Tech’s campus and the streets of Midtown Atlanta were packed and vibrant this past weekend as thousands of people came out to celebrate Atlanta Pride.

Atlanta Pride is a weekend festival that was established in 1971, and the city has long awaited for the event’s return after its pandemic hiatus.

For many current Tech students, this was their first Pride experience due to the fact that the last festival was in 2019. They did not have a chance to partake in the celebration at its fullest back then, but fortunately this year Pride was back in full swing.

On campus, students had the opportunity to join in the festivities on campus with PrideFest, a community event hosted by Pride Alliance as a part of Coming Out Week.

The vice president of the organization, Vic Paulson, third-year ME, was happy to see so many students enjoy the event. 

“When I first got involved with Pride Alliance in 2020, everyone came to play ‘Among Us’ on Zoom, and now we have over 500 people showing up to an in person event,” they said. 

Located on Tech Green, the event promoted different organizations and resources on campus: everything from roller derby, DramaTech Theatre and Anime Club to the CRC and information about crisis housing and the LGBTQIA Resource Center. Another major aspect of the event was promoting civic engagement, and there were people helping students register to vote for the upcoming election.

Outside of providing important information and resources, PrideFest was also meant to be just a fun time for students to connect with their community. Cute stickers were handed out, as well as tote bags and pride flags. There was music and dancing, and an overall sense of joy enveloped Tech Green. 

“I think it’s really important to have these events like PrideFest to have kind of that visibility, and to show not just current students, but for future students in the greater Atlanta community [they are accepted],” Paulson said. 

Paulson is not from the South, and when they arrived to Atlanta they did not know what the city would be like or if their non-binary identity would be accepted. 

“I didn’t know much about Georgia Tech or the culture here. I just knew I was going to the South, and I was terrified,” Paulson said. “I think it’s really important for current and future students to know that they will be accepted and loved here.” 

PrideFest planning started in April, and the executive board put a lot of work into making the event a fun and informative space for the Tech community. It was clear that students enjoyed the event. 

Srujan Penta, first-year ECE graduate student, is one student in particular who was inspired to attend the Atlanta Pride

Parade after a positive experience at PrideFest. Penta is an international student from India and is a part of Grad Pride, and this year was his first time attending a Pride event. 

“[At PrideFest] I felt so in place and part of a community on a campus … on a city level like Atlanta, that would make me feel much more happy and comfortable and express myself completely.”

Penta expresses himself and his identity as a gay man through makeup and went to PrideFest with a full face of makeup. He received a lot of love and compliments from his fellow LGBT community members, and saw this as a sign that he should branch out and go even bigger. 

“I’m a guy wearing makeup, expressing myself and being celebrated for that, so then I thought I can go all out if I go to the [Atlanta] Pride Parade,” Penta said. 

Penta used this opportunity to do the makeup look of his dreams: one that he never had the opportunity to share until now. He created a colorful pride flag inspired eyeshadow look to attend the official Atlanta Pride Parade.

As an international student, Penta never had the opportunity to safely or confidently express his pride before attending Tech. He was once very hesitant about being open and attending pride events, but he became comfortable after seeing how welcoming and prevalent the LGBT community is at Tech and in Atlanta overall. 

He discovered that many others in Grad Pride were also international students and was quickly able to connect with these students as both being from outside of the U.S. and also LGBT. Penta wants LGBT students to know that there is a place for them at Tech, even if they are not open about their identity. 

“You don’t need to like jump in and go all out like some of us did, you can take your time [with being more open],” Penta said. 

Rachel Lynn Mason, second-year BIO, had attended Pride while studying abroad but did not feel connected to the event until being a part of Atlanta Pride this year.​​

“To me, it was a great experience, I loved just being able to come out and see my community really show up for me,” Mason said. “I got to march with some of my closest friends and just enjoy a very energetic atmosphere with so much love and brilliance and just kindness coming from all different places.” 

