#the holiday engineer ; barbie verse

[viciousgold]

"Robotics Engineer Marisa by Mattel ®

Initially released as part of the Robotics Engineer Barbie ® line, one Barbie in this lineup held a shocking appearance to a previously released brunette 2012 Limited Edition Holiday Barbie ®. The only difference: her dress was now the same color as that of the other engineer Barbies, and she sported a pair of safety goggles. Whether or not this was a mistake in the production line, or if it was an intentional choice on Mattel's part, this Barbie certainly stirred up a conversation about the aesthetics of women in stem fields. Some praised Mattel's decision for including a very feminine and sophisticated Barbie in the line, others criticized Mattel for playing into a stereotype in media of an overly sexualized and glamorized female scientist. Regardless of the varying opinions, however, all of these specific engineer dolls were quick to sell out.

A few years later, Mattel has re-released this fancy engineer doll, now under the name of Marisa, wearing her original red holiday dress, and her box containing all the same accessories of the Robotics Engineer Barbie ® line, and once again, Robotics Engineer Marisa ® is seeing popularity and high sales. Many stores are already completely sold out of Marisa. People online have taken to affectionately nicknaming her "the holiday engineer", "slay stem Barbie", "mother", and some stores are making social media posts in reference to these nicknames about still having her in stock. If you're looking for a Marisa doll of your own this holiday season, we advise you act fast."

first image created by me, second image edited and with drawn on beautiful safety goggles by @miss-polly

[viciousgold]

Once she had pulled herself out of the pool to join Barbie, Marisa first showed concern for her friend. Once she was speaking and clearly breathing and alright though, she began noticing her own appearance. She wiped at her eye and realized there was something black dripping from it. Was.. was her mascara running? She stifled a gasp, trying to not appear too distraught at this as Barbie apologized to her.

"No, it's alright. Saving your life was much more important to me than staying dry." she assured. Marisa didn't even want to possibly think about how her face and hair looked. If she thought about it, she would definitely lose her composure. She very gently touched her hair, for the first time feeling it be wet, lifeless and tangled. A gasp escaped her then. She held back a whimper that only slightly squeaked out as she spoke again.

"Saving your life was absolutely more important to me than staying dry." she repeated, not only as a reassurance to Barbie but also to herself. "Who knew real water could be so horrible?" she whined a bit. "But I'm so glad you're alright, Barbie. Truly." she spoke sincerely despite her discomfort.

The doll could feel the strain on her arms as she clawed and paddled her arms in the water and soon enough the cold water had taken its toll she felt the pain that started from her calves and then to her arm, as if something constricted inside her body that she couldn’t move her limbs in the water anymore forcing her to accept her imminent death she could only close her eyes. Her ears that absorbed the dance music from the discos, the girly nights, and perked by the greeting of each and everyone in Barbieland, were muted while she submerged underwater a clear indication that the party was over, the moment she started questioning everything around her.

Before she felt something that pulled onto her neckline. Can this person at least let her die beautiful? Who wants to go into heaven asking for a steamer? Those were the questions in her mind that caused her eyelids to open to a mesmerizing blur before she was hoisted to the edge of the pool she could only comply as she tangled with her hair obscured her vision, pushing through the mess of real and synthetic before she was able to see her savior.

It was her friend Marisa, the robotics engineer Barbie that was released from years ago, she always remembered her, a marvel in magenta with the tendrils of her coils always bouncing with her movements when she rolled into the neighborhood now sitting with her in the edge of the pool the illusion of fluffy clouds inside her gown now disappeared, and her voluminous curls now looked depressed. “Oh, Marisa I’m so sorry”, The doll could only apologize after everything that she touched turned real, now it made her friends look less than perfect. “It’s not just my body turning against me, everything around me isn’t the way it is”

[shemakesmusic-uk]

TRACK BY TRACK BREAKDOWN: Daddy's Country Gold LP by Melissa Carper

Singer-songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper has released her new album Daddy's Country Gold today.

