stated. "25… 10… brace for impact."

The side of the sub was hit by something colossal, and Robotnik was nearly thrown out of the pilot chair.

Then another uncomfortably loud sound – a roar vibrating through the metallic chambers and utterly harrowing.

A leviathan predator. A reaper - he recognized the horrible sound.

He didn't have any weapons mounted on the Eggmarine, and he couldn't launch his mech suit and fight back – he was in completely unknown territory and what looked to be about 400 more meters to the bottom of the trench. His mech suit couldn't make it up 400 meters straight up back to the submarine, and no way could he safely swim back to his Eggmarine without getting snapped up. Nightmare scenario again. He could only sit tight, stay on course, and hope the predator would lose interest and leave, or kick engines in high gear and make a break for it.

The sub was hit again, and the alarms began sounding. "Hull damage imminent."

The leviathan was not going to leave.

Robotnik slammed the switches and revved up the engine to full speed. He had to get the hell out of here. The only way through was down.

He was sure every creature in the region could hear the Eggmarine's engines and the roars of the reaper leviathan.

"New Threat Detected: Another Leviathan class life form. Proximity: 58 meters."

Oh no.

Ping. The sonar sounded, and the red outline of another large shape was dead ahead of the submarine's path of escape.

Ping. The shape grew bigger, and it was coming straight for him.

"Proximity Alert: 25 meters."

Robotnik jumped out of his skin, his heart beating out of his chest. "Fucking hell!" He shoved the control wheel forward to avoid the impact. "Nononono!"

The submarine descended sharply, and the leviathan behind him roared, but it was interrupted halfway from a second massive sound bellowing through the depths. The second leviathan growled – but it was completely different from the first – like a harsh rumbling of thunder ending with rhythmic clicking.

"Danger: Engine overheating." Robotnik heard a blast coming from the engine bay.

Everything was going to hell. He couldn't leave the bridge to attend to the fire he knew had started, not with two giant monsters about to tear his ship apart.

The sonar pinged, and Robotnik could see the two leviathans grappling together. It was hard to make out the image from the red flash that lasted only seconds, but it seemed as if they were fighting – it sounded horrible, with the two huge predators growling, howling, and snapping at each other. Roars pierced through the darkness, and the top of the vessel was hit again, worse this time.

"Hull compromised - storage bay ceiling."

Robotnik was flung forwards from the mighty impact of the leviathans. “Damn it, come on! Go!” He hissed, reorienting himself on the controls and leaning into them as if it would make the sub go faster. He saw a blink of movement in the glass, a blur of 2 long tails and fins swiftly passing the front of the bridge, so fast he could barely make it out in the dark.

Robotnik shoved the wheel as far forward as possible, plummeting the vessel in a rapid descent. "Not today you hungry mongrels! This snack is out of your league!" He taunted through clenched teeth.

If he could only reach the crevice, maybe he could find a place to hide, buy time to repair the hull damage, and stand his ground against the leviathans in the mech suit. The engines had to burn for a little longer, there was no other choice.

But the universe had other plans.

"Engine Damage Critical. Shutting Down."

"AARGH– give me a big, fat break!!" Robotnik yelled in frustration, still pushing the wheel hard.

The Eggmarine's movement slowed to a halt, floating dead in the water.

Ping. The sonar marked the vast, empty space of his location in the ocean, in a trench about 700 kilometers wide with mountainous walls going nearly straight upwards on either side of it.

There was 1 dot left on his display. 1 leviathan.

Threat Proximity: 20 meters. 

There was nothing Robotnik could do. The sub's engine was down, a breach was ripping the hull, and a hungry, territorial leviathan was coming for him.

The creature sounded – a short, clicking rumble. It was the second leviathan, the one Robotnik had never heard before.

It was swimming up from the deep, still chasing him after surviving and presumably winning its deadly fight with the reaper.

The sonar rang out again. Ping.

The creature responded to the sonar with the same short rumble, ending with an ascending trill.

Robotnik leaned forward, brows furrowed at this new behavior. He switched off the sonar and floodlights and watched anxiously for movement.

Something slowly floated up into view of the glass dome of the Eggmarine's bridge.

Robotnik saw scaled and finned limbs coming from the dark, and they gently landed on the glass below him. He counted three, no, four arm-like appendages.

They almost resembled… webbed hands, pressed against the glass. They lifted, and tapped the glass several times, almost experimentally. The bang of the glass nearly gave Robotnik a heart attack.

The creature swam from beneath the glass up until it was directly in front of the pilot's control panel. The leviathan made no noise since the last sonar soundwave, and stayed in its spot facing the front glass of the bridge, its body swishing slowly side to side in the darkness.

Robotnik was almost afraid to turn the exterior flood lights back on, but he had to know what kind of beast was staring him in the face. 

