just realized something and even tho it's something very silly i feel so bad about it 😭

i think it’s really really important that we keep reminding people that what we’re calling ai isn’t even close to intelligent and that its name is pure marketing. the silicon valley tech bros and hollywood executives call it ai because they either want it to seem all-powerful or they believe it is and use that to justify their use of it to exploit and replace people.

chat-gpt and things along those lines are not intelligent, they are predictive text generators that simply have more data to draw on than previous ones like, you know, your phone’s autocorrect. they are designed to pass the turing test by having human-passing speech patterns and syntax. they cannot come up with anything new, because they are machines programmed on data sets. they can’t even distinguish fact from fiction, because all they are actually capable of is figuring out how to construct a human-sounding response using applicable data to a question asked by a human. you know how people who use chat-gpt to cheat on essays will ask it for reference lists and get a list of texts that don’t exist? it’s because all chat-gpt is doing is figuring out what types of words typically appear in response to questions like that, and then stringing them together.

midjourney and things along those lines are not intelligent, they are image generators that have just been really heavily fine-tuned. you know how they used to do janky fingers and teeth and then they overcame that pretty quickly? that’s not because of growing intelligence, it’s because even more photographs got added to their data sets and were programmed in such a way that they were able to more accurately identify patterns in the average amount of fingers and teeth across all those photos. and it too isn’t capable of creation. it is placing pixels in spots to create an amalgamation of images tagged with metadata that matches the words in your request. you ask for a tree and it spits out something a little quirky? it’s not because it’s creating something, it’s because it gathered all of its data on trees and then averaged it out. you know that “the rest of the mona lisa” tweet and how it looks like shit? the fact that there is no “rest” of the mona lisa aside, it’s because the generator does not have the intelligence required to identify what’s what in the background of such a painting and extend it with any degree of accuracy, it looked at the colours and approximate shapes and went “oho i know what this is maybe” and spat out an ugly landscape that doesn’t actually make any kind of physical or compositional sense, because it isn’t intelligent.

and all those ai-generated voices? also not intelligent, literally just the same vocal synth we’ve been able to do since daisy bell but more advanced. you get a sample of a voice, break it down into the various vowel and consonant sounds, and then when you type in the text you want it to say, it plays those vowel and consonant sounds in the order displayed in that text. the only difference now is that the breaking it down process can be automated to some extent (still not intelligence, just data analysis) and the synthesising software can recognise grammar a bit more and add appropriate inflections to synthesised voices to create a more natural flow.

if you took the exact same technology that powers midjourney or chat-gpt and removed a chunk of its dataset, the stuff it produces would noticeably worsen because it only works with a very very large amount of data. these programs are not intelligent. they are programs that analyse and store data and then string it together upon request. and if you want evidence that the term ai is just being used for marketing, look at the sheer amount of software that’s added “ai tools” that are either just things that already existed within the software, using the same exact tech they always did but slightly refined (a lot of film editing software are renaming things like their chromakey tools to have “ai” in the name, for example) or are actually worse than the things they’re overhauling (like the grammar editor in office 365 compared to the classic office spellcheck).

but you wanna real nifty lil secret about the way “ai” is developing? it’s all neural nets and machine learning, and the thing about neural nets and machine learning is that in order to continue growing in power it needs new data. so yeah, currently, as more and more data gets added to them, they seem to be evolving really quickly. but at some point soon after we run out of data to add to them because people decided they were complete or because corporations replaced all new things with generated bullshit, they’re going to stop evolving and start getting really, really, REALLY repetitive. because machine learning isn’t intelligent or capable of being inspired to create new things independently. no, it’s actually self-reinforcing. it gets caught in loops. "ai” isn’t the future of art, it’s a data analysis machine that’ll start sounding even more like a broken record than it already does the moment its data sets stop having really large amounts of unique things added to it.

Theme: Rec a fic that starts with the same letter as your username.

I spotted this rec theme on another blog and it sounded charmingly random and fun! I had a good time looking through my bookmarks and sorting out this little collection of mismatched seashells :)

Every Man's Got a Right by MollyC (SPN, Destiel, Endverse!Cas, time travel, 78K, E) In this one, Endverse!Cas is given a second chance to stop the world, and the people he loves, from going irretrievably off the rails -- he finds himself, without explanation, dropped straight into Season 2 and the first outbreak of the Croatoan virus. Watching him rediscover just how much Dean means to him and how far he's willing to go in order to change things for the better is beautiful. (Written in first-person, for those for whom that is a deal-breaker. It really shouldn't be, though!)

Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart by PallasPerilous (SPN, Destiel, musician!AU, 18K, T) Distinguished by Pallas's inimitable comedy-prose, this thing is an unhinged delight from start to finish. Dean is jumpy as shit. Why one possibly Icelandic beep-boop specialist has him on edge while Mick Jagger’s own vocal coach barely got his heart rate over 55bpm is a goddamn mystery. Maybe it’s the harp solos from that sample track; maybe Dean’s nervous that this is his last shot and if this guy can’t save Dean from filling out the back end of his contract with “Best Of” and “Live In Concert” compilations he might as well walk into the fucking sea.

Engineering 101 by Mara (Batman, Dick Grayson, early days, 4K, G) A clever use of extended metaphor to take a look at the process by which Bruce trains the first child he raises to be Robin and begins to realize what he risks breaking. (I'd say it largely embraces comic book logic in that it does not try to critique the whole premise of child crime fighting as an essentially bad thing, but it sprinkles in traces of real-life concerns. It doesn't vilify Bruce, but it does add some shades of gray to the creation of the dynamic duo.) "Engineering is about testing to destruction," Bruce said, settling into lecture mode. "You don't understand how you can do things better until you understand when and why they break apart."

The Eleventh Hour by Azdak (Man From UNCLE (TV), Napoleon-centric, 4K, G). OK, so, in the TV series there was an episode called 'The Gurnius Affair' wherein Illya had to go undercover as a bad guy, and -- long-story short -- things went wrong, Napoleon got caught, and in order to salvage his own cover and thereby the mission, Illya had to straight-up torture Napoleon. And he did so. Both of them were aware that he had to, both of them were horrified by the experience, and being 1960s television, there was never any adequate follow-up or emotional resolution. A lot of fanfic writers have tackled the aftermath of that disaster in different ways, and this is a fun and interesting take. Napoleon's narrative voice is many things here -- it's petty and angry in a way he rarely is, because his self-image and his pride have been so hurt and he's on ego overdrive here. But it's also wry, and self-dramatizing, and stubborn, and optimistic against all odds. Meanwhile, the narrative commentary of the femme fatale is a load of fun, too. A prickly, funny, angry, and ultimately triumphant brush with death is just what Napoleon needed, it turns out, to settle back into himself.

An Evening of Little Luxuries by otherhawk (MFU, Illya-centric, character study, 7K, G) Oh, I love this one, such a good look at Illya and what it means to him to live between cultures. Before the war he'd been more or less bilingual. He'd grown up speaking Ukrainian at home to his family and Russian everywhere else. After the war there had been no home left, and Russian had been the only language he heard, the language he thought and dreamed in. Now Ukrainian was simply another language he spoke, no different in his head from German or Japanese. His heart was a different matter, and he regretted that loss, regretted that when he dreamed of his parents, his sister, they spoke to him in a language that was no longer his own. Now, more and more, he found himself dreaming in English, and yes, that bothered him. He had no wish to lose Russian the way he'd lost Ukrainian. And so he let himself have evenings like this – the simplest things that felt like decadence – amid his fellow countrymen, many of whom, he suspected, were here for similar reasons.

Escape Velocity by Vehemently (Firefly, Simon Tam, character study, 5K, G) Such concise and vivid world-building, and a poignant look at how Simon grapples with how to accept the loss of the sister he once knew as he takes small, reluctant steps toward facing up to his own over-protectiveness toward the very different person River has now become.

Enduring, Quiet, and Calm by thesardine (BBC Sherlock, Johnlock, strange tenderness, 1K, G) A little gem of a sick fic -- so odd, so sweet. Has that hazy feeling of very late-night exhaustion.

Empty Houses by PlaidAdder (BBC Sherlock, Johnlock, case fic, 45K, T) A clever and involving case fic and the first story to feature PlaidAdder's wonderful take on Harry Watson. Written in that golden moment between Series 2 and Series 3 when we all imagined our own post-Reichenbach reunions and the possibilities for tenderness and healing were still wide open. This fic is rich in humor, compassion, and new beginnings, while also offering a darker take on some bits of canon than the show ultimately pursued.

Elevator Down by vikki (Inception, Arthur & Cobb, LJ fic, 10K, T) I really like this meditation on Arthur's backstory with the Cobbs. Psychologically interesting and elegantly written, and to me there's something touching about the thought that Dom's subconscious keeps lashing out at Arthur because, on some level, he knows it's Arthur who's working hardest to keep him alive. Arthur dreams up paradoxes. Cobb dreams up his late wife. One of these things is not like the other. One of these things is not safe.

Early Returns by rageprufrock (Inception, Arthur/Eames, journalist!AU, 15K, M) Rageprufrock is another author whose comedy-prose is always a pleasure. I love this one for the grouchy journalism malaise in which the embers of inextinguishable principle still smolder, lovingly described as only an insider can <3 For reasons that don't bear discussion, Arthur ends up at Safeway at a 6:30 p.m. on his way home for the night still carrying his messenger bag with his headphones around his neck, standing in one of the aisles looking at 200 different brands of plastic tableware and double-ply picnic dishes. He's been a journalist his entire professional career, so of course he's been this depressed before, but there's something profound when you mix the sinking misery of mortification with the heady, dizzying blur of self-directed fury, and it makes him feel numb down to the fingertips and toes.

If anyone else would like to play this meme, I'd be glad to see your recs!

The Joker x Reader - The Delta Paradox. Chapter 1: Deceit

Rumor is the outbreak spreading like fire around the world is somehow Dr. Morbius’ fault: people turned into monsters after getting bitten by the ones already ravaged beyond the irreversible mutation. The last news broadcasted four months ago suggested not all creatures are mindless beasts, a few might still remember who they are and The Joker is about to find out if the story is true.

