Tag: dystopian (Page 1 of 2)

I Went To See The Film Outland Last Night

October 6, 2022 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

For those of you who don’t know the film Outland was made in 1981 starring Sean Connery. It is a thriller set in a mining colony on Jupiter’s moon Io in which Connery is a federal marshal investigating a series of gruesome deaths. It has been largely forgotten for years, so when I learned that a local film group was screening it I got very excited since I had never seen it in an actual theatre before.

What is so great about this film? The social commentary. In fact I would say that this film was way ahead of its time, and that is probably the main reason why it has been largely forgotten. Back in the 80’s people under the thrall of Reagan and Thatcher thought that corporations could do no wrong, that they were trusted to do what was right because why would a corporation want to hurt people? Leap forward 40 years and a lot of people now realize that corporations don’t give a crap about them; it’s all a profit driven con to separate people from their money no matter the true cost of that profit.

I honestly think this is Sean Connery’s best role because he is playing an actual man, not some sort of spy superhero. The character has to figure out what they want and need to do to take care of the situation at hand and he really emotes that struggle in such a way that makes you care about him, whether you agree with his actions or not.

Another thing that makes this film special is the fact that a lot of the crew who worked on it also had a hand in making Alien. Because of that it has the same kind of feel; a dirty dystopian future in which people have to work in dangerous situations in order to survive. The future isn’t perfect, rather it is imperfect just like now.

I very highly recommend watching this. If you like dystopian, sci-fi or 80’s thriller films this movie will be right up your alley!

The Back of The Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Themed Denim Jacket Is Done For Now

February 22, 2022 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

After many months I can finally say that the back of this jacket is done!Will I ever add anything to it? Probably, but I am happy with it right now.

This jacket is originally from the clearance section of Killstar. I actually went around my town seeing what kind of denim jackets were on sale. All of them were more expensive than this one so I went for it. It came with the grommet lacing on the sleeves and with the ripped hole in the back. Everything else on the back I did myself.

Notice how I hung the chain from two safety pins on a seam. I was originally going to hang it from the bottom, but that top seam is very thick and can hold the weight way better. I also put a few safety pins on the bottom and hung some keychains from them. I got the patches and studs from Etsy. The most difficult thing for me was sewing the arm patches onto the upper sleeves, and placing small green and yellow pyramid studs below them.

The cool thing about this jacket is that if something falls off that’s okay because it is not meant to be perfect. For example, one of the upper safety pins I used on the Obey patch has come off and I am not worried about it. It’ll get replaced when I replace it. I used mainly green and yellow accents for this jacket because it goes well with the patches.

I hope this has inspired you to create some DIY projects of your own because it’s a lot of fun and in the end you get to wear something that is distinctly yours.

Product Review: Nite Militia Vegan 3.0 Bag by Jungle Tribe

January 6, 2021 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

Obviously not me. I couldn’t get a good photo of myself wearing it.

Let me start by saying that this is not a sponsored post. I am almost 50 so I really doubt that anybody would send me free stuff anyway. Any product review that I put up on this blog will be of items I have spent my own money on.

This has quickly become one of my favourite bags. Mostly because it looks very dystopian/post-apocalyptic without looking like a cosplay item. I went to the grocery store the other day wearing it and it was very comfortable and easy for me to wear. I plan on wearing it mostly on my hip because it doesn’t get in my way at all while using my cane.

Jungle Tribe make a lot of hip/holster type bags and they can all be worn several different ways. This one is no different. I can wear it on my hip, across my body, under my arm or on my back. It also has a small chain from the magnetic closure that is attached to a thin card holder that fits easily inside the bag. I bought this one in particular because I really love the look of it and it was more affordable than the other models that are mostly made of real leather. It’s made by hand and is very well constructed out of thick canvas. This thing is probably going to last me over ten years easily. They may be expensive but you get what you pay for.

There are Chinese made knock-offs of Jungle Tribe’s bags on Amazon that are cheaply made and fall apart easily so do not purchase one on there. Jungle Tribe have even made some YouTube videos talking about it. If you want one of their bags go to their Etsy store. Mine was sent out the day after I ordered it so you don’t have to wait forever to receive your bag.

