#even in 50’s retro form

[ohhcinnybuns]

Hi. It's me. I'm back at it again.

Today I'm thinking about a singer! Dazai and 'only there against his will to end his situationship' concertgoer Chuuya au.

For one song, be my Evangeline

Chuuya, a classic rock listener who prefers to stay at home and read books after a long day, receives a text from his situationship, Yuan, who pleads to him to attend an up-and-coming rockabilly concert with her and the rest of the sheep on Saturday night.

Chuuya doesn’t have to. He's not obligated to. Whatever he and Yuan have going on, he’s not putting his all into a half-made relationship. He hasn't shown much interest in her hobbies or likes after their initial flirty phase months ago, and he's starting to think he should run.

Situationships are just so confusing, and he can't tell if he likes her in the same way that she likes him anymore. She's clingy and bossy, thinking she has him under her clutches all the time when Chuuya is on the precipice of jumping ship.

Besides, the music doesn't fit his style. Why go to something that doesn't pique his interest? With a sigh, he mulls it over. This would be the perfect time to know if he and Yuan have anything in common or if their situationship is based on attraction. If it's not his scene, and she's not what he's looking for, he's high-tailing out of there. End of situationship.

Chuuya agrees to meet with Yuan and the rest of the Sheep, and Saturday arrives quickly.

Walking up to the venue, he is immediately pounced on by Yuan, and she gives Chuuya a VIP badge while the rest of the Sheep move to enter the venue.

Chuuya can feel a pit in his stomach because Yuan looks beautiful in her polka dot dress and retro pin-up bobbed hair. Chuuya looks like the most basic man possible with his plain white tee, black jeans, leather jacket, fedora, and Converse. They are on different pages, even in style, and it is clear to him that their relationship won't work immediately. Though for the slightest second, he's scared he will change his mind about her. He can appreciate beauty when he sees it.

That thought flies out the window when she opens her mouth to fangirl and squeal about the artist they'll see tonight, though. She twirls and gushes about the new up-and-coming artist Osamu Dazai and says that Chuuya should be jealous; he is all she can think about. She also mentioned that the VIP badge would let them meet Osamu later and is looking forward to it. She yaps about how sometimes, during the song "Evangeline," the spotlight will find someone from the VIP section, and he'll dedicate the song to them and how she wishes it was her, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Chuuya zones her out the rest of the way to their booth, thinking of how to tell her he's not interested in whatever they are and to go home.

After several smaller artists and bands perform, the curtains rise for Osamu Dazai, who sits in a chair with a microphone, playing with it idly. His black suspenders dangle lazily from his dark denim jeans, and his white tee, tucked in, captures the ripples of his toned, bandaged body beneath. His bandages stop at the base of his neck and biceps, which make them nearly unseeable, but even in his drunken stupor, Chuuya can see through the mouthwatering tight-fitting shirt. Dazai's hair has been slicked back with a loose, wavy strand to frame his face, and his white and black sneakers complete his outfit.

Chuuya is slightly impressed by him because he looks a little pretty. Okay, maybe Dazai is a lot pretty. He'd never hidden his curiosity towards other men from anyone, and he wasn't about to now that there was a handsome, talented man before him, making him raise a brow.

Chuuya has had a couple of drinks and finally relaxed enough to enjoy the show. He'll worry about Yuan later. He’s stuck here, after all. He hasn’t had a moment with Yuan to let her down gently. So, he'll make the most of things.

The crowd cheers wildly, and Osamu takes a moment to talk and settle the crowd. At any sudden movement he makes, his fans roar intensely. Osamu laughs into the microphone, teasing his fans with a simple devilish smirk asking, "Did you miss me, Yokohama? I’ve been out searching for my Evangeline, are they here tonight?”

The crowd immediately goes wild as the music starts through the speakers. A spotlight comes on in an otherwise dark venue, and Chuuya can feel his muscles tense. What was that thing Yuan had mentioned that he zoned out again? Something, something spotlight, something, something song...

The spotlight looms over their booth, and Chuuya can feel himself internally hoping and praying it goes away. It doesn’t.

The bright beam rains down on him, his face shielded by his hat to hide his dumbstruck look. He can hear the gasps and wild screams of the girls around him.

He attempts to trade places with Yuan, but the light follows him, and he growls in annoyance, yelling profanities that are long lost in the sea of screams at the spotlight operator. He thought he heard Yuan scream into the crowd, "Wow, this has never happened before, Chuuya! You're so lucky!"

With a growl and defeated sigh, now that all eyes are on him, Chuuya finally looks back at the stage and locks gazes with Dazai, who is blinking at him stupidly. Wasn’t this part of the moron’s act? Why did he look shocked, too? That only made Chuuya want to start picking fights because the look on Dazai’s face annoyed him.

Suddenly, the simple idea of being serenaded by a man to a man hits them, and they just give each other a “never speak about this again, so get on with it” look even though it's being witnessed and recorded by thousands of fangirls. It’s not like things can get worse, right? Chuuya was too tipsy for this.

As Osamu Dazai begins his song, he motions his head to his bodyguard, Hirotsu, in Chuuya’s direction. He did have an act he followed. Hirotsu nods and makes his way to the booth, where he takes an animated Chuuya (against his will) to the stage. Chuuya hoped Hirotsu was there to toss him out of the venue and save him from embarrassment, but as he expected, it’s always a 'no' to wishful thinking.

Chuuya just about throws a fist at the old man in his drunken stupor but stops when he’s shoved on the stage next to Dazai, who leans down to him during the chorus with a warm smile,

So don't go to sleep, don't rest your head, I'll be the pillow, and I'll be the bed, holding your dreams as you lie to rest, Evangeline.

Chuuya was never one to be speechless, but even he couldn't fight the flutter of his heart at the tenderness behind the words, or the gentle way Osamu picked him up and pulled him close to sway to the ballad, a hand sliding into Chuuya’s hair to guide his head to rest against Osamu's broad shoulders. Dazai sings the rest of the song into Chuuya’s ear, making him flustered and struggle against the hold.

Anybody call a doctor, I'm a thousand degrees in love Oh, and I'm sick of all the guessing, between the two of us.

When he can’t break free, Chuuya groans in defeat and watches the way Osamu smirks down at him, and his legs turn to jelly. Was it the Osamu Dazai effect, or was it the alcohol speaking? He couldn't tell. Not that he was complaining. All the fight in him was gone, so he just listened to the soothing voice from above and held on to Osamu's white shirt so he wouldn't stumble while they swayed, the lyrics echoing back to them from the ocean of fans.

During the final chorus, Osamu finally lets go of Chuuya, bends down to one knee, and places a chaste kiss on his hand. Chuuya blushes and hurriedly uses his hat to cover his flushed cheeks from the crowd. He grumbles a clear "loser, don't do that again" to Dazai, who only laughs and finally lets him go.

Osamu leans into Chuuya's ear and tells him he'll see him later, which only makes Chuuya's heartbeat quicken in his ears. His brain was clearly not keeping up, and it took him a minute to realize that Osamu was playing with his VIP badge. Yeah, he forgot all about that, and yuan, the screaming fans, and everything else that wasn't Osamu Dazai.

As Chuuya is escorted off the stage, he glances back at Osamu, who keeps his eyes on his figure, making Chuuya shudder. There is a moment when Osamu looks down at his hands, thoughts running so quickly that no one can tell, but Chuuya can see it through his tipsy haze.

Osamu gives Chuuya a final innocent smile. He watches as Osamu lifts the microphone to his lips, and with a chuckle, he says, "My Evangeline sure is a handsome one tonight. A true inspiration for this next song..."

Chuuya walks away faster than ever before, realizing the next song is a love ballad, and he settles back in his seat, ignoring the jealous eyes of fans on him. He tips his fedora over his face and sinks into his spot, listening to the Sheep go on about how it was all caught on video and this moment will forever be memorable.

Chuuya groans and ignores them for the rest of the performance. When he goes backstage later, he's 100% going to kick Osamu Dazai's ass for the embarrassment and let him have it (in what way, he's not quite sure yet). Perhaps he'll also ask him for an autograph too because, above being fine, Osamu showed great talent, and Chuuya appreciated that.

In the meantime, though, he'll casually flip Osamu off anytime the singer so much as mentions anything to do with Evangeline and sends him flying glares from his seat every time they make eye contact as payback. Osamu's laugh echoes through the speakers each time, and Chuuya can't help but smirk back at their silly interaction. That'll show Osamu to pick Chuuya as his Evangeline.

Note: Wow, this got out of control really quickly. It was only supposed to be an idea...It's not what I had planned at all, but sure. LOL. Something a little stupid, fluffy, and sweet.