“Dad…” you whisper and point at the box on the shelves. “I found some peas.”

The Joker turns around and silently walks your way, signaling you to fill up your backpack while he patiently waits for his turn.

The King of Gotham and his 23 year old daughter are scavenging the convenience store on Halsey Street for supplies: food was running low and they had to come out of the bunker in order to acquire basic necessities.

It’s hard to see in the darkness with the tiniest flashlight since they can’t risk being detected.

“Did you find water?” you mumble under your breath.

“No.”

“Dammit, we only have six bottles left,” you sigh, upset at his disclosure. “Should we raid the mall too?”

The Joker covers your mouth, carefully listening.

You can’t discern much until an unnerving screech echoes in the air followed by others in the next second.

“Ssstttt,” J removes the restrain and you clutch to his arm, scared to death.

“Dad…”, you gulp at the commotion happening in the distance: the creatures are probably hunting and you are not willing to become the prey.

“What do we do?” you barely utter and The Clown shakes his head, worried.

“Let’s use the sewers entrance by the dumpster to make it passed the dangerous radius; it’s still open from last time we were here.”

“Ok…” Y/N quietly agrees.

J adds the rest of the containers to his rucksack and lifts it up when he accidentally knocks off a light bulb: the fragile glass shatters to pieces and the two of you stare at each other terrified for a few moments.

The turmoil outside immediately intensifies as The Joker urges:

“Run!”

The panicked Y/N follows her father and she can’t even hear what he’s saying over the deafening roars that seem to come from above the building. Suddenly, the mad man turns and gives you a violent push against the loading dock exit; it’s so unexpected you stumble and before you have the possibility to process what’s going on, J locks it.

“Dad?!” your eyes pop at the small, broken window just to distinguish him backing away. “Dad?!” you start crying. “What are you doing?! Let me in!” The Princess pleads with her parent.

The Joker bites his lip, conflicted at his desire to survive no matter the cost: even if the price to pay is his own daughter.

“Daddy?!” Y/N sobs, petrified at his behavior. “Please?...”

“Better you than me,” he grumbles and runs in the opposite direction, covering his ears when your screams reach him. J rushes out of the shop and drops in the sewer, three monsters already on his trail attempting to grab him; yet they fail because thankfully these beasts are so much larger than the humans they used to be: they can’t fit through the narrow gap The Joker used.

Your father keeps navigating the convoluted catacombs in the darkness while the dim flashlight fails to warn him of the obstacle floating in front of him. He staggers on the dead dog and plunges in the disgusting waters, instantly resurfacing after the initial shock of how bad it stinks. J crawls to near the concrete wall, panting up a storm succeeding the whole ordeal and it hits him: Y/N didn’t pursue.

How could she? The Clown sacrificed his daughter in order to save himself and her agony still resonate in his mind. She was brutally ambushed without any chance of escaping her fate: The Joker made sure of that when he forced her out of the mini-market.

The same daughter that came back for him at the Penthouse when it was clear things are going downhill - no other gang member ever returned; the same daughter that accompanied him in their perilous searching trips as it all went to shit; the same daughter that took care of him when he got sick in the bunker and risked her life in order to bring her father antibiotics; the same daughter that was the only family he had left on this God forsaken planet.

And now she’s gone.

The Joker is all alone like he was always meant to be: nothing can withstand his poison.

**************

8 Months Later

The King of Gotham sneaks in the blackness with precious cargo: tonight was a lucky one. He found soda, crackers and peanuts at a vending machine inside the mall. The road to the bunker is not a short one and he has to be alert; food is scarce and each time he has to venture further and further to find needed items which is why he’s still roaming at this late hour.

Surprisingly calm atmosphere in this neighborhood; J saw a lot of creatures on McCormick Avenue and then an infested Main Boulevard made him backtrack and take this path. It was the correct call because his progress has been steady: moving in shadows has developed into a skillful talent.

He abruptly stops noticing movement blocking his route West of 5th Street. The Joker had no idea it’s swarming with the infected also.

J barely notices something splattering at his feet and freezes: it’s difficult to discern what it is but he has a vague concept. He looks up only to see one of the winged scouts landing on the broken light pole whilst drooling and sniffing the air. The Joker’s body is stiff, his senses sharpened to the maximum: what is he supposed to do? Try to leave? That’s an enormous risk and motion could unleash a chain reaction among the beasts if the one above identifies the helpless individual. Stay? The threat would be equally menacing.

The high pitch snarl belched by the demon’s throat makes him inhale in fear: was he spotted? Or is this merely a power display from the crazed predator?

The Joker feels there’s something behind him and before he can act a sharp pain in his forearm makes him yell. Another bite in his leg makes him lose balance and he collapses to the ground, unable to defend himself from the hoard. The burning sensation is taking over completely: the creatures tear his flesh apart and he passes out without having the strength to shout for help anymore.

*************

The Clown opens his eyes and rapidly blinks since the sunlight is hard to endure.

“Ugh…” he groans and rolls on his side on the concrete pavement.

Everything hurts, including the brain: it’s as if someone drilled holes and he can’t concentrate or form thoughts.

He aims to lift his torso off the walkway unsure why it’s strenuous to accomplish such a simple task; J doesn’t register the reason why is the different anatomy he now has: scaly, gray skin, long, distorted arms with sharp claws, inverted knees and membranous toes. The wings certainly don’t add to his ability to sport the same agility he was blessed with while still a person.

He finally manages to gather himself up, surprised to experience an odd sensation: The Joker is so much taller after his mutation and everything crushes down once the hideous reflection shown in the partially broken glass belonging to “Macy’s” department store glares back at him.

“Ahhh!” J blurs out alongside an uncanny roar emerging from his transmuted vocal cords. The frantic sound gets the attention of beasts in his vicinity, then they ignore him because he’s one of them.

“Fuck…” he mumbles in disbelief at their reaction, grateful they didn’t attack.  

The Joker’s raspy breath scores big with a creature nearby though.

Apparently a female due to her red orbs, she’s approaching the former human with a certain restrain.

The Joker would love to bail: unless he can control the horror of what’s happening to him in a few moments, he might get out of there in one piece.

The curious monster is inches away and J had nothing better to do than articulate:

“… Do you… understand me?”

“Grrrrrrr…” the female sneers, unraveling her fangs.

“Y/N… is that…is that you?” The Joker tosses the question out there for the lack of a better plan.

No answer, just a low howl that makes a few males digging in rubble unhappy: why is the group’s favorite displaying interest in the newcomer?

They shriek and emerge more and more agitated, drawing the attention of others in the proximity. The displeased attitude seems to elevate the mood in a negative direction to the point of having a large flock landing on the same street too.

“Crap…” The Joker assesses his situation and it’s not good. “Shoo!” he gently gives the female a nudge and she coos as her distorted fingers touch his grotesque face. Nevertheless, her gesture unlocks the gates of hell: the female’s keen dart towards the unfortunate Clown with the sole purpose of finishing him off. Competition is not tolerated from a rookie and that’s how The Joker is perceived by the mindless crowd--a threat to the hierarchy.

A loud, eerie scream covering all others makes the murderous bunch halt in their tracks: a humongous female leading the group that arrived moments ago is making them retreat. She keeps shoving them and growling while followed by a huge specimen: definitely The Alpha Male with his yellow eyes and dominant figure that don’t allow disobedience.

The party showing The Joker affection gives up on her advances as you stand in front of your father, not necessarily excited about the encounter.

“Dad?...” you smell the air out of habit.

“… … Y… Y/N?... …” The Joker stammers at the inexplicable revelation. “You… You’re alive??!!”

“If you consider this being alive.”

“Delta, we have to go soon!” one of your fighters announces. “They might snap again!”

Your parent is baffled and you bother to enlighten him a bit:

“I’m part of a coven made of turned humans still self-aware. You’re lucky we flew by and saw you. I felt you were born but I didn’t know it was you until I sniffed you. I wished I knew so I won’t waste my time!!!!” the bitter statement brings to life past memories. “Let’s go!” you raise your voice.

“We’re not taking him with us?!” The Alpha Male inquires, baffled. “He’s self -aware!”

“Trust me, we don’t need someone like him amidst us!” you spread your wings and prepare to fly.

“Y/N… “ The Joker gulps. “Can I come?... Please?... I don’t want to die here.”

Y/N ignores his plea and angrily replies:

“Better you than me!”

How can he justify his behavior in these circumstances? It’s impossible to request forgiveness when you’re at an obvious loss regarding your daughter.

“I’m sorry I did what I did, ok… Pumpkin?”

“I am NOT your Pumpkin!! I am Delta!!!” Y/N mutters.

“Huh?” the clueless King inquires and your obvious disapproval suggests you hate where the conversation is headed.

“Delta is more valuable than any of us and we must protect her at all costs until we find Morbius,” one of your companions gives away details you don’t care your father knowing about. “She can do incredible…”

“Enough!!” you cut him off. “We’re leaving!”

“What… what things?...” The Joker attempts to distract you from the imminent departure.  

“None of your business!” you float in the air, the other 40 sets of wings following you while he is left behind with the horde that made him an outcast: brainless monsters already clustering around once more in order to punish his transgression.

“Hey!!!” The Alpha Male glides on top of The Joker. “Delta said you can come!”

“Really?” hope flourishes in his heart.

“Hurry up before they shred you to pieces!”

“I don’t know how to fly!” J shouts.

“Don’t be an idiot! Move your shoulder blades!”

Your father would normally go ballistic at such affront but he actually ignores the disrespectful sentence due to the insane events leading to today’s reunion.

What other choice does he have besides taking advantage of this unique opportunity?

The Joker clumsily bumps into a trash bin and finally ascends towards the blue skies trying to keep up with the flock.

His daughter might be a mystery now but one thing is undeniable: he would rather suffer a thousand deaths before abandoning her again.