I am very happy with my purchase and will be buying one of their leather bags later this year. I hope this has inspired some of you to also purchase one, because it is important to look good in our dystopian hellscape.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JungleTribe?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=512094530

Just Discovered This Cool Sci-Fi Channel Called Dust

December 10, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

The short called Alone, which really got me hooked.

Sorry I have been gone from here for a few days. A combination of it being cold as hell and constantly watching Dust have led me astray.

As you can tell from this blog I am a huge post-apocalyptic/dystopian film fan. So, imagine my excitement when I finally found out about a YouTube channel called Dust that shows two new sci-fi themed shorts a week. A lot of them are post-apocalypse and dystopian themed which is cool as hell! They have been doing this for a few years now so I feel incredibly out of touch. Like I’m an astronaut stuck on an alien planet with no form of outside communication.

The majority of the shorts I have watched so far have been quite good. If you are a sci-fi fan I think you will enjoy this because no matter how picky you are you will find shorts that are really entertaining.

My Favourite Etsy Stores

November 29, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

It’s okay to look good if you’re wandering the wasteland.

If you have read some of my DIY posts you will know that I absolutely love shopping on Etsy. If you buy clothes and accessories on there you are not only supporting independent designers you are guaranteed to not look like a carbon copy of all of the people who prance around in head to toe Killstar. The only issue that you may run into on Etsy are people selling cheap mass produced crap from China. They are easy to spot though because all of them will be selling the same exact products.

With all of that being said here is a list of some Etsy stores that I really like. Since I really love post-apocalyptic and dystopian themed clothes some of these stores focus on that kind of style.

Wasted Couture This shop features handmade post-apocalyptic style clothing and accessories for both cosplay and everyday wear. I have ordered chokers, necklaces and bags from them and everything has been well made. This store is based in Poland and sells items made by different artists in the post-apocalyptic DIY community.

Lucyfirefashion I bought one of my favourite skirts from this site. A lot of the clothes are kind of post-apocalyptic meets goth and metal. Very wearable clothes.

DaquinoHats I ordered a bolero type hat from them and it is the nicest hat I have ever bought. It’s very well made and quite sturdy. I highly recommend them for all of your hat needs.

StudsAndSpikesCom This shop carries tons of different studs and spikes. They even have coloured pyramids which are very cool! If you live in Europe the shipping might be expensive since everything coming from the US tends to be. However, you will receive what you order and not get ripped off.

Screen13Shop Some of the best horror film patches I have ever owned come from this store. If you love horror films this will be a very dangerous store for you to browse because you’ll want a whole lot of them!

darksparkledesigns I have ordered some goth and some post-apocalyptic jewellery from this site and everything is very cool looking and well made. They have a ton of items so it will take you quite a while to choose which ones to buy!

DigitalPharoahUK I purchased a Cyberdyne messenger bag and a Tech Noir t-shirt from here and was actually surprised by the print quality of the products. They carry a bunch of horror and sci-fi film merchandise, some of which I have never seen anywhere else.

WirehedLaboratories They carry a whole lot of film, spooky, etc… pins and stickers. They even have pins of the post-apocalyptic film Hardware which thrilled me to bits because it’s one of my favourite films. If you are looking for something from an obscure post-apocalyptic film you may find it here.

BohoDayAndAge Their jewellery is very inventive and includes actual chainmail pieces. I bought one of their wasteland necklaces made out of aluminium soda can pull-tabs and it is very nifty!

BlasphemyClothing They carry a lot of obscure goth and punk t-shirts, including bands like Samhain and Specimen. They are located in the US so if you are in Europe the shipping will cost a lot. However, the actual prices of the shirts are fairly cheap and the designs are unique.

That is all for now and I hope you have a lot of fun browsing these stores creating your own style. I will make another Etsy store recommendation list in a few months.

Here Are Some DIY Ideas That I Have Had Lately

November 15, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

The denim post-apocalytic/dystopian jacket I’m working on. It came distressed.

I originally posted this over on Reddit, but I think it deserves a place on this blog.