With a pride flag tied around her shoulders like a cape, Mason marched in the parade and had the opportunity to express her identity as a lesbian openly, something she had kept quiet about herself for most of her life.  

“A year ago, this is something I wasn’t speaking to anyone about … I think in the past, I probably would have gone to Pride but not as a member of the community, and it was such a cool experience for me to just be that overt,” Mason said. 

Pride Weekend is such an important event for the LGBT community, but it is crucial to remember to make spaces inclusive and welcoming for all year-round. There are always opportunities for institutions like Tech to strive for more. 

“I think that allyship is something that we all need to be mindful of every day, members of the queer community included, just need to be continually striving to make our spaces inclusive and safe,” Mason said. 

“I see that happen at Georgia Tech all the time, and I see the potential for it to happen even more.” 

Our Take: 4/5 Stars

Netflix’s new black comedy “Do Revenge,” is a wickedly fun watch that pays homage to 90s and early 2000s teen flick classics while putting its own Gen Z spin on it. The story follows two teen girls, Drea (Camila Mendes, “Riverdale”), the queen bee who falls from her throne, and the new girl in school, Eleanor (Maya Hawke, “Stranger Things”). 

While this sounds exactly like the start of other beloved films like “Mean Girls” and “Clueless,” this movie takes the concept and adds a refreshing and modern twist. While there are clear references that a majority of American Millenial and Gen Z viewers will easily pick up, the plot takes most of its influence from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train.” 

“Strangers on a Train” is a psychological thriller in which a killer convinces a stranger to “swap” murders with him to make it more diffiuclt for the police to figure out the motive and catch them. This movie swaps revenge schemes rather than homicides.

The film begins with Drea thriving at the top of her prestigious private school’s social pyramid, tons of friends, a woke and artsy boyfriend, and a promising future. This “queen bee” character in similar media from the past couple of decades has generally been rich, white and blonde, but in “Do Revenge” wokeness and politically correct culture is implemented and poked fun at to create a more modern troupe. 

Drea is a woman of color, which is a phrase that is constantly repeated and is almost used as a tactic to deflect criticism towards her. She is also a scholarship student at her private school, making her very different from everyone else. The school, Rosehill Country Day High School, is a hub for the children of the affluent and influential who are on the pipeline to Ivy League institutions. 

While Drea is outwardly able to maintain a picture perfect image of a hardworking and influential POC who came from nothing with a promising future in law, she is also incredibly cunning and willing to do anything to get what she wants. It is the summer before senior year and Drea is on her way to her dream school Yale,  when things take a turn when Drea’s boyfriend Max (Austin Abrams, “Euphoria”) asks her to send him “something to remember her by’’ while they are apart. The risque video is leaked, leading to Drea punching Max out of anger for betraying her. Max convinces the student body that he was hacked and did not leak the video, and everyone abandons Drea. 

Moving into summer, Drea and Eleanor meet and Drea learns that she has also been a victim to life ruining lies by someone at Rosehill, and they come up with a year-long scheme to enact each other’s revenge plots. 

Without spoiling any more of the plot, just know that the movie is not as predictable as it seems. The dialogue is very fitting for the time, and it is very nice to finally see Gen Z mannerisms and sayings being showcased properly on screen. Without feeling forced, it showcases the teen revenge makeover story in a campy lens. 

The mix and switch between modern references and the 90s/early 2000s is perfectly balanced and obvious. A key example of this being the extremely necessary makeover montage and, of course, the high school clique tour. The overall aesthetic and styling in the movie was also very deliberate and fun to look at. 

Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (“Someone Great”) is known for her bright and campy aesthetic that juxtaposes dark plot concepts. In “Do Revenge,” so many bad things happen to these characters, but all while wearing bright pastel uniforms and in Instagram-worthy settings. 

The movie is a jam packed with incredible performances, great production and a modern take in an overly saturated genre. It is very hard to make something fresh while also referencing some of the most well-known teen movies of the generation, but “Do Revenge” does this with ease.

