#the generated music evolution terms are not it

[oblako]

ok spotify..

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Lol.

This will be short. I’ll go on a little tangent but I’ll tie this back to Jungkook and BTS at the end.

You know, I was mostly ambivalent about the feud between HYBE and Min Heejin until I heard her call Bang Sihyuk and his sycophants “bastards” for ‘overpaying for garbage and forcing everyone to eat it because they think the price makes the music good.’ - I’m paraphrasing a bit because her language was more crude. That made me sit up a bit, because her sentiments mirrored my thoughts about the direction Bang Sihyuk has been taking the company in for some time now.

Another random connection is that, to me at least, it seems clear BigHit is still trying to make the HYBE America investment worth it, given:

1. The unnecessarily long credit lists filled with Scooter-linked writers that appear to have become a fixture of most HYBE releases. Bang PD is clearly taking advantage of Scooter’s connections although it’s yet to yield any significant improvement in music quality, and in terms of chart performance the results are mixed at best;

2. The fact that in addition to HYBE paying US$1.05 Billion in cash for Scooter’s company, essentially overpaying for Ithaca Holdings by consensus estimates (a deal Min Heejin also openly criticized as being hare-brained), HYBE America still generated hundreds of millions of dollars in losses as of the last fiscal year, two years after the acquisition was finalized.

But this is old news, we all knew that.

The thing about Min Heejin’s comments that concerned me is that, despite what is now clearly an underperforming investment both in terms of Scooter Braun himself and the man at HYBE that arranged the deal in the first place, Lee Jae-sang, rather than work to correct course and minimize losses, Bang Sihyuk appears to be doubling down on the deal by rewarding these two men in particular with more music and business opportunities within HYBE, even if the music quality suffers as a result, even if HYBE continues overpaying for shit, and even if the artists/idols are negatively impacted in the process. And according to Min Heejin, one big reason Bang Sihyuk allows it is because those men are adept at greasing his arse and eating it out.

Basically, it’s become an expensive joke. But he’s brute forcing the deal to work because so long as BTS is involved and so ARMYs are involved, it’s a joke that Bang PD is guaranteed to take laughing all the way to the bank.

This is where I say I realized shortly after Jungkook’s fan song for Festa was announced, that I wasn’t excited to hear it. I’m saying this only because now that the song is out, it’s confirmed everything I expected. And also because that apathetic feeling was so at odds with how I’ve been feeling about Jungkook as a person for the last year. If it’s not been clear from my reblogs and gush posts, I’ve been spending the better part of this hiatus loving Jungkook extremely. Jungkook is an empathetic songwriter, an emotive vocalist, a talented producer.

But nothing about Never Let Go is exciting. Who wants to listen to a fan song written by people who’ve never had fans? And on top of that, Jungkook is making less money from that song than any fan song he’s written before. Meaning, the song is mediocre, it feels blatantly insincere in ways only a crowdsourced fan song can be, and Jungkook has to split his revenue from the song with about 10 white people. Just look at this.

I’m actually laughing typing this out, but this turn of events is at least a little tragic.

Golden worked as a concept album because it was a collection of songs Jungkook felt represented his taste, he could take on the challenge of putting out a full English album with some help from the writers, and he showcased new vocal techniques and styles that only showed an evolution from his prior work in BTS. The songs themselves were just okay, good decent pop, but as a collection it worked.

Everything about Never Let Go feels almost audaciously soulless. Not quite a slap on the face but it’s like someone coming all up in your face with a bad case of halitosis and their nose barely touching yours, daring you to do something about it.

I have no issue with HYBE working with Scooter-linked writers or producers if it means something actually good comes of it. But it seems HYBE seems to believe their work is better simply because they slap on as many foreign names in the credits as they can fit. It betrays a worrying mentality about the head honchos in the company. Looking at the peak quality in FACE by Jimin, or in Right Place, Wrong Person by RM, which included acclaimed Korean, other Asian, and Black talent supposedly hand-picked by Jimin and Joon themselves, it’s clear HYBE has access to remarkable home-grown and foreign talent that could improve the work of the members. But what I’m seeing with too much frequency is HYBE picking off the bottom of the barrel in the unending list of Scooter’s contractors and otherwise choosing to do the bare minimum.

And that’s how we end up with a Festa fan song with a topline that sounds like an AI-generated jingle written by a soccer team of hired help.

Or idk, maybe I’m being just a bit too full of it. Maybe I’ve been brainwashed by the witch Min Heejin, maybe this was just one more song Jungkook worked on with his Golden team as he had no time to write a proper fan song, nothing more. And maybe as a silver lining, there are no glaring grammatical errors though I found the ones in My You very charming, and honestly part of the appeal. To hear the way Jungkook sees the fans who have been with him till now, even if in English it didn’t quite make sense.

I said this would be short but I’ve rambled, as usual. Sorry for that. When I started out writing this post, I did intend to keep it short.

To end things on a somewhat lighter note, for me the only thing I’m excited about this Festa, is SeokJin coming back. I’ll be working on a deal during the fanmeet so I didn’t bother participating in the raffle, but I’m happy for the ARMYs who get the opportunity to hug Jin, and for Jin who gets to spend time with his fans after so long. With him returning, things are starting to feel more right, even though there are worrying signs in high places. We’ve got about 1 year left to endure most of the members enlisted and then, the crew will be rounded up again.

Now more than ever, I find myself looking forward to that.

[canmom]

I think Farya Faraji has realised that hour long videos about the difference between actual historical music and modern historically themed music is a great way to get people to watch stuff about music theory. Which, you know, guilty, I haven't watched his older videos on medieval music yet but I did watch this one!

Anyway it's fascinating stuff - I didn't realise how new our current approach to tonal harmony is. I tried to be careful to distinguish between the general and the culture specific in my music theory posts, but even in my own culture, it turns out I was picking out emphases that are very modern. If Farya is right, medieval European music actually sounded a lot more like the 'modal' approach that still exists in middle Eastern, Balkan and Mediterranean music. Instead of supporting a melody with chords, you would improvisationally add various kinds of what modern Western music calls ornamentation. Towards the end of the middle ages you'd get a greater degree of polyphony using e.g. a sustained drone note or additional melodies that don't really try to harmonise in the way we write them to today. At this point the level of ornamentation dies down, and it lays the groundwork for the modern system of harmony to appear in the early modern period.

In contrast to actual historically informed music, Farya describes a genre he calls 'bardcore', which aims for a superficial appearance of medieval style to modern ears but uses a modern folk-inspired performance style - strummed chords, modern classically trained singing styles, modern instruments like the Irish bouzouki invented in the 70s. (As with the viking music and orientalism videos, he's at some pains to emphasise that anachronistic music isn't bad music and he likes a lot of these 'bardcore' bands.)

Anyway, I appreciate it because it expands my horizon for 'ways music can work' and gives a narrative to the evolution of tonal harmony - maybe an oversimplified narrative, and I'm still not entirely sure what the term 'modal' is getting at (presumably something to do with the modes [roughly, scales] that music was written and embellished in?), but it's a starting point. one of the most interesting youtubers to come along recently...

[luxurychristmaspudding]

Formed by five best friends during their first term at university, Copilot emerged from the underground Edinburgh music scene with a gritty sound and an unapologetic attitude that quickly propelled them to stardom. Their debut album, Frontrunner, was a blazing success, dominating charts and establishing the band as a force to be reckoned with in modern rock. With a raw blend of anthemic guitar riffs, electrifying vocals, and lyrics that captured the spirit of rebellion, Frontrunner set the stage for Copilot’s meteoric rise.

In their early years, Copilot embodied the hedonistic lifestyle synonymous with rock and roll — sex, drugs, and endless partying defined their world. Their live shows were legendary, pulsating with energy and unpredictability. But as the band matured, so did their sound. Copilot’s evolution from a hard-partying, chaotic outfit into one of rock’s most thoughtful and poignant voices has been remarkable.