Through the years I have worked on quite a few DIY clothing projects, but since the virus started I have come up with a lot of ideas. I wasn’t working before the virus started because I have MS, and that had me really depressed. However, since the world economy is crashing I decided to finally work on some projects that I have always wanted to do. Mainly, I have wanted to achieve a post-apocalyptic/dystopian meets goth look for ages that doesn’t look like a costume. Here are a few of the ideas I have had and I hope this post inspires some of you to create your own style.

I bought a spiderweb pattern pleather jacket and a distressed denim jacket on sale for fairly cheap on Killstar’s site. A regular pleather jacket and a regular denim jacket would have cost me more than these two did. Also, they have features, such as grommet work, that I don’t feel comfortable doing. Plus, if I mess up doing things to them I won’t feel completely heartbroken because I didn’t spend a lot on them to begin with. There is no shame in buying ‘dark’ clothing brand products on clearance, and then using them for DIY projects.
I used Angelus Leather paint combined with some hardener to paint the pleather jacket. Stencils helped me with this greatly and there are tons of different stencils for sale on Etsy. It’s also fairly easy to make them yourself. Just use an x-acto knife to cut out your drawing made on cardstock. I also might stencil some radiation symbols onto some plain knee high New Rocks that I have. Yes, they sell boots without all of the metal crap.
I’m going to sew some post-apocalyptic/dystopian film patches onto the denim jacket. I will also probably stud part of it with skulls and pyramids. I got them, and a very sharp awl, off of Etsy.
I cleaned out my clothing drawers and found some old craptastic bondage belts with chains clipped to them. I am going to take those chains and either put them on the jackets or on some of my messenger bags.
I am going to distress some thrift store finds and use some big safety pins for decoration on them. I will also be cutting up and distressing some ‘goth’ online store finds that I bought on clearance. Things such as ripping off peter pan type collars and replacing them with some torn up fishnet fabric.
Buying a plan black messenger bag and sewing some band and horror patches onto it. I will also probably be studding it to some degree.
Buying some jewellery wire and making some broken jewellery into zip pulls and for clothing decorations. I will be attaching them to zip pulls and bondage belts with some metal clips. I also bought some cheap spooky keychains off of Etsy to use in the same way. Keychains with skeletons, spider webs,etc…
Using stencils, and a bleach pen, I have created radiation and pandemic bleach drawings on black leggings. The leggings I got for very cheap off of New Look’s site.
I will be distressing some film and band shirts. Rather than creating a fancy cut pattern on them I’m going to make more random cuts. I will also be cutting off the sleeves of some of them.
I don’t feel confident enough to make my own jewellery so I have bought some very cool post-apocalyptic themed pieces on Etsy. Those are usually not too expensive. However, the ready made post-apocalyptic themed clothing is usually very expensive! Most of it looks very cosplay, but I have found some very cool skirts that I can pair with a plain top so that it doesn’t look like a costume.
Etsy!!!! Etsy!!!!! Etsy!!!! If you haven’t guessed by now I get a whole bunch of my craft supplies, patches, jewellery, bondage belts, band shirts,etc…off of there. Most shops on there are reasonably priced, especially when it comes to studs and spikes. Also, head over to Bandcamp for shirts and patches because some bands have them for sale on there.

I really hope that I have helped and inspired you, because it is always fun to do DIY projects.

On Creating A Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Clothing Style That Doesn’t Look Like A Costume

October 29, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

This would make a cool hideout in the wasteland.

As a lot of you know I am a total post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre fangirl. I’ve been into the genre since the early 80’s and I have always loved the way that the characters in such films look. For example, the baddies in The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2) have always fascinated me. Where did they get all of the cool black gear from, and how the hell did they put their mohawks up in a desert wasteland with no beauty supply shops nearby? Also, where did the find the brightly coloured hair-dye at?

As I slowly discovered the joys of goth and punk music there was something in the back of my brain telling me that I should combine the two as to how I looked. There were some years I looked more goth and some years in which I looked more punk. I was never successful at combining the two together seamlessly into a cohesive look.

