#dynamite graffiti

[shihlun]

Masanori Tominaga

- Dynamite Graffiti

2018

[jmdbjk]

Wow.

I can't leave to enjoy a few days vacation without the world falling apart?

Hybe vs. Min HeeJin. Not on anyone's bingo card this year. I have not caught up on everything but who tipped off Hybe about her dastardly plans? The timing of it all... and her little extemporaneous skit she did for a press conference was perhaps part of her plan to turn public opinion in her favor? She claims to have invented kpop or at least made it what it is today but out the other side of her mouth says she hates idol culture?

Hybe's not here to play, they will not be nice. I see no benefit to her for showing us the not so pretty side of the idol industry. Maybe that's her problem, she can't see what she's doing because she's too far into it. Thirty years in the business will make you lose your objectivity. She has no idea she is coming across as a greedy, spoiled, entitled, manipulative, narcissistic, emotional female in a male dominated industry. Basically a nut case.

The lady had a tremendous opportunity to perhaps take ownership of her company in due time, become a great example for female leadership in a country where corporate culture is steeped in chaebolism. Instead she squandered that and thinks she will come out on top. Did she miss the Hybe vs. SM Entertainment episode from last year?

Anyway.

RM's new album! RPWP!

The Monochrome pop up store is doing well!

Jin will be back after 6 Fridays!

In other news. I went to Las Vegas. This is what I saw:

The Bellagio Fountains. They're huge. The Bellagio is SWANK. I looked for Jimin in Dior and Tiffany, Hobi in the Louis Vuitton store, Namjoon in the Bottega Veneta store, but none of them were in there. There was no Calvin Klein store.

When Hobi, JK and Tae were there watching the fountains dance to Dynamite, they were standing here:

Passed by Allegiant Stadium a few times. It's huge.

Drove out to Seven Magic Mountains. I am happy to report the lowest boulders had no writing or graffiti. They were amazingly huge as you can see.

Joon's pic of the above rocks:

Went to AREA 15 and it was HUGE and amazing! It's impossible to show everything that its about, there are multiple buildings and installations and activities, gift shops, bars, etc. We went into the Omega Mart (mega art) experience which led to a maze of fantastically created chambers, each different from the last one, all pulsing with animated lights, texture walls, ceilings and floors.

And ate at Hobak Korean BBQ. We couldn't find out which tables the members of BTS sat at but I got a pic of the Butter album they all signed. There were other autographs from other famous Korean celebs but the BTS signatures were displayed in a more prominent place on the wall.

We also scoped out The Sphere. Also HUGE. The concert space is arena sized. I don't know who was playing there that night but the parking lot was filling up.

We also walked the Strip.

The Fremont Street Experience. That's an animated video screen overhead with ziplines running through the length of it. It's two blocks of casinos, restaurants and gift shops. People are also doing busking and shows at street level.

Hoover Dam, view of the dam from the highway bridge and view of the highway bridge from the dam. Spent a few minutes on the Arizona side.

Hiked in the desert. Saw cactus and wildlife. Drank a lot of water.

Drove to the Mojave Desert Preserve in California just to say we did.

We hated leaving. It was a fun trip. But damn, I have so much stuff to catch up on now. Hiatus my ass.

If Vegas is on the BTS comeback tour I promise I will be there this time.

We gambled at the airport on our way out. The slot machines were next to our gate. And in the baggage claim area. But as you can see, its not just about gambling there.

In case you didn't get it, everything in Vegas is HUUUGGE and FARRRR. Walk a lot, spend a lot of money.

Overall, Las Vegas was clean, the people were extremely friendly and welcoming of course, they might be teaching hospitality as a school subject there, I don't know.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Ryan Zickgraf

I witnessed All One Thingism in the flesh in Atlanta while reporting on the “Stop Cop City” saga. What began as a very specific protest against the construction of an expensive new public safety facility in a Georgia forest by environmentalists, police, and prison abolitionists got subsumed into “Free Palestine.” After October 7, anarchists marching in the streets of Atlanta increasingly donned keffiyehs, waved Palestinian flags, and held signs that said: “From Atlanta to Palestine” (which I believe is a fairly big 6,400-mile line).

There’s no better embodiment of this trend than James “Fergie” Chambers, the wealthy tattooed Left-wing heir in Atlanta. Last summer, Chambers helped bankroll the Stop Cop City movement with millions from his Cox family fortune and attended protests in person. Then, in December, he announced he was converting to Islam. He’s currently living in Tunisia and directing his big bucks into anti-Zionism causes.

And lest you think it’s just blue-haired college baristas with these views, consider the author with the worst book title of all time who recently posted among the most despicable Tweets of all time. That would be courtesy of Malcolm Harris, the author of S--- Is F---ed Up and Bulls--- and veritable Napoleon Dynamite of communist writers.

Earlier this month on X, Harris responded to CNN’s Jake Tapper’s report that the Pennsylvania synagogue he had bar mitzphaed at had been vandalised with a swastika. Harris didn’t condemn the anti-Semitic graffiti but indirectly praised it. The meaning of the Nazi symbol had been reversed from bad to good, Harris said, “from a Nazi threat to a condemnation of genocide.”

