June 6, 2025, 11:03am
You’re in luck, readers. We have a lot to love this Friday.
The theme this week is “Forever Young.” We at Lit Hub are getting our kicks in the rearview mirror, reminiscing on everything from our first chaotic friend groups to our first absurd recitals. We’re playing make-believe and suspending disbelief, in full defiance of the mortal coil. The aesthetic may or may not be Nokiacore, or Y2K Futurism.
James Folta has been getting joy from an amazingly detailed indie research project—the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute’s [CARI] Index of Aesthetics.
CARI represents a collective of researchers and designers who classify consumer aesthetics. The index includes hyper-detailed mood boards for late to mid-century categories like “Corporate Hippie,” “Indie Sleaze,” and “Blob World.” James says it’s an excellent resource/rabbit-hole. “It’s like looking up character actors you know from somewhere but for visual styles.”
Elsewhere on the visual style front, I, Brittany Allen, been catching joy from a very old aesthetic: “Soft Colonial Wanderlust.” I’ve been on a quest to find a low-impact craft to treat my escalating case of Second Screen Syndrome, and recently incorporated the art of decoupage into my treatment plan. The maestro John Derian has a lot of warm how-to videos for beginners. And I’m happy to report that it is, in fact, very soothing to make pretty, useless things with your own hands!
Jessie Gaynor went to a children’s dance recital and experienced a Lynchian (“both funereal and heavily medicated”) tap dance routine. “Anyway, it was inspired. Highly recommend watching kids’ artistic pursuits whenever you can.”
Speaking of both children’s pastimes and what the CARI index might call “McBling,” Molly Odintz watched the movie D.E.B.S. for the first time, and says “it was like Charlie’s Angels, Clueless, and But I’m a Cheerleader all combined into one glorious parade of camp.” This action comedy about a group of paramilitary teen spies chasing a super-criminal is an undersung cult classic. Lucky for us, it’s now streaming (for a price). And New Yorkers can catch an IRL showing later this summer, from Rooftop Cinema Club.
McKayla Coyle recommends a new sitcom with classic aspirations: Hulu’s Adults. The show, which follows a motley twentysomething friend group trying to make it through the urban jungle, has a familiar, Friends-y premise. But McKayla hastens to correct the generic impression. “My brother called it New Girl meets Broad City. And I’d add that there’s a little bit of The Other Two surreality to it. Very fun!”
Drew Broussard attended the world premiere of the new Make-Believe Association podcast. This new show is an immersive-audio version of Hamlet that puts you inside the poor prince’s head. Though I’d have guessed this might be a bummer place to post up, Drew assures us, “It’s a very cool take on the play, I learned so much, and it sounds SO COOL.”
If poor Yorick’s also capturing your mood, Oliver Scialdone‘s got a new RPG for you. Blueberry Wine positions a player as a “a cursed soul navigating a land strangled by the legacies of witch hunts and dark magics.” Groups should expect fun and spooky times.
And for pure summer fun and breezy nostalgia, Calvin Kasulke has a very special treat. Joyce Van’s “Midday at the Oasis,” an Easy AM 66 radio project, is some glorious, high-concept nostalgia-nonsense. (Non-stalgia?) I challenge you not to crack a smile while listening to this.
Wishing you a weekend of uncanny viewing experiences, giddy reflection, and playing pretend.