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In a world flooded with AI slop, there's no better cure-all than watching an artist walk you through their human, hand-made process.

SEE ALSO: LAIKA's 'Wildwood' trailer is the most stunning thing you'll see today

Enter a new featurette for LAIKA's new film Wildwood, an epic fantasy tale brought to life by gorgeously crafted stop-motion animation. Directed by Travis Knight (Masters of the Universe), Wildwood follows headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she goes on a quest to save her abducted baby brother. Her journey takes her to the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest outside Portland, Oregon filled with talking animals and bandits.

Every element of Wildwood is painstakingly brought to life by an army of artists and animators, including the many horses roaming the Impassable Wilderness. In the featurette above, lead armaturist Matt Cole walks us through the creation of the film's stop-motion horses.

As an armaturist, Cole creates the skeletons within the stop-motion puppets, which will then be manipulated by animators.

"With Wildwood, we were tasked with building quadrupeds, and the animals have their own expression, their own musculature," Cole explained. He grew up around horses, calling the experience "transformative," which meant he felt extra pressure to get their movement right onscreen.

"We ended up making basically a Swiss watch inside of the puppet," Cole said. "There are gears that drive movement. There's specialized joints to be able to rotate. So we have to nail down both the look and the performance for the animators. Those are equally important."

The featurette above shows each painstaking step of the process that brings Wildwood's horses to life, from designing the skeletons in CAD to testing their movement to their final onscreen appearance.

"Every single [LAIKA] film is pushing things further and further," Cole said. "The horse was kind of the ultimate challenge, and this personally circular thing for me to revisit my childhood as an adult. That's part of the magic of stop motion at LAIKA. We're always looking for that way back."

Wildwood hits theaters Oct. 23.

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If you have opened TikTok or Instagram lately, you have probably been informed that something — anything — is “kinda chic.” Repeating outfits is kinda chic. So are taking a coffee walk at work, letting people be wrong about you, being a beginner at something, and making all your major decisions in the bath.

The phrase’s takeover did not come from nowhere. For years, the internet has applied "chic" to an ever-expanding collection of clothes, products, habits, and lifestyles, stretching its meaning until it became little more than shorthand for "something I like." Fashion writers have declared the word dead, even as Google search interest in "chic" has reached its highest level since the company’s publicly available data began in 2004.

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Over the past several months, however, "chic" has found new life through an endlessly reusable social media format. TikTok and Instagram users have been posting videos and carousels that declare their habits, hobbies, insecurities, and occasional displays of wealth "kinda chic." Almost anything can qualify, which may explain why some people are already begging the internet to find a new phrase.

What is the 'kinda chic' trend?

The format is simple: Users place text, generally in a pale yellow font, over a photo or video and complete the phrase "kinda chic to…" with something they want to celebrate.

Some posts declare it "kinda chic" to eat pizza, be overdressed, spend time outdoors, or love Joe Jonas. Others are more earnest, celebrating setting boundaries, following your dreams, accepting your body, moving somewhere new, continuing to learn, or doing something alone and scared.

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The trend’s exact origin is unclear, but examples began appearing as early as April. Know Your Meme points to an April 27 post from plus-size creator Maria Castellanos, known online as MariaBegins, as one of the earliest examples, writing at the end of her carousel, "tell me something 'kinda chic' about you!"

At its most sincere, the trend separates chicness from money, designer clothing, Ibiza trips, and whatever other aspirational lifestyles the algorithm is currently selling. Users don't need an extensive wardrobe, expensive hobby, or packed social calendar to participate. Chic is a mindset: if something makes you feel more comfortable, confident, or like yourself, it qualifies.

By early August, celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Ashley Graham, and Reese Witherspoon had joined in. Witherspoon’s version deemed it "kinda chic to cheer on other women," start a book club, and call your mom. Barrymore announced that it was "kinda chic to be in your 50s," while Graham said it's "kinda chic to know cellulite never held you back."

