#AND NOT RECYCLED FOOTAGE FROM THE SHOW

[thankskenpenders]

I know Ken is notorious for his, um, odd creation habits, but even I’m shocked that it’s been over 10 years of work and THIS is all he has to show for it. I would maybe be a bit more lenient if each new page was hyper detailed or something like that, but as you pointed out in your review, he reused the same images across plenty of panels and so many of his backgrounds are just stock photos. The only way I can reconcile this to myself is wondering if maybe a bunch of that time was eaten up by extensive rewrites to his plans for the whole series, but even then, I’ll be even more shocked if the next volume ever comes out.

So I didn't get into this in the review because I really just wanted to focus on the book and the weird copyright situation that led to its creation, not Ken's personal life or his other endeavors, but he did make something else in the time since The Lara-Su Chronicles' announcement 13 years ago. That being his independent film: The Republic. Because after he left Archie Ken figured he'd move on to a career in Hollywood.

I think this was originally supposed to be a TV show, the pilot episode for which was released in 2010, but then in 2016 he decided to retool it as a commentary on Trump's immigration policies. I think the movie is still somehow not out despite being shot a few years ago, but he put out a trailer here:

Yes, the trailer really opens with 30 seconds of footage of Trump from CNN. I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards etc. etc.

At least the cast is clearly trying their best in spite of the material. It's not Birdemic bad. And yes, that's Sean Young. THE Sean Young! Rachael from Blade Runner! I guess Ken's really eager to flex the fact that he's friends with a couple lower-level Hollywood producers.

Anyway, I think he's still looking for a distributor for this. It's truly a mystery why no one was eager to pick this up.

Ken's also said some stuff about how he waited years to put out TLSC: Beginnings as part of the 4D chess game he's playing with the copyright stuff. He has a general idea of what he can do based on the terms of the settlement, but he's eager to push it as far as he can. He tested the waters with things like a few small pieces of TLSC merch and an NFT announcement, to see if Sega would take legal action. In particular, the announcement that he was going to sell an NFT of Shade from Sonic Chronicles was a stunt designed to see if Sega would challenge his claim that Shade is legally the same character as Julie-Su. Since they haven't gone after him, and now it's been a few years, he's taking that as evidence that Sega isn't actively exercising those copyrights and isn't going to fight for this stuff.

There's some logic here. Part of the reason Dan DeCarlo lost his battle with Archie over the rights to Josie and the Pussycats is that he didn't take action against them sooner for making merch and whatnot. It's "use it or lose it" with copyrights. But it mostly just comes off as an excuse. If it was purely a waiting game and he had all this extra time, why did he need to recycle art so much in Beginnings? Why is he only releasing 30 new pages of material instead of a whole graphic novel? Where's the app? Why didn't he spellcheck the damn book?

[sageistri]

Jimin had a solo era where he had 10 days of mostly local promo except for Jimmy Fallon for his 6 song EP (1 b-side + 1 title track) in Mar 2023 + 1 collab (with Kodak and Jvke) in the F&F movie franchise in May 2023 + 1 collab with Taeyang of Big Bang in Jan 2023 with accompanying mvs for both collabs + 1 fansong released on christmas week 2023 with 30 hours of notice and recycled footage for its mv + 1 documentary released on weverse in Oct 2023.

JK had a solo era where immediately after hiatus he released left & right in June 2022 with Charlie Puth who's pretty famous in his own right, a world cup song in Nov 2022 and performed solo in the opening ceremony which was watched by 1.5 billion viewers. He then proceeded to release Seven in July 2023 with latto who's also pretty damn famous in the west with Grammy winning producers and an accompanying mv with Han So Hee. Seven is perhaps the most payola'd kpop song of all time - I can't even list it all down without making this ask huge but suffice to say that with all the ads and playlisting on several platforms including tth from day 1 and some help from spotify to keep all his combined versions together instead of splitting them and probably a tiktok heating deal - seven managed to stay on top of global for weeks and netted a bunch of records.

However moving on, JK performs at good morning america, is supposed to perform at the mtv emas (gets cancelled) and announces his next single 3D with Jack Harlow at Global Citizen Fest at NY releasing in Sep 2023. He also has a collab too much with kid laroi and central cee in Oct 2023 with an accompanying mv. After that we're gearing up for his all English album release in Nov 2023 with a 11 track album. He has features from major lazer and dj snake and songs composed and produced by the likes of Diplo, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes. He goes on to perform snty at Jimmy Fallon, Times Square and iHeartRadio live. While none of his songs post seven are as heavily payola'd, they're still very well promoted. In Dec 2023, he releases a remix of SNTY with usher with an accompanying mv. He also features in hots in single I wonder in March 2024. Finally he's released a fan song never let go for festa in June 2024 which is a fansong but has a bunch of benefits usually seen for digital singles but no MV.

Obviously I haven't mentioned everything like their ambassadorships, their single bad decisions with benny blanco (mostly because I forgot about it), smaller promo like suchwita, JK's radio interviews, his visualisers, Jimin's Korean shows, either of their mnet performances, their myriad of tiktoks, their dance performances on youtube, JK's week-long station head parties or accompanying Yoongi on the D-Day tour. Plus as I said I can't mention the full length and breadth of JK's promo compared to Jimin in smaller aspects like number of remixes / remix albums or cd stock because this'll go on forever. And of course this is only the status as of today. We know pjm2 is coming as is probably a documentary for JK and their travel show together. Though I've probably missed out some things for both, I think I've covered the main points of both the solo eras.