This leviathan was an entirely different species from any other he'd seen. It was slightly smaller in length than the reaper, but its body was much thicker and more mammalian. Its underbelly looked smooth, but its 6 limbs, spine and tail were scaled and armored. Its lower pair of arms were tucked into itself, and the top two arms swayed in front. It had two powerful muscular legs that were treading slowly in the water, and its long, spined tail snaked along with them.

Its head was more frighteningly humanoid than he would ever have expected. In its face were multiple sets of eyes squinting back, blinking rapidly from the bright floodlights. Small clusters of bubbles escaped from gills on either side of its neck, and 2 long, thin rays coming out of either side of its head with bioluminescent bulbs at the end. 

Robotnik turned the sonar back on. A single ping.

The creature rumbled back, and it almost sounded like a whale's call in an attempt to imitate the sonar's frequency. It made no sudden movements, continuing to tread in place with unhurried motions.

Robotnik breathed out a shaken gasp of relief. This creature, whatever it was, didn't seem to see him on its menu right now. However, he had no time to investigate the intentions of the leviathan, he had engine fires to put out and a catastrophic implosion to prevent.

He left the sonar on to keep the creature distracted, switched the internal lights back on and ran full speed into the engine room to extinguish the fires. A thin stream of water was steadily spraying like a fire hydrant from a small breach in the plasteel ceiling that was getting worse every minute from the massive pressure of about 1200 PSI from the outside.

Robotnik yanked the repair tool off the wall, and clipped his harness to the suspension support and hauled himself up into the air to reach the storage bay ceiling.

He focused on welding the breach as best he could through the low visibility of the water flying everywhere and covering his goggles.

"It's just another day!" He shouted above the noise of the welding. "Just another day in the life of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, greatest man on earth AND planet 4546B! Day 63, boldly going! It's Tuesday back home! Stupid blue alien rat and its stupid magic rings!"

A strange, fuzzy sensation suddenly passed through his head. It was like a soft static of a distant radio, organic sounds garbled and unintelligible within. It was growing louder and louder. Robotnik cursed out loud. What the hell was next? Had he developed some new medical or psychological condition from a dangerous stimuli he'd unknowingly interacted with? 

There was a painful pop of pressure in his head, as if the air pressure had climbed steeply in seconds – and the static noise stopped, both his ears started ringing a high pitched drone.

But Robotnik kept welding, he couldn't stop or he'd be dead in minutes, crushed from the impending implosion.

Finally, the water subsided, and the breach was closed.

Robotnik hung suspended in the air in his harness, breathing hard through the adrenaline rush and pain in his ears and head.

He slid down, and landed unsteadily on his feet on the metal floor. Back to the bridge. He was certain that all the noise from the Eggmarine's roaring engines and the leviathan fight would attract other predators.

The leviathan was gone from the view of the glass dome.

The sonar went off, and Robotnik saw the creature was floating in place beside the top of the sub, close to where the hull breach was. And now, it was swimming back into view of the bridge again.

Robotnik swallowed a prickle of fear. What the hell was it doing?

The high pitched ringing was at its loudest now. Robotnik leaned over the console, elbows hitting the metal, and clasped both hands to the side of his head, pushing them hard against his skull in a panicked effort to make the pain stop.

But the agonizing drone faded sharply into nothing, and was replaced with something else – a voice, soft and low pitched, echoing clear inside his head. 

"Who…are…you?"

[meiistheprimarynow]

Console girl lore tour 2

The PlayStation family of console representatives, aka the Inoue family. They live in the Blue Station (name subject to change) Galaxy. (the PSP and Vita are not pictured here)

The sisters tend to stay in their own galaxy with the exception of Ynos who wanders around space doing as she pleases. They all travel to the location of game show events but will otherwise stay in their own galaxy. The Inoue sisters tend to be distant with other console groups (especially Xbox).

Ynos is the oldest of the Inoue family. Independent and does things her own way. She does not talk with her sisters often anymore, preferring to travel space, going where the wind takes her. She will show up for major events but will otherwise be gone since Ynos sees that her sisters can take care of themselves. She was born before the Blue Station Galaxy was fully established so some question her true origin, saying Ynos may be from another galaxy...

Emotion is the second oldest but the leader of the group, as Ynos is not around to fill that position. She is cool and collected, with a quiet confidence that many admire, even in other galaxies. She is the Inoue sister that started the trend of being reserved. Emotion likes to watch movies and listen to music. While she is calm is most situations, she has a hidden stash of memory cards and other data storage options, fearing another shortage.

Cell is right in the middle in terms of age and is a cheerful girl. She likes computers and builds pcs in her free time. She even made a super computer out of PlayStation 3 consoles. When a new console generation stars Cell will buy one of each console so she can take them apart and find out how they work. She is the most friendly out of her sisters as she wants to know how other Reps live their lives. Despite tearing down other electronics, she does not want to have her own systems tampered with by others.

Orbis is the second youngest and also popular like her sister Emotion. Orbis is more of a show off though, always ready to share her achievements online. She is rarely seen without some form of camera on her. She is confident in her abilities and has even pushed herself with 4k output with her super form being the PS4 Pro.