America is evil, Hamas is good, and swastikas are now woke. This is your brain on All One Thingism.

[designeverywhere]

Dynamite Graffiti

[hometoursandotherstuff]

And, now from the archives of Life Magazine, a funky flashback to the 1950s Flying Saucer Conventions.

These B&W photos document the convention, from the quirky attendees and their campsites, the UFO memorabilia, the bustling scene that once surrounded this now lonesome boulder and best of all, a look inside the secret home that once lay beneath the giant rock.

So, how did a man come to live under a rock in the California desert?

In the 1930s, an eccentric German immigrant called Frank Critzer, dug out a subterranean home under the giant rock. He lived there alone, isolated from society with nothing but a radio antenna on top of the rock to stay connected to the outside world.

In 1942, the police came to investigate rumors that he was a Nazi spy and Frank died from a self-detonated dynamite explosion in his own bunker. They thought that he was a spy because of his radio antenna. But, he was just a radio enthusiast who wanted to be left alone.

After his death, Frank’s only friend, a former aircraft inspector named George Van Tassel, became the giant rock’s new tenant in 1947. 

In addition to being an aviator, he also liked to dabble in the telepathic channeling of alien life.

In a few years, George went from living a simple life with his family in the rooms Frank Critzer had dug out under the Giant Rock, to building his own restaurant on the site, a small airstrip, and an extra-terrestrial research center.

The UFO center would play host to his annual Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention, attracting more than 11,000 people at its peak.

Tassel’s onsite research center, nicknamed “the Integratron“, was believed by many to have some pretty special powers– 

Including ‘anti-gravitational and time traveling capabilities provided by extra-terrestrial life on Venus.’

For nearly 20 years it became the dream pilgrimage of every UFO nut enthusiast in America.

Let’s take a look at the UFO style of the day, beginning with the wonderful hats.

And the flying saucer accessories. 

What the hell is that?

It was also something the whole family could enjoy.

The dome-shaped ‘Integratron Center’ still stands near the giant rock, and after  Tassel’s death in 1978 there were plans to turn it into a disco.

Instead, the new owners turned it into an off-beat tourist attraction offering “sound baths,” claiming it to be “the only all-wood, acoustically perfect sound chamber in the U.S.”

It was built from instructions from Mars. I don’t know, except for the bus, clothes, & lack of hats, the people are pretty much the same.

As for the rock, in the year 2000 it fractured in two when a large piece broke off, revealing its white interior granite. Sadly, it’s covered in graffiti. 

https://mojaveproject.org/dispatches-item/giant-rock-space-people-and-the-integratron/     //  messynessychic.com   //  life magazine

[caycanteven]

Lexverse - Current Skele Head Canons! (Sans Versions)

Since the skele-boy’s are comin’ along on their own, I decided to take some time to describe my head canons of them and their relationship to Lex–to satiate the curiosity as well as remind me of personalities when there are so many bone boys as it is ;3; I’ll also include some stuff they like to do as well.

Sans - Still a lazybones. He often doesn’t get out much and prefers to just stay home if he can help it. Lex and Sans share a common inability to remember things they have to do, so they help each other out. They sometimes go out and stargaze on the roof or watch a bunch of terrible movies on netflix. The two of them together often ends up with a lazy day every day, with occasional “fun” if they run out of movies.

Red (Fell!Sans) - Cocky and arrogant, but easily Lex’s best friend and lover. Not as lazy as his classic counterpart, but he would rather be in his room than around other people. He can’t keep his shoes tied for the life of him and likes how sweats feel over shorts (probably blames Lex for it). Easily pissed off and will argue with you just for shits and giggles. Red makes teasing remarks at Lex while she easily likes to push his buttons too (they will wrestle it out if necessary), but if she needed him, he’d be there in a soul-beat. Their favorite pastime is listening to music, preferably rock, and he owns a white electric guitar he calls “Ivy.”

Blue (Swap!Sans) - Lex and Blue act more like siblings, and she's quite protective over him. Though, while being his second biggest supporter, she is also the one who encourages his outlandish behaviors just to get under Stretch’s marrow. Blue is a great listener despite his slightly obnoxious tendencies. He likes working out and will do whatever he can to try and get Lex out of the house to do the same, but fails miserably more often than not.

Axe (Horror!Sans) - nobody gets her more flustered than the soft spoken, yet very deep toned skeleton,  Axe. He also suffers from short term memory, so two often write notes for each other to remind of important dates, events, or what’s for dinner. Axe is an excellent cook, though relatively humble about it for Paps and Butch’s sake. He focuses on baking in his free time, but when he’s not doing that, he’s enjoying Lex’s company in more ways than one. He is quite smart despite his short term memory, capable of speaking German fluently (mostly to tease Lex) and often reads plenty of fiction. He naps just as much as Sans, but enjoys cuddles more than anything. 