There's a bunch of stuff happening here. For one JK's solo era is spaced out very well regardless of who else among BTS is releasing. While other members are clustered in specific times to avoid overlap, JK manages to have the most well spaced out solo era sometimes to the detriment of a member whose promo he might be encroaching on (debatable but I think it's true). The world cup gig which undoubtedly went to BTS being co-opted as JK's solo has never sit right with me but whatever. People can delude themselves about how in demand JK is but the truth is Latto, Jack Harlow and others probably got very well paid for collabing with JK and were certainly approached by Hybe / SB projects rather than the other way around. Same goes for them putting the full force of their marketing department in netting all those performances in the US plus awards. The new jeans controversy gave some insight into how Hybe can use their leverage to net spons, awards and performances when they want to. The fact that most of the collaborators JK had are good buddies with 🛴 isnt lost on any of us. JK's almost exclusive focus on the western market with all English songs is also noteworthy. I haven't even mentioned Jimin's sabotages because I can see how it's debatable but certainly JK's team at Hybe / SB projects were at the least way more careful handling his releases than whoever the hell is running things for Jimin at Hybe even if you don't want to acknowledge the sabotage he went through or the sheer disrespect of having his album release cut off by another members. Also not going into the bs with the delay in Jimin's RIAA certification just so that JK could get that first kpop soloist title or the insanity of Jimin's billboard sales filtering versus JK's premptive itunes preorder for seven before the official announcement of the BB rules change and helpful midweek sales updates that seven had.

After all this, it's amazing that JK's main point of comparison is Jimin. The fact that jjks and armys still feel this compulsive need to compare JK with Jimin after he releases something inspite of JK's peers supposedly being Taylor Swift now (their words not mine) speaks to both how JK was unable to capitalize on his heavy marketing and records versus how much Jimin was able to achieve with Face and Like Crazy.

JK managing to get the most likes on tiktok, staying on charts after heavy playlisting, becoming the darling of kpop stans - notoriously known for being visual stans and extremely fickle, and getting a bunch of kpop awards at the end of 2023 and probably 2024, having the most name recognition among all the members, still needing most of his streams for SNTY to come from Thailand, having album retail sales equal almost the same as Jimin inspite of the huge difference in gross album sales - are these really worthy accomplishments after this extremely long list of moves he's made? Jungkook was very popular to start out with and has always been the darling of armys - to the extent that he managed to avoid getting boycotted inspite of being associated and working with a bunch of zionists for golden. Apart from his new kpop fans, did he manage to net new fans during his solo era though? Or are his main fans still the armys he started out with in the first place from his time in BTS? Is this what anons in your asks think we're supposed to believe is impact?

Impact is what happened after BTS released Dynamite and Butter. A breakout star or single is what Baby was once upon a time for Justin Bieber or Espresso is to Sabrina Carpenter today. You get gp fans when you release good music like Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish. You get critical acclaim when your albums have overarching themes that were carefully constructed and thought out like Beyonces albums. Your solo fanbase becomes more dedicated when you share parts of yourself in your music like Taylor Swift does.

When you make an album with care and dedication, then even when your label doesn't give a damn about you or actively tries to suppress you, your song can still chart more than a year later with your solo fanbase working dedicatedly towards you. That might not be a PCA, but it's a damn sight more valuable imo.

Sorry for how long this got. I just kept remembering more and more stuff to include...

Wow... This is such a perfectly summarized version of the major points and opinions we've all had since jimin's debut... I love it, this is probably the best ask and best post related to this whole thing i have ever read.

It is good for pjms who still ask certain questions about stuff we already talked about and I can never find the exact post where we already talked about it so I'll pin it.

[trillscienceofficer]

remembered that they shot some scenes of “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” on the Voyager lot, so for example the set for the scene where Cretak, Admiral Ross and Julian are talking about Romulan Ale is literally the same Mess Hall you see on Voyager (even though it's explained as being just another Intrepid-class ship, the USS Bellerofon).

Apparently it was Ron Moore's idea:

Ronald D. Moore was the one who put forward the idea to use Voyager's sets rather than simply using the Defiant; "When we started structuring the show, I called Rick Berman and [Voyager Executive Producer] Brannon Braga and [Voyager Supervising Producer] Merri Howard and said, 'I'd really like to use the Voyager sets on this.' We could have reused the Defiant sets once again, saying the Bellerophon was a Defiant-class ship, but I didn't want to. I thought that using a bigger starship with a different look would make the mission seem bigger and more important. And we could save a lot of money if we went over and used their existing stuff, rather than building a new ship." The DS9 scenes were scheduled on a day when the Voyager crew was working on a different soundstage. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (pp. 661-662)) (link to the Memory Alpha page)

Also, from the same page:

Stock footage from Star Trek: Voyager is used at certain points; for example, a flyby of the USS Bellerophon is a recycled effect of the USS Voyager (to the point that you can see the registry "NCC-74656" on the hull).

I'll have to check next time I rewatch DS9...

[majaloveschris]

Hi maja, you have been an endlessly patient blog willing to discuss and rehash the same tired topics with these anons 🤣.

