Robot Roll Call
Went to a Halloween party at the science center. It wasn’t the best day out we’ve had recently. Prep was fine. Relaxed even, considering the circumstances. But there was panic after we got there and basically until supper was done. We settled out eventually though, and it was a nice enough time. The bartender was high AF – slow and loopy and too friendly – which was entertaining but took forever. He served 4 drinks, including 2 waters, over the course of about 6 minutes.
Shanda wore a costume – the last time she had one was Codex from “Do You Want to Date My Avatar”, (i.e. years ago) and you had pretty mixed feels about wearing that even at home. But this one you were excited about and that was great. You also wore a shirt I got you – one you have been a bit afriad of – and that was really good too. I would have test run mine but it’s not here yet. I’ve been assured it’s coming but I’d really love to see it before I need it.
We both did makeup. Shanda had fun matching her costume and bedazzling her face. I did an eyebrow of fire and ice (and glitter). Got to use my new red/orange/yellow creams, which are a mess if you touch them but blend really nicely, take powder on top, and are great on hair. The blue side was just powder which is a medium amount of work at scale, but I think also came out well. I had planned blue and red contacts as well but the shitty contact cases I have left me with dry contacts – they will rehydrate but not fast enough to use today. And I need better blue lipsticks, because right now I only have gooey latex and grease paint.
Worked on fiber optics homework today with C, tried to help Dog cope with the pain of being cleaned, and ordered parts to make the bedroom window compatible with Shanda. Spent some time working on mechanics and stats for a new RPG for C, worked out a plan for scale highlights, and slightly hurt myself not being able to unscrew my eyebrow piercing. Got little bits of good feels from @Vi and other humans, ate beef with horseradish, and saw @BPS recognize the value both of her AD work and of putting effort into long-term physical health improvements.
I’ve been watching Mr. Robot (USA Networks) again, as it airs. I love that show so much. They have had some great drone work this year, which lets them bring the same high-angle setups they’ve used in big rooms to outdoor shots. It’s not Better Call Saul’s 7 minutes of unbroken close-up drone work, but it’s still beautiful, and it gives us the outside observer perspective the show sometimes demands. They’ve done more direct overhead work inside too – lots of their locations have always been 3 story rooms so we can watch from up in the corner, and so we can see the excesses of the 1%ers,but thus season brings us directly overhead in some of the smaller places. It’s gives us the same sort of distance from the characters but reinforces the different lives they live by showing us the different scale of the rooms they occupy.
I do wish they played Whiterose more as an avatar of the system than as an individual. It still works, with WR as a real person, but I also think it would be amazing if WR was a different actor every time we see them, with some external token that tells us who they are, like they do with the E signage. But I can see why this version is attractive too, wherein we get to recognize the ultimate pinnacle of the patriarchy – where WR is the one [pm]atriarch in charge of the whole world, Daddy of Daddies, CEO of CEOs. I think the duality of the character is easier to sell as an individual, and it’s easier to show the the petty and small-minded nature of the motivations, so I can see why they present WR as a person. But I’d still love to see augmented reality symbols that tell us about WR affiliations, and to have them change with respect to our PoV and character knowledge.
I really appreciate the mental illness in the show too, in spite of its unrealistic portrayal of E’s specific symptoms. I like the way they show E’s illness as sometimes so severe that he can’t be trusted to live daily life, and how that makes him uniquely suited to deal with a plot to change – for better or worse – the world. How it lets him live the life one needs to live to make this heist happen, and how it hurts him to do so. It’s also got great things to say about addiction and past trauma and the way no one is willing to understand even though most of them could if they were willing to bear the pain. Past seasons showed us the path E has to walk if he wants to be in control – the one full of denial and mistreatment – and this season asks us to imagine the way that path became necessary and how the people in his life either push him toward it or meet him there.
Which reminds me – I still need to write about On the Basis of Sex. And about economic abuse. But still not tonight. I think tomorrow has time for writing though, at a more reasonable time of day.
ZiB
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Sent from a phone.