Rolling hills of green, large open pastures and riding in school buses are all reminiscent of a field trip to a farm, but that scene was what Imagine Music Festival-goers were welcomed with this past weekend. After a lengthy two-year hiatus, the electronic dance music festival returned Sept. 15-18, with a new location and a whole new look. 

Imagine originally took place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, but its new location was located just outside Rome, Ga. to allow for expanded space. This allowed for experiences like a silent disco, bigger campgrounds, games, vendors, new stage designs and much more. 

The headliners for the aquatic-themed event included artists such as Illenium, Kaskade and GRiZ. Other notable artists like Snakehips, Madeon and Porter Robinson were also in attendance. 

The theme for this year’s festival was “A New World,” and attendees were able to submerge themselves into the oceanic vibe. The sets were all designed to highlight a different part of nature, the largest being

“Oceania” with gigantic prop oysters holding peals high on top of the stage and an illuminated squid at the side. 

Other stages were equally as interesting with one having inflatable tentacles enveloping the whole area and another that was built to resemble the Amazon Rainforest. The festival in its entirety placed a heavy emphasis on nature and having Imaginers connect with their environment. 

The day started with an over hour-long drive from the Tech area to get to the location, but once there, guests were quickly guided to their respective parking areas and then directed to one of many school buses to get to the venue. 

As an adult, boarding a school bus with 30 other strangers brought back a feeling of youthful nostalgia along with anticipation to see what the day had in store. Chatter filled the bus with attendees complimenting each other’s extravagant outfits and excitedly discussing their plans on who they wanted to see. 

Upon exit from the vehicle and a quick pass through security, the energy shifted and it was clear that Imagine was truly a place for expression, fun and community. There was no one central theme when it came to attire as some guests were decked out in full cosplay, while others were in standard “rave” outfits but everyone looked like they were dressed to impress. 

The multiple stages were separated based on subgenre and style, with dubstep and more “hardcore” EDM occupying the largest venue. The other sets hosted other styles like house, which is a more instrumental disco sound, and other sets focused on trance, which features more synthesizers and an otherworldly feel. 

Festival-goers were free to “genre hop” to explore the different stages and listen to different artists. There was not a moment of silence, and once attendees left one stage, they were immediately met with more music as they moved across the huge outdoor space. 

As the sun slowly set, it was clear that the nightlife was where the festival truly shined as neon lights, lasers, fire canons and projections lit up the sky. People danced with light-up hula hoops and fans, while others carried huge poles covered in string lights, and it was common to see people with LED embedded gloves giving a show to other Imaginers. 

Subtronics, an American dubstep artist known for his bass sound, was a highly anticipated performance that took place at the Oceania stage. His set shook the entire venue and even those sitting on a hill at a distance could still feel the music.

That combined with incredible light and sound design, and the overall atmosphere of being packed in a crowd all vibrating at the same frequency, made it a truly unforgettable experience. 

Madeon’s set was another incredible set that felt like an out-of-body experience. It is often hard for EDM artists to be considered good performers as they are often behind their DJ deck, occasionally jumping to hype up the crowd. However, Madeon, a French DJ and music producer, is in every sense a performer. 

His specialty is house, which also incorporates video game-esque and electropop sounds.

His performance included incredible colorful visuals that followed a story alongside his music. It was a sight to behold as Madeon arched his back along with the crescendos and rose to the top of his toes as the music flowed out of him. 

Imagine Music Festival has something for everyone and the friendliness of the EDM community there made it a welcoming and enjoyable experience for veteran festival-goers and newbies alike. 

After two years of waiting, the festival was definitely worth the wait and will hopefully get even better next year.

As an avid Twitter user, there’s a common saying among those who are chronically on the app, “at least one person trends every day, and you’d not want to be like them.” On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and within minutes the floodgates of memes and misinformation opened. 