A few words for the ones who stay camped in your inbox:

1) It is possible to be married to someone and not like their friends or family. I’m unsure why some people on here act like him “marrying” AB means he’s immediate besties with her loser friends and weirdo hanger ons. If anything, it’s toleration. How many of you have had partners whose friends you couldn’t stand or family you dreaded but you tolerated for the sake of keeping the peace? Have you seen Justin and CE pal-ing about anywhere? It doesn’t even seem like Justin himself is too big a fan of CE either which is funny, since without his name, this trash can of a human wouldnt have 90% of the engagement on his profile that he currently has. But sure - keep posting shade memes and trolling his fanbase. That’ll really get you brownie points 🙄

2) “he must be just like her and her friends” - already wrong because her besties are all self proclaimed fashionistas. Meanwhile CE stays wearing the same old Nikes from a decade ago and recycling the same t shirts in two different colors for the past two decades. Without a stylist (even with) he looks like he shops at the 75% section of champion sports. Why do you think he’s never there with her at those fashion week events? Why is he not there at the Lana del ray concerts? Maybe because he doesn’t care and still won’t care even if he’s married to her to the public??? If he hasn’t even bothered to change how he dresses or even pretend to care about fashion - what makes you think he’s going to change his views in life and humanity for her and her friends? If he hasn't bothered to adapt to her interests or at least feign some interest in doing so what makes you think he's suddenly going to change his entire personality to fit her and her friends? (I see him doing more of this with jenny and her friends than AB. think about it)

3) body language. Listen, you can say anything or even do anything - but your body language always gives it away. It’s innate for most of us at this point. This man is friendly, tactile, and affectionate to people he’s comfortable with. That much has been clear for the two decades he’s been a public figure. Look at the recent materialists shoot. He likely hadn’t met Celine or Dakota until this shoot (cant say for sure but let’s say they’re recent colleagues) - thanks to the vast BTS footage - sometimes candid, sometimes staged, sometimes random - you can see how he acts with them both. Friendly, open, smiling, affectionate, comfortable. Pedro even came through to post a pic and he looks softly happy with Celine - who is also a very affectionate person with the people she likes. He's been photographed multiple times with celine and he is always engaged, smiling with her. He’s filming with Dakota and can laugh and smile with her. There's footage of him arriving to set and she goes into hug him and he hugs her back, rubbing her back affectionately. it's not just a quick pat either.

He shows up for 5-10 pap walks with AB and not one walk has them smiling at each other. Not one pap walk. There are two random GG and UTA party photos where he’s smiling with her but man, after two years and two weddings you’d think he’d muster up a few more than fake smiles? Even the live footage at the restaurant - pap walk - the kiss is him a foot away from her and hands at his side. You’re a newly wed and you knew photos were happening and this is the best you give?

VF red carpet - he was polite and reserved with her at best, aloof and disengaged at most. even the parking lot photos after with his publicist, he's standing there looking at his phone while shes standing a foot away.

Remember the photo with Celine and Dakota where he's got arms around them both? possibly huddling to keep warm because it was a cold night of filming? compare that to parking lot with AB, especially since that was back in march and LA gets cooler at night.

4) A LOT of angry anons go in about age gaps and how men go for younger women because they think with their other head and blah blah. Sure, can be true. But pay attention to CE's body language around AB. Does he look like he's very super attracted to her and wants to XXX with her or does he keep his hands so to himself and even when he's posing with her? His movements are tepid, reserved, stiff. i do believe he is a gentleman and avoids being handsy around women unless they're both comfortable and I think you can see it in the recent materialists footage with his female costar and director.

maybe, he wants to be a gentleman with his own wife as well. sure. but I don't think when you're truly in love or attracted, you can really help yourself but show it. the same goes for when you're not attracted and not in love.

I mean, we saw Justin and Joana at Chris's house with Chris's friends. So if this isn't PR, then they are at least okay with them. And it's not even about one friend. Alba herself posted questionable things and friends with at least 2 people (Kiko and Justin) who are problematic too. While I get that you don't have to be besties with your spouse's friends or family members, Alba has been friends with Kiko and Justin, so she is okay with their views. I, personally, wouldn't want to be friends with someone who bodyshames people and wants to be quotes Hitler. And if Alba is okay with that behavior, it means she either agrees with them or she doesn't care that much. The same goes with Chris, if he actually married her. 

Trying to get into your partner's interest is not a must, but a decent thing to do for someone you love. Obviously, if it's something that makes you feel bad, for whatever reason, then nobody should force you to do so. But while getting into things she likes (Lana, fashion week) is not a must, having similar views is important. You don't have to get married to someone who is exactly like you, but I personally wouldn't want to be married to someone who is okay with racism and anti-Semitism. The whole "he must be like them" has nothing to do with his wardrobe but with him being okay with their views. If he is actually married to her, which I don't think. 

Yeah, his body language says it all. As you said, he looked really friendly and comfortable with Celine and Dakota, and I haven't seen him that way with Alba. Not even once. With Alba, they always look like they are forced to be there, and they look so unnatural and fabricated. 

That kiss in front of the huge door so the paps could take photos and videos of them was so cringe-worthy. Private couple, my ass. And the wipe of his mouth...jeez. 

I also don't see any attraction. You can see when he has chemistry with someone, and he usually does have it with most people, but not with his own wife, I guess. He is more affectionate with friends and family members than with the love of his life. Yeah, they don't have to have a make-out session, but even if you just look at them, you can see the lack of intimacy. 

[indigoraysoflight]

Let's Talk About The Big F Word.

