#psychedelic color hat

[ckret2]

There’s something great about the art of Mabel with full bill aesthetic.

Just a totally normal teenage girl going through her "I'm a cat" phase with a jaunty little top hat thrown in! It's called steampunk, she thinks, maybe, she's not really sure how all these cool fancy aesthetics are categorized, she bought the cat ears with the tiny hat at a convention.

Any single item in that room is totally something Mabel would be into—bright colors? Fiber crafts? Exaggeratedly 80s aesthetic? You can justify all of them*! It's just taken together that they start to look suspicious.

*You can justify all of them except the book on pyramids. But maybe she's just going through an Egyptology phase okay, kids do that.

An Egyptology phase at the same time as her cat girl phase and psychedelic art phase and geometric patterns phase and favorite color gold & yellow phase. So what? Get off her back.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Fashion History

for your next poem/story (pt. 2/2)

1950s

The 1950s were a time of large cultural and social change, which was reflected in the world of fashion. The Korean War began in 1950, followed by the introduction of the color TV in 1951. And in 1954, the modern civil rights movement began.

As the suburbs became popular, family and domesticity for women became a prominent force in society. Additionally, teenagers became fashion consumers and market leaders for the first time.

Due to technological advances, new fibers such as polyester, triacetate, and spandex are introduced. 

The prominent trend of the time was femininity, as shown by the prominence of Christian Dior's "New Look". Shape was emphasized by full swing skirts or narrow pencil skirts, as well as fitted bodices and a small waistline achieved with the help of petticoats and girdles. Elegant accessories and jewelry such as hats and pearls were popular at the time, and high heels were ubiquitous. Other trends included Peter Pan collars, tapered or capri pants, and the introduction of the bikini. 

1960s

The Beatles led the music and fashion “British Invasion,” influencing teenagers with their Mod aesthetic.

The Civil Rights movement led to the popularity of ethnic and African-inspired garments such as dashikis and caftans.

The 1960s were marked by eclecticism, both in fashion and society. A plethora of styles were fashionable at one time, ranging from space age fashions using vinyl and synthetics, to bold prints, colors, and disposable paper dresses inspired by Pop Art.

Mod fashion appeared on the London scene, with fashion designer Mary Quant as the “high priestess” of the style, and Twiggy as its supermodel.

Boutiques, a 1960s creation, began offering designer ready-to-wear collections, while easy-care fabrics were increasingly used by the general public.

Longer hemlines were dominant with maxi skirts and granny dresses, while hot pants and mini skirts were adopted by the younger market. These shorter hemlines popularized the use of pantyhose for modesty. As the decade progressed, chemise dresses that typified the dominant straight A-line silhouette became popular. Turtleneck blouses and sweaters were common, and sleeves were usually three-quarter length. Sleeveless tops were worn after the mid 1960s.

Jacqueline Kennedy became a major fashion icon, famous for her sophisticated style, pillbox hats, and pearls. Overall, hats in general experienced a decline in use, due to the popularity of high bouffant hairstyles.

Knee high go-go boots were popular, patent was often used, and low-heeled, square-toed shoes were common.

Popular accessories included headbands, bold jewelry, and matching shoes and handbags.

1970s

During the 1970s, the eclecticism of the previous decade continued, and influences from subcultures dominated fashion.

The Vietnam War ended in 1973, and the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1974.

The hippie subculture emphasized environmental awareness and social acceptance, translating into the popularity of natural fibers and earth tones, loose garments, blue jeans, and ethnic influences in dress.

Peasant blouses and skirts and psychedelic prints were popular, as well as historic revival styles.

In the late 1970s, music styles such as glam rock, disco, and punk influenced fashion and resulted in flashy, often shocking styles.

For the most part, clothing was loose and unstructured compared to previous decades. Skirts came in a variety of lengths — mini, midi, or maxi — although the mini and maxi were the most popular.

Unisex styles in clothing became a trend and were perpetuated by Diane Keaton’s character in the 1977 film, Annie Hall.

Trousers and blue jeans were worn by women more than ever before. Designer jeans arrived on the market, resulting in the birth of “licensing” for non-fashion products. Polyester was the other preferred textile for trousers.

1980s

With the rise of new media such as MTV, the 80s fashion landscape began to shift rapidly.

The televised wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer caused a fashion frenzy, with "Lady Di's" elegant hats, tailored suits, and evening dresses making her a global style icon. 

The 1980s were known as the "Me" Generation, with an emphasis on logos and designer labels.

The decade also saw the rise of yuppie (young urban professionals) culture, and the introduction of the fitness craze.

In the world of high fashion, postmodernism and avant-garde fashion were vastly influential. With the introduction of yuppie culture, business attire and "power-dressing" with items like shoulder pads was a popular trend.

In light of the fitness craze, leg warmers, tights, and leotards were widely worn, and women accessorized with big hair, flashy costume jewelry, and bright heels.

In terms of undergarments, Madonna and Jean-Paul Gaultier inspired an underwear-as-outerwear trend alongside the popularity of Calvin Klein.

1990s

The 1990s reflected subcultures such as punk, goth, and grunge in fashion.

Hip-hop music became popular and as a result, urban fashion was popularized.

Unlike previous decades, the 1990s was notable for a more relaxed and casual look, as well as the introduction of technology such as cell-phones and pagers.

With the rise of globalization & technology, the fashion cycle began to speed up. 

1990s style was often considered "anti-fashion,"  with purposefully clashing or contradictory aesthetics.

Black, minimalist styles were popular, as well as vintage and 1970s style.

Many younger people sported crop tops, cargo pants, and blue jeans, and athletic wear in daily life. In terms of shoes, high heels, wedges, sandals, platforms, and sneakers were all widely worn.

More Notes: On Fashion ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Meet Valentino🦋☠️

Meet my take on Valentino! This one took the longest for me to get around to.

Made him a Monarch Butterfly!🦋 I love the whole reverse Predator and Prey thing going on with him and Angel so what if he was a creature that would normally be considered Prey, if it didn’t have its own trick up its sleeve. Poison! ☠️ plus butterflies are often depicted as sweet and pretty, which would really lean into how he puts on a sweet face to hide his true colors.😈Though who’s to say he even is that(wink😉). Made his wings a warm gradient, added some sparkle ✨ and allude subtly to a split heart with the lines and dots💔 @the-burd-lord also pointed out they give off tears💧😢

Gave him a more bug like head, mouth, eyes and only has three fingers.

Gave him heart bent stripes like Angel Dust(@a-sterling-rose shared a cool idea that an overlord can change their contracted souls) wanted it to allude to bee stripes(bees love flowers and make sweet things) and other…striped insects.

Leaned with 70’s, DISCO !!!!!!!🕺🪩💃 Bell bottoms, matching top, PLATFORMS! The whole works! I figure it fits with his timeline a lot and with what he’s usually wearing. Plus he’s def into the club scene.

Replaced his top hat with a heart shaped fedora hat! Adorned it with all kinds of different flowers!!!!! Stuff like roses, Bleeding hearts, milkweed and the big flower he’s wearing is meant to allude to the Cattleya Orchid(Colombias national flower and symbolizes fertility and virility) roses are also very popular there! They even have a holiday around flowers called the “festival of the flowers”!🌼🌹.

For his sleeves wanted to allude to another Colombia flower “devils breath” highly toxic flower and in the same toxic family as the “Angels Trumpet”. Also a street term for the dangerous drug, scopolamine which is derived from the seeds of Borrachero trees, primarily found in South America like Colombia! 🇨🇴

Kept the heart buckle belt his og had but made it hollow. Hollow heart.