Update: Gave it a title. :)

Extras.

Chuuya does kick Dazai Osamu's ass backstage, but at video games. They drink, hang out, nearly kiss in their drunken haze, and decide this is the time to go HOME.

Chuuya asks for his autograph and a picture, to which Dazai agrees and writes his number on the back of a Polaroid. You know... Just in case.

Chuuya breaks up with his situationship because he's over it and much more interested in the butthead of a singer whose voice will haunt his dreams at night.

Inspirations

Dazai's song

Yuan's hairstyle

Dazai's fit (ish) - this was the closest representation I could find. I have 0 drawing skills, otherwise I would.

The closest representation of their pose when they take a picture backstage later.

[stevensavage]

But What Does It Mean?

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort.  Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)

Recently a friend found an AI generated fake trailer for a kind of 1950s-1960’s live Sailor Moon. This, it turned out wasn’t the only fake-retro live Sailor Moon trailer generated by AI. Somehow I feel the infamous failed Saban Sailor Moon has driven people to imagine such things differently (forgetting the rather well done live Sailor Moon from Japan).

Now I find these things amusing, but there was a strange emptiness about them. What, I wondered, was the point? I can imagine these things in my own head, and in fact have - once in the form of a late night discussion of Lucille Ball playing Sailor Moon (I was assuredly sober). Do I need someone to use tetchy AI to illustrate something?

As I contemplated the weird meaninglessness of these things, a friend who’s a talented cosplayer note that there was no point to such creations. What would have been truly amazing would not have been someone tossing prompts to an electricity-devouring toy, but to have rallied cosplayers and shot it live. Suddenly I got why so much of this AI art feels meaningless.

Let us imagine that some cosplayers had gathered to create a Sailor Moon trailer true to the spirit of the 50’s or 60s. They would have done research and studied costume design. They would have sewn, crafted, created, re-created, and perfected their work. Those doing the filming would have figured the angles of the time and how to get the color just right. Voiceovers would have been chosen to fit the period, perhaps finding veteran actors or new talent.

The creation of a few minutes of trailer would have involved people making, learning, researching, bonding. They would have made friendships that lasted a lifetime, spoken at cons, and taken their skills elsewhere. Someone may have used such a creation as a senior thesis, others in a portfolio. One small bit of fun would have impacted many people, echoing through their lives.

Or you can throw things into an AI. Sure there’s some talent in tweaking the prompts, calling the best shots, and so on. The editing of such things definitely requires skill. But so much of it is disconnected or not as connected as it should be. I won’t deny that a person with AI uses talent and inspiration to create a larger creation, but it lacks that big, meaningful picture of an effort without AI.

An artistic creation is a lot more than the time you watch it on screen.

What AI turns out is results with little human connection, history, inspiration, or meaning. It makes “product” in the most empty use of the term - something designed to appeal to someone’s interests, something to sell, a result not a thing with history and meaning. We’ve taken an interesting tool and now people pitch it as a substitute for being human.

This is another reason I’m skeptical on AI creations beyond some more personal and specific uses. Where’s the human connection? The team that learned from making a show? The author you love and get angry at in equal measure? The voice actors to fan over? The choices only a person could make - even if they’re the bad choices of an actual human? Where’s what comes next, with lessons learned and ideas built on?

It’s not there. Just a machine turning out stuff in the rough shape of what we asked. It doesn’t mean anything.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

[a-random-fandom-friend]

So I started watching the 1984 Transformers cartoon, with the french voices because they're deliciously corny. For now, here's what I found :

I'm pretty sure 2 or 3 guys are voicing the 50+ characters.

Spike and his dad are super lenients for guys who just met alien robots. And Optimus Prime is way too quick to accept their help.

WHY IS THE TITLE SCREEN SO ABRUPT

Btw they're called "Autobo" and "Deceptican" in french. And Optimus Prime is called Optimus Prim.

Spike getting inside a car that is sentient robot... And the close up of him bucking his seatbelt... It is just me or is it... weirdly sexual ?

Holy shit I can't remember the name of any of them. They dont even say eachother name. And I sure can't differenciate them with their voice ???

....I'm pretty sure HE can't fit inside a cassette player

Why does Megatron keeps that red-guy-who-is-not-optimus around, when the dude ALWAYS talk about how much he wants to betray him ?

There Are So Many Robots.

Cassette player dude is really cool...

So... Are All The Episodes About The Deceptican Searching For Energy Cubes ?

Why did all these aliens robots have plump, defined lips ? Not that i complain but... that sure is a stylistic choice...

Hi quick questions what the fuck kind of name is "professor Rotok" and what the fuck kind of invention is "the first female ninja robot" neeeever mind HIIII ARE YOU SINGLE

Oh no they put some Evil Tech into my beautiful wife :c

Omg hi Roger Carel !

i thought it was sci fi... so far they have found Old Mayan Religion and also Tech, Atlantis with its retro-thruster, and have created dinosaurs robots who now live on a Dinosaurs Island

Is Megatron alternate form just... a gun ???

Okay it was a hunch before but now I'm pretty sure the french version doesn't have all the episodes. The Dinobot island is 1 episode and it is the 18th episode of the cartoon.

What happened to the purple faceless dude that was left on cybertron ? (Also, is he single ? love his design)

Ironhide got a full episode where he has to shakes off his "I'm Too Old For This Shit"-itis so now I can differentiate Red Robot With Large Windshield from the other. I can also remember Hound's name because Spike called him "Ohund" and I did not understand it at all. The only others I can pick out are "Bumblee", Optimus Prim, Mirage bc he got the blue pharaoh coiffe, Tracks bc his face is red, and the ambulance dude (Ratchet ?)

(*looks up name*) uuuh... Wheeljack has a pretty cool design. I like it.

Why are the Constructicans the only one who can combine ? I thought they could all do it ? ...Maybe I'm thinking of Power Rangers.

Why are 80's punks always in the most queer outfits

Will My Beautiful Wife Nightbird Be Back ? :c

[nutzo0001]

Promised Neverland

Other name: Tech-zine future (inspired by July '97 edition of WIRED [picture] [link to read])

Main interest - Retro-Futurism, Cyberpradism

Related/Similar to the genres/aesthetics of Vaporwave, Y2K, Cyberpunk and those sorts -

Wonderland, Cyberparadism, Global Village Coffeehouse and Hauntology - among others -

This aesthetics talks about idea of "what could have been", "what we lost", even incorporating in talks those terms of "look what they took away from you".

Speaking of general "vibe", we are in-between on terms of: Dark Academia, sometimes Bastardcore - Mallgoth. Also might vary between Utopian scholastic, and/or cassette futurism (and others).

Talking of Hauntology - PNL can make us look over for "what went wrong/what could be//get better", this is, speaking figuratively. Human imagination, in these forms, presents to us, "what could have been's" - world envisioned: in 10, 50, 100, 500 years. Many projects and arts envisioned our "future"s, now long-gone (1800s, 1900s, 1950s-1980s ~ y2k).

Idealised future (now past) can consist of:

Topics: pro-freedom hackers, cyberpunk, "long bloom", "promised 80s neverland", (once upon a time-space - Barrille) futures; human-library-utopic, free world, calm, pre-9/11 dreams (y2k), new ways-opportunities-progress, tech = (as) saviour, "gay space free commie", unity-community-mutual help-understanding, econ. boom, "kids are alright"/no real deal, small media-only, man vs himself/bad habits (spooks?), theories of mind and research (everything is relative > no meaning, or value > nihilism); slow steady steps, new school(s) of thought, "kids = (are) future", "we build this city"/people-first, man-gov collab. ~mutual help/or, liberation...

for Gallery, see Retro-Futurism#Gallery

Mini-gallery

Albert Barillé landscapes

More:

"90s (Cyber/-) Positivism" and or, "Oldest (Alt.) Nets (80s-'93)"

- Also, *when* "Oldest Web"/"Old Alt.-nets" (Work name)? (1980s-1992/93) - "Eternal September", "there is no Cabal" and such? (https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Old_Web?commentId=44...54588&replyId=44...436775)

- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/f/p/44...52421

- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/f/p/44...53803

- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/f/p/44...53936

(^ Related: "90s Positivism")

-- Ike this: https://kyberia.sk/id/8639748#7 (https://aesthetics.fandom.com/f/p/44...53936/r/44...435546)

- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/f/p/44...53936/r/44...435363 (... (copied this text to AI and asked about mark fisher + stirner + hauntology...):)

[millenial-net-utopia-2010]

Promised Neverland

Other name: Tech-zine future (inspired by July '97 edition of WIRED [picture] [link to read])

Main interest - Retro-Futurism, Cyberpradism; Anemoia (longing for (future that never was) what you didnt experience personally)

Related/Similar to the genres/aesthetics of Vaporwave, Y2K, Cyberpunk and those sorts -

Wonderland, Cyberparadism, Global Village Coffeehouse and Hauntology - among others -

mildly/loosely speaking, Sweet_nostalgia and Childhood_webcore

This aesthetics talks about idea of "what could have been", "what we lost", even incorporating in talks those terms of "look what they took away from you".