Dusty (Dusttale!Sans) - Dusty is pretty laid back and keeps to himself, but he’s protective in his own way for Lex. While she helps keep his LV attacks to a minimum, he keeps his eyes—or mostly his brother’s—on her any time she goes out by herself. Does Lex know? Meh, he doesn’t know or care really if she does. When he’s not doing work for Nightmare, he spends some of his past time throwing up Graffiti in random AUs; helps relieve stress.  He’s got a big brother vibe going on, and while he may be quiet around others, he always knows how to make conversation with Lex when he’s out for a smoke or it’s drink night. Lex often helps him sleep on rough nights by singing to him, and letting him stay in her room if it’s nightmare levels of rough. What else happens, well, he may not tell you.

Killer (Killer!Sans) - Probably the most dumbest, craziest, and perverted character Lex has ever come to meet—yet whatever this energy he’s got going for him, she’s all for it. Lex and Killer are two chaotic smartasses wrapped up in dynamite with its fuse lit. If Killer finds trouble, he’s dragging her with him. And if Lex gets in trouble? Killer ain’t there to participate (if it’s Nightmare that is.) Killer has made his shot with her before, but Lex often turns him away, not because she isn’t interested, but because he gets absolutely dramatic. It's always funny to see him whine about it. Definitely not because Nightmare would have his head…

Nightmare (Dreamtale) - Nightmare, the dark and brooding guardian of negativity, didn’t take to Lex when the two first met. Though, after an encounter with one of her trauma induced panic attacks, he realized everything she did was simply an act of hiding her own negative aspects. Nightmare, to say the least, pitied her and the two would often congregate in his study to talk about things that bothered her, where the negative energy wouldn’t be as harmful and would sustain him as well. Lex, while her positive expressions were undesirable, was never unwelcomed around him even so. Nightmare won't admit it up front, but he favors her dearly and has genuine care for her wellbeing…and the fact he admires her stubbornness. He’s a bit of a romantic, and if the two are ever alone, he takes his time “appreciating” her, but his jealousy is unmatched. He often will throw Killer into the nearest wall if he sees the two flirting. Sometimes, he does it just cause he finds it funny.

Big E (Error Sans) - First he stole her chocolate; then, an entire box of instant hot chocolate; the last straw was when her favorite pair of sandals went missing. Error, of course, being the culprit, took pride in the fact he got away with it too. Error and Lex didn't quite start off on the right foot when they first met either; Lex shook his hand without realizing he had Haphephobia, sending him into a glitching fit and leaving quite the impression following. Error holds a grudge like nobody’s business, and often steals some of her belongings to mess with her, sometimes even keeping them for himself. He managed to steal a pair of her black sweat pants one day, but they didn’t quite fit, so he had to stitch them up. He prefers to stay in the Anti-Void in his comfy bathrobe where he relaxes on his bean bag, watches Undernovela and enjoys knitting, crocheting, and whatever he can make with string, yarn, or fabric. He has a pair of glasses he stole from Lex, only to find out they weren’t even hers. He doesn't need them, but he likes how they look and makes him feel important. While he has no interest in being anywhere close to Lex, sometimes he tolerates her visits if she promises to watch at least five episodes of Undernovela, stay the FARTHEST away on the bean bag, AND bring him a chocolate milkshake. He doesn’t like her. Not even a little. Nope, not at all…

Ink (Ink Sans)- If there’s one thing Error and Lex have in common, it’s the fact they have little patience with Ink. While he means well, he often fails to read the room. Personal space isn’t a thing for this guy, but it’s easy to fall for his charms and enthusiasm. Lex often engages in conversation with the little bastard mostly to make it up to Error (if they happen to be in the same room). Lex actually enjoys discussing art with him, but she can’t last too long because Ink will forget everything within a few minutes and she’ll have to start over. It’s not his fault, of course, but she admits it can be tough. Though, she has seen his mischievous smile before, and she has gotten chills from it. Whatever he has cooking in his skull, she’d rather not be around to find out.

Lil Man (Edgy Bittybones) - Lil Man was a rebellious bitty who more so found Lex, instead of her finding him. While she didn't want to call him Little Red (Red would have her soul for it) she decided to call him Lil' Man, since he was so adorably small. However, he was also a little shit. Leave him unsupervised, and he would cause all kinds of trouble. Red wouldn't even watch him, it was too much work. So, Lex bought the little guy a tiny CD player and if he was good, he'd get a new CD when they went to the store. Much like Red, he enjoyed Rock music, but he also enjoyed musical numbers too. He's never not hungry, leaving Lex having to buy extra snacks for him so he didn't raid the fridge every week more than once. Even if he is a hand full, Lex loves him, and Lil Man always enjoys ranting about random shit with her...even if he doesn't know what it is they are ranting about.

[deirdreskye]

Graffiti I would make as a banksy-esque street artist:

Kanye West but he has the hair and glasses of Napoleon Dynamite and he's wearing a "Vote For Pedro" shirt

Silhouette of a guy in a business suit running with a briefcase in hand from a tyrannosaurus wearing a dunce cap

The Jordans shoe logo but the basketball is the golden apple of discord

[gdbot]

Dynamite Graffiti https://ift.tt/5ZathPx Telegram: https://t.me/gdesignbot

[superfan44]

The 100 Favorite Movies Challege

As a huge movie buff, I thought I'd try something fun on here. I have decided to launch a new internet challenge: "The 100 Favorite Movies Challenge". The rules are pretty simple and straight forward. You create a list of 100 of your personal favorite movies in alphabetical order, post the list on your home page, then nominate other people/users of your choosing to do the challenge.