Carper’s refreshingly unique style calls to mind greats like Kitty Wells, Billie Holiday, and Loretta Lynn, beautifully conveyed in the grooves of the album’s 12 sparkling gems. Carper enlisted fellow bassist Dennis Crouch (The Time Jumpers) and producer/engineer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price) to co-produce the album and bring her dream to life. Recorded live to tape at Tokic’s analog studio wonderland The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, the album features Crouch (bass), Chris Scruggs (guitar, steel guitar), Jeff Taylor (piano, organ, accordion), Matty Meyer (drums, percussion), Billy Contreras (fiddle), with guest appearances from Brennen Leigh, Sierra Ferrell, and legendary pedal steel maestro Lloyd Green.

Daddy’s Country Gold is a collection of glittering Carper originals of the country, western swing, and jazz variety. From the first notes of album opener 'Makin’Memories,' to the whimsical 'Would You Like To Get Some Goats,' and the heart-wrenching tenderness of album closer 'The Stars Are Aligned,' this lifetime of work, experience, and wanderlust culminates in a beautiful portrait of heartfelt music, written by a road-lovin’ gal who has lived these songs and spent her life playing music for folks that still love the real thing.

We asked Melissa to breakdown Daddy's Country Gold track-by-track to give us more insight into what the songs on the LP are about. Read it below.

Makin' Memories

Most of my songs' inspirations will come just from a beginning phrase or idea and then they will take off from that.  With 'Makin' Memories,' the inspiration came from a conversation I was having with a friend, they were joking about 'Makin' memories and keepin' your memories.'  I thought it was funny and a good song idea. The first line came to me, 'I'm makin' memories I'd like to remember.'  I always have a hard time remembering people's names, especially getting introduced to so many folks at shows and traveling all around, so thus 'Larry and Steve.'  Then, of course, there is the whole idea of not remembering what happened when you have had too much to drink, something I may have done a time or two. This is just a fun, lighthearted song that hopefully makes people chuckle.  I love Frank Sinatra and this song happened to take on a bit of that Sinatra flair.  

I Almost Forgot About You

The idea for 'I Almost Forgot About You' came from a weekend in which I had a very good time and had managed to forget about a love interest that I had been obsessing about. When I got back home that phrase came to me, 'I Almost Forgot About You,' and I realized I had a song there.  I just kind of tied in the various lost loves of my life to come up with the rest. The bridge for this song came later and sort of magically. I primarily write without an instrument in hand and develop the words and melody first and then I sit down and figure out the chords after.  This bridge I am particularly happy with the spaces and the way the phrasing waits. It came to me that way, and in fact, this entire song had a nice easy flow with the way it all came. I like it when that happens, feels like you are getting help from the universe.  

Back When

A lot of my songs are based on my real-life experiences, and with 'Back When,' every single word of that was lived and true. I started writing it a bit after a break up while longing for the relationship I once had with someone, that is--the beginning of the relationship when we were in love and everything was wonderful. It was written with a hopeful desire that things could be as they once were, and though that never happened, I feel like this song does have that hopeful air that maybe 'back when' could happen again, for any relationship that has lost that spark.  

Old Fashioned Gal

'Old Fashioned Gal' was inspired by spending some time in the beautiful country of West Virginia.  I did receive help from a West Virginian on the names of flowers and such.  Before writing it, I had been listening on Sirius radio to a station with old jazz tunes--if I remember correctly--while driving back from a long tour with the Carper Family.   Usually, if I listen to a certain style over and over, the next thing I write will have that influence.  Like I do with most of my songs, I developed the melody and lyrics first in my head and then sat down to find the chords on guitar.  It ended up having a surprising amount of chord changes in the chorus and changing in odd spots rhythmically, but that's what the melody dictated and I like the way it twists and turns and throws you a bit off-balance there in the chorus.  

You're Still My Love

'You're Still My Love' is just a sad love song and written from real-life experience. I had been listening to Jolie Holland before I wrote this one and I think it affected the embellishments in the melody.  Also, I think Patsy Cline came out, probably from listening so much to Patsy in my childhood.  This one wrote itself real quick and I remember camping and sleeping in the back of my van while writing it. 

Would You Like to Get Some Goats?

When I wrote 'Would You Like to Get Some Goats' I had a girlfriend at the time whose dream was to have a goat farm. I had fun with double-entendre and metaphors in this one.  And it kind of likens the commitment of getting goats with the commitment of marriage. I have heard goats are quite a commitment but they sure are cute when they are little babies.  