The word is "friend", and this is a rant. You've been warned.

If you genuinely love Caryl as a friendship or a ship, know that this rant is not meant to invalidate you. I'm merely trying to shed light on the marketing side of things and how some terms are being used to market the show.

I notice there is confusion festering about why AMC's official accounts continue to promote the "friends" narrative. Here's my theory from a marketing perspective.

If companies are worried about ROI (return on investment), they can either change the content to guarantee ROI or grow the audience to improve the chances of getting an ROI. The second part is easier this late in the game when a show is teetering at the end of post-production.

Every time the "friend" narrative is evoked or Carol is deliberately excluded or female characters are pitted against each other – engagement skyrockets. It festers toxicity in the fandom and encourages infighting. Hear me out.

Carylers usually defend themselves, and people who hate Caryl with a burning passion use the narrative to harass and bully Carylers.

That leads the Carylers to double down on their undying devotion to Caryl because they want the world to know why this ship and these characters are important to them (which is understandable considering how difficult the last few years have been).

The official accounts then mine posts and track engagement for market research, which probably leads to the conclusion, "See? Carylers are still engaging and on board with the friend narrative."

And the cycle continues.

"But Caryl are friends! Why is that bad?"

It's not bad; their friendship is what makes this ship unique. Every Caryler cherishes their friendship because it is the foundation of their relationship. Whether you love Caryl as friends or you ship them, the word "friend" is used to encourage people to invalidate Carylers and the ship itself. And it's done in the name of "engagement".

If you don't believe me, go to these posts and see the ratio of comments, QRTs, and responses. "All publicity is good publicity", I'm sure you've probably heard that before. That's the essence of the strategy that is being utilized.

There is a section of the fandom that loves it when Carylers are "put in their place," if you will. They flood to every post that

Invalidates Caryl as a ship

Erases Carol or encourages fans to "erase her" in some way

Pits Carol against another female character

Calls Caryl "friends"

Includes ambiguous pictures/footage to invalidate Caryl/Carol

Because every one of these posts gets a ton of engagement from all sides. Even if a lot of it is negative, it's still talked about. The end goal is word of mouth so more people flock to see what's happening. More eyes mean they can promote their show to a bigger pool of audience, which increases the chances of getting a higher ROI.

"Why would they do that when they started the #TWDCaryl tag?"

My best guess is that the people in charge of running the official accounts are either recycling an old marketing strategy or trying to position Caryl as "friends" to try and attract the audience that is so thrilled by the idea of it on SM. Because Caryl are best friends, Carylers can't refute that or be mad about it, right? Only they're either unaware of the fandom dynamics or don't care as long as the posts get engagement.

Unfortunately, because TBOC hasn't been marketed heavily through official channels yet and relies mainly on pictures, videos, and content shared by cast, crew, or fans, Carylers are eager for any form of promo that gives them information about the show. And any posts shared by official accounts get a lot of attention.

But most of these posts don't hold space for comments about Caryl as a ship. People who see the post as a way of suppressing Carylers or "confirmation" that the ship is invalid harass these commenters.

I don't think the SM managers realize that most people who cheered for excluding Carol from posts are the same ones engaging with the "Caryl are friends" posts.

And anyone who hates Carol with a burning passion – enough to encourage toxicity against her and her fans – will never pay them a dime to watch a show called "The Book of CAROL."

They're stepping on the back of a huge chunk of their audience to get engagement from people who want TBOC to fail. Let them realize on their own that "all engagement is good engagement" until they get a big surprise of declining followers and ROI.

Melissa returned to Carol, and to us, she deserves A LOT better than a few posts that validate people who hate Carol, and recycled footage from the flagship show.

If you choose to take it, my advice is to stop engaging with the official accounts, stop validating them if you're feeling invalidated and disrespected, and use your block button generously. Continue talking about why Carol and Caryl are important to you. Finally, protect your energy and please take care of your mental health.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant.

Stay safe, and be well. ❤️❤️

[triassictriserratops]

