#wanted to explore more about Maxine’s environment!

[fosliie]

They say that I’m a star, that I won’t last

[thetarotwitch111]

What's your dark side?

When you understand better your darker aspects and take steps to balance them, you can enjoy fully their potential without falling into their traps. Each of these dark gifts offers you the opportunity to live the best life, aligned with who you truly are,but only if you approach them with the right perspective...

✨I hope this reading brings you some clarity and guidance. If it resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it!

✨ And if you’re looking for something more personal, I also do individual readings—just DM me anytime.

🌟TIP JAR🌟

Some of my energy works : PERSONAL READINGS | PENDULUM READINGS | CHAKRA BALANCE | RADIONIC TABLE

Now, let's go for your reading!

Close your eyes, concetrate, take this moment for yourself only and ask your guides and the universe to tell you in which pile is the message meant for you.

Cards from: The Magickal Botanical Oracle by Maxine Miller

💚 Pile 1:The Witch's Garden

Your Dark Side: You possess a unique ability to delve into the depths of life where most fear to tread. This dark side makes you a seeker of hidden truths and buried secrets. However, the darker aspects of this ability lie in your potential to become consumed by the shadows you explore. Your curiosity for the unknown can lead you into obsessive or compulsive behaviors, as you dig deeper into the mysteries that others would rather leave alone. There’s a danger in becoming too comfortable in these dark spaces, where the lines between reality and illusion can blur. This can manifest as an attraction to the morbid or the macabre, pulling you into thoughts or environments that are difficult to escape from.

Perks of having your dark side: Your deep understanding of the darker aspects of life allows you to see and appreciate the full spectrum of human experience. You can help others navigate their own darkness, providing a guiding light in times of despair. This makes you incredibly empathetic and resilient, able to face life’s challenges with a calm that others admire. Your willingness to confront the uncomfortable truths of existence gives you a wisdom that is rare and valuable.

Cautions: The danger with your dark side is in becoming too absorbed in it. Your fascination with the hidden and the obscure can isolate you from others, as they may not understand or share your interests. This can lead to feelings of loneliness or alienation. Additionally, your comfort with the darker aspects of life may attract negative energies or entities that feed off your interest in the macabre, leading to a draining of your emotional or spiritual vitality. There’s also a risk of becoming overly cynical or pessimistic, as constant exposure to life’s darker side can skew your perception of the world.

Witch’s advice: To maintain balance and protect yourself from these darker influences, work with moonstone to keep your emotions steady and your intuition sharp. Incorporate a bath ritual with lavender and rosemary to cleanse any negative energy you may pick up during your explorations. You can use a white candle (as it represent all colors) during meditation to honor and contain your shadow side, and ask your spiritual guides to balance your energy and remind you of the light (with the laws of universe). Regularly burn sage or palo santo to purify your space, ensuring that you are not overwhelmed by the energies you encounter.

💚 Pile 2: Belladonna

Your dark side: Your charm is a powerful tool, but it comes with a darker edge. You have the ability to manipulate others, bending their will to serve your own purposes, and this can lead you to have some behaviors and make some decisions that are ethically questionable, using deceit or seduction to get what you want. The darker aspects of your charm are tied to a potential for narcissism, where the focus on your own desires eclipses any concern for the well-being of others. You may find yourself using people as pawns in a game, not fully considering the impact of your actions on their lives. This can lead to a cycle of destructive relationships, where trust is eroded and connections are shallow.

Perks of having your dark side: Your charm gives you the ability to achieve goals that others might find impossible. You can navigate complex social dynamics with ease, making you a powerful force in both personal and professional settings. Your ability to influence others means you can often turn situations to your advantage, leading to success in areas where others might struggle. This dark side also gives you a strategic mind, allowing you to plan and execute with precision.

Cautions: The danger with Belladonna’s dark allure is the potential to lose touch with your authentic self. The constant use of charm and manipulation can create a façade that becomes difficult to maintain, leading to feelings of emptiness or dissatisfaction. There’s also the risk of alienating those around you as they begin to see through your manipulations. Over time, this can result in a lack of deep, meaningful connections, leaving you isolated despite your social success. Additionally, the power you wield can lead to an inflated ego, where you start to believe that you are invincible or above the rules that govern others.

Witch’s advice: To keep your darker tendencies in check, carry obsidian to ground yourself and maintain a connection to your true intentions. Brew a tea with mugwort to enhance your clarity and ensure that your actions are aligned with your higher self and to amplify your charm without falling into manipulation, indulge in a bath with white rose petals and jasmine—these will help you connect with your heart and maintain sincerity in your interactions. You can also light a red candle and ask for help to your spiritual guides (with the laws of universe) to focus your ambition, but also to be mindful of the impact of your actions on others and your own path. A lavender and camomille tea is always a good choice too.

💚 Pile 3: Thorn Apple

Your dark side: You are a natural risk-taker, unafraid to venture into the unknown or push boundaries that others fear to cross. This fearlessness is part of your dark side, but it also has a darker aspect, recklessness and your attraction to danger can lead you to make impulsive decisions without fully considering the consequences or others feelings. You might find yourself drawn to self-destructive behaviors, or seeking out adrenaline-fueled experiences that put you or others at risk. There’s a potential for addiction to the thrill, leading you down paths that are difficult to return from. This dark side can also manifest as a tendency to challenge authority or rules, not out of principle, but for the sheer thrill of defiance.

Perks of having your dark side: Your willingness to take risks gives you a unique advantage in life. You are able to achieve things that others would never attempt, simply because you’re not afraid to fail. This boldness allows you to live a life that is full and intense, rich with experiences that most people can only dream of. Your dark side also gives you the ability to inspire others, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones and embrace life’s challenges.

Cautions: The flip side of your fearlessness is the potential for chaos. Your attraction to extremes can lead to instability in your life, where you constantly seek out new thrills without considering the long-term impact. This can strain relationships, as those around you may find it difficult to keep up with your pace or understand your need for intensity. There’s also a risk of burnout, as the constant push for more can exhaust your physical, emotional, and mental resources. Additionally, your tendency to defy rules and authority can create conflict and put you in situations where the stakes are dangerously high.

Witch’s advice: To protect yourself as you navigate these intense experiences, carry a black tourmaline as a shield against negative energies and to keep you grounded in reality. Cleanse your spirit regularly with a bath infused with hyssop. (This herb will purify your energy and remove any residue from your daring ventures). You can also light a purple candle for your guides to ask (with the laws of universe) for energies of transformation, transmutations and protection when embarking on new challenges, ensuring that you are guided and guarded. Burn myrrh or frankincense incense to clear your path and sharpen your focus, helping you maintain clarity and strength even when faced with the most extreme situations.

[ticklish-touch]

Trapped in the Backrooms - Ch 7: Lunacy

(Group tickling, chasing, rubber/latex, mild furry tickling, macro, hypnosis)

You're thrown into an environment exuding with a different type of madness. All the bright colors, intricate places to explore, goofy music and reminders of childhood nostalgia are quite a stark contrast from all the dreary, foreboding Levels you've been experiencing. And it appears there are plenty of others who want to play along with you. Why not stay here and indulge in your silly side? Why not forget about your fear and your worries? You could have fun forever!!

(Chapter themes:

“A Friend Like Me” (Electroswing Remix): https://youtu.be/xqW-Hfk0FN0?t=8

"The title is TOO LONG to write here" - t+pazolite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmRjc9VscGs

Toon World (Metal Cover) - Maxine Solemn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEJn_SXeqlM )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          “AAAAAAA-"

          To put it bluntly, you ended up with a faceful of balls. More specifically, you crash-landed into a ballpit. 

          Scrambling back up to the surface, you rubbed your head. "UGH- You JERK!!" You shouted back at the slide exit. You then turned to see that the pit stretched on and on into a pitch-black expanse. "Whoa..." You were hit with a sense of nostalgia, and wary caution. After all, anything could be lurking around under here. But for now, you pushed forward, sometimes 'swimming' your way through. Thankfully the plastic balls were so brightly-colored that you could see a few yards ahead.

          "Hey Rag-a-doodle!!" You called out after a few minutes. "Where the hell am I supposed to go?! You said this Level's supposed to be fun!!" 

          You were soon answered by the sound of plastic rustling just ahead. You jumped a little, but narrowed your gaze. "I hear you, you brat..." You tried to side-step away from the noise. But the rustling grew louder and you saw a huge lump making its way toward you.

          You backpedaled. Maybe you could catch him - or whatever this thing was - off-guard. You ducked down to hide under the plastic balls, trying to 'swim' in circles around the source of the rustling; Occasionally peeking up to see if you could spot anything.

          The next time you peeked, a massive hand suddenly shot up out of the ballpit, releasing a loud comical squeal, like a squeaky toy. It wasn't Rags' hand, or a Duller, or a Clump. It looked straight out of a rubberhose cartoon, a bright white three-fingered glove wiggling its digits at you.

          “OH jesus–!" You paddled and flailed your way through, trying to get a foothold on some of the balls below you to try and 'run'.

          But it was faster. With a long arm, it grabbed around your waist and torso, and yanked you downward. "WAAAH SHIIIT-!!" It pulled you down and down and down. How freaking deep was this pit?!

          Finally, you fell out through the bottom, landing with a soft thud on a padded blue mat. You took an exasperated breath, peering up at a colorful ceiling ten feet above - with zero sign of a hole or an entry. And no sign of the giant hand.

          "Looks like ya got pretty balls-deep into trouble down there, hehehehe~!" Ragaeli's voice laughed from some kind of overhead intercom system.

          "PFfff- Oh shut up!!" You shouted back. Rolling over to stand upright, you were met with an even more nostalgic sight: You now stood in a massive indoor play park, atop a jungle gym structure. The building was full of these structures, creating a labyrinth that stretched on seemingly endlessly, with blue padded mats on the floors below. Overhead, there was a soft, upbeat jingle, like one would hear in a daycare.

          You felt a big smile come to your face. Might as well have fun here while you could, right? 

          You climbed your way down rope ladders, you crossed wobbly plastic rainbow bridges, you monkey-crawled your way up spiraling steps. Partially to look for exits or portals, but moreso out of the need to explore.

          While you were monkeying around, the intercom system above rang out with a little feedback, before the music changed to the... Willy Wonka theme??

🎶 Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka

The amazing chocolatier

Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka

Everybody give a cheer!🎶

          "Pffff–!” You practically tripped over one of the plush wedges in front of you, laughing. “I know that's you, Rags!!"

          The volume increased.

🎶 He's modest, clever, and so smart

He barely can restrain it,

With so much generosity

There is no way to contain it,

To contain it

To contain, to contain, to contain! 🎶

          You were soon doubled over wheezing like an idiot. When the song stopped, Ragdoll gave a giddy laugh before the intercom cut out.

          Needing a bit of a break after a little while, you slid your way down one of the rainbow slides close to a nearby wall.

          And promptly got shocked by a couple of the round screws. "OUCH- Son of a-!!" That was pretty nostalgic too, for better or for worse.

          Exiting onto the plush, spongy floor, you started walking up to take a look at the walls. They were all painted with murals of cartoon characters. Some of them were old-timey black-and-white characters, others were colorful. A three-headed dragon, a mermaid, a knight, a pirate, a candy princess, a giant smiling flower, personified insects, animals, fruits and veggies, and more. All of them painted in rubberhose style. A couple of them had a sun and moon motif, with lanky characters clad in jester-like attire; orange and blue, respectively. Red and yellow striped pants on the sun figure, starry pants and a night cap on the moon-man.

          You headed over toward the center of the floor, where a ton of tiny tables and chairs were set up. Arts and crafts supplies were strewn about, along with stacks of jumbo-sized building blocks and knockoff legos. A good amount of small, colorful, paper-crafted snakes with googly eyes were draped over chairs and scattered across the floor. How cute! You went up to one to pick it up.

          Its big black pupils moved, looking right at you. "Oh-! Hey, little guy!" You slowly held out your hand. It flicked out its paper tongue at your fingers before slithering into your palm and curling up.

          Little by little, the other snakes came to life, turning their heads and googly eyes towards you, slithering up to the edge of the table and along the floor.

          The snake in your hand started biting your finger gently. Either it thought you were food, or it was just curious. Either way, it was adorable. You patted it on the head with a couple fingers, and it started flicking its tongue and nibbling against your palm. You flinched a little. "Hehey now!"

          The snakes on the floor started following suit, curiously nibbling and 'biting' at your ankles, wrapping up around your leg to start climbing you. It didn't tickle too much, but it was still enough to make you flinch. Some of the snakes on the table tried stretching out towards you, looking at you expectantly. You felt like you were going to get dogpiled by these things…

          And, sure enough, they started leaping onto you. Some of them slithered down your shirt collar, the one in your hands crept up your sleeve, the ones by your ankles nibbled with even more determination. You squealed and stumbled onto one of the tiny chairs, squirming and giggling and trying - carefully - to pick them off of you. Eventually they relented and slithered off.

          A cheery, light voice started giggling from behind you. "Well someone's having fun~!" 

          You spun around to see... A jester of some kind? She appeared to be animated. She had light pink skin, heart-shaped pink hair buns, poofy pants, a heart-shaped gem on her chest, and big pink cartoon gloves and shoes. You could’ve sworn she was one of the murals you’d seen earlier…           She bounced up and down idly on her bendy legs. "Playing by yourself isn't any fun!!" She pouted, folding her hands together and rocking back and forth on her heels shyly. “Don’t ya want a little company?” She had a noticeable accent; either New York or Trans-Atlantic.           You couldn't help but smile. Okay, she was pretty cute. Even despite her uncanny movements. "Awww, of course! What do you want to play?"

          She perked up and immediately ran out of sight for a minute, behind one of the nearby jungle gym cubicles. With a light bap, a large beach ball flew across the floor. The little jester came back out to bump it toward you.

          You humored her by kicking the ball back in her direction; she promptly bounded and frolicked to hit it back, giving excited giggles and claps. You kicked it back and forth for a few minutes, a big smile on your face as the girl pirouetted and pranced across the padded floor. She fascinated you. She was a living cartoon, a 2D-3D blend, not unlike something out of those movies where animated characters meshed with live-action. Her arms and legs could bend and stretch and carry her halfway across the floor if she wanted.

          But soon… The girl’s voice started to become drowned out by a much more sinister voice.

          "Plaaayyyy!!!"           “Awww geez, not now!!” She ran over to hide behind you. Out leapt a huge beast that was a stark contrast from the rest of the colorful environment. It stood over seven feet tall, with a pitch-black body that had a very prominent, latex-like sheen. It had long, spindly claws, a featureless face, visible hip-bones, and pawed feet. It whacked the ball toward you with excessive force, hitting you hard in the shins. "OW-" You stumbled forward on top of it.           “Hehhehehehe, fetch is fun... But time to throw YOU!" It started stalking toward you.

          You did the first thing you could think of: You picked up the ball and chucked it at the entity. It just barely blocked the ball in time with its arm, making impact with a BWAP.           The girl gasped, then burst into giggles. “Pfff-hahahaha!! POW, right in the kisser!” She gave you a high-five.           "Rude!!" it barked, and took the cue to start running at you.           "WaaAAH!!" You darted into the nearest playplace to hide.           The pink jester soon wormed her way into the structure with you. “Pssst, if ya wanna throw it off your trail, look for the bouncy-house!!” She patted your head. “And don’t worry, it won’t actually hurt ya! It can just, uhh… play a little rough,” she giggled nervously. “Now hurry before it catches ya!”           “Wait, are you going to come too?”           She shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again! I’m your new best friend after all!!” Her giggle became a little impish and she vanished out of sight.           You didn’t have time to look for her. You could hear the entity gaining on you, so you hurried through the jungle gym. It kept gaining fast, snaking through the tunnels and over the rope-stairs effortlessly. It managed to grab your shirt and yank your ankles a few times.

          After a few more hasty twists and turns and clambering up and down padded ramps, you finally spotted an entrance to the bounce-house. You weren’t sure if getting into an enclosed space with that thing was any safer, but it was either that, or chance a very complex-looking obstacle course of pylons, rope-swings and slanted walls.

          As soon as your feet hit the bouncy floor, you nearly stumbled forward. “Whoa–!!” It had been quite a while since you’d seen the inside of one of these; the sight immediately filled you with nostalgic, childlike joy. It was huge, with different directions and tunnels you could choose to take. You started to bounce your way forward.

          But the creature quickly followed suit. You heard the thud of its feet bounce up behind you. It effortlessly hoisted you up, and chucked you a good five feet clear into one of the nearby vertical pylons. "OOF-" It was springy enough to break the impact as you plopped face-down onto the bouncy floor. You couldn't help but snort back snickering.

          The entity broke into a wheezy laugh, clapping its hands. And then ran at you, presumably to do it again.           "Wha- HEY!!" You tried and failed to get your footing on the bouncy surface. "I'm not a toy to toss aroOOOUND-!!" 

          "Weeee!!" it cackled as it spun you and tossed you into the nearest wall. You bounced and collapsed like a dead weight. "Staaahahap already!!" At the very least, this thing wasn't trying to hurt you. It really wasn't even throwing you that hard; just enough to make contact with the bouncy interior. Your talisman wasn't even reacting, indicating that it wasn't trying to be malicious. But you weren't going to make it easy for them.           You were able to roll and spring to your feet before it grabbed you again. You saw the beast's claws puncture through the nylon walls to get a better grip and fling itself at you, but the holes closed themselves right up. Before it caught you again, you made a dive for one of the tunnels.