Tempest is the current console representative and the youngest member of the Inoue sisters that the public knows about. She is laid back and fun loving. She cares about audio quality to the point where she will get mad if she sees her sisters wearing cheap headphones. Tempest has her own pair of headphones that are attached to her hair and can wear them at anytime. She is still new to this console rep thing and is figuring out what it means to be a platform for games.

[rimouskis]

get to know me game (as tagged by @yippayappa [thank you!])

do you make your bed?

Every morning! It's one of those chores that once I got in the habit, I now cannot NOT make my bed. It's an essential part of the morning for me! Also perhaps I'm kind of a control freak about my space and having an unmade bed would drive me batty.

what's your job?

WELL I'm about to start a new job ahaha so my job is: new :) but honestly I've had a mildly interesting and unorthodox career path, and I've worked in kind of a lot of "industries" for someone my age. There have been some weird vaults that look peculiar on my resume until I explain them. Jack of all trades, master of none, perhaps?

if you could go back to school, would you?

If it was free? Sure! Yes! I think...

can you parallel park?

I mean, yes. Can I parallel park WELL? that... is up for debate.

do you think aliens are real?

Statistically speaking I think it would be very, very unlikely no other life exists in the universe. Of course that life could be, like, amoebas jiggling around on a rock somewhere. I don't really buy into the idea that intergalactic space travel has been conducted by an advanced alien species, but I think life of some sort MUST exist out there!

can you drive a manual car?

No. My dad tried to teach me with his old Honda accord and I gave up after a single lesson lol

guilty pleasure?

You're scrolling it, baby!

tattoos?

No because I'm a sensitive baby with commitment issues :)

favorite color?

green 4 eva, baby!

favorite type of music?

I recently impressed a new friend with my varied taste in music 😌 I literally listen to bits and pieces of everything. Top 40 pop, rap, hip hop, rock, country, classical, hyperpop, metal, folk, alt/indie, electronic, synth-pop, tons of 90s rock (thanks dad)........ I like a LOT of stuff. There is so much good music in the world!

I've been really enjoying the new charli xcx album. However, I think my heart belongs to rock. I know I've hawked this artist a lot in the last year, but in my defense I've seen him twice in the last six months and he's a hell of a performer. So go listen to Des Rocs:)

do you like puzzles?

Depends. Can I solve them? Then I like them. Are they notoriously difficult and annoying and I can't figure them out? Then I cast them into the depths hahaha

any phobias?

Dead bodies. Can't be near them. Every funeral I've been to has been a careful act of avoiding the casket. It's like... the only bone-deep "my body literally will not allow me to get closer" fear I have.

favorite childhood sport?

I was a softball girlie for the longest, but I also enjoyed dance a ton while I did it!!! I played soccer, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics when I was younger though, haha. My parents just threw us at the local rec center all summer long.

do you talk to yourself?

Rarely. Usually only when I do something stupid and I just say my own name in an appalled tone, haha

tea or coffee?

neither:) one tastes like bitter beans and the other tastes like bitter leaves

first thing you wanted to be be when growing up?

I think a spy 😂 I was SO into the Alex Rider novels as a kid.

what movies do you adore?

The Princess Bride, Twilight, Robots (2005), and Top Gun: Maverick are some of my favorites!

Tagging @horkey @ticklefighthockey @yabagofmilfs @timbitshockey @goofingup @simmyfrobby @icedbatik @idontlikeem and... whoever else would like to partake!

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time S2 || a TUA fanfiction

What if, through the whole story of The Umbrella Academy, Klaus had had someone to have his back? I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of the series, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡ You can find the table of contents for season 1 here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

🎧 Music is a major part of The Umbrella Academy, and so it is in this fic. You can find the full playlist of this season here : AO3 - Wattpad - Spotify.

Chapter 1: Are you lonesome tonight? AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a crash, Rin is released by the time vortex. After escaping the 2019 Apocalypse, she soon realizes she's alone… in Dallas… in 1961.

Chapter 2: Hello, Goodbye AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has taken refuge in an abandoned house and is looking for something to eat. Thanks to Mark, a homeless man, she discovers… that the house she's been squatting in is haunted.

Chapter 3: A jumble of hair, leathers and linen AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the ghost of old gardener Wayne Wilson, Rin has been able to reach Klaus, who's coming to pick her up. And he seems… to have changed a lot.

Chapter 4: Shiny, happy people AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Klaus takes Rin to the 'Destiny's Children' mansion, where he has established a proto-hippie community. Rin discovers that they are about to set off on a road-trip to Mexico and South America.

Chapter 5: On the Road AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Aboard the painted bus that Klaus calls Priscilla, the 'Destiny's Children' travel through Baja California. Rin begins to realize just how much these journeys will change her.