There is no limit to what movies can be included on your list. Films within any medium (live action or animated), genre, and decade are more than welcome. Whether it's longtime favorites you were introduced to when you were younger, favorites that you've picked up over the years, or recent discoveries or releases that quickly became your favorites, anything and everything is on the table here.

I'll start off by sharing my list. To be clear, I have way more than 100 favorite movies, but to have the number be anything past that may be a bit much for some people. Please don't judge me if it seems like there might be a few noteworthy titles missing on here. I mainly put this list together just for fun. Alright, here we go!

9 (2009)

Airplane! (1980)

American Graffiti (1973)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

The Avengers (2012)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Baby Driver (2017)

Batman Begins (2005)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Black Dynamite (2009)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Chicago (2002)

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Knockin' on Heaven's Door) (2001)

Deadpool (2016)

Death Proof (2007)

Desperado (1994)

Die Hard (1988)

Django Unchained (2012)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Dragon Inn (1967)

Fantasia 2000 (2000)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Flash Gordon (1980)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Godfather (1972)

Goodfellas (1990)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

History of the World, Part 1 (1980)

Hot Fuzz (2007)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

The Incredibles (2004)

Independence Day (1996)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

The Italian Job (2003)

Jaws (1975)

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Logan (2017)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (1980)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Meatballs (1979)

Men in Black (1997)

Moana (2016)

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

Network (1976)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

North by Northwest (1959)

Notorious (1946)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Porco Rosso (1992)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Ready Player One (2018)

Rear Window (1954)

Rio Bravo (1959)

Robin Hood (1973)

The Rocketeer (1991)

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Scream (1996)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Skyfall (2012)

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Spaceballs (1987)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Spirited Away (2001)

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Surf's Up (2007)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Tombstone (1993)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Treasure Planet (2002)

Tremors (1990)

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

The Wind Rises (2013)

Wonder Woman (2017)

Yojimbo (1961)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Zombieland (2009)

Now, before I wrap things up, I would like to nominate @skygent, @is0gild , @firecraker-j, @mrcowboytoyou, and @piglets-not-so-big-adventure to do this challenge. Hopefully we can get the ball rolling so more and more people can join in. I look forward to seeing what kind of lists you guys will put together. Good luck!

[bogbatz]

Eddsworld USA

Just got out of artblock so easy on the judgement, please! Ok!! So I'm late to this, but I saw some art of "Southern Tord" and it violently ripped me out of artblock! SO GOOD!! AHAHAHAH!! Dude, Tord would fit in PERFECTLY with Southern culture. So here are my headcanons. I'm new to this AU, so this is my own spin on things! (This is set in the early 2000s, they're teens, and meet each other at Penn state university!)

-

Edd: An Ohio boy. Drawing is his escapism! There's not much else to do in Ohio so he has a lot of time for animation and world-building.

Tom: Born in Arizona, raised in Florida. A CLASSIC Punk ass. Graffiti, trespassing, skating, the works! He gives his skater friends stick n' pokes and piercings....they're not great! Dreams of the California Punk Ska scene.

Tord: Louisiana born and raised! Absolutely feral redneck. Masters degree in ducktape repairs, rustbucket mechanic, dynamite fisher, and hobby taxidermist! He has a camo hat with a fishhook in the brim. Feral.

Matt: Maryland boy. A rich boy. Same ole' himbo Matt! Probably scouted for modeling gigs AND/OR famous on Vine for being uncanny. Had a cute little boat. Sunk it immediately.

-

Inspired by @avikat-art !! Southern Tord is a DELIGHT, thank you so much! 💕💕

-

That's it!! Thanks! :DD

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for June 21, 2014; #54.

Iggy Pop & The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog”

Poly Styrene (as Mari Elliott) “Silly Billy”

Replacements, The “Left Of The Dial”

Nada Surf “When I Was Young”

Purling Hiss “Millions Of Colors”

Sonic Youth “Stones”

Lee Ranaldo “Hammer Blows”

Home And Garden “The Voyage”

Magik Markers, The “The Most Beautiful City On Earth”

Rogers Sisters “I Dig A Hole”

David Byrne & Brian Eno “Strange Overtones”

Cut Copy “Eternity One Night Only”

Young Widows “Delay Your Pressure”

White Lung “Down It Goes”

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “Schnitzel Boogie”

Gentleman In War “Pretty Queen”

Drones, The “I Don’t Ever Want To Change”

Polyphonic Spree, The “What Would You Do?”

Death “Let The World Turn”

Destroy All Monsters “What Do I Get?”

Husker Du “New Day Rising”

Ben Frost “Venter”

Sevendeaths “All Night Graves”

Mike Shiflet & Jessica Rylan “Wonder Twins”

Caustic Window “Airflow”

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head “Sophisticated Side Ponytail”

Ye Old Maids “Candy Cigarettes On Fire”

Death Grips f. Bjork “Black Quarterback”

Atari Teenage Riot “Modern Liars”

A Sunny Day In Glasgow “Bye Bye, Big Ocean (The End)”

Todd Terje “Delorean Dynamite”

Deluxe rainbow broadcast.

