[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

I'm generally not all that into the traditional local New Year's parade---it tends to be stuff like this:



Bleh. (Not sure if they're going for French or US. Stars imply US? If it's US, IMO they should have leaned harder into an explicit clownshow theme. Though in the past the parodic costumes have tended to be politically reactionary (Democratic politicians on chains), more or less overtly racist, etc.) Or (a little better) this:



(The colors and feathers symbolize the local football team. I do like the crowns and the feathers, but I'd like them a lot more without the silly sportsball reference. The umbrella with the green feather is a nice touch too. And the look of joy on that guy's face---bit less so on the child's, though they also seem to be enjoying themselves---is almost infectious (like probiotics that change your brain functioning by playing around with your guts).)

But I chanced upon this photo from a past year (forum won't let me post it, but the link should work):

Mummer's costume

... and I do kind of love that one. Especially to usher in the New Year. Even more appropriate now, on the cusp of the dawn of the Trumpire...

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 31 December 2024 - 06:21 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

Happy new year to you all! Here's hoping that despite so many bad things in the world you all find a bit of peace and joy in the year ahead.

Being the hardcore party animal that I am, I'll be heading to bed with my cup of tea in a few moments (it's nearly 10pm after all!)

I'm waiting for macros to resurrect the New Years Resolution thread.

[Mezla PigDog]

I hope your cup of tea was good. I was already asleep by then. Pesky fireworks woke me up at what I assume was midnight. I celebrated by sleeping through the small hours for the first time in weeks. May that continue into 2025. A successful combination of being in my own bed, not having a sick person fidgeting beside me and no noisy air bubbles left in the new heating system.

[Macros]

Playing games and drinking till 4am

[Tiste Simeon]

Took part in the New Year's Day dip in a local town today. It was flipping cold but a lot of fun. I reckon a few hundred people were there!
https://imgur.com/a/iC9XA9B

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

You might want to prepare yourself for a year of "neo-medievalism."

That's the key takeaway from a new report [... examining] data from social media, Google Ngram, and other sources [...]

"The future is medieval," [...]

[... It's ] the next consumer trend set to sweep the internet.

Think

Spoiler

cloaks and blacksmithing, all washed down with lashings of mead, the ancient honey-based alcoholic drink.

[...] There were hat-tips to medieval fashion on runways and major entertainment events last year that hint at the growing trend[...]

[...] pop star Chappell Roan fashioned a sword as an accessory and later appeared in an outfit entirely made from chainmail. [...] Natalie Portman wore a chainmail-inspired Dior dress [...]

In a similar vein, Pinterest predicted last month that "castlecore" would be a big trend for 2025, particularly in home décor and fashion.

Why "Neo-Medievalism" Could be a Hot Consumer Trend in 2025

Of course, some of my biggest reservations about this are the anti-technology currents. Ironically a lot of that activity is still happening on the internet---or to be promoted and thoroughly documented on the internet. I expect cyber-medievalism and AI AR/VR to be larger overall trends. It's already very much not medievalism so much as neo-medievalism for the most part. Putting creative modern spins on it. But also doing some research into underappreciated aspects of medieval history, like mead production, or (I hope) the heavy use of spices. (All the potatoes and boring cuisine in the Riyria Revelations 1&2 irritated me a little. I mean sure it's a fantasy world, and maybe modern readers will find potatoes more relatable than, say, turnips, but if the goal is to make someone's diet seem very basic, other common crops could easily substitute. Oats maybe. Or onions. If those won't make too many readers waste their tears too soon...)

And of course "the embrace all things medieval", as the author of the report suggests, would just be ridiculous---well no actually not just ridiculous but really terrible---if taken literally. Though with Trump as Holy American Emperor...

Obviously another drawback is that attire may no longer be a reliable indicator of actual interest in medievalism or quasi-medieval fantasy. But the eye candy ought to be fruitful and multiply for a time. And then the trend will probably end, so they'll go back to being reliable indicators---and there will probably be plenty of cheap but high-quality creative variations on the secondhand markets.

[Macros]

I can finally assemble a good Aragorn costume for Halloween cheaply

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 05 January 2025 - 08:46 AM, said:

I can finally assemble a good Aragorn costume for Halloween cheaply

Pics required of course.