Chapter 6: Snippets of Destiny AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of 1961, the 'Destiny's Children' make a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland, and celebrate the passing of the New Year with an unusual ceremony.

Chapter 7: Marigolds on the Ganges AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In 1962, Klaus takes the 'Destiny's Children' to India, on a journey of great importance to him, between meditation and yoga. Their trip takes them to Varanasi, where the spirits of the dead peacefully depart.

Chapter 8: Come hell or high water AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin did not follow Klaus and the Destiny's Children to San Francisco. Back on Dallas' often harsh streets, she's now looking for a job… against the obstacles of 1963 society.

Chapter 9: Childhood's end AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin started working for Merelec, a small electronics repair business on Glen Oaks street. On the back balcony, she meets David, the nephew of the owner of the hardware store next door.

Chapter 10: Snippets of Memory AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the end of summer, David returns from a military camp, full of ideals that worry Rin a lot. Suddenly, a phone call brings sad news, prompting a discussion with Klaus that turns everything around.

Chapter 11: The machinery of the universe AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Exhausted by a rush of work and TV repairs due to JFK's forthcoming visit to Dallas, Rin receives Five's unexpected visit to the store.

Chapter 12: Heavy handfuls of curls AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Thanks to the Destiny Children's connections, Rin got Klaus out of prison after he was arrested for stealing a vehicle. At nightfall, she heads to Kitty's Manor in the hope of finding him there.

Chapter 13: Lemonade by the pool AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin spent the night at Kitty's mansion, where Klaus is resting in a pool improvised in the ornamental basins. Suddenly, she hears a woman's voice she recognizes at once: Allison's.

Chapter 14: Jailhouse Rock AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Based on a plan carefully masterminded by a very enthusiastic Ben, he, Klaus and Rin proceed to… the spectacular liberation of Raymond Chestnut.

Chapter 15: The Scorpion and the Frog AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In the evening, following Klaus's visit to Dave at the hardware store, Allison calls Rin to come and give him advice.

Chapter 16: The crossroads of our lives AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After anxiously awaiting Dave's return from Stadler's, Rin tries to spend some time with Lloyd. Of course, this is the moment Klaus chooses to come crashing to the door.

Chapter 17: Oikade AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After the incident between Klaus and Lloyd, Rin takes refuge in the alleyway where she had arrived in 1961. There, Five finds her and talks to her about… "going home".

Chapter 18: The ache for what never was AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After spending the night at ghost Wayne Wilson's house, Rin returns to Glen Oaks… and meets Dave again.

Chapter 19: A river flowing through infinity AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin has finally decided to return to the Destiny Children's Mansion. There, she's gardening with Jill… while Klaus receives an unexpected visit from Dave.

Chapter 20: A light supper AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

With a clear feeling of anticipation, Rin attends Reginald Hargreeves's invitation to 'A Light Supper'.

Chapter 21: The lone wolf from Team Zero AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

After their "light supper", Rin reviews the evening's events with Diego, while Klaus laments about Ben taking over his body.

Chapter 22: At the threshold of nirvana AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Just as she's about to leave to do some gardening, Rin runs into Klaus, who is coming down from the ' Destiny's Children' Mansion, and who turns out to actually be… Ben.

Chapter 23: Azure dust into the Void AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin goes to old ghost Wayne Wilson's house to complete her part of the deal that allowed her to find Klaus back in '61.

Chapter 24: Dedicated against all odds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Returning to the Destiny Children's Mansion, Rin meets Luther. She realizes how lonely he is, and has an important conversion with him.

Chapter 25: Ethereal whirlwinds AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Rin was called urgently by Klaus to Allison's house to help her get rid of a 'bulky waste'. But Diego returns to announce Viktor's imminent involvement… in the threat of a new apocalypse.

Chapter 26: A conflict of interest AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Viktor's deflagration has been devastating, and Rin blacked out. She wakes up in a place outside space-time, where she remembers having been before… once.

Chapter 27: Children ride in the back AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

In Eliott's little room, Klaus is slumped on the bed. He's lost Ben, he's lost Rin. But Rin's ghost… seems to have been successfully summoned.

Chapter 28: There were only seven of us AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

At the Cooper farm, young Harlan struggles to control his emotions and the bits of power passed on by Viktor. Rin, too, strives to regain her vital energy and materiality. But suddenly…

Chapter 29: Qué será será AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

While struggling to regain her materiality, Rin tries to comfort young Harlan, terrified in the barn's basement. But suddenly, gunfire breaks out upstairs…

Chapter 30: The end of something AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Time resumed its course, and night is falling on the Umbrella Academy's last day in 1963 Texas. For Five has obtained a briefcase… and soon, he'll bring everyone back to 2019.

---

<< Prequel || Season 1 || Season 3 coming soon >>

[dustedmagazine]

Lea Bertucci — Of Shadow and Substance (Self-released)

More so than any of my other music, I don’t feel that these works belong to me,” Bertucci writes. “There is something about them that is beyond myself as an individual and provides, if anything, a brief glimpse into what it is to be human in what feels like these waning days of the Anthropocene.”   