Brands have joined in, too — naturally. Boots called reapplying sunscreen, romanticizing your daily routine, and removing your makeup before bed "kinda chic." Simple Skincare used the trend to promote sensitive-skin care, while Laneige declared it "kinda chic" to be obsessed with its Cream Skin toner. Outside the beauty aisle, Aldi celebrated selling a foldable sock hanger beside the wine, and Virgin deemed requesting the window seat "kinda chic."

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According to The Guardian, Google searches for "kinda chic" increased by 5,000 percent as the hashtag accumulated more than 60,000 Instagram posts.

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Yet rising search interest does not mean people feel positively about the word. Madé Lapuerta, the fashion data analyst behind Data, But Make It Fashion, conducted a sentiment analysis of online articles containing "chic" and found that positive sentiment had fallen by an average of 14 percent per month since March.

Online, users are fed up: "It’s every second post I see on Instagram," one Threads user wrote. Another said they had reached the point where they see "kinda chic" and "just scroll," describing their aversion as "trend fatigue." "It’s chic to not be annoying as heck," one Reddit user wrote on the r/petpeeves subreddit. Some influencers agree; New York stylist Coco Schiffer announced that “kinda chic” had been “revoked.” By Aug. 18, Naomi May’s Cultural Memory newsletter was calling for the adjective to be retired "for the sake of humanity."

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The problem is not what the posts are saying, of course. Loving your body, establishing boundaries, and calling your mom are all perfectly nice things to do. The irritation comes from watching one person’s personal observation become a fill-in-the-blank strategy for thousands of creators, celebrities, and social media managers.

"Kinda chic" is also only one format in a feed increasingly built from templates. Examples are endless: Remember the Unfortunately, I do love… trend? "This and yap?" "5 things that are worth the money"?

Fashion editor and creator Brenda Weischer has called this sort of resulting sameness "template slop." In her newsletter, she described an Instagram Explore page filled with butter-yellow and pastel type, recycled "cool girl" advice, and interchangeable cultural recommendations. "Everyone is getting good. No one is getting better."

The exhaustion, then, is larger than any one meme. Users are not simply tired of being told what is "kinda chic." They are tired of scrolling past supposedly personal posts that all use the same handful of fonts, hooks, and formulas. Even when the person filling in the template has something sincere to say, the result can feel like content the viewer has already consumed dozens of times.

I mean, if everything is “kinda chic,” nothing really is — right? At this point, coming up with a different caption might be the chicest move of all.

Search for "how to fix a bloated Excel workbook," and you'll find plenty of familiar advice. But the real problems are often hiding in places you never think to look. Here's where to check before you assume the problem is Excel itself.

Are you ready to take your homelab to the next level? This weekend, I'm showing you three unique projects to try out in the homelab, from simplifying your Docker experience to replacing Canva. Here are the projects you should try before Monday rolls around.

How determined are you to play Grand Theft Auto VI? If you're in the right U.S. Army unit, you only need to commit to years of military service. Soldiers in the Georgia-based 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion have been offered a four-day pass to play Rockstar's upcoming blockbuster game if they reenlist.

The best gaming monitor deals at a glance: BEST OLED deal LG 27-inch Ultragear OLED 27GX790A-B $499.99 (save $500) Get Deal Best budget pick Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G55C $199.99 (save $130) Get Deal Best curved deal Samsung 57-inch Odyssey Neo G95NC $1,449.99 (save $650 + get a free $120 Amazon credit) Get Deal

Gaming hardware might come with major sticker shock, but upgrading your gear can truly make a world of difference in how you experience your favorite games. If your current setup is feeling lifeless, I've spotted a few deals on gaming monitors that'll take some of the pain out of upgrading. A discount of up to 50% is a great excuse to make the jump to a new monitor, don't you think?

While the market is wide and varied, here are three of the best deals we could find on gaming monitors as of Aug. 20. Gaming is not a cheap hobby by any means, but it also doesn't have to cost a fortune.