Their later albums, culminating in the critically acclaimed Futureproof, have showcased a more introspective and dynamic side of the band. With themes ranging from political upheaval to personal loss, and the bittersweet process of grieving for past versions of oneself and the people who once filled their lives, Copilot’s music has become more than just a soundtrack for rebellion. It’s become a voice for a generation grappling with change, identity, and the complexities of modern life.

Despite their rockstar origins, the members of Copilot remain as close as ever, bound by a friendship forged in the fires of fame and the trials of growing up together. With multiple chart-topping albums and sold-out arenas around the world, they have cemented their place as one of the most influential rock bands of their generation — iconic not just for their past, but for the future they continue to shape with their music.

-> CAM ROBERTSON, DRUMMER

-> ADIE GILMAN, RHYTHM GUITAR

-> JACK ETZLER, LEAD GUITAR

-> VIC WALKER, BASSIST

-> ROCKSTAR, LEAD VOCALS

• series masterlist •

[pineapple-split]

Arcane S2 and what I Did Not Like:

1. THE MUSIC VIDEOS

2. The set up for dictator!Caitlyn and the failed follow-through. This could have been really interesting. You might even still be able to pull off a Caitvi endgame (I think… with a LOT more development and general care), but I see that as a secondary goal to really exploring how an otherwise well-meaning character can go off the deep end. She gassed Zaun using the system her mother wanted to use to clean their air, in her mother’s name!! Follow up on that!! Why give Caitlyn the Lady Macbeth imagery in the intro if it wasn’t actually going to show up?! Caitlyn did not answer for a single one of her actions, never reckoned with how Piltover oppresses Zaun and her role in it, and never took actions to right these wrongs or help the people of Zaun like she was set up to do in S1.

3. The massive fumbling of Jayce and Viktor’s relationship. I’m sorry Jayvik fans, but this was off the wall ridiculous in every respect. There’s a whole 2 minutes spent on Viktor deciding to leave and we, the audience, are meant to infer that he’s upset that Jayce didn’t destroy the Hexcore and/or is so fundamentally changed that he doesn’t feel the “affection (that) held us together”. Except that’s immediately undercut, because Viktor never expresses this again and repeatedly asks Jayce to work with him! If he felt betrayed enough to leave, why does he want Jayce with him again? If that was just a cover and this new Viktor simply doesn’t care like he used to… again why the focus on Jayce joining him? There’s never a textual reasoning given for either scenario.

Jayce is apparently destroyed by Viktor leaving, but there are no scenes to that effect. In fact Jayce doesn’t comment about their relationship until Act 3, when he swings wildly between “my partner is dead” to “I just want my real partner back” with no bridge between.

There’s no acknowledgement of Viktor’s story to this point, which is that he was dying of an illness brought on by the horrific conditions Zaunites live in, and he wanted to use Hextech to improve life in the undercity. Now he wants a glorious evolution for *reasons* that he doesn’t express out loud until Act 3. We the audience have to infer that he thinks he’s helping people, but he’s also speaking and acting so unlike Viktor that it makes us question who’s really in the pilot’s seat. And of course Jayce then undergoes the worst bit of character assassination I’ve seen in a long time and spouts some bullshit about how Viktor was always perfect the way he was (dying, brought on by Piltover’s literal poisoning of Zaun), that he should have accepted his “imperfections” (the illness that was killing him and harming his body). This is after trying to kill him mind you (was the plan to destroy him or try to reason him away from evolving everyone, bc we kept ping-ponging between the two). Also after Jayce’s entire motivation in the back half of S1 was saving Viktor’s life. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

This is not a plot line you can squash into the margins of 9 episodes. If you want to get to this endpoint, you need at least an episode of Viktor coming to terms with being alive after the explosion before he leaves. You need to spend time with Jayce grieving and/or trying to find Viktor before he goes to the Hexcore. Jayce probably needs a full episode dedicated to his alt timeline adventure, AND THEN we need to see him wrestling with what he’s done after he shoots Viktor. If his relationship with Mel breaks down (😭) we need to see it. (And if not, there needs to be some goodbye or closure between them ffs). If Jayce is first “destroy Viktor” then ends up at “I want my partner back”, show us that journey! Jayce needs to have some emotional struggle with all this!

Through all this, if we’re to believe it’s still Viktor in there somewhere and not the Arcane talking through his re-animated body, we need more scenes explaining what Viktor wants as well, and how his actions may/may not be achieving this. If he’s angry at Jayce, why? If he’s not, why did he leave? Is Sky a manifestation of his guilt, the Arcane manipulating him, actually her, or some combination of the three? How does he feel about the developments between Piltover and Zaun? Explore these things!

4. Speaking of Piltover and Zaun, what in the fresh hell. I was afraid they would take this route (the oppression doesn’t matter, praise the cops, the Zaunites will be thrown scraps and they should be grateful for it, etc etc etc) but goddamn. I don’t even have the energy to expend the words expressing how fucked up this is, in today’s climate. if you don’t have the guts to address class conflict like this then maybe don’t even bring it up??? Fuck.

5. Ekko was set up to be a true advocate for Zaun in S1. Of the Zaunites in S1 Act 2 and onward, he alone expressed a willingness to take care of people, not just defeat his enemies. He’s shown to be wise beyond his years, empathetic, tough as nails when he needs to be - in short, a wonderful leader. Then they sent him off to a parallel universe to get time warp powers so he could end the show alone and depressed????? He had all of half of an episode for his trauma to be addressed and establish some connection with Jinx, and then it became very clear they only did that to manufacture angst. Again - if you want to get to this end point, you have to actually show us the character journey to get there. Why was he talking about forgetting to build a better future, when he literally never did????? He established the Firelights and the community oasis before hitting 20. He pulled back from killing Jinx on the bridge. He saw an outcast from Piltover and invited them to see his work. And it’s the tree dying that drives him to the Hexcore. HE LITERALLY NEVER LOST THAT FOCUS, so why did he apparently need alt!Powder to re-teach him??? I’m going insane.

6. We really should have seen Jinx emerge as a leader of the Zaunite uprising (and this is a whole season arc, let’s be clear). We also needed a LOT more push and pull between Vi and Jinx before they reconciled. If Isha was going to be important to Jinx, we needed more time with the two of them.

I actually have no problem with Warwick/Vander in Act 2, but I think it should only have come after an actual Zaunite revolt and after Jinx and Vi both had gone through some shit opposing each other. In short, it should not be been resolved with a single hair-pulling fight and then Warwick busting in. In fact, Jinx and Vi still should have been struggling to find footing all the way up to the point where Jayce shoots Viktor, imo. There should have been real consequences to Vi joining the enforcers besides Jinx snapping at her.

At the end of the day, this family was always the heart of the show and that should have been front and center throughout. The ideas and themes they introduced should have resonated through the B plots like they did in S1 before everyone came together in the finale.

7. I also don’t mind the flashbacks with younger Vander and Silco, but if they were going to do that they needed to spend much more time on it. Show the events that let to Vander trying to kill his brother, and use it to parallel the struggle between Vi and Jinx. Show it as a struggle between opposing ideologies as much as between siblings. OR, if you’re not willing to do that legwork simply don’t go down this route at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

8. I love Ambessa but they could have cut her and the Noxians completely and lost nothing. Sorry, but it has to be said.

9. Which leads me to Mel. I actually loved about 90% of Mel’s story, BUT: she needed resolution with Jayce one way or the other (as he was the major emotional relationship she had in S1), if they were going to go the mage route we needed to see her journey of coming into her power, AND we needed her to NOT BECOME THE NEW NOXIAN COMMANDER. What the fuck!? Piltover is her city, the home she has put her blood and sweat into, the home she came to love and ultimately chose! She rejected the life of a military leader, why make her one now?? Because she can wield magic??? Because the only thing anyone can apparently imagine with that is being a battle mage???? NO.