Gave him a cane that’s also a disco heart 🪩❤️which may not be able to squeeze out toxic gas and other tricks.

For his color scheme, @the-burd-lord suggested I'd go with RGB theme, colors on display screen(Vox is the leader and a screen) Ngl I was conflicted what colors to go with for the vees(Primary, Red blue purple etc). But then I realized when u mix those colors u get those other colors and then I decided to give the Vees two main color themes for each. One for show, the other their true colors! Val likes to use tropical warm welcoming colors(gold luxury), def still uses red for its sensual vibes….but those kinda colors are also color of many dangerous insects…warning colors⚠️‼️☣️☢️☠️☠️☠️

Made his Heart shades butterfly wing shaped like @lovesart23 did with her Val! Seriously LOVE IT!!!!!!!.

Added a heart on his chain with his initial. Was a gift from Angel Dust💔

Also wears black and white since he’s already very colorful and to appear clean with the white…the darkness often hiding under. Has some green for the leaves and thorns(every rose has its thorns) like how Velvette still wears gold colors for accesory!🍃🌿

My Valentino’s Colombian 🇨🇴 back in the 70’s a lot was happening with Drug trade(Cocaine trade) plus it’s in the warmer area of South America, where many butterflies can be found🦋🦋🦋Monarchs migrate to the south! Also great place for flowers🌹🪻🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼💐🪷

with the flowers also lowkey trying to allude with 60’s-70’s Flower power(he def likes to seem all peace and love) was also the time of the psychedelic era😵‍💫U know he def got that stuff.

Rewrite🦋☠️

Compared to OG he’s def more sly and smooth talking, often Make him ironically the more level headed of the V’s. Have him be able to keep a cool head more, try to covert his true nature, keep things under control. Play into how he likes to try a more pragmatic approach, relying on manipulation and pacifying first before getting violent if he feels like he’s not in control. They say u attract more flies with honey than vinegar afterall. he’s able to put on the charm and sweetness well enough. You do NOT want to get on his scary side…He relies a lot on manipulation but when push comes to shove, he can mess you UP☠️!!!!!!!

Leaning with the poison theme way more!☠️💊🧪.

He doesn’t just do Adult Entertainment, but also a huge drug supplier for Hell, especially for Angel💊. It’s been implied and supposed scrapped ideas and concepts have shown him feeding Angels drug addiction.

Have him be Angels main supplier and often uses his addiction to keep him under his wings, depend on him, likes to feed into it despite how much harm it does for him. He’s basically the embodiment of toxicity/addiction, things that can poison people, can become dangerous addictions and mess people up. He’s basically one of Angel’s most dangerous addictions, the toxic abusive boss/partner☠️

I honestly want him to want NOTHING with Vox’s whole revenge plan with Alastor and his new project…until he also realizes the Princess not only actually wants to help Angel but that Angel ACTUALLY might want to try to QUIT! Than he gets more involved with Vox’s schemes.

Gets his main poison from a special flower from Hell. Similar to how Monarchs get their poison from a certain plant(milkweed) as well as play into how Butterflies feed on nectar🌺🌸 perhaps has the flowers growing all throughout his studio…especially around and maybe even in Angel’s dressing room…

What do u think? How would u redesign Val if u wanted to? I’d love to know💖 I’ve also made the 🌈Hazbin Gang🌈 and his fellow VV’s, Vox & Velvette📺🧶

Oh one more thing…He’s not actually a monarch butterfly. Here’s some totally unrelated pics of wasps(one like the executioner wasp that can be found in warm places, like monarchs, spider wasps(not friendly to spiders) and….some more parasitic types)Warnign scary wasp pics) @the-burd-lord suggested the mandibles for his face(broken heart 💔)

[osamucide]

sweet

we don’t need to say it to each other, sweet

wc: 1k

cw: gn!reader, soft!chuuya, alcohol, cigarettes, the tiniest bit suggestive, pure domestic fluff

reid: a little chuuya love because truth be told he is precious too. enjoy

. . . .ᐟ

One of the easiest ways to break down his hardened exterior was with that nickname.

"Ginny," you called as the hall light flooded your living room with warmth. No sooner than it appeared did it leave, replaced by the shifting and rustling of shoes, a coat, a hat. The connected kitchen was dim with the stovetop light and nothing else. Your water was boiling. The smell of red sauce grew stronger the closer he padded toward you to wrap around your middle.

Either he was tired or the nickname had subdued him quickly enough because any typical grumbling about what an exhausting work day that was was foregone in favor of a soft, humming kiss to your shoulder. You decided you could turn away from your noodles for a moment.

"Ginny," you cooed again, tiptoeing in a half circle to face your lover. "Hi."

If Dazai was still around you'd never get away with that nickname as often as you did. Luckily, he was gone before he had enough time to taint it. It was derived, between both you and the brunette, from the constant poking-at of the color of his hair - ginger - but Chuuya would only let something like that fly if it was from you. (He found it endearing more than he 'let it fly', but you didn't have to know everything.)

It was true, he was tired, and if it weren't for the two empty glasses already in place at the table and the steam bubbling and popping behind you, Chuuya would've insisted you come lay down with him right now so he could dip into sleep amid a cathartic gripe about his day with your fingers in his hair. There were very few hypothetical circumstances, however, in which Chuuya Nakahara would turn down wine and Italian food, and coming home to his baby and a freshly-opened pack of Seven Stars set by the recently cleaned-out ashtray, tired as he may be, was not one of them.

Trapped in his embrace, you curled your arms around him and brought his head to your shoulder. Chuuya released a deep sigh into the side of your neck, closed his eyes, and let the tip of his nose pass along your jawline. You tilted in compliance, and one more "Ginny" left you, a whisper this time.

Chuuya punctuated the little moment with a kiss to your cheekbone. "I'll pour wine, yeah?"

A soft giggle left you; you undid the buckle securing the choker around his neck before tucking it in his pocket. "Yeah. S'almost done."

A little speaker stuttered out The Dark Side of the Moon - Chuuya was never a big fan of old American psychedelic rock or musical soundscapes before you, but here he was, lighting up to the clang of grimy change. After a little deliberation, he pulled a bottle of Lambrusco from the cabinet - the one specifically for alcohol and nothing else - and strode back to the table. On the way, he passed the sink where you were straining the pasta and tucked the cigarette between your waiting lips.

No sooner than he stepped away, you were following him, and "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" begged into the space of the kitchen. Between each of your movements was a sizzling charge; suddenly, he felt more awake. The transfer of energy you blessed him with always took him by surprise. You were just placing the sauce pot on a trivet, he was just pouring wine, but it was a little magic dance. He found himself with the cigarette again. Stevie and Tom were fading out of the room, you were settling into your seat across from his, and the same lighter you both used for the smokes sparked up the candle at the center of the table. It was all a bit magic and horribly romantic, and so simple and so sensical, and he loved it. He did love coming home safe to you.

And over dinner, he watched you. You swayed side to side under his gaze and at the taste of your own creation. Smoke lingered. The sparkle of the wine died between your teeth, and you giggled more, much more, and Chuuya's chest was warm. Chuuya's face was warm and red and he almost forgot what he had been up to less than an hour before. Of course, the vino stole away his newfound verve. The longer he looked at you, the more his senses wanted to fall into bed with you and never leave. The longer you looked at him the same, the warmer he got. Late dinner, his pleasant little time loop. My very special one, he thought in time with Moe Tucker’s voice.

