2020-08-09 Community Situations with Alison and Friends
Community Situations with Alison and Friends
Location: LA Traffic
Date and Time: July 9, 2020 Afternoon
Summary: An interesting idea, a mysterious problem
Mood Music: Gary Numan - "Cars"
Los Angeles is known for many, many things. The Dodgers. The Kings. The Lakers. Gang Violence. Gangster Rap. High Fashion. Urban Sprawl. Music. Celebrities. Disneyland. Beaches. Hispanic Culture. Music on the Strip. African American Culture. History. However, the thing that it’s probably most recognized for, in all those things, is nestled in the north central portion of the city, just below a sign declaring the name of the place for all to see. Hollywood. This city, out of all cities, is a destination for the world. The desperate, the needy, the talented - anyone with dreams of stardom come from around the world to try their luck at the cathedral of fame. Some find their dream and make their fortune on the big screen or on television while others insinuate themselves into that system, supporting those who dance for the world’s amusement. Far more return home after a few years, discovering the hard way that their chance was not as much of a sure thing as they may have believed when they were younger, leaving with the experiences and knowledge, the city changing them in ways that they could not have even imagined.
To put it simply, the city has its ways of insinuating itself into popular culture, and one way that succeeds in that goal is by using Hollywood to create nostalgia and then using that nostalgia to bring in others.
It came in a dream to Jinny. A dream, or a meditation one. After all, she makes this journey so frequently that it’s often something she’s not really aware of, the line between sleep, dream, and meditation more fluid than some modern-day pop stars’ genders. Whether the idea was placed there by the city or a random sparking of neurons in a pattern that hadn’t sparked that way before, an idea was born. With summer coming to a close, people are returning to the city from vacations, business trips, and the like, ready to leap back into the swing of things. Unfortunately, there are bubbles that people stay inside and rarely escape due to fear, ignorance, or simply not wanting to go outside of their comfort zone. Jinny’s idea (or is it the city’s idea - she’s not sure) is to pop those bubbles for a moment and help get people out of those comfort zones for a day at the very least. How? A few well-placed murals, a few whispered ideas and a good deal of ars cupidiae could get people talking, mingling, and making connections that they might not otherwise make, which is a good start, but how to get those bubbles together?
“I’m not wanting to change the world right away.” Jinny tells Luu from her seat in the Datsun, waiting in traffic for a light to change, the blinker clicking rhythmically in time. “You know that. I’m just wanting to nudge a little spot, here and there. Most of the film festivals around here are fairly pretentious, focusing on aspects of the industry that they think are ignored. I mean, there’s a time and a place for pretentious art house kinds of things like black and white French films about neglect and personal growth, but that pushes people away and makes things more exclusive. My idea is a pop-up movie night. A people’s film festival. Basically set up some LED projectors, some DVD players, some external speakers, and a closed street with lots of space. Show things from different cultures to bring people in all at the same time. Classic movies and TV shows. Food vendors, too. Have fried plantains next to native american fry bread next to Indian naan next to a pretzel from Germany next to mochi.” She turns the corner, shifting to third as they make their way down a side street. “I should be able to get the permits through my guy in the city, and the businesses should welcome the potential increase in traffic. The food truck parks I’ve contacted seem interested, to, and I’ll talk to the City to see if she can’t move people or, at least, make it a little more successful.”
“I get it,” Luu responds from the passenger seat, “and you can’t really seek to change the world outright, without you know, a genocide or engineered famine or what not. However, reality’s always moving and those nudges can make big ripples. They’re important too, because if you’re not putting your energy out there and flowing properly, then you’re moving without a compass and ending up who knows where, or standing so still you snap.” A beat as she says, “so the subtle nudges are important, they add up. You don’t have to explain to me, I’m on board.”
Turning her head and narrowing her eyes at Jinny, Luu says, “I told you when I made that film I was a freshman, and I had a massive crush on the senior who was directing it. I just did what she said, tried to help her enact her vision. I was young and naive, and she was a few bottles of red wine short of a case, at least one of which I drank hoping for some courage. When she said ‘Queer interpretation of the Iliad,’ well, I was already on board, but that pushed me forward.” A sigh as she says, “little did I know it was not going to be the whole Iliad, but just ‘The Catalog of Ships.’ Which maybe could have worked, but yeah, the black and white didn’t help, the six hour edit was definitely a bit too long, and that she wanted to do the whole thing interpreting the Ancient Greek into contemporary English mashed into Iambic pentameter?” Luu pouts, noting, “When I showed that to you, I didn’t expect you to like it. Maybe sympathize and get a few laughs, but I wasn’t expecting it to make you feel like you needed to change -- or even just nudge -- the whole world in a different direction.” A beat as she adds, “Besides she’s a lot less pretentious now that she’s directing those Superhero Blockbusters.”