My Old Chevy Van

'My Old Chevy Van' is an emotional song for me.  I inherited my family's 1991 Chevy Van and had been driving it for six years or so when I moved from Arkansas to Austin, Texas in 2009.  I drove it around Texas for a year or two and then felt like it was time to sell it as maintenance was getting expensive and it got terrible gas mileage. I had lived in the van at various times, having a traveling lifestyle, and then there were all the memories it held from childhood. At the time of writing the song, both my mom and dad had already passed on. I had no idea when I sold this van how sad I would be because it had such a connection to them. I still wish I had not sold it and just kept it around as a guest house. The seats in back folded out to be a bed and it was quite comfortable to ride in with the luxury bucket seats. I named her 'Barbie' because the pink and purple paint job reminded me of my Barbie van I had growing up. I had been listening to Hazel Dickens a bunch when I wrote 'My Old Chevy Van' and I feel that was influential. This song needed a bridge and my old bandmate, Jan Bell (who knew Barbie), helped me find some lyrical ideas that fit just perfectly for the bridge.  

Arkansas Hills

I wrote 'Arkansas Hills' when I was driving back from a Christmas trip to Wisconsin. I started writing it around St. Louis and I did not have a smartphone to give me directions. I had probably scribbled some directions down or was looking at a map and I remember telling myself out loud a few times, so I would remember the highways, '44 West out of St. Louis to 65 South,' and then I thought to myself well that's a nice start to a traveling song. So I started writing it while I was driving down the road, and had it pretty much finished by the time I was pulling into 'my little log cabin' in Arkansas--except I didn't really live in a log cabin, but it sounds good in the song.  Donna Farar of Mountain View, Arkansas helped me write a fourth verse, which I felt the song needed.  Donna wrote all the lyrics to Willie's big hit 'The Last Thing I Needed the First Thing This Morning' and she actually lives in the middle of the woods in Arkansas in a cabin, so I felt that enlisting her help was a perfect choice.  

It's Better if You Never Know

'It's Better if You Never Know' is one of my more recent songs and it was inspired simply by a conversation with songwriters in Nashville at a table in a bar. Once I had moved to Nashville and began co-writing with some folks, I realized you can get a song idea at almost anytime if you are paying attention, just listening to a good phrase someone might say. In this instance, someone said 'It's Better if You Never Know' and someone else said that sounds like a good song. I started trying to write it the next day. I'm getting better at writing songs that don't necessarily have a link to me personally, however, I do believe when a song has that personal link it can have an extra emotional feeling that is conveyed to the listener.  

I'm Musing You

'I'm Musing You' came about while I was driving down the road on a road trip. I hadn't written a song in a while and was thinking about how I have often used the same muse or muses to create a song, by thinking back on old times. I thought to myself 'I need a new muse, I need to stop delving back into these old times.' And there was the song.  

Many Moons Ago

With 'Many Moons Ago,' a musician friend of mine used that phrase, many moons ago, and I thought wow I like that, people don't use that phrase much anymore, so I decided to write a song with the phrase. I had been listening to a Delmore Brothers tape over and over in my truck and, though I don't even remember the specific song, I know that something from that tape inspired the melody to 'Many Moons Ago.' Often times I will not know what I am copying or if I am copying something, but there is just something present in my consciousness that brings about a certain style or melody. This song doesn't have many lyrics, but I like the simple message it conveys that time does heal and growth occurs and you move on even when you feel you are dealing with something you can never get over.

The Stars Are Aligned

'The Stars Are Aligned' just came from the romantic feeling of a new relationship with a soulmate you have been waiting for. It flowed out just naturally from that first phrase, the 'Stars Are Aligned.' I love the way this one lends itself to a string section in the background, almost Disney princess-like, and I am so pleased with the lovely string parts on this recording. The string parts were written by my girlfriend and first-class fiddler, Rebecca Patek.

Photo credit: Aisha Golliher

[aion-rsa]

New on Netflix UK November 2020

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

November is the last month of the year for sensible viewing, before our TV screens become full-time broadcasters of golden retrievers saving Christmas and Will Ferrell wearing tights. Take the opportunity then, to get some good stuff in before the festivities.