He hated to admit that when he stood the room was vibrating, but that's what three-plus glasses and the crushing softness of your eyes did to him. "After Hours" was a going-home song, after all, so he snuffed out the candle with his gloved fingers and let you pull him by the belt loops to your room, the speaker still droning be damned. You just wouldn't close the door, so it'd be a nice white noise to sink into the dark behind.

Soft synths and wavy guitars undressed him, spilled kisses down his neck; he breathed in the air, and it tasted like you. And you kissed him. And you kissed him and you kissed him until he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Ginny," you said one last time, not even a whisper but a feather-light musing into those fiery locks. "Ginny, I love you."

"I love you, sweetheart." Most notably, Chuuya's heart was warm, under both your palm and the thick comforter. His home was under your palm, he supposed. He would've given it more thought if the fatigue in his bones and the meal in his belly weren't lulling him to sleep, never mind the intoxicants (the wine and your touch). He slept, and he wanted to never leave.

[ailuropoda-sims]

🇬🇧 SWINGING SIXTIES

"Groovy, mod, colorful." (This song was legit stuck in my head the entire time I was creating these models.)

Unexpectedly, a 1960's-inspired lookbook! This one was something of a passion project. ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ )

My main inspiration being this wonderful piece of artwork! You can see that for the "Cosmo-Corps Style" and "Psychedelic" outfits I had to get creative. ( ╥ω╥ )

For the Cosmo-Corps look I took inspo from this photo instead of following the artwork. (And yes I know the Psychedelic Sim sticks out like a sore thumb but shhh she's beautiful, let her have her anachronistic fun in the 60's.) As per usual, CC used on each look will be listed down below!

Mod/Mini Outfit: Hairstyle and Earrings, Dress, Nails (Base Game), Leggings (Get To Work), Pumps

Cosmo-Corps Outfit: Hat, Bob Cut, Earrings, Sunglasses, Dress, Turtleneck Accessory (TSR), Nails, Leggings (Jungle Adventure), Shoes

Bohemian-Chic Outfit: Hair (Base Game), Necklace, Dress, Bangles, Nails, Pumps

Psychedelic Outfit: Hair, Earrings (Base Game), Glasses On Head, (Simsdom), Choker (A recolor of Loverett's Double Choker by SappyLemonTree, but I can't seem to track down the original post, and their blog is no longer up? TwT) , Dress, Bangles and Bracelets, Mismatched Nails, Socks, Go-Go Boots

Poses: @helgatisha

Thanks to all the wonderful CC creators!

@enriques4, @serenity-cc, @deathpoke1qa, @jius-sims, @candysims4, @plumbobteasociety, @pralinesims, @sentate, @trillyke, @dissiasims, @xurbansimsx, @mmsims, @lazyeyelids, @saurusness, @renorasims, @simandy, @nitropanic, @someone-elsa, @saruin, @kissyck

[murderandcoffee]

I'm sorry I sent the ask too early-

Can i get some of your tma character design hcs

👉👈

well of course you can! sorry it's taken me a bit to get to this ask, I'm uh. bad at keeping up with messages lmao

okay so quick disclaimer: I didn't have solid visual ideas of all the tma characters--details would change or shift or whatever, so I'll only list some major ones/the ones I really imagined well

jon:

I see jon as a japanese-british guy who's like 5'6"/5'7" (168-170cm) with a bit of a dad bod. stern-looking, with short black hair that's graying around the temples, and some well-kept facial hair. I imagine him growing his hair out over the course of the show. he's also got glasses. I've drawn my interpretation of jon a couple of times--check out my bs.art tag if you wanna see it!

martin:

uh oh this is the one that could get me in trouble with the fandom. now listen: I had NO contact with fandom interpretations of the characters when I listened, so there was no influence from fanon designs. the martin in my head is a very tall, very lanky, awkward trans guy with blue eyes, shaggy blond hair, and a crooked smile. he's got freckles and glasses, and moves kind of like he's still a teenager getting used to how long his limbs are after a growth spurt.

sasha:

okay so the way I imagined sasha is actually pretty close to a lot of fan interpretations! I see her as a tall-ish, well-put-together, academic-looking black woman with glasses and a natural hair. I picture her wearing a lot of skirts and sweater vests. she's definitely the most professional-looking of the archival staff in my mind.

tim:

I'm not gonna lie I really pictured tim for longest time as tim wright from marble hornets. I kinda still do. tall white guy with dark hair, sideburns, and expressive eyebrows. goofy and expressive. not much else I can say for him lmao.

michael distortion:

this is another one where the picture in my mind is waaaaay different from popular fanon. the distortion, to me, was not psychedelic-eyestrain-tie-dye-colorful. it was more of a black and white, reality but a little to the left, slenderman-/cryptid-esque vibe. definitely inspired by the visual auras I get from migraines. the distortion looks completely normal until you see its reflection/see it through a warped pane of glass, then it's all sorts of fucked up! but fucked up in a take too much nyquil and see the hat man sort of way, instead of a take too much acid and see god sort of way.

gerry:

I believe in natural redhead gerry

basira:

okay okay another one that people are gonna disagree with. the basira in my head does not wear a hijab. she's got her hair slicked back into a tight, military-style bun. brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin, some moles and freckles, some scars, no-nonsense, take-no-shit attitude.

daisy:

the daisy I picture is a small firecracker of a woman. she's dangerous the way brass knuckles are dangerous--sure they fit in the palm of your hand, but they will deliver blows that you won't ever recover from, if you're lucky enough to survive. she's covered in scars, muscular, very pale (I see her mostly as a redhead), and with some tattoos, too. sometimes I picture her as blonde, but I like ginger daisy.

melanie:

I've drawn my version of melanie! I see her as desi/south asian, with wavy brown hair and brown-green eyes. I hc that she dyes her hair red, but once she's infected with the slaughter it starts staying that way (un)naturally. she's short in my mind, probably a few inches shorter than jon.

I don't have much for elias, georgie, or helen, really. their designs kind of shift around in my head. I feel like I'm forgetting characters, but oh well!

I've drawn a few not listed here (annabelle, agnes)

if there are any characters in particular that you're curious to see how I envision them, lemme know!

[anti-psycomics]

I can't believe I missed it! Yesterday marked 1 full year since I really started dedicating myself to digital art, after I drew this image because I wanted to play bomb rush cyberfunk. Pretty sure I started drawing it because I saw Twistcmyk made her own custom decals for that game and I wanted to make something like that too. So uh. Thanks for that Twist. Still haven't played bomb rush cyberfunk tho

not a bad starting place I'd say. Although maybe that's because it's not really the starting place and I've been drawing off and on again pretty much since I was born

I think this drawing really helped get my feet off the ground when it came to finding a style that works for me, and learning how to make other styles out of it. See, I've always had shaky hands so I've tended to gravitate towards a more scratchy style since smooth lines are often a challenge for me. And in a lot of cases I'd just leave a drawing as a sketch because finalizing it was very difficult.

being able to draw fast and loose like this is really a boon to get the creative juices flowing. It's the easiest way to draw for me, and I still like to leave it at that if I have a day where I want to draw but I don't want to dedicate more than one night to it

But nowadays I'm usually making art that's a lot smoother and takes a few more nights to finish. But that's still using the rough style. Usually I'll get a vague idea in my head and throw it on the screen with minimal care, and I'll zero in on how it's supposed to look draft by draft. Sometimes it takes 3 drafts, sometimes it takes, like 10

shown here a swordsmachine drawing I made a month or so ago, I still have the krita file on hand (because it's not technically finished yet, needs a final draft with color) so here's the drafts leading up to it

This process often involves a lot of cutting and pasting, resizing and the perspective tool to get a thing exactly where it needs to be. As for making lines as smooth as possible, I just have to take it really slow and sometimes go back, erase, draw it back, erase again. I won't lie it can still be a really tedious process

Like that swordsmachine, I've been making a lot of character portraits lately. Which has been a great exercise in posing, perspective and shading. Shading especially was something I've been needing practice with. I used to draw only with pencil of paper so using color in drawings is still somewhat a new thing for me. Having to figure out the lighting for each shot and which surfaces are whatever is very difficult but doing shading right can make a drawing look that much better

This is the thing I've been working on most recently, I think the shading looks pretty good, especially on the scarf. But I'm not really too sure about it.