Rebel Heraldry of the Mockingjay

I have this idea that The Mockingjay was a symbol of the rebellion and was likely used in the Capitol to denote undercover operatives long before Katniss came onto the scene. What we know: 1.) Mockingjays are an unintended byproduct of the Capitol through the mating of their lab created muttation, the Jabberjay, and the local Mockingbird. 2.) The Mockingjays mimic sounds and vocalizations (not words, but cadence and song, yes.) 3.) After Katniss is reaped, Madge Undersee gives Katniss a gold Mockingjay pin. We later find that this pin belonged to Maysilee Donner, Madge's aunt who was a fallen tribute in the 2nd Quarter Quell and a district partner and games ally to Haymitch Abernathy. 4.) Recycled background footage of the ruins of District 13 included a shot of a Mockingjay in the corner of the screen. 5.) After the war, Plutarch was appointed to Secretary of Communications. Meaning that he is in charge of televised programming. 6.) The rebellion/mentors used bread as a form of communication during the Quarter Quell. The District bread representing the day and the number of loaves representing the hours. 7.) Bonnie and Twill showed Katniss a wafer/cracker with the Mockingjay symbol stamped into it. Speculations I have made considering the above: 1. & 2.) The rebels used the mockingjay to send coded messages to each other through song. Songs like "The Hanging Tree" being a call to arms, a warning, or an echolocation tactic. Rue mentions using the mockingjays to signal to the workers that their shift is over. Peeta remembers hearing Mr. Everdeen sing to the mockingjays. Mrs. Everdeen was absolutely furious when she learned that Mr. Everdeen had been singing this song in front of their daughters. All of this leads me to believe that the mockingjays were co-opted by the rebellion to communicate with each other where they otherwise would have been unable to. There is plenty of evidence in human history of music being used as a code. So none of this seems unlikely. 3.) Madge, likely knowing SOME of the history of the mockingjay given her father's status as Mayor gives this pin as a sign to Haymitch. She's cashing in her chips for Katniss in the hopes that this message gets to whoever it needs to in order to help her. Madge places a HUGE importance on Katniss wearing the pin right away. Even going as far as pinning it to Katniss' dress herself. This makes me believe that The Mockingjay symbol didn't become important because of Katniss. It was ALREADY important, and Madge was COUNTING on that. Later we learn that Rue specifically trusted Katniss because of the pin. I wonder if in District 11 especially, the Mockingjay is connoted with trust, safety, freedom, and hope. This could be an interpretation passed down from the First Rebellion and the Dark Days that has loosely made it's way into Rue's generation as just a generic symbol of "good" 4. & 5.) During the Victor rescue mission of Peeta, Johanna, and Annie, we learn from Haymitch that undercover operatives within the Capitol will likely have their covers blown as a result. This tells me that there are likely significantly more people in the Capitol that were part of the Resistance than we are aware of. I believe that there were likely already people undercover within the airwaves that Plutarch eventually took over. I do not think that the continued use of the District 13 footage with the mockingjay was an accident or an error. I believe it was completely intentional and was a message to the right audience that District 13, and the Rebellion, was still active, if laying low. It is no coincidence that both Bonnie and Twill, and Lavinia and the boy she was with, were all likely heading to District 13. That was the intended purpose of the footage. A sign to all possible refugees that District 13 wasn't as "gone" as it was made out to be.

6. & 7.) I believe that the districts and the rebellion always used consumables, specifically bread, to send messages along with mockingjay calls. Katniss says in Catching Fire, "Real rebels don't put a secret symbol on something as durable as jewelry. They put it on a wafer of bread that can be eaten in a second if necessary." On bread they could print symbols, simple messages, use parts of the bread to denote date/time. Use the "lines" in the bread to create rudimentary location maps. I theorize that Katniss' parents generation had their own, low level rebellion. Enough to necessitate a harder life of non-rare whippings than what Katniss grew up experiencing. "Don't worry." says Haymitch. "Used to be a lot of whipping before Cray. She's the one we took them to." "So it's starting again?" she says. "Like before?" This next part is heavier speculation so take it with a large grain of salt. I think that some of the trades between the Baker and Mr. Everdeen could have been coded messages regarding secret meeting locations and times. The purpose of these visits could have been forwarned with the mockingjay song, as stated above. (leading to the memory of Peeta seeing him sing to the mockingjays outside of the bakery) As a trader, Mr. Everdeen could have easily been the conduit to pass the message along to multiple people without drawing overt suspicion. I have more thoughts about how the mine explosion that killed Katniss and Gale's fathers was likely intentional and a way to subdue the hints of uprising that had been brewing in District 12. But that's for another day.

[fiction-justanotherstateofmind]

Things that drive you crazy (not just annoyed) about Teen Wolf.

I'll start:

The FBI video of Derek running.

I've never heard people talk about it so I guess it's just my problem (?) but it drives me crazy that they recycled a clip from the first season to represent Derek Hale running away and getting caught on camera. How much cheaper do you still want to make your production??

Among other things, it's not a clip that didn't make it at the time, but it's exactly a cut piece of a released episode. I've seen better fanedits!!

Why do they treat us as if we happened to be passing and not fans of the series? Most people definitely don't get to season 6 by accident.

Number one, the show lost credibility because season 1 Derek is very different from season 6 Derek (the period in which the FBI footage should be set).

Number two, BUT WHAT DID IT TAKE TO MAKE TYLER HOECHLIN RUN AROUND SINCE THE ACTOR WAS THERE?!

This was one of Teen Wolf's lowest moments personally. I'm offended that they thought we wouldn't have noticed or that, perhaps worse, they still didn't care even if we had.

If you need proof, here they are:

Teen Wolf season 1 episode 5

Teen Wolf season 6 episode 11

[pixies-and-poets]

Post-DLC Phantom Lore and Theories!!

Hello everyone! I've put together a post that I hope will be fairly comprehensive, condensing what we've learned about our dear titular character of Rayman in the Phantom Show. No, not Rayman. Phantom!

There will also be a few theories of my own to fill in the blanks, although I will clearly mark what's a theory and what is confirmed.

I wanted to include tidbits about other characters, but this got really long, so I'll save that for another post.

Showtime!

Phantom's History with the Space Opera Network

First of all, Phantom did not create the network/studio!! This was a surprise to me, and I assume others... I think we all had guessed that it was his baby. No, it's existed for decades, and was in financial trouble BEFORE he came along. In fact, they paid him for a huge comeback concert, but when they didn't get a good return on investment, they owed Phantom a lot of money. I assume this is when he was able to take it over. Then, he held a telethon where people paid him to stop singing so the network would air other things again, lmao. And he got pretty rich off of it.