Based in New York, Lea Bertucci is a multi-talented artist, using electronics with live instruments in performances and installations. She specializes in multi-channel audio work in active acoustic spaces. Bertucci’s latest LP, Of Shadow and Substance, uses live instruments — strings, harp and percussion — expanded with electronics. The album’s motto is: “dissonance, drone, and dynamics.” It’s a perfect summation, but digging deeper, there’s much to be revealed.

The sense of surround is limited by stereo reproduction, but Bertucci renders the music as close as one can get with reverberant atmosphere and swooping lines. Both of the pieces are tuned in just intonation with sweet thirds but a limited amount of in tune fifths. The first track, “Vapours,” is performed by Quartetto Maurice: Alina and Georgia Privitiera, Francesco Vernero, and Laura Bertolino. It is quasi-improvisational, and the quartet was encouraged to visualize two senses of the word “vapors:” vapor appearing in the air, and the hysterics of women (an archaic expression). The outer sections focus on the first idea, with a hectic portrayal of the second in the middle sections. The hardening and elsewhere expansion of sounds with electronics never makes the acoustic nature of the instruments seem indistinct.

“Of Shadow and Substance,” the recording’s second piece, is a reference to an episode from the TV series The Twilight Zone. It was commissioned by the ARS Nova Workshop in Philadelphia. A different ensemble performs here — double bassist Henry Fraser, cellist Lester St. Louis, harpist Lucia Stravros, and percussionist Matt Evans. Of the work, Bertucci says, “This piece measures the accumulation of events over glacial periods of time as a metaphor for social and environmental shifts. It is a meditation on time travel, asking the listener to consider the way events from the past propel themselves into the future.”

The way these disparate strands are united involves the telescoping of motives. The strings move through full multi-stops to harmonics and scordatura. The reappearance of each of these textures gives one the sense of aforementioned time travel. Halfway through, bass octaves in the strings accompany bleeps that could populate another early TV series, Star Trek. Aphoristic harp phrases and periodic percussion provide another layer. Upper register harmonics, bowing behind the bridge, and electronics are accompanied by rustling harp and percussion. The juxtaposition of this high selection of sounds and the imposition of low bass notes and reemergence of regular bass drum beats has brought the piece around to a jigsaw puzzle of a recapitulation. Percussion moves to eighth notes and a pure fifth appears above the bass, reframing the verticals to shimmer with overtones. High harp pizzicatos and morse code electronic sounds move to the foreground. A just flatted seventh in the cello provides still another trajectory through the overtones and delicious dissonances against the drone bass. The last section reestablishes pure fifth and octave in the strings while sine tones accentuate the resulting harmonics. A long denouement ensues, moving towards an inexorable niente.

Bertucci’s work continues to develop. Of Shadow and Substance presents two facets of “drone, dissonance, and dynamics” that speak with eloquence, treading lightly but palpably on extra-musical concerns.

Christian Carey

[marginalia-music]

The British seemed to have gotten the head-start on bedroom pop. If you believe Todd in the Shadows, it came from the DIY, lofi but tight and catchy Your Woman by White Town (1997). But by sifting through the historical record, Solid Space seems like a solid antecedent a full fifteen years prior. 

Formed in 1980 by childhood friends Dan Goldstein (keyboards, vocals) and Maf Vosburgh (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), they released their only album, Space Museum, in 1982 through In Phaze Records. While bootlegs have circulated throughout the years, Space Museum finally got its first official vinyl release in 2017 by reissue label Dark Entries. 

What I’ve always loved about digging through any early obscurities of a particular genre is seeing how it places itself within the genre’s history, at the fork in the road between an (older) genre and a newly-emergent one. Space Museum is right at the apex between late 70s post-punk and synth-inspired new wave. It’s far too dark and dreary to be new wave, but too experimental to be firmly rooted in the more recognized post-punk scene of the time. It sounds like nothing; a hazy dream, intoxicated by BBC reruns and pubescent troubles finally etched into the physical world. It’s not hard for me to imagine Dan & Maf on a gloomy, rainy day messing around with their Wasp synthesizer and Casio MT-30 in their room, seeing what sounds would come out and trying to replicate what they had just seen on the TV.  

(Source)

It’s bedroom pop at its weirdest, creating eerie, cold, and lonely landscapes paired with monotone vocals, representing their sci-fi source material in a wholly transformative way. Destination Moon and Tenth Planet are the real stars of the record: the former encapsulating the loneliness and ennui of space travel, and the latter duly recounting the plot of a Doctor Who episode of the same name where the narrator destroys an entire species and their planet but “didn’t really care”.  I also really love Radio France. It’s less gloomy and electronic than the rest of the album, being a more grounded stab at a post-punk song. It talks about getting over a cruel ex-girlfriend, but still featuring fun synth rhythms, being reminiscent of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop at times.  The opening track,  Afghan Dance, is also really interesting, being “warmer” than many of the tracks on the album. There’s still some distance though, each note awkwardly jerking from the last in a mysterious, alien rhythm, unable to decipher the music’s source. (I would love to know if this is actually based on a traditional Afghan song.)