Ok I've lost the pacing for this longpost. I wish I had a special drawing for the one year but I forgot until today. Maybe I'll make Anti in a birthday hat sometime later. For now here's some of my favorites over the past year

THING IN THE CLOSET

was a pretty early drawing, but I still really like it because of the unique perspective of peeking into a closet. Also the first time I drew Anti with a body!

ENDNE, GOD OF ENTROPY

I remember when I drew this design in my sketchbook and I knew I had a banger design right away, she barely changed from paper to digital. Unlike Solos, who had quite a few changes, and honestly I might still want to change a few things. Still pretty astounded that I managed to render it so well. Might be my overall favorite of the past year

PSYCHADOLIA

I still think it would make a great album name and cover. Hire me psychedelic music artists

MALAZIROT, GOD OF ROT

This one was made because I told my friends I'd make myself a fursona if a poll about me being a furry reached 15 votes. Love stealing valor. This might be the highest layer count piece to date, I think it clocked in at over 60 with so many small details that you have to super zoom in to see. Regardless, I'm really proud with how I got the rotting flesh to look in this one

MASH ME UP

Also a massive undertaking and probably the only one that can rival the layers on malazirot. Idk if I have much to say on it other than, I think it looka pretty neat

SELF-PORTAIT

A real recent one, Probably my most grotesque one to date too. I really think I nailed how disgusting the skin on it is, my only regret is I didn't make any hair follicles poking out of the skin. Oh well, missed opportunities

here's to the next year of art!

[wanderer-of]

My dearest pastor, I must recount to you a most heinous thing which I stumbled upon in the woods not far from our town.

As I was at the fireside in my home, I watched as a woman, wearing only a hooded cloak passed by the boundary to my property. With great haste I took up a few things and made my way outside to follow. I made sure I was not seen as I kept behind her. After a short while of walking, we were quite a ways into the wood and I began to see that in the direction we were headed I could see lights strobing in all colours shining through the trees. As we continued I began to hear the most heinous music. We came to the edge of a clearing and I stayed behind and out of sight. What I saw and heard in that clearing you must understand, pastor, could only be a ritual unto Lucifer himself.

At the south side of the clearing, to my right, was an altar. Upon such was not what I would have expected but instead was an ineffable cluster of uncountable knobs and dials and sliders, with lights adorning it that shined in a kaleidoscope of every color hell could imagine. Behind the altar, facing the centre of the clearing was a woman dressed in robes of some ancient pagan god. She operated the blasphemous machine as she bobbed and swayed with that abhorrent music which pulsed out of two large obelisks either side of the altar. This music was not like that holiness found in the church, but was something else entirely. It was hypnotic. I found myself having to steel my nerves as I felt my flesh attempt to betray me and begin to move, gently pulsing along with what I am sure is the heartbeat of nothing but the devil himself.

With that pulsing came lights of two distinct varieties. One of which shined out as one would expect, like a torch or a shaft of sunlight through a window. The other was far stranger, for it shined straight and true like a solid beam. Each of these lights moved and pivoted about their origin. They shined in every colour imaginable in some blasphemous mockery of God's perfect rainbow and their colors and the brightness thereof shifted and changed along with the pulsing of that dreaded heartbeat. I needed no more proof of the satanic nature of this ritual when I saw these solid beams of light shining together across the ground to form the shape of a pentacle.

Now let me speak of the nature of this ritual. For its content is similarly abhorrent. When I listened to the music, I could hear the unnatural, distorted sound of what must either be the screams of demons or the damned along with those drums of what type I cannot place. The singer, for there was only ever one or two, would sing of the inadequacy of the male sex, and of the joy of earthly sin. Not only this but on occasion they would encourage those in the crowd to reject the godly coupling of man and woman and instead enjoy the company of their own sex. Placed deliberately in the centre of that pentacle of light was placed a fountain I could plainly see was filled with wine.

Upon my leaving home I thought to take up my telescope. This was a most important decision, as with that spyglass I could see that some aspects of the fountain had been filled with mushrooms and other psychedelic herbs. This explained to me why I could see that some of the women (for the crowd was seemingly made only of women) had stripped stark naked and had began, as the music commanded, enjoying each other's company. Forgive me for my graphic description but you must understand what I had seen in all detail. The others were not doing any better. For they had dressed themselves in all manner of unsightly garment. Many of these were topped with a conical hat with a wide, circular brim. These women danced and swayed along with the music, not in a typical waltz or other dance so becoming of the fair sex, but rather a bouncing, swaying motion, with seemingly no convention to speak of, but rather just the motion of the body puppeted by that dread music. And the last thing that I noticed was their familiars. Mostly cats and ravens. The cats, those little beasts, would stand on their hind legs and raise their forepaws in exaltation, swaying to and fro with the best of the music. The ravens faired no better, swinging their heads from side to side and hopping about with the music.

That last observation was what finally broke my composure. At once I broke into a dead sprint back along the trail, headed straight for the sanctuary of my own home. Upon arrival I sat at my desk, and began to pen this account to you.

You must believe me, for I am as you know your most loyal follower, we must act quickly to stop whatever has been surely summoned by the time you receive this letter.

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

GONE FISSION

Opening in theaters this weekend:

Oppenheimer--This biopic splits time the way its hero splits the atom. Narrative is fissionable to writer-director Christopher Nolan; he skips back and forth between episodes of Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as a bumbling student, then as a philandering rising star in the new field of quantum physics, then as the determined yet haunted lord of Los Alamos, then as a post-bomb martyr to '50s era red-baiting. It glides along smoothly through its fractured scheme, beautifully shot by Hoyt van Hoytema in black and white and varyingly muted shades of color depending on period and point of view, and pushed along by a solemn Philip Glass-esque score by Ludwig Göransson.

Often crowned by a horizontal wide-brimmed preacher-style hat that makes him look like Brad Dourif in Wise Blood, Murphy uncannily captures the bursting, wide-eyed, near-ecstatic face that we see in photos of Oppenheimer. But he manages to give the performance a human dimension, with everyday foibles and touches of humor. He's not a pageant figure.

Murphy carries a star presence. But he's very ably supported by a huge, colorful gallery of star character players: Robert Downey Jr. as AEC Chairmen Lewis Strauss and Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence and Benny Safdie as Edward Teller and Tom Conti as Albert Einstein and David Krumholtz as Isidore Rabi, Oppenheimer's menschy colleague who makes sure he eats and nudges his conscience, and Matthew Modine and Casey Affleck and Kenneth Branagh and Rami Malek and Alden Ehrenreich, to name only a few.