 Also read: Masterlist

https://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

You can also follow me on Ao3 and wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho

toffee!

hehe glad i could make you laugh, oooh that sounds awesome! yeah id love to be tagged it sounds great :)

YES the differences are so fucking weird. like, they do know they're the same age right? i feel like its just an exagguration of how much the persons role in the group matters, like we see chan being held up as such a mature, old leader while jungkook who is literally the same age, is still babied etc. like enha hyung line is basically the same age (if a bit younger) as chenle and jisung but somehow the rules are different?? as you point out, still legal but still bizarre. hehe yeah, i mean where else are we going to rant? quora lol. mmm, hopefully more people can just write less smut abt people who are barely adults

ah, no prob it didnt take long. yeah i think thats right (i keep forgetting you know my url lol) mmhmm :( i think if that happened irl there would be some major trauma going on. knock wood it never happens to you or me lol (/hj)

hehe same! oooh glad Redemption For Cheese was realised! yess we cant rllycomplain that theyve written/produced too much good music lol. yeah, ive dragged him into being a stay so *dusts hands off* mission accomplished. mmm yeah, they tend to have a certain vibe but tbh it couldve worked if they were any other group but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ahh ur one step ahead of me on the stages of listening to ssick i think, still not convinced but thats okay! hehe, it had to be said. yesss the itch in the back of my brain is very satisfied by sorry i love you, felixs vocals deserve to be appreciated! (side note i feel like hes trying to sing more like his speaking voice, sorta husky, but tbh i wouldnt be mad if he sang like in glow, his sweet honey vocals made my life lol. but i think ive heard him say he doesnt like singing like that cos it makes his normal voice less husky, so what can you do)

> YES SOMEONE SAID IT. seungmin rap KING, he sped thru that rap like it was nothing, he deserves more rap lines. i do like how they gave minho some melodic rap lines this comeback, my guy deserved to show off those skills that made him not be eliminated (flashbacks to stay collectively wanting to murder jyp) and we already know changbin can sing, my man murdered masked singer. hyunjin can obviously sing as can jisung and felix, and i want to hear chan rap more! i feel like he started as part of 3racha (as a rap unit not producing) and then just became a vocalist (which im fine with, but it could be nice to hear him flex his rapping skills) and was partially replaced by hyunjin. anywayyy

back to album talk. lmaooo sad music to twerk to PERFECTLY describes silent cry. yes secret secret is and will always be, a masterpiece. hehe glad i could make you laugh :) i just felt like they have similar vibes. putting off skz stuff bc of not having time to cry IS the kpop stan life summarised. oh my beloved track, red lights. ahh thats okay, we can have different opinions, but by god the lyrics are *chefs kiss*. *banging on table* TWISTED AU TWISTED AU TWISTED AU. yess id love to see ur take on it! sdfghjkl it would have been glorious

no no! not stupid, just able to predict my brainwaves. ooooh thats so cool! makes me want to go there (wherever there is lol) yeah the waves are pretty good here, but none of my familys a surfer, so we dont rlly enjoy the full potential lol. YES moving on to gone away, it is indeed a heartwrenching track, but the vocals and the bloody key change? makes me want to brave being sad just to listen to it. mmm yeah, good point :( i feel like ive just gotten used to overthinking so much so that it doesnt matter what mood im in, ill do it anyway, so might as well just do what i feel like doing anyway.

yeah i think ur right! it is quite comforting knowing that all the tracks will get the love they deserve. i feel like also people assume kpop is just one genre which is utter bs. there are so many different vibes and feels and songs, i couldnt get into kpop (of which i thought only the bright cheerful present day bts stuff existed smh) until i heard gods menu so... idk where i was going with this but yeah. :)

YES FUCK YG, theyre literally on the brink of being kicked out of the big three and they are holding their salvation hostage without letting them do ANYTHING. idek what thought process goes thru their minds but arghhh its so infuriating. yess lisa's cb will be awesome but ot4 is the gold standard here.

hehe, glad u could get to this point. no no! u dont sound like a cult member at all lol yeah, i loooove some of their songs but the whole 23 members thing is getting to me. thats prob a common problem with nctzens but what can i say? im a simple girl with a limit to how many korean boys i can give my money to. atm im just trying to get into ateez and finish memorising enhypen's faces. also kard is kinda sucking me into their fandom atm, as well as eric name lol. ah what can you do? ooh thats good!

hehe i love it too! its exactly like online penpals, that was rlly well put. aww ty! hmm im okay, recovering from a bad case of rsv so thats fun. im doing okay mentally, starting therapy soon (after having to convince my mother that its not just smth i can brush off). physically i wont go into, basically i should be doing stretches to help but they dont completely fix it so my lazy ass doesnt do them, plus i got told recently im going to be stuck with this condition for the rest of my life so thats fun! ah, before you type smth dw abt me ill be fine. the weather atm is cloudy but warm, its been raining on and off today which is good for the garden. uhh i just finished reading sunburnt veils and im in the middle of prom theory which is rlly good. ummm ive got a concert tonight? that i may or may not be able to sing in (bc of the whole rsv thingo) and uhhhh idk. my dog is cute? im drinking tea rn? ive got a school dance coming up?

wbu? hows ur day going, how are you? whats the weather like on ur end? done anything interesting lately? found smth that makes you rlly happy? just any random thing youve been dying to tell someone?

no no! dont apologise, i love these exchanges. i think im happy to continue them for a long time :) on the other hand, if you get tired of them, feel free to just not answer at any time. goodness gracious this was a long ask haha hope it isnt too annoying

<3 w.a. 🐺

sorry it took me a bit to reply, i was fixing my theme ;n;

yeah, i figured it was because of the roles too. my friends and i still get taken aback when 3rd gen idols are the same age as 4th gen ones. in my head it doesn't add up sometimes. PLS THE RANT AT QUORA SKJDK tbh tho it's just going to be normalized as the years pass? esp that the boys are growing older and the amount of explicit fics will just increase. i might have to start blocking tags.

i had to look up the previous ask to remember what we were talking about xd i hope the events in champagne problems never happens to anyone. realistically, it probably happens a lot. damn i really won't wish that pain on anyone. dragging your brother into being a stay i whEEZED JFKSA additional noeasy music enthusiast o.o and ALL I CAN SAY WITH YOU GUSHING ABT FELIX IS AHA WHIPPEEEED OML can't blame you tho, i also want to hear felix sing more in other shades (if that makes sense HAHA) i really hope they'll do the role exchange in the next comeback :( or like in the near future bc i know they can do it :( the day i hear seungmin rapping it i will respectfully pass away. minho was given more lines this comeback thank fUCK i could rmb my irl being vocal abt her frustration. i don't get why minho barely has center time/lines in title tracks??? like the line distribution in the past eras just made me ???? if seventeen can balance lines with 13 members why cant a group of 8 do the same? moving on. i haven't watched the stray kids show simply bc i don't want to cry HAJS but i've seen clips. imagine if skz debuted without minho and felix?!?!? i rmb another irl catching bias feels towards changbin bc of the masked singer only to find out that the man's a rapper. i love how skz's vocals were highlighted this comeback :c there were a lot of mellow tracks! i find it cute when chan sings/raps bc it gets kinda obvious that he's a foreigner? the accent (im not even sure if it's the accent) it just shows. "putting off skz stuff bc of not having time to cry IS the kpop stan life summarised." CORRECT.

abt the twisted au o.O i'll inquire my irl if she wants to write it or not. if she doesn't want to, i'll do it. i miss writing twisted aus <3___<3 and i also miss going to the beach with my friends :' ) but it's starting to get cold here and i don't think i'll be able to enjoy the beach as much as i would if i went beaching in the summer. so maybe next summer? gone away really has an sm-ballad vibe. the thing about skz being a self-producing group, their songs don't sound like typical jype songs? and i just appreciate that bc in all honesty im not a fan of jyp groups at all. PLS the overthinking. i wish i could mute overthinking.

anyone who assumes kpop is just one genre obv hasn't listened to a single track. if kpop was just one genre why do i like some tracks more than the others??? oh you've only recently become a kpop stan? tbh im not a fan of the bright songs of bts either. i liked their older ones *chefs kiss* really matched high school vibes. yg has good artists and they're just wasting the talent ~.~ that strategy they have will get tiring eventually. people will stop waiting on blackpink and move on to newer more active groups ://

HAHAHAH yeah the 23 members is pretty overwhelming! it was the reason i didn't bother stanning before quarantine started. i don't regret stanning tho, met my ult bias in that group <3___<3 i don't really purchase albums unless i like the tracks xd ohhh getting into ateez just in time for the comeback! let me know what you think about them! i was fond of them at some point but grew out of it. good luck with memorizing enhypen! it took me a while to distinguish to people there XD i haven't checked out kard yet but chan plays their songs during lives and they're sexc hype music me likey *u*

i had to look up rsv im sorry. i'm glad you're recovering! please rest more and don't stress yourself out. bro i wish i could go to therapy too bc i have weird issues i can't justify and i need a professional to tell me what's the reason behind it. stuck with what condition btw? what happened? i'm sorry in case i just forgot. yesterday was a bit rainy for me too :(( it's not the type of rainy that makes me anxious so B) oh concert! good luck and i hope you'll be able to sing but i also don't think it's best for you rn :c what's your dog's breed? and yes i just finished drinking tea too. AAAAA i miss school dances :(( the last one i was supposed to have was cancelled bc of covid.

i was less productive today and i'm teetering between being mentally stable and becoming a hermit again. i'm anxious with a lot of things atm so like : D not the best state. today it was a bit sunny but not hot hot which was nice. i changed my theme today bc i couldn't wait for sept. 1st. and no i haven't found anything that makes me happy HAHAHA shit like that's hard to identify. don't have anything to say too, i'm just thinking about why i'm procrastinating too much atm T_T and i'm listening to this rap song atm and one of the rappers sounded like han.

it isn't annoying! i enjoy the long exchanges but i do admit it takes me awhile to type down a reply. so if i get more busy, it'll prolly take a bit longer for me to reply.