Source: The Space Opera Network memory. "After decades of poor ratings, the Space Opera Network bet everything on a live comeback concert by the Phantom. It wound up in bankruptcy with the opera singer as its largest creditor. Rumor has it that afterwords, the Phantom held a live telethon where viewers paid GOBS of money to have him stop singing so the network would return to its original programming, making him a small fortune."

(I also like that the telethon has been reduced to "rumor", implying that all footage of it was erased to spare anyone else from seeing it, LOL)

It appears this was all fairly recent instead of being something Phantom has been working on gradually since we last saw him. The studio is still in dire shape and doesn't appear to have had much time to put any financial improvements into effect. This is also backed up by "The Phantom" memory, where Beep-0 says that "most recently" he has become "Director of the Space Opera Network", AFTER his relationship with Bea and the Galactovision song contest incident. I also imagine the sets for the final battle are recycled from the concert and/or telethon, but that's just a theory.

So the timeline appears to be: Phantom dates Bea, Phantom dumps her for the dancer, Bea and Phantom co-host the Galactovision contest as bitter exes and blow out their voices in their rivalry, Phantom regains his voice sometime later through unknown means, hosts a comeback concert that bombed, takes over the network, has a telethon, gets rich(er), at some point during this realizes he can use the network for sweet revenge, then sends three golden tickets to the Heroes. The main adventure of Sparks of Hope takes place sometime after he ruined his voice, and sometime before he sends the tickets.

THEORY: Phantom probably figured AT LEAST Mario would come because he's the main hero, and he's always leading the adventure, right? He also surely guessed Rabbid Peach would come as she's an influencer. Both were people he was desperate to get revenge on. And he didn't care who the third was. Summoning only three was a way to prevent them from overwhelming him, and it would also be easier to keep them distracted so they wouldn't snoop around and figure out what was going on behind the scenes. He also figured the more savvy ones like Edge and Rabbid Rosalina wouldn't come because this just wasn't their thing, and Peach would be kind enough to give her ticket to someone else, not to mention her being busy - he would have loved to see her, but didn't want to have to FIGHT her.

I think his reasons for summoning Rayman as well, were because he thought it would make for an epic roast. But also, he knew of his traumatic history with rabbids and thought it would be destabilizing, and if he ended up in a hero group with Mario, there could be a rivalry (even if friendly) that would keep them distracted. Basically he just thought Rayman would never work with Mario and the Rabbids smoothly, and they would all end up interrupting and tripping over each other's heroism.

Needless to say things didn't go as he planned. Little did he know Beep-0, Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Mario would just intercept the tickets and run without telling anyone. And that Rayman would end up getting along better with his new friends than even the limbless hero himself could have foreseen.

Assorted Stuff

On various shows, Phantom has played the role of "Cyprien Fairclough, a young swashbuckling prince with a voice like a nightingale and throngs of female admirers", presumably a pirate named Captain Opera-Beard (although the memory log doesn't specify it was him, we can make a confident guess lol), and possibly the cowboy Plungerhands McMurdy, if we are to presume Phantom himself tries to star in as many of the shows he produces as possible.

The Space Opera Network wanted to make a movie version of the heroes' adventures but replace Beep-0 with a wise-cracking parrot. I'd like to imagine this was Phantom's idea just to piss our favorite roomba off.

Phantom GAINS STRENGTH FROM ADORATION AND ATTENTION, which..... is this something we knew before? It feels really natural but this is the first time something like that was established as far as I can tell.

"The Phantom lured Rayman, Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Peach and myself [Beep-0] to the Space Opera Network under false pretenses, so we might boost the viewership from which he draws his power. Should his spotlight have grown any larger, he would have become invincible." - excerpt from The Phantom 2 memory

And finally, there is a gramophone in storage in Phantom's control room. We can make a guess that this might be his old gramophone, and that he got his voice back by replacing it somehow. Thanks to @randomrabbidramblings for pointing this out, for the screenshot and theory! (I wanted to go look for myself but I don't think there is a way to get back into the control room after you beat the DLC? Without playing it again of course.)

Feel free to add anything I might have missed, and your own theories!

Fun facts about other characters coming soon!

[arlana-likes-to-write]

maybe for older sister readers backstory you could have dreykov, like in the first part, show or explain everything to nat and yelena?

I hope you enjoy this! Let me know if you want to see anything else! Personally, I think Dreykov is the scariest villain in the MCU

The World Turned Upside Down

Warning: mention of physical abuse, mention of implied sexual abuse/relationship, mention of human trafficking,

Word count: 1.7k

Natasha knew this plan relied heavily on her. But she couldn’t help the anxiety that moved through her veins as she stared at the man she hasn’t been this close to in 16 years. She was face to face with the man who ruined her childhood. She wasn’t sure how you survived all these years. He moved from behind his desk and stood in front of her. His hands rested on the arms of the chair. She felt the heat of his breath. “When you look into the eyes of a child you have raised, no mask in the world can hide that,” he reached up on instinct Natasha grabbed onto his wrist. She let go of him and he pressed the hidden button on the side of her head. The device was deactivated and he removed the cloaking device. “Welcome home.” This wasn’t home. Home was with her sister where they were free. “How long do we have until your sister shows up?” He asked, moving back behind his desk. “I do enjoy a family reunion.” 

“We are not a family,” she said, standing up. A gun was pointed at her by the masked individual that stood in the corner. Dreykov held up his hand. 