I would also have loved a more coherent explanation of what the hell the Black Rose is, what they want, etc, but again - you could cut them completely and lose nothing. Mel’s abilities could just as easily be a result of the Arcane “waking up”.

—-

Anyway. Moral of the story is you need reasons and buildup for characters to do things, instead of just bouncing them from plot point to plot point. I really thought the team behind Arcane understood this, but evidently not. Even the most beautiful animation in the world doesn’t save you if there’s no substance backing it up.

The real kicker is I still think S1 of Arcane is damn near perfect. Time will tell if I’ll be able to go back and watch it without S2 affecting my enjoyment.

[remembertheplunge]

We cannot unsee what we have already seen--the 1980's

April 28, 1988

It’s now a Thursday—

Some post scripts from somewhere in the “last” night and from yesterday by Judge David Vander Wall “The 1970’s don’t seem that long ago. The 80’s are just passing me by…” DA Mike  Stone replied “The 70’s weren’t worth anything anyway.”

I watched last evening “a A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyer. The 1920’s" :

Flappers and fun flanked by Fraud and Famine. Poo Poe Pee Do! The truth was that the poor (in the 20’s) didn’t realize they were poor until long after they weren’t!. They had a general feel of contentment despite their financial situation.

What about us in the 1980's? In the KPFA Radio Folio program guide,Life in 1968 is compared with life in 1988. The 80’s were condemned as the 1950’s relived. 1988 Yuppies are the men in charcoal grey suits. Ahhhh! But, what bridged the years is the depth of awareness setting in. We cannot unsee what has been seen. We close only to heal and tp grow internally. The individual reform we know is the only true change. Only true “life” takes place on an individual basis. More and more we learn "..oh..when I had the Mercedes and miserable marriage I was poor. Now, I am…,Me!" 

To me, 1980 or 1981 were just about like 1988 in terms of styles, attitudes, money, etc. Pretty much the same. Music hasn’t changed much. Nothing has really. And yet, imperceptibly, everything has irrevocably changed, improved. Come a bit more into its own. 

Only you, the future, may be able to give it perspective. What, if anything, do the 80’s mean to you? Don’t forget us. We are a part of your past and thus a part of you.

I offer up this diary entry to you as a revelation of one person- traveler’s time notes written during  his time-space journey.

End of entry

Notes: 9/21/2024

I love the fact taht I included the line “We cannot unsee what has been seen” in the above 1988 entry. 

That has been my fight song passing through these turbulent times where the Republican Right is attempting to cancel our collective progressive progress. They can ban and burn our books and the Supreme Court can strip us of our rights. But. We have seen. We know. We will continue to live our lives and assert our  values despite and because of their orders. We have seen. We will act. We have agency.

I also think that it’s interesting that I said in the above entry that there was not much difference between life in 1980 or 81 and life in 1988. In 1980, I was not yet a. Lawyer, I was way in the closet and Aids was not yet publicly known about. By 1988, HIV  had been  known about for 7 years in which time it decimated many lives. In 1986, I began working as a volunteer helping men with Aids through their illness and death. I had been a lawyer for 7 years by 1988 .I had been emersed in the heavens and hells of criminal law defense. I had married in 1982 a woman who I left in 1984 as I began to emerge as a gay man. By 1988, I was fully out. So, actually I was a much more evolved person in 1988 than I had been in 1980. But, maybe because the evolution took place slowly over  years, I wrote about the decade as if very little had happen.

Judge Van Der Wall was a judge in Modesto California. I spent my 40th birthday in a murder trial in his court. His clerk, Linda, gave me a happy birthday cup cake that birthday morning in court! They have both since died. I just thought Judge Van Der Wall and Mike Stone’s  take on the 70’s and 80’s was interesting. Time was  just passing them by. Have you noticed the no one now in the mid 2020’s ever talks about the 20’s? I mean the 2020’s. We are living it . We can’t see it This now has no name . It just  is. But, I imagine in 20 years, they will be screaming about “The Outrageous 20’s!"

Flappers were the early forerunners of the women’s empowerment movement. They wore shorter dresses than their predecessors had and advanced women’s rights through word and action. 

Bill Moyers was a Public TV host. He did stories on interesting people and events past and present.

Per Oxford Languages Dictionary, a Yuppie was "a young person with a well-paid job and a fashionable lifestyle."

[aotopmha]

I made it up to Sunset Heights in Shadow Generations and this game really is as good as everyone is saying, huh.

The button mapping issues from the Sonic half are still present in Shadow Generations (certain keys simply aren't mappable) and the double jump and slower homing attack in particular really took me off guard at first (partially also because the homing attack only works when the reticle is hitting a target), but the ground/air control is almost perfect and all of the skills (so far) work as intended.

Controls are improved a lot when compared to base Generations (and boost games in general); they're responsive when going fast as well as slow. This is on top of the mechanical QoL added by the newer games: there are no homing attack targeting, rail switching or key mapping overlap issues.

Precision platforming still isn't perfect as it's still somewhat slippery (this time when moving slower), but this is more of a nagging detail rather than a fundamental issue with the controls like with a very large swathe of 3D Sonic games.

(Also, shoutout to retained air momentum, which is a fun minor aspect of the control of base Generations, but more prominent/refined here.)

However, out of all things, I did not expect to be most impressed by the 2D level design and controls (in fact, by the challenge stages in general).

The 2D control is amazing: responsive when slow and fast, but also surprisingly good when making precise jumps.

Kingdom Valley Act 2 might be my favourite level so far because it explores the given setting in such a cool new way, is layered, and flows super well in terms of its design space. There isn't a jarring level section in sight.

A very large chunk of the challenge levels in base Generations had fairly unintuitive and clunky design, but here even these side stages are incredibly satisfying to run/perfect and even have similar layering to the main stages.

This includes the overworld, which I know is a huge part of Frontiers (which I've only seen footage of), but for me is a fantastic point of comparison for the hub worlds in Sonic Adventure because I think the one in this game has pretty much fixed every issue I had with them in Adventure.

It's much more focused in terms of using space: it has its own objectives and much more dense level design (therefore isn't just a mostly empty space to tie levels together).

And all of this together simply makes me wish for a completely original/new game with this as a foundation.

Use this control and make it even better/modify it for Sonic (and potentially other characters).

The faster Homing Attack, Spindash, Light Speed Dash, Bounce Bracelet (and even Drift) combination with this foundation sounds amazing.

(The evolution of the Quick Step in this game is also really cool; you can hold down to button to make a longer movement.)

In fact, Super Sonic with Doom Wing as the foundation sounds amazing.

Give me a similarly substantial overworld with collectables which lead to even cooler rewards than just music or concept art – maybe even new levels or optional skills or skill upgrades like with some of the challenge stages in base Generations (giving that concept a more interesting use).

Give me a new set of completely original stages with similarly layered and strong level design with cool new gameplay elements.

I think if enough effort is put in you could replicate and even improve the Adventure controls with this foundation because it is such a strong fusion of the two 3D Sonic styles.

I really hope they don't just pull a Lost World and just completely veer off course just for the sake of it and finally just modify and/or reiterate on something great to make something even better.

Frontiers was the (intended) base set for the next 10 years and did really well for where Sonic Team was at and this rerelease is Sonic's best critically recieved game since Sonic Adventure 2, so I have much more hope for them to stay the course, but you never know.

So far, though, Sonic X Shadow Generations for one, has definitely been worth every bit of money I spent on it.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Jk's DAZED Interview

"Jung Kook holds the instinctual and the intangible in high regard: the former is what guides his present, but his future is cradled by the latter, at least in terms of how he sees himself as an artist. But more on that later, because Jung Kook – who recently turned 26 and has been very, very famous for a decade – is thinking about who he is at this very moment. “I think I’m the type of person who is honest with their emotions,” he says. “I change quickly. I have to do the things I want to do right now.”