DEHUMANIZATION OF THE WINTER SOLDIER [sources: click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click]

dehumanization is the denial of full humanness to others, and the cruelty and suffering that accompany it. it refers to the viewing and treatment of other persons as if they lack mental capacities that we enjoy as human beings.

it may be understood as the opposite of personification, a figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities; dehumanization then is the disendowment of these same qualities or a reduction to abstraction.

humanness has two features: "identity" (i.e., a perception of the person "as an individual, independent and distinguishable from others, capable of making choices") and "community" (i.e., a perception of the person as "part of an interconnected network of individuals who care for each other"). when a target's agency and community embeddedness are denied, they no longer elicit compassion or other moral responses, and may suffer violence as a result.

         Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes was elected to become HYDRA’s secret and best and most effective weapon, and we all know that popular tumblr post: you are a weapon and weapons don’t weep. but how was this outcome achieved? how do you turn a human being into someone (something?) detached, heartless, merciless enough to weed through other human beings as though they’re not more than objects to be removed? through the process of dehumanizing these same others, precisely --- by making yourself, or another, believe they are below human standards; they are, indeed, just objects to be removed. whereas this much is well explained in the literature, however, there is the other side of the coin --- which is what i’ll be exploring in this meta. because the Winter Soldier didn’t only think of his (HYDRA’s, in truth) opponents as less than human --- he himself was ever treated as something less than human, as a weapon/tool to be used. he himself was dehumanized.

         CLOTHING. one look at the Winter Soldier’s uniform, and anyone realizes it is a highly intricate thing. it is functional, yes, as it must be, and it provides protection as it ought to do for any regular soldier --- however, it is also highly symbolic. first of all, the almost absurd amount of straps --- you need straps to hold the gun holsters, of course, but you certainly don’t need this many. Winter’s uniform is covered in them, as to symbolize the tentacles of HYDRA --- the complete power, complete control they have over their asset. this uniform restrains him, constricts him, allows freedom of movement as much as one requires in the battlefield but, at the same time, is a visual and tactile reminder of submission --- even when the Soldier is away from HYDRA, not face to face, HYDRA accompanies him everywhere. as well, the fact that the uniform is clearly too intricate to be put on or off on his own --- he’s got some degree of freedom for adjustment, should he ever need to make modifications on his own according to the battle course, but that’s the equivalent of a weapon’s reloading --- it’s something the weapon’s wielder allows to be done, for a greater purpose --- in order to better serve the weapon’s owner’s purpose. this is made to remind the Winter Soldier, the most skilled assassin ever trained, that his power pales in comparison to the power of the ones who made him; he needs HYDRA even for something as simple as to don his battle attire.

         MASK. Winter’s complete version of a mask covers his features entirely and reveals only a small patch of skin on his forehead. is this made for protection? to shield his eyes from bullets and shards during explosions, for example? no doubt it is, and no doubt it is for more than this --- because the forehead is exposed. you don’t protect a soldier’s eyes but leave the forehead exposed and open to a well-placed sniper shot. “Captain America: Civil War” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” show us a parallel: in the former, during the 1991 flashbacks, the Soldier isn’t wearing a mask even though he’s gone after a target as important as Howard Stark; HYDRA’s Russian branch cares for secrecy, to keep their tentacles still hidden and well rooted into SHIELD, but they don’t feel the need to cover the asset’s face because they know what they are doing and they take precautions to eliminate any witnesses and trails left on their wake. on the contrary, HYDRA’s American branch, with Alexander Pierce at the head, brings in the full facial mask. why, because they don’t want the Winter Soldier to be recognized? could be --- but, if so, why send him out so carefreely? why send him to get their member who just spilled the beans and revealed the truth behind the algorithm, in broad daylight, when the Soldier could very easily dispose of this man in his sleep and without making a ruckus? at this point, the mask is only partially for protection and for concealment -- most of all, it is to keep the Winter Soldier on the leash. it is to keep him muted, to keep him restrained, to keep reminding him he’s no more than a dog in a muzzle. to keep painting him as an object rather than a human being, because the mask allows for none of his human expressions to be seen by others --- therefore, cutting the others’ capacity to humanize him. when they shoot, they don’t shoot at a human --- they shoot at a conglomerate of leather and metal and reinforced glass.

         EYE CAMOUFLAGE. serves the same purpose as the mask, though reducing the protection even more at the same time. it can be interpreted as camouflage purposes only, yes, but then why not use the full mask? i’m pretty sure HYDRA can afford a mask with night vision system. this camouflage covers Winter’s eyes only, rather than the entire face --- it purposefully covers the part of the human face that conveys more emotion. it covers his eyebrows, as to prevent him from expressing emotions or at least to prevent others from perceiving these emotions. if he initially was sent after Nick Fury whilst wearing the full mask, why change this after? whatever the motive, they could have simply removed the top part of the mask --- like Winter himself does at the highway chase, when the Black Widow damages it --- instead, they do this AND they add the black cover, to ensure Winter is as a much of a weapon as before even if a bit more of his face is now exposed.

         INFANTILIZATION/ CONDESCENSION. even though the Winter Soldier is a perfected weapon and an extremely skilled assassin, he’s still treated as a no-threat compared to HYDRA. Pierce offers him a glass of milk like it’s nothing and like he’s talking to a perfectly regular/innocuous individual, Pierce slaps him as though he might never have a violent jerk-up, instinctive reaction and attack him back, Pierce has so much control over him he “only” relies on a slap rather than something more openly hostile like an actual punch. even back in 1991, at the Russian branch, Karpov would bring the red star notebook to plain sight (later on, Zemo uses the same technique to capitalize on this notebook’s/the activation words’ triggering value) and would go as far as to place it down within the Soldier’s reach. because HYDRA is entirely confident on their brainwashing and conditioning, because the Winter Soldier is their perfect weapon, ever ready to comply --- yes. but, just as much, as a constant reminder of how powerless the Soldier is, at the end of the day. of how he belongs to them, of how he’ll never be able to break free, of how easy it is for them to subjugate such a dangerous individual. of how he’s got no real choice, no shred of personal agency, even when it comes to something as simple as, for example, destroying a notebook associated with physical pain and suffering.

         SOUND. obviously, the magnificent theme that is The Winter Soldier in the movie’s OST is a cinematic add-on --- it’s on the other side of the fourth wall. however, this theme does expand on something else: the fact that the Winter Soldier is associated with non-human sounds or vocalizations, other than screams; instead, he’s associated with the sounds of metal, of grating, of static. in turn, this has him associated with a sense of derealization, of an alternate reality --- of something that is different from the realm of human beings. when you think of him, you don’t think of the sound of his voice --- you think of the sound his artificial arm makes. on the other hand, the fact that we practically do not hear the Soldier making sounds that express pain, even during all-out battle whenever he’s hit or hurt. this can also be due to the drugs injected in his system to optimize missions (which i shall explore in a different meta), so that for the most part he indeed is numbed to most forms of pain --- yet it is, no doubt, also highly symbolic. because, if you hurt someone and they yelp in pain, this reminds you that you are hurting a sentient being, just like yourself --- however, if you hurt someone and they lack reaction to it, this encourages you to keep hurting. this does not trigger cognitive dissonance in regards to hurting someone who’s as human as you are. you are simply poking at an object and poking at objects is entirely fine. remember, weapons don’t weep and they certainly don’t whine. and i won’t even get started on the fact we barely hear him speak during CA:TWS and, even when he does speak, the sentences are short and sparse in between them. weapons also don’t chit-chat.

         NAME. or lack, thereof. or multiple names. the Winter Soldier, HYDRA’s fist, the asset, soldier, a ghost/a ghost story. save for Zola calling him Sergeant Barnes (at least initially), we never hear him being called by his name up until the moment when Steve recognizes him. why? to help with the brainwashing, yes, and to help shedding the person that was James Buchanan Barnes and to become someone else entirely --- but also because having a given name is a human thing. our beloved pets don’t name themselves, we name them because we love them and we have a place in our life for who they are. because a name gives someone an identity. the Soldier, on the other hand, is never portrayed as a person --- he’s portrayed as a presence, as an essence, as a shadow, as something that, for the longest time, people aren’t even sure if it exists for real. the Soldier exists in a sort of alternate reality that isn’t human-like, that doesn’t have an identity or a concrete definition --- he’s an aura, a sense of dread, an abstraction, almost ethereal. to the point where, when Steve calls him by an actual name (Bucky), he does not react to it --- not only because he currently is unable to remember, but also because he does not have an identity. he’s not grounded on any name, on any definition. he’s only been soldier for the past 70 years.

         BODY LANGUAGE. the Winter Soldier is a killing machine, of this there is no doubt --- and he acts like one, moves like one. he shows no regard for his opponents’ well-being (to say the very least) and he shows very little so for his own --- the way he simply jumps off a ledge and lands atop cars like it’s nothing, for example, and makes no attempt to break that fall in a way that may be less straining for his body. all that matters is to complete the mission, and his body language reflects this --- this ruthlessness. in a way, even, this lack of self-preservation that you usually don’t see in a person; as though it doesn’t matter if he’s injured or even if he dies, as long as the mission is accomplished. it’s an incredibly high contrast, for example, with the scene in CA:CW when Bucky is buying plums --- he’s performing a sensitive and tender action, he’s being mindful of a gesture as finely-tuned as to judge that plum’s weight and ripeness --- he’s humanized, in this very moment. the Winter Soldier is never seen under such light, and proof of it is how Zemo needs to wipe this humanization in order to activate the soldier again. to make him ruthless again. also, the fact that we never see the Winter Soldier running --- he only ever walks, and this somehow makes him even more terrifying than if he was to be chasing his target at high speed run. he doesn’t need to run to successfully complete the mission, as tough he does not need to put effort into what he’s doing. again, this conveys the message that this individual is not a person like everyone else --- he’s beyond a human, he’s a monster. he’s an aberration.