“No, no,” he said. “We don’t want that.” He typed on the tablet that rested on his desk. “Go deal with her.” Natasha turned around and saw security footage of you running through the halls. “I want her alive.” The masked individual nodded and moved to leave his office. As they opened the door, Yelena was on the other side. “Oh, this is perfect. Come in please.” Yelena looked at Natasha, who nodded at her younger sister. She walked in, closing the door behind her. “Look how grown up you are,” Dreykov said, standing up to walk over to her. But Natasha stepped in front of her, blocking his path. He smiled. That smile still sent a shiver down her spine. She hated that he still affected her. “I wonder if that level of protectiveness extends to all of your sisters. Please sit.” He sat back down and pointed to the empty seats in front of his desk. The two sisters looked at each other in a silent conversation and agreed to sit down. “I have to admit,” he said as they sat down. “Her betrayal hurts but look at what she’s given me. Can you imagine the power I’ll have with 2 Avengers under my control?”

“Do you think it would be easy to enroll us into your pathetic little puppeteer act?” Natasha asked. 

“Pathetic?” He questioned, with a smile. 

“What would you call it?” Yelena said. “When was the last time you had a conversation with somebody that wasn’t forced to talk to you?”

“You both ran away to fight in the wrong war,” he said. “The real war was fought here, in the shadows.” 

“You weren’t fighting. You were hiding in the dark.” Natasha noticed his smile falter. They just had to keep pushing him. 

“Real power comes from undetectable influence,” he reached under and pulled out a drawer. He placed his ring on a scanner. “These world leaders answer to me and my Widows.” Natasha could see a red light illuminating his face. He rounded his desk and grabbed the back of their chairs. He spun them around to face the screen. “Look at them.” Faces of girls started to flash across the screen. “These girls were trash and thrown out onto the street.” He knelt so his mouth was level with their ear. “I recycle the trash and give them a purpose, a life, and a home. One command, my widows can start and end wars.” Natasha saw your face pop up before the screen changed to video footage of soldiers, buildings on fire, and people running in the street. “And because of your sister, I can finally come out of the shadows using the only natural resource that the world has too much of.” The screen changed back to cycling the pictures. “Girls.” Yelena and Natasha stood up to face him. He was behind his desk again. A rage filled Natasha, it blinded her. She saw as he stared at him. 

“Do you feel anything?” Yelena asked. “Or do human emotions not register with you anymore?” 

“He doesn’t feel anything,” Natasha said, looking at her sister then back at him. “Do you feel anything when we killed your daughter or when you agreed to make a deal with a girl half your age?” He laughed.

“Is this your haunted past?” She didn’t say anything. “Really?” He laughed again. “Oh my little Widows, I have to thank you. You gave me my greatest weapons. Shall we watch them?” Natasha turned around as the screen changed to security footage. You were leaning against a glass door, holding onto your side. Alexei was standing next to you. The super soldier was looking better than you. He charged the masked individual but it was easy for them to dodge it and they sent him flying. They turned their attention to you.

“I’m not going to fight you.” You said, standing up straighter. They walked over to you. But they stopped. She saw the confusion on your face. They looked at the camera and pressed a button on their forearm. Slowly, they took off their helmet. Natasha saw a girl with scars on her face. 

“When your bomb went off it nearly killed my Antonia,” Dreykov said. “I had to put a chip in the back of her neck.” Natasha looked at the man behind her. He wasn’t a man. He didn’t deserve that title. “She’s a perfect mimic and she fights like all of your friends.” The security feed was cut off as Antonia placed her helmet back on and walked over to you. “As for your sister. My malen'kiy pauk (little spider). She is my favorite. All I had to do was dangle you two above her head and she did whatever I told her to do.” He circled Natasha and Yelena like a predator circling their dinner. “She’s killed for me, tortured innocent people, and got down on her hands and knees before me and anyone I told her to. All for you. Her sem'ya (family).” Natasha’s stomach turned. “My malen'kiy pauk (little spider). She is a work of art and I admire her in every way.” This needed to end. She was barely keeping it together. Yelena wasn’t doing much better. 

“You are weak,” Natasha said. He seemed stunned at the statement. “You hide behind young girls and control them because you aren’t strong enough.”

“So was this your plan?” He asked. “Throw insults at me to stall so Melina can bring down the Red Room,” he clicked on his tablet. “And hand me to the authorities.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Natasha said. Dreykov smiled. 

“Kill me?” He questioned. “Your sister had every opportunity to kill me. But she didn’t. Do you know why?” Natasha stayed quiet. “Because she enjoyed it. She liked it. She enjoyed being under my control.” 

“Do you enjoy hearing yourself talk?” Yelena asked. “Because you won’t shut up.” His smile fell. 

“Try.” He said simply. The sisters pulled their guns on him. Natasha couldn’t pull the trigger. She glanced at Yelena, she struggled to pull it. “Pathetic.” He disarmed Yelena quickly and used the gun to hit her. The blonde fell to the ground. He faced Natasha. “Who is the weak one now?” He took her gun and punched her. She stumbled backwards and felt the blood on her nose. Almost there. “The Avengers made you weak.” Another punch. Natasha groaned in pain. “Come on. Hit me.” She watched Yelena stand up, blood was on the side of her head. Natasha wiped the blood off her nose. Dreykov walked over to Yelena. “You could have done great things. But I let you go and this is my thanks.” He went behind his desk. Melina’s words echoed in Natasha’s head as she walked over to him. “Why are you smiling?” Sever the nerve. Sever the nerve. 