I got diagnosed with MS about 3 1/2 years ago and within a short time I couldn’t work any longer. So, I decided that I was going to start dressing how I really wanted to, and do whatever the hell I liked with my hair. I was going to start dressing in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian style by golly! As I searched Etsy for items, and ideas, I noticed that the clothes and accessories came in two different varieties; costumes for festivals and actual wearable items. The costume items are really over the top, such as heavily stained clothing, colourful gasmasks, home-made shoulder pads and jewellery . I’m not dissing those items because they are often very creative. However, you do not want to wear all of these kind of items together while shopping or walking about because it’ll look like you are just wearing a costume rather than wearing actual everyday clothing.

A very cool choker that I bought on Etsy.

A lot of the wearable items that I have seen on Etsy are made in small batches and can be very expensive. If you have the skill and patience to do so it is cheaper, and more original, to customize your own items. So far I have painted my post-apocalyptic pleather jacket and have stencilled with a bleach pen symbols onto some leggings. I plan on distressing a few knit items that I own and sewing some patches onto a black denim jacket and a plain black canvas messenger bag that I have purchased. I have bought quite a few pieces of jewellery because I don’t feel confident making such things myself. With some broken jewellery and wire I plan on decorating some of my items. Also, I have found some very fab bottle-cap keyrings on Etsy that I plan on making into zip pulls and decorations.

The balance between costume and clothing in this style is all about limiting costume pieces to maybe only one item in an outfit. Have a ripped up skirt? Wear it with a top that isn’t as damaged. Have an over the top choker? Pair it with an outfit that isn’t as decorative. I stay away from goggles, gas masks, and shoulder-pads because they all scream costume, and I don’t want to be mistaken for a cybergoth. I also stay away from tons of bright colours, so I will wear only one brightly object at a time if I wear any at all.

I hope this post inspires you to come up with your own individual style because it’s a very fun journey to take.

I Finally Finished My Post-Apocalyptic Themed Pleather Jacket!!!!

October 27, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

This jacket is pretty much the collimation of years of post-apocalyptic book and film fandom. Considering how utterly crappy the world is right now it is also timely. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic meltdown and this jacket faces it head-on. No butterflies and toxic happiness.

This is an actual pleather Killstar jacket that I got online for really cheap. It has features to it that make it ripe for DIY work. I know that some DIY enthusiasts would give me shit about this fact, but why should I spend hundreds on a similar style jacket? Plus, if I majorly messed up on it somehow it wouldn’t get me bummed because I didn’t spend that much on it.

On the back I used a deglazer to get the dirt off of the surface before painting it with Angelus acrylic leather paint. This was my first time painting on pleather so I added a hardener to the paint so that it is more flexible and won’t crack as easily. I started all of the painting with a layer or two of white paint first so that the other colours would pop more. I didn’t add a hardener to the green paint because if the piping looks raggedy that doesn’t really matter because it would be easy to touch it up. Lastly, I used stencils for the bombs, mushroom cloud, cityscape and the radiation/pandemic symbols.

I got all of the pins on the jacket from Etsy. There are so many nice enamel pins for sale on there that it can be very difficult as to which ones to buy. Plus, it’s a great place to find spikes and studs. So far I have decided not to put any on this jacket but I may change my mind.

So what is my next project going to be? I have a distressed Killstar denim jacket that I got for very cheap, and I plan to hand-sew dystopian/post-apocalyptic film themed patches to it. Stay tuned!!!

Film Conversations: The Purge (2013)

September 23, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Purge definitely ranks as one of my favourite modern dystopian films. The main reason is because the premise of it is so believable that there is no way that you can totally dismiss the concept as being too far fetched to actually happen. The best kind of dystopian films show us a reality that is possible if the wrong people get placed into positions of power. Since I have proven that we are in fact living in a dystopian society the events that take place in this film are just that much more believable.

The New Founding Fathers have declared a national holiday of crime that is to happen every year. The year that this film is taking place is 2022, just a few years after the first Purge was commenced. This day of violence supposedly rids people from wanting to commit crimes for the rest of the year. Have you always hated that little bitch who teased you all through high school? Well, you have permission to hunt her down and kill her! It will make you feel all better because the government tells you it will. The government never lies…or does it?