Best OLED gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-inch Ultragear OLED 27GX790A-B $499.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $500   Get Deal Why we like it

LG's Ultragear gaming monitors are some of the most popular models on the market for their premium specs, excellent build quality, reliability, and performance. And the OLED 27GX790A-B is no exception.

It packs a brilliant 27-inch matte 1440p OLED panel with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400, a blistering 480Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time for fluid gameplay. There's also plenty of ports on board, including dual HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, and USB 3.0 (1 upstream / 2 downstream). While the LG UltraGear OLED 27GX790A-B's premium specs might be out of reach on a normal day, this 50% discount makes it a whole lot more approachable. At $499.99, it's the cheapest it's ever been.

Best curved gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 57-inch Odyssey Neo G95NC $1,449.99 at Amazon
$2,099.99 Save $650.00 + get a $120 Amazon credit Get Deal Why we like it

If you like to be in the center of the action while gaming, this Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 monitor deal is for you.

Beyond its wild 57-inch screen real estate, the Odyssey Neo G95NC also features a 1,000R curve that envelops you as you play. A 1,000R curve is considered ideal for a monitor, as it closely matches the human field of view, reduces eye strain, and enhances depth perception. It's worth noting, however, that the G9's 32:9 aspect ratio isn't compatible with every game (check that your faves will work before pulling the trigger). The G95NC packs a solid 240Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time, VESA DisplayHDR 1000, and G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro compatibility. There's also plenty of ports for connectivity, including HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, and a USB Hub.

Not only is it 31% off as of Aug. 20, but you'll also get a free $120 Amazon credit with your purchase for a limited time.

Best budget gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G55C $199.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $130   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're a little curious about curved monitors, but don't want to break the bank making the switch, Amazon's deal on the Samsung Odyssey G55C can transform your gaming experience for under $200.

It packs a 32-inch 2560x1440 QHD display with a 1000R curvature and 16:9 aspect ratio. That means the screen will wrap around your field of view, enhancing the depth of your games while reducing eye strain. It also features a 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, AMD Radeon FreeSync, HDR10, and an eye-saver mode to reduce screen flickering during extended gaming periods.

While it's not the most premium monitor on the market, Samsung monitors have a solid reputation. If you're balling on a budget, it's a hard deal to pass up for only $199.99. That's just $10 away from its best price ever.

Google Assistant’s retirement was announced well over a year ago, but the official end date is now in sight. For better or worse, Gemini will be the company’s last digital assistant standing on September 4th. It’s had plenty of time to get up to speed with Assistant—here’s what’s still missing.

It’s easy to dismiss USB drives as little more than inexpensive portable storage devices that you can plug into practically anything.

Cheap Yellow Display, or CYD for short, is a catch-all term for an affordable microcontroller and touchscreen combination. These devices include everything you need to get started with ESP32 projects that depend on a display, offering a larger footprint than a standalone microcontroller but an easier onboarding for many projects.

The best 3D printer deals at Amazon: Best for everyday printing Flashforge 3D Printer $378.99 (save $170) Get Deal Best overall 3D Printer Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer $499.99 (save $49.01) Get Deal Best for large-scale prints Creality K1 Max 3D Printer $548.98 (save $170) Get Deal

Getting into 3D printing usually means choosing between speed, print quality, and not blowing your whole budget — but this week's deals make that trade-off a lot less painful. Three printers from Bambu Lab, Creality, and Flashforge are discounted right now, with savings up to $171 (31% off).

There's a fit here no matter what you're after — a beginner-friendly all-rounder, a large-format speed machine built for bigger projects, and a quiet, filtered option for everyday use.