“You weren’t quite strong enough,” Yelena stood up. “So I’ll have to finish it myself.” He chuckled. 

“What are you going to do?” He asked. With a steady breath, Natasha slammed her nose against his desk. She groaned as her nose broke. 

“Sever the nerve.” He placed his palm against his table as she punched him. He fell onto his back. Oh, this felt great. 

*

You needed to act quickly. Antonia was currently trapped in one of the cells so she wasn’t your main concern. Melina destroyed one of the engines which meant the Red Room was falling out of the sky. And the cherry on top was the Widows weren’t in the training room. The alarm ringing in the empty walls told you that Dreykov triggered the security system. You needed to figure out how to expose them. You stopped running as you stared up at a vent. “Yeah,” you mumbled. “That will do.” 

*

You watched in horror as your sisters were surrounded by Widows. You opened the vent above them and dropped the bomb. The vials exploded and the red dust covered them. You jumped in front of your sisters and watched the young girls’ eyes flash red. They looked confused and lost. “Are you guys okay?” You asked, keeping your eyes on the Widows.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Yelena said. You nodded. 

“Chto my znayem (What do we do now)?” A girl asked. 

“Get as far away from here as possible,” Natasha told her. “You get to make your own choices now.” 

“You're free,” Yelena added. “All of you are free.” Free. It was a concept that seemed so foreign to you, so out of reach. The place around you shook. 

“We need to get out of here.” You said. 

“We need to stop Dreykov.” The Widows began to file out of his office. You and Yelena followed them but Natasha walked over to his desk. 

“Are you coming?” You asked. 

“I’ll be right behind you.” She said. You believed her. With the world being turned upside down, you had no choice but to believe her. 

[thesherrinfordfacility]

rewatching s1 as you do - nearly straight away in ep1, i was reminded of this fab spot from @ineffableigh that compares the aerial london shot between s1 and s2 - and wanted to share another (which, im willing to bet, they've probably already spotted - sorry im just excited):

im under no illusions that, the same as leigh put in their post, this is simply, potentially, just manipulated footage taken from s1 - reasons for it including cost, COVID, time, etc. its very likely, but in respect of what has been chosen to be edited:

this is the google maps view of the area, which clearly shows the railings and benches from s1. s2 - none (correction: half of the railings are still there... 🤨) to be seen, and crowley's is set back upon the grass (also note: the little tree is gone).

(cont'd) now this maps view could be outdated, but this (beautiful) post from @michael-sheens for the s3 announcement strongly suggests (ie. it's incredibly likely that the flowers are on these exact benches) that not only are the railings still very much in place irl, but the benches are too. so editing them out - for no logical extradiegetic reason that i can think of that is realistically viable - is purposeful

the extras look... very similar. in fact, willing to bet they're identical. that might be just another trait of this footage literally being recycled from s1, cool, but note that some of the people walking by have - in that case - also been purposefully edited out

there are ducks/birds on the grass in front of the benches in s1, but almost sequentially (???) they are seen flying away in s2

idk what to make of this one, but either the water level is higher in s2, or the bank in front of the benches has eroded away/frankly just completely changed shape.

and you know, just to shamelessly plug a meta that you can take as far as you want, it's indicated (by my reckoning) that this scene is not in sequence with the scenes in the bookshop - scenes of which are posed as running alongside the s2 scene between crowley and shax. the bookshop is running between, let's say, 4pm - 4.30pm, but i personally can hear 5 bell rings (5pm) in the s2 one.

that to me, along with other times where Crowley Time™ doesn't appear (ie. allowances for inaccuracy on my part) to match the rest of the story (as noted in the meta), suggests that crowley is hiding himself in, or simply operating, on a different time - and possibly editing the world around him to suit? or is burrowing himself in some kind of pocket dimension? (got my DW glasses on, can you tell)

[for-yoongi0309]

[NOTICE] SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' The Original Release announcement

Hello. We are excited to announce the release of SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' The Original.

SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' captivated a total of 330,000 audience in 10 cities across the world! The three last shows of SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' THE FINAL, and the grand finale of the world tour, were captured in 4K, bringing the exhilarating energy that filled KSPO DOME to life. Not only does it include dazzling special solo guest performances by RM, Jimin, and Jung Kook, but also their joint performances and behind-the-scenes footage of their practices, as well as tour performance practices, rehearsal sketches, and various backstage stories from the North American tour. The photo book comes in two versions, each containing behind-the-scenes shots from THE FINAL performances in Seoul and the world tour. A photo card set capturing moments from every performance, a postcard set that will let you relive memories from each city, and a transparent folding card featuring the lyrics of the song “D-Day,” also make for invaluable additions to your collection. SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' The Original is available for pre-order starting May 21 and will officially release on July 15.

[PRE-ORDER DATE] - From 11AM, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 (KST) *WHILE SUPPLIES LAST* [RELEASE DATE] - Weverse shop GLOBAL : June 7, 2024 (KST) - Weverse shop US : July 15, 2024 (PDT) - Weverse Shop JAPAN & UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN : June 14, 2024 (KST)

- OUT BOX Size : 151x205x58mm * This outbox is designed to protect the product during distribution. We do not offer exchanges or refunds for stains or damage to the outbox that may be sustained during the distribution process. [SPEC] 1.PHOTOBOOK SET PHOTOBOOK COVER Size : 