They're all entertaining, but two in particular jolt the movie to life: Florence Pugh as Oppenheimer's joyless lover Jean Tatlock and Matt Damon as the practical-minded, professionally unimpressed Leslie Groves, representing us laypeople in his deadpan, flummoxed scenes with Murphy. For a while it seems like Emily Blunt is underserved as Kitty Oppenheimer, but near the end she gets a juicy, angry scene opposite AEC lawyer Roger Robb (Jason Clarke), who has underestimated her.

Other than maybe a few too many scenes of the young "Oppie" having visions that look like the psychedelic mindtrip at the end of 2001, there was no point where I found Oppenheimer less than absorbing. Few would suggest that this ambitious, superbly acted, superbly crafted film isn't a major, compelling work, a vast expansion on Roland Joffé's watchable but modest Fat Man and Little Boy from 1989. If Nolan's film isn't quite completely satisfying, there could be two reasons.

One is that trying to arrive at a moral conclusion about this movie's hero seems impossible. Put (too) simply: on the one hand, Oppenheimer won World War II for the good guys and checked fascism (not checkmated it, alas) for more than half a century. On the other hand, his invention has the potential to ruin the world for everybody. Both can be true, and the ambiguity is unresolvable.

Another problem with the film, however, is a matter of simple showmanship. Back in 1994, James Cameron brought his silly action picture True Lies to a point where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis kiss while, far in the distance, we see a mushroom cloud erupt on the horizon. Triumphant, but then Cameron pushed his luck, piling on one last struggle with the villain in a Harrier jet. I remember thinking (and writing) at the time that when your hero and heroine kiss in front of a mushroom cloud, the movie is over.

Oppenheimer, obviously a very different movie, is uneasily structured in the same way. The scenes leading up to the Trinity Test at White Sands in 1945 are riveting, pulse pounding. The explosion and the immediate aftermath, ending the war in Japan, is a stunning dramatic climax.

But then the movie keeps going, for another hour or so, detailing the war of spite and will between Strauss and Oppenheimer, and the revocation of Oppenheimer's security clearance. It's interesting, provocative material in itself, but it seems a little petty and trivial after the "I am become death; destroyer of worlds" stuff. Given Nolan's supposed consummate skill at scrambling sequence, couldn't he have somehow structured the movie to end with a bang and not a whimper?

Barbie--Something is rotten in the state of Barbieland. As this, her first live-action feature begins, our titular heroine finds herself haunted, right in the middle of raging dance parties at her Dreamhouse, by thoughts of death. Still more alarming, when she steps out of her pumps, her feet go flat to the ground.

To be clear, the Barbie in question, played by Margot Robbie, is "Stereotypical Barbie," the blond, inhumanly thin and leggy iconic version of the Mattel doll. She shares the relentlessly cheery pink-plastic realm of Barbieland with countless other Barbies of every race and body shape and profession, all happy and accomplished and untroubled and mutually supportive. They're dimly aware of us in the "Real World"; they believe that their own harmony has created an example that has led to female empowerment and civil rights over here.

The Barbies also share Barbieland with Ken (Ryan Gosling) and countless variant Kens, as well as Ken's featureless friend Allan (a perfectly cast Michael Cera). But the guys exist entirely as accessories to the relatively uninterested Barbies. Ken's unrequited fascination with Barbie makes him subject, unlike the Barbies, to dissatisfaction.

Barbie goes for advice to "Weird Barbie" (Kate McKinnon), whose hair is frizzy and patchy and who's stuck in a permanent split. She's told that her troubles come from the dark feelings of somebody who's playing with her in our reality, so she sets out on a quest to the Real World, emerging in Venice Beach. Barbie connects with a mom and teenage daughter (America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt) whose relationship is strained; she's also pursued by the all-male board of Mattel, led by Will Ferrell. Ken, meanwhile, learns about our patriarchy, likes what he hears, and heads back to Barbieland alone to institute it, with himself at the top.

Mattel was founded in 1945, the same year as the Trinity Test, and there are probably feminist social critics who would argue that Barbie, invented in 1959 by Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler (well played by Rhea Perlman in the film), has wreaked only a little less havoc on the modern psyche than Oppenheimer's gadget. Even though I'm in exactly the right generational wheelhouse (I was born in 1962), my own childhood experience with Barbie was very limited, and thus so were my nostalgic associations with her.

Even so, this nutty fantasy, directed by Greta Gerwig from a brilliant script she wrote with Noah Baumbach, made me laugh from its inspired first scene to its Wings of Desire finish. Narrated in the droll, arch tones of Helen Mirren, it manages to come across as both an ingenious pop-culture lampoon/celebration and an unpretentious but surprisingly heartfelt deep dive into the implications of the Barbie archetype. I wasn't a big fan of Gerwig's 2019 version of Little Women, but here she builds her world with the freedom of, well, a kid playing with dolls, but also with the confidence and adult perspective of an artist.

Not everything in the movie works; in the second half the narrative gets a little lost at times in some very strange musical numbers/battle scenes, and the whole thing comes close to going on a bit too long. And it's hard to say just who this movie is for. It hardly seems intended for little girls; however smart, they're too young for the commentary about female identity to mean much to them yet. It seems more like it's meant for adult women with both a fondness for and an ambivalence toward Barbie.

No doubt there are those who would also complain that, however witty and self-effacing, the movie amounts to a feature-length commercial for the brand. But in the age of Marvel and other such franchises, it seems a little late to object to this.

The revelation in the film is Margot Robbie. It seems ridiculous that she's able, in the role of freaking Barbie, to give a performance of such subtlety and nuance and shading and quiet, unforced wistfulness, but she does. And she gets to deliver the best last line of the year.

Theater Camp--Joan, the founder of "AndirondACTS," a slightly gone-to-seed theater camp in upstate New York, has fallen into a coma. The job of keeping the struggling camp afloat falls to her decidedly non-theatrical "crypto bro" son Troy. Meanwhile the devoted instructors work with the exuberantly happy campers to mount the shows, including an original musical about the life of poor comatose Joan (Amy Sedaris). Needless to say, all does not go smoothly.

The creators of this Waiting for Guffman-esque "mockumentary" comedy, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, know the world they're depicting well; all of them have been doing theater since they were small children. Gordon and Lieberman co-directed, from a script by all four; Platt and Gordon play Amos and Rebecca-Diane, the utterly enmeshed, co-dependent acting instructors and Galvin plays the low-profile tech director.

They capture the camaraderie and the sense of belonging that theater can give kids, and their affection for that world is unmistakable, but they're careful not to get too sentimental. The envies and resentments and passive-aggressive denigrations among theater folk, especially at this often professionally frustrated level, are vividly represented.

Getting laughs from the self-important vanities of theater people is pretty low-hanging fruit, I suppose, but Theater Camp is nonetheless often hilarious. The film also manages to get a little deeper at times, touching on the irony that while theater can create a haven and a community for misfit kids, this can generate its own clannishness and exclusionary snobbery, as in Amos and Rebecca-Diane's coldness toward the imbecilic but well-intentioned Troy, charmingly played by a sort of poor-man's Channing Tatum named Jimmy Tatro.

The real joy in Theater Camp, of course, is the acting: Platt, Gordon, Tatro, plus a few vets like Sedaris, Caroline Aaron and David Rasche bring the material to life. But as Glenn, the long-suffering backstage drudge who really ought to be onstage, Noah Galvin, who replaced Platt on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen, is the revelation among the adults in the cast. He's a knockout.