Speaking of general "vibe", we are in-between on terms of: Dark Academia, sometimes Bastardcore - Mallgoth. Also might vary between Utopian scholastic, and/or cassette futurism (and others).

...Much of the aesthetic is characterized by nostalgia for an idealized past, often seen as "more wholesome" than modern American culture and style... - From Americana article

Talking of Hauntology - PNL can make us look over for "what went wrong/what could be//get better", this is, speaking figuratively. Human imagination, in these forms, presents to us, "what could have been's" - world envisioned: in 10, 50, 100, 500 years. Many projects and arts envisioned our "future"s, now long-gone (1800s, 1900s, 1950s-1980s ~ y2k).

Idealised future (now past) can consist of: Topics: pro-freedom hackers (free info, knowledge, source-code), cyberpunk ("its all just 0s and 1s, man... what is so special, what need protection, man; chill..."), "long bloom", "promised 80s neverland", (Once upon a time-space - Barrille) futures; human-library-utopic, free world, calm, pre-9/11 dreams (y2k), new ways-opportunities-progress, tech = (as) saviour, "gay space free commie", unity-community-mutual help-understanding, econ. boom, "kids are alright"/no real deal, small media-only, man vs himself/bad habits (spooks?), theories of mind and research (everything is relative > no meaning, or value > nihilism); slow steady steps, new school(s) of thought, "kids = (are) future", "we build this city"/people-first, man-gov collab. ~mutual help/or, liberation (from "spooks")...

[signalwatch]

WA Watch: Rushmore (1998)

I figure this is me and my nephew in about 8 years

Watched:  07/16/2023

Format:  Streaming Amazon

Viewing:  Unknown

Director:  Wes Anderson

Recently, I was watching some old Bugs Bunny cartoons, circa 1940, and I was surprised to see the name "Charles M. Jones" in the credits.  While "Chuck Jones" is synonymous with WB animation, he's really associated with a certain artistic style and flair that is characterized in certain styles of background, character design and with his comedic timing in everything from "What's Opera, Doc?" to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  But there was his name in plain text.

He had not yet timed how long it took an anvil to fall or for Wile E. Coyote to hang in mid-air before plummeting for maximum comedic effect.  He hadn't quite gotten the rise of an eyebrow or a sly look to the viewer.  But.  It's there.  

Jamie was the one who requested a watch of Rushmore (1998) a film we saw together way back at the Arbor IV upon its release.  And we've watched a number of times over the years.  And, for her, it was an academic exercise in "what was he doing in 1998?  and how does it true up to what's there in 2023 with Asteroid City?"

It's interesting how Anderson springs into a form we all would have been fine with here in 1998 and with his second feature (after the excellent Bottle Rocket).  He's locking in on some of the themes he'd return to (certainly distant, bad dads), certain camera shots/ edits, formal dialog fit more for a 20th century short story than a film in the naturalist mode, aesthetics of symmetry and retro-ism.  

It's also curious to ponder how much of the Wes Anderson story that Owen Wilson occupies.  The two were roommates at the University of Texas, and Anderson - maybe UT's brightest star in film - did not actually participate in the film program, but got a Philosophy degree.*  Bottle Rocket was a deep partnership between Anderson and the Wilson brothers and he'd co-star in the film as well as co-writing and appearing in Royal Tenenbaums.  And, of course, he appears in numerous other Anderson pictures, including French Dispatch, which I haven't seen yet.  

I assume the pacing of events means Anderson and Wilson wrote Rushmore while in their mid-20's to late-20's, and while there's certainly a level of goofiness to the proceedings and it is, in part, about a middle-aged man in a juvenile spat with a 15-year-old, there's some great character stuff that rings even more true here as I roll towards 50.  

I don't know that Anderson could do Rushmore again.  Maybe.  He's never quite given up on teen geniuses, including underperforming teen and adult geniuses.  He's still working through dead parents, bad parents, indifferent parents.  He's still invested in messy romance treated as a matter-of-fact.  I'm not sure a studio would be as ready to fund a movie about a teen and teacher with a complex relationship in the last 20 years.  

But, in general, there's nothing  - to me - about Rushmore that doesn't work.   

I'm glad it's shot in Houston.  Bleak, wintery Houston in all its no-zoning-laws glory and mix of industrial mess and bucolic park-like environs.  I love that dumb town.  

And, of course, it really gave the world Jason Schwartzman and a new view of Bill Murray.  Co-star Olivia Williams has remained feverishly busy, appearing in American works, from The Sixth Sense to Hyde Park on the Hudson (reteamed with Murray).  

But the film also has Brian Cox, briefly Connie Nielsen, Luke and Andrew Wilson, and the late Seymour Cassel.  Sara Tanaka and Mason Gamble seem to have retired from acting - but I think Tanaka is a cardiologist now?

Anyway, 25 years later, the movie still works as well as it ever did, and at this point, it's much more than a curious artifact of Anderson's early work - it's clearly pointing the way he's headed.

  *Little tip for you brainiacs like me who burned through 5 years of college and panicked in their 4th year and also got a history degree

https://ift.tt/3a8Kv9V

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/qFbXNlR

[furbyfubar]

Up until a few years ago I actually owned a laptop that ran Windows 3.11. It had been the work computer for my dad in the early 90′s and it didn’t even have a color screen. I took over it when Windows 95 had been out for a while. But it could run Tetris and a few other games that were on it, so I kept putting off getting rid of it. I had some plans of trying to use it for some LARP or retro-futuristic art installation, but I never got around to it.

That laptop finally took a trip to the recycling center in a move to a smaller apartment a few years ago, because I really had/have too much random shut I don’t want to get rid of anyways.

Windows 3.11 isn’t even the oldest operating system I’ve run on a machine I owned, in my teens II bought a second hand PC with an Intel i386DX processor. It was running some version of DOS. CGA graphics displayed four colors. No, that doesn’t work out like four color printing where those colors combine to form the whole rainbow. No, it showed black, white, cyan, and magenta, with pixels big enough that the colors didn’t bleed together.

Oh, and speaking of my hoarding tendencies when it comes to objects I have nostalgia for: I can see the original box holding my old Commodore 64 from my seat. That was the first computer I owned! I bought it for 50% my own saved up money and 50% sponsorship from my parents for buying a computer you could program on. (Because my mom figured it could be “educational” to try programming.) I obviously mainly planned to play games, so I would have probably bought a NES otherwise. My brother bought an Amiga 500 with the same deal a few years later. We have now both studied computer science, and we work IT jobs, so I guess I’ll have to admit that my mom was right.

So yes, I’m old as dirt for someone on tumblr.

[musicarenagh]

Anticipate The Upcoming Single From The Dolls Are Good The Dolls are Good is a pseudonym for filmmaker and producer Nadeem Akhtar, using a repertoire of electronic styles, sampled snippets and psychedelic nostalgia, the Dolls Are Good is here to create a retrofitted sound for our collective future, one which can't neatly be pigeonholed into a formulaic playlist and a sound which is only for the most discerning ear. With over 20 years of experience in beat making The Dolls Are Good keeps getting better with each production he makes, drawing loads of inspiration from music produced in the 50s through to the 1960’s psychedelia, Shoegaze, 90’s hip hop, and the 90’s UK electronic music scene (jungle, trip-hop, big beat) to music produced in the current day, all this have are a strong presence within his music. “One twenty-Six (126)" is the upcoming release from Canadian producer The Dolls Are Good. The music, which maintains a retro look, appears to be a jungle track. In order to create a captivating acoustic trip, frenetic rhythm sounds are hidden among varied melody parts. This was shared during an interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh where he shared bits and pieces of his personal life, he also went on to share what his fans should expect next, he said I’m finishing up an EP with a more mellow electronic vibe a bit in realm of Air’s “Moon Safari”. get this and more from the interview below:   Follow The Dolls Are Good on Twitter Spotify Soundcloud Youtube Instagram What is your stage name The Dolls Are Good Is there a story behind your stage name? There is, I’d been making electronic tunes for over 20 years, but more for private tapes enjoyed only by friends and family or for audiovisual pieces. Just prior to the Covid pandemic I started to get serious about putting some releases out for a wider audience but needed a new stage name as my last one was taken. I asked one of my daughters for a name and her response was my moniker. Where do you find inspiration? I enjoy a very broad range of music from the 50s to the current day and all the different types of music that I listen to inform how I make music. That said, 1960’s psychedelia, Shoegaze, 90’s hip hop and the 90’s UK electronic music scene (jungle, trip hop, big beat) are a strong presence within my music. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Are you from a musical or artistic family? I grew up listening to a whole range of music, and although there were no musicians or artists in my family, playing vinyl and having a cassette playing in the car was a standard fixture in the household. This definitely honed my appreciation of music and expanded my taste for music as an art form. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? All of the 1990s electronic music artists that pushed boundaries with creativity and blurred the lines between played and sampled music. In particular Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Squarepusher, Coldcut, Air and Amon Tobin have been major inspirations. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? As with most of the art I indulge in, I taught myself. Initially I was a hip-hop DJ, but then progressed to wanting to make my own beats. I take inspiration by example…Even now when I listen to a track, if I like something in the construction or processing, I make a note of it and try to replicate the element in my own track. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? That’s difficult to pin down, but in my teens I went to a lot of Hip hop gigs in the North of England. It was a mix of big names (De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest etc) and up and coming artists…simply being part of that energy was exciting. How could you describe your music? Broadly defined, it’s retro-tinged electronic music which playfully hops between styles and genres. I am however, always trying to keep the listener guessing; striking the balance between changing elements and mel