          The next time it caught you, it didn't try to chuck you. It wrapped its lanky arms around you, which shifted to become stretchy, able to wrap around you twice over. It pressed its rubbery body close...And snuck its long spindly fingers up your shirt to scribble its claws against you.

          “YEEE-HEHEHE!!” You immediately blushed and tried to wriggle free from its slippery grip. Those long claws were killer. “S-Staahahap-hahaha!!” You kicked your legs. It let out some kind of low purring sound by your ear.           “Giggly gigglyyy…happyyyy!!” It cooed.

          It wasn't long before the Nightmare finally joined the fray. “COWABUNGAAA!!” He exclaimed before emerging out of one of the nearby walls, back to wearing his signature black-and-red jester's outfit. He even had a Jester hat on!!           ...For all of about five seconds before he did a double-frontflip and took it to jam down on the creature's head.           "AH-!!" It exclaimed, uncoiling its arms from around you and flailing to take it off, with you and Rags laughing at the sight. …For just a moment, before Rags honed his gaze on you and bounced at you.           You yelped and started bouncing away again, with the brat giggling and following after you. “How ‘bout some more mood music?” He snapped his fingers, causing the intercoms to crackle before playing… The Hampster Dance??           You nearly fell over the next bump, wheezing again. “REALLY?!”           The chase became less of a chase and more of a dance party. Rags continued showing off with flips, cartwheels, springing off the walls, crawling up on the ceilings, the both of you bouncing along to the beat of the music. The beast even joined along, spinning in circles like a dog with the zoomies. Both of them would occasionally crash into you, sending you tumbling back against the wall, snorting and bursting into laughter. At one point the Nightmare grabbed the very confused entity to do a square-dance with it along to the music, making you break into hysterics all the more. When the beast caught up, the two of them tussled with each other while also trying to catch up to you. Rags ended up shoving the monster against the squishy bounce-house walls, tickling up and down its sides to make it screech and let out wheezy laughter, writhing back and forth; it turned the attention right back onto the Nightmare, long needly claws tickling up and down his sides and pushing him against the walls to tickle his belly, releasing his hyena screeches. Using their tickle-fight as a chance to escape, you managed to lose them by taking a tunnel off to the side that shot you down a plush, nylon slide.

          The bottom of the slide led down another bounce-house corridor with a series of archways that you would have to duck and crawl under. Hearing Rags and the monster on your tail, you carefully started sneaking your way underneath them…

          But without warning, one of the archways rapidly started to inflate itself and close over you from the shoulders down, causing you to fall onto your back. “WAH- WaitwaitNONO-!” You tried scrambling back, but soon it was too late; you were effectively trapped in place, head and feet exposed, the plush vinyl squeezing against you tightly - not too tight, but certainly leaving no space for wiggle room. Just in time for the Nightmare and the entity to come bouncing into view.           “Uh-ohhh, in a bit of a pinch there, aren’t ya~?” Rags giggled, bouncing over to yank your shoes off, before hopping over you to squat behind your head. The entity crawled forward on all fours, low, devious chuckles rumbling from its chest, making grabby-claws at your feet.           You gulped and tried curling your toes. “H-heyyy now, fellas, two against one isn’t fair, y’know!!”           Rags planted his big hands on the squishy vinyl, his glow becoming brighter… and sending a tickly wave resonating through the material, making the entire arch vibrate over you. You shrieked and your laughter just increased, barely able to squirm from the tickly sensations. “YEE-HEHEHEHE!!”           The entity clasped its hands. “Hehehe, so gigglyyy!! It raked its spindly claws up your soles, which just released another bout of higher-pitched yelps and whines from you, instinctively trying to tug your legs away. Those claws started to scribble faster, underneath the balls of your feet, experimentally tracing your toes and the sides of your heels, rendering you into a complete giggling, whining mess. “Tiiicklesss~ Tickle-toesiesss!!” It playfully taunted.           “Hehehe, your new buddy here was so excited to tickle you to pieces that it didn't even need my persuasion~” Rags snickered. “Let’s show ‘em just how loud you can really scream~” He cracked his knuckles, bringing his hands back down on the squishy nylon, ignoring your protesting and sending another ticklish shock through the material, vibrating and traveling through your belly, ribs, armpits, even wrapping around to create tickly buzzes against your back and hips. You laughed all the more hysterically, face burning brightly, smiling wide and trying - but failing - to escape.           “Hehehehe, coochiecoochiecoochieee~” The creature taunted, which just made you let out a flustered bark, shaking your head and squeezing your eyes shut so that you wouldn’t have to see the Nightmare looming overhead. Didn’t stop the asshole from continuing to toy with you. He skittered his claws over your ears and scalp, making you shiver and blush and glare up at him. He took a comically deep breath before blowing a raspberry onto your air-filled prison, which transferred right down through to your belly. “PPBBFRRRTTT!!”           Your shriek and foiled attempts to flail around were answered by the two of them cackling wildly. You knew they could tell how much you enjoyed this predicament; it felt like you were caught in a nice, tight hug, your mind buzzing with excitement and anticipation from being tickled and teased back and forth by your captors.

          Their team-attack lasted a few more minutes before Rags finally decided to let you go. He plunged his claws into the archway, puncturing it to release enough air to let you worm your way out. After it did, he pulled his fingers away and the holes closed themselves right up, as if the nylon had repaired itself.           The creature scooped you up and hugged you. A deep ‘purring’ rising from its chest again. “Byeeee new friend~ Have fuuun!”           You hugged back, but glanced up at it curiously. “Bye? What do you meeEEEAN-” It pushed you down another tube slide.

          After a brief fall, you plopped down onto a squishy beanbag chair, in the center floor of another jungle gym structure. Faint music was playing from the speakers overhead: Again, something that sounded straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, with strings and brass and goofy sound effects. You hopped back up to your feet to stretch for a moment, before heading off to explore, curiosity throwing all caution out the window.

          You made some good headway on the current jungle gym, climbing up ramped paths… Then you thought you heard hurried scuttling footsteps in one of the cross-sections up ahead. It sounded four-legged. Impish snickering sounds soon followed.           "Hello?" You called out.

          When you didn’t get an answer, you cautiously snuck down the nearby slide, back at ground level to try and squint up into the clear windows of the tubing.           You were soon alerted by the sound of thuds and spring coils making its way around the corner of the play structure behind you, letting out a hearty cackle - sounding a bit like a stereotypical witch cackle.

          You rolled your eyes. "Okay Rags, very funn- Whaaat are you?!" You glanced back to see what you could only describe as a living jack-in-the-box: A huge, rotund jester with a hooked bird-beak and oversized yellow hands. It looked semi-animated, semi-realistic, in a similar manner to the pink jester. It hopped forward in its box, preparing to spring forward at you.

          "NOOO THANK YOU!!" You ran down to the other end and quickly climbed up a series of platforms inside of a large cylinder - too small for the creature to tail you.

          Not a few moments later, you heard more playful, exaggerated giggling, sending you hurrying over to the nearest transparent tube before you had the chance to scout out the different sections of the playplace. Making your way through it, you peered over at the wall in the near distance. It also had painted murals... And even from this distance you could see that they were almost identical to the ones from the first play area. The same rubberhose cartoon characters, just in different poses. All of them seemingly had their gaze locked on you.

          You swallowed, hurrying to the other end; not before turning yourself around to keep your gaze on the murals until they were out of sight.           You came across a set of doors, entering a large room with a ton of big, climbable sculptures. A pirate ship, some bright-colored dinosaurs, a mini fake merry-go-round, a green three-headed dragon, a spooky-looking town emerging from a large green book. There were more murals around the walls of cartoon animals, clowns, monsters and machines. They were similar in appearance to the jack-in-the-box: they all had very cutesy faces, yet they all looked sinister at the same time. Like before, you felt very strongly like they were watching you.

          And one of them was Ragman, striking a stereotypical Egyptian pose, tongue sticking out.           “Wha–” You snorted and walked over to him. “Having fun up there?”           He grinned wider and leapt out of the wall to land on top of one of the buildings in the Halloween town sculpture. “Heheh, it ain’t half bad here! Not like we can teleport anywhere until you find an exit anyways.”           “Wait, really?”           He nodded, pulling up a handful of portals. All of them still showed the same images as before: The jungle gyms with bouncehouses and ballpits. A couple of them even seemed to glitch with static.           “Ah damn…”           Rags shrugged. “We’ve found our way outta worse pickles. B’sides, I bet the other zany little fellas here might be willing to help us out if we play along with ‘em for a while~”           “What do you mean? There’s more creatures like that Bird-in-the-Box?”           He simply poofed away, his giggling echoing in the air. “Better keep your guard up~!”

          Okay, now you were even more suspicious of those paintings. Just as you started to leave, you could swear from the corner of your eye you saw one of them wave at you. Nothing happened when you did a double-take, so you snuck back out... Not seeing one of the characters climb out of the wall and start stalking down the hallway behind you.

          Something about the air of this place made you feel bouncy and energetic; you felt giggles bubbling up in your chest for no real reason. The moment you recalled a funny memory, you sputtered and barely held back laughter. You kind of wanted to go back to the sculpture room and climb around a bit. You wanted to run laps around the jungle gyms like you had the zoomies. Was there laughing gas or something in here?? Or maybe you'd just had such a blast back in the bounce house that you were riding through a spell of mania.

          Your giggling was echoed by another goofy, clownish cackle just ahead. Out peeked a very tall animated rabbit, with very dark purple fur. It had comically oversized hands and feet and a wide buck-toothed smile that made your neck hair stand on end. It tilted its head way over to the side, ears flopping over, giving you an enthusiastic wave, its piercing, crazed orange eyes locked on you.           You nervously waved back. In an instant, it bounded forward on spring-loaded legs - complete with an audible springy sound-effect - arms outstretched to grab at you. You squeaked and promptly ran the other direction. "NOOOHOHO!!" You laughed, to which the rabbit let out its own snickering. "Gonna getchaaa!!" It shouted after you in a deep, playful voice.

          You gasped and ducked into one of the cross-sections, navigating your way through hanging fabric cylinders. The rabbit barreled its way through the obstacles, still letting out that goofy, mischievous laugh. Jesus this thing was fast!! You eventually had no choice but to cross a precarious floor of black lattice strips. The gaps were just big enough that you could get your foot caught if you weren’t careful… Unfortunately you didn’t really have time to be cautious. You tried your best to quickly hop across - but one of your feet snagged inside the edge of a strap just as you’d landed on the platform ahead, making you fall face-forward. “OOF-”

          The dark rabbit took its chance to pounce, grabbing your free ankle and pressing its wiggling fingers into your toes and ball of your foot. A high-pitched tinkytinkytinkytinky sound effect could be heard, which just made you yelp and protest more. Its big, blunt fingers didn’t tickle that badly… Then it leaned in and blew a big, loud raspberry against your sole. “WAAAH-HAHAHA NNOO-HAHAHA!!” You buried your face into your arms. It answered your startled laughter with another silly chuckle. “Hyeehuehehe, gotchyaaaa~!”

          And then, you felt claws target your other foot. “YIEEEK-!” You yelled and instantly started trying to kick your legs and pull yourself forward. And heard the Nightmare’s shitty hyena giggles along with the rabbit’s. “RAAAHAHAHAGS STAAAHAHAHA–!” You turned yourself around to get a view of both of them; the dark rabbit’s legs were jutting out to its sides as it squatted down, and Rags was reaching down from below. “Man, you’re getting tripped up already~? You’re gonna get caught SO many times, methinks there’s a buncha these guys around~”           The rabbit was tall enough that it could lean right over the lattice and grab at your sides and belly with its large hands. “NooOOO-HEHEHE!!” The more you yelped and laughed and tried to push its hands off, the more it let out that stupid goofy laugh. Its face was crazed, unsettling to look at for too long; but still had a spark of playfulness that made you feel like you didn’t need to be afraid of it.                   After a few more moments of both of them playfully tickling and taunting you, the rabbit seemed to start taking interest in Rags. Without warning, it effortlessly ripped the latticework open, bounding downward to piledrive the nightmare, squeezing enthusiastically at his sides, belly and underarms.  “WHAAGH-!! YEEE-HEEHEHEHE WHY YOHOHOU!!” He smacked the padded floors below him, kicking his legs like he was riding a bike. The rabbit giggled mischievously, spinning around to grab and tickle his huge feet. To which the Nightmare responded with even louder shrieking laughter. "GYAAAH-AHAHAHA!!" He flailed for a moment, before retaliating and skittering his claws up and down the rabbit's own feet. It yowled and nearly jumped right off of him.           You watched their tickle fight for a moment before using the chance to escape again, monkeying your way down rainbow steps, and climbing into the caged entrance of another play structure. You probably should have used the chance to get out of the jungle gym and keep scanning the ground-level, but… That wouldn’t be any fun.

          Barely a minute passed after you’d caught your breath when you heard more unhinged giggling echoing up from inside one of the cylinder slides. You froze in your tracks when you saw a huge pair of eyes - almost resembling googly eyes - and another wide toothy smile peek into view, with the silhouetted form of a massive cartoon cat. It outstretched its noodly arms and used its huge paws to pull itself forward - only to reveal that its body kept going, like one huge stretchy tube.

          Before you had the chance to turn around, its elastic arms lunged forward with a rubber-band sound and wrapped around you, pulling you down into the slide. “WAAAH-” Again, you crashed into a ballpit, face-up this time, seeing the tube-cat slip itself into the pit just as you’d begun trying to swim through to get to the edge. It emerged with another SPROING, wrapping you up in its arms and tossing you straight up into the air, nearly touching the ceiling of the caged area, giving a loud “WHEEE~!” Just before you crashed back into the ballpit, it caught you in its arms, which bowed like the surface of a trampoline. It bounced you in the air a few more times before catching you… Occasionally tickling over your torso with its claws when it did, ears perking up at the sound of your yelps and giggling. It also poked at your talisman curiously a couple times, flinching its paw back when it let out a slight red spark.           After a few more tosses, its arms stretched out to place you at the top of a nearby platform. It hunched down, arms planted on either side of the bottom ledge, a long noodly tail popping up from behind it. It narrowed its gaze, body wiggling like it was about to pounce.

          You sat up to crouch down, a big smile on your own face. Instead of scooting back to run, you were tempted to pounce at the cat first. But then.. It started chucking plastic balls at you. One after another, in rapid succession, barely giving you time to block them. “AGH- Hey!! Cut it out!!” You laughed and fell back, hearing its shitty little giggle. “That does it-!!” You dove back into the ballpit and made a grab for the noodle-cat’s midsection, making it yowl in surprise and do a prat-fall backwards, laughing wildly when your hands went to work squeezing, poking and skittering your fingers. It felt so bizarre; furry and rubbery at the same time. It was as wiggly as a beached fish - and eventually pushed you away, with enough force to send you sliding through the plastic balls to the other side of the pit. It then made a motion like it was rolling up its sleeves, cracking its knuckles and wiggling its large paws, impossibly huge smile just growing wider.

          You gasped. “Nooo, bad kitty, don’t you dare-!!”           It pounced forward, those claws going right to work skittering quickly over your belly. They were blunt enough to not cause any harm, pointy enough that they sent tickly jolts through you. Again, that googly-eyed face and huge smile looming over you were unnerving, but not malicious. It traced your navel with one paw and jumped between each side of your torso with the other. A low rumbling could be heard emanating from it - it was purring.           The more it tickled you, the more you sank into the ballpit. You saw a flash of red below you, and in an instant, you were teleported from the bottom of the ballpit through the ceiling of a different section of the play structure, some of the plastic balls teleporting with you. “WHA–!!” You landed on a padded floor, looking onto a very narrow bridge, held up on either side by rope nets attaching it to the ceiling, forming a wedge for you to walk through.           And Rags waiting for you on the other end, hands gripping either side of the rope, smiling playfully. “Hehehe, those guys are a riot, aren’t they~?”

          “H-heh, yeah, they’re right up your alley... And they can get the jump on you pretty easily, I think you’re losing your touch,” you grinned up at him, starting to walk onto the bridge.

          Bad move. The Nightmare narrowed his gaze playfully and planted his foot on his end of the bridge, sending ticklish shockwaves down the plank, shooting directly into your feet. “AAH-!!” You yelped with laughter and nearly stumbled forward, grabbing the ropes for stability.           He giggled. “And you’re just as gullible as ever!” He leapt up onto the ceiling above the bridge, hands and toes gripping the netting like a spider monkey. The hand on his tail snapped its fingers. The rest of the bridge lit up red, and small slithery tendrils of his magic emerged from the plank’s surface. He snapped again, and in an instant, your shoes disappeared off your feet. “C’mon, better hurry across~! Either ya get caught by Grape-flavored Bugs Bunny or you get to play a game with me, what’ll it be~?”