He was quiet then, too, though he emanated a fidgety restlessness, mentally and physically. He still has an inner itch that he can’t quite seem to scratch but it’s tempered by a new boldness and self-assuredness that he feels was missing before, traits he’s long embodied on stage yet didn’t follow him into everyday life. “When I go on stage, my wandering thoughts and feelings die down,” he says, and he’s always performed so much that the gap between his worlds didn’t seem all that vast.

“Ever since I changed my perspective, I’ve found more positive traits within myself. Rather than dwelling on missed opportunities and blaming myself for being lazy, thinking, ‘Why couldn’t I do it when I was capable?’, I accept who I truly am and focus on what I can do. There’s more to gain from doing things at my own pace. And if I want to stay in bed or watch TV all day, why not spend a day like that?”

Jung Kook debuted aged 15, and although pop culture is generally unkind to its child stars, he grew up under the watchful eyes of his bandmates who pulled him into line when needed. He is attentive, unfailingly polite, curious and wields a mischievous humour.

When recording “Seven” with writers/producers Andrew Watt and Cirkut, he was eager to do well with a genre he’d never tried before, visibly nervous at the mic and, just as evidently, chuffed when they showered him with praise.

“I want to do as many genres as possible to test myself on what kind of music I can do with my voice,” he says. The success of his debut solo single, he adds, has no bearing on what his upcoming music sounds like. “When I hear the music and it’s good, I just proceed with it regardless of the genre. It feels really good to hear people say, ‘Oh, he can pull off any genre,’ so it’d be really fun to surprise people.”

“I live thinking ‘The main character of my life is no one but me.’ No matter what environment I’m placed in, no matter who’s around me, to safeguard myself without being swept away, having the mindset that I can hold control of myself. I live trying not to forget it.”

Jung Kook, the youngest member of BTS, knows his original bunny-ish, baby-of-the-group image still prevails. “You really like that about me,” he said to fans while in London, during one of his now-frequent livestreams. “Pretend that people like that. And I only follow that. What is something that I can change? Myself, it’s my life. I need to change. I need to tell people who love me, ‘I am like this.’ I’m not forcing anyone. I always look for something new. I want to make that new thing fun. And I want to be accepted by Army at the same time.” He also addressed those questioning why he felt the need for an explicit version of “Seven”, in which the line “And that’s why night after night, I’ll be lovin’ you right” becomes “And that’s why night after night, I’ll be fuckin’ you right”. “If you felt [it] like that,” he said, “there’s nothing I can do... And if you think about it, how old am I?”

In recent years he has taken up boxing, pierced his eyebrow and lip, and added more hardware to his ears. He’s grown out his hair, and got heavily inked. “I like extreme things,” he says with a laugh. “People always tell me I look round and soft. I want this sharp, powerful image.” His debut single, Jung Kook says, “wasn’t [me] trying to break away from my image”. In his eyes, the evolution has already occurred, making “Seven” a direct reflection of who he is now. And so he was steadfast and frank during that pivotal livestream. “It was important for me to show how much I’ve grown as a solo artist through taking on new challenges,” Jung Kook explains, “rather than staying in my comfort zone or settling for the things that I was used to. I wanted to fully explain that to my fans.”

In Jung Kook’s mind, then and now, ‘more’ translates as “becoming a better and cooler singer”, he says intently. “To me, I’m not that singer I imagined myself [to be], that specific image that I had of a singer, that’s why I’m aiming higher.”

The Jung Kook of 2023 is OK with the not quite knowing-ness of that. He tries to live in the present and keep things simple, even if that’s easier said than done. “It’s impossible to not think at all,” he sighs. “You know when you think of something and it just goes on and on, down this deep rabbit hole? That can lead to positive conclusions but, for me, sometimes it led to negative ones. But now that I’ve gained some self-confidence, I’m more able to exclude those unnecessary thoughts.” In teaching himself how to quieten down his brain, he finds himself “worrying [less] about things that haven’t happened yet or thinking, ‘What if I don’t meet my own expectations?’”

But, with the power of hindsight, Jung Kook, who is working on more music with an eye towards a debut solo album, knows how far he’s come. “I trusted my gut [with my debut single] and thought, ‘Will I be able to reach the audience, and a lot of them?’ And I sort of proved that I could.” And rather than being that ambiguous grey hexagon, Jung Kook – who smiles, the widest smile his face is capable of – says, “I’d be white, and I can colour it in whatever colour I like.”"

My impressions

This interview is a confirmation to the discourse we've been having lately.

Jk lives his life in phases. He changes quickly according to his vibes on the situation and let's himself be guided by things that he cannot see.

At this point, he is revealing what he had kept from fans. Things that he already did but weren't public. I suspect it's because of where he is in life at the moment (BTS hiatus, solo career, about to enlist, just turned 26).

Perhaps, his vibes told him it's time.

Jk's words seem contradictory but a person isn't just one truth. We all have many.

And for years, Jk has been squished into a box with labels and cute nicknames. We've only seen one side of him constantly because that's what we were shown.

In the interview, they describe him as introverted but then he comes out without a shirt for the photoshoot. He wants to be extreme but he also has that one pose in the photos that scream "zero hetero here". We read about him wanting to be sharp while he just did a cute jump at the airport. I guess Jk hasn't realized that he can be all those things at the same time. I think he will realize it with time.

What stands out to me is that he wants to break free from these labels and image that the fans have of him, but he's the one labeling himself new things. Maybe he does it to get his point across? Or maybe he think that by reiterating these new things he's shown us, we will let go of the old things? In this fandom?....hmmm.

Although Jk is very much a person who enjoys being a softie, he is also someone extreme and free who wishes to do as he pleases...because everyone should he allowed to do so. Without policing.

He says there isn't a big difference between the Jk on stage and Jk off stage, which is why he was comfortable with Seven. Not because he is the het macho guy, but because he is bolder and more confident. That song is more upbeat, sex oriented, and energetic than anything he's done in the past. So all those people thinking he just said he is straight...read carefully.

I find it amusing how this article comes out just right after everyone made such a big deal out of him smoking because he states "I am like this (at this moment)." He wants to be accepted by army being "like this" but there is no way that will happen because this is a fandom that believes they have ownership of the members and have become some sort of morality police and parent entity.

I'm sure he knows of the things that were said during the smoking pictures and Seven.

Jk was harshly critiqued for saying he wanted to be better and cooler a while back and many wondered if Seven (Scooter) had gotten to his head. But I think this article shows that he's just aiming higher...like any artist does. He still comes across as someone humble and genuine. Although, he was still genuine during those other interviews where he said he wanted to be the "one and only".

It's all about your perception of his words.

Overall, I think that Jk is still searching for his true self, as one does during that age. But based on this interview, which is probably one of the better interviews he's had, old Jk is still there...but now, we have new side of him to observe. With time, we will see if this is truly what he wants or he will move on to something else.

[spinnysocks]

intro post! 🌾🌕🐊

disclaimer for this blog: i use a lowercase typing quirk on almost all my posts

[ pt: disclaimer for this blog: i use a lowercase typing quirk on almost all my posts ]

hi, i'm spinnysocks, most call me spinny :] gendervoid aroace creature who is long-term hyperfixated on warriors and the lion guard!

my pronouns shift a lot! right now i prefer: he/it + any of my neos. pronouns.cc page is below, feel free to ask me about my preferences ^^

neurodivergent with suspected autism and adhd. i suffer from maladaptive daydreaming, intrusive thoughts and likely chronic fatigue ; for these reasons, please keep in mind that i cannot respond quickly & forget easily

alterhuman; inexplicably a fox, polymorph, crocodile, wolf, coyote, hyena, werewolf/werefox, cat, horse, deer and many more

writer, poet and sometimes an artist but mostly an obsessive headcannon, au and playlist maker

my pronouns.cc | my blog information & boundaries

current hyperfixations ; warrior cats, clangen, the lion guard, sonic 3!

media i like ; warrior cats, the lion guard, madagascar, watership down, night at the museum, guardians of the galaxy, space jam, ice age, kung fu panda, sonic, shakespeare and dead poets society

games i like ; clangen*, wolfquest*, endling*, jurassic world evolution*, planet zoo*, minecraft*, roblox*, the isle, stray, shelter generations, rain world (* = i play this!)

hobbies + interests ; music, movies, cinema, animals, dinosaurs, prehistory, writing, poetry, cosplay, gaming, collecting, drawing,, and more that i can't remember :3

[ pt: current hyperfixations ; / media i like ; / games i like ; / hobbies + interests ; ]

other blogs of mine ;

@poetryforcoyotes — moodboards & poetry (currently not doing requests.)