Letting out a big sigh, as she lets go of part of her misspent youth, Luu says, “I can definitely have my street team help advertise things. Get some cool wheat pastes up and attract the attention of ‘all the right people.’” Thinking about it some more she says, “and I think it’s a good idea, but I might note for a first festival it’s a bit ambitious in scope. What I might suggest is to start it a little smaller and more focused, with the plan to grow it to what you’re thinking now and bigger. It’s like, you want as many of the right people to miss the festival as make it. Like the first time, you might have trouble drawing them in, but when people think this is year four and they hear stories about the previous years, then it really gets cooking … “
A big smile comes over Luu’s face as she says, “You know … there’s no reason this has to be the first time this festival has happened. With enough legwork and rumor spreading, placing older framed prints in the right places, and getting things right, well … people will think this has been going on for years, and of course, that’s only a nudge you need to give. Once you give people that idea that there’s a hip festival going on and this is year five or whatever, there’s going to be plenty of people that start talking as if they made it to those previous years. Recommending it to friends as a way to pull them in to check it out with them, and of course if it’s no good, then those people just get to talk about how ‘it used to be so much better.’ As long as they have some old schedules, they’ll be able to fake the memories they perform for others.” Looking to Jinny, Luu wonders, “What do you think?”
“It’s amazing what you’ll do for a crush, isn’t it? I never acted in a movie or anything like that.” Bold of Jinny to call what she saw Acting but Luu definitely was trying, even if she was a freshman following poor direction from an overly artistic senior. “The most I ever did for a crush in college was a little modeling for an art class on the request of this blonde-haired grad student with these big glasses and the absolute cutest smile. She was able to basically get me out of my clothes and wrapped in a silk sheet on a dais in front of...god...twenty people? Thank god there weren’t any cameras around, but if you manage to find some artists from Yale back when I was an undergrad? There's a really good chance that they’ve got a drawing of my butt in one of their sketchbooks.” She doesn’t mention the massive crush she’s harboring now, of course.
And Jinny, why are you telling Luu all of this? SUBJECT CHANGE. SUBJECT CHANGE.
“She was hitting all the right buttons, though.” Jinny stammers after a second. “It was artistic definitely. Queer representation? Oh, there was loads of it. I could kind of see what she was going for with some of the choices of actresses - that tall nubian woman as the Atheneans really turned things on its ear, but you really need to choose either black and white or the iambic pentameter. Not both.” She looks to Luu because, almost certainly, stuff like that was said. “The subtitles got lost in the background half of the time, and, even in the best of times, the political machinations of ancient Greece are fairly impenetrable if you don’t have a flowchart to follow. I liked the costumes or lack therof, and how she managed to find that greek-looking backdrop for the outdoor scene? She should get a gold star or another bottle of wine for that. Was it someone’s formal garden?”
Changing the world is what their Chantry is based on, but possibly more importantly, doing it in a way that moves between the two extremes without being detected and exploited by one side or the other. Subtlety is the name of the game in both of their practices of Ars Cupiditae, and this is simply bringing it to a much broader use. Sure, there might be a little application here and there. Coquettish smiles, tight clothes, a bit of a revealing turn to convince someone to do what you want them to do by convincing them it’s what they want to do. A tough sell if you’re not careful or practiced but, thankfully? Luu and Jinny are.
“That’s….that’s a brilliant idea, Luu.” Jinny concedes as they drive down a side street towards a small residential area with children playing, speed bumps, and homes that cost three quarters of a million dollars for a three bedroom. “You know, back in the early 80’s there was a variety show on...I want to say KTLA, called the Family Film Festival. A whole bunch of cheesy movies that were cheap to show on TV and didn’t have anything really controversial in them that would frighten off the squares. There were some host segments between where they gave facts about the movies, interviewed the actors and things like that. We might be able to use that name to tap into the nostalgia and spread it out a little bit with movies everyone knows, as well as a few they don’t. Call it the Fifth annual 80’s Family Film Festival.” She grins, the car rumbling along the city streets easily, conversation flowing as freely as the traffic is. “If we can get any of the Muppet movies, we get the suburban white crowd and their kids. Probably some Japanese stuff from the 80’s, too. Old Looney Tunes, Three Stooges stuff. Some charity work, too. I may have to bug my lawyer to see if he has some arms he can twist….” She trails off in thought. “This is going to be fun.”
Turning to Jinny, Luu looks as if she’s about to say something when her phone begins to ring. Taking a moment, Luu glances at her phone, before noting to Jinny, “Sorry, one second, I gotta take this one. It might be important and -- “ Shaking her head slightly, Luu doesn’t finish that thought, instead pressing a button on her phone as she brings it to her ear.