          As if on cue, more loud cartoony commotion was heard off in the distance. You gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, you’re on,” you stuck your tongue out at him, tentatively starting to cross… immediately feeling the tickly zaps all along your soles and toes. “G-GHhhh-hehehe!!” You stumbled forward again; causing your other foot to land on the plank, making the slithery tendrils send more ticklish jolts through you. You tried supporting yourself with the net, a blush rising to your cheeks.

          “Why’re ya so giggly~? It’s not that ticklish, is it?” Rags teased from above. You made an attempt to flip him off, which just made you stumble over onto the net. “AH-!!” The magic quickly jumped into the ropes, sending tickly buzzes up through your side, hip and ribs. “AAH-HEHEHEY!!” You tried getting your footing again, which just sent ticklish shocks through your feet again, which made you stumble again. Rinse and repeat. All while the bastard was giggling impishly above you, enjoying the show. “Whoa, you almost had it that time! Gonna hafta to do better than that if ya wanna be a Ninja Warrior!”

          “Sh-shuhuhut up, asshohohohole!!” You growled and jumped up to grab his tail… To which he promptly used its hand to shove you down onto your back. Your spine was immediately met with a ticklish shockwave; you gasped and yelped out in laughter from the feeling. “AAH-HAHAHAHA!!” You squirmed and tried to grab at the netting to stand upright… But the ropes suddenly jumped to life, entangling your wrists, and slipping over your ankles, trapping you in place. The entire bridge was alight with the Nightmare’s magic by this point, flooding your arms, legs, spine, neck and feet with maddening tickly pulses.           Rags jumped down to land in front of you - shaking the entire bridge in the process - grinning evilly and scribbling his fingers over your kneecaps, behind your knees and calves, making his way back up to tickle your hips. “Hehehehe; If you beg me enough, I might let you outta here before the Tune Squad catches up~”

          “NAAHAHEHEHEVEHEHER!!” You managed to retort even while your whole body was being bombarded by tickly vibrations.           He shrugged. “Weeelp, suit yourself then~!” He lunged his big hands forward to start squeezing in circles around your belly. “Tickletickletickletickletickletickle-!” Every ‘tickle’ was faster and higher-pitched than the last; the goofiness made you laugh more but every time the word was uttered it just made you shiver and blush more, soon yelling at him in protest. “SH-SHAHAHA!! SHUT UHUHUHAHAHAP!!” You whined, shaking your head back and forth, squeezing your eyes shut and causing the bridge to rattle under you. You were laughing and screeching and yelping nonstop - which only spiked louder when his hair tendrils slipped through the netting to slither and saw between your toes. “EEEE-HEHEHEHE!!” His tickling wasn’t as intense as it had been back in the lab; he kept it light and playful, but the full-body tickles were still maddening.

          The sounds of cartoon SFX were fast-approaching from further back in the play structures, followed by the unhinged giggles of some of the Toons. Rags smirked wide and scribbled his fingers up and down your sides. “Laaaast chance~!”           Glancing down between the ropes, you saw the strange jack-in-the-box from before, springing itself up higher and waving its big hand playfully at you. You heard the rabbit’s off-kilter laugh nearby. From behind Rags, there was a… Devil?? A fuzzy cartoon demon of some sort with a spaded tail and pitchfork. He rubbed his hands together like a Saturday morning villain. As tempted as you were to let them all catch up and team up on you, you didn’t want to make it that easy. “OKAAHAHAY!! P-PLEHEHEHEASE!! LEMME GOHOHOHO!!”           He grinned smugly and gave a wink, snapping his fingers to poof you away from the bridge into a different jungle gym.           You laid on the padded floors for a few moments to catch your breath, a dopey smile on your face and tingles swimming through your body. “Nnnhh…” You sat up and rubbed your head. Just how long were these shenanigans going to last?           Turning another corner, a little animated pearlescent dragon with a shiny, segmented body, silver claws and huge baby-blue eyes was sitting on a crossbeam overhead, scratching its neck like a dog. It perked up when it saw you, tilting its head and watching you closely.           "Awww!" You waved to it. "Hi, cutie!"

          It gave you a wide, happy smile full of razor-sharp teeth and waved back, before hopping down and scampering up to you. It chattered and let out baby-alligator sounds, wagging its tail. You couldn't resist petting its head. It didn't have regular scales; it was smooth and rubbery, a bit like a dolphin. For just a few moments, it had a perfectly innocent expression, enjoying the headpats.

          Until it didn't. In an instant, its gaze turned aggressive and it gave you an evil smile.           "Oh shit–"           "NOM–" It barked before trying to bite you on the leg.           "WAH–!" you jumped back in time. Hey!!”           It snickered wickedly, lunging out to try and bite you again.           "Agh-!! Quit it, you little shit!!" You backpedaled. You were sure it was just playing, so you humored it and got ready to run again. "Alright, you wanna play like that? Then come get me!!" You blew a raspberry at it, causing it to trill and chatter at you. You heard the rushing of air, as if it was taking a huge breath. You saw the vinyl walls light up with a blue light… And barely dodged the little dragon’s lightning-ball projectile in time. “WHOA-!!” You managed to make it lose your trail, hearing it cackling gleefully.

          Exploring a little further, you started to hear what sounded like muffled singing from above. Letting curiosity get the better of you, you were able to find platforms to climb up to the next level, finding the source of the voice: The jester girl from before…? Kind of? Her buns had become spiked pigtails, her overall color theme shifted to darker pinks, and her heart gem was upside-down. She was doing a little swing dance to herself. But she gasped when she saw you, smiling wide and stretching her arms out to scoop you up and twirl you. “FRIIIEND!! I told ya we’d meet again!!” She ruffled your hair.

          “H-Hehey!!” You laughed and playfully pushed her back.           “Why ya trying to run from us, chum? You’re havin’ fun, aren’t ya?” She pouted playfully. “I’m just here to be your friend, remember?” She formed a heart over her head with her stretchy arms. “It’s swell to meet that other friend of yours!! He’s a riot! You sure he’s not from here?? Don’t think I ever seen him in one of our wall paintings!” She bounced up and down excitedly again.           You snorted. “Nahhh, he’s not from here. He’s not from my world either, though, but …Since you’re the only one here who seems to have any sanity, maybe you could tell me where we are?”           She gave an exaggerated shrug. “Beats me!! I couldn’t tell ya how or when we got here. All I know is that we’re here to have fun!” She did a cartwheel around the small room, ducking and weaving through large hanging plastic hoops, landing back in front of you. “Whenever someone new comes along, we’re finally able to come out and play!! You Wanderin’ lot are always gettin’ lost in here, always so sad, afraid, and alone…” She frowned, for once looking genuinely concerned. “I… I know what it’s like to be alone.” She folded her hands. “Sometimes, waitin’ in those walls for new people to pass through feels like it takes weeks. Months. Years.” Her pigtails drooped. “No-one deserves to feel that way….”           You frowned and patted her on the shoulder, to which she perked up again and patted you on the head. “WELL no matter, that’s why Mistah Shiro looks out for us!! Like he tells us, if we help you folks feel happy, then he’ll make sure none of us will ever hafta be sad or alone ever again!” he took your hands and spun you. “Isn’t that swell?!”

          You exclaimed when you were spun around. “AAH- I guess??”           She giggled and set you down. And suddenly, her big toothy smile looked a bit more mischievous. “But you didn’t tell me you were so ticklish! That’s a sure-fire way of gettin’ a big smile outta you~!!” She wiggled her digits, that damn sound-effect playing again.           “O-Ohh come on, not you too-!!” You felt a smile creep back onto your face. Instead of running, though, you decided to get the upper hand first, quickly squeezing the jester’s sides.           “YIEEK-HEEHEE!!” She squealed in surprise, stumbling back, her arms becoming squiggly before wrapping around herself. “Ooohoho, that’s how we’re gonna play~!!” she glared and smirked, swiftly wrapping one of her elastic arms around you a couple times over, and sitting back on one of the hanging hoops.  “You really think you can get the upper hand on us, do ya?” She instantly started squeezing up and down your sides, burying her hands into your armpits. “Hehehehe!! Awww you look so sweet gigglin’ like this! See, this is what makes it all worth it~ Laughter makes the worlds go round! Your friend sure gets it!!”           You did your best to try and wriggle out of the pink jester’s rubbery grip, unable to hold back your squeaks and yelps from her ticklish squeezes. “Y-Yeehehehe-!! I-I agreeheehee!! B-But we cahahaha-!! We cahahant s-stahahay here!!”           Her face dropped into a grumpy pout. “And why not? You’re happy, aren’tcha??” She doubled her efforts, sneaking a hand down to tickle over your knees, using her other hand to play piano over your ribs and give rapid pokes along your belly.           You exclaimed and wiggled all the more. “AH-Hehehehe w-well yehehehes, right nohohow!! But I gotta get back hohohohome!!”

          She perked up in realization. “Ohhhh, I see… You haven’t talked to Mistah Shiro yet!” She released her hold on you and steadied you to your feet. “Why didn’t ya say so?? Well keep lookin’ around for him then, I’m sure you’ll find him! Ya just gotta keep an eye out for the two big stars on the walls. You’ll find the doorway under the second star to the right!”           You caught your breath for a moment. “Will… Will he be able to help us?”           She nodded fast. “Of course, of course!! He’ll set ya straight for sure!” Something seemed… off about her big, wide smile this time. But you didn’t press further, and took her advice to keep looking.           A few other rubberhose rascals made their presence known before long. The mural of the giant orange flower emerged out of the floor as you were crossing over to another play structure, flashing a dastardly sharp-toothed smile before attempting to grab you up with its leafy hands. You found a small open area with bumper-cars, watching a red-and-blue clown riding around wildly, cackling as it crashed into other empty cars. Unable to resist the urge to play along, you hopped into one of the cars and started charging after them, much to their delight. A couple rounds of smashing into them, a huge figure peeked around one of the nearby tube slides: A red genie with a turquoise turban and vest. As you scrambled out of the cart, he reached down to try and grab you... before Ragman came flying out of a plastic wall to tackle and grip onto him like a monkey, allowing you the chance to escape while the genie yowled with laughter from the nightmare's attack.           Soon, you nearly ran right into the devil from before. He smirked cheekily down at you and gave a wiggly-finger wave. "Helloooo~" He greeted in a flamboyant voice. "You're quite the slippery little salmon, aren't you? There's no reason to run, I promise I won't bite... Yet," he chuckled slyly, jolting his pitchfork like he was going to poke you with it. "Why not just give me your soul now and save yourself the trouble of running about like a headless chicken?"           "Wha- NO, I'm not gonna do that!!"           "Ohh, you won't?" He tsk-ed. "Well then, I'll just have to take it for myself~" He whipped out his tail and wrapped it around your ankle, causing you to stumble back onto one of the foam cylinders behind you. He then started scribbling his claws over your sole and toes. "See? Handing over your sole is simple enough, isn't it??" He chuckled.           "NNhh-HAHAHA!! Oh vehehery funnyyhehehe!!" You grabbed your talisman, willing it to light up with magic and zip right down the devil's arm to 'zap' his body.           "YYYEEAHAHAHA!!" He howled and stumbled back. "Y-You sneaky little!!" he growled, trying to leap at you. You quickly ducked through rolling cylinders to try and lose him.

          You were soon ducking cutesy and creepy cartoon critters left and right. More of the murals started hopping out of the walls at any given turn, laughing and taunting and wiggling their fingers, making swift work of following you through the jungle gyms. A couple times, your pursuers tried to yank at your talisman's chain, which promptly let off warning ticklish bursts and made them recoil with laughter. You stumbled over rainbow steps, large padded cubes, rope mazes, occasionally slipping and falling face or ass-first. The other toons - as well as Rags - started doing the same when they were thrown off by your quick maneuvering. Crashing head-first into each other, prat-falling down steps, occasionally ripping off fabric decor or breaking off entire chunks of the play structures. In his haste to try and lunge at you, Rags did a backflip over a slide… promptly smacking his head on it with a loud BONK, tumbling down unceremoniously into the ballpit below. You were so busy wheezing your lungs out at the sight that you ended up getting scooped up by the purple rabbit again and had to escape his tickly grasp.

          All the while, Ragman continued to remotely mess with the intercoms to cycle through other goofy songs. Cotton-Eye Joe, Pink Elephants, Entry of the Gladiators, "Having A Wonderful Time," And a certain melody of mocking laughter. The silliness took away any anxiousness you had despite the monsters chasing you. It was pure unbridled fun. You couldn't tell if the loopiness was from the Level’s effects, or the building pandemonium that had begun back when Rags shoved you down that first slide, but you couldn’t stop giggling and laughing. You had all but forgotten your quest to try and escape the Level.

          Escape? Why would you want to escape?? There was no harm in hamming it up with all these guys to your heart’s content. This was the happiest and most carefree you’d felt since ending up here.

          At some point, the entities weren’t even chasing you, but instead got into it with each other: you watched their antics with each other from across another jungle gym like you were watching a cartoon in real-time. They seemed inspired by their games with you and started getting into tickle-fights with each other. They occasionally targeted Rags, who would very quickly remind them how easily his merciless methods could overpower them. But they would bounce right back, undeterred, their energy reserves seemingly infinite. A swarm of them even tried to pounce Rags and pull his tail, resulting in it coming clean off with a POP, and snaking around to try and smack, shove and tickle them of its own volition. The same happened to one of his arms. Once he’d pulled himself back together, he had them howling in laughter within moments.           The Tom-and-Jerry slapstick eventually came to a head when you saw two huge stars painted on a nearby wall. Under the left star was a steel-bolted door; under the right star was a huge, inflated slide, leading into the mouth of another bounce-house disappearing under the wall. This must be it!           Sliding down, you were met with the interior of a huge bounce-house, with high walls and no ceiling.           …And every single toony entity that you’d encountered was here. After initially feeling your heart jump into your throat, you saw that they weren’t trying to come after you. They were all just bouncing around wildly, off the walls, doing flips and midair tricks, having a dance party to Electroswing. You joined in the pandemonium, letting go of your inhibitions to dance, play-fight, chase some of them around and play tag.

          “GERONIMOOOOO!” The Nightmare eventually hollered from above, plummeting down into the middle of the bounce-house floor, creating such a shockwave that it rippled and distorted the flooring and sent the entities, along with yourself, exclaiming and flying backwards. You burst into laughter, unable to stop. Especially when Rags straddled either side of you to attack your tummy with tickles. “Hehehe, glad you’ve had fun here~! Guess it wasn’t such a bad trap after all~”

          “AH-Hahahaha, yeheheheah!!” You beamed up at him, laughing wildly even after the Nightmare had stopped tickling you.

          “Better wrap up this party though,” he gestured to the only visible exit: A big wooden door at the far end of the bouncehouse. “Methinks they’re fixing you to make yourself laugh to death. Or keep you around to use as target practice next time they shoot themselves outta cannons,” He snickered and ruffled your hair.

          Your giggling eventually started to die down, taking deep gasping breaths, attempting to calm yourself down. “Ahh-hahaha…Y-Yeheheah, maybe you’re rihihight…”

          But it was as if those words flipped a switch. All the entities snapped their attention toward both of you. And started menacingly stalking closer.

          “Leeeeave? Why would you wanna leave??”           “Stay with us, friend!!”          “You’re the ONLY wanderer we’ve had that’s lasted this long!!”          “We know juuuust how to make you wanna stay~”                     They started rolling up their - often invisible - sleeves, punching their fists in their palms, giving big wide menacing smiles as they wiggled fingers and claws in your direction. You swallowed hard. “O-Ohh fuck…”

          A pair of clawed hands gripped onto the sides of the bounce house. Out emerged an enormous, winged skeletal figure, not unlike a Lich or a Draug, with a crazed, sinister gaze and long tongue, letting out a manic, raspy laugh and pointing in your direction. The others seemed to take this as a command, charging after you.           “Aaaand that’s our cue!!” Rags scooped you up in his arms, growing himself to his full height, essentially carrying you like a football tucked under his arm as he charged and bounded forward. He ducked swinging arms, dragon-fire, rubber mallets, TNT, bursts of magic projectiles, and more. He yelped and jumped and let out ticklish giggles from every jab of a weapon or chomping of teeth. When the toons saw that their attacks were only tickling him, they doubled down and tried to take him down faster with more tickles. The Nightmare was soon swarmed by stretchy limbs and countless tickling fingers, nearly stumbling forward a few times. “GYEEE-HEHEHEEHEHE!! AHH-HAHAHA!!”           You felt him start to charge up his energy, his aura crackling. You gasped. Don’t you DARE let off a blast again!! You shouted at him in your thoughts. Remember the science lab?!           FINE!! he growled back. Suckin’ up the laughter of an army of lunatics might actually make me go off the deep end anyways!           The huge deity was eventually taken down by a bunch of the creatures working to trip him up with ropes. He fell into the bouncy floor with a resounding THUD, taking you in his hand and outstretching you toward the door. For a moment, you watched him get totally dogpiled, bursting into excited hysterics, tickled from head to toe by the only thing that could really contend with his mania: Raw nonsensical cartoon logic.           But soon, some of them turned their attention to you. “GEHEHEHET GOING!!” Rags barked. “I’LL CAHAHAHATCH UP!!”           Hastily swinging the door open, you were met with one final plastic slide. After jumping down, the wooden door slammed shut behind you.