@tlg-confessions �� the lion king & guard confessions blog

@foxsocksvoid — personal hoarding blog

[ pt: other blogs of mine ; ]

previous pinned post.

last updated this post on january 10th.

thank you for reading! 🐾🌿🪵

[thetorturedtassetdepartment]

How does Olivia Rodrigo transform punk for a new generation?

Hi everyone! I hope you’re managing to get through mid-term exams without too much stress.

For this week’s post, I want to discuss how Olivia Rodrigo shows that punk movement is far from being dead. When you think of punk, you might picture the raw and rebellious sounds of the 1970s. So, it might seem surprising to label Olivia Rodrigo as a punk artist. But, in reality, she blends the punk’s defiant energy with the accessibility of pop, and showcases that the genre can evolve. Her songs "good 4 u" and "brutal," some of her biggest hits, bring the punk spirit to a wider audience and make it resonate with a whole new generation.

Olivia Rodrigo’s music represents a transformation: she conveys the attitude of punk and wraps it into a polished pop sound. This evolution goes along with Negus's idea that music genres are fluid and can adapt to new influences and audiences. By blending punk with pop, she helps democratize the genre by making it more relatable and accessible. You don’t have to be a punk to appreciate the rebellious energy in her songs!

In a way, Olivia Rodrigo is doing for punk what The Beatles did for rock 'n' roll in the 1960s. She’s not merely keeping the punk spirit alive, she’s also demonstrating that it can continue to evolve, and I think it’s really great.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject! What do you think about Olivia Rodrigo’s pop-punk songs? Are there other artists you think are transforming “dead” music genres? I’m looking forward to reading your comments!

Have a nice holiday break :)

Lucile

[mentholmuse]

The Last Of Us - Incorrect Quotes

Very Correct Actually | HBO Specific

Things that don't exist in TLOU Universe:

SHINee

Klance

Miranda's 'Cerulean Blue' speech

Australia (probs) (like aus is GONE the grain industry over here.... nah)

Wicked, post first show

Wicked loosing tony to Avenue Q

Ugg Boots on a red carpet

Me (2004 baby)

Star Wars Episode 3, and by extension mass bi awakenings

Star Wars OG Trilogy box set/being able to see carrie fisher in the mental bikini at home

The Hunger Games, ellie would have ate this UP for all the wrong reasons

World of Warcraft

Lord of The Rings 3rd movie

Swifties

Brexit

Europe Nation-States as a whole probably (baby thats cordycepsfalia now)

Facebook

Autism in women (pretty much)

Dissolving of the Asperger's Diagnosis

The Wii

The iPhone, but more interestingly Steve Job's insults

Fears abt the world ending in 2012 bc of the Mayan calendar

4Chan

Any imaging from the Hubble Telescope (launched DAYS before outbreak day) (that's kinda poetic honestly like you want to venture out. okay, well so do cordyceps)

the term "baby bump" according to wiki

flash mobs

The Kardashians™️

Shrek 2

Spider-Man 2

Howl's Moving Castle

Attack on Titan the manga

GTA 5

The idea of GTA 6

Lost

Michael Jacksons death (as we know it)

"Bimbo Summit"

The Notebook

Paris Hiltons Music career

Bling Ring

My Immortal (fanfic)

Ao3

Wattpad

DSM-5

My Parents Marriage

Teen Vouge

That one vanity fair cover with all the 2003 it girls

Legally Blond 2

Charlie's angel 2

Scooby Doo 2

Madonna and Britney Spears kiss

Britney Spears conservatorship (Britney would FUCK UP some infected)

Beyoncé's solo career (aside from first album) (she won FIVE grammys in 2004)

Ellie being an NCTizen (i just see it)

In Da Club -50 Cent

Smosh

Youtube as a whole (i feel like sarah would have liked tarot card readings on youtube and joel would also secretly eat them up)

the resolution that an american politician was the one to leave a hit and run, dead dear in the middle of a park (arent the Kennedys basically american royals. yalls royals are wild, mine just 'secretly' assassinate each other)

SPF 50+

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban again en mass awakenings... liking wolfstar, wolfstar roleplayers, liking kinda along hair nerdy guys, liking girls who punch ppl like draco malfoy in the face.

dare i say movie adaptation drarry stans

the marauders fanon

Ashley Simpson lip syncing scandal

NippleGate

Solo Gwen Stefani

Yeah! by Usher, lowkey i think this song would have been Joels guilty pleasure

Jojo Siwa

Desperate Housewives

Pretty Little Liars the concept as a whole

Napoleon Dynamite (#voteforpedro)

Barbie and Ken Divorce

Reddit

Criminal Minds

Spencer Reid

Dr Spencer Reid

My crush on Dr Spencer Reid

Mggs mockumentary

Mgg modeling picks we only see in his mockumentary

Hillary Duff "Do you know what you say" (TV Ellie would 10000% call things gay*)

Tom Cruise scientology controversy

cancel culture... all though i think FEDRA is their cancel culture

any publicly elected president in america ever again

kevin rudd sorry speech

julia gillards speech

gay marriage (in australia and in all american states)

hashtags

twitter

jihyo being a kpop trainee

girls generation

bang chan being australian potentially

the gabby hannah show.... and poetry, and music....

my chemical romance*

amy winehouse

honourable mention kinda :

could you imagine thinking the world was gonna collapse in 2000 bc of, y2k, 2001 bc of 9/11 or 2012 bc of the mayan calendar but it was 2003 instead. evolution just couldn't handle wonyoungs impending beauty apparently

there are probably a lotttt of coeliac people in post outbreak TLOU universe

[otakween]

Digimon World 4 - Final Thoughts

Whelp, that was...something. This game is objectively bad, but I still had a good, brain rotting time. It falls into the "game to zone out on the couch to" category. The lack of much story, characters or dialogue means I got in some quality podcast/music time as well. It's pretty similar to Digimon World 2 in its crappiness, but I found DW4's gameplay more satisfying. I think DW2 has the more appealing art style though, so they even out to the same rank basically. Full thoughts below!

Notes:

So this is loosely based on the Digimon X-Evolution CG film I posted about before. I was disappointed to see that the opening credits are just a hodge podge of scenes from said movie. That's pretty boring and lazy if you ask me. I picked Dorumon to control in honor of the film's protag (and since it would be a more novel experience).

I found any weapon aside from the guns to be a colossal pain to use, so I just used guns and guns alone for the entire game lol. At least I was able to get tech points quickly that way!

This game has the most unbalanced difficulty levels ever. It's either stupid hard or stupid easy. Luckily, the stupid easy moments are far more frequent. Every time I fought a boss I braced myself only to just button mash my way to the end in like a few minutes. Most of them were jokes. On the other end of the spectrum, the beginning of the game was weirdly hard because I would get mobbed by enemies and massacred in like two seconds (this is when I realized I should be using the guns lol). It's hard to have much strategy because most battle moves you can do (spin attack, charged attack, block) suck control-wise. My strat for most of the game was either the ole "shoot and run" or just to get up on a high ground where I was invincible. The latter move kinda felt broken and was part of what made the game stupid easy.