[darylelockhart]

Basquiat: A multidisciplinary artist who denounced violence against African Americans

John Harbour, Université Laval

The exhibition Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music, currently running at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, demonstrates that the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, which is usually associated with painting, also calls upon other media, including music — the main theme of this exhibition — literature, comic strips, cinema and animation, a much lesser-known aspect of his work.

Basquiat was born in New York in 1960 to a Haitian father and a mother of Puerto Rican descent. In the late 1970s, in collaboration with Al Diaz, he drew enigmatic graffiti under the pseudonym SAMO. The artist quickly made a name for himself in the New York art world (becoming friends with Andy Warhol and Madonna, among others). He then produced solo paintings and achieved international fame that continued to grow until his death in 1988.

At the time of the Black Lives Matter movement, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work is more relevant than ever. It highlights racial inequalities and the lack of representation of racialized people in the media, but also the violence suffered by African Americans.

Love/hate for the cartoon

As a child, Basquiat dreamed of becoming a cartoon animator. When he became a painter, the television was always on while he worked in his studio, and regularly ran cartoons. These programmes and films were a great source of inspiration for the artist, who integrated several references to animation and comic strips into his paintings.

One of these works, which can be seen in the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts exhibition, is called Toxic (1984). The painting depicts a Black man with his arms in the air, with a collage in the background that mentions several titles of animated shorts made between 1938 and 1948.

Could we say that the films are considered toxic by Jean-Michel Basquiat, despite his admiration for them? In fact, I think there is a certain duality in this picture: the artist loves the cartoon, but he hates it at the same time. The dictionary definition of the word “toxic” can mean someone or something that likes “to control and influence other people in a dishonest way.” The term therefore implies that the toxic element (the cartoon in this case) is dangerous in a way that isn’t apparent.

The violence of cartoons

The cartoon is often associated with childhood, pleasure, eccentricity.

This is a universe where anything is possible: in Gorilla My Dreams, directed by Robert McKimson in 1948, for example, the character Bugs Bunny talks, dresses up as a baby and imitates a monkey. It appears innocent. However, the cartoon can also represent the worst of humanity in a very sneaky way through the incredible violence it contains: the characters hunt each other, chase each other, hit each other, cut each other, kill each other and then start again. https://www.youtube.com/embed/G-fpqSdSnD0?wmode=transparent&start=0 Robert McKimson, Gorilla My Dreams, Warner Bros., 1948.

In Porky’s Hare Hunt, a film directed by Ben Hardaway in 1938 and quoted in Toxic, the character of Porky is injured by dynamite, abused even though he is in his hospital bed and tries to kill a rabbit. Basquiat, who consumed cartoons every day on television, knew that they were a reflection of 20th century American society.

The violence that Basquiat denounces is so present in the cartoon that it seems, to a certain extent, to have become commonplace, like the violence seen on television newscasts (which he probably watched while he was painting).

Denouncing racial stereotypes

These cartoons are also violent because they often perpetuate racial stereotypes (not to mention the many stereotypes related to sexual orientation, gender, sex, body appearance, etc.).

Bob Clampett’s 1940 film Patient Porky, which is also mentioned in Toxic, features a scene in which a elevator attendant grossly and monstrously parodies a Black character. In Untitled (All Stars) (1983), Basquiat cites Max Fleischer’s 1920 film The Chinaman, which features a highly caricatured Asian character and Koko the Clown putting makeup on to impersonate him. https://www.youtube.com/embed/_WXrrOIWZKo?wmode=transparent&start=0 Max Fleischer, The Chinaman, Bray Studios, 1920.

By placing elements referring to animation in his compositions, Basquiat attempts to denounce a stereotypical and unfair worldview where racialized people are portrayed in an unrealistic way. Basquiat said that if he had not been a painter, he would have been a filmmaker and would have told stories where Black people were portrayed as human beings, not negatively.

So, the title of the painting Toxic carries several meanings. It refers both to the main subject (Torrick “Toxic” Ablack), but also to its relationship to popular culture and to animation, in this case.

This hypothesis is very likely since Basquiat produced several works denouncing police brutality against African Americans, including The Death of Michael Stewart (Defacement) (1983).

Basquiat died prematurely in 1988 at the age of 27. Other artists from the Black community, such as Montréal painters Kezna Dalz, aka Teenadult, Manuel Mathieu, and animation filmmaker Martine Chartrand have, in their own way, taken up his struggle and continue to fight for greater visibility of Black people in the arts.

John Harbour, Doctorant en littérature et arts de la scène et de l'écran (concentration cinéma), Université Laval

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

[wolves-etc]

thoughts on The Last Of Us episode nine - the finale - largely in the order I had them:

[thoughts on: 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | X ]

— "actively about to give birth and running from zombies" is a fucking horrible situation to be in what the fuck

— the fucking RUNNING UP THE STAIRS NOISES I DON'T LIKE THIS

— we had a whole episode without infected where ellie was the only infected, why did they have to do this to me

— honestly kudos to the supreme fucking terror of "the thing you can't see, only hear, that the characters are fucking terrified of," I forgot how effective that can be

— and here's the countdown. she's infected and she needs to get her kid somewhere safe.