Best for everyday printing Opens in a new window Credit: Flashforge Flashforge 3D Printer $378.99 at Amazon
$549 Save $170.01   Get Deal Why we like it

The AD5M Pro is the printer that gets out of your way. Setup takes 10 minutes or less with no experience required, and full-auto leveling means you skip manual adjustments before your first print. It moves fast, up to 600mm/s with 20,000mm/s² acceleration, backed by a CoreXY metal structure that keeps output stable and precise even at that speed.

It's also the pick for anyone printing at home or in a shared space. It's quiet enough for a living room or classroom, and the enclosed design keeps fumes and dust from escaping into the room. There's also a built-in camera so you can check on prints remotely or capture time-lapse videos, easy nozzle swaps for different filament types, and automatic recovery if the power cuts out mid-print.

Best overall 3D Printer Opens in a new window Credit: Bambu Lab Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer $499.99 at Amazon
$549 Save $49.01   Get Deal Why we like it

The Bambu Lab P1S earns the top spot in this lineup because it balances speed, quality, and ease of use better than most printers at this price. It sets up in about 15 minutes, handles calibration automatically with auto bed leveling, and prints fast — up to 500mm/s — without sacrificing quality. That combination makes it approachable for someone printing their first model, while still being capable enough that experienced makers won't outgrow it quickly.

What sets it apart is the AMS add-on, which unlocks multi-color and multi-material printing (up to 16 colors) without any manual filament swapping. It's fully enclosed, so advanced filaments like ABS and ASA print consistently, and the build volume is generous enough for bigger projects.

Best for large-scale prints Opens in a new window Credit: Comgrow Creality K1 Max 3D Printer $548.99 at Amazon
$719 Save $170.01   Get Deal Why we like it

The Creality K1 Max packs a massive 300x300x300mm build volume into a compact footprint, giving you room for larger prints while staying space-efficient. Pair that with a 600 mm/s print speed and 20,000 mm/s² acceleration, and you get a printer built to move fast without making you choose between size and speed.

The AI Lidar scans the first layer and automatically halts the print if something's off, while the onboard camera monitors for print failures or debris mid-print. It also comes with dual hands-free auto leveling and dual-fan cooling that hardens each layer before warping or stringing can set in.

Google's new Pixel 11 lineup is here, but despite having a new processor, it's not exactly a generational leap. It's a fairly modest upgrade, and although it's far from a bad phone, the value isn't there, especially when the Pixel 10 still offers most of the same features and capabilities. That's why last year's model could actually be a much better buy for most people.

Electric vehicles are clearly the future of the automotive industry, as brands have essentially all begun their march towards carbon neutrality. However, range anxiety and slow charging have all been barriers to the average person making the switch to an electric vehicle. However, solid state batteries (SSBs) may be the solution.

Are you ready to spend some time soldering and setting up projects on your Pi this weekend? Then today's post is for you! Below, I talk about building a custom turntable with a Pi Pico, designing a custom OBD-II dashboard for your car, and building a tabletop game soundboard.

Like most people, the way I mainly share a photo with friends and family is by texting it to them. This works fine if you just quickly want to share a moment. However, it's a very fragmented situation, and there is a better way—more than one, in fact—built into Google Photos.

More than perhaps any room in your home, the kitchen begs for 3D printed solutions. It’s an area that’s ripe with opportunities for custom optimizations—especially if you’re restricted by space. My kitchen can always use more functionality, and these five prints help.

If you have kids, managing their screen time can be a constant battle. It can be difficult to enforce the rules because it's easy for them to pick up a phone or tablet without you realizing. If you have Pi-hole set up, you can use it to shut down their internet access when it's time for bed.

SAVE $30: As of Aug. 20, the 30qt Ninja FrostVault cooler in cloud white is discounted to $169.99 at Amazon. That's $30 off its full price of $199.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja FrostVault 30qt Hard Cooler with Dry Zone $169.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $30   Get Deal

Throughout the summer, Amazon has had some excellent outdoor deals, and it's not slowing down as we inch closer to fall.