          You landed flat on your back, on a plush, spongy floor. “Ugh..”

          Sitting up, you saw that you were in an environment almost identical to the labyrinth of jungle gyms. Except this time, the lights were very dim, and the music had totally stopped. There wasn't any sign of the creatures or Nightmare tailing after you.

          Your manic spell and brain-fog began to dissipate, but you still felt playful and giggle-drunk, nerves standing on end; ready for another silly little guy to cause mayhem with or get into a tickle-fight with. But you knew now you had to keep your senses about you. Rags had been right; Something was trying to trap you here.

          “Hellooo??” You tiptoed around the place, occasionally peeking into gaps in the jungle gyms. “Marco??” Interestingly, there were tall standing mirrors hanging from some of the play structures. As you passed them, you could've sworn you saw a dark figure move inside one of them. Doing a double-take, it had gone away.

          But soon, dead ahead of you, one of the mirrors wasn't showing your reflection. Instead, you were looking at a very tall, lanky silhouette of a man in a tailcoat and a top hat. He was completely greyscale, with the exception of the bowtie on his neck that shimmered with bright, colorful patterns. He hopped out of the mirror, his legs stretching like rubber. "Hello hel-lo my dear!!" He took a dramatic bow, tilting his hat to you with one of his noodly rubberhose arms. "It's so excellent to see you having such a good time!! I've not heard such joy, such laughter, such frivolity in ages!!" He spoke loudly and hurriedly, like some kind of hammy showman or salesman. Before you could reply, he bounded forward and wrapped an arm around your shoulder. Much like the previous entities, he felt as if he was made of latex. "T'would be wonderful if you could stay here and play forever and ever and ever, don't you thiiink~?" he gave you a boop on the nose.

          "Well I–"          He chuckled and playfully shoved you away. "Don't worry, I kid!! There's no need to stay here just to experience happiness. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can feel unending joy! If, of course, you get rid of all those other pesky emotions. Sadness? Anger? Fear? Who NEEDS 'em?!" He gave a thumbs-down. "Wanderers always try and try to make sense of our world, they bemoan all the "scary" and "dangerous" and "deadly". As if that even matters!! EVERY world has its dangers, do they not?? If you confront them with a smile and a laugh and a head full of bliss, nothing can stand in your way."

         I mean... he had a point. But you squinted suspiciously. “What’re you saying? That you can take away emotions?”         “Yeeees indeedy!!” He puffed his chest out proudly. “I can cure the mortal mind of those terrible, hindering blemishes. ‘Tis a skill that even the Court Jester envies~! He’s the one who sent you here, you know!”

        “The… Court Jester?” The one from the painting back at the tavern? “Really?”         He nodded fast and took your hand, starting to swing you around as if performing an exaggerated formal dance. “He sent you to me and my dearest friends because of your positive outlook! You and your zappy-go-lucky Nightmare friend laugh in the face of death and you make Death laugh right back. What a couple o’ cards, I don’t meet nearly enough wanderers like you!!” He barked out a laugh.

          So the trap wasn’t this man’s doing. This so-called Jester had lured you here… “...Wait-” You blinked up at him. “You know he’s a Nightmare?”

         The man giggled into his hand. “The Jester knows many, many things, my friend~!” he gave you a playful shove. “He knows you have only the slightest sliver of a chance of leaving here, he knows your friend is doomed here. How unfortunate,” he tsk-ed and shook his head. “BUT he also knows you will forget all about misfortune in my hands~!” He placed a hand to his chest. “You showed quite some nerve, resisting the offer to spend the rest of your days playing away, returning to a time of innocence, but you really ought to reconsider throwing away such jubilation..” He gripped his bowtie, creating a strange sort of glowing static that emanated sounds of faint laughter, squeals, whooping and hollering.         …And what faintly sounded like agonized wails amongst the cacophony.         “You need only to make a pact with good ol' Mr. Shiro!" He then held his hand out to you, still ‘glowing’ with static, indicating a handshake. "Whaddya say?"

         You gulped and took a small step back. "Uhh... Listen, I appreciate you wanting to make me feel better, but I'm actually pretty happy already, all things considering," you shrugged. "I'm in good hands with my friend here."

         Instead of responding with disappointment, the empty void on his grey face slowly revealed a wide, Cheshire-like smile full of sharp teeth, taking a step closer to you. "Are you now? Ohh but ‘pretty' happy is simply not the same!" He waggled his finger. “Journeying onward will only risk throwing you into more danger!! That pesky fear will come back, again and again, no matter how much Mr. Monster Mash tries to make you laugh!!” He took another step forward, his legs stretching a bit to make him even taller. “I want to make sure that you laugh forever and ever!! That beautiful smile etched onto your lovely face, another fine addition to those who ever so willingly gave up their sorrows and worries to me!” He gestured a finger to his bowtie, then cracked his knuckles, wiggling his fingers at you, his smile growing wicked. “Now juuuust hold still~”

        You felt a blush light up your cheeks at the gesture. You swallowed and turned tail to make a break for it, eyeing one of the play structures to try and hide in.

         He cackled in amusement at your attempts to flee. "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING, FRIEND?? YOU'RE HAVING FUN HERE, AREN'T YOU?!" His voice sounded more manic than ever. Downright giddy at the chance to play with you. He whipped his arms forward attempting to grab at you again, but you managed to duck down and slide under the cage of one of the play structures like you were sliding into home-base, and crawled up the tubing.

         It wasn’t difficult to get a read on his location. His wild, way-too-jovial laughter never stopped. “Ohh how I LOVE a good game of hide-and-seek!! I NEVER lose~!!” He cackled. Just as he was getting too close for you to keep camping out, one of his rubbery arms shot right through the caging and grabbed at the floor near your legs. You gasped and barely stifled a scream, quickly climbing higher into the structure.         You found some clear tunnels to climb through, trying to peek out in the dark building below you. His laugh sounded like it was more distant… But when your eyes came back into focus on the plastic tubing, you saw his face in the reflective surface. You felt your heart jump into your throat and you started to back up… Just in time for his reflection to phase right out of the plastic and start crawling after you on his noodly limbs, cackling like a lunatic again.         “SHIT-!!” You hurried backwards and dove into one of the slides. You staggered to your feet, having to catch your breath. You barely had time to take a few more steps forward before you saw him again, hanging upside-down from nearby monkey-bars, waving one of his hands frantically at you. You laughed at the sight. This crazy bastard was giving you as much of a run for your money as the Nightmare. It didn’t help that you were pretty worn out from all your previous fun.         And Mr. Shiro used that to his advantage. He swung himself over from the monkey bars, flinging his rubbery arms forward and wrapping them around you.. And promptly burying his digits against your belly. “Heeheeheee, laugh for meeee~” His fingertips were soft and squishy, and very skilled.

        “YEEK-!” You whined, barely having the energy to fight back anymore, falling back against him and letting him tickle you.

        “Tiiickletickletickle! Ohh that’s the happiest laugh ever!! You really do enjoy this~!!” He let out a jolly laugh of his own. He unwrapped his arms, only to pull your arms above your head and hold your hands together. His other hand made quick work of tickling over your torso in unpredictable patterns. Pinching your sides, playing your ribs like a piano. Closely following each of your arching, bucking movements, never letting you escape contact with his hand for a moment. “Coochiecoochieeeheeheee!! Oh I could simply do this all day~! Such a shame you mortals need silly things like food, or water, or oxygen, I could tickle you into the next decade and never let you frown again~!”

        His hands buzzed with that strange static again. It wasn’t like Rags’ tickle magic. It filled your belly with butterflies, the light, airy feeling travelling through the rest of your body. Despite his manic personality, his hands were surprisingly gentle. The delicate fluttering drew out your gasps and squeaks; His arms wrapped around you felt like a secure hug. It made you feel…Comforted. You practically melted against him. “Awwww, so cuuuute!!” He teased. “No wonder all my silly little friends couldn’t resist having a go at you~!”

        You felt your body start to relax more in his grasp, and he took advantage of this to sling you over onto one of the nearby rope bridges a few feet off the ground, laying you out flat on your back. He stretched his body up through the bottom of the ropes, promptly yanking your shoes off, poking and tickling your toes and underneath them. “Tickletickle, little tootsies!!”         “NNnaah-hahahaha!! Stahahahap-hahaha!!” Your system was already on adrenaline and dopamine overload. You barely had the strength to fight back anymore, even if you wanted to. You wanted to let this entity tickle you, and play with you, and make you laugh with his army of cartoon friends as long as they wanted. You felt happy. So happy. As if there could never be a sad or angry thought in your mind ever again…

         The sound of the Nightmare’s voice hollering from above started to snap you out of it. "GERONIMOOOO!" He shouted yet again. He plummeted down from the ceiling, phasing right through the bridge and landing directly onto Mr. Shiro, pulling him off of you, tumbling with him onto the floor below and straddling his waist.

        "WAUFF–!!" The entity bounced off of the spongy floor, then instantly wheezed and burst into laughter. "BAHAHA!! Goodness, you sure caught me unawares!! You really are unpredictable!!"         “Hehehe, glad you’re a good sport about it, Mr. Giggles! Noww, whaddya say you laugh for us for a while~?” He smirked and wiggled his fingers at the entity's face.           You found the strength to roll over onto your stomach to watch the commotion below you.

          Mr. Shiro gasped loudly and instantly started squirming. "O-Oh heavehehens, now let's not get too hastyyhehehe!!" He burst into nervous giggles before the Nightmare had even made contact with him, attempting to shield himself by bending his noodly arms all over his torso.

          But Rags faked him out, instead sneaking his stretchy hair tendrils behind him to start tugging at his shoes.           The entity instantly yelped and burst into wild giggling and gasps. “GYEEE-HEHEHE!!”           “Ohh? You can feel that, huh? Or are ya being dramatic again~?” Rags snickered. But the more he tried to tug and find the lip of his boot, the more he realized something… “Ohhh, I see now. You don’t actually have shoes. You can feel this juuust fine~!” One of his tendrils morphed into a brush, scrubbing against the spongy, rubbery sole of his “shoe”.

          Mr. Shiro practically squawked and bucked under the Nightmare, pounding his fists and feet into the floor, smiling wider than ever. “WAAAIEEEE-HEEHEEE NAAHAHAHAT THE FEEHEEHEET!!” His elastic body flailed and snaked and warped under Rags. You smiled wide at the sight. Mind if I get a closer look? You asked Rags in your thoughts.           He smirked up at you and nodded, snapping his fingers, poofing you down to lay out on the floor close to them.           “HEEHEHEHELP!!” Mr. Shiro sprung one of his arms over to you, holding out a hand like someone needing rescued. You almost took it just to humor him, pausing when you saw it buzzing with that same strange fuzzy static as before. Rags noticed too, diving in to blow an enormous raspberry against his thin torso, at the same time burying his claws against his underarms. The entity shrieked and was forced to retract his arms to clamp them down over his sides, filling the high, empty building with his squawking, hysterical laughter.           “Nice try, Rubber-Band-Man~! But don’t you think you can go making soul-binding pacts when I’m around~” He chuckled meanly, sending a ticklish burst through him, practically turning him into a wacky-waving-tube-man.           You scooted yourself closer, not able to resist the urge to tickle one of his rubbery sides. He screeched and whined loudly. “NAAAH-HAHAHA NOT YOU TOOHOOHOO!!” He didn’t try to shove you or the Nightmare off of him, though; he simply hid his huge laughing smile under his hands.           You grinned. “I dunno, Rags, I think he likes this~”           Rags took notice too, smirking and raising an eyebrow. “You’re riiiight~ A shame I can’t keep you as my happy, laughing little ticklish pet forever and ever~!”          

           The entity whined and hid his face more. “B-But I muhuhust stay hehehere!! Spread my- AAH-HAHAHA JoyyeeEEHEHE to every lost sohohoul !!” He finally managed to worm his way out from under the Nightmare by stretching his body as thin as it could go, promptly springing up and doing a cartwheel backward, tidying off his bowtie and hat, catching his breath.           Rags slowly stood up, menacingly starting to stalk toward him, cracking his knuckles; the sight giving you secondhand chest-flutters.           “D-Don’t you want the same??” Mr. Shiro held his arms out, trying to bargain. “You take away sadness, you dampen fear, you drown out the bloodlust of our denizens, your entire being craves ceaselessly for laughter and jubilation!!"

          Rags chuckled, shrugging. The more he stepped forward, the more the other entity stepped back. “You’re not wrong~ But see, that’s where you and I are different. I know that other emotions are important.” He finally stood still.  “I’m not just made of laughter… I’m also made of…” He promptly grew himself a couple feet taller than the entity, looming in close. “FEEEAARRR~”

          The man gasped and balked and nearly stumbled back over his own feet.

          Rags giggled playfully. “See? That was exciting, wasn’t it? Fear ain’t so bad~! Not if you don’t let it put you in a bad mindset! Plenty of people enjoy a healthy dose of fear.”

          The entity quickly adjusted his hat. “I-I wasn’t afraid!! Simply startled, that’s all!!” He huffed. “Well fine then, what of sadness? What of anger? HOW are negative emotions anything but poison?!”

          “Because that’s what makes us human!!” You decided to speak up, slowly standing to your feet. “No-one likes being sad. No-one likes grief, or guilt, or being terrified for their life. But just because something causes us pain doesn’t mean we can’t work through it. People like venting their emotions through intense music, sad movies, therapeutic hobbies.” You tried offering a reassuring smile. “You can always remind people that there are reasons to still feel happy and hopeful even if they’re dealing with some really bad shit. But you can’t force people to be happy forever.”           "There ya have it," Rags gestured to you. "Took the words right outta my mouth."

          Mr. Shiro scoffed and stretched out the top half of his body to lean in close to you. “Well I disagree~” For once, his smile seemed…strained. Of course, pulling his eyes away from Rags was a mistake. He was a crumpled pile on the floor within moments when Rags started squeezing rapidly along his hips. “YEEE-HEE-HEHEHE!!”           “Heheheh, forget it, buddy. You’re not winning this one~” His tail-hand clamped down onto the man’s ankles and sent a tickly burst through him, making him flail and howl again. “I wanna meet this Jester of yours. Sounds to me like he’s been keepin’ an eye on us, is that right? He’s the one who trapped us here?”           “YYEE-HEEhhHESS!!” Mr. Shiro wailed into his arms.           Rags scoffed. “Betcha he stuck us here cause he's too piss-scared to take me on himself~ Well if he’s so smart, then he’ll know how to get my buddy outta here. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll give me that answer willingly~!" his smile curled into an irritated sneer, voice lowering into a growl.           The entity rolled onto his back when Rags stopped his attack, catching his breath again, laying a hand on his stomach. “H-Heheh… Y-You’re… really proposing challenging him?”           “Damn right!! I’ve been chompin’ at the bit to go head-to-head with someone on par with me, if you even got anyone that strong here,” he gave a cocky smirk, lifting Mr. Shiro to his feet. “Not sayin’ that you and your Saturday Morning Gang here are weak, of course, a toon’s only weakness is paint thinner, heh~"           "Wha-" The man balked. "How do you know that?!"           Rags giggled. "I know many, many things~" he tapped a finger to his temple. "And I KNOW that Jester won't stand half of a chance against me while I have an overcharged battery to burn off!” He held out a bright glowing hand, letting off a burst of magic.. Which gave off a loud BANG and promptly jumped around to all the nearby jungle gym structures like lightning rods sucking up a thunderstorm. The entity squawked and ducked down, covering his ears.           Rags cackled at the entity's reaction, re-absorbing his magic again. “Heheheh, aren’t you curious to see what would happen if a god of laughter goes toe-to-toe with an expert entertainer~?”

          The man scratched his chin. “Hmmm…Y’knowww, you’ve piqued my interest! Whose joy is stronger? The stark-raving antics of a megalomaniac who defies his world of terror, or the refined performances of an entertainer who stands above Time and Space itself? I’ve a feeling he’ll have something to say about this sorry excuse of a Jester’s getup, in any case!” he gestured to Rags’ outfit.           Rags just giggled, holding out a massive hand, indicating a handshake. “So it’s a deal, then? You tell us how to get to him, I’ll make sure you get to peek in on the show~”           “Heh…” Mr. Shiro bowed his head. “Fiiine fine, very well~” He shook the Nightmare deity’s hand. “If you somehow manage to win, then by all means, flaunt your victory over all of us as much as you want! Not like it's going to last.” His wide smile returned. “But if you lose… Then I keep your silly, misguided little Wanderer with me. Forever~”

          “Deal!”           “Wha– RAGS!!” You glared up at him.

        He just grinned smugly. “You really think I’m gonna lose~?”           Mr. Shiro led you both to a red velvet curtain on one of the far walls, pulling it back dramatically to reveal a portal doorway leading out to a spooky-looking nighttime circus, the dim lights of various rides and attractions giving off a somewhat eerie, but inviting atmosphere. Your eyes lit up in excitement. “Oooh!! I haven’t been to a circus in forever!” You beamed up at Rags.           Mr. Shiro chuckled. “Well let’s get this show on the road then!!” He tied back the curtain with a golden cord on the wall. “Tell the Jester I did my part, but your sheer stubbornness was far too much even for my companions’ limitless stamina,” he chuckled.