        AGENCY. and i left the crowning glory for last, of course. agency refers to one’s capacity to act independently and to make their own free choices, one's independent capability or ability to act on one's will. in the case, it refers to everything that HYDRA robbed James Buchanan Barnes of, and constantly denied to the Winter Soldier ever since. i’ve been discussing some examples in the previous topics, because it’s the overarching theme to this process of dehumanization --- the Winter Soldier is completely devoid of what makes a human, human: free will, self-determination. every other point, like the mask or the uniform, is an add-on to, and a confirmation of, this underlying fact. Bucky never had a choice when it came to being captured, to being experimented on, to having an artificial limb implemented, to being trained to become an assassin. all of this was imposed on him, with complete disregard for any human rights. the one semblance of agency we see, after 70 years lived like this, is when he questions Pierce who was the man on the bridge --- and, immediately, he’s given a vague explanation made only with the intent to reinforce his indoctrination that HYDRA is the good side of this war --- again, being dictated what he should believe in and what is “the truth” --- not to mention, right after, being wiped and started over again once it becomes clear his current state isn’t compliant enough. this is the essence of the brainwashing process, yes, but at the same time it’s constantly conveyed by all the other points discussed above --- constantly conveyed, overtly or not, that he has no agency. he has no right to choose. he amounts to no more than a weapon, he was created to be nothing else other than whatever HYDRA wants him to be. and when do we finally get a glimpse of the tables starting to turn? --- at the very end, as that helicarrier is crashing to the bottom of the Potomac --- when the Soldier chooses to save Steve, chooses to then leave on his own accord to, presumably, try to find his own path. again, the mindset that Zemo had to obliterate, in order to stifle Bucky and to bring back the soldier. to remind him that he exists only as HYDRA’s extension, not as any sort of individual identity or self.

an autistic analysis, lyric by lyric, of ‘i love play rehearsal’

ive been hyperfixating over bmc for the last month and i keep thinking about how autistic the main characters are and christine is so very very very autistic coded to me. so i decided im just going to straight up deconstruct the lyrics of her signature song in the context of her being autistic (and also having adhd, but my experience is mostly in autism)

this is very very rambley and based more on personal experience than research, so i doubt itll be interesting to anybody but me, but i just want to talk about christine, the autistic queen

I love play rehearsal Because its the best! Because it is fun. I love play rehearsal and I get depressed as soon as its done.

it goes without saying that chrstine’s special interest is theater right? the way she treats it as the “highlight of [her] life” and then switches into this song after acting completely awkward and disinterested in jeremy outside of the context of him being engaged in her special interest.

But not depressed as in like kill yourself depressed No, im not into self-harm Dude, I swear, here check my arm!

overexplaining in a way that reads very much like speaking before she thinks, even though bringing up self harm in casual conversation with someone you barely talk to is not exactly proper etiquette. i think this is also an adhd trait? going faster than your own brain. that’s basically this whole song.

See, I just use the word to emphasise a point, Show the passion I have got I am passionate a lot. I have mad, gigantic feelings, Red and frantic feelings, About most everything Like gun control, like spring,

a lot of people assume autistic people are typically emotionless but it’s also very easy for us to get caught up in emotional issues especially when it comes to stuff we love, and it catches us off guard. christine being hyperempathetic is implied later in the show when she has that awful survivors’ guilt over making fun of rich and jake, and it also plays into her being so socially conscious as well.

Like if I’m living up to all I’m meant to be.

being an high school junior is really rough bc of all the decisions that have to be made regarding college and your future as an independent adult, and being autistic just makes it worse bc it can easily lead to burnout to deal with so much at once, if you even can comprehend these things much at all (i had no idea what to do, lol). i doubted my ability to grow up and succeed constantly because i had no idea who to talk to and what questions to ask and how to present myself. that’s something that a lot of people worry about, but having social delays makes it way more of a pressing issue than it is for neurotypicals, i feel.

I also have a touch of ADD. Where was I? Oh, right!

self explanatory and very canon. adhd and autism can be diagnosed simultaneously nowadays and the symptoms overlap a lot, btw.

I love play rehearsal, Cause’ you are equiped with direction and text, Life is easy in rehearsal, You follow a script so you know what comes next. Anywho the point that I’m getting to is sometimes life can’t work out in the way It works out in the play

this part screams autistic culture to me. unpredictability is scary because social situations don’t always go smoothly like in fiction! this is why social scripting is a popular therapy tactic for autistic children- you have to manually study social situations like a script. theater is something meant to be memorized and recited until you’re able to process it and manufacture emotion, but honestly for autistic kids, life feels a lot like that sometimes. remember how miserable she got when one of her favorite plays had the script changed without her permission to make a whole new story she doesn’t know? of course that’s just upsetting on its own, but in the context of her knowing theater so well and being fully prepared for one story only to be forced to learn a new one? ouch.

christine is never shown as comfortable outside her element- she hides in a book during “more than survive” and shrinks into nothing at the party. it’s a recurring theme that she has no idea exactly who she is, struggles with her identity outside of theater, and despite not really caring about how people see her, she does care about her own ability. socializing makes her feel awkward, especially when something totally unexpected happens like jake or jeremy asking her out. if she doesn’t have a plan or routine or, well, a script, then she can’t trust herself to go forward.

Like the only time I get to be the center of attention, Is when I’m Juliet or Blanche DuBois

as an autistic theater kid, i just really do relate to being clueless and dumb in real life but being able to totally thrive on the stage, because you can channel the energy that is usually misplaced in real life social interactions, and transfer it through dialogue and song and dance that someone else laid out nicely for you.

and can I mention? That was really one of my best roles, Did you see that?

an epic combination of letting your mind wander easily without caring about making sense to the person you’re speaking to, and taking every opportunity to infodump. in a lot of productions she even mimics her blanche voice just for fun. jeremy tries to respond here but she doesn’t care because she’s in her own brain where everything only really seems to make sense to her.

And no matter how hard I try, It’s impossible to narrow down the many reasons why, I love play rehearsal. I happiness cry whenever it starts!

if she isn’t being hyperbolic then this plays into my ‘so much emotion it’s hard to control’ thing detailed a bit above. either way, big special interest mood.

It’s just so universal Getting to try playing so many parts. Most humans do one thing for all of their lives, The thought of that gives me hives! I’ve got so many interests I wanna pursue,

it’s a lot easier to lose yourself and connect to your special interest than focus on your very complex, very overwhelming real life issues. escaping into fiction and being able to play in a variety of social situations as a totally different person, yay theater!

in general i just like the idea of christine struggling to visualize who she is and thinking about a lot of hypothetical but being unable to choose which one is most desirable or plausible. idk if that’s autistic or just a fun character trait lol. i know jumping from interest to interest is an adhd thing though.

this little passage is good for at least showing that christine distinguishes herself from ‘most humans’ in a way that isn’t so much ‘not like other girls’ but like ‘life is so much more confusing to me than it seems to be to others’ (which the show proposes isn’t exactly true and is the same closed-mindedness that jeremy has, though christine realizes it sooner; however; the sentiment rings true in that christine, as a neurodiverse young woman, has a lot more hoops to jump through than a neurotypical classmate.)

And why am I telling this to you? Guess there’s a part of me that wants to.

jeremy is also very autistic coded in my eyes, but that’s a separate post. i just like them being drawn to each other through that sort of kinship. also if you interpret her as having an unrealized requited crush on him…well, i think for a lot of us, romantic love is easy to confuse with friend love, if even that, because the specifics of emotions are a mess to unravel. (which also explains her confusion on her relationship with jake)

oh and right after this, she starts squawking just because she had the impulse to do so. vocal stimming, much?

Back to play rehearsal, My brain is like ‘bzzz’ My heart is like 'wow’

my brain is always like bzzz honestly lol. this is generally a pretty good way to describe being hyperfocused.

Because we’re here at play rehearsal, and it’s starting, We’re starting, It’s starting, Sooo-ooon.

it’s been confirmed as a deliberate decision that christine’s songs never end on a rhyme, except when she’s squipped and it isn’t ‘really’ her, because she subverts everyone’s expectations, including jeremy’s. i feel that could make for a nice simplified metaphor for autism, right?

DEHUMANIZATION OF THE WINTER SOLDIER

[sources: click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click]

dehumanization is the denial of full humanness to others, and the cruelty and suffering that accompany it. it refers to the viewing and treatment of other persons as if they lack mental capacities that we enjoy as human beings.

it may be understood as the opposite of personification, a figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities; dehumanization then is the disendowment of these same qualities or a reduction to abstraction.

humanness has two features: "identity" (i.e., a perception of the person "as an individual, independent and distinguishable from others, capable of making choices") and "community" (i.e., a perception of the person as "part of an interconnected network of individuals who care for each other"). when a target's agency and community embeddedness are denied, they no longer elicit compassion or other moral responses, and may suffer violence as a result.

          Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes was elected to become HYDRA’s secret and best and most effective weapon, and we all know that popular tumblr post: you are a weapon and weapons don’t weep. but how was this outcome achieved? how do you turn a human being into someone (something?) detached, heartless, merciless enough to weed through other human beings as though they’re not more than objects to be removed? though the process of dehumanizing these same others, precisely --- by making yourself, or another, believe they are below human standards; they are, indeed, just objects to be removed. whereas this much is well explained in the literature, however, there is the other side of the coin --- which is what i’ll be exploring in this meta. because the Winter Soldier didn’t only think of his (HYDRA’s, in truth) opponents as less than human --- he himself was ever treated as something less than human, as a weapon/tool to be used. he himself was dehumanized.

          CLOTHING. one look at the Winter Soldier’s uniform, and anyone realizes it is a highly intricate thing. it is functional, yes, as it must be, and it provides protection as it ought to do for any regular soldier --- however, it is also highly symbolic. first of all, the almost absurd amount of straps --- you need straps to hold the gun holsters, of course, but you certainly don’t need this many. Winter’s uniform is covered in them, as to symbolize the tentacles of HYDRA --- the complete power, complete control they have over their asset. this uniform restrains him, constricts him, allows freedom of movement as much as one requires in the battlefield but, at the same time, is a visual and tactile reminder of submission --- even when Winter is away from HYDRA, not face to face, HYDRA accompanies him everywhere. as well, the fact that the uniform is clearly too intricate to be put on or off on his own --- he’s got some degree of freedom for adjustment, should he ever need to make modifications on his own according to the battle course, but that’s the equivalent of a weapon’s reloading --- it’s something the weapon’s wielder allows to be done, for a greater purpose --- in order to better serve the weapon’s owner’s purpose. this is made to remind the Winter Soldier, the most skilled assassin ever trained, that his power pales in comparison to the power of the ones who made him; he needs HYDRA even for something as simple as to don his battle attire.