What I especially like about the premise of the film, and what is explored even further in the other Purge films, is that the homeless and poor working class are seen as disposable. The government wants these type of people gone since they supposedly ‘waste’ government money. Why should the government help these ‘leeches’ when they can’t even help themselves? The wealthy and ‘better’ people are urged to hunt these kind of people. As evidenced by the college students who demand their homeless ‘kill’ back when the young son of the house lets him in after he begs for help outside. This whole cultural event makes those that have money and power in society feel like they are at the top of the food chain.

What is really the most frightening aspect about this film, at least to me, is that you can’t trust anybody. Your boyfriend will try to kill your father because he wants him to stop dating you. Your neighbours will try to kill your entire family because they are jealous of your success. So, you have to basically make sure that you never piss anybody off, because when the night of The Purge arrives they may come after you. Do you really want to live in worry constantly? Is that really a healthy way to live?

These mysterious ‘Founding Fathers Of America’ use the same kind rhetoric as the Republicans in America and the Tories in the United Kingdom use to control the underclass. Does you life suck and you’re really mad about it? Don’t take it out on the government, the real entities who have caused your issues! Hey, see those poor and homeless people over there? They are the cancer affecting society and your life would be so much better if they were gone! In fact, here is a special night every year in which you can go kill whomever you want, and you won’t even get in trouble for it! Get rid of those homeless and poor people, because that would make life so much better for you!

Society, as seen in this film, is filled with people who don’t question what the government does. To show their support of Purge Night people place blue flowers outside their homes. If they don’t you get the sense that such people will be easy targets for those seeking to ‘release the beast’. So, by an extreme form of peer pressure, the government is able to make sure that everybody supports their legal night of murder.

Finally, what I would like to touch on is that it is claimed by the government that crime and unemployment are at all time lows because of Purge Night. What I’m guessing is that this isn’t the whole truth. I think it is yet another form of propaganda that the government uses to get people out there killing those pesky undesirables that the government seems to hate so much.

Could this scenario actually happen in real life? Of course it could, because when has the UK or US governments given a damn about the people in society who struggle to live?

Prepping Is Not Something That Only Crazy Right Wing People Should Be Doing

September 19, 2020 / dystopiagal / 0 Comments

With all of the insane things going on right now in our Dystopian society why is it that some people still think that prepping is something only done by insane right wing people? Prepping for emergencies is something that everybody should do, because there might come a day where food, and other supplies, may be very difficult to get.

Do you remember the panic buying that people did of toilet paper and cleaning products from earlier this year? One of the reasons why that happened is because a lot of people will only buy enough supplies for a week or so until they go back to the store. Instead, what people should do is always have enough supplies on hand to last at least a few weeks.

Buying extra supplies does not need to cost a fortune and is something that you can do bit by bit. If you find your favourite kind of soup on sale buy a few extra tins of it. If you buy a little extra each time you shop you will build up your supplies in no time. Always make sure that you actually enjoy eating the extra food items that you purchase because how much would it suck to have to eat food that tastes like crap? Also, always look at the expiration dates on the extra food items that you buy and rotate them as needed. Use the food that is about to expire and when you go back to the store buy those extra items.

Here are some of the kind of events that you should be prepared for:

Bad weather. It could be a snow storm, a tornado or floods but being cut off from roads will mean that you are also cut off from visiting a store to buy food. That store may also be cut off and run out of food quickly.
Civil unrest. Depending on your country of residence this could be truck loads of home grown militias roving about shooting people or a city applying a curfew and arresting anybody that steps out of their home. Either way you are more safe inside with your supplies than going outside trying to obtain more.
Yet another pandemic. There has been some major talk that people who catch the corona virus are not immune from catching yet another strain of it. On top of the extra supplies that you would buy for any other kind of emergency make sure to buy some extra masks and gloves before they all disappear yet again.
Power grids going offline. In the state of California this has become a normal occurrence because of the chance of wildfires starting from falling power lines when there are massive wind storms. This could also be tied to bad weather events. Whatever the reason make sure you have food that does not need to be heated up to eat. You could also buy a camp stove, or BBQ grill, to cook food outside.

No matter the reason it just makes good sense to have enough supplies to feed you and your family for at least a few weeks, because you never know when something totally out of your control will happen.