When someone trends on Twitter, it oftentimes is not for a positive reason. From politicians to TikTokers, the only criteria to gain the spotlight is to be visible and deemed problematic. At the very least, the British monarchy can be described as problematic. 

In the United States, the happenings of the royal family are often overanalyzed and joked about on the Internet. This could be because of the very volatile history between the two or potentially as a response to the effects of British colonization that are still present for many around the world. 

The Queen’s death sparked much discourse on the longest reigning monarch. There is a gray area when it comes to talking about the problematic parts of people’s lives once they have passed as they are not able to defend themselves. 

The mourning period for those in the public eye is practically non-existent. With the accessibility and connectivity of social media, the constant flood of commentary and information does not allow people to simply sit with the knowledge of one’s passing before moving on. 

At the same time, the nature of semi-anonymity and freedom on the Internet, especially on Twitter, brings up uncomfortable but necessary conversations. The Queen’s life was put under the microscope — some information true and some false — with all of it going viral at the same time.

My question is, “at what point are memes misinformation?” In my opinion, most memes, specifically those regarding the Queen and the crown, had at least an ounce of truth in them. 

While they might not be completely accurate, they catalyzed a deep dive into the history of the crown and allowed for me and many others to uncover fact versus fiction. 

Prior to the Queen’s passing, I had a very rudimentary understanding of her reign and influence. Twitter is self-separated into different categories based on interests and demographics. 

On Sept. 8, the leaders of the meme movement were definitely Irish, Indian and Black Twitter. This has to do with their history of slavery, colonization and fight for independence with the British. 

From their memes and overall dark humor commentary, I was able to learn more about the dark side of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the history the crown has tried to not confront. Examples of this include, how the Queen never acknowledged the monarchy’s connection to the British slave trade, race issues within the Royal Family, Princess Diana’s struggles and much more. 

Personally, I believe that there should be a bit of a grace period when one passes before taking all of the skeletons out of their closest. While a public figure may be a meme to the masses, they were a person as well. 

Of course it is also very important to not overlook people’s problematic pasts because as a society, we learn from history. 

While perhaps these memes can be in poor taste, they serve as a reminder, and since the Internet is forever, the legacy of the Queen’s life, in all aspects, will not soon be forgotten.

Our Take: 2/5 Stars

Netflix is no stranger to the romantic comedy genre and with the release of “Love in the Villa,” fans have a new “enemies to lovers” story to enjoy. The film starts by introducing Julie Hutton (Kat Graham, “The Vampire Diaries”), a schoolteacher who is fascinated with Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and has long dreamed about visiting Verona, the setting where the play took place. 

Julie decides to be bold and asks her longtime boyfriend Brandon (Raymond Ablack, “Maid”) to go with her, which leads to him getting second thoughts about their relationship and subsequently breaking up with her. Although devastated, Julie makes the bold choice to book a villa in Verona and embark on a perfectly scheduled trip by herself. 

Well, things do not go perfectly at all when she arrives in the city and discovers that her supposed private rental villa has been double-booked by a handsome young British wine aficionado named Charles (Tom Hopper, “The Umbrella Academy”). 

This kicks off an unpredictable romance where at first the duo despises each other while having to coexist in the same villa. The two are incredibly different both in appearance and personality. Julie is short, straightforward and methodical, while Charlie is tall and sarcastic. 

Their dynamic leads to very predictable banter and scenarios as they inevitably become closer as the movie progresses. 

They become friends as they realize that there is no point in hating each other when they are forced to be together, and then things get more serious between the two. 

“Love in the Villa,” is not making waves by being groundbreaking or unique in the world of rom-coms, but it is still an enjoyable watch. 

The locations are beautiful and the overall production quality is great, and you can see that Netflix wanted the movie to be visually appealing. 