Thank God I emulated this game. Although it's mostly easy, there are definitely moments where it's easy to die. Some dungeons will lock you into the tightest corners and then just spawn like a jillion enemies out of nowhere (the Otamamon and Infermon were the WORST). Some of the harder bosses had some pretty cheap moves too. Save states were the VIP, as usual.

The plot of the game is really basic and the writing is just as wonky as DW2. Basically all you need to know is that there's a virus that's bad and you need to get rid of it. It doesn't get any deeper than that and there are no twists or turns. Ophanimon, Seraphimon, and Leomon are the only characters with significant dialogue (none of the bosses talk) and they really don't have anything interesting to say (I did like Ophanimon and Seraphimon's models tho)

The dungeons were definitely better than DW2 in terms of visuals/layout, but the enemies felt super repetitive. You get maybe 3 types of enemies per dungeon and then you just fight those same 3 again and again and again.

The dungeons are unreasonably long slogs with no way to save in the middle of them. I had save states so I was okay, but sometimes a dungeon would take me over two hours?? Like wtf. I know kids have a lot of free time but some of them aren't even allowed to game for 2 hours straight!

Of course, I played this single player. I actually think it'd be really fun as a multiplayer game? Like, that's probably what it was actually built for. There are actually some moments where you can't go to certain parts of dungeons without a buddy :'(

The bosses were mostly big bads from the series/movies which was fun. Made it awkward when I defeated them so easily though lol

All of the walkthroughs for this game suck lol. The one I used for the majority of the game the guy literally kept writing "I don't remember what happens in this dungeon. Just go through it." LOL thanks for nothing, bud. He said "I don't remember" sooo many times it was comical.

I poked around on the internet looking for info for this game and it seems the general consensus in the fandom is that it's pretty abysmal. Still, there are people like me that got enjoyment out of it regardless.

The little noises Dorumon made when attacked were very cute

I never bothered with digivolution. You don't get digivolution until late in the game and if you digivolve it reverts you to levl 1. Nuts to that!

I also didn't bother with any side quests because they sounded extremely not worth it (some of them don't even have a reward?)

I was pretty under-leveled at the end of the game (barely scraping level 30) but I felt like I had infinite healing basically because I had so much MP. That's another aspect of the game that felt broken.

The ending of this game was SO anti-climactic. I defeated the boss, returned to the hub world expecting a cutscene, and then it went straight to credits. No dialogue, no thank you, nothing. I had to go around and talk to people to get some thank yous but they didn't sound that appreciative really lol. Where are my flowers!? 😭 This took me over a month of tedium!

One part of the game that I did find pretty hard was the Storm Train where you have to get to the end of a train track while hitting the right levers while simultaneously fighting of a ton of enemies. If I had to do that without save states, I probably would have given up lol

I never really regret beating a video game, even if it kinda sucked. It's especially nice to check off another game in a series (even though the World series isn't really connected). I give Digimon World 4 a 5 out of 10.

[farbeagle]

FIRST DRAFT FIRST DRAFT FIRST DRAFT!!!!!

Also I'm planning on making a video essay about this eventually so if u reply to this post u might end up in it

I'm toying with this idea of mainline Pokémon games as paradigm shifts, or each generation being a direct philosophical response to the generation that came before it, and here are my preliminary thoughts

Eventually I would like to be able to revisit the source material of each game and cite text to support my views/tighten and edit my views if the text contradicts them

Kanto: themes of science, sci-fi, emphasis on genetic manipulation. (Obviously every Pokémon game is concerned with both science and nature, but Mewtwo being Thee legendary puts emphasis on Kanto's association with taboo scientific progression, cloning, and gene splicing).

Johto: Shifts the paradigm from the scientific realm to the spiritual. While Kanto is future-forward and clinical, Johto feels more traditionally Japanese, with emphasis on the spiritual world, traditions, and rituals.

Team Rocket is concerned with money and power, which is somewhat thematically disconnected from Mewtwo as a thematic figurehead, though not inherently contradictory. Mewtwo and the red Gyarados represent Team Rocket's willingness to harness whatever they can to achieve their goals, even if it contradicts the laws of nature.

The music further reflects this. Go Ichinose's remixes of Junichi Masuda's iconic tracks communicate almost subconsciously communicate that the paradigm has shifted.

Hoenn: Shifts the paradigm from the spiritual world to the natural world. If Kanto is lab science, Hoenn is field science. The themes of Hoenn are heavily focused on impacting the real world around you— climatology, geology, oceanography. Hoenn is also concerned with space as a biome.

Teams Magma and Aqua focus on tangibly altering the real world around them. While Giovanni's motivation is selfishness, Archie and Maxie genuinely believe they are fighting to make the world a better place.

Sinnoh: Shifts the paradigm from the tangible world to the world of abstracts. We transition out of concepts you can touch and hold to concepts that are... well, conceptual. Creation, destruction, time, space, willpower, knowledge, emotion, spirit.

Cyrus' goals are both selfish and altruistic. His own pain is inherently tied to his perception of the human condition: emotions are painful, therefore, they should be eliminated. Team Galactic also takes on scientific façade, pretending to be studying the energy of Pokémon evolution. Its commanders are named after planets. This symbolizes Cyrus' positioning as a paragon of logic and detached, purely scientific thought.

Unova:

**Disclaimer: I'm only halfway through White atm, so this section is even MORE incomplete and lacking in information. Please don't spoil the BW/BW2 for me**

Shifts the paradigm from logos to pathos. While Cyrus leverages (faulty) logic (A: Emotions cause pain. B: Pain is bad. Therefore, emotions are bad), Ghetsis uses appeals to emotion to manipulate those around him.

Even the structure of the teams reflects their change in themes: Charon and Cyrus are scientists and rely on logic as their source of legitimacy; Ghetsis employs sages* and relies on emotional appeals as his source of legitimacy.

*From Wikipedia: "The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person ... and a 'virtuous person'."

Unova's themes shift from emotion as the enemy to emotion as the tool, which strengthens one's conviction in their ideals.

(N outright states the theme of these games: truth and ideals).

Further analysis coming once I finish White and Black 2 :)

Kalos:

**This is going to be an ugly transition for now (sorry, Lysandre)**

The Kalos games are concerned with beauty, specifically natural beauty, and the cycle of preservation and destruction (the cycle of life and death)

Lysandre's goal is to manipulate the cycle of life and death for his own benefit, without concern for the logic or ethics of such a decision. Unlike Ghetsis and N, Lysandre barely even pays lip service to the idea of altruism; his goals are purely selfish.

Sycamore's self-delusion about Lysandre's character further strengthens this theme. The paradigm brought forth in X and Y is one both tangible and intangible.

XY also function as responses to BW/BW2 in their simplicity and familiarity. BW/2 served as a soft reboot of the series, launching returning players into a world of total unfamiliarity. In response, XY contain gratuitous Kanto references (Snorlax blocking the path, Megas focused on the origiganl 150), to the point of copying the layout and music of Viridian Forest.

Alola: Shifts the paradigm from beauty to... well, paradigms. Inheritance, change, transitions, and succession. Team Skull is made up of those who were failed by Alola's traditions (that is, children who failed the Island Challenge and were made to believe that they were inferior and had no future as Trainers). Tying into this theme, multiple families are brought into the spotlight: Hau and Hala; Lusamine, Gladion, and Lily.

But the question is, how does Alola function as a response to Kalos? In what significant way do the games contrast? Well, they kinda... don't. I would argue that SuMo/USUM function as pseudo-sequels to XY, and respond in that way, much like GSC are sequels to RBY. The continuation of the Zygarde plot is the strongest indicator of this, though Alola shares a few superficial themes with Kalos: namely, the preservation of natural beauty. Lusamine's obsession with love and possession parallels Lysandre's obsession with beauty and control. Lusamine, too, often cites beauty as the progenitor of love.