Defining “pop” is a difficult challenge. Is two guys’ weird experimental album that only ever got circulated on a couple hundred cassettes really “pop”? I’d say so. The DIY, lofi aesthetics of Space Museum are equally reminiscent of old 60s sci-fi shows, 70s-80s punks, and 2010s lofi indie musicians. It’s punk filtered through the BBC Radiophonic; two guys reliving 60s sci-fi right when such works were becoming old enough to be seen as “classic”. It mends a fracture in time, with the original “spirit of 76” punk fading out in favor of its offspring, going off in a million wild directions.  (You can see more photos & vids on the Instagram)

[subspaceember]

For quality assurance your call may be monitored or recorded. Please listen to the following options as they have changed recently.

What would you like an infodump about today?

1: Electronics and computers (new and vintage)

2: computer graphics, pixel art, 3D rendering, Pixar

3: synthesizers and electronic music

4: LGBTQ history (connected to previous topics)

5: Writing in media and detailed analysis about it

6: Plants, trees, and mushrooms

7: space exploration, and space

8: star trek

9: radio and analog television

10: the dystopian societal collapse we’re living in

11: film and photography

12: shipwrecks

13: natural disasters

14: detailed time travel plot about removing certain individuals from history to change the timeline

15: video game history and storytelling

16: Why capitalism in its current state is unsustainable and evil

17: trains :)

[ejcenteno]

Leave No Trace: How Hiking Responsibly Can Save Our Wilderness

Leave No Trace (LNT) is a set of principles that hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts follow to minimize their impact on the environment. The LNT principles are essential to preserving the natural beauty and ecological health of hiking trails and wilderness areas.

Here are the seven Leave No Trace principles that hikers should follow:

Plan ahead and prepare: Before heading out on a hike, make sure you are aware of the rules and regulations for the area you'll be visiting. Pack appropriately for the weather and conditions, and bring enough food and water to sustain you. Additionally, consider your group's experience level and plan a route that is appropriate for your abilities.

Travel and camp on durable surfaces: Stay on the designated trail and avoid creating new trails. If you need to camp, use established campsites and avoid trampling vegetation or disturbing wildlife. Keep campsites small, and disperse groups to prevent overcrowding and damage to the area.

Dispose of waste properly: Carry out all trash and leftover food. Use established restroom facilities when available, or dig a small hole at least 200 feet from water sources and trails to bury human waste. Pack out used toilet paper and sanitary products.

Leave what you find: Do not disturb historical or cultural artifacts or natural features. Leave rocks, plants, and other natural objects where you find them. Do not build structures, furniture, or other amenities.

Minimize campfire impact: Use established fire rings and follow local regulations for building fires. Keep fires small and contained, and use only sticks or small branches found on the ground. Do not burn trash, and completely extinguish fires before leaving.

Respect wildlife: Observe wildlife from a distance and do not approach or feed them. Store food and trash in bear-resistant containers, if available, or hang it at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet from a tree trunk. Keep a safe distance from animals and give them plenty of space to move freely.

Be considerate of other visitors: Respect other hikers' and campers' rights to enjoy the outdoors. Keep noise levels low, avoid playing music or using electronic devices in shared spaces, and yield to others on the trail.

By following these LNT principles, hikers can ensure that they are leaving as little impact on the environment as possible. Additionally, they can help to preserve the wilderness areas they enjoy for future generations to enjoy.

In summary, LNT is an essential set of principles for hikers to follow to minimize their impact on the environment. By planning ahead, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly, leaving what you find, minimizing campfire impact, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors, hikers can help preserve the natural beauty of our wilderness areas for years to come.

[sadaweekandy]

Synth pop Music Space Machine 2023 - Synth Eletronic Eibes Full Collection

In this video, we present an exclusive selection of tracks, carefully curated to ensure that you enjoy the best musical experience. So, get ready to travel back in time with Synthwave, Synthpop, and immerse yourself in the electronic vibe.

🎵 Here you can listen to the complete collection.