Another positive note is Hopper’s performance in the movie. The actor suits this type of character well, and it is always a joy to see him in comedic settings. Hopper offers a more quiet kind of comedic energy that is refreshing and perfectly timed. 

While Graham is a great actress, it is unfortunate that she did not shine in this role and fit the standard “feisty female character” that is often placed on women in rom-coms. 

The overall direction and writing of the movie were also quite standard but not off-putting to the viewer. 

Women in romcoms fit very specific tropes, but Julie is a little different, not necessarily in a positive way, but it is not her fault. While she is “feisty” and spirited she is not independent which generally goes hand in hand with female characters in many movies throughout the rom-com genre. Instead, she is depicted as someone whose life revolves around being with a partner as she gets out of a long-term relationship and immediately gets into another. 

The lack of individualized character development has to do with the directing and screenplay as the viewer does not get much of a chance to see Julie outside of a relationship setting. 

Julie has a checklist of places to see and things to do in Verona when she arrives but all of that is scrapped when the double-booking incident
occurs and immediately catapults her into a new romance with Charlie. Because of this development, there is no chance for the audience to get to know Julie as an individual.

While the “enemies to lovers” storyline is considerably oversaturated in the rom-com sphere, “Love in the Villa” is an easy-to-watch and rather casual film that offers some beautiful shots, some lighthearted moments and an overall pleasant watching experience despite its generic nature. 

Excited fans wielding regal scepter-shaped lighticks filled a huge line that wrapped around the Coca-Cola Roxy at Atlanta’s Truist Park as they waited to see LOONA on Aug. 23. 

This summer LOONA, a 12-member K-pop girl group, embarked on their first world tour called “LOONATHEWORLD.”

The Atlanta stop on the tour was especially significant as it was added later on, after hundreds of disappointed fans requested more cities. Prior to the addition of the Atlanta show, the closest that southern fans could get to seeing their beloved group was in Kansas City, Mo. 

The group debuted in 2018 but stood out from other groups by having each member be revealed one by one every month. Each member was also given their own single album and an accompanying music video, creating a lot of content and excitement for fans — also known as “Orbits” — to enjoy before LOONA’s official group debut. 

Because the group is so large, they are split into three subunits: LOONA ⅓, ODD EYE CIRCLE and yyxy. Each unit has their own distinct sound and lore, which includes fantasy and even elemental motifs. 

With nearly all K-pop concerts, there’s a certain sense of community that differs from other kinds of concerts. Prior to the start of the show, it is common to see people give each other freebies, which are little handmade gifts like keychains, stickers and photo cards made by fans to commemorate the experience. 

Banners with pictures of the members accompanied by sweet messages to cheer the group on were handed out to Orbits so they could be seen by LOONA during their performance. Fans also brought in small homemade signs, plushies and other gifts to give to the girls. 

The concert was general admission with some overhead seating, and while a majority of fans piled into the open space of general admission in front of the stage, it was very rewarding to watch from above. 

K-pop choreographies are known to be very energetic and complex, and being able to see LOONA’s clean formations and transitions from above made the concert experience even more memorable. 

The concert began with a compilation of imagery from LOONA’s previous music videos lighting up the large screen above the stage. Fans roared at the visuals, knowing that they were only moments away from seeing the group perform live. 

Unfortunately not all the members were present at the show. Due to scheduling challenges, Chuu was not able to attend the tour at all and another member, Yeojin, had an arm injury but still sang from the side of the stage. 

They came out in variations of all-white outfits, looking ethereal as they performed various hits like “Star” and “Butterfly.” Seeing the members dance together in sync — even with missing members — was a sight to behold. Along with their amazing dancing, there was no question that their live vocals were up to par with the recorded versions. 

After spending a moment talking to Orbits and getting them excited for the rest of the show, the girls went backstage to switch outfits as a VCR, which are generally comedic, skit-like videos of the members, played to keep the audience entertained. 