          MASK. Winter’s complete version of a mask covers his features entirely and reveals only a small patch of skin on his forehead. is this made for protection? to shield his eyes from shards during explosions, for example? no doubt it is, and no doubt it is for more than this --- because the forehead is exposed. you don’t protect a soldier’s eyes but leave the forehead exposed and open to a well-placed sniper shot. “Captain America: Civil War” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” show us a parallel: in the former, during the 1991 flashbacks, Winter isn’t wearing a mask even though he’s gone after a target as important as Howard Stark; HYDRA’s Russian branch cares for secrecy, to keep their tentacles still hidden and well rooted into SHIELD, but they don’t feel the need to cover the asset’s face because they know what they are doing and they take precautions to eliminate any witnesses and trails left on their wake. on the contrary, HYDRA’s American branch, with Alexander Pierce at the head, brings in the full facial mask. why, because they don’t want the Winter Soldier to be recognized? could be --- but, if so, why send him out so carefreely? why send him to get their member who just spilled the beans and revealed the truth behind the algorithm, in broad daylight, when Winter could very easily dispose of this man in his sleep and without making a ruckus? at this point, the mask is only partially for protection and for concealment -- most of all, it is to keep the Winter Soldier on the leash. it is to keep him muted, to keep him restrained, to keep reminding him he’s no more than a dog in a muzzle. to keep painting him as an object rather than a human being, because the mask allows for none of his human expressions to be seen by others --- therefore, cutting the others’ capacity to humanize him. when they shoot, they don’t shoot at a human --- they shoot at a conglomerate of leather and metal and reinforced glass.

          EYE CAMOUFLAGE. serves the same purpose as the mask, though reducing the protection even more at the same time. it can be interpreted as camouflage purposes only, yes, but then why not use the full mask? i’m pretty sure HYDRA can afford a mask with night vision system. this camouflage covers Winter’s eyes only, rather than the entire face --- it purposefully covers the part of the human face that conveys more emotion. it covers his eyebrows, as to prevent him from expressing emotions or at least to prevent others from perceiving these emotions. if he initially was sent after Nick Fury whilst wearing the full mask, why change this after? whatever the motive, they could have simply removed the top part of the mask --- like Winter himself does at the highway chase, when the Black Widow damages it --- instead, they do this AND they add the black cover, to ensure Winter is as a much of a weapon as before even if a bit more of his face is now exposed.

          INFANTILIZATION/ CONDESCENSION. even though the Winter Soldier is a perfected weapon and an extremely skilled assassin, he’s still treated as a no-threat compared to HYDRA. Pierce offers him a glass of milk like it’s nothing and like he’s talking to a perfectly regular/innocuous individual, Pierce slaps him as though he might never have a violent jerk-up, instinctive reaction and attack him back, Pierce has so much control over him he “only” relies on a slap rather than something more openly hostile like an actual punch. even back in 1991, at the Russian branch, Karpov would bring the red star notebook to plain sight (later on, Zemo uses the same technique to capitalize on this notebook’s/the activation words’ triggering value) and would go as far as to place it down within the Soldier’s reach. because HYDRA is entirely confident on their brainwashing and conditioning, because the Winter Soldier is their perfect weapon, ever ready to comply --- yes. but, just as much, as a constant reminder of how powerless the Soldier is, at the end of the day. of how he belongs to them, of how he’ll never be able to break free, of how easy it is for them to subjugate such a dangerous individual. of how he’s got no real choice, no shred of personal agency, even when it comes to something as simple as, for example, destroying a notebook associated with physical pain and suffering.

          SOUND. obviously, the magnificent theme that is The Winter Soldier in the movie’s OST is a cinematic add-on --- it’s on the other side of the fourth wall. however, this theme does expand on something else: the fact that the Winter Soldier is associated with non-human sounds or vocalizations, other than screams; instead, he’s associated with the sounds of metal, of grating, of static. in turn, this has him associated with a sense of derealization, of an alternate reality --- of something that is different from the realm of human beings. when you think of him, you don’t think of the sound of his voice --- you think of the sound his artificial arm makes. on the other hand, the fact that we practically do not hear the Winter Soldier making sounds that express pain, even during all-out battle whenever he’s hit or hurt. this can also be due to the drugs injected in his system to optimize missions (which i shall explore in a different meta), so that for the most part he indeed is numbed to most forms of pain --- yet it is, no doubt, also highly symbolic. because, if you hurt someone and they yelp in pain, this reminds you that you are hurting a sentient being, just like yourself --- however, if you hurt someone and they lack reaction to it, this encourages you to keep hurting. this does not trigger cognitive dissonance in regards to hurting someone who’s as human as you are. you are simply poking at an object and poking at objects is entirely fine. remember, weapons don’t weep and they certainly don’t whine. and i won’t even get started on the fact we barely hear him speak during CA:TWS and, even when he does speak, the sentences are short and sparse in between them. weapons also don’t chit-chat.

          NAME. or lack, thereof. or multiple names. the Winter Soldier, HYDRA’s fist, the asset, soldier, a ghost/a ghost story. save for Zola calling him Sergeant Barnes initially, all the way back in 1944, we never hear him being called by his name up until the moment when Steve recognizes him. why? to help with the brainwashing, yes, and to help shedding the person that was James Buchanan Barnes and to become someone else entirely --- but also because having a given name is a human thing. our beloved pets don’t name themselves, we name them because we love them and we have a place in our life for who they are. because a name gives someone an identity. Winter, on the other hand, is never portrayed as a person --- he’s portrayed as a presence, as an essence, as a shadow, as something that, for the longest time, people aren’t even sure if it exists for real. Winter exists in a sort of alternate reality that isn’t human-like, that doesn’t have an identity or a concrete definition --- he’s an aura, a sense of dread, an abstraction, almost ethereal. to the point where, when Steve calls him by an actual name (Bucky), he does not react to it --- not only because he currently is unable to remember, but also because he does not have an identity. he’s not grounded on any name, on any definition. he’s only been soldier for the past 70 years.

          BODY LANGUAGE. the Winter Soldier is a killing machine, of this there is no doubt --- and he acts like one, moves like one. he shows no regard for his opponents’ well-being (to say the very least) and he shows very little so for his own --- the way he simply jumps off a ledge and lands atop cars like it’s nothing, for example, and makes no attempt to break that fall in a way that may be less straining for his body. all that matters is to complete the mission, and his body language reflects this --- this ruthlessness. in a way, even, this lack of self-preservation that you usually don’t see in a person; as though it doesn’t matter if he’s injured or even if he dies, as long as the mission is accomplished. it’s an incredibly high contrast, for example, with the scene in CA:CW when Bucky is buying plums --- he’s performing a sensitive and tender action, he’s being mindful of a gesture as finely-tuned as to judge that plum’s weight and ripeness --- he’s humanized, in this very moment. the Winter Soldier is never seen under such light, and proof of it is how Zemo needs to wipe this humanization in order to activate the soldier again. to make him ruthless again. also, the fact that we never see the Winter Soldier running --- he only ever walks, and this somehow makes him even more terrifying than if he was to be chasing his target at high speed run. he doesn’t need to run to successfully complete the mission, as tough he does not need to put effort into what he’s doing. again, this conveys the message that this individual is not a person like everyone else --- he’s beyond a human, he’s a monster. he’s an aberration.

          AGENCY. and i left the crowning glory for last, of course. agency refers to one’s capacity to act independently and to make their own free choices, one's independent capability or ability to act on one's will. in the case, it refers to everything that HYDRA robbed James Buchanan Barnes of, and constantly denied to the Winter Soldier ever since. i’ve been discussing some examples in the previous topics, because it’s the overarching theme to this process of dehumanization --- the Winter Soldier is completely devoid of what makes a human, human: free will, self-determination. every other point, like the mask or the uniform, is an add-on to, and a confirmation of, this underlying fact. Bucky never had a choice when it came to being captured, to being experimented on, to having an artificial limb implemented, to being trained to become an assassin. all of this was imposed on him, with complete disregard for any human rights. the one semblance of agency we see, after 70 years lived like this, is when he questions Pierce who was the man on the bridge --- and, immediately, he’s given a vague explanation made only with the intent to reinforce his indoctrination that HYDRA is the good side of this war --- again, being dictated what he should believe in and what is “the truth” --- not to mention, right after, being wiped and started over again once it becomes clear his current state isn’t compliant enough. this is the essence of the brainwashing process, yes, but at the same time it’s constantly conveyed by all the other points discussed above --- constantly conveyed, overtly or not, that he has no agency. he has no right to choose. he amounts to no more than a weapon, he was created to be nothing else other than whatever HYDRA wants him to be. and when do we finally get a glimpse of the tables starting to turn? --- at the very end, as that helicarrier is crashing to the bottom of the Potomac --- when the Winter Soldier chooses to save Steve, chooses to then leave on his own accord to, presumably, try to find his own path. again, the mindset that Zemo had to obliterate, in order to stifle Bucky and to bring back the soldier. to remind him that he exists only as HYDRA’s extension, not as any sort of individual identity or self.

Pentagon discography appreciation post

Want to do a post appreciating Pentagons discography, because I don’t think I’ve seen a post solely about it. Long post beware and sorry for my jumping thought process here (I tried to make it easier to read with breaks)-

Are an actively self composing group

*can reblog a post with examples of that separately if someone wants, this is long enough

Have participated in their choreography just as actively (it varies and some members are a lot more active in this than others). Kino does self choreography for the group and it has been commented that Yeo one has been making contributions. If we want to go way back to Pentagon Maker days, then we can safety say, they did it themselves. Composing lyrics and arrangements, and choreography.