The revelation among the kids playing the campers is, well, pretty much all of the kids playing the campers. There are some real singing, dancing and acting prodigies in this company. If there was a real theater camp somewhere with this kind of talent, their shows would sell out.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Elderwood Veigar is the BEST BOY

Veigar has a very old character model and some extremely clunky animation. His general cartoonishness is just about the only thing that saves him from being a complete visual embarrassment to the game, and so the natural choice for his best skin might be Battle Boss, which fixes all those problems.

But NAAAAAh, mother-fucking ELDERWOOD BABY! Is the model still clunky? Yeah. Are the animations still stiff and unappealing? Absolutely. But you will pry this Majora's Mask faced lunatic mushroom boy from my cold dead hands because he is perfect and I will not hear a word spoken against him. Sometimes there's just a skin concept that delights you on such a primal and fundamental level that attempts at critical analysis become pointless. Yes the psychedelic colors are fun, yes the mushroom goblin aesthetic kind of works with his jerky weird movements, yes that curly tail on the hat is the peak of character design perfection, but the real reason he's my favourite skin is because he just is. LOOK AT HIM, HE'S PERFECT!

[artstar1997]

Here’s my Valentines Day Specials for this Faebruary. I drew my favorite ships here. I love Broppy, especially Coossy (@jade-green-butterfly’s shipping), and Emi x Prince D (@groovinyeen’s ship).

Judging by their outfits, the seven troll tribes as fairy courts in my fantasy au have different patterns and aesthetics on their fashion. The fashion of the fairies, the elves, and the rest of the fae kingdom is inspired by the renaissance, and the 14th and the 15th century high medieval fashion with different designs and patterns used on their outfits.

The Platinum Court are the top wealthiest fairy court and they are the dominant court (their past rulers, Finvarra, Oona, Oberon, Titania and Mab are the members of the court) of the fairy kingdom so their outfit has shimmering patterns of constellations, stars, suns, and moons, which show their mastery in light magic.

The Funk Court are the second wealthiest because they are technologically advanced and they benefit from the Platinum Court due to their trades with the elves and other species. The patterns of their outfits are more psychedelic themed and retro themed because they master mind magic.

The Classical Court are the third wealthiest and they display their affinity for air magic by wearing outfits with feather, clouds and weather prints.

The Pop Court are obviously into energy magic so they wear clothes with bright, loud colors, but they prefer flower prints and woodland patterns because their kingdom is located deep in the forest. Poppy wears a cone-like hat called a hennin, which she still wears even when she becomes queen. As for Jussy, she wears an escoffion.

The Techno Court have a strong affinity with the sea and the element of water so their outfits have a pirate-like mix and they show it off with aquatic inspired details and fish scale prints.

The Hard Rock Court prefer to show their pride in their warrior culture by incorporating armor into their fashion, just like Emi’s customized funk outfit. They show off their warlike strength and their affinity for fire magic by adding dragon wings, horns, armor, and spikes with their clothes in black, gray, red and in muddy shades of different colors, usually blue, purple, indigo and many more. The prints they use are usually dragon scales, flames, and lava prints.

The Country Court are the most humble of the fairy courts because they were primarily farmers and they look nice but don’t let it fool you, they are also formidable warriors and they are known for their hunting and riding skills. Their fashion also reflect their agricultural way of life through beige tone colors, flower, leaf and plant prints and patterns.

Jussy belongs to @jade-green-butterfly Emi belongs to @groovinyeen Trolls belong to Dreamworks

[your-dandy-king]

Kitting Out (a handy dandy list)

Choosing from the list provided by @rapports-de-combat in this post, Murat would pack these items:

Rations for one meal

Water filled waterskin

Change of clothes

Lantern & oil

Pistol and smallsword

However, there are other little treasures from the Lost & Found vault he keeps in his domain. Lost and discarded things from the living world make their way into his domain all the time. Keys, wedding rings, umbrellas, clothes, and wallets and passports end up in his domain. And socks, lots of mismatched socks missing their mate.

Not all of them potentially have use. What good is a smartphone to him, when electricity doesn't work in his domain? No, these are simple things, things that do not require batteries or electricity, or complicated parts to work.

So, in addition to the above things, there are:

A travel-size sewing kit - self-explanatory, if you're Murat.

A blackjack - the smallsword and pistol are preferred, but not necessarily practical, especially if you're in a cramped space. A blackjack is a close-quarters weapon of the last resort.

A folding penknife - the sewing kit scissors won't do in every instance, but neither will a dagger.

Valuables - A small pouch of loose gemstones fallen out of their settings and lost by their original owners and now in Murat's possession. Diamonds, emeralds, sapphire, opals. Some gold and silver jewelry that he came by the same way. A few gold coins left behind by a helpful Roman centurion centuries ago, and maybe even a few coins bearing the profile of the King of Naples himself. These things might come in handy if they need to trade for goods.

A small camp mirror and a small bar of soap - Again self-explanatory, if you're Murat.

One of those really nice travel coffee mugs that keeps drinks cold/hot with a lid and a rubberized bottom - Now this is an indulgence, and Murat would admit as such. A lot of inventions from the times long after he died can leave him baffled, but this is one he can get behind.

A pack of playing cards - at the very least, he can keep himself and others entertained. And if he needs to gamble out of necessity, he's got the tools at hand.

A folding umbrella, but in a completely impractical color. What's the problem with fuchsia? He likes it!

Sunglasses - This may seem like an odd choice, but Murat remembers the road to Moscow, when the dust was thick and choking. Men would cut makeshift goggles and fashion protective eyewear for themselves out of stained glass windows looted from churches. He remembers the endless, killing glare of the sun on Egyptian dunes. Murat remembers all this and he snags a pair of wrap-around sport sunglasses for himself. Even if he doesn't end up needing it for practical reasons, he can look nice. There's plenty of pairs, however, and he ends up packing one for each man in the party.

Finding a pair for Davout is a bit of a challenge though. Murat personally doesn't care, but it also wouldn't do to have the Iron Marshal out of action. The man can't see without his spectacles and finding sunglasses that fit over them isn't easy. Among his piles of knickknacks and lost treasures, Murat finds ski goggles for Davout with a baby pink mirror finish.

When it comes to choosing a wardrobe, Murat not the most practical dresser. He never has been. Who needs to be when one needs to look good? He digs around in his Lost & Found vault, and settles for flared, pinstripe pants, a green and red floral shirt in a pattern he's been told is called "Hawaiian," a wide belt with a sliver and turquoise buckle, and a couple of layered beaded statement necklaces. Knee high leather boots, good for walking and riding. This is all topped off with a white cowboy hat and a leopard print coat. And feathers. Can't forget the feathers.

He is, as an outside observer might comment, a vision in psychedelic boho acid punk. Because he is Murat, and he will not go into battle dressed as a plain peasant. Nope, that just won't do.

[go-amy-go]

Dear Bride and Groom, I am Perfectly Capable of Dressing Myself for Your Wedding, so Calm TF Down

That’s right, my loves. I am a grown woman with a credible fashion sense. In fact, since you forgot when my birthday is and planned your wedding on that hallowed day, I will be exactly 52 the day you walk down the aisle. In those 52 years I have learned how to dress my particular body. I am unlikely to show up under or overdressed (as long as you finally get around to sharing the dress code with us). I will cover up any offensive tattoos and my hair will be a silver and blue cloud of loveliness. So you don’t need to worry about me, No, I mean it, stop worrying about me and sending me pictures of bridesmaids dresses that will make me look like a stumpy flower fairy. I mean, I’m not a bridesmaid. I’m not an anything, really. Stepparents get stuck out of the way somewhere, which is absolutely fine with me.