When the girls returned, they were in different variations of black and pink outfits, and had separated into their subunits. Instead of the established subunits, they were mixed for this tour — mostly likely to make up for the missing members and to try out something new. 

LOONA changed again into beautiful red and black outfits with an edgy look to perform their more “girl crush” songs. In K-pop, “girl crush” refers to girl groups doing concepts that promote female empowerment through darker or more mature themes. 

The group is known to thrive with very cute, whimsical and dreamlike concepts, but they are not afraid to explore different sounds or styles. That being said, it was incredible to see the duality of the girls when they performed these mature concepts in songs like “POSE”, “WOW“ and “PTT (Paint The Town).”

“POSE” was especially significant to see performed live, as it was performed by the group when they participated in the survival program “Queendom 2.” This song was created for the finale and after a lot of hard work from both the girls and fans, LOONA ranked second at the end of the show. 

Overall, it was a memorable concert, with lots of energy, dancing and talent. It is understandable why Orbits like to promote the group with the iconic phrase “Stan LOONA.” 

If you don’t stan LOONA, you definitely should check them out before they come back to Atlanta, with an even more powerful and captivating live performance.

Poppy performed at the Buckhead Theater on April 6, bringing her “Never Find My Place Tour” to Atlanta. 

The singer-songwriter and musician became a viral YouTube phenomenon in 2014 with her uncanny-valley performance art videos where she played an android-like character who made satirical commentary in a soft monotone voice about the internet and society. 

She has now moved on from her YouTube days and transitioned into music. Poppy’s older music was more pop and followed a similar aesthetic to her old videos with bright colors and a whimsical feel. 

With her most recent album “Flux” and tour, Poppy has embraced a more raw and metal heavy sound. While she is just as mysterious and soft-spoken as in her past, her impressive vocal versatility shines in her new music. 

The night opened with a performance by Mz Neon, an artist whose music is as unpredictable as she is. Her lyrics are based on her experience as a trans woman, and her confident aura energized the crowd. 

Mz Neon took the audience on a journey through rap, hyper pop, hard rock and beyond to establish her unique S&M-inspired sound and aesthetic. At one point she brought out a whip and started swinging it around on stage. 

The artist ended her set by dedicating her last song to her fellow trans girls, and told them to never settle and to be proud of themselves for being who they are, which brought on cheers from the crowd. 

There was a brief intermission before the main stage, and as the lights turned back a remix of what seemed like the “Chicken Dance” played over and over. The audience jokingly moshed and danced along to the song. 

Though many fans were dressed in an intimidating manner with spiked accessories, dark clothing and tall platform boots, things are not always what they seem. 

Everyone was very kind and during intermission, one concert-goer came up to different sections asking people if they wanted to mosh during the show and escorting those who agreed to the center. 

Suddenly the lights switched off and the audience screamed with excitement. 

After a moment, the stage was filled with flashes of color and light and the backdrop, a curricular black and white spiral began to spin, hypnotizing the crowd. 

Poppy’s band then entered and they began to play a melody that crescendoed as the lights grew brighter along with the sound until a climax in which Poppy bounced onto the stage. 

The band started with “Lessen the Damage” as Poppy made robotic movements across the stage and the ramp in front of the backdrop.  

The first part of the set was energetic and highlighted Poppy’s masterful balance between cute and sinister which was present in both her mannerisms and music. She can quickly go from a chest-rattling scream to whisper-soft singing in less than a second. 

Poppy’s music is mixed in a way that is dynamic and exciting as the switch between heavy metal to a softer melody keeps the songs interesting. 

Also during the night, she played multiple instruments including electric guitar and a synthesizer.

At one point between song transitions, the lights turned off and when they came back on, Poppy sat at the synthesizer sitting like a doll that had been left behind, waiting to be alone to continue to play.

She seemed to have a lot of energy but kept her talking to a minimum. 

Poppy performed for nearly 40 minutes before taking a break to briefly talk to the crowd and introduce a new song. 