In responding to XY, the plot of U/SM also builds upon the story there, showing a natural progression of themes. Lysandre could not be saved; Sycamore loved a false image of him and was not willing to face the ugly truth to do what it took to save him; Gladion and Lillie were courageous enough to call Lusamine out, setting her on the path to redemption.

In this manner, U/SM develops the themes set forth in XY and lays them to rest.

Galar:

**Okay I also haven't finished Shield**

Galar is also concerned with succession, albeit in the opposite direction as Alola. Alola was all about examining how traditions and previous generations have failed the youth (children being treated as worthless for failing the Island Challenge; Lusamine abusing her children and Mohn abandoning them [albeit unwittingly]; Sophocles being forced to take on a position he clearly isn't ready for because Molayne aged out of it). Galar instead features adults trying to prepare the next generation for the future (and prepare the future for the next generation). Leon gets Hop and the PC started on their journey as Pokémon Trainers and encourages them throughout the story; Piers starts Team Yell to cheer on Marnie; Opal mentors Bede and prepares him to take over her Gym; Professor Magnolia mentors Sonia who in turn mentors Hop. Even Rose's decision to unleash Eternatus was done out of a desire to protect the future of Galar.

Paldea: Shifts the paradigm to focus on self-sufficiency vs community, knowing when to ask for help and who to ask for help, isolation and connection, mostly from a child's perspective.

While Galar is all about adults supporting children, adults in Paldea are hands-off to an almost comical degree, to the point where the main antagonist is one of the MC's parents. Clavell is ineffectual as a Director until he approaches Team Star from a child's point of view. Geeta doesn't even function as the strongest Trainer in the main game, instead playing second fiddle to Nemona. Teachers regularly confide in their students and ask them for favors as though they are equals. In SV, children are extremely self-sufficient, often relying on each other instead of the adults around them for support: Team Star turn to each other for safety; Arven asks the PC for help gathering Herba Mystica. Even the main co flirt must be settled by students: the PC, Arven, Nemona, and Penny.

Arguably the most important (or at least the most approachable) side story in SV also hammers home the theme of self sufficiency falling defeat to community: In Art 4, Brassius, as a guest speaker, tells the story of how Hassel's mentorship saved him from his own self-destructive tendencies. In learning to accept help from others, Brassius became the most fully-realized version of himself.

I have no idea what Teal Mask is even about teehee

[literaryxbones]

Goth History-Episode 2: Gothic Fashion

Welcome back to my Second Episode of Goth History. If you're new to the @literaryxbones blog, don't worry! You don't have to look at the previous episode to follow this one.

Today we'll be discussing the history of gothic fashion: it's historic origins, connection to music, and its modern evolutions. Consider this a more generalized overview of goth style. There are many different iterative substyles that could warrant future entries.

Before delving into the contemporary goth scene, we must not neglect modern fashion's original, archaic influences. Stylistic inspirations date back to the Romantic Period. At the tail-end of the eighteenth century, people became disillusioned with the Industrial Revolution. They attached a sentimentality to nature, beauty, and simplistic living. Corporate technologies had long been eroding this traditional way of life.

As a result, discontent transformed clothing conventions. Dresses, vests, suits, and pants began to don elaborate, ornate patterns. Laces and ruffles exemplified its flair. A more restrictive, darker color palette of black, scarlet, purple, and brown was worn. The writings and dress of Edgar Allan Poe helped popularize the aesthetic.

With the rise of the Victorian period, British nobility adopted the darkened elegance displayed by its counterculture. In 1861, Queen Victoria mourned her husband's passing. Ever since his death, she was only seen wearing black. With the public clad in funeral garb, the commonfolk and the royalty grieved together. The color black possessed a strengthened association with death.

In the late 1970's, a rebellious post-punk subculture emerged. An emphasis on individualism, non-conformity, and a dark appreciation pervaded in their fashion. Victorian touches remained in the jackets, fishnets, and expressive makeup worn by early post-punk bands. Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, and Bauhaus flaunted this style on their tours.

A sprinkle of Punk-designer Vivienne Westwood's carnival themes cultivated the angular trad-goth makeup look shared all over social media today.

Bauhaus often used bat symbolism in their song lyrics and outfits. These nocturnal creatures are loved by many goths alike. Bats also recall to mind the Bat Cave, a London club.

I couldn't write about the history of our subculture's fashion without mentioning DIY. "Do-It-Yourself" attitudes were embraced by multiple alternative fashion scenes. Oftentimes, people thrifted, upcycled, and sewed clothing out of necessity. Younger members couldn't afford the expensive outfits worn by celebrities and made by fashion designers. Before online-shopping, most alternative fashion was inaccessible.

DIY also allowed for more creativity. Creations became an extension of the person wearing them. Goths chose from a variety of chains, collars, charms, and rosaries as accessories. They could implement these decorations in infinite ways. Different methods of distressing, cutting up, and patching clothes gave each piece a unique quality. Upcycling became an avenue for self-expression. People made what they liked.

In more recent times, second-hand shops and the DIY ethos has been centered around anti-fast fashion movements. Fast-fashion is when big corporations mass-produce a vast catalogue of items. Production is usually outsourced to other countries with cheaper labor costs. In these places, there are little regulations protecting workers. Popular sites for sourcing alt fashion like Ali Express, Shein, and Amazon use Chinese sweatshop slavery to produce their clothes.

Overall, gothic fashion is catalyzed by scene artists, ethical dilemmas, and the creative spirit. Now, a ton of styling subgenres are gaining traction. Pastel Goth, Trad-Goth, Victorian Goth, and Cybergoth are just some of these newer terms.

It is important to remember that these styles are all goth, and that dressing to a certain aesthetic does not make you goth. Goth is in your heart. It's in the music you listen to. It's in the interests you find beauty in. You don't need to wear loud microtrends to have your identity recognized. Just have fun, wear what you want, and explore your own creativity.

Phew, that was a long post! Thank you for reading all of it. Maybe I could add in a prize for readers who read all the way to the bottom, like a hidden sticker or stamp you can use or something!

Sources:

A Fascinating Look at Gothic Fashion History and Its Roots – Midnight Hour

Gothic Fashion: Brooding, Forceful & All About the Black | FashionBeans

DIY Goth Battlevest Created by @Lord_Dagger on Reddit

Written by SORDID

[xray-vex]

here are some of my really general a/i predictions, re: art --

techbro types who want to generate bullshit as a get rich quick scheme will saturate the market and nobody will want their worthless shit, they'll get bored and move onto the next get-rich-quick trend. remember nfts? lol

people who got into a/i because they thought it was a legit way to make art will get bored of it because it won't challenge them to do anything & it will not be gratifying in the long term - those types will either: 1.) quit or 2.) start making actual art

people who buy art will get sick of looking at a/i generated shit that essentially all looks the same. real artists making real art will get more interest again because it will seem new and exciting.

same thing with films & stuff too. i definitely think that various actors & creators guilds & other creative industry unions should do everything they can to protect their art & craft against being outsourced to a/i, but i do think that people who watch films will get sick of a/i in films the same way people got weary of CGI overuse in films. a/i in film might not go away completely, but audiences will absolutely be drawn to films that don't use a/i.

i think the basic gist of what i'm trying to say is that human beings need actual art, and the vast majority of people don't fully, actively realize how interwoven art is to literally everything in their lives. on some level they must know, because when it's missing, they miss it. they seek it out. art in general is important to the fabric of society: storytelling, entertainment, community, emotional fulfillment, etc. and people want something real, tangible. they want something created by humans.