…feeding that baby is gonna be difficult in this setting.

— "yeah, you tell 'em." <3 <3

— "you fuckin' tell 'em, ellie." !!!!!!!

— I MEAN YEAH THAT'S ELLIE ALRIGHT! yeah that sounds like a person who'd be ellie's mother alright!!

— this must be why ellie's immune. either some cordyceps went through the umbilical cord before it was cut (I notice it was cut with the knife that was used on the infected, too) or if she breastfeeds, through the milk maybe? would it be different if it's in milk?

— they found a very tiny angry baby for this and it's perfect

— whatever difficulties I experience in my life I'll never run for my life, fight for my life, give birth, realise I'm doomed, save my baby then realise I need to find a way to keep her safe all within ten minutes. she must be experiencing emotions only known to shrimp right now.

— (…is it stem cells in umbilical cords that are a little bit magic, biologically speaking? I'm not sure why else infection via that could be different.)

(that or it's that she only got the teeniest bit infected - it depends whether we think ellie's actually the first, or whether others have, for instance, touched infected with a papercut and ended up immune. maybe never found out, or maybe got bitten after and assumed they were doomed and got killed before they would turn. maybe a few, like ellie, realised and kept it quiet - or maybe they told people and that's how the rumours of potential cures started.)

— I'm told that ellie's mother voiced ellie in the video games and marlene voiced marlene (HI MARLENE <3) which is SO cool. she looks and sounds so much like someone ellie might grow up to be, it hurts a bit.

— holy shit she's made of steel. singing and holding a knife to her own neck and, what, planning to kill herself when she starts slurring? when she almost can't hold the knife steady anymore?

— "I cut it before I was bit," and marlene just tilts her head a little, and anna says again "before."

that's really good acting to subtly convey a thing - that marlene suspects she's lying, that anna maybe knows she suspects it but reckons she can safely stick to that story for now.

— anna having to beg to be killed. fuck.

— this fucking long pause here

— honest to goodness the emotional impact of "cover her ears."

— BUT THEN HE DIDN'T EVEN COVER HER EARS. did he think cloth tucked loosely around her was enough. is he already deaf from gunshots himself. has he never been around a baby before.

— CHEF BOYARDEE, HECK YEAH

— his grin there. he is such a dad.

— "if you wanna beat me at something, it would be this." <3

— "take this for me" and he trusts her with the gun!!! growth!!

— "do you wanna learn how to play guitar?"

he's- fuck. fuck. he's offering to stay with her after all this. THAT'S what he's doing. right there as they're approaching the hospital where she'll hopefully be the source of a miracle cure, he's finding a way to say "I'm gonna stick with you after this, I'm not gonna say it but I will make it clear."

mister "not good at this [talking about feelings]" finding another way.

— (bad screenshot because that unhappy face graffiti struck me as SO video game, I couldn't explain why)

— ellie correctly guessing joel's modus operandi, joel straight-facedly joking about using dynamite instead <3 <3

— joel trying the feelings talk, ellie apologising, joel really softly saying "no, it's fine," AUGH

— ellie you'll give the old man a heart attack.

— OKAY THAT'S A FAIR REASON TO RUN OFF ACTUALLY

— ellie's whispered "don't scare it," joel's promise that he won't. this is so unspeakably tender.

— sometimes it's so clear that ellie's a child, you know?

— I've heard this comment about studio ghibli films, that they have a lot of… empty space for things not happening, just space for wonder and beauty and peace, and it's something I really appreciate. I never thought to see it in a zombie show.

— I want to cradle this moment in my hands like a baby bird.

— joel just resigning himself to the fact that they're following a giraffe now

— offering her that option of just, leaving and living a life, fuck. and it's her choice to keep at it. that's so good.

— "it was me. I was the guy who shot and missed." joel

— "so time heals all wounds I guess." "it wasn't time that did it." they're really not beating around the bush with this father-daughter thing, huh

— they talked about their feelings I'm so proud of them both

— PEOPLE ARE MAKING APOCALYPSE JOKES LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW

I cackled <3

— ...okay. the moment we saw marlene I knew this wasn't going to be good and, well, she proved it.

— the awful thing is I believe that she does understand what joel's feeling right now. and I don't know what's right in this situation. but this is joel and ellie's story and I care about them both and the fireflies are sacrificing a child on a possibility of a cure based on one doctor's theory. no smaller measures first, no biopsy that she'd probably survive, she gets put under immediately to have her entire brain removed.

excuse me for being very callous for a moment (I am also very angry don't you worry) but that is an awful use of resources. if they're wrong they won't have any more chances. if they lose this lab like they lost the others they won't have any more chances - and nor will anyone else with the ability to work on this, as much as I wouldn't trust fedra to distribute the cure to everyone they can. the fireflies are gambling with the death of a child, and if they lose, well, they're doomed anyway.

maybe I'm being overly harsh. I really shouldn't keep the show paused for twenty minutes just to feel things.

— honestly cannot tell if giving joel ellie's knife is meant to be kind or cruel. (okay, probably kind. but fuck.)