“It’s a slow song, and I feel an abundant energy in the crowd,” she said as the crowd cheered. “So I’ll need you to take hold…” she said as the crowd held its breath, “and then erupt.” 

The second half of the night highlighted her heavy songs, including one of her most popular songs “Anything Like Me.” 

The singer ended the official set with “Never Find My Place,” referencing the tour name and the artist who seems to shine when she does not try to fit in. 

The night did not end there as Poppy returned to the stage following the audience’s chanting for more. 

“Do you want another song?” Poppy asked the crowd in her usual soft voice. “Can you provide me with your last bit of energy?” 

The audience screamed in agreement and Poppy quickly moved onto a back-to-back set of “I Disagree” and “Bite Your Teeth,” which are some of her most metal-heavy and vocally demanding songs. 

The encore finished with a final scream, and Poppy quickly waved to the crowd and exited the stage, thus ending the musical roller coaster of a performance. 

This year marks the ten year anniversary of Welcome to Night Vale, the popular serial fiction and surrealist podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor in 2012. 

It is one of the longest-running podcasts and focuses on the strange happenings and interesting characters in the fictional town of Night Vale.

Welcome to Night Vale is hosted by Cecil Palmer who is voiced by Cecil Baldwin, and his deep and captivating voice guides the listener through the show. 

The production is unique in its format of a radio show which features various segments like community announcements, weather, fun facts and more. While all this may seem mundane, there is absolutely nothing boring about Night Vale. 

In Night Vale, there is The Glow Cloud, which is an eternal deity predating reality and currently serving as the president of the town’s school board; a faceless old woman who lives in the listener’s home; and everyday humans like Frank Chen, who is definitely not a dragon with three or more heads. 

There is no better way to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the podcast than to have a live reading of the show for the first time since the start of the pandemic. 

The world tour, titled “The Haunting of Night Vale,” is meant to welcome fans back to the town and deal with some unfinished business that haunts Night Vale and the audience themselves. 

Fans of the podcast gathered at the Variety Playhouse, and once inside, the theater was filled with a sea of patrons with multicolored hair — many wearing the show’s merchandise or cosplay of beloved characters. As everyone made their way to their seats, excitement and anticipation lingered in the air. 

The show opened with a welcome and a stand-up routine by the host, Kate Jones, who voices Michelle Nguyen, the owner of Dark Owl Records and Night Vale’s most fashionable resident. Jones’s act was fresh and hilarious as she shared anecdotes of her Vietnamese-American heritage, family and relationships. 

The night took a more intimate tone with the introduction of the musical guest Mal Blum. Blum’s lyrics are relatable and at times dark, but the humor and accompanying guitar strumming balanced the mood. At the time of the Atlanta show, Blum had only joined the tour three days prior following some last-minute changes. 

“Fortunately, I had a lot of songs about ghosts handy,” Blum said, referencing the title of the tour. 

As a part of their set Blum decided to, in their words, “resurrect” an old poem they made a long time ago based on their experience binge-watching the TV show Ghost Adventures. 

There was a quick transition into the main performance with the composer and musician of most of Welcome to Night Vale’s music, Disparition, entering the stage. 

After Disparition played a welcoming theme, Cecil Baldwin made his way to the center as the audience cheered with his entrance. Baldwin greeted the crowd in character as Cecil Palmer with a chilling “you can run, you can hide, I would suggest both, Welcome to Night Vale.”

Without giving too many spoilers, “The Haunting of Night Vale,” focuses on the characters Cecil and his husband Carlos as they set out to build a house, but during construction, they learn that it is already haunted.

The show takes many turns with the general format of the show like the community calendar and horoscope segment, but there is also interpretive dancing, audience participation and the chance to see the voice actors thriving in their element. 

By the end of the night, it is safe to say that most of the audience probably thought of their own ghosts that haunt them and how they can come to embrace their own haunted houses. 