In terms of good stuff, Netflix is offering the second series of the brilliantly wry and surprisingly touching The End of the F***ing World for any UK viewers who didn’t catch it on Channel 4. There’s also the excellent animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (we loved it. 5 stars.) as well as Boots Riley’s inventive, funny, political satire Sorry to Bother You (we also loved it. 4.5 stars.) On top of that, you can take a nostalgic trip to Capeside with all six seasons of Dawson’s Creek or watch emotionally repressed royals deal with the advent of the 1980s in season four of The Crown.

Here, in alphabetical and date order, is a list of the film and TV we’re expecting on Netflix UK in November

1 November

Assassination Nation (2018) Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: Go Team Roberts (Season 2) Blended (2014) Can You Hear Me? (Season 2) Christmas Break-In (2018) Dawson’s Creek (Seasons 1-6) Fatal Deceit (2019) Ghosts of War (2020) Human Nature (2001)  Kid-E-Cats (Season 1)  Kindred Spirits (2019)  Lineage of Lies (2019) Music and Lyrics (2007) Ninja Assassin (2009)  National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)  New York Minute (2004)  Ninja Assassin (2009)  Police Academy (1984)  Richie Rich (1994)  So Undercover (2012)  The Boss: Anatomy of a Crime (2014)  The Good Detective (Season 1) Transformers Rescue Bots Academy (Season 2)  Voice 2 (Season 2)  White Boy Rick (2018) 

3 November

Felix Lobrecht: Hype (2020)  Miss India (2020)  Mother (2020) 

4 November

Love & Anarchy (Season 1)  The End of the F***ing World (Season 2) 

5 November

Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? (Season 1)  Citation (2020)  Operation Christmas Drop (2020)  Paranormal (Season 1)  The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)  The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) 

6 November

Citation (2020)  Country Ever After (Season 1)  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

9 November

Undercover (Season 2) 

10 November

A Lion in the House (Season 1)  Dash & Lily (Season 1)  Trash Truck (Season 1)

11 November

A Queen is Born (Season 1)  Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (Season 1)  The Liberator (Season 1)  What We Wanted (2020) 

13 November 

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)  The Life Ahead (2020)  The Minions of Midas (Season 1) 

15 November

The Crown (Season 4)  Sorry to Bother You (2018) 

16 November 

Life of the Party (2018)

17 November 

We Are The Champions (Season 1)

18 November 

Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas (Season 1) 

19 November 

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

20 November 

Alien Xmas (2020)  Anastasia (2020)  Holmes & Watson (2020)  Santa in Training (2019)  Voices of Fire (Season 1) 

22 November 

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020)  Mortal Engines (2018) 

23 November

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder

24 November

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Huttsgalor Holiday (2020) Hillbilly Elegy (2020) Notes For My Son (2020)  Wonderoos (Season 1)

25 November

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) 

27 November

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Christmas (2020)  Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020)  Sugar Rush Christmas (Season 2)  Virgin River (Season 2)

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See you next month for a look ahead at the Christmas selection box Netflix is offering in December.

PS This list is subject to change. Sometimes, Netflix UK moves stuff around, decides against streaming something or adds a new show or movie randomly.

The post New on Netflix UK November 2020 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[viciousgold]

@miss-polly

Perhaps she shouldn't have been, but she was. Marisa was very curious of what things were like in the real world. The Barbies and everyone always made it sound so wonderful and mysterious, though it was clear to Marisa that they had never actually been.

So when Barbie went out to the real world, Marisa followed. Once there, she explored for a while. Some people jeered at her and mocked her, others told her she looked beautiful, like a princess. She found herself arriving at a cafe, seeking shelter. She had been walking aimlessly outside for almost the entire day now, and found herself getting... tired? Was that something that was possible? And she felt a strange sensation in her stomach, she didn't know how to describe it.

Walking into the cafe, she seemed to elegantly float in like she normally did. With her ball gown, her diamond necklace, her perfect features, Marisa held herself with the grace and elegance of a princess, like someone had called her. She wasn't even a princess Barbie. Marisa felt incredibly flattered.

"Hello." she greeted, approaching the woman who seemed to work here.

[viciousgold]

Marisa, smiling brightly, simply laughed at the suggestion.