— joel yes

— this quiet, grim, inevitable music while joel's just going around shooting people, fuck. he's gonna wipe out the last of the fireflies to save her.

— using ellie's knife to kill one of them. shit.

— tragic musc as befits a tragedy - all the deaths, of course, but also the death of the goal he and ellie set out to achieve.

— and the vibe to all of this, really, but especially the moment the presumably-doctor picks up a scalpel and refuses to let ellie go, it's that the doctor's bravely facing a villain, it's that joel has changed just a little in this decision to get ellie out no matter the cost (was it even a decision?) and now he's something else, something awful, that he has been all along.

— (during that murder spree scene, though, he sure moves like he had formal training. I'm not sure what to think about that tbh.)

— marlene you're saying ellie would want to do what's right but you didn't even fucking ask. you were unwilling to ask her and risk having to actually overpower and murder a scared teenager instead of an unconscious one. you didn't know, so you'll never know, so don't imply it's ellie's call and then pretend you didn't have to bother with asking.

this is tapping into a mess of IRL stuff for me, feel free to skip, where I think that people who kill other people from a distance with deniability and respectability could do with facing their victims more often. for an easier example: someone who wants to launch nuclear missiles should have to face someone they know and cut into their heart to get the launch codes.

and the clean and mannerly murder of a sedated teenager by people who honestly looked a bit guilty when joel stopped them is just too easy.

...but still, I could justify it if I were sure about the results.

— oh. oh, joel.

— she's fourteen. it wouldn't have been fair to ask this of her. it isn't fair to hide this from her. but I don't know which one's less fair and this one leads to her alive and not blaming herself, so long as he does this right.

— but the way ellie's eyes just snapped to him when she said "were people hurt?" and he said "yes," I… do wonder if she suspects something.

— this is selfish of him though. as selfish as killing dozens and potentially dooming so many more just to save one.

— "I'm taking us home." now I'm the one having emotions only known to shrimp

— "well, she was a lot more… I wanna say girly, and I'm not sayin' that you're not girly…" "I'm not." "yeah, you're not." good display of tact from the father of two daughters, here.

— "she had a killer smile. again, I'm not saying that you don't." <3

— it's nice to hear him talking about sarah, but it's strange. I think it's the high of finally getting ellie safe. I think he's talking to cover the awkwardness, ellie's quietness, the big secret being kept from her, not spoken but still partly felt.

...I think he's taken the last step in his mind towards accepting and keeping her as family, and she didn't see it happen, so she's kind of a step behind.

— I figured riley was the first one ellie killed, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

— there are a lot of moments in this that I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into or not, but they've all seemed solid so far, so I'm gonna go ahead and guess ellie knows joel is lying to her, she's just… not gonna call him out on it.

— maybe it's a trust thing. maybe she's sensing that whatever it is is so much bigger and worse than what she's faced before - and joel knows that - that she doesn't want to face it. not if it means going against joel. not now they're safely together again. maybe it's just wanting to keep him and sensing this might drive them apart.

— yeah. okay. yeah. that "okay" on the end, that's an agreement to let it go for now.

hoo boy.

so my friend tells me that the ongoing debates in the community are a) whether the fireflies were right to try to do what they did and b) whether joel was right to do what he did then lie to her. I've already reached as much of a conclusion as I can about the first, without knowing more about the situation.

the second? I don't think there were any right decisions to make there. I don't like, on reflection, that joel's motives were probably more selfish than about trying to do right by ellie, and I almost wish the chance of a cure had been a certainty just so this would be simpler. I kinda wish that the fireflies had given ellie the choice, even if they'd planned to kill her anyway, which is making me think I'm not being entirely rational about this.

and what a moment to end on. it's uncomfortable - what I've largely been watching for is the relationship between joel and ellie, and that's been strange and strained for this entire episode, with them finally approaching ellie's goal and then joel keeping things from her after. I think things between them are going to return to some sort of normal now. I think ellie at the end was willing and planning to set this down and stop dwelling on it so much, if joel didn't budge at all.

and I don't like the tacit betrayal in that, the fact that ellie didn't at any point get a choice, and maybe joel could have safely ensured it once he'd gotten to her but maybe not, and it's not like I don't respect a character who leans into salt-the-earth vengeance in defence of a child...

it does feel like by the time he and ellie were taken by the fireflies, the story had pushed them onto a path they couldn't escape from. joel wouldn't have done anything but what he did, except perhaps fail. I don't know for sure what ellie would have chosen - my friend's in slight disagreement with me about that, but he's drawing on the game canon too, and I haven't seen enough of ellie yet. not with how much she clearly cares at the end, and not with her being so angry and so much a survivor.

I'm wrapping these thoughts up four days after finishing the episode and reaching absolutely no firm conclusions, folks. just the faint and horrible suspicion that I might have preferred joel as a character when he was still twitchy and uncertain, when he hadn't yet committed to protecting ellie tooth and nail, no matter what it took.

maybe I'm struggling to see where all that trauma went. maybe I'm not entirely comfortable with the sheer and total starkness of his morality. maybe I wanted to see the comfortable, sassing-back-and-forth joel and ellie just once before the end.

this show was a rollercoaster.