With a final look at the script, Baldwin ended the show by saying “From one haunted house to another, goodnight. Goodnight.”

One of the creators of “Welcome to Night Vale,” Jeffrey Cranor said that the show first started as a fun thing to do with friends. 

He told the Technique that back in 2012 it felt like podcasting was hitting its peak, so he was unsure of how the show was going to make its way in the crowded world of podcasting. 

“It’s really weird to keep going this long. We said when we started, we could just kind of do this forever,” Cranor said. “We’re ten years into forever. We’ll see how that keeps going.” 

Cranor attributes the  maintained relevancy and admiration for “Welcome to Night Vale” to the gravitational strangeness of the town and it being the first serial fiction podcast of its kind. 

Cranor grew up in the 80s watching and reading stories from Weird Town, USA, like Twin Peaks in Gary, Indiana, which serves as inspiration for the podcast. 

“There’s just something about Weird Town, USA that I think is really comforting to go to, because it takes all the horrible things in the world and kind of distills them down to like a nice little community that no matter how weird it is, it feels inclusive and welcoming,” Cranor said. 

That is what Cranor and Fink try to do with Night Vale. No matter how scary Night Vale is, the town serves as a safe space for many and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.

This year’s Oscars was an interesting one to say the least, while the talk of the town was the “the slap” incident between 2022 Best Actor winner Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock, there were plenty more captivating moments.

One of these moments was “Encanto” having its time in the spotlight with its Best Animated Feature win. As a Colombian-American and fan of animation, it was satisfying to see the film receive recognition, but my joy felt short-lived with all the continued resistance that award show circles have towards the genre. 

Animation has only just gained entry into the world of award shows, as it was only 30 years ago that an animated film became nominated in the Oscars Best Picture category. The Academy has seemed reluctant to recognize animation films and only just created the Best Animated Feature category in 2002, with “Shrek” winning. 

Since then, various animated films have won or received nominations in their respective category but also in other categories such as original score, sound and original screenplay to name a few. But these animated films generally only win within their given category and continue to be associated with being films for children.

During the Oscars ceremony, presenters have often talked about the importance of animated films to convey messages to children and how they serve as a pillar of many childhoods. While I believe that this sentiment is true, the influence of animated films and the community they create is grossly underestimated.

Of course, animation is marketed very differently in the U.S. compared to other countries. Unlike Japan where there are animations for every age demographic and in an array of genres, the U.S. generally markets shows and films for children and is often boxed in the fantasy realm. 

Despite the supposed marketing, fans of these shows are very diverse, which should be expected since oftentimes the messages and themes are timeless. Friendship, love, trauma and growth are all topics that have been explored in animation, and these can definitely also be found in more “mature” cinematography. 

Nowadays, there are more adult animated shows and there are some interesting original animations on streaming platforms like Netflix with the show “Arcane.” However, animation is still mostly used for children’s content by major studios, and therefore is only viewed in that context by many critics. Going back to the critics of animation in award circuits, while I am happy “Encanto” won, it was very much an expected win.

Big names like Disney have often swept the Best Animated Feature category, leaving other great films from smaller or independent companies with a much lesser chance of gaining recognition. Moreover, the category of Best Animated Feature or Best Animated Short Film is very limiting to the potential of animated films. 

There is so much work that goes into making these films and it does not feel right that there are not more categories that specifically showcase the skills that go into animation, such as original storyboarding, best voice acting, character design and digital set design. 

Animation is so important. It is so versatile in that it can depict things that work beyond the limits of our reality and imagination. It is a labor of passion to be able to put the proper time and effort into creating an animated film, and these films should get the recognition they deserve from the award circuits. 

At this point in time, the U.S. will probably not reach a point where animated content is as respected as other forms of filmmaking, but I do hope that more film and production companies start taking more risks and start funding more unique animated projects. I also hope that this recent win for “Encanto” will work to expose general audiences to the artistic and storytelling potential of animation.