BUT! As a gesture of good will, I will show you some of the dresses I have considered and rejected. This will make you feel better and engender trust in my decision making process. I think.

Anyway, here we go:

You have to admit, people like this look. Something about the doubled-up granny hose and the sparkly crotch just does it for a lot of people. But I really wouldn’t want to upstage the wedding party, which I most certainly would if I attempted to stuff myself into this glamorous sausage casing.

This looks super comfortable and I think it comes in your theme colors but I am sensitive to the the objections of the older guests who might be troubled by this ensemble. Is your internet-ordained celebrant also an exorcist?

This festive fabric is popping with with colorful birds. You like birds, don’t you? Oh, sure, I get it. Psychedelics aren’t on the menu. Moving on.

Ok, I can see that this is inappropriate for a beach wedding. Still, I may pick up some horns to slip on when you aren’t paying attention. (Which should be always, seeing as it’s your wedding day and you have enough to worry about!)

Did you know that I once played a ringmaster in a school musical? My costume was nowhere near as exciting as this one, although I did have a large hat. So you can understand why I am drawn to it. Still, as far as I know we are not going to be having a Hug Jackman sing-along, so I’ll skip it.

If only you were getting married on a farm! This one is made out out honest-to-goodness flour sacks and cast-off overalls, but maybe it’s a bit immodest.

This, on the other hand, is Duggar-esque. Having lived through a half century of August birthdays I can tell you that this would render the wearer miserable in about 5 minutes. Waaay too much fabric.

This is the dress I most wish I could wear, although I promise I won’t. I just know how much I would enjoy drifting through the ballroom like the vengeful ghost of a Victorian governess. Alas.

As a final gift to you, let me suggest that if you are really adamant that I match the other two mothers you should consider this new take on twinsies, er, tripletsies. I call dibs on green!

And so, my beloved children, I hope I have shown you that I can be trusted to pick out my own appropriate wedding attire. Now you can stop thinking about it and turn your attention to the little shells you are going to scatter on the tables.

Much love,

Your wicked stepmother

[catdotjpeg]

here’s some singles and albums i was listening to in february. i was doing this on twitter for a while but i just realized it makes way more sense for me to be keeping it here 

(in no particular order other than color)

j’aime les filles // kate bollinger (french pop cover)

despertar // ratas en zelo (accordion punk)

the edge // atarashii gakko (japanese progressive pop? hyperpop?)

super champon // otoboke beaver (japanese punk)

nadja // unknown mortal orchestra (psychedelic pop)

this is why // paramore (alternative)

marginalia #122 // masakatsu takagi (japanese piano)

crest // bladee and ecco2k (electronic)

pollen // tennis (indie pop)

the greng jai piece // phum viphurit (thai bedroom pop)

miss the world // body type (australian garage rock)

american gurl // kilo kish (alt pop)

filming school // sidney gish (alt pop)

hollywood baby // 100 gecs (power pop)

lose you (ft. soccer mommy) // bully (alternative)

space cadet // beabadoobee (british indie)

pahrump // xiu xiu (experimental)

bless this mess // u.s. girls (alt pop)

multitudes // feist (pop) 

it hurts // bad bad hats (alt pop)

desire, i want to turn into you // caroline polachek (art pop)

hands // little boots (synthpop)

does you inspire you // chairlift (indie pop)

done (let’s get it) // yaeji (electronic)

it’s blitz! // yeah yeah yeahs (indie rock)

[luuurien]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Changes

(Psychedelic Pop, Jazz Funk, Progressive Pop)

Diving back into psychedelic pop with a sweeter funk edge, Changes brings a new boldness to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's softer side. What it often lacks in sharpness it makes up for with gooey funk grooves and soul jazz richness.

☆☆☆½

As varied a discography as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have, there are always calling cards that make it clear you're still listening to them: namely, their psych rock sound and its emphasis on long-form soloing and dreamy songcraft that ebbs and flows even as a defined structure holds it largely in one place. Go as far out in their discography as Infest the Rats' Nest fiery thrash metal or last year's psychtronica highlight Butterfly 3000 and those elements are there in some form or another, King Gizzard's sound ever-morphing but the ways they go about those different musical planes largely the same. On Changes, their final October 2022 release, King Gizzard find themselves in a softer blend of funk, jazz and pop, pulling from the same well as Sketches of Brunswick East and Gumboot Soup as the band concerns themselves with colorful instrumentation and lengthy jazz-funk jams where the fun is found partly in immersing yourself in their pastel psychedelic dream and partly in close examination of their playful song structures and mesmerizing solo sections. What it often lacks in sharpness it makes up for with gooey funk grooves and soul jazz richness. Taking the album as a whole, there's a lot about Changes to love - not only because of how fun it is to hear the band sweetening up after Ice, Death, Planet...'s fiery psych-funk and the krautrock-laced Laminated Denim, but because the band at this point are near masters of making their longer tracks genuinely exciting all the way through. Change, the album's first track and by far its longest at 13 minutes, is easily one of their best tracks in recent memory, starting off in a standard backbeat rhythm before subtly shifting it with extra hi-hat and explosive drum fills that slow down again to introduce a whole new groove to dominate the last half of the track and its monstrous finish of noisy guitars and a bubbly guitar solo jumping off the vocal melody from before. Although it slows and starts more than a few times, it's in how King Gizzard keeps the song wound tight with its surprising chord extensions and soft, mysterious vocals that Change finds its success and acts as a fantastic start to the album. But from all that wondrousness the album reveals its weak spots, too, the following six tracks all sharing a similar subdued nature and enhanced moodiness compared to your usual King Gizzard fare but sometimes unable to keep up the pace: No Body works great as a cozy slow jam coming off the long but repetitive Astroturf, but it causes Exploding Suns two songs after it to feel even more sluggish and uneventful as the band takes things even slower without trying to create some sort of interesting ambiance or intriguing mood to keep your focus - even if it was going for a druggy psych-soul feel, the track is too empty and the instrumentation too pallid for that to save it. The largest stumbling block Changes has trouble overcoming is balance, King Gizzard able to fill up a mix like no other but too often at a loss when it comes to making the negative space just as engaging. Changes is a good King Gizzard album, but it never ends up much more than that, succumbing to many of the same issues their albums in a similar vein have had for years and not doing a whole lot to advance their sound in the process, and though they don't always need to be at their most inventive and experimental to make great albums (see Paper Mâché Dream Balloon or K.G.), there has to be some sense of heightened excitement or fresh ideas to take the music to the next level that Changes just doesn't have. It's as solid an album as you'd expect from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and that alone means it's quite hard to knock - as thrilling it is to think of the infinite possibilities for such a prolific group, Changes doesn't need to be all too out of the ordinary for them to have turned such out an absolute delight.

[goodmorningmayberry]

Do The Hanky Panky with Nick and Lindsey

WELCOME, one and all, to the long-awaited premiere of season 4! Today, your good ol' host, Shift Orion, is joined by Nick Roth and Lindsey Haun. Shift and Nick met while wandering around in the howling abyss of social media. Nick was looking for podcasts to talk about his new movie, Hanky Panky, and Shift was looking for inspiration to reboot this show.

So Nick hailed Lindsey to join Shift for a chat about this fantastic, whacky, elevated, innovative film made with love under crazy conditions.

And they also talk about other things like Nick and Lindsey's kids, Nick's upcoming haunted dreidel film, Lindsey's dark and vague works in progress, and Shift's upcoming sci-fi about an average white American man who gets knocked up by an alien parasite just after landing his dream job and has flashbacks to that one time he tried to convince his teenage girlfriend to not have an abortion.