If you're someone who can't wait to enjoy camping trips and outdoor gatherings in the cooler weather, the retailer has plenty of discounts worth exploring right now, including a $30 price cut on the 30qt Ninja FrostVault cooler in cloud white.

This durable cooler is normally priced at $199.99 at the retailer, but shoppers can snag it for $169.99 right now instead. Unfortunately, only the cloud white model is down to this price, but the other available colors are priced just $10 higher.

SEE ALSO: Purple's Labor Day sale gets you a king mattress for the price of a queen — shop now for up to $400 off

From food to drinks, this 30-quart cooler can handle it all. When it comes to the latter, it can hold up to 48 cans without ice or 26 with ice. And thanks to a heavy-duty build with up to three inches of insulation, they'll stay safe and cool while you're out and about. What really stands out about this cooler is the FrostVault Dry Zone.

This keeps your food in its own section of the cooler so it stays dry and cool, away from the drinks. It's a really helpful way to keep everything packed together without it getting all soggy from the ice and condensation. Plus, this cooler comes with integrated handles, so carrying it around during fall outings will be much easier.

If the 30qt Ninja FrostVault cooler in cloud white has caught your eye, act fast to save at Amazon.

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I've been using VLC for years, so when I recently started reading about mpv as a compelling alternative, I decided to give it a try. My first impression wasn't great. mpv opened my videos just fine, but compared with VLC, it felt almost unfinished. The interface is sparse, there aren't traditional menus full of settings, and a lot of the conveniences I was used to simply weren't there.

SAVE $200: As of Aug. 20, the Amazon Fire TV 50-inch Omni QLED 4K TV is on sale for $269.99 at Amazon. That's a $200 drop from its list price of $469.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV 50-Inch Omni QLED Series 4K UHD smart TV $269.99 at Amazon
$469.99 Save $200   Get Deal

Cooler weather is right around the corner, and if you can't wait to settle in for fall's batch of streaming shows and movies, you'll want a high-quality TV to watch it all on. If you've been thinking about an upgrade, Amazon's been dropping great deals recently, including the Amazon Fire TV 50-inch Omni QLED 4K TV.

As of Aug. 20, this smart TV has been slashed from $469.99 to $269.99. That's a solid $200 discount, and not too far from its lowest-ever price of $249.99. It's only on sale at this price for a limited time, so act fast to save.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy's 60th Anniversary Sale is live: We found the best deals on TVs, iPhones, Pokémon, and more

Since this 50-inch Fire TV is a smart TV, you'll be able to access all of your favorite streaming services right from the home screen. What you watch will look stunning as well, as this TV boasts a 4K resolution QLED display that sharpens details and brings out rich colors on screen. It even comes with Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive to give pictures an added color boost, and also supports HDR10 and HLG.

Another cool highlight of this TV is that it can automatically optimize the brightness of what you watch using a built-in sensor that detects the room's lighting. That way, you won't miss any of the action happening on screen. It also comes with the Fire TV Ambient Experience, which lets you display art or photos when you're not watching anything.

If you're thinking it's time to grab a new TV, don't miss out on this great deal on the Amazon Fire TV 50-inch Omni QLED 4K TV at Amazon.

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Seth Meyers' Late Night may be on summer vacation but the news keeps rolling. So, the host has launched a version of his popular deep dive segment "A Closer Look" as a video podcast series during the break.

A Closer Look: Out of Office is now streaming on YouTube, Peacock, and major podcast platforms. For the series, Meyers catches up with supervising writer/producer Sal Gentile on a video call to unpack the last current affairs.

"You had another name which I did really like," Gentile says in the first episode. "A Closer Look: Proof of Life, to show people we're still alive. Kind of like the way Mitch McConnell releases a new photo."

For the first episode, Meyers and Gentile explore Donald Trump's Air Force One catering cart switcheroo, and the Department of Justice's push to revive the case of vandalism concerning the controversially renovated Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.

Apparently Meyers saw the word "vacation" and thought, I'll pack my podcast equipment.

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