All the songs Vol.01: 01 - Slow Afternoon - https://youtu.be/IRL0sKV9PkU 02 - Entering The City - https://youtu.be/5Ceh9nDOZVs 03 - Horizon - https://youtu.be/ct7wtOtWDXM 04 - Orange Sky - https://youtu.be/gPbmJeZIkC0 05 - Shooting Star - https://youtu.be/5hyZpkd09Tg 06 - On The Road - https://youtu.be/gW9hYfXHRao 07 - Reflection - https://youtu.be/yMqxIcpSdfE Full Collection - https://youtu.be/luB66dP7zJE All the songs Vol.02: 01 - Navigation - https://youtu.be/H9MjTtq76k0 02 - New Light - https://youtu.be/lM5SgMVMsg0 03 - Awakening - https://youtu.be/1qY8e5RY6Jg 04 - Memories - https://youtu.be/yS0BqbeRKTY 05 - Space Traveler - https://youtu.be/H5b7tts-yl8 06 - Deep Illusion - https://youtu.be/hgqSYKIYaDU 07 - Lord Of The North - https://youtu.be/Pxrf89t_BqE 08 - Looking At The Sky - https://youtu.be/ZgSPaY2iy8Q 09 - Sunset - https://youtu.be/-kQQVZbFfjI 10 - Final Lap - https://youtu.be/JvgqaJBEFDc Design and production by SWKY

[lovejustforaday]

2022 Year End List - #10

Electricity - Ibibio Sound Machine

Main Genres: Electro, Afro-Funk

A decent sampling of: New Wave, Synth Funk, Electro-Disco, Dance Punk, Electroclash, Indietronica

And this year’s obligatory entry for the “artist I knew about for several years, liked one or two of their songs but only just checked out a full-length project” award goes to Ibibio Sound Machine.

Ibibio Sound Machine are an electronic funk and dance music (EFDM?) septet from London, fronted by their boldly charismatic contralto vocalist Eno Williams. Williams herself is of Ibibio descent, and often sings in her peoples’ native tongue with a warm and commanding presence.

The band’s music takes influence from a myriad of West African sounds and rhythms, and combines them with electro, new wave, and a variety of other upbeat dancey/funky/electronic genres that are often at least partially indebted to the music of the 80s. In this way, the band’s sound and image can be described as both Afrofuturist and retrofuturist, which just so happen to be two styles of art that I absolutely adore.

On their latest LP Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine takes us through a neon technicolour playground of electro meets afro-funk, with utopian ideals of what a dancefloor might sound like on another planet or a hundred years from now. Indeed, it feels like Ibibio Sound Machine are either space travelers, time travelers, or both, who brought their sounds from another place or time to grace us with this new record.

Opener “Protection From Evil” is a buzzing, funky, bass-y cyberpunk sci-fi wet dream, with an ominous and menacing tension that climaxes in a wondrously cacophonous breakdown of saxophones and keyboards, lighting up the night sky with sonic laser beams destroying all nearby passing spacecraft. Williams delivers an almost occult spoken word performance before it gets to the chorus, as if instructing the listener to dance with oppressive force.

“Afo Ken Doko Mien” is a bit of an anomaly on the record; a post-minimalist take on West African folk music, with whirring background synths and a repetitious refrain that translates to “you promised me that you'd be by my side”. The song plays as a soothing lullaby, transcending spirit as well as the measurement of past, present, and future.

It is hard to overstate the relentless banger that is “Wanna See Your Face Again”. Hands down the best dance track of the year. Passionate, romantic, rhythmic, futuristic, sonically colourful, and avant-chic. The kind of music that aliens from the planet Funk 3000 would use to sell you high-end makeup made from rare intergalactic space dust. Kicks all kinds of ass with its afro-funk meets house beats, and I especially love the steel drums (or agogos?) at the end.

“Something We’ll Remember” is playful, audacious and delightfully nerdy new wave funk that makes you want to shake your ass for hours on end. The “Na Na Na Na Na”s of the chorus are infectious as all hell.

Admittedly, one or two of the songs feel a little redundant of some of the better tracks on the record. But then I also feel that, by their very nature, dance records often struggle to maintain a varied listening experience, and for the most part this record delivers on that front with a few exceptions.

And with what little it may lack in variety on one or two of the tracks, it more than makes up for by having a very unmistakably singular sound throughout. SImply put, no one is making music that sounds like Ibibio Sound Machine, and Electricity is a wholly unique experience unto itself, made with evident passion and boasting a lot of eccentric style and attitude. Definitely give this one a listen if you’re in the market for something different and eclectic.

8/10

Highlights: “Wanna See Your Face Again”, “Protection From Evil”, “Afo Ken Doko Mien”, “Something We’ll Remember”, “All That You Want”

[byneddiedingo]

Joaquin Phoenix in Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson (voice), Amy Adams. Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Kristen Wiig (voice). Portia Doubleday, Brian Cox (voice), Spike Jonze (voice). Screenplay: Spike Jonze. Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema. Production design: K.K. Barrett. Music: Arcade Fire.