          Before you headed through, he walked up to you. “You’re still making a mistaaa~aaaake!” He commented in a singsong voice,  waggling a finger in front of your face. “But… from one Connoisseur of Laughter to another, I say you both have plenty of reasons to keep smiling~!”           He took a dramatic bow, stepping back into the darkness and disappearing.

          Rags then took your hand. “A circus, huh? Seems pretty fitting~ Ready to go on some rides and kick ass?”           “Do you even need to ask??”

          You both hopped into the portal together, another step closer to finding someone who could help. Assuming he even wanted to. But you had no doubts that you and your Nightmare buddy had full power to "persuade" your way to victory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five  Chapter Six Chapter Seven (current) Chapter Eight

Footnotes:

Abandoned play park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pwi5OokwlU

Bounce house: https://sta.sh/01lapch2wbr

Ballpit: https://backrooms.fandom.com/wiki/Level_60 ( https://sta.sh/02e0h3zkgyq9 )

Playplace: https://sta.sh/01dl3xnsbp8n

Childhood nostalgia: https://sta.sh/0fwbqgx1rbx

Paper Snakes: https://sta.sh/0112pvtuai7n

Nightstalkers: https://sta.sh/0uir2qjx28 (Specifically used this one because of how they're described to have latex bodies. I wanted to include at least one entity that wasn't directly cartoon-related)

Mr. Shiro: https://sta.sh/01rrmb7z78vo

We’re officially at the halfway mark now!! And it's my longest chapter yet, holy shit

Sooo, I'm starting to notice a running theme of Levels and entities that are meant to be integral parts of my chapters getting yeeted from the Wiki. Half of the shit I intended to use from this chapter was deleted. Thankfully I was able to relocate them with the Wayback Machine. I just really don't want to take any credit for concepts that weren't mine in the first place.

In any case, I did take some creative liberties with the rest of this chapter. I wanted it to be a big homage to classic cartoons. The Toon monsters from Yu-Gi-Oh used to unsettle the hell out of me as a young teen - and kinda still give me the heebie-jeebies. And yet, they became a big influence for Rags' personality (along with Genie and Beetlejuice), and over time, I came to realize their potential as unhinged Lers. If I was a furry I’d probably be as weak for them as I am for clowns, lmao. And if any cartoony creatures belong in the Backrooms, it's those fuckers and the Cuphead bosses

[nonsenuser]

pearl (2022)

I know i probably shouldve watched X first, but so many people prefer this movie to that and i wanted to watch smthn less horror-esque and more character study-ish today so thats what i did

it leans into some of the cheesy horror aspects but it totally works in this movie imo. theres something very satisfying about the way the womens struggles in this movie are presented, specifically pearls. it all kinda boils down to the fact that to be a woman is suffocating, pearl is expected to help her mom around the house and attend to her sick father when she would much rather go out and explore, or rather 'be a star'. Her environment has caused her to express her frustrations in the weirdest and most violent ways. additionally u cant help but feel bad for her mom too, bc she too is living an undesirable, and shes become cold as a result of her upbringing. its the universal immigrant parent experience you could say. pearl herself actually realizes this too (which i like, i think its a common feeling to kind of detest and at the same time understand your mother bc of the circumstances) but by the time pearl realizes this shes kinda far gone. i dont think theres an alternate fate for her mom in this movie, these frustrations were bound to come to a tipping point one way or another.

i guess i will watch X but i find it hard to believe i will find maxine as likeable as pearl, but i will check it out bc i want to watch maxxine

[clevelandstate]

Legacy Cities: A Book About Cleveland’s History & Future

Dr. Stephanie Ryberg-Webster and Dr. Rosie Tighe are both associate professors of urban studies within Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Ryberg-Webster’s research explores the complex intersections of historic preservation and urban development, Tighe’s scholarship focuses on housing policy, race and ethnicity and neighborhood revitalization.

Below is an excerpt of an interview where the two scholars discuss their recently published book “Legacy Cities: Continuity and Change amid Decline and Revival”.

CSU: Can you tell us a little bit about your background as a writer and editor?

Ryberg-Webster: This is the first book that I have written/edited. I am working on a sole author book about historic preservation in Cleveland in the 1970s, so this was in some ways a learning experience for me in terms of editing a book. I think working with Rosie and the contributors to the book, many of who are colleagues here at Levin or former Ph.D. students, really made it an easy process. The staff at our publisher, University of Pittsburgh Press, were also terrific.

Tighe: I have edited a book before called The Affordable Housing Reader. That was a collection of already published work that we were pulling together, so it entailed seeking permission from journals rather than engaging directly with contributors, so this was something completely different. Like Stephanie said earlier - our colleagues and publisher were terrific and the whole process was fairly straightforward. I keep on telling Stephanie that we were very lucky because writing a book usually does not run this smoothly. I am also working on a sole author book right now. Mine is about suburbanization and racial segregation. I do feel better prepared for that project now that I have completed this book.

CSU: What is the main goal of the book?

Ryberg-Webster: The goal with the book was to bring attention to urban policy issues that are important to cities like Cleveland. In previous studies of legacy cities, there has been a heavy emphasis on Detroit and significantly less attention on cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo. We really wanted to harness the knowledge, energy and research that is going on around Cleveland and these other legacy cities.

Tighe: People in Cleveland are tired of being called “the Mistake on the Lake.” People have a lot of preconceptions about Cleveland, or Pittsburgh or Buffalo, and how they were “better before.” However these communities are still very important urban centers in this country. It almost seems like people forget that people still live in cities like Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo. This is the reason we decided to use the term “legacy cities” instead of “shrinking cities” or “rustbelt cities,” because those terms have negative connotations. We chose “legacy” because it better fits the reality of how these cities work and operate.

CSU: Why did you decide to collaborate on the book?

Ryberg-Webster: This project came about a couple of years ago at the encouragement of then interim dean Robert Gleeson. He was trying to spur new collaborative projects and faculty partnerships and we were intrigued by the idea of combining our research. Rosie covers social, race and class issues in cities, while I am focused more on the built environment in communities and how these environments are planned and maintained. Together, we cover a significant amount of what makes cities “tick.” I think that is why we work so well together and why this has been a good pairing.

Tighe: One of my first visits to Cleveland, was to attend a conference on historic preservation in legacy cities that Stephanie had organized. That was really the start of our conversations about the national and local perception of Cleveland and how people talk and think about the city. This book, particularly the introduction and conclusion which we co-wrote, is really the culmination of those conversations and the joint research that followed. It is really amazing and exiting to see all of our ideas, as well as the work of so many other researchers, come together in this book.

CSU: What type of support did you receive for the project?

Tighe: We received funding over three years from the Levin College Women’s Fund, which made it possible for us to spend two summers really dedicated to working on this book which we are really grateful for and that helped us a lot.

CSU: Is Cleveland experiencing a population decline?

Ryberg-Webster: Technically yes, the city of Cleveland’s population has declined every decade since the 1950s. The population of Cuyahoga County has declined every decade from 1980, which means that we are in a region that is stagnating. However, there are multiple neighborhoods in Cleveland where population has begun to grow, including Downtown, Ohio City and University Circle. These are bright spots that we need to enhance, while continuing to support the areas where there are still challenges.

Tighe: Our book says legacy cities, but in a lot of ways what we are talking about are things that have to do with regional equity. Looking at the entire city and its relationship to its suburbs, to the county as a whole, how they operate, what the funding environment is, who makes decisions, who is left out of decisions. All of these issues that we look at in this book are about Cleveland, but they are also about Cuyahoga County, Shaker, Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, Parma, etc. The history of Cleveland and its suburbs are both fascinating and terrible, we are still struggling with these “legacies” of this today.

CSU: Do you think this will change anytime in the future?

Ryberg-Webster: The answer to that question is very uncertain. I think there are things happening in our world globally that will potentially cause disruptions. If we did a population forecast today for Cleveland, it would go down because it has been going down. However, if you would have done this for Cleveland in the 1940s it would have gone way up because of what had happened in the previous decade. So we really can’t predict. I think there are parts of Cleveland that will continue to improve and I hope that this will not be at the expense of people of color, or people of low socioeconomic means who have lived in Cleveland through the worst of times.

Tighe: The trend is that neighborhoods that are whiter and wealthier are going to continue to do well, and neighborhoods that are blacker and poorer will continue to do poorly unless there is a change in how we approach things like the tax abatement and public school funding. Still, even with those types of reforms, there is only so much a city can do, especially a city that is constrained in resources. We do not have the money to invest in the neighborhoods that need it the most and we are allowing the private sector to choose where they want to invest and not where we need them to invest.

Ryberg-Webster: Solutions in the future will take creative thinking and leaders who are willing to take some risks and be innovative. The city and county have limited resources to spur drastic change. Federal and State policies encourage white flight and urban decline and decades of declining federal funding have exacerbated the difficult position of legacy cities.

Tighe: We tried to make the book very accessible, though. During the process, we thought about how we might use the book in the classroom, as well how we might shape new undergraduate and graduate courses where we explore these themes.

CSU: Are you hosting any events tied to the book being published?

Ryberg-Webster: Yes! We are going to have a launch party in September to promote the book and sign copies and highlight individual contributors. We will be announcing a date and location very soon!

[orbemnews]

It’s Memes vs. Regulators Roaring Kitty goes quiet as regulators circle Keith Gill’s cheerleading of GameStop stock made him an icon among Reddit-based traders during the recent meme-stock rally, and may have minted him a fortune — on paper at least. But Massachusetts authorities are now looking at whether he broke securities rules, The Times’s Matthew Goldstein reports, as regulators there and at the federal level investigate possible market manipulation in the trading frenzy. At issue is Mr. Gill’s side gig as a stock commentator. Until last week, he worked in marketing at the insurer MassMutual and he’s a registered securities broker. But he was better known to the outside world for his Roaring Kitty YouTube channel and his posts on Reddit’s WallStreetBets under a profane name unprintable here, in which he talked up GameStop stock. (His YouTube videos contained a disclaimer that viewers should consult a financial adviser before investing.) He hadn’t disclosed all that to MassMutual or to the financial authority Finra, a failure that Massachusetts’ securities regulator, William Galvin, is examining. MassMutual told Mr. Galvin’s office that, had it known about Mr. Gill’s activities, it would have asked him to stop or fired him. Representative Maxine Waters, the head of the House Financial Services Committee, wants Mr. Gill to testify at a Feb. 18 hearing on the meme-stock trading, which will also feature the Robinhood chief Vlad Tenev. Mr. Gill himself hasn’t posted a YouTube video since Jan. 22, and wrote on Reddit yesterday that he would “back off the daily updates” of his GameStop trading position “for now.” Meanwhile, the S.E.C. is reportedly combing through social media posts for fraud. The commission is looking for misinformation that may have spurred the market frenzy, while also examining trading data to see if messages and transactions match up, Bloomberg reports. Reddit has also said that its content filters blocked a “large amount” of posts by bots, adding to concerns about manipulation. In more meme-stock news: Among the biggest winners from the GameStop rally were a Morgan Stanley mutual fund and the hedge fund Senvest Management. A book about the trading mania by Ben Mezrich, whose “The Accidental Billionaires” was the basis for the movie “The Social Network,” was sold to Hachette. And here’s Robinhood’s forthcoming Super Bowl ad, with the pitch, “We are all investors.” HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING McKinsey will pay $573 million to settle investigations into its role in the opioid crisis. The consultancy reached an agreement with 47 states and others over its role in helping to “turbocharge” opioid sales, though it didn’t admit wrongdoing. The settlement amount is more than it earned from opioid makers, and mostly has to be paid within 60 days. Ken Frazier will retire as Merck’s C.E.O. Mr. Frazier, who led the pharmaceutical giant for a decade, drew headlines for standing up to President Donald Trump over the violent Charlottesville demonstrations. He is one of just four Black C.E.O.s of Fortune 500 companies, including Roz Brewer, who will take over at Walgreens next month. Mr. Frazier will shift to executive chairman in June. Apple nears a deal to produce an autonomous electric vehicle. The tech giant is finalizing an agreement with Hyundai-Kia to make an Apple-branded car in Georgia, CNBC reports. Shares in Apple rose 2 percent in after-hours trading. Apollo reports bumper earnings despite controversy around Leon Black. The investment giant’s fourth-quarter profit more than doubled from the same time a year ago. But a bigger test of whether it can move on from questions about Mr. Black’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein will come when it tries to raise money for new investment funds. A rare bit of good news for Deutsche Bank. A trading boom bolstered the German bank’s markets division, helping the firm report its first profit in six years. In less happy earnings news, Royal Dutch Shell missed expectations in its latest results, as oil giants continue to suffer from slumping demand for fossil fuels. Exclusive: NetJets invests in fuel made from waste The private jets charter company plans to announce today that it is buying a stake in a business that converts landfill waste into so-called sustainable aviation fuel, or S.A.F., as criticism grows about the environmental impact of private charter flights, which have boomed during the pandemic. NetJets will take a 20 percent stake in WasteFuel. The companies will collaborate on building a plant in Manila that will convert landfill-bound garbage into aviation-grade fuel. WasteFuel claims that its fuel represents an 80 percent reduction in carbon over its lifecycle compared with traditional fossil fuels. NetJets plans to buy at least 100 million gallons of fuel from WasteFuel over a decade. It’ll be shipped from the Manila plant to Los Angeles and then distributed across NetJet’s network. (For context, the NetJets fleet burns more than 120 million gallons of aviation fuel each year, according to a spokeswoman.) The investment builds on NetJets’ previous commitments to reduce its climate impact. In October, the company announced that it would buy more carbon offsets and rely on more S.A.F. Such news follows a rise in private jet travel as the coronavirus depressed commercial flight activity — and ongoing concerns that chartered flights are worse for the environment. “Everyone’s a genius in a bull market until they’re not.” — Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor, spoke about the GameStop mania, Bitcoin markets and echoes of the dot-com bubble in the latest “Sway” podcast with Kara Swisher. Getting to know Andy Jassy Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997, directly out of Harvard Business School. He helped start Amazon Web Services, the cloud-computing unit that has transformed the e-commerce giant’s fortunes in recent years. Although he was already well known to Amazon watchers, now that Mr. Jassy is set to take over from Jeff Bezos as C.E.O., the interest in him has reached a new level. A few things we’ve learned from all the profiles: He’s a “brain double” for Mr. Bezos, based on a stint he spent shadowing the company’s founder early in his career, a former executive assistant to Mr. Bezos told The Times. He sweats the details, and is “known for his curiosity and respect for data,” insiders told The Wall Street Journal. His typical mode is to start with customer problems and work backward to find solutions. He thinks companies should be “reinventing all the time,” according to remarks he gave at a recent company forum, according to Reuters. His role pushing Amazon away from its bookseller roots reflected what he called a “maniacal and relentless and tenacious” pursuit of “what’s working and what’s not working.” A congressman bets on cannabis Representative Brian Mast, Republican of Florida, has been buying stocks, like everyone else these days. But he is a lawmaker, so his picks are scrutinized more closely. The database Congress Trading flagged one recent transaction to DealBook that shows how trading by lawmakers, even if legal, comes with a need for transparency. (See our related coverage of Nancy Pelosi, Mo Brooks and Gerald Connolly.) Mr. Mast bought stock in Tilray, the Canadian cannabis company, on Nov. 6, spending between $15,000 and $50,000. That was days after the election, when measures to legalize recreational marijuana passed in four states. On Dec. 1, Mr. Mast certified the trade in a required disclosure, and three days later he voted for a bill, the MORE Act, which would downgrade cannabis as a controlled substance and decriminalize its production and use in other ways. The bill passed the House mostly along party lines, with Mr. Mast one of five Republicans to vote in favor. Tilray’s stock is up by more than 170 percent since early November, when Mr. Mast bought the shares. Mr. Mast represents a district in southeastern Florida which went for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, and he is among the representatives who refused to certify the presidential election results even after the Capitol riot halted the process, though he condemned the violence. A veteran, Mr. Mast has a record of supporting medical marijuana in Florida. He served in the army for 12 years, including in Afghanistan, where he lost his legs. The congressman advocates for vets, was considered to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs and generally supports exploring alternative medical treatments. In other words, his position on supporting cannabis legislation and companies is consistent. And it’s this consistency — the timing of the stock purchase and the vote — that could be seen as awkward, undermining trust. A spokesman for Mr. Mast said that he “has bought and sold this stock a few times over the past few years.” He added: “The price of this stock has dropped substantially over the years. When he bought the stock in 2019, for example, it was at $77 per share. It hit a low of about $10 and today it is still at less than $30.” THE SPEED READ Deals 23andMe, the consumer DNA testing company, will go public by merging with a SPAC backed by Richard Branson and his Virgin Group at a $3.5 billion valuation. (23andMe) Retail traders’ latest obsession may be a blank-check fund run by the veteran banker Michael Klein that’s in talks to merge with the electric car company Lucid — the SPAC’s shares have more than tripled in the past month. (WSJ) British and E.U. antitrust regulators reportedly plan expansive investigations into Nvidia’s $40 billion deal to buy Arm, reflecting deep skepticism about the transaction. (FT) Politics and policy Mario Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank, accepted a mandate to form Italy’s next government as prime minister. (NYT) The Justice Department dropped a lawsuit accusing Yale of discriminating against white and Asian applicants, a legal fight started by the Trump administration. (NYT) Tech The C.E.O. of the conservative social network Parler said he was fired after a dispute with is financial backer, Rebekah Mercer, over limits on user postings. (NYT) Canadian authorities declared the facial recognition app Clearview AI illegal, though their demand of scrubbing Canadian faces from its database may be hard to enforce. (NYT) Myanmar’s military has blocked Facebook, a primary source of news for its citizens, after seizing power in a coup. (FT) Best of the rest Former President Donald Trump’s top banker at Deutsche Bank, Rosemary Vrablic, was pushed out after failing to disclose a side transaction with a client. (NYT) Buyers paid millions for apartments in the supertall 432 Park tower in Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row” — and ended up with costly leaks, creaky walls and huge hikes in common charges. (NYT) We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to dealbook@nytimes.com. Source link Orbem News #memes #regulators

[girlieinterns]

This is my very last Professional Confessional, and I saved it for last because it is quite special to me.  Passion Pit was my go-to band when I first began to explore alternative and indie music in middle school.  Now, so many years later, I had the incredible opportunity to speak with one of the members of the band that I love so dearly, and he was just as awesome as I always thought he would be.  Check out my interview with Jeff Apruzzese below:

Maxine Musto: If you had your own Wikipedia page, what would the synopsis or definition be?