“Hey Alison.”
“Mmmhmm, mmhmm,” Luu begins to respond, almost by rote to whatever information is being relayed to her. “Wait, wait, what?” Luu asks, her whole tone and body language changing, as she almost seems to shrink into herself. “She said that?” she asks with surprise, before having to quickly correct, “whoah, whoah, wait, I’m not saying I don’t believe you. Just -- just slow down and explain -- Alison. Alison. Alison.” The name keeps getting repeated, Luu trying to get the other woman to pause, but she doesn’t seem to have any intent of doing so. With one hand, Luu slightly covers the phone, and though what’s being said across the line is indistinct, Alison is clearly speaking in a loud and almost manic fashion.
Still cupping the phone, Luu turns to Jinny, slightly wide eyed, as if to ask ‘can you believe this?’ Yet there’s nothing to believe, or at least there’s no way to believe what’s being said, because there’s no way to know what’s being said. Whatever beliefs or thoughts Jinny might have on the conversation would be disconnected from it, and a product of her own experiences and imaginations.
Dropping her jaw slightly, as she juts her neck forward slightly, Luu is obviously in a state of disbelief, and trying to figure out what to make of what she’s being told and how to get a word into the conversation. “Alison, I -- “ Luu begins to try to interject, but gets cut off again. “Alison,” she repeats more firmly, “Alison, it’s not like that.” A two beat as she firmly states, “I am not calling you a liar. It’s just -- “ Luu pauses searching for the words, and obviously getting an earful in the process. “Alison,” Luu says one more time, quickly following up, with “Jean. Paul. Gaultier.” Whatever this actually means, it’s clear it stops Alison dead in her tracks, giving Luu a chance to speak.
“Look, I get it,” she responds, trying to soothe her, “but just because it is one way, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.” Glancing over to Jinny for a second Luu says, “I’m with Jinny right now and we’re on the road, so no matter what needs to happen, it’s not something I can handle right now. Look, just -- “ Luu scrambles for a solution, and quickly lands on, “ -- call Neff. She already knows a little from what I told her, and besides, she was there that night.” Alison’s voice can be heard to raise, but Luu cuts her off saying firmly, “Call Neff.” With that Luu hangs up the phone, reaches forward to turn up the stereo, and folds her arms across her chest. Staring out the window and looking none too happy, there’s clearly a lot running through Luu’s mind right now, and whether or not the immediate crisis can be resolved by Neff, it’s clear Luu’s going to need to be doing some damage control soon. Not to mention a talk with Alison.
It’s not long before Luu’s phone starts to ring again, causing a slight eye twitch, but when she looks at who’s calling, relief seems to wash over her. Reaching forward to turn down the stereo, Luu answers the phone, immediately saying, “Neff. I love you. You’re a Goddess. You’re -- “ As Neff begins to get her word in, Luu shrinks back in her seat. “Neff, don’t do this to me,” Luu responds, almost pleading, “Alison’s freaking out, there’s big problems and -- “ Glancing over to Jinny briefly, Luu drops her jaw slightly, before turning away. “Yeah, she’s right here,” Luu informs Neff, adding, “but there’s no way. Neff, she’s my friend. Like my best friend. There’s no way I would do that to her. I need a solution to my problems, not more problems. Not more people screaming at me and telling me how fucked I am and -- Uhf!” Deflating, Luu looks seriously wounded by whatever was just said to her. “Neff,” she says one last time, “please. Handle this. Handle Alison. I’ll make sure you get taken care of in the matter and -- “ Tilting her head down, Luu says, “ -- ok, that’s a start, but Neff, I’m trusting you on this. I really need your help here. It feels like everything I built is coming apart at the seams. Alison is normally my rock, and if she’s like this, well it throws the whole thing out of whack. Even if you can't handle everything, just calm her down, ok?” A beat as she says, “Ok.” Hanging up the phone, Luu grits her teeth, looking almost like she wants to punch something or even hurt herself, but she manages to settle for just turning the stereo up. Way up.
And all the while, Jinny drives, listening to half a conversation that she’s probably not supposed to be privy to, wondering with occasional glances what it’s about. It’s artistic, the way Luu plays Alison against Neff and deals with Neff not wanting to calm down Alison. When the phone is hung up and the stereo made loud, they drive in silence. And then, Jinny makes a decision. At the next light, she leans over, reaches across the dash and presses the button to the glove box, takes Luu’s phone if she’s allowed, pops it inside the padded space, and closes it with a click.
Putting the car into gear when the light changes, she rumbles off into the city with Luu, on their quest for whatever it is they’re seeking, a bit of doubt sown in her mind. Did Alison talk? Does Neff know? God, her stomach hurts.
What does she do now?