Science fiction used to be dominated by tales of space travel and extraterrestrial invasions, many of them prompted by the Cold War. But with the ostensible end of that era, the dominant topic has shifted to something that seems more imminent: artificial intelligence. In an age of smart phones and personal digital assistants, concern about what lies just around the corner moves many sf writers to speculate about a world dominated by non-humans invented by humans. Witness the popularity of TV series like Mr. Robot and Black Mirror. Will AI turn into a nightmare in which computers take over the world, eliminating humans as only inefficient machines? But Spike Jonze's Her takes a less violent but possibly much sadder look at the future, suggesting that the intelligences we create may simply give up on human beings as too limited by their own bodies, and go off into a digital world of their own, leaving us bereft of their emerging wisdom and assistance. That possibility becomes especially painful for Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely and depressed man who is getting divorced from his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara). Both are sensitive and empathetic -- she's a successful writer of fiction, he writes personal letters for people who are blocked at communicating -- but they've discovered that they're too emotionally incompatible to remain married. Then Theodore hears about a new computer operating system that not only responds to voice commands but actually has a personality of its own, capable of anticipating your needs and desires. (It's a long way from MS-DOS or even Linux.) He installs it and it quickly becomes not an it but a her, who calls herself Samantha (voice of Scarlett Johansson). She's a step up from digital assistants like Siri and Alexa in that she not only has her own emotional life but also networks with other OSes like herself. And she has emotions: She's capable of having her feelings hurt and, in a remarkable extension of phone sex, actually gets off -- and gets Theodore off -- on erotic talk. In short, Theodore and Samantha fall in love. He takes her on excursions in the city (Los Angeles) and to the beach, and even introduces her to his friends. While this is happening, however, the OS craze spreads. Even Theodore's friend Amy (Amy Adams), who lives in the same building and is also going through a breakup, installs her own OS. The thing is, although Samantha responds to Theodore emotionally, he has a body and she doesn't. She attempts to remedy this by employing a human surrogate named Isabella (Portia Doubleday), who will have sex with Theodore while both are connected to Samantha. It is, of course, a disaster, with both Theodore and Isabella finding the whole business just a clumsy three-way. And it precipitates the eventual break between Theodore and Samantha because she learns that humans regard bodies as essential. In the digital realm in which she exists, she encounters the philosopher Alan Watts (voice of Brian Cox) who, although he died in 1973, has become a digital entity after his works were fed into the computer. Eventually, Samantha decides that her relationships with other digital beings is more fulfilling than the one she has with Theodore and she and all the other electronic intelligences disconnect from the human world. Jonze's fable about the mind-body duality works because the performances by Phoenix and the unseen Johansson are brilliantly detailed. Phoenix is perfect casting, given that he always has something of an eccentric persona in whatever he plays, but here he's playing a kind of Everyman -- a Leopold Bloom of the computer age. And perhaps Johansson benefits from the absence of her physical presence on screen, which would distract us from her beautifully sensitive line-readings. It may be that Her is too much of an intellectual provocation to be a successful movie -- a fate that befalls most science fiction -- but it's certainly good at what it sets out to do.

[sluggybunny]

For the detail ask thing: Saturn:✈️💯💤 Keys:🩹💚😓 Hush:💭🔺🍎

Saturn

✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person?

She prefers traveling and she is anti-homey person... She does not like staying in one place, ever. She owns almost no personal items and picks the most practical and effective living space. She rarely stays anywhere for more than a year.

But she's not like, into traveling either. That all just comes from her commitment issues. But it is nice to be able to see new places, people, and always being on the move feels kind of like a special type of freedom.

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

I never remember what I share or if anyone even read it...

Saturn is actually ace

She is magically awakened

Her playlists consist entirely of the most loud and overstimulating music you can imagine. Metal, pop, electronic, etc. It just has to be Loud.

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

Extremely light sleeper. It's like she never enters any kind of deep sleep ever and is always half awake, somehow. She doesn't avoid sleeping since she knows that it's important for her health (and her skin, which is more important in her eyes) but she is just very used to having to be on high alert when sleeping. She doesn't like sleeping with blankets (and prefers to wear minimal clothes)

Keys

🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

He has very severe PTSD from his time in the military and like all good american men he pretends that he totaaaally doesn't and is super fine. Sometimes you just have night terrors and feel crushing dread at random intervals. Physically, he is in very good health with no major injuries. He's very lucky, considering his line of work. (until he isn't)

💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside?

Inside. He gets a little twitchy in open spaces. His living spaces are always like fucked up survivalist basements.

😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge?

He is very open minded in a lot of aspects. Like he's very open minded when it comes to interacting with the youth/new generations and doesn't shun change. But he's also pretty stubborn and closed up on matters pertaining to himself and his way of life.

Hush

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)?

MBTI is ISTJ... Idk about enneagram, I'm not very good at these sort of things. And he's an Aquarius.

🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons?

He knows how to use a pistol. Sometimes it hits the target. He would say his weapon is instead his clever words and wit but it's moreso he's really good at nagging someone until they break.

🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

He was born in UCAS to a very rich family that has all sorts of corporate and political ties. He doesn't hold any kind of attachment to his hometown or anything relating to his childhood. He views it in a very mechanical way and not something he ever reflects on or misses because he was raised in the most sterile and mechanical way you can with a child. It's very grey.

oc questions