Jeff Apruzzese: I am an avid music lover and musician, I am a cyclist as well as a...I don’t want to say pizza snob...lover of pizza, I would say.

MM: Tell me about what you’re currently doing.

JA: Right now I teach at Drexel University in Philadelphia.  I am the program director for the music industry department and I am an assistant professor, teaching within our music business department.  My focus is mainly on live music courses, so I teach a freshman-level live music industry course as well as advanced concerts and venues courses.  I’m the faculty advisor for our student-run record label where we have our students doing everything from A&R and marketing plans to event production and promotion.  I am also an advisor for seniors’ capstone projects.  Every senior has to do a body of work that is demonstrable of their time here.  They normally fall within three categories: audio authorship (recording music), research (theses and defenses) and business plans.  I share that with two other professors and I tend to fall within the research category, mentoring them along the way, as it’s something they do their entire senior year.  More or less, they are project managing for nine months of their last year here.

MM: How did you get into teaching?

JA: Completely accidentally.  I was working at Girlie Action and a former professor of mine had asked me if I had ever considered teaching or working at a college. I was not a good student, I did not go to school to be a teacher, and I do not have a Ph.D.  I have my Masters now, but at the time I didn’t.  It seemed like a cool opportunity so I was working at Berklee College of Music for the last three years- I just started at Drexel in September.  Originally when I went up there, I wasn’t hired to teach, I was hired to help put together a support system for this institute called the Berklee Popular Music Institute where another professor and I created relationships with a bunch of music festivals and got student bands and music business students at the college to perform at all these festivals, which was awesome.  We had a tour bus, and a partnership with vans, but all the festivals happen during the summer and I found myself traveling more than when I was playing in the band Passion Pit for eight years.  I was touring more with the college and getting paid less, which seemed a little backward to me.  While I was there, I was asked to give guest lectures for people and interviewing guests who are in town, and I really started to like being in an environment where I was talking about my career path, helping students figure out their career path, and bringing in guest speakers.  I was there for three years and my wife was still in New York, so I was going back and forth.  There was an opportunity in Philadelphia so we moved here.  Coming here, I assumed a much larger role.  I had been doing more program orchestration and administrative work and not teaching full time.  Here, I am in this place to teach.  I create new courses and teach them.  Drexel is nice because I’m the only one teaching live music and the only one with experience as a touring musician.

MM: Tell me about your time at Girlie Action.  Were you working on the publicity or management side?

JA: I was working on the publicity side.  I was probably a full-time employee for less than a year, not ideal, I know.  I started as an intern.  What was funny was that the office is more or less across the street from Madison Square Garden.  So going into my intern interview, I was like oh wow, I sold that arena out not too long ago and now I’m interviewing for an internship job.  I was doing a lot of different things, working for many different publicists.  At the same time, I was also working with some of my own clients as well.  It was a cool opportunity because I was able to bring relationships that I had from touring over to the PR side.  One of the early clients was Donna Missal, who now is starting to do really well.  It was a great time and it’s funny because I was turning 30 and that was the first real job I ever had.  Before that, I was just a guy touring in a band.  Girlie took a risk on someone who had no experience working in an office to bring me in.

MM: How did you translate your work as a musician to work in the music industry? JA: A lot of it is still what I talk about from an instructional standpoint.  So much of the business is about relationships and how you maintain those relationships.  I’ve always approached everything the same way I approached being in a band.  I’m a trained bass player, both upright and electric, classical, jazz, and punk rock, and in playing with alternative and rock bands, being the bass player is the easiest role in the band.  It’s not as technical.  I always felt that as a bass player, you’re obligated to do other things.  I always found that for me, I was handing a lot of the business responsibilities and a lot of my position was what we called the “vibe tech.”  I always kind of approached my life like that and it definitely translates to the industry side.  As I started to work at Girlie and also on the academic side, a lot of the people who come and speak to my classes or people who have interviewed my students for internships are people I have encountered while touring or someone introduced me to someone else.  It all felt pretty natural.  From a very bias perspective, there are not a lot of people who have been in my position to translate into instructional teaching.  There are a lot of people who tried to be in a band but didn’t do it, but when I teach my classes, I can show them what a tour that grossed four million dollars looks like, how it breaks down, what a tour outing looks like, and how all these things work from the backend.  It doesn’t seem like everything would fit into place naturally, but so far everything that I’ve done seems to link up with something else.

MM: How did Passion Pit begin?

JA: I started playing in the band right when I graduated from college. I went to Berklee College of Music for my undergraduate degree.  I was in the unfortunate position of taking out a lot of loans to go to college, and as I was getting close to graduation, my parents obviously wanted me to get a job.  Right as I was graduating, Passion Pit had loosely formed with another bass player and drummer at the time.  I was friends with everyone and so I said that I had the summer free and I would fill in and play some shows with them.  In a very small world situation, and why I always tell everyone that the music industry is very small and everyone knows everyone, one of the first shows I was playing with them, people from Frenchkiss Records were there, and it turned out I had interned with one of them a few years earlier at a different company.  I don’t think that landed my place in the band, but them coming up and seeing me, that made things easier.  So my parents saw us play during a residency at Piano’s and they saw, in over one month, a show that went from selling a few tickets to selling out, and they were willing to let me take a risk and play with the band.

MM: Tell me your best story from your time in the band.

JA: My best story has to be how I met Bruce Springsteen.  I’m from New Jersey, and he’s the hometown hero.  I met him, in all places, in London, at the Glastonbury Festival, which if you’re not familiar, is one of the biggest music festivals.  It happens on a giant farm outside of London.  We are playing on the John Peel Stage, and The Gaslight Anthem is going on right before us so we were in these holding dressing rooms they give to the next two bands who were going on stage next.  I was a fan of The Gaslight Anthem, and kind of too scared to really talk to them, but we chatted for a bit.  Then this tinted out Range Rover pulls up outside the stage and I’m like, “Who is driving this really nice car?”  Out comes Bruce Springsteen, and he’s walking towards the dressing rooms.  And I’m like, “What is happening?”  So I turn to one of my friends and I’m like, “I’m just going to pretend that I know Springsteen.  I’ve never met him before but I’m just going to say hi.”  I don’t know why I thought this was a good plan.  Springsteen walks over and I’m like, “Hey, how are you doing, I’m from New Jersey,” and he’s like, “Oh cool, man.”  We’re making small talk and he’s like, “When am I coming on with you, I’m coming on to play a song with you guys.”  And I’m like, “What? You’re playing a song with us?”  And he’s like, “Gaslight Anthem, Right? And I’m like, “Oh.  But I’m in this other band, and we’re playing right after Gaslight Anthem so you should come see us.”  He’s like, “Oh yeah maybe I’ll stick around.”  Springsteen goes and crushes “The ‘59 Sound” on guitar with Gaslight Anthem and everyone goes nuts.  We go on to play afterward, and like our third or fourth song, I can see something out of the corner of my eye and our tour manager was pointing to the back of the stage.  I turn around, and Springsteen is standing behind my bass amp and he gives me a thumbs up and a big smile.  I totally blanked out and forgot how to play.

Fast forward three or four months, it’s Christmas Eve Day, I’m in my parent’s home talking to some of my good friends, and I’m telling them this story.  Then we walk into Urban Outfitters to do some shopping, and Bruce Springsteen is there, purchasing something at the cash register.  And as we’re walking in, one of Passion Pit’s song’s, “Little Secrets,” comes on the stereo, and one my friend’s says to me, “I don’t know if I really believe your story, if it’s true, go say hi to him.”  And I was like you know what, fine, I will.  So I walked over to him, and again I don’t know why I thought this was the best thing to do, but I went up to him and I put my arm around him and I was like, “Hey man, good to see you!”  And he had this look on his face like he was going to punch me, he was so confused.  I was like, “Oh, you don’t remember me, we met at Glastonbury, I play in this band, you came and saw us.”  And he says, “Passion Pit, right?” And I was like, “Yeah!”  And he was like, “No, I really liked it,” and then he says, “Wait, isn’t this your music playing on the stereo right now?”  And I was like, “Yeah, how’d you know?” And he said, “Well, I went home and I bought all of your music.”  That’s probably one of my favorite band stories ever.

MM: I have one more question for you.  You are a jack of all trades- you’ve had so many different jobs but they all have the common denominator of being in the music industry.  What advice would you give someone who wants to be in your position?

JA: No job is too small, say yes to everything, and get as much experience as you can.  People are afraid to ask questions, and you just need to put yourself out there as much as possible.  In high school, I was not very outgoing.  It’s this whole musician paradox, where musicians are inherently introverts and that’s why people like to play their instrument, they want to convey their emotion by playing in their bedroom.  Finding new opportunities and meeting people doesn’t happen in your bedroom.  And even though we’re kind of in a place now where we can meet people all over the world through technology, there still is something special about meeting someone in person and forming authentic relationships.  I always say to my students, don’t be an asshole.  It sounds so stupid and silly, but half of the opportunities I’ve gotten in my life are because I treat people with respect by being nice, and also being willing to take risks.  I don’t think you’ll get anywhere in life by being comfortable.  I think there’s something to be said about getting outside of your comfort zone.  To tie everything together, the feeling I get teaching a class is the same feeling I got playing on that stage.  You don’t really think about it as a student if you’re watching your professor, you don’t think about them necessarily as putting on a performance, but it really is that.  You rehearse your lecture, you’ve taken the materials you want to present, and it’s a performance in a way.  I still get that kind of butterfly anxiety every time I go in to teach a class, and there’s that feeling you get after you’re done where you’ve overcome this thing. I felt like that every time I played a show.  I always said that if that feeling started to go away, I needed to do something else.  And towards the end, that’s what started to happen for me, it started to feel like a job.  I was clocking in to play a show and wasn’t getting those same feelings.  I feel like I’m still in that position.  Once I am too comfortable in teaching, I’m going to need to find something else.  This is an old saying, but a rolling stone gathers no moss. I’m always trying to move and do the next thing.  My wife always tells me that I’m always thinking about the next three steps instead of taking care of the thing directly in front of me.  But I think it’s important to figure out what you’re going to do when you’re done with this thing, or you’re going to look back and twenty years have passed.  We only have one life, so what do you want to accomplish?  What do you want to get done with the time you have here? 

[micechicken]

Fuuucking hell. Finally I get to show the other dolls. Ahh. I need a name for the toy line, but I don’t know what it could be. But honestly this is everything I want a toy line to be, with the characters being actually smart and helpful in media. And not just dumb time wasters and poor lessons. Also I wanted to be like their more cartoonish look, so they don’t have their joints showing.

More info under cut (sorry if it breaks on mobile).

Starlet Scarlet- The lead character of the toy line of dolls in the story line for it, not for the story they’re kinda in (Soapy). Loves the aesthetic of the 50s and punk rock.

Penelope Peach- An animal and nature lover, cares for all living things (even bugs) and tells others how to help the environment.  

Morning Melon- Cares about heath a lot, good at eating healthy, exercising and even knows quite a bit of first aid.

Lauren Lemon- The second leading character with Starlet. Loves fashion and hair styling, loves to teach her friends with her skills. 

Nila Neon- Loves horror and writing. Tells other creepy stories to scare, entertain and teach her friends, but knows how to get out of a bad situation. 

Petti Pine- Loves nature too, and exploring. Knows her way around places and can help others out of danger.

Maxine Mint- The familiar one to the story since she’s the lead character of Soapy. She loves parties and shiny things, and just having fun. Great at dancing. 

Maddie Marine- The last of the trio in the lead of the toy line with Starlet and Lauren (making primary colors). Loves the ocean and the creatures in it. Knows how to sail, different things about the waters and how to help others in waters.

Pippy Periwinkle- Loves weird fashions, eyes and pop music. Often found singing and dancing anywhere.

Oliff Orcid- Loves birds, science and the winter. Great at building structures and is always found outside in the snow and ice, but knows a lot about being careful in the snow.

Lori Lace- Loves childish things and games. Is great friends with Maxine and they can often be seen together.

Clem Cream- One of the limited addition dolls. She likes baking and cooking like the other two (Chleo and Lee) but her main focus is fluffy foods.

Chleo Coco- The second on of the limited addition dolls. Likes baking and cooking (like Clem and Lee) and her main focus is much experimental cooking.

Lee Licorice- The last of the limited addition. Cooking and baking (like Clem and Chleo) and focuses on perfecting foods she learns to be better.

[bonduniversity]

An experience of a lifetime in Tiger Town

Isabella Cerutti is a studying a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Commerce at Bond University. She’s currently on exchange at Clemson University, South Carolina and shares what it’s like to study with 30,000 students, where College football is a weekly ritual and on Fridays, they wear orange. 

When I graduated from high school in 2014, I departed on a 9-month gap year in Europe, Asia and Africa where I continued to develop my love for travelling and experiencing new and unfamiliar environments. I made life-long friends and memories that I will forever cherish. Subsequently, when I commenced studying a double degree in Business and Commerce at Bond University in 2016, I was 100% certain of one thing and that was that I would partake in an exchange at some point while studying as an undergraduate student. As I spent the majority of my gap year in Europe, I decided that I wanted to attend a large college in the United States, as I have not explored America as much. The three main reasons I chose Clemson University to study abroad are:

1. I wanted to experience College Football. I have a passion for sport and wanted to learn more about American Football as I knew nothing about it prior to attending Clemson. 2. Clemson is a college town with over 30,000 students 3. I only heard amazing reviews about previous students’ experiences at Clemson and how amazing it was.

 A picture of my Australian friend Maxine and I at our first Clemson home football game at Death Valley Stadium on campus. The games have been one of my favourite experiences on campus thus far!!

The subjects I am taking on exchange have been extremely informative and interesting. I am taking Intermediate Italian, Social Media Marketing, International Marketing, Human Sexual Behaviour and Corporate Finance. All of these subjects have been extremely enlightening, particularly International Marketing, as I did not expect to learn about psychology and the evolution of humans. If you were to attend Clemson University, I would highly recommend this subject as you learn so much about the world and different cultures. In addition, my professor was an extremely knowledgeable man who graduated from Yale University. There were additional subjects that I was interested in taking while I was here, which included Archery, Country Music, Rivalry, Social Science of Entrepreneurship and History of the US, just to name a few.

The subjects are very similar to Bond in regard to participation and attendance. It is required that students attend all classes and that they contribute regularly to class discussion. In addition, Clemson University is a highly regarded University in the United States and a University that demands high grades to be accepted to study as a U.S citizen. I have found the workload to be similar to that of Bond however, I personally consider the marking criteria to be more lenient.

Clemson is a beautiful, College town with the Clemson Campus sprawling over a very large area. It takes me 15 minutes to walk to some of my classes even though I live on campus. Furthermore, I love to explore the surrounding area, going into downtown at night, nearby beaches, lakes and mountains. I have also been on many weekend trips as I wanted to see as much of America as possible. Since being at Clemson, the major cities I have travelled to are Greenville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Asheville, New Orleans, Nashville, Washington, Baltimore, Pennsylvania and Boston. I definitely loved to stay on campus during the weekends and explore around Clemson, however I definitely recommend incorporating travel into your exchange as there is so much to see and America has fascinating history. It is important to find the balance between travel and staying on campus as there is always an abundance and overwhelming amount of activities to do over the weekend at Clemson.

The most challenging aspect of exchange for me was the daunting feeling of leaving my amazing family and friends back in Australia and naturally the fear of the unknown. However, since becoming 100% settled in and immersed in Clemson life, I am so fortunate to have met so many amazing individuals as well as experiencing an entirely new culture and way of life. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking the jump to leave Australia and participate in an exchange. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will positively impact you for the rest of your life. It is only natural to feel trepidatious at the commencement of your exchange, however in hindsight, my fear of leaving home seems so insignificant and unnecessary.