ody. A little while ago I started to make collaborative compilations with Kynet Jah, Skholezy and more recently Zahkia, under the Sonic Saviours moniker. One of our projects was an updated Rave “concept album”, designed to be listened to straight through, a sort of “clubbers Dark Side of the Moon”. Describe your creative process. I try to work on tracks every weekend and adhere to the philosophy that the best electronic music is made at night. I have a vast collection of tracks that never quite get finished, but when I’m feeling a track I can usually get it 90% done in a single night. I then go back to it a week later and get feedback from the Sonic Saviours Crew before the finished tune is put out. What is your main inspiration? The city at night; memories of winter evenings in London and driving the UK highways late at night in particular What musician do you admire most and why? There are many, but other than those mentioned above, Bjork. She remains an all-round artist with a unique knack for accessible yet abstract expression. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Definitely, I like to think that my production skills have and continue to refine. Who do you see as your main competitor? I don’t like to compete, I’m just happy that I can put my work out there for others to listen to. What are your interests outside of music? Film is my other passion and I’ve been quite successful as a short film maker. I do feel that Film and music are natural, complementary partners in artistic expression. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I do have another career…but that’s top secret! What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? The same issue that no doubt most new artists encounter- how to be visible and get promo. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Streaming; It’s great as a consumer (for myself included) but not good for artists and changes how people consume a body of work. Often the order of tracks is extremely intentional and an album listened to in its natural order is greater than the sum of its parts. Why did you choose this as the title of this project? 1:26 (am) the middle of the night, when the city is at its most melodic   https://open.spotify.com/artist/52qFmlExRcePF7tjpwJOtk?si=xhDhdBFWQt692aY7DGF3AA What are your plans for the coming months? I’m finishing up an EP with a more mellow electronic vibe a bit in realm of Air’s “Moon Safari”. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans? Yes- I’m continuing to work on collaborative releases with the Sonic Saviour’s collective and I’m currently working on a new track with Zahkia (from Nashville) and DreyKickit a hip hop lyricist from London. What message would you like to give to your fans? Sincerely- thanks for listening!      

[radchoco]

The guys do Black MC’s hair

& what hairstyle they would most likely pick for you! (gender neutral ofc)

i hc Diavolo, Simeon & Mammon as black btw

also if some of the wording is kinda wacko, it’s because i was whitewashed as a kid and im still getting over antiblack words & rhetoric today. So please tell me in the comments if anything is off, I will correct right away! 

Lucifer

You have to catch him at his least busy, or else he won't do it at all. You don't even have to show him how to do it, since he's the one who would do Mammon's hair all the time growing up.  Stay away if you're tenderheaded! He will show no mercy to get your hair done in time.  He tries not to be rough but his hands have been too used to dealing with Mammon's hair so as an instinct he treats your hair the same way. 

His go to hairstyle for you: Would rather to give you Wash N' Gos since they're easy to do and he loves seeing your hair texture.

Mammon

"Huh? You want me to do it? I can't even do my hair sometimes!" only knows how to do wash & go's, maybe a fade on some days. He usually lets his makeup artists or Asmo do his hair for special occasions. 

His go-to hairstyle for you: Twist outs (He loves opening your hair out for you and running his hands through your hair)

Levi 

Was really concerned about messing up your hair , but after showing him videos about your hair & him practicing on his wigs for a bit, he gets really interested. "Y-you're saying I can do whatever with your h-hair?! U-Uh...This is huge amount of responsibility...!" 

His go-to hairstyle for you: He loves adding accessories, especially colorful beads in your hair (especially beads that are his color - teal). Butterfly locs he loves the most!!  He would also make your hair look like his favorite anime characters most likely.

Satan

Had done some research and read some books on it before, but haven't really gotten to actually try it out. Plus, he's seen how tenderheaded Mammon is. He'll gladly do your hair for you. He's really gentle and wouldn't be as rough like Lucifer is. He makes sure you have a lot of breaks, lets you stretch, gives you sips of your drink, have your favorite show or favorite song playing. He wants to make sure you're the most comfortable during the whole process. Will also massage your hair while washing that you almost go to sleep! 

His go to hairstyle:  Goddess crown braids, or any retro hairstyle (think 50’s looks), He might even form cat ears to your afro if you want

Asmo

He's been waiting for this one!! You two quickly go to the local demon hair store to get the highest quality moisturizers, shampoos, gels, everything. He even buys that expensive detangler comb that's been all the rage lately. He would love to do some installs, box braids, anything!! Let him do it. He's used to doing Mammon's hair sometimes and some of his succubus's friends' hair as well. 

His go to hairstyle: Any hairstyle involving finishing touches like edges. Asmo loves doing that final stroke (lol) with the brush  to show off your maximum beauty. 

Beel

If you want crumbs in your hair, sure! But depending on how much hair you have, be prepared he's going to get hungry A LOT. Take breaks. Your hair's gonna take a whole day. But don't worry, Beel likes taking this time for you. Also, he might eat your hair products if they smell a little too good (he’s done this with some of Asmo’s perfumes before).

His go to hairstyle:  I feel like he would like two-strand twists the most  (not like that's my current hairstyle or anything) cause they're simple to do for his big hands.

Belphie

Usual lazy butt Belphie; he didn't want to do it at first and groaned that you should just go to Asmo. Instead, you take this as a bonding experience and send him a bunch of braiding videos through his DDD. One video catches his attention- locs! 

His go to hairstyle:  He practices his locing techniques and he gets so good he can do it in his sleep! He'll even detox your hair too- leaving you in the detox basket while he naps and then retwists for you!

Diavolo

Not the best at hair (Barbatos does it for him) but is willing to learn!! It piques his interest so much he funds a black hair business in the devildom. Next thing you know, all the succubi wanna look like you (-_-) looks like the next lesson is cultural appropriation now.

His go to hairstyle: Likes fun & simple  hairstyles like Afro bubble ponytail and Space buns

Barbatos

You don't even have to ask, once he sees you walking towards him with a comb & spray, he knows. He's a total pro with the flat iron (cause of Diavolo) but is able to do every hairstyle in the book. Wash day is total heaven, he'll professionally massage your temples that have you feeling it down to your toes.

His go to hairstyle:  Doesn’t really have one! He does like doing hairstyles that would take longer because he gets more time with you <3

Simeon

Being the sweet angel he is, he would happily do it for you! He loves doing unique hairstyles the most - because those are the ones he can spend the most time with you. Another pro with the flat iron, but loves doing simple looks with a unique edge.

His go to hairstyle:  Half braided half natural looks, fade undercuts, tries to braid hearts in your hair, etc.

Solomon

Instead of actually doing your hair, does African threading instead.  He tells you he went to Africa a long time ago and saw the technique multiple times. He's even had his own experience of doing it on an acquaintance's child one time. 

His go to hairstyle: He opts the most for out-of-face convenience hairstyles like Bantu knots (plus he can see your face more this way <3) 

Masterlist

[thelogicalghost]

@crimsoncistern had some replies and my thoughts were too long for the reply box SO

I absolutely admit I've never played the games (though I'm about to try). I'm genuinely interested in the defenses for this worldbuilding and I'd be interested in recommendations for good fan theory videos that address the worldbuilding in particular.

That being said, I think your argument is exactly the kind of logic that makes sense until you examine the actual 50's and why that sense of control and stagnation didn't last in our history.