[aoicourier]

November 14th, 2281 (later)

Well, I found the Brotherhood. Or rather, they found me.

I set off from Goodsprings this morning and took a detour through Quarry Junction. There were deathclaws everywhere, but since I was alone I managed to sneak past them with the help of a Stealth Boy device I'd found, rendering me invisible for several minutes. I still skirted the cliffs, keeping my distance from the monsters as much as possible. By complete coincidence I ran into a small group of Great Khans up there… including Melissa, one of Papa Khan's four advisors. A young woman covered in scars and leather. She was waiting for a chem delivery, but the deathclaws had delayed it, like everything else in the region. I brought up the topic of the Legion, and she said she couldn't wait to sign up. The Legion's emissary, Karl, had filled her mind with ideas of becoming a great warrior in their ranks.

I told her that the Legion didn't permit women to serve. I hadn't seen a single female Legionary at Fortification Hill. At best, she'd be sold to an officer as his wife. She took one look at my eyes, and knew I was telling the truth. She assured me that when she returned to Red Rock Canyon, she'd tell Papa not to support an alliance. I moved on, passing through Sloan, a tiny mining town with nothing to mine. A man who turned out to be Melissa's real father - small wasteland, huh - warned me about the deathclaws. Said the infestation had started after the Powder Gangers had escaped the NCR Correctional Facility a few weeks back and stolen all the town's dynamite. Powder Gangers… haven't heard from them in a while. I'm sure I'll see them again before long.

The Hidden Valley area was aptly named, hidden amongst hills infested by bark scorpions. The beautifully-crafted handgun I'd taken from Benny - the engraving on the grip calls it "Maria" - made short work of them. There were multiple bunkers in the area, covered with graffiti that advocated peace and love. The first couple of bunkers I investigated were empty, and I was beginning to suspect I'd come to the wrong place, but in the third bunker I was suddenly surrounded by heavily armed soldiers wearing imposing metal armour, plasma rifles trained at my head. Their leader told me to place everything - my weapons, even my clothes - in a box, or be executed immediately. They wouldn't even let me keep my glasses on.

Dressed only in my underwear, I was marched before their leader, McNamara, who they called the Elder. He was indeed an older man, with white hair. He demanded to know how I had found them. I lied, said I'd seen one of their patrols in the area. He responded by fitting me with a collar that would explode if I tried to leave his jurisdiction. He wanted to test how trustworthy I was. An NCR Ranger had taken up residence in one of the nearby bunkers, and he wanted me to drive him away. I was marched back to the surface and allowed to dress, and saw no choice but to do as the Elder had demanded. I imagined the collar exploding and taking my head off if I so much as touched it.

When I entered the bunker, the NCR Ranger jumped me from behind, holding me up at gunpoint. He assumed I was a Powder Ganger. Exhausted from being ambushed so many times in a single day, I told him I'd shove his gun up his ass if he didn't lower it. He seemed to respect that. Introduced himself as Dobson, from Camp McCarran, said he was trying to establish a safehouse here. I lied through my teeth, telling him the Powder Gangers frequently use these bunkers as safehouses already. He made the decision himself to clear out, deeming it too dangerous. I'm glad it didn't come to violence.

When I returned to the Elder, he revealed there was a microphone in the bomb collar and that he'd heard everything I'd said. Sneaky bastard. Thankfully, he was impressed with the way I'd exploited the Ranger's fears to get rid of him without bloodshed. He removed the collar, warning me that I'd still be executed if I took any action against the Brotherhood. As I explored the bunker - it was expansive, extending far underground almost like a Vault-Tec Vault - I learned more about this chapter of the Brotherhood. They had originally been based at a power station called Helios One - I'd passed by it on the road near Novac - but had been defeated by the NCR and retreated here. They were now under lockdown following the disappearance of three squads of paladins, which meant the only combat training they did these days was in some kind of computer called "virtual reality". The head paladin, a grizzled man named Hardin, told me that morale was plummeting as a result. He blamed McNamara, asked for my help to remove him from power. If Hardin took his place, he'd lift the lockdown and could pledge the Brotherhood as an ally. They may have their conflicts with the NCR, as many in the Mojave do, but with their powered armour, energy weapons, and military discipline, they'd be a powerful tool to wield against the Legion. And women here had just as much power as men.

There's a lot of internal strife here. Months of being locked in a bunker together with nothing to do and nobody to fight has made these people restless and irritable. There are too many names to remember, and they all seem to have a grudge against somebody else. As a new face in the bunker, there was a lot of interest in me. I helped their head scribe scrub a virus from their datastore, and was able to access some records regarding removing an Elder from power. It seems there are three precedents: murder, destroying a relic (anathema to the Brotherhood, whose founding mission is to hoard Pre-War technology) and breaking the Chain-That-Binds: essentially, the chain of command.

I'm writing this in one of their dorm rooms. Tomorrow, I'm going to go looking for the three missing paladin squads. I can track them via the holotapes they were carrying. There's so much to do, and not much time left. I just have to hope I can assemble as many allies as possible before the Hoover Dam falls to the Legion, and New Vegas topples right alongside it.

[designeverywhere]

Dynamite Graffiti