At Clemson University there is so much university spirit and a real sense of family and belonging. Everyone is a ‘Tiger’ and loves to support each other in all endeavours, whether it be sport, academia or cultural activities. There is always something happening and so much to see and do! Furthermore, there are so many places to eat on campus with three dining halls, fast food, cafes and numerous Starbucks! I love to take advantage of the amazing gym facilities and attend F45 three times a week for a mere $50 for the entire semester! I am also part of the Clemson running club, Italian Club and play in a mixed American football social competition, which has enabled me to meet more students, be social and keep myself busy!

I live on campus in Calhoun Courts student accommodation, with other exchange students as well as Americans. I love Calhoun Courts because we are in close proximity to other international students, which provided me with the opportunity to become friends with students from all over the world. The apartments are spacious, comfortable and I even scored my own room as you usually share with another person. We have everything we need in the apartments and share a big bathroom, a living area and a kitchen. What I love the most about Calhoun is that it houses not just international students, but American students as well. Therefore, I have the option of traveling with the other exchange students or immersing myself in American culture with the locals of South Carolina. As I live with Americans, I was fortunate enough to be invited to four American Thanksgivings. As a result, I have the opportunity to celebrate this unique American tradition with two different families. The fall semester also involved Halloween, the fall break, the start of the basketball season, the women’s volleyball season and the entire football season!  

Finally, I wanted to experience an entirely new culture and way of learning while I was on my exchange. With only a month remaining it saddens me that I will be leaving Tiger Town so soon, as my time here has passed way too quickly. I have achieved so many new things while being on exchange. I have travelled to new places, I have made amazing new friends from all over the world that I will forever stay in contact with, I have experienced a different way of life and I have grown as a person. This exchange has prepared me for work in the real world as I now return to Australia to graduate. Clemson has opened many doors for me providing global contacts and increasing my networking opportunities. Being exposed to a whole new way of life will provide me with a point of difference and allow me to draw on my amazing time and experiences at Clemson, as I leave student life behind and begin my journey into the adult world.

My top three tips:

1. Do not let anything hold you back! Yes, the unknown is daunting and settling in takes 1-2 weeks. However, once you meet people, make amazing friends and become settled in a routine, times flies and amazing memories are made.

2. The exchange process is time consuming! Do not let the endless paperwork, applications and decision-making deter or dissuade you. There is so much preparation in advance while you are still busy studying. Ensure to stay on top of it because once you arrive it is worth it.

3. You will never have another opportunity like exchange once you have graduated so make the most of it and say yes to EVERYTHING! Travel, have fun, embrace classes and step outside your comfort zone in all things because the opportunities are endless!

Exchange is an experience that will broaden your educational horizons, expand your network and provide a lifetime of memories. Find out more about Exchange at Bond. 

[njawaidofficial]

'The Carmichael Show' Series Finale Explained

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/10/the-carmichael-show-series-finale-explained/

'The Carmichael Show' Series Finale Explained

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the hourlong series finale of The Carmichael Show.]

The Carmichael Show quietly wrapped its acclaimed three-season run Wednesday with one last surprise twist: the penultimate episode saw Jerrod (star and creator Jerrod Carmichael) and Maxine (Amber Stevens West) get married in a courthouse ceremony on their three-year anniversary (and a night after they partook in a threesome).

“Very much the way we would tell any story about anything, we didn’t want to do it in a traditional way or a straightforward way. We wanted to find our own road into it,” showrunner showrunner Danielle Sanchez-Witzel tells The Hollywood Reporter.

It was another unconventional turn for the NBC sitcom that has been defying its conventions since it first premiered in August 2015. Over the course of just 32 episodes, the 20th Century Fox multicam tackled issues from ranging from gender to gun control and controversial figures like Bill Cosby and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Despite the show’s continued acclaim, and headline-generating subject matter, the series was unable to earn a season four pickup, leaving Wednesday’s season three finale to also serve as series finale.

THR caught up with Sanchez-Witzel to discuss the show’s demise, what would have been in season four and the show’s legacy.

How does it feel today knowing tonight is the end? What’s going through your head today?

I woke up and I put on my Carmichael season three t-shirt and wore it into work today on the new show I’m on [Fox’s L.A. to Vegas]. I have a heavy heart that this is it, but I also feel great pride in everything we did for three seasons. It’s a real mixture of both. I’m missing the cast and my writers and the crew. It’s hard when shows are together for multiple seasons and when you carry most of the same people throughout all of that. You say goodbye and that’s it. It’s like switching schools or something so it’s a really hard thing.

Are you and the cast or are you and the writers doing anything special to mark the end of the show?

I think everyone has been getting together. There are some writers that are going to get together tonight and watch the finale together. Certainly, we’ve all been talking to each other, and I had a great dinner with Jerrod and [exec producer] Ravi [Nandan] and [co-creator] Ari [Katcher], the four of us just went on to dinner recently and celebrated everything we had done. So certainly, we are feeling proud and celebratory that we made this many episodes.

What were those last weeks like before the news came? How optimistic were you feeling about a fourth season?

I was not feeling optimistic for a season four, to be honest. It didn’t seem like it was in the card, this is just me, my personal opinion. I was feeling a lot of emotions that season three was ending. It had been a year between airing season two and season three, so I think that told us something in terms of what our fate might be.

There had been talk about the show potentially moving networks. How far did those talks get? How involved were you in those talks?

Really 20th [TV] is amazing and an extremely supportive studio and I think that they really have always loved the show all the way up to the top. We really felt the support from the studio and there were so many people at NBC network that loved the show too, just not enough to get it another season. I think Jerrod being the star-creator really took the lead in those conversations and what might or might not happen if NBC was going to cancel it.

Was there any place he mentioned as a strong possibility?

Jerrod, I never spoken for him before so I’m not going to do it now, but I do know that he has said that he wanted an NBC network TV show and I feel comfortable speaking for him in saying we were really proud of what we did. Certainly, his position was covered in the trades. He felt like the time had come and to focus on what happens next and he felt like we had kind of reached the end of what the goal was.

The day the news broke and the cast options expired, what conversation did the two of you have?

I had talked to him before that release so I knew how he was feeling. Jerrod and I are good friends and I certainly was in the loop in terms of what was going on with that stuff. I talked to our NBC executives and I knew where everything was as those releases were coming out.

How did you personally come to peace with ending the series at this point and not continuing to look for a new home for a potential season four?

I wish the show had gotten more episodes. I wish the show had gotten a chance to air in the fall. I wish it had been behind The Voice. There are a lot of things that I wish could have happened that were always out of our control. I do think airing in the summer, a year between seasons – none of those things ever helped us ever grow an audience. Even with the people who did support us at NBC, there’s a lot that I wish could have happened that never did. But writers, showrunners, creators, we don’t get to decide that kind of stuff, the business end decides those things. But from how hard we worked and what we were trying to do, I do wish that they had been some other opportunities for people to see our show.

One topic you mentioned wanting to tackle in season four was homelessness. What other issues would you have liked to discuss on the show had you come back?

All kinds of stuff. Maybe nuclear war is something we would have talked about. Who knows what we would have talked about. Planned Parenthood being defunded and the different characters we have would have certainly had something to say. There was an episode about travel and terrorism and fear and where our characters fell with regard to broadening their horizons. We talked about an episode where they were all going to go to Paris but Joe and Cynthia backed out and Jerrod was made because he paid for it. There were lots of things to talk about. Certainly, I don’t think we would have run out of interesting topics.

We were heading in a direction for Maxine and Jerrod’s relationship. We had plans for that, that we would have liked to continue to explore. And Bobby’s character, we ended him in a place where he was finding himself. I’m glad that we had the opportunity do it but Tiffany Haddish’s character Nekeisha, we were able to feature her a bit more in season three and that certainly would have continued to happen in season four.

People watching found out that Joe had a son before Jerrod and Bobby so that was a character we would have certainly made plans to continue to look at how that affected him, potentially meet him. We certainly approached the season as if there was going to be more.

After Jerrod and Maxine tie the knot, would there have been talk about kids next season?

We didn’t get that far. I think we would have waited on that. Jerrod certainly has some funny things in his standup that’s he working on in regards to kids. He has a lot of nieces and nephews. So I do think that it’s possible. There were some ideas we kicked around this season, not about them having kids necessarily but Jerrod’s desire to have kids. I’m sure we would have found some sort of topic that would have explored that. But I don’t know that they would have had kids. Maybe when we do the Christmas movie. (Laughs.)

How did you pick these episodes to serve as the last two?

We didn’t know. All we had was a gut feeling. We didn’t start airing until end of May when we were completely done. So we had to do what we always do which is just try to tell a good half-hour story. Every week, that was always our first goal. We did have it in mind because we had to do what any show has to do if you don’t have a pickup – you kind of have to think about what if this is it? We said, “How do we want these characters to end things?” We did finish the season with that in mind and specifically wrote these episodes to be the last two which is a little bit different for us because usually they can go in any order but we were very mindful of if this was it, what do we want to leave people with.

Looking back at the entire run, what episode or story are you most proud of doing and why?

There are so many. The first thing that always comes to mind for me is really the Cosby episode, partly because we were told we couldn’t in the beginning and Jerrod and I really, really felt strongly that we had a good angle on it and it was a struggle to explain and very much to NBC’s credit, and 20th, they kept an open mind. I will specifically say that [NBC Entertainment president] Jen Salke kept an open mind and allowed us to explore it. I was really proud that we were able to tell that story. I actually think that the message of that story – talent versus morals and where we are as a society with that, which came directly from Jerrod’s standup – that was a really good episode that we were proud of and just had so many obstacles to get to tell it.

This season, the “Yes Means Yes” episode about consent and the rape culture that we’re living in now. We knew we had a really good angle. That was written by Kevin Barnett & Josh Rabinowitz, who had the original idea and a really good take. So I’m proud that we were a show that was able to talk about things like that.

Two episodes that stand out performance-wise for me were “The Funeral” episode when Joe’s dad dies in season two, and also “The Blues” episode when Cynthia’s dealing with depression. We were so blessed to have actors that could handle that type of material, and not just handle but elevate it. Sometime we’d be standing on stage in the run-through and you’d just get chills: “I can’t believe what I’m watching. We’re watching masters at work in this theater environment.”

Given the caliber of the cast and all the stars that have broken out, who are you speaking with about other projects?

This cast is so talented so yes, I think that would be very smart to leave the door open for that. I’d be grateful if they did the same for me. Lil Rel [Howery] in the No. 1 breakout movie this year with Get Out and Tiffany is just hysterical in Girls Trip. And Amber, who is such a talent and such a pro, I’m happy that 20th knew that and that she’s going to be in Ghosted. I’m not surprised that she was [booked] immediately. I absolutely would work with anyone on our cast again. I think that these are movie stars, these are TV stars and it’s another reason that it stings a little that the show isn’t making more episodes just because there was so much talent on that stage.

What are you looking to do next? What are you hoping to develop?

I’m kind of in the early stages. I always am someone who likes to talk about real life and real things. I was on My Name Is Earl for a lot of years and I felt like that was a show – even though that world was heightened – we talked about real things and real feelings and I like doing that. I’m early on in what I’m going to do, but no matter what I do, it will be in the world of real-life problems. Cheers is my all-time favorite show and, when you think about who those characters are, that is a recovered alcoholic who owns a bar who’s just looking to be loved and to figure out how to be loved. It’s simple and complex at the same time. I like to deal with people’s real problems, so I’ll be in that world somehow again.

Finally, what do you hope The Carmichael Show’s legacy is?

I hope that people thought it was funny, because I think that’s what we were ultimately trying to be is funny. I think we were trying to have interesting conversations so I wouldn’t mind if people liked it or didn’t like it as long as they thought the conversations were interesting. It made them laugh and it was worth talking about. And maybe watching an episode made them have a conversation with someone else, just that it made you talk about something with your family, with your friends that might have felt too hard to talk about.

We had a couple teachers, both Jerrod and I, had a couple of teachers come up to us and tell us that they used our “Gender” episode from season one in their classroom. There was another episode too that someone came up and told Jerrod that, I think it was “Yes Means Yes” in a high school environment. It’s not what we were trying to do, but what we were trying to do was have intelligent conversations where there were six different points of view because at the heart, our show was about a family who doesn’t always see eye-to-eye but it’s important to push each other in your foundation and your thoughts and what your opinions are – it’s what Jerrod’s comedy, in my opinion, does – it just pushes people out of their comfort zone to see where they are. There’s no right or wrong. Our favorite stories always ended in grey territory where you can’t say one character was right and one character was wrong. It just is. 

The Carmichael Show

[workofcer]

Merging the human experience with technology at the 2017 Integrated Digital Media Showcase

Reimagining how we experience the world through technology, over 100 student-produced projects at the 2017 Integrated Digital Media (IDM) Spring Showcase explored the intersections of being human, art, storytelling, nature, identity, community and technology. Exhibiting their boundary-pushing ideas and designs, students engaged with mediums ranging from dance, performance, installation, print, film, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).

“AR and VR are extremely popular in the market right now,” assistant professor and IDM Showcase organizer Katherine Bennett noted about the many VR and AR projects. “Our faculty and students are active at new intersections of development. It’s no surprise that our students incorporate them into their practice, using these mediums to relay their messages, ideas and stories. It’s exciting to see how they reshape and develop a medium even further.”

As visitors navigated through the innovative and interactive projects at the NYU Media and Games Network (MAGNET), it was easy to see the students’ passion for technology and design. Maxine Kho, an undergraduate student and one of the IDM Showcase committee members, expressed that “behind every project and show lies not only hard word and skill, but more importantly heart. The passion that the IDM community brings people together with is infectious.”

The Projects

Exploring the abilities of mind power through virtual reality, graduate students Baris Siniksaran (Integrated Digital Media) and Sean Kim (Interactive Telecommunications Program) developed the immersive mixed reality experience WAVR, in which neuro-controlled VR technology uses biosensors to monitor increases in alpha waves (brain waves that increase as a person enters a meditative state). The brainwave data triggers commands on the VR application, allowing the user to control virtual objects with their mind. In addition to virtual reality, WAVR engages other physical senses through a vibrating chair, a fan blowing cool air, and wafts of perfume. “We want to see how much the human brain is capable of doing with the help of VR,” Siniksaran said, adding that WAVR aims to help people focus and increase productivity.

Experimenting with Microsoft’s mixed reality technology HoloLens, members of Technology, Culture and Society lecturer Dana Karwas’ User Experience Design course were challenged to create a mixed reality environment that developed unique and interactive experiences with artwork. The three projects — HelloLens, Holograil, and Hologlass — all explore how technology reinvents how we interact with art. Tyler Mechura described the HelloLens project as reimagining the artist studio visit, where paintings, installations, sculptures and video appear as interactive holograms and a digital assistant shares information about the artist and their artwork.  

Tatiana Pilon, a graduate student in IDM, shared her thesis project “ANA: An immersive journey to redemption,” a virtual reality embodiment that attempts to bridge the empathy gap between a viewer and diverse characters, and hopefully combat the stereotypes minority groups face when represented in media. “In this virtual reality world, the user is encountering someone different from themselves,” Pilon said. Pilon will be presenting ANA at the upcoming Creative Tech Week, and will also discuss diversity in animation.

Dozens of visitors lined up to experience “Peer,” a virtual reality short film created and produced by IDM graduate student Emir Fils-Aime that tells the story of a young black man as he wrestles with cynicism about his identity. Once users donned the VR headset, they inhabited the main character’s mind as he walks through a forest, with real leaves — strewn across the floor — crunching beneath their feet. Fils-Aime noted that “Peer” is the first installment in a trilogy of virtual reality short films that explore identity through immersive storytelling.

Multiple projects revolved around what happens when common materials and knowledge are transformed anew through virtual reality and augmented reality. Inspired by the book and television series Game of Thrones, Vhalerie Lee and Subigya Basnet created a mobile augmented reality experience that transports anyone into the fictional world. Through the mobile application, users hold up the phone’s camera to a physical map of Westeros, where they can navigate 3D castles and trigger castle history by tapping 3D sigils. “We wanted to experiment with different ways to use AR,” Basnet said. Lee also exhibited her immersive virtual reality film “Big Brother is watching,” loosely based on George Orwell’s novel 1984 and created using Unreal Engine and Maya for the Oculus Rift headset.

Mayukh Goswami, a first year IDM graduate student, presented his two augmented reality projects, “The Lenore Project” and “Modernity.” Goswami’s design brings printed text and images to life through a mobile augmented reality application. With the scan of a smartphone’s camera, birds suddenly fly across magazine covers of The New Yorker. In “The Lenore Project,” Goswami created a fictional small town newspaper that allows a reader’s smartphone to transform 2D pictures into fantastical moving images.

The evening also featured a live dance performance produced by first year IDM graduate students Mateo Hernandez, Yi-Chih Angela Wang, Sara Camnasio, and Goswami. In “Land On Mirrors,” the dancers disrupted and changed the projected digital landscape through their movements. In the final act, the group encouraged audience participation with smartphone flashlights illuminating patterned plastic sheets to create colorful backdrops for the dancers.

“Our students have a strong foundation in technology, engineering, computer science and design, which comes together in an exciting fusion. It allows our students to dream big and gives them the tools to reach those dreams,” Bennett said.