 We hope you enjoy this episode and then go watch Hanky Panky on Tubi!

Nick & Lindsey, Co-Directors: 

Hanky Panky marks the feature debut of frequent collaborators and future Hollywood power couple Nick and Lindsey.

Lindsey is a gold-record winning singer/songwriter, an actor and horror icon (Village of the Damned, Trueblood, Shrooms, Color of Friendship), and a director of several award-winning short films and music videos. She is repped by Bohemia Group.

Nick is a former middle-school substitute Latin teacher, current pun factory, and film and television writer who most recently wrote on ABC sitcom American Housewife. He is repped by Zero Gravity.

  About HANKY PANKY 

Logline: A man and his talking handkerchief save the world from an evil top-hat, and also learn to love.

Genre: Puppets and Blood.

Runtime: 86 minutes, 4 of which is a fight scene between a napkin and a hat.

Full Synopsis: When sweet and quirky ayahuasca marriage counselor Diane mistakenly invites the wrong “Sam” to a retreat she’s co-hosting with friends and family at an isolated snowy mountain cabin, instead of her best friend’s sister Samantha showing up, she gets Sam, a socially anxious oddball who has brought his best friend, Woody, a foul-mouthed talking handkerchief Sam believes only he can hear, and who is sexually aroused by cleaning up messes. Diane is Sam’s opposite, but it’s love at first sight. The only thing that stands between them is that right away everyone in the cabin starts being mysteriously murdered, and the whole vacation quickly descends into a zany pandemonium of cults, psychedelics, aliens, and, as Woody himself puts it, delicious chaos.

Short Synopsis: A socially anxious oddball and his best friend, a foul-mouthed talking handkerchief who is sexually aroused by cleaning up messes, must confront an inter-dimensional evil in order to save the world and find true love.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqKFZm04ViM

Official Website: https://hankypankythemovie.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/hankypankymovie

FB: https://www.facebook.com/HankyPankyMovie

X: https://www.twitter.com/HankyPankyMovie

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@hankypankymovie

YT: https://m.youtube.com/@HankyPankyTheMovie

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hankypankythemovie/

  FEATURED REVIEWS 

"A perfect pick for 420... gleefully absurd... No matter how deeply you've dived into horror comedies, I can assure you that you've never seen anything quite like this... the comedy equivalent of a Jackson Pollock... sensational... an absolute avalanche of silliness... “

—Kristy Puchko, Mashable https://mashable.com/article/hanky-panky-movie-2024-review

  "Hanky Panky is a delightfully unserious horror movie crammed with comedy."

––Becca James, Chicago Reader https://chicagoreader.com/film/review-hanky-panky/

  "Hanky Panky is a genre-bending rollercoaster that seamlessly blends elements of comedy and horror, all while descending to a new level of insanity… A surreal success in ambitious independent filmmaking."

––Smrithika Majukar, Film Ireland https://filmireland.net/2024/04/08/review-hanky-panky/

  "Cheap, Dumb, Delightful... Joyous. It’s a silly movie that just wants to make its audience smile, and it succeeds."

––Kyle Logan, Screen Anarchy https://screenanarchy.com/2024/04/hanky-panky-review-cheap-dumb-delightful.html

"Hanky Panky is the stupidly funny horror-comedy of the year... wacky, wonderful, and at times completely bonkers."

––Romey Norton, Film Focus Online https://www.filmfocusonline.com/post/hanky-panky-review

"It may be a little too strange and outlandish for some, but those who are willing to embrace its unashamed weirdness and its brazen nonconformity are in for a great time."

––David Gelmini, Dread Central https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/494104/hanky-panky-review-seth-green-voicesan-evil-hat-in-absurd-new-comedy/?amp

"It’s silly, it’s wild, and it’s filthy in all the right ways, made by a team with a clear love of film... No one should deprive themselves of an opportunity to see a napkin learn about the power of friendship."

––Jules Caldeira, Film Inquiry https://www.filminquiry.com/hanky-panky-2023-review/?amp=1

FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS & AWARDS

LA Comedy Film Festival Official Selection

Int’l Independent Film Awards Best Actor (Jacob DeMonte-Finn) Best Supporting Actor (Seth Green) Best Actress (Ashley Holliday Tavares) Best Supporting Actress (Clare Grant) Best Casting Best Directing Best Narrative Feature

World Premiere Film Awards Best First Time Filmmaker Best Comedic Script Best Comedy Feature Best Production Design Judges' Choice

Central Coast Int’l Film Festival Official Selection Beast Feature Film

Athens Int’l Monthly Art Film Festival Best Debut Feature Film

Golden State Film Festival Official Selection Best Supporting Actor (Seth Green)

Robinson Film Awards Best Comedy Feature

Golden Lion Int’l Film Festival Best Actress (Ashley Holliday Tavares) Best Actor (Jacob DeMonte-Finn) Best Comedy Feature Best International Feature Film

Los Angeles Film Awards Best Indie Feature Best New Director

Italian Comedy Festival International Comedy Prize

Five Continents Int’l Film Festival Official Selection Best Director Best Screenplay Best Actress (Ashley Holliday Tavares) Best Art Direction Best Team Performance

The IndieFEST Film Awards Best Feature Film Best Ensemble Cast Best Special Effects

Cinema Cappuccino Best Feature Film

Gothamite Monthly Film Awards Best Feature Film

Indie Vegas Film Festival Official Selection Best Supporting Actress (Clare Grant)

LA Cinema Festival of Hollywood Official Selection Best Narrative Feature Best Director Best Actor (Jacob DeMonte-Finn)

Kalakari Film Festival Official Selection

Fortean Film Festival Official Selection

MegaFlix Film Awards Official Selection

Silver Wing Int’l Film Festival Best Narrative Feature

Dreamz Catcher Int’l Film Festival Best Feature Film

Independent Horror Movie Awards Best Feature Best Actor (Jacob DeMonte-Finn) Best Humor Best Kill

Top Indie Film Awards Best Humor Best Original Idea

Kalakari Film Festival Certificate of Achievement 

  Directors’ Statement: Hanky Panky was inspired by the way certain zany comedies like Wet Hot American Summer and Caddyshack seemed to capture the energy of locking their whole cast and crew together in, say, a summer camp, or a coke-orgy fueled hotel in the middle of a Florida hurricane with Chevy Chase -- and then somehow get that energy on screen. We shot Hanky Panky in Lindsey's dad's cabin in the mountains above Heber, Utah, where the entire cast and crew crammed together, at 8,000ft of elevation, during the most intense blizzard ever recorded there. It was a true anarcho-communist-guerilla production: literally no budget, nobody got paid, everyone chipped in for food and drugs, and we all cooperatively own the film now. We shot it on a camera our team won with a short film at Slamdance in 2015. A friend who shoots porn let us borrow his lights. By far our biggest expense was that Lindsey backed her car into Nick's in the blizzard and knocked out a headlight, so that did cost us like $900 to fix. It was crazy. Everyone went a little bit crazy. Some of us went a lot a bit crazy. It's our hope that a bunch of that fun, contagious craziness has ended up on the screen.

CONTACT Nick & Lindsey: hankypankythemovie@gmail.com 

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  Credits:

Shift Orion, producer/host, graphics

Christine Warda, guest

Soundtrack:

New GMM Intro by Wonderful Glass Cage

IKISC 

(in no) Time (back soon 4 round 2) - remix - by Wonderful Glass Cage

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