I see less self choreography comments officially made nowadays, so it’s harder to comment on this. But it’s clear they are pretty active in their own dance routines and have a say in them. Round 1 and 2, it’s probably safe to assume they made those lovely chaotic choices themselves

Onto song writing and their vocals in general

Pentagon’s vocally is interesting and unique. Their tones are all different and have specific colors to them. Just like the group visually, they are not uniformed. However, they harmonize very well together despite their differences and same with their height gaps. With their set formations, Wooseok is set in places he doesn’t look out of place in the choreography and same applies to others.  It takes a lot of consideration every set to figure out placements to make sure everyone looks not out of place and as someone who did marching band myself. I can only assume the amount of time they take on spot learning and relearning at times. 

Especially, with how they have relearned multiple routines for missing members multiple times (Yanan’s hiatuses, Kinos injury, special performances).

As I commented on above, Pentagon has their own unique vocal timbres. Timbres being, as their own tone quality and sound that makes them distinguishable from the rest of the group. In some songs it’s less noticeable and others it’s quite noticeable; it’s not due to them being unable harmonize or such. Their vocal approach to a song varies on writing, composer(s)/ arranger(s), and the style and message they want the song to have. As it’s boring to go with the same vocal style every song and theme. Who wants to listen to the same song repeated differently over again with different lyrics?

Round 2, Naughty Boys, and Skateboard have more varied vocal tones. While in Spring Snow, Runaway, and Off Road they harmonize and blend their voices more. Honestly, their voices are so unique it was hard to judge and make that second list in general. If you compare their debuts album to their newest songs. Every member’s tone quality, control, range, and sound has improved noticeably.

Pentagon have been pursuing development in their music since debut and their music image hasn’t changed heavily in (my opinion). More of them finding what they like/ trying new things, though I feel they have been a group that likes to play with newer concepts in the industry. They have two main comebacks themes they like to do: Mature ones and Playful ones. 

Mature: Cosmo, Runaway, and Sha la la

Playful: Shine, Humph, and Naughty Boys (tho I debate its half/ half of both)

As you can assume their image has changed a bit since Edawn has left; as he had a part in their writing and major vocal/ rap part in songs. I don’t think anything fundamentally has changed for them in what they stand for, their music production/ comebacks, etc. Current members are getting more vocals/ rap parts and are more active on composing than before, so I’m appreciative of that.

Onwards specifically, more to their song arrangements as a whole 

Pentagon likes to play with reoccurring themes in their songs such as, sounds which can mean the complex sentence structure when getting to the roots of song lyrics .Their arrangement of sentence structure can have purposeful repeated phrases, onomatopoeia, idioms, and connotations (all can be found in Naughty Boy). This is only a short list of how much thought goes into composing a song. Careful sentence structure creates ways they can play with articulations; like Jinho holding a note to make it more emphasized (YuTO DaaaaAAA). Linguistics is not my strongest point, but I tried with the explanations a bit.

Redundancy is also found in their dance routines (references to shine in round 2 and sha la la) and song title tracks, (apparently they been making title songs with 3 characters only). They vary a lot instrumentally, (sounds made from computer/ keyboard/ real instrument); I can’t remember the technical names for some of these currently, they do use some elements over others more and some are obvious. But, not feeling the need to comment on it further at this moment. Like the varying vocal tones, pentagon’s members have their own unique composing and lyric differences. You can tell when certain members work on each song, even if it’s for another group. That’s not something you can recreate and just expect any idol to have. 

What I also enjoy with pentagons music overall: the variety of topics in their lyrics. Not solely about a girl/ love, lust, or rehashed ideas. They often write songs ideas solely for themselves without caring how it does because they wanted to write it (Hui has commented that’s how he composes). Songs written or covered for fans (you are and cosmo). Songs written about memories with each other (just do it yo!) and songs about how they are feeling over past experiences/ current ones (the greatest wall/ genius).  

Commenting now on humph and how I feel about the song’s composition individually

Humph is a well done summer comeback in my opinion. It’s minimalistic and focused on a story created with the song vocally and dance routine (and mv that really adds to it). Humph is started with broken notes (staccatos), showing a good job even musically the disconnection aka the unwillingness to apologize for breaking the rules. The members vocally in the song seem to be answering one another and that’s a theme throughout the whole song/ mv. The disconnected note is continuous a downbeat as the chord is brought in, but is taken away at sections of the songs. During the bridge (building up/ transition to the chorus) it’s not reoccurring.

I’m very limited on music theory knowledge and trying here. Trying to figure out the format of the song and wow, I went into it thinking it’s easy originally. Because the song seems simplistic but its not the same chorus repeated over again with the same versus/ and harmonies every time (AAA) by any means. The first chorus matches the harmonies of the song (trying to keep simple explanations), while the second chorus starts with the same continuous harmonies but changes partway (2:10/2:11ish), which continues right into the third chorus (2:40). It transitioned so easily into the third chorus almost didn’t notice was in the changed chorus still. I think I answered my question here from earlier. Thanks for reading my writing spilling outs and chaotic lengthy mess. Pentagons music deserves all the praise and love in the universe 

Can You Merge Tracks?

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The Mechanical Dragon (Part 5)

“It’s almost over.” A voice whispers.

Azula can barely hear it.

It is bright.

Painfully so.

She thinks that she might be dead. But if that is the case, then why does her body still hurt her so. The voice comes again but it is muffled. She squints because the light is too much.

 .oOo.

 The ground beneath her is soft, her face sinks into it. It takes her a moment to process that it is not ground at all that she lays on. It is fabric, a mattress. She wants to weep all over again, because she is finally elsewhere. Somewhere cleaner, somewhere free of biting elephant-rats and scurrying centi-worms. She wants to weep because she knows that it isn’t real and that she will wake up in her abysmal prison.

She grips the sheets and cherishes them. They are clean and probably smell nice. Unlike she who carries the scent of a graveyard during a smoldering summer.

 “Are you awake?”

 Azula doesn’t speak, but she urges herself to sit up. The voice sounds so familiar, she thinks that she might know it, bit it has been so very long. She stares down at her palms, those hideous claws and the shame sets in, she isn’t really listening to the other girl speak. If only she had woken up in her own bed, with her own hands. She flexes them, but it still hurts to do so. The tiger-monkey claw fits her own hand in such an awkward way; there is a sort of resistance, a push back that keeps her fingers from stretching fully. And even without the resistance, each movement tugs at the stitches. She holds out her hand, but can’t seem to manage to vocalize what she wants of the other woman.

 A look of compassion sets into the other woman’s face, it comforts Azula somehow. With both hands, she takes hold of Azula’s clawed one with a foreign tenderness. She holds Azula’s hand close to her chest. “We’ll get these offa you.” She promises.  

 Again, Azula can’t bring herself to talk. She thinks that maybe she has forgotten how to do anything vocal that isn’t shrieking or moaning in pain or crying. She doesn’t know if she remembers how to speak properly…intellectually. She doesn’t want to speak at all if she can do it eloquently.

 Realizing that Azula isn’t going to reply, she adds, “My father—you know my father…”

 She doesn’t though. She swears that she doesn’t.

 “He’s really good at these kinds a things. He ken undo those stitches and find a way to work with these.” She brushes her fingers over those Agni-awful wings.

 Azula must have made a face because the woman elaborates more. “Don’t worry. He’s worked with machines that require attention to detail and very careful hands. He ken fix you up and it won’t even hurt.”

 She makes it sound like an easy feat, but Azula is skeptical. She knows much better. She knows that it will hurt, she believes that she has only ever known pain and that it might be all that she will ever know. But this woman, this other woman with her charming and familiar accent and her reassuring words makes her think that perhaps her ailing will come to an end.

She wants to believe her.                      

 Azula cups her free hand over the other woman’s, drawing a bright smile from her. She has a nice smile, the princess decides. Her complexion is on the tanner side and dotted with freckles. Her hair is long, brown in hue, and dark. Her eyes are darker still. Suddenly her expression goes dark as well. “You are Azula right?”

 This woman remembers her, but she can’t remember the woman.

She doesn’t know why she can’t remember.

 .oOo.

 Zirin begins to think that she has leapt to conclusions. A whole lot of wishful thinking. Whoever this was, didn’t seem to know her at all. The animal skins hide any and all distinguishing features. There is nothing at all to indicate identity. If she is being honest with herself, she doesn’t even know if the person under the pelts and hog-monkey mask is male or female. But the height is right. She’d never met anyone else as small as Azula—not someone her age anyhow. For all she knows, though, she could be holding the hand of an older child.

 Suddenly it feels strange to hold the hand so lovingly, so she puts it down just in case. She tries to anyhow, those clawed hands won’t let go. She finds herself instinctively chilled by a clawed hand clasped over hers. There are human hands beneath those, she forcefully reminds herself.

The form seems to slump over and their breathing becomes more forceful, heaving almost. The figure’s shoulders seem to shake. It takes Zirin a moment to realize that the other is crying. It is the blunt proof that she needed. The person she holds is human.

 Azula or not, Zirin takes her—yes, the cries are definitely female—into her arms. She does so with care, and with even more attention, she rubs the woman’s back. She has to admit, it feels nice to hold someone again, someone who isn’t her younger brother. The woman in her arms cries for a long time. Zirin hopes that it will be the last time because it is such a hopeless, despairing sound. One that leaves her heart aching.

 Her father will be home soon, she knows that things will get easier for the trembling woman once the hog-monkey head is removed. Zirin just hopes that he won’t flee at the sight of the tortured woman—he always did have a bit of a faint heart. She thinks of meeting her father at the door, but can’t bring herself to leave the woman. Not with her weeping the way she is. Zirin can’t imagine her father being unsympathetic—not after having her sent to the institution. To the very place she’d met Azula. As of late he has been taking extra care to please her, she supposes that, at the loss of Azula, he fears that he might have to send her back there if he isn’t careful.

 She can’t stand it any longer so she asks again, “Azula is that you?”

 Still, the woman doesn’t answer. She has stopped crying, but she isn’t talking either. She supposes it doesn’t matter; Azula or not, Zirin knows that she will take care of her.

Red Earth and Pouring Rain is a voice/ guitar duo featuring Harini Iyer on vocals and Abhijit Nath on guitar, that focuses on traditional and improvisational music seasoned with contemporary influences. Their interests span Carnatic, Jazz, Bossa and Latin music, aiming to bring the emotional core of each of these genres to fresh audiences. We talked to them about their influences, musicianship, and the industry as a whole. Read on and come catch them LIVE at The Blue Room THIS SATURDAY!