Originally published at: http://engineering.nyu.edu/news/2017/05/11/merging-human-experience-technology-2017-integrated-digital-media-showcase

[aion-rsa]

Clevinger Presents a Real Science Adventure with The Flying She-Devils

For ten years, Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s “Atomic Robo” has blazed the trail for high-adventure, good-time, sci-fi comics. Appearing both online and in print from IDW Publishing, Robo’s met dozens of outrageous and memorable characters, each of whom have potentially dozens of stories of their own to reveal. This April, Clevinger, Wegener, and IDW team up with Lo Baker of Aquapunk to bring another of Robo’s allies to the printed page in the high-flying, dogfighting, madcap “Real Science Adventures: The Flying She-Devils.”

First introduced in “Atomic Robo and the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific,” the She-Devils are a cadre of women pilots operating during the aftermath of World War II. Their debut spotlight finds them pursued by fanatical skyraider Mad Jack after they conspire to liberate a Sunderland patrol bomber from his possession. Baker’s vertiginous aerial escapades match Clevinger’s rapid fire dialogue to take readers on a six-issue thrill ride above the Pacific Ocean.

CBR: Brian, how soon after they first appeared in “Atomic Robo” did you start wanting to tell more stories about the Flying She-Devils?

Brian Clevinger: Immediately! Both because Rocket Powered Lady Air Pirates as a concept begs for more and more stories, and because we put them in a specific time and place filled with adventure hooks by recasting the Pacific Ocean as a kind of all-new wild west.

For people who missed their debut, can you give a short-version of the Flying She-Devils’ mission?

These women served the Allies in World War Two as pilots, engineers, mechanics, nurses, etc. and when the war was over, they decided to stay in the Pacific to make new lives for themselves. But it’s a new life surrounded by other pirates, mercenaries, and warlords.

“Real Science Adventures” wears a lot of classic adventure strip influence on its sleeve. Were there any particular inspirations you were channelling?

While there are tons of aeronautical pulp adventure comics, I always thought of the She-Devils as a Western that just happens to occur in a different time and place. Which is to say, the fact that they fly takes a backseat to the sheer lawlessness that surrounds our heroes and how/why they push against it. Oddly enough, this means “She-Devils” tracks closer to a wuxia story than flying ace comics.

The other major influence appears to be the chase. The opening arc is basically one very long chase sequence with lots of aerial action. Was that a specific choice, or was there a notable inspiration?

The She-Devils are very much an air and sea version of “Mad Max.” Does that make them Mad Maxine? But just like those movies you’ve got someone committed to justice in the face of chaos or corruption and overwhelming odds. The She-Devils and Max have two choices. Respond to the lawlessness, or give up and let the environment kill you. It lets you explore how and when and why these heroes choose to act when nothing matters but surviving for the next three seconds.

How long have the She-Devils’ adventures been appearing online? Do you plan to continue their adventures for the foreseeable future?

Oh, wow. I hadn’t thought of that! We put the first page online almost exactly one year ago!

There’s no explicit plan for more She-Devils stories, but that’s what I used to say before we made this one! Part of the advantage of how they’re situated in the overall Robo mythos is that it only takes a spark of an idea and suddenly you’ve got another six issues of adventures for them. So, yeah, nothing specific in mind, but She-Devils have already proven they can’t be kept them grounded for long.

Most of the stories have already appeared online before moving to print with IDW. Do you find much crossover between the webcomics audience and the print audience? In talking to other creators, there seems to be a divide and was wondering if you’ve noticed that or had any thoughts on it.

So, we dumped all our comics archives online back in 2015. Our new content goes online too, and I’d say about 95% of that is in advance of the print editions. Our data suggests there is no net crossover.

Obviously, there are those people who choose to throw money at “Atomic Robo” every way they can. The Patreon, the Kickstarters, the print issues, the collections, the comiXology versions. Lord knows we could use more of ‘em! And there are some folks who read it online for free without ever spending a nickel. That’s fine too! Hell, that’s why it’s online in the first place. You can read our stuff without any barriers and then decide for yourself if, when, and how to throw some money at us.

But almost everyone who supports us in some way chooses one of those options and sticks to it exclusively. Common wisdom suggests these different revenue streams ought to cannibalize one another, or at the very least detract from print sales, but in practice each one serves a different kind of customer who has no interest in the other options. Together they add up to two guys doing independent comics as their full time jobs. Which is pretty crazy. The fact that we’re starting our twelfth series (fifteenth if you count “RSA”) is simply unheard of.

Will there be material in the print versions that hasn’t appeared online?

There’s material that hasn’t appeared yet…but is going online with one page added every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as of March 6th. It’s an all-new story about the Sparrow infiltrating a secret Nazi “wonder weapon” facility. Spoiler: things will explode.

Anything to tease for “Real Science Adventures” after the She-Devils and Sparrow stories?

I just wrapped up the scripts for our next RSA series. It’s tentatively titled “The History of Everything” but that might change before it comes out. Either way, it takes place way back in the eleventh century right on the cusp of the First Crusade starting up. Our heroes are attempting to break into the most secure facility in the known world, The Imperial Library of Constantinople.

The research and writing for this thing was a real hoot and we can’t wait to share it with you. Should be available later this year!

In addition to “Real Science Adventures” and “Atomic Robo,” do you have anything else in the works?

I’ve got a few things in mind but nothing concrete just yet. The great thing about “Atomic Robo” and our ability to expand upon its setting with “Real Science Adventures” is that we’re able to build one giant world of filled with adventures of just about any genre. We’ve got heists, Weird War 2 stuff, Tesla, Wild West, Cold War spy action, deep dark conspiracies, a talking dinosaur, rockmen of Hollow Earth, kaiju, and on and on.

And that sounds like a wacky pastiche of random sci-fi tropes, but we welded it all together into a coherent whole with a robot at the center of it.

The post Clevinger Presents a Real Science Adventure with The Flying She-Devils appeared first on CBR.

http://ift.tt/2pflo9l

[clevelandstate]

Spring 2021 College Valedictorian

Marymar Alhoush

The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership Management and Arabic

Marymar Alhoush would place urban policy at the top of her list of favorite CSU classes, learning about the formations of various US policies, but she truly enjoyed the mix of business, communication and urban classes her major had to offer. After two years of hard work, she is ready for a break. She doesn’t know what comes next, but she knows she will continue to learn.  But before we say goodbye and send this valedictorian out into the world, we asked her a few questions. Here’s what Marymar had to say.

CSU:  Can you tell us about the moment you decided to move forward with Cleveland State University? MA: I was still a student at Cuyahoga Community College as a member of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Humanities Center. As a Mandel scholar, I had the chance to come to visit Cleveland State University and apply for a full scholarship to the Honors College. When I visited CSU, I immediately fell in love with the environment and was impressed by the positivity that radiated throughout my campus experience. I will never forget the moment when I received my acceptance letter from the Honors College with a full scholarship. I felt as if I were the happiest and luckiest person in the world. I felt that so many doors are going to open for me.

CSU:  What made you go into your major? Were there any defining moments or inspirations that led you on that path? MA: When I decided to transfer to CSU, it was not clear which path I should embark on. Upon meeting with my advisor at Cuyahoga Community College, I discussed my passions for leadership and management roles. My advisor introduced me to the Organizational Leadership major offered at CSU. In this moment my journey began into the research and exploration of this field. I found that this major is applicable in many areas, it is something universally needed. No matter what kind of company or business we look at, these businesses are always in a need for good leaders, who can make a difference and be the change.

CSU: What is your favorite CSU memory? MA: Sadly, I did not get to spend a lot of time on campus. I attended for a full semester and a half then we had to switch to online classes because of the pandemic. But there is a wall next to the communications building from the side of Euclid. This wall is covered with leaves and plants that change colors with each passing season. Walking in the hallway through the inner link and looking at the ever-changing beauty of this foliage each month is one of the great memories for me.  

CSU: How do you think you’ve changed or grown during your time at CSU? MA: I have changed a lot. My English has improved very much (English is my second language). My knowledge has grown, and I have adapted better to society. I feel I became more open, engaged and less shy. I am looking to learn something new every day and wanting to have a bright future.

CSU:  What advice would you give to the next class, or even a freshman entering your major? MA: Pick a major that they really resonate with and are passionate about, something that interests them. I would also say look at the journey at CSU as an experience and not only a list of classes that must be finished. Enjoy learning as much as possible because it is such an important step in personal growth.

Congratulations, Marymar!

[edibleflowerseu]

SOUNDS

Boyracer / More Songs about Frustration and Self-Hate (1994) [Slumberland]

“It was an embrace of punk's DIY ethics, but also a big "fuck off" to punk's poses: a cute little pop song existing in (and analyzing) a scene that had very little use for such things. This became the core idea of indiepop: In environments where everyone desperately wanted to show strength and style and importance, these bands thumbed their noses and thought hard about kittens.” (---)

___

“You get, in essence, what so much of indiepop has forgotten: That the point isn't just to be sweet and congratulate yourself for it, but to make sweetness powerful, to make it say something.” (---)

...

Twee was the foundation for the indie rock explosion of the 2000s, The stone that built Portland, Oregon (or at least the largest one). While certainly much huger in the UK, it had no shortage of fans in the US (especially the Northwest). Rooted in the same DIY spirit and organization as hardcore and punk, indie-pop concerned itself less with big ideas and more with goofily sincere idiosyncrasies. Not tough-guys dismantling the system but introspective humans who liked books and crushes.

There's few bands that spam the same gimmick but are as consistently listenable as Boyracer. A band that for me lurked in Sarah Record comps, it wasn't until recently that I gave them serious thought beyond “beloved indie-pop legend.” I think the reason I'm so attracted to them and why they seem to maintain their relevance is that they never really sounded much like their contemporaries. A decent amount of songs about crushes, breaking up, and feeling shitty about your ex, but with way more bite than the innocent twee-darlings of the scene. Dude's more pissed, often more clever, and straight up just noisier and harsher sounding than the rest.

Comparisons are made between the band and Guided by Voices (one-man in a rotating line-up spurting out almost-pop-songs at a alarming rate), and I guess they are pretty true. I don't know enough about either to say anything or, at this point, really give a shit. Boyracer is a really good band.

Souls of Mischief / 93 ‘til Infinity (1993) [Jive]

“Infinity is more comforting when it’s immaterial. At 18, limitlessness is its own form of intoxication. By 30, it’s oblivion. In September of 1993, infinity meant marimba samples, maxin’ in the studio, frigid 40s, mediocre cinema, and blunts no ruler could measure.” (---)

___

“Infinity is the condition intuitively understood at adolescence. Souls of Mischief were only 18—rapping with reckless energy, toying with syllables, finishing each other’s sentences, spinning stories with the enthusiasm of telling them for the first time ... Heard again as an adult, it sounds like a flashy delusion. As a teenager, it’s a covenant with no strings attached.” (---)

...

“93 til Infinity” might be the most influential rap song of all time. Today, its definitely gets the most shout outs and covers (Freddie Gibbs, J Cole, Joey Bada$$, Kanye, BIG Krit), you name it. Outkast, Four Tet, and Vampire Weekend cite it as monumentally inspirational to their music and life.

The history of it all is muddy to me. I'm no hip-hop head, and the names, places and chain of events is something I don't really have a grasp on. But from what I read it goes something like the teenage kids in Souls hung out with thugs and drug dealers, but went to multicultural schools and had well-educated parents. The dealers told them they needed to grow up to be the lawyers, not the thugs. So it was drugs, sex, books and dreams for the boys. Members of the Oakland rap crew Hieroglyphics (headed by the undersung Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, cousin of Ice Cube) helped export a distinct Bay rap feel, precedented by Mac Dre, Too $hort, Rappin 4-Tay, and on down the list.

In the still largely underground rap world that was the 90s, the lead single from the album blew up. Similar to the chill-clever clowns in The Pharcyde, the band towed the line between playful and serious in a way that only well-read kids growing up surrounded by drug violence and gangsta culture can do.

But where did they go? Why didn't they blow up right then and there? I dunno. The band, the album and the titular single made its way into skate videos, which in turn made its way into punk and hardcore culture, which became a huge contributor to the mainstream adoption of alt, and so here we are. It's something like that. Either way, “93 til Infinity” is an encapsulation of youth: all the time in the world, and you just wanna chill.

Duster / Stratosphere (1998) [Up]

“A sound akin to Yo La Tengo playing beneath a heavy winter blanket.” (---)

...

Neglected legends seems to be a theme of this post (or maybe my music listening habits). “Lost classics” or what have you.

Duster has slowly made its way into the apocrypha of the emo guitar-rock canon over the past few years. Lodged somewhere between the space-rock of Hum, the slowcore of Codeine or Carissa's Wierd, and the traditional fare of first wave emo, the record is soothingly atmospheric but also hella catchy. For a space-rock album, its quite down to earth. Its a humble record made by regular dudes with guitars, spare time, and an excess of creativity.

Good for driving in the countryside. Or driving in space. If you can pull that off.

Album art looks like something from the colorschemer twitter.

Slint / Spiderland (1991) [Touch & Go]

“In many respects, the story of Slint is an exceedingly familiar one of influence accruing in absentia, of mavericks who were ignored in their time and had to wait years to get their due. Except unlike other members of the criminally neglected alt-rock trailblazer club … Slint didn’t just fail at becoming the world-beating superstars that their record labels and music-critic boosters alike hoped they would be. Through their initial 1986-1991 existence, Slint were obscure outsiders even within the subterranean confines of the American indie-rock underground.” (---)

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“Spiderland’s volcanic outbursts naturally count as the album’s most bracing, memorable moments. The one drawback is that they occasionally obscured and overshadowed McMahan’s monologues, which remain eminently unnerving for both their delivery (not so much “spoken word” as melody-averse singing imbued with cold-blooded, dead-eyed dread) and their amazingly immersive economy … When Slint do inevitably unleash the noise, it’s less a sonic device than a narrative one, to mark the moment after which, for the songs’ protagonists, nothing will ever be the same again.” (---)

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Another motif of my listening habits lately have been consistently on the spectrum of post-rock and slowcore. Atmospheric and sparse. Check the other shit I've been spinning if u don't believe for me some reason.

Slint is a famous band with famously zero fans that released a record that slowly became famous and legendary and gave them lots of fans. They were a band outside of an underground scene. Parallels between American Football, narrative-wise. The band broke up right after this record, and after some of their friends like Will Oldham, the Jesus Lizard, and - most notably - Steve Albini gained some traction, slowly did they get their share. The mystery behind the album, its sonic dynamics, and its esoteric, barely-audible, dread-filled lyrics gave it a cult following and now its super famous.

Yves Tumor / Serpent Music (2016) [PAN]

“Through this repetitive unfolding, Serpent Music gestures toward a privation, a scintilla of pain just out of reach, which nevertheless must be approached, again and again. Like The Caretaker, Yves Tumor captures lost feelings and experiences through Freudian repetition, stitching successive moments together to form a mappable, navigable affective tableaux. One is confronted with time’s passage, its intertwining with the plane of experience, its demands on the body and the spirit.” (---)

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“From warmth to desolation [the album] exists in a state of constant flux. Its ceaseless momentum drives it forward, lightly anchored by shifting rhythms, textures, and affects. This is mood music, flecked with beauty and riven with hurt, a compelling, complex work that extends itself outwards, generously inviting the listener to share in its triumphs and disappointments.” (---)

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“Yeah, man. I only want to make hits. [laughs] What else would I want to make? I don’t mean in a radio sense. I don’t mean, like, Usher hits. I just mean a track or song that people constantly need to play over and over and over and over again.” (---)

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Yves Tumor is among the many artists springing up exploring the possibilities that exist at the intersection between black and queer. Work that is obsessed and informed by colonialism, the beauty of the body and soul, and the horrors of the body and soul. Among other things.

I thought he was a staple of the NON crew but turns out he is his own dude, and is only loosely affiliated with those folks, as well as Mykki Blanco through Dogfood Music. Similar artists include AMNESIA SCANNER, Gaika, Chino Amobi, ANGEL-HO, and so forth.

But Tumor does his own thing, and loves to keep an elusive profile. This is less out of an artistic grand vision, as much as it is him not wanting to divulge too many personal details to the music media for fear of obsessed fans being unable to respect the line of public and private worship.

Anyway, this album is like a journey through some dark dystopian urban landscape and everything is made of body parts, or most things are made of body parts.

This Will Destroy You / This Will Destroy You (2008) [Magic Bullet]

“Much like Explosions in the Sky and Mono, This Will Destroy You use their instruments expertly to create a brooding anxiety that threatens to erupt at any moment. They often build in traditional instro-post-rock fashion, starting calm before growing to a dense wall of guitars and cymbals, but they never really feel bound by that formula … But mostly this is an exercise in controlled arrangements. The band employs its fair share of effects, especially delay and reverb, but rarely does the noise spiral out of control.” (---)

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People fuck to Explosions in the Sky. People don't fuck to this.

OTHER SHIT:

E M O TI O NAL T O K Y O / High in School mix

Especia / Gusto

Don Caballero / What Burns Never Returns

Jeru the Damaja / The Sun Rises in the East

Codeine / Frigid Stars

The Story So Far / Under Soil and Dirt

Kool G Rap / 4,5,6