"Occasion? My darling, I dress like this every day. Don't you know me? I'm Marisa." she beamed. Surely people knew who she was? Robotics Engineer Marisa, one of the most extravagant and intelligent dolls that Mattel had to offer. Of course, she didn't know that she was actually far more of a collector's item than a widely known doll. "Although I suppose you could say that today is a marvelous occasion of me seeing the real world for the first time. Some people have said strange things, but most people have just been so kind and flattering. One person thought I was one of the Princess Barbies, can you believe that?" Marisa laughed. "Anyway, I've been feeling something for the last few hours, a weird sensation I don't normally feel. Perhaps it's from me being here for so long. I think it might be hunger."

"I see you have things here. Pastries and the like. Could I have one?" she asked hopefully.

Though Polly's days were often slow, they were never empty. She had been working nonstop since before dawn, pulling out dough that had been left to rise overnight, kneading and baking and mixing, loading the ovens with pastries and meals, and heating up the kettle.

But even as time passed, and she filled orders to-go, there was not much to do but wait for someone to come in. She practiced icing cookies, she pet Marius and ran through his tricks. She even mopped the sitting area. Twice.

And yet, nothing much happened.

Nothing, that is, until a woman dressed like she stepped out of a fairy tale, stepped right into her shop. The bell above the shop door jingled merrily, and Polly looked up with a smile -- then a gasp, and a smile again. "Oh -- hello! Come in, hi. You look -- sorry, let me know if this is inappropriate, but you look absolutely beautiful. What's the occasion?"

[viciousgold]

all of barbie verse marisa's wardrobe: evening gowns and ballgowns. literally her whole wardrobe.

[viciousgold]

fuck it let's go like this for a starter from barbie verse marisa aka verse where a 2012 holiday barbie wanted to become a robotics engineer barbie and did it

[viciousgold]

It was another great day of designing machinery and looking immaculate while doing so. Each day seemed to be absolutely perfect, that was, until stereotypical Barbie seemed to be going through something. Marisa didn't understand it, not completely anyway. She related to one thing; the uncertainty of her purpose, the feeling of wanting more for herself. After all, she had once been simply 2012's version of a holiday Barbie. It had been a long road to her becoming Marisa.

In truth, Marisa was growing a bit concerned for Barbie. She went over to check in on her, and saw a very unexpected sight. Was that Barbie in the pool, under the water? That shouldn't be happening, should it?

She had to think fast. Marisa didn't want to jump in after her and risk also not knowing how to swim; both of them drowning wouldn't help anyone. Besides, a bit of her vanity also thought about the thought of her perfect hair and perfect ball gown getting soaking wet, and that horrified her. Marisa looked around and quickly found a long net for cleaning the pool. But Barbie was too far underneath the water for her to grab onto it. Marisa had to do what she would dread now that she had an idea to do it safely.

She took the netting part and tied it to the pool ladder. With the pole of the net sticking out, Marisa gripped it tightly as she dropped herself into the water. With one hand remaining tight around the cleaning net, she dove her head under and looked for Barbie. Finding her, she reached as far as she could without letting go of the cleaning net, and thankfully was able to reach the neckline of Barbie's outfit. She pulled her up by it as hard as she could, thankfully working with machinery gave her some good upper body strength, and managed to pull Barbie up to the surface of the water. She pushed Barbie to the edge of the pool and onto its ledge before climbing out of the water herself.

Everything was different, first she woke up suddenly bothered by the bustle outside the dreamhouse—finding who had the audacity to mow their lawn in the morning and why there are no windows in the dreamhouse, and why do they spend their day wearing torture devices on their feet after having the talk with the wise Barbie and the news of her situation travels fast in the community. The doll felt the need to grasp to any semblance of her reality in Barbieland—one last test so she marched up to the roof of her dreamhouse and assumed the position feet first always when sliding to the pool beginning her descend only to plunge deep in the water is this what she deserved for thinking about dying? Was this the plan of the Barbie who’s up above? Didn’t she wore a one-piece when she was first released doesn’t that come with a manual on how to swim?

She clawed on the water frantically someone has to be seeing her at this state she came up only to taste something acrid in the back of her throat trying to lurch something out of her system—oh no she began to sink again somebody help this Barbie!