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Q: Talented musicians such as yourselves, who have played in venues abroad as well as here in India, must have some insight into how the industry functions here, as compared to places like Boston. How do you distinguish between the two?

A: Harini: I’ve only performed in Boston in a student capacity, meaning I never performed as a full-time musician, only shows through Berklee or the Indian Raga fellowship concerts and some wedding gigs for friends. As most people know, this is very different from the real world experience. I am also fairly new to the Indian music scene so give me a year and I’ll get back to you on this!

Q: Your influences clearly play a role in your musicality. There’s a tendency with some musicians to allow their influence to dictate their musicality completely, while you two have allowed them instead to guide your music. Where do you see the line being drawn between these instances in the music you listen to?

A: Abhijit: When writing fusion music of any kind, the challenge is always for both the music to speak to each other, and not float on top of each other, so to speak. It’s important to be immersed in the aesthetic and structural aspects of what makes the genre work, rather than use aspects of them for effect. That’s what we’ve been trying to do with the meld of jazz and Carnatic music- to add harmony while keeping the emotional core of the music intact. In other words, respect for, and a deep understanding of both genres is important. Harini: We don’t perceive music by how much it is going to influence or take over us. Having said that, you cannot create something unless you let it take over you and if that means being heavily influenced by something, so be it. We are always looking for creative inspiration from artists we look up to and even when we do let them influence us what comes out is very different because we are a summation of all our experiences and influences. It somehow ends up being different and some risks have to be taken to experiment and find one’s sound.

Q: Your influences are clearly incredibly varied, from RnB to Carnatic to Jazz music. However, with all these influences being melded together, your music still remains cohesive. How do you see these separate influences being perceived from a piece of music that you play?

Abhijit: Ideally, each influence is not perceived- it just feels natural. At lot of the music I’m influenced by is other traditional music that speak to jazz- Middle eastern & Armenian music (Dhafer Youssef, Ibrahim Maalouf, Tigran Hamasyan) and West African music (Tinariwen, Toumani Diabate). These are complex modal music forms that have long heritages, but yet have opened themselves up for harmonic exploration. My ultimate goal is to create a similar language for Carnatic and Hindustani music to speak to jazz as well, in a non fusion cliché manner. Harini: Going back to the previous answer, we don’t perceive music by our influences or genres necessarily. We both have a shared interest for the music we do and traditional improvisation and contemporary sounds are a big portion of it. Having been exposed to a lot of different cultures and musical backgrounds, we just go with the flow and jam till we find a sound and groove that we connect with. My personal influences have been TM Krishna, Bombay Jayasree, Aruna Sairam, Erykah Badu and Nina Simone. At Berklee, I was in the Balkan and Middle Eastern Ensembles which sparked my love for Middle Eastern sounds and timbre. I also listen to and perform a lot of Latin music and for instance, one would hear an unintentional Flamenco touch to some of my improvisation which is also very folksy. Now, how the audience perceives our music is completely up to their imagination. It might mean something to us and something completely different to someone listening to us. That’s the beauty of interpretation.

Q: Having worked with accomplished musicians like Javier Limon and Israel Suarez, you must have gained some insight that facilitated you making it to where you are now. What are some words of wisdom that you think might benefit younger musicians looking to make a livelihood out of their passion?

Harini: Every time I’ve had the opportunity to work with someone I look up to, I’ve always felt unprepared and the experience just breezes past that I never get the time to process it or present myself in a way I imagine seeing myself collaborate. This feeling of unpreparedness is always going to be there and the only way to get through that is to sit down and practice your instrument, to start somewhere instead of dreaming and planning big goals. A lot of times we romanticize the idea of practice, envisioning the result instead of trying to make the process bearable, because face it, the process is definitely going to be boring, hard and uninspiring most times. There’s a beautiful cartoon quote by Zen Pencils of Shona Rhimes called “a screenwriter’s advice” that talks about this. Working with Javier and El Pirana was incredible. They are top-notch musicians who have worked with Paco De Lucia and Anoushka Shankar. It was my first time being introduced to a Peruvian song with crazy polyrhythms that I wasn’t used to before. It was so challenging and I was nervous through every rehearsal and even the final show. It took me up to a year after the show to get comfortable with that song, and it is on the set list for the show at Blueroom. Hope you like it!

Sonic Picks 19 woopheadclrms: vs o.t.O.g.l (2018) Reviewed format: Digital Album on Genot Centre Yes, I'm back already with a new review from a release on Genot Centre in my Sonic Picks review series. Included in the package of the review copy of the cassette tape I reviewed yesterday were again 5 download codes for other releases on the label so I'm obviously checking all these out and giving them a review too. Today's release is this great album by Japanese artist woopheadclrms, titled vs o.t.O.g.l, released in 2018 on Genot Centre. The version I'm reviewing here is the Digital download which features the album cover in good resolution as well as the 15 album tracks in 24-bit/48kHz high resolution files. Indeed at 37 minutes long, the album's music is spread over many short pieces like that but they work rather well playing one after another so the album is a good continous listen. vs o.t.O.g.l is like many contemporary post-digital, online samples inspired Sound Collage / Plunderphonics albums quite an odd, maybe at times "alien" listen. But that is actually exactly the aspect I like so much about this kind of experimental music nowadays. At times it's hard to follow if there is much "rational logic" at all in the music, but this makes it all the more free and associative in nature. With the collages and manipulations of field recordings, voice samples, music element samples and samples of full tracks creating atmospheres and experiences rather than traditionally composed or produced music. The album kicks off with short interlude track I'm which features a Japanese female singer, singing acapella, pretty nice. This flows into Empire of Shopping mall, a track that features hilarious contrasts in dynamics and a quirky and hilarious combination of samples, including Trump randomly. Most shocking for most people who listen to this for the first time will be the sudden screams after the peacefull intro. The piece is filled with cool details, in the stereo panning, peaceful New Age vibes, synth quirks floating all around. Indeed it's really impossible to name all details per track, so I'll showcase some impressions in the way. Fun piece. Then we have Blindness?? which is especially nice for its diffuse sound signature with many mechanical sounds and field recordings as well as constantly warbling synths, and sudden tension at the end. The harpsichord intro is also a great wacky part to start with, as a fever dream the music on this album keeps messing with my mind with all its strange juxtapositions of sound and music but also all the details I can actually distinguish in woopheadclrms' music, it is definitely pleasant music tho, very peaceful in a way. Hane then is a short piece of high pitched tinkling, stuttering and stuttering synths, harp and cymbals, mysterious. Meaning is filled with interesting dissonances, sawtooth synth warbles, ethereal synths, tinkling pianos and crackling sounds. Feels quite like a peaceful place yet there's some kind of strange steile vibe about this place you can't quite place, again, mystery. The "ready or not" sample at the ending is also quite hilarious. Indie juxtaposes mangled drums and electric guitar with samples from a heart monitor in a hospital and wacky synth effects, strange kind of vibe of sonic creatures moving around the space. Then on Killer F we have what sounds like a psychedelic piece of abstract music based around the "cool factor" of some online radio station. Again, the samples "the coolest station online" add quite a comic effect to the whole and with nicely weird pitched vocals the track is quite surreal sounding. Then we have Open it, close it, break it, cry which opens with a primary school alphabet lesson and then moves into quite peaceful Japanese sounding ambient music with traditional instruments, very relaxing and soundtrack like piece, life is good vibes. While we're onto the relaxing vibes, the only slightly weak point of this album is that the tracklist features quite a lot of relaxed pieces and there's few tracks with more extreme dynamics and climaxes. This makes the overall dynamics and progression of the albun feel more like constant ambience, which is definitely pleasant to listen to and all the tracks are great music but it makes the album feel a bit less coherent with the jumps into sudden intensity in some pieces. It's more like a collection of seperate pieces in this way. Fill then, is a musical abstraction of flowing water with jolly synth but also plenty of cool filtered low kick effects, good stuff. The sky is a mirror of endless mind features a lot of high pitches stuttered sounds and squelchy manipulation, quite tense sounding too, the music sounds like futuristic odd industrial processes in action, curious stuff. School is another track being so densely packed with sounds and details I'd say that as an impression it felt as a both comic as well as tense experience with the rising synth tone siren appearing ocassionally but also hinting at the sonic bombardment and chaos that'd happen if all advertisements, stores and anything else in a city would actually make sound. The blend of commercial messages and human sounds often makes our own life sound like semi-artificial already, even if there's still plenty of "real things" in our life that aren't purely there because of good marketing. Calculation & Taste is a more classic styled Sound Collage piece with plenty of looping in the voice samples, creating rhythms out of a woman's and boys voice. Only you brings us to a magical world of safe and carefree life as filtered through the abstracted lens of a Japanese cheesy TV serial drama full of glassy pad sounds, flutes, quite but also dissonant tones and mangled field recordings, sounds good. Selfie is a bit like lo-fi office muzak samples mixed with field recordings of a nice meeting of friends or colleagues, leaning a bit towards Vaporwave aesthetics but more cinematic sounding. Weather channel imagines a world in which the Weather channel is the only TV channel available. It's all you need in fine TV enter and infotainment enjoyment, bringing you metereological goodness 24/7 as well as original weather based dramas full of mood swings due to occasional rain and a kids TV section with the finest jungle exploration TV shows all without ever actually having to face the weather outside. Great ending of this album too. vs o.t.O.g.l. by woopheadclrms is a nicely relaxing album of post-digital Sound Collage / Plunderphonics goodness. While the dynamics / progression in the listening experience by the tracklist might be a bit spotty the music itself is great. I particularly recommend this to listeners interested in both ambient and experimental sound collage music as it's both atmospheric and experimental without being purely abstract. This is also a rather original sounding album in the contemporary digital experimental aesthetics with its many clearly distinguishable details and less club based sound. So a great album to check out definitely. Digital Album is available from the Genot Centre Bandcamp page here: https://genot.bandcamp.com/album/vs-o-t-o-g-i