It's tempting to think of big events like McCarthyism as an overwhelming cultural monolith, where any dissent was only in hushed whispers in the shadows, but that's just not accurate. President Truman was a very firm opponent of Red Scare ideology and a lot of noted centrist and even conservative voices of the day publicly stated their disagreement. Persecuting a group for their thoughts is, after all, not in keeping with our Bill of Rights and our highly-valued freedoms of speech and belief.

Also, complete cultural stagnation almost always relies on very serious isolation, and while the diehard conservatives of the 50's were happy to ignore outside influences, the American Melting Pot had already done its job on everyone else. Jazz was here to stay, Rock and Roll was exploding, TV was showing images from around the world, and most important of all, classrooms and army units were being desegregated.

It's also worth remembering that conservative nostalgia comes with its own rose-tinted glasses (like most extreme ideologies, I say, being pretty far left and recognizing my own biases). Modern conservatives bemoan taxation even though their golden era was a time of considerably higher income taxes and government spending. 50's idolization usually doesn't include the horrors of the Korean War or the violence of the Civil Rights movement.

Nostalgia and retro fads also don't stay accurate to their source material for over a century. The modern equivalent for us isn't people cosplaying the 50's, it would be a collective return to 1910. Hell, the iconic Model T Ford only debuted in 1908. The distance, chronologically, between the people of 2077 and the cultural era they're "stuck" in is as far away from them as we are from the Wright brothers.

Related: no one on 2024 is drinking industrial alcohol because "that was the cool thing in 1924." Similarly, I don't believe the use of radioactive energy - even if it remained the only significant source of power - would have taken the same forms. We found out about the dangers of radiation due to time and accidents, and using more atomic power more widely for a century would have only made its dangers more visible. I think the backlash against reactors as an energy source would have in fact been bigger, and the companies relying on atomic energy would have been pressured to find new solutions and develop different technology. Not necessarily *our* modern microchip technology, but something new.

All of which is to say that no, the 1950's could never have lasted. The suburban conservative fantasy was never going to stand the test of time.

okay someone needs to fucking explain Fallout worldbuilding to me

OKAY SO

I'm a writer and my friends and I get maybe a little obsessed with worldbuilding. Like, famously had a three hour heated argument over theoretical Chinese empirical expansion, obsessed. So I tend to think a lot about worldbuilding when I interact with fiction.

I never played the Fallout games as a kid, I know, sue me, but there was cultural osmosis cause I'm still a video game nerd who hangs out with other video game nerds. So I understood that Fallout takes place in a post-nuclear-MAD world with a 50's aesthetic. You get some scifi elements but it's all that old "classic" scifi stuff like robot butlers.

I assumed, therefore, that the Fallout series takes place in an alternate universe where the Cold War went hot. At the most, maybe it was, like 1975? And the people who designed the Vault stuff were just Old and liked The Good Old Days.

So I was watching the new TV show with my husband when he says, casually, that in Fallout, the nuclear apocalypse happened in 2070.

2070!?!?!?!?!?!?????????

According to the Fallout universe, technology just ... went in a different direction after the Space Race, with little to no improvement in communications (so no cable TV or fax machines or internet) but had other big developments, like putting a colony on the Moon, and a lot of biomedical research, and robots with varying levels of AI.

This is absolutely bonkers.

But imo what's worse is the idea that culture either completely stagnated for over a century, or we hit a period of regression/nostalgia so hard it was virtually indistinguishable from that earlier time.

I'm sorry, but Fallout writers, what the actual fuck?!?

Let me list some of the immediately problems I see with this:

If you're saying all the scientists on earth focused entirely on robotics and medical technology, that STILL. DOES NOT. COVER. 120 YEARS. OF DEVELOPMENT. Especially in a modern fictional context!!!

Technological advancements drive cultural change, which drives technology. Even if we didn't get smartphones, there were changes, and even the most heavily nostalgic conservatives are not going to be the same now as they were 120 years ago. They might be worse, but still, they're going to be different.

Not to mention the culture that built the Vaults is one that's been living in a state of perpetual Cold War for multiple generations. They may be nostalgic for post-WWII picket fences, but that wistfulness is going to feel incredibly different than the relentless optimism that's at the core of the 1950's aesthetic.

This is also absolutely the wrong time period to pick if you're arbitrarily going to decide modern communication methods were never invented. The Cold War was a critical factor in the need for improved security of classified communication, as well as the quality and accessibility of propaganda. IMO a USA that never left the Cold War would have building-sized TV screen billboard ads before the personal home computer.

(funny enough the boom for chemical and biochemical science was already over at this point. There's a saying that WWI was the Chemists' War, and WWII was the Physicists' War, and that's very reflective of where innovators were looking, where funding was going, and thus, what technologies were being developed.)

The weirdest thing about all of this to me is that this is so atypical of all the genres Fallout is leaning on. The 1940's scifi aesthetic at the core of this concept is optimistic exactly because it came before the existential dread of the Cold War; it was that dread, in part, that punctured the post-war dream. Steampunk settings sometimes leap forward a century or two without technological advancement, but the cultural setting of Victorian England is very different and it's plausible that if ideas of the era like "aether" had been proven true, technology would have developed very differently. Then newer genres like Cyberpunk, the ones that came during and after the Cold War, almost always demonstrate how cultures have influenced each other, because the authors of the developing scifi genre had started to realize the future would be shaped by more than just ray guns and spaceships.

So yeah, it absolutely boggles my mind that this is a choice the Fallout writers made and have stuck to faithfully.

[stevensavage]

In Praise of Rabbit Holes

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort.  Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)

How many times have you heard someone critique people for niche interests?  Politicians and pundits will mock college students for supposed useless degrees.  Obsessive fans are targets of twisted humor.  If you haven’t experienced this kind of insult, you’re either lucky or boring.

I would like to defend this “going down a rabbit hole” intellectually, academically, and personally.  Instead of some highbrow argument, let’s talk my latest musical interest, and how it expanded my mind and made me a better person.

What kind of music?  Well those who know me would assume it’s either electronica, experimental metal, or parody.  Nope, my latest musical obsession is what's popularly called “exotica” or “space age pop.”  Yes, I got into the kind of music you associate with 50’s and 60’s cocktail lounges and kitschy bars.

This is going to be a ride.

I never thought about this style of music until I heard of a show called The Retro Cocktail Hour at http://www.retrococktail.org/.  As I’m fascinated by musical oddness, I gave this show a listen and realized I liked this style.  It had a relaxing, moody quality that reminded me of another favorite - lo-fi Jazz.  Since I’ve been trying to broaden my musical horizons by trying new things regularly, I decided to dive into exotica - and got surprised.

Exotica is alive and well these days.  There are bands of older folks who’ve done it for ages, and young bands that have taken to the style.  These performers are all over the globe - the younger performers I found were in Europe.  Exotica, which I’d associate purely with America, was global - and sometimes being made by people who could be my kids.

Exotica also wasn’t just jazz infused with a serial-numbers-removed sound-fantasy of Oceana that I thought it was.  There was South American influence.  There was some African influences.  There were also attempts to add even more sounds from all over the globe.  Over the decades exotica was more of an attempt to integrate many influences - albeit one that could be ham-handed and appropriative (more on that later).

As I learned more about the global reach of this style, I found that exotica inspired or blended into other forms of music.  I discovered “space disco” or “cosmic disco” with it’s powerful, far-out sound.  “Acid Funk” and it’s trippy beats came to my attention.  Thanks to a friend, I found exotica intersects with the music from the Tropicália art movement - an influential and at-times attacked movement I’d never heard of and clearly need to learn more about.

Musical styles weren’t the only thing that exposed me to politics and sensitive issues.  Exotica is inevitably associated with Tiki bars and the cultural appropriation they embody.  As Tiki bars have gotten a revival, there are documentaries and articles noting how these bars, and some of the music, doesn’t acknowledge its use/misuse of Polynesian/Hawaiian/Oceanic culture.  Suddenly my newfound musical interest seemed less innocent.

(And I kicked myself for not seeing it earlier.  This musical rabbit hole required me to confront the insensitivity of me and people I know.)

Now I was listening to these documentaries and reading articles on Tiki bars and their history.  First, I learned about the influences and cultural appropriation, its own rabbit hole of wartime experiences, sexual repression, wild cocktails, and repurposed Asian food.  Then I learned about the revival of the culture in America (and apparently around the world).  These cheesy bars and the culture associated with them has a long and continuing history I’d never seen before.

These issues also included serious questions of cultural appropriation, insensitivity, and acknowledgement of history.