****this is why, i'm guessing, that fan art & fan fiction are so popular. most people who create those sort of works are doing them for the actual love of what they're making. and then those works create community. humans have been sitting in groups to tell each other stories and to express themselves visually & dance together with music forever. for literally ever. all of human history. literally all. art is the fucking foundation of society, civilization, human evolution. to make art & to experience art, to some degree, on some level(s). non-negotiable. essential as food and water. i'm dead serious.

a couple of examples of similar times that tech threatened to make the "real thing" obsolete, but failed to do so:

e-readers were supposedly going to make print books obsolete -- they didn't.

streaming music services helped usher in a renewed desire for physical media again.

for awhile, both of those things did kill a lot of brick & mortar music/book stores, but there has been a bit of a resurgence and lots of small businesses.

and no, things will never go back to the way they were, but things would have changed regardless, capitalism being what it is.

it would be nice tho, wouldn't it, if digital tech presented augmentations to our need to have art in our lives constantly, instead of threatening to replace them completely?

i'm just going on pure vibes here & from what i know about art & being an artist for 35+ yrs, some tech & aesthetics philosophy, and from having worked in retail books & music/dvd sales many moons ago. so i could be completely full of shit here.

but i do have some hope that things re: a/i will get better for people -- for real, working artists & authors & musicians & performers & creators. humans need art the way they need food and water. this has always been true for the entirety of human existence.

i'm just sort of in my thoughts & feelings about art tonight and felt like rambling about it.

now i'm gonna make more tea.

[papaya2000s]

The History of Korean Girl Groups' evolution over time - Before Liberation to Girls Generation (SNSD) -> Part 5

In my previous post about the Pyongyang Kisaeng School i talked about the history of the school and how it ran before and after the Japanese colonial period, there is a discussion on Reddit about Kisaeng's (Here) and does mention a famous Kisaeng called Jang Yeon Hong (장연홍;張蓮紅), she was THE Kisaeng of her era (1920s).

Book Recommendations:

Numerous books and manga explore the fascinating world of Kisaeng, shedding light on their significant role in Korean history. In my earlier discussions about the History of Korean Girl Groups, I mentioned how Kisaeng used to perform collectively, although they were not labeled as Girl Groups back then. However, the current trend is to categorize groups of female performers as Girl Groups, showcasing a shift in perspective towards viewing Kisaeng as the precursors to modern Girl Groups.

By delving into the rich history of Kisaeng, we gain a deeper appreciation for their cultural impact and influence on Korean society. The evolution in how we perceive Kisaeng, from traditional performers to early versions of Girl Groups, reflects a changing narrative that recognizes their contributions to the entertainment industry. Through various literary works and artistic representations, the legacy of Kisaeng continues to be explored and celebrated, offering valuable insights into their historical significance and enduring legacy.

Manga - Cheon Gwan Nyeo (천관뇨)

While trying to find some books on Kisaeng i found this manga called Cheon Gwan Nyeo its about how she is the royal Kisaeng (Geisha) of King Jin-Pyeong, who lived in during Silla Dynasty (between 57 BCE – 935 CE), and that the poetic general Kim Yoo Shin falls in love with her. If anyone is manga lover give this a try, its by JO Mihyeon.

Kisaeng Story - Book

If anyone whats to know more on Kisaeng's I would sagest reading the Kisaeng story by Shin Hyeon-gyu which was published in 2007.

As it published in 2007 some of the information that is mentioned in this book could be outdated as new information could have been found that was not mentioned in this book or more information could have been found in recent years, i personally have not read it yet but i would give it a read.

Book introduction - During the Japanese colonial period, Kisaeng's were, on the one hand, objects to be rejected as feudal relics, but in reality, they were heirs to traditional arts and music culture and stars of modern popular culture.

Since modern times, the image of Kisaeng has been distorted as a small number of corrupt pseudo-Kisaeng's and courtesans refer to themselves as 'gisaeng'. This book introduces the original image of gisaeng, who were the successors of rites and music and popular stars.

Index: The history of Kisaeng in Korea, China, and Japan. Finding the whereabouts of Gwangi. The birth of Gwonbeon and the years of glory and shame. A gisaeng is born as a popular star. A visit to Pyongyang Kisaeng School . An encounter with a Kisaeng, confusion over the identity of the space.

Hankyoreh Music Dictionary Set

Book Introduction - Published in 2012 the 2 volumes of the Hankyoreh Music Dictionary Set by Song Bang-song, professor emeritus at Korea National University of Arts. It was prepared based on the author's 《Korean Music Terminology》 written in 1979 and the 《Hankyoreh Musician's Dictionary》 written in 2012.

After revising and supplementing 《Korean Music Terminology》 to reflect recent research results, we carefully selected important figures from among the figures introduced in 《Hankyoreh Musician Dictionary》. It contains terms directly or indirectly related to Korea from ancient times to modern times and provides explanations.

Kisaeng Training Center

Pyongyang Kisaeng school class scene.

The emergence of Girl Groups can be traced back to the Pyongyang Kisaeng School, which was a prominent institution for female performers established in 1926. This school played a crucial role in shaping the education and training of female singers and dancers, providing them with the necessary skills to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Just like how modern audiences eagerly anticipate the debut of new Male and Girl Groups, the demand for gisaeng education in Pyongyang was high during that era. The establishment of the Pyongyang Gisaeng School aimed to meet this demand by offering a structured and comprehensive curriculum that covered various aspects of traditional performing arts, as well as general education subjects.

The impact of Kisaeng Schools and training centers extended beyond just providing education to aspiring performers. These institutions also laid the foundation for modern traditional performing arts education by offering specialized classes in traditional singing and dancing, as well as other art subjects. The structured curriculum and focus on meeting social demands of the time through education are reminiscent of the current approach to art education, highlighting the enduring influence of these early educational institutions.

1930s - The birth of Korean Girl Groups

I did already show this picture before of the Pyongyang Kisaeng School students practicing a revue dance to the music of a modern musical instrument. There many other photos of students that went the school, if anyone is interested here is the link (Old School Photos).

During the Japanese colonial period, Kisaeng's were assigned to theaters such as Wongaksa (웡각사) Temple and Danseongsa (단성사) Temple and emerged as 'popular stars' by performing for the public.

Wang Soo-bok (왕수복), Seon Woo I-seon (왕수복), and Lee Eun-pa (이은파) were popular singers from Pyongyang Gisaeng School in the 1930s. They performed during a transitional period in Korean domestic popular music history. As jazz and Western dance were introduced in the 1910s, Kisaeng's dances changed from classical to Western, resulting in the revival dance. The roots of girl groups during the Japanese colonial period can be traced back to Kisaeng's group dances and choruses, which were influenced by Western popular music and transformed into modern people.

During the Japanese colonial period, there were numerous performances by the Kisaeng's, which were recorded in an article titled "Cultural Archetype Encyclopedia Korean Modern Music." As I was perusing through this article, I came across a Performance Log that provided a timeline of events. The Performance Log ranged from 1 to 45 and documented the first appearances of Kisaeng's. The earliest mention of Kisaeng's that I could find was in Performance Log 9, where the Hanseong Kisaeng Association made an appearance on April 1, 1909, at Hwangseong. Subsequently, they appeared in Performance Logs 10 and 11, but it was in Performance Log 13 that they made numerous appearances. On March 27, 1913, the Gwanggyo Kisaeng Association performed at the Danseongsa Temple to support the midwife training center. Following this, the Sigok Kisaeng Association performed on May 13, 1913. On August 31, 1913, the Gongju Kisaeng Association showcased various songs and dances. Lastly, the Pyongyang Kisaeng Association performed songs and dances on October 9, 1913. The list of Kisaeng groups that performed or made appearances goes on, and I would suggest that anyone interested should delve into the Performance Log list and read the corresponding articles. There is a wealth of information to be discovered, as these logs mention numerous Kisaeng performances. By exploring these articles, one can gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance and contributions of the Kisaeng's during the Japanese colonial period.

All sources that i used and found are attached are underlined.