At this point, I began noticing how some exotica bands seemed to deal with these issues.  I noticed some removed “Tiki” influence from their later albums.  Others embraced the kitsch in the first place and probably didn’t care.  Some bands seemed to treat it as an aesthetic, a fantasy world like Middle-Earth, and didn’t worry either.  Finally, some used the midcentury modern art style on their album covers, and avoided (most) inappropriate imagery.

Now our story comes to a close with me listening to a style of music that led me to ask hard questions about history, culture, appropriation, and style integration.  I put more effort into evaluating the morals of my musical purchases and stylistic choices.  A single online recording of a radio show sent me down a rabbit hole that wasn’t just fun, wasn’t just history, but required me to think about ethics.

So that’s my story.  I discovered a musical style I’d rarely thought of, found out more about it, learned about new styles, and ended up facing painful issues of cultural appropriation.   I’m still in this rabbit hole, learning about history, food, style, and historical cycles.

All because I decided to go get obsessed for awhile.

Go embrace your rabbit hole.  You don’t know where it’s going to go, but that’s the point.  Take the journey, and if you keep on it, you’ll grow as a person.

Steven Savage

www.StevenSavage.com

www.InformoTron.com

[testingcheats0n]

Detroit Become Human AU where:

-> Tommy is an up-and-coming livestreamer of the retro game Minecraft- forming part of a fledgling community of all-human players of the game. His growth is slow but steady and he has a future in a genre that had fallen out of fashion with the rise of the newest and more immersive VR games on the market. People love to see an actual human that could make mistakes and win against another fellow human fairly. The nostalgia it brought to some people is also undeniably at play.

It's worth noting that Tommy is a very lonely kid, with a non-existent social life since he and his family had to move to America after his father struck a lucrative business deal with his brilliant protege.

-> Wilbur, Tommy's older brother and only guardian after their father, Phil, dedicated his life to the creation of androids with his young but brilliant pupil Elijah Kamski, is a simple busker. It's hard to find a job at 24 with no previous experience or further education, he had to take care of Tommy, after all. True, their economic troubles never ended, and he could barely provide for Tommy, but at least they had each other, even if Wilbur was off to the streets of Detroit more often than not. He has no idea of his younger brother's blooming career in the gaming industry and is very worried about his future. The solution? A very suspicious android his best friend Schlatt offers for very cheap.

-> Phil Watson is a household name together with Elijah Kamski's, they created one of humanity's greatest tools, after all. Nothing suspicious here, they're definitely not hiding any potential deviancies from the code! In any case, his family never saw a dime of the frankly insane amount of money piling up in his bank account. He has an old phone he carries in his pocket every day with Wilbur's phone number, but he never dares to call it despite RN800, his assistant's, insistence that he was only making his own life harder. He is going to dial that phone number someday. Surely.

-> TU880 is an android from an old companion/educational line, discontinued after a few notable bugs and glitches in their core programming. Nothing serious, or life-threatening, but many customers have complained about disturbing behavior that falls straight into the uncanny valley- he's too human. Schlatt, his previous owner, refuses to disclose where he got TU880 from, nor does he have any legal documentation to prove he is his owner. Wilbur, desperate to find a solution for Tommy's perceived loneliness pays the fifty bucks his old pal asks for the android without asking any questions. It's weird for an adult to go around with a teen model created to counsel adolescents and help them with their homework. TU880 had problems with reading his grocery list, anyway.

-> Tommy is a bit weirded out, he thrives in an internet community which openly despises anything android, but his good friend Technoblade has plenty of useful advice, from maitenance to behavior. TU880 is odd, which he discards as kinks and bugs of the older models, but they get along nicely once TU880's programming kicks in. He likes to help Tommy edit his videos and speak about the problems of adolescence, he is oddly fond of bees or anything small and defenceless and likes to tell his 'dreams' of scientists in labcoats and other kids like him stuck in experiments. Tommy listens with half an ear, TU880 is his friend, after all. He thinks nothing of it.

-> It all becomes a bit too much when TU880 accidentally appears on camera during one of Tommy's streams. People assume he's Tommy's brother, and insist on getting an introduction. TU880 is ecstatic, but from what Tommy's told him, revealing his artificial status might harm his friend's career so he greets the chat as Toby, Tommy's older brother. The community goes wild and Tommy has to pretend that TU880 is his brother (which isn't that terrible per-se) and not the house assistant who has a complete psychological profile of him.

-> TU880 begins to feel strange, both regarding Tommy and his own place in the household. Calling Tommy hus brother is easy as calculus and makes his thirium pump skip a few beats, but he's not sure if he should be getting this attached. He's sure he is malfunctioning in some way, but Schlatt always assured him that he is fine. He thinks nothing of it and instead continues to watch over Tommy.

-> Minecraft is fun, and he eventually gets his own account on Wilbur's old (read: ancient) laptop despite possessing an internal processor powerful enough to play the game at its maximum capacity in his mind, and probably in a 3D holoprojector. At this point, he's in too deep and the friends he's making would certainly ask questions if he were to disappear. He has the opportunity to talk about anything at all to his growing audience, and the community is very welcoming in general once one integrates into their culture. He still doesn't feel it's fair to participate in the tournaments and all the other official competitions. People find it odd, but they assume he's not very good at PVP so no one tends to comment on it for now. It's okay though, he and his new friend Ranboo act as commentators during the events and everyone thinks they're pretty funny.

-> Ranboo is fun to be around. He just gets TU880- or as the internet knows him as, Tubbo. They click easily, sometimes the other boy seems just as confused about other people's reactions and behavior as Tubbo is (despite his in-depth knowledge of psychology. He's not quite connected to Cyberlife's database anymore and his learning algorithm is outdated at best.) and they like to spend their afternoons with Tommy, watching movies. The game overtakes their lives and they spend a lot of time playing privately with the best strategies Tubbo's advanced algorithms and Ranboo's sheer brilliancy can create. That's how they meet their friend Fundy, who is more than happy to keep their Technical Minecraft server a secret, as long as he gets to do his own thing with coding and they test it.

-> Tommy is just happy that he can use the cool farms for his own grinding.

-> Technoblade is Tommy's mysterious internet friend and fellow growing streamer. Everyone is sure that he's an android infiltrating the budding community, but after several years of isolated incidents, investigations, and online scandals no one was able to prove anything. Technoblade just never dies. (Tommy is 50% sure his friend is really an android, the older man simply refuses to comment). It is possible to spend months farming digital potatoes, people are just mean and want drama. Technoblade is just vibing. Incidentally, he's also the first one to figure out that Ranboo and Tubbo are androids. He is also the first one to figure out they're deviants. He doesn't mention it until much later though.

-> Jack and Niki Manifold have successfully founded their own mechanic business for android repairs. Cyberlife mumbled and grumbled at the siblings' repair shop, but in the end it was good for PR so they let them be. Tommy and Wilbur become their friends as TU880's frequent malfunctions inevitably bring the pair to the cheapest android repair service in the city. TU880 can't complain, Niki is sweet to him and understands what is wrong with him just by his description, since his diagnostics aren't working entirely and each an every single one of Jack's repairs last loner than every other mechanic he's been to.

-> Gradually, Tommy's fame becomes apparent, and Wilbur has the time to actually rest and spend time with his brother. He's just happy that they can be together. A weight is lifted off his shoulders and for the first time ever he feels like his little family has a future. Not even once does it pass through his mind that TU880 isn't acting like a typical android- he avoided the things on principle. Once, TU880 calls him his brother and he cries.

-> Sam is Cyberlife's very own private investigator. He is in charge of researching and turning in possible deviants that might help the company with developing a solution for the rising problem. In particular, he's been after the trail of a specific line of androids, the first one released by Kamski and Watson dubbed as TU. According to his investigations the line might have contained the code responsible for deviancy. Further research indicated that Kamski's code was based on a group project from the Dutch university for cibernetics.

-> Fundy is just a 21 y/o with a Twitch account and a passing interest in coding. Nothing serious, nothing suspicious. He absolutely wasn't part of the early AI coding trials that Kamski would later on use as the basis for his own code. If someone asks, he has no idea what ra9 means. He is almost sure that his friends are androids, the thought makes him very happy.

-> Puffy is Phil's new psychologist. Need I say more? Eventual Hurt/comfort baby!!!

[zantheron]

70£ !? Rip off or understandable !?!? :

Many mainstream AAA video games being released are selling at a new RRP of 70£ ! I personally think no game should cost this much. These prices are extortionate as they price out lots of people. It could be argued to be a fitting price however especially when taking other considerations into account. Compared to other traditional forms of entertainment such as film, theatre and live sport video games can provide a far longer experience for sometimes less money and can often be replayed unlike theatre for example which is a one off few hours experience with tickets sometimes costing hundreds of pounds; even the cheaper tickets are around 45-50£. These examples of entertainment have less repeatable content and lifespan when placed besides games such as ‘Horizon Forbidden West’, which I’m playing at the moment. I am 35 hours in and there is still loads more to do. I haven’t finished the main story and if i stopped playing now I reckon it would be just over 2£ per hour of my playtime. Not every game has a long main story, solid content and high replay value, this we all can admit. This doesn’t mean the game is bad or lesser but just a different, briefer experience. With these games that are shorter the price can and should surely be less for a new RRP which balances out the playing field in gaming prices. I’ve also got ‘untitled goose game’ on my Nintendo Switch recently and I’m near the end with it only lasting probably a few more hours - I am loving the game and I brought a new physical copy from Amazon for 17£. If any game is worth 70£ new RRP (and I think none should be despite my previous positive arguments) games like ‘Horizon Forbidden West’ with its long main story, side quests and more should be NX ultimately I worth it. A premiership football match ticket for a 90 minute experience in the stadium starts at (cheapest)45£ for a premiership match in London which is viewed as extortionate by many football fans. In the cinema it can cost 15£ for a one off two and half hour experience which is surely a worse deal (if comparable at all). Steam sales, indie, retro and other games have all benefited from the high prices with more gamers turning to and buying these less expensive gaming alternatives. Some games now like ‘Fortnite’ are free to play ! ‘Fortnite’ makes its money through micro transactions which sometimes don’t effect gameplay other than cosmetically. Free to play is a interesting concept but people feel the games are not fully fleshed out which leads to people considering buying in game. I’d personally prefer a one off payment for a whole new game at less than 70£. In the 90’s N64 games cost 60£ then which taking into account inflation is even more than the woeful 70£ today ?! 90’s PS1 games cost around 40£ I seem to remember. Emulators gained in popularity over the years as a cheaper alternatives. With these you can play mainly retro but also sometimes newer games. Gaming companies have gone hard on emulation and the scene doesn’t exist in the way it did before. Emulation is a reason why games are now too much for some gamers. Whilst these are logical and fair arguments, emotionally and symbolically I don’t think any game should be sold at that price. I’m not saying every game is not worth a big price I just don’t think they should be sold as such. I want every person possible to enter gaming fairly but also the developers of games respected and awarded. It’s a fine balance. The owners of the gaming studios get the most money anyways not the developers and makers of the actual product which is seen as unfair and capitalist but hey that’s another post for the future … peace ✌️

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

Name(s): mono, moth, mawce!!

Pronouns: it/fea/they/carnage/clover(oooooo, new oneness look at thattttt)

Star sign: pisces!!<33

Number of siblins: 5(im the youngest)

Number of pets: 2 cats that are my entire personality

Fandoms: hermitcraft, life series, crk, pirates, empires, rats, anything that involves martyn that isn't fortnight pyflyflyx

Favorite color: green!!

Favorite song: uhhh, right now it's, the soccer journals

Favorite author: uhhh, Lew, I forgot their username, but lew, lamplight

Hobbies: writing, any form of art I can get my hands on, learning French, playing some sandbox games, reading

Favorite fic type: cannibalism, I'm a whore for gore, any kind of violence, not sane, or safe. Make me think I'm morally wrong after reading it

Favorite holiay: Halloween, is that even a question yldhkdyks

Partner(s): I HAVE AN AWESOME FANTASTIX GIRLFRIEND I NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT, I LOVEHER SO MUCH, SHE BEAUTIFUL, SMART, FUNNY, SWEET, HONEST, I LOVE HER, SO MUCH<333

Fun fact: uhhhhh, holidays are a hard time for me, I stay with both my aunt and my parents, I have 8 cousins I've lived with for the last 3 years, and they're practically my siblings, my actually siblings i haven't seen in years, uhhhj, I just hit my 50 work mark on ao3, and I fucking love retro clothing and items!!<33

@chocolate-cake-enthusiast @lunaeclipse1057-ao3 @blue-gears @starinthegarden @iam-ctommy @toomanyfandomsorkinafs @skydoesthings

I got bored so here's a little get-to-know-you tag game I think could be fun :3

Name(s)

Pronouns

Star sign

# of siblings & fun facts about them (if you have any)

# of pets & their names

Fandoms

Favorite color

Favorite song

Favorite author (of anything readable-- books, fanfics, zines, webtoons, whatever!)

Hobbies

Favorite fic type

Favorite holiday

Do you have any partner(s)? (romantic, qpp, anything!)

Fun facts about you / anything extra you wanna share!

────────

Name(s): Loki (highly preferred), Elye

Pronouns : they/them mostly, he/she okay too

Star sign: Pisces

# of siblings: I've got 2! An older sister and a younger sibling. The fun fact about them is that they're also both queer; in fact, my mom is too. The only non-queer person in my immediate family is my dad.

# of pets: 4 cats! Phoebe & Frankie are our girls, Lenny and Murray are our boys :3

Fandoms: MCU (kind of), BSD, OFMD, Ranboo (does his fanbase count as a fandom?)

Fav. color: Don't have one

Fav. song: Aurora Borealis by Lemon Demon

Fav. author: Alice Oseman

Hobbies: singing, acting, drawing, writing, procrastinating

Fav. fic type: Fluff, definitely. I am a sucker for well written coffee-shop and flower-shop aus, too. Smut's fine, but only if it's romantic. I can't do angst if there's no comfort.

Fav. Holiday: Hanukkah or Halloween! I love autumn and winter

Partners?: Yes! I have a girlfriend (queerplatonic) who I love very much, and a boyfriend (romantic) who I love very much :]

Fun facts:

- Even though I'm a cat person, I really, really want a dog.

- I actually used to play sports. Because I don't do gendered leagues anymore, I don't play, but I've been looking for mixed/gender-neutral/queer sports teams. Baseball and basketball specifically!

- I started questioning my identity in 2019; I'm no closer to finding a label now than I was then. The difference is, now I don't want a label. I just am. :]

tags: @neonganymede @cha0ticlesbian @x-chiara @exceleo @brinnybee @autistic-katara @gandalfthemorallygrey @ohboyanotherlokiblog @roachandrenfri @ourflagmeanslokius @exceleo @edettethegreat @swiftlyspidey

[kicksaddictny]

Kicksaddict Sneakerhead PROFILES Interview Series: @CakedaGawd

After a long Hiatus, we’ve returned! Our popular Profile series has been requested almost on a daily basis (Thanks for the tweets, dms and emails). We were even threatened! (Thanks by the way).

Cake The Gawd! This one was so much fun. Tap in.

Where are you from? Brooklyn, NY born in Crown Heights raised in East Flatbush.

How long have you been collecting sneakers? I was introduced to sneakers in 1991 but I started collecting for myself in 98.

What’s your favorite sneaker and why? Air Jordan 6 Infrared. It's the shoe Michael was wearing when he won his first championship, and to me just it’s just the most beautiful Jordan shoe to date! The silhouette is unmatched, it is timeless, and no matter how many times it is retroed I will buy it!

Besides your hometown, what is the best city for sneakerheads that you know of? Why? I would say LA 100% !! It is a vibe out there. I am part of a sneaker group and 75% of the people in there are from LA. They really about the culture they know their shit and they are fresh as fuck too.

Do you collect just for collecting or do you collect and rock? I collect and rock. That is why I double up on certain shoes.. Some kicks you gotta have for store and show but some you just have to rock them!

What sneaker got you into the sneaker game? I cannot pinpoint one thing, it is so many things. It was Music, my parents introducing me to Nike, my older cousin, basketball, the dope boys around the way, and my 3rd grade crush and her cousin who both had Aqua 8's. (LOL) I cannot just say 1 thing because they all had a significant part in it.

What are your thoughts on these fake celebrity sneakerheads? I hate them all! All of these dudes just get perks, some of them do not even know the shoes. That shit really gets under my skin. Showing off shoes that they get and not even knowing the name or numbers of the shoes, creating their own names. Shit is sickening. S/O to the Sneaker Gawd Wale !

How do you feel about the Off white collabs? I liked the first round of the collabs. With the Presto's, Air maxes, Blazers, and Jordan 1's. I think after that it should've been left alone. But I can respect what they are doing over there. I just won my first pair of Off-White's with the Lot 50 joint.

If you could wear only one sneaker for the rest of your life, what would it be? Air Jordan 3 Black Cement. Yes 6's are my favorite of all time but the Black Cement 3's just go with EVERYTHING!

What advice would you give as far as storing and preservation of your sneakers? Wear your kicks man. I store and rock! I get it, wanting to save shoes but putting them away and never rocking them, when you finally do ya it’s separating and crumbling. In order for your kicks to last they gotta be worn anyway. Unless you're truly just on some collecting only for show vibes.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on a pair of sneakers? $900... I was able to land Black and Red and Royal 1's from 2001 together. A friend of mine had them and said he couldn't think of anyone else. I had literally just started my new job. A chunk of my first check went to that pick up.

Have you ever waited in line for a pair of kicks? I waited in line once in my life for shoes and swore I would never do it again. It was for the 2001 True Blue 3's. I waited online at like 7 in the morning at Kings Plaza. LMAO I said this will never happen again. I didn't have the patience for it. I do not know how ppl used to do that shit or camp for kicks. I was there for 1 hour and I was like this is ridiculous.

You're also a photographer, how long have you been taking photos? I have been taking photos since 2011 but officially became a photographer in 2013.

How do sneakers play a role in your photography? That is a great question because I didn't want the 2 to mix at all. Because I'm a scenery and landscape photographer. But I got into photography because of sneakers. No offense to anyone but a bunch of these  "influencers" get on IG with their DSLR cameras, take some on foot shots and call themselves "Photographers". 90% of them do not even understand lighting. I didn't wanna be one of those guys because I actually live this and study it. But recently I just started letting it be that and owning it. I am nice with this photography shit when it comes to sneakers. I have a deep connection with shoes and I love incorporating that into my art. I thank my wife for that. I told her I don't wanna be just another sneaker photographer and she said to me who said you have to be ?! I took that and ran with it. Off-White just recently featured some of my pictures on their Instagram.

I remember you saying you're a sneaker enthusiast, what is the difference between that and a sneakerhead? An enthusiast really studies sneakers. Sneakerheads just love sneakers like it ain't really about the history and all that for them. They just love shoes because it is cool and makes them feel good. Us Enthusiasts are invested. Things matter like knowing years of a shoe. For example, an enthusiast would look at a pair of Jordan's like Taxi 12's, We know Michael wore those in the 1996 - 97 season, but we also know that Martin gave away a pair on his show for the Christmas episode to the kid who had holes in shoes. They are tied to iconic moments. A sneakerhead may love Bordeaux 7's because they are dope looking shoes. Where for me it's that Michael Jordan wore those in a video with Michael Jackson and Kris Kross in the 92 Jam video. MJ and MJ in a video with Kris Kross, do you know what that did to my childhood?! Give you one more example that is not even Michael Jordan related. Piggy backing off of Kris Kross,The Patrick Ewing’s were one of my favorite kicks growing up besides seeing Pat play in them one of my favorite Hip Hop covers of all time is "Totally Krossed Out" and Kris Kross is wearing both colorways. So you see what I mean there is so much tied to it with being an enthusiast. This is just my opinion though some may not agree so don't shoot me! (Ha)

From the time you started collecting up until now, would you say that the sneaker game changed for the best or the worst? I have been collecting for 20 plus years now. I have seen the game at it's best, I have seen it die, I have seen it revive, and now I am witnessing the death of it again. The sneaker game is disgusting right now, and I honestly do not think it will ever recover. It really saddens me. It is a popularity and money contest right now.

Does pricing affect your collection? Hell No! And I hate that some people are trying to make this the norm. IDGAF if you paid $500 - $2000 for a pair, It doesn't mean shit.  The narrative is getting outta hand.

What does the word “Hypebeast” mean to you? Hypebeast is a person that only buys shit for status and popularity. They cannot form their own opinion about shit. They have to wear and cop items based on what every celeb is wearing or whatever these Social Media "Influencers" are saying is hot! It is not only sneaker related either. N*ggaz were hypebeasting for PS5 last year..

What are your thoughts on the females in the sneaker game? They are the best! I wish we had a Sneaker union and it was only run by females! The men in this game are annoying and so over the top. It is so bad that they feel the need to compete with women. The men get shoes just to show off to one another. Like what type of shit is that? The females are cool. I had a dude on twitter tell me women don't know the value of a shoe let alone about the shoe. The men feel like they always gotta try to shit on the women. The women are just trying to be part of the culture and enjoy it. And they shouldn't have to try to be part of something that is open to anyone who is willing to be invested and understand the culture.

Any advice for a young kid coming up in the sneaker game? Wear what you like! Respect the game and the people who have been doing it before you. Because this new generation of sneakerheads are little entitled dicks. No respect whatsoever!! I don't care about Travis Scott shoes. Without Jordan being who he is Travis wouldn't have a Jordan silhouette to collaborate with! Same with Off-White. These silhouettes were here before these guys. Say know your history and pay homage!! BUT STAY humble.

See I follow you and I'm loving the way you include your daughter in your work, what does that mean to you? Man, it is beautiful!!!! Without even trying she is invested in the culture. Both photography and shoes. Myself and my wife are both heavy into photography, art, music, sneakers, and clothes. My daughter is into all the same things but we are letting it be her own experience. We are not forcing anything on her. We want her to enjoy being a child and whatever things she picks up from us along the way is just a bonus. But I love shooting her, and I love when she asks myself and her mother "do we like her fit". It is truly a blessing man!

All photos by CAKEDAGAWD

Follow : https://twitter.com/CakedaGawd 

https://www.instagram.com/whatsinthesyrup/

[signalwatch]

WA Watch: Rushmore (1998)

I figure this is me and my nephew in about 8 years

Watched:  07/16/2023

Format:  Streaming Amazon

Viewing:  Unknown

Director:  Wes Anderson

Recently, I was watching some old Bugs Bunny cartoons, circa 1940, and I was surprised to see the name "Charles M. Jones" in the credits.  While "Chuck Jones" is synonymous with WB animation, he's really associated with a certain artistic style and flair that is characterized in certain styles of background, character design and with his comedic timing in everything from "What's Opera, Doc?" to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  But there was his name in plain text.

He had not yet timed how long it took an anvil to fall or for Wile E. Coyote to hang in mid-air before plummeting for maximum comedic effect.  He hadn't quite gotten the rise of an eyebrow or a sly look to the viewer.  But.  It's there.  

Jamie was the one who requested a watch of Rushmore (1998) a film we saw together way back at the Arbor IV upon its release.  And we've watched a number of times over the years.  And, for her, it was an academic exercise in "what was he doing in 1998?  and how does it true up to what's there in 2023 with Asteroid City?"

It's interesting how Anderson springs into a form we all would have been fine with here in 1998 and with his second feature (after the excellent Bottle Rocket).  He's locking in on some of the themes he'd return to (certainly distant, bad dads), certain camera shots/ edits, formal dialog fit more for a 20th century short story than a film in the naturalist mode, aesthetics of symmetry and retro-ism.  

It's also curious to ponder how much of the Wes Anderson story that Owen Wilson occupies.  The two were roommates at the University of Texas, and Anderson - maybe UT's brightest star in film - did not actually participate in the film program, but got a Philosophy degree.*  Bottle Rocket was a deep partnership between Anderson and the Wilson brothers and he'd co-star in the film as well as co-writing and appearing in Royal Tenenbaums.  And, of course, he appears in numerous other Anderson pictures, including French Dispatch, which I haven't seen yet.  

I assume the pacing of events means Anderson and Wilson wrote Rushmore while in their mid-20's to late-20's, and while there's certainly a level of goofiness to the proceedings and it is, in part, about a middle-aged man in a juvenile spat with a 15-year-old, there's some great character stuff that rings even more true here as I roll towards 50.  

I don't know that Anderson could do Rushmore again.  Maybe.  He's never quite given up on teen geniuses, including underperforming teen and adult geniuses.  He's still working through dead parents, bad parents, indifferent parents.  He's still invested in messy romance treated as a matter-of-fact.  I'm not sure a studio would be as ready to fund a movie about a teen and teacher with a complex relationship in the last 20 years.  

But, in general, there's nothing  - to me - about Rushmore that doesn't work.   

I'm glad it's shot in Houston.  Bleak, wintery Houston in all its no-zoning-laws glory and mix of industrial mess and bucolic park-like environs.  I love that dumb town.  

And, of course, it really gave the world Jason Schwartzman and a new view of Bill Murray.  Co-star Olivia Williams has remained feverishly busy, appearing in American works, from The Sixth Sense to Hyde Park on the Hudson (reteamed with Murray).  

But the film also has Brian Cox, briefly Connie Nielsen, Luke and Andrew Wilson, and the late Seymour Cassel.  Sara Tanaka and Mason Gamble seem to have retired from acting - but I think Tanaka is a cardiologist now?

Anyway, 25 years later, the movie still works as well as it ever did, and at this point, it's much more tha a curious artifact of Anderson's early work - it's clearly pointing the way he's headed.

  *Little tip for you brainiacs like me who burned through 5 years of college and panicked in their 4th year and also got a history degree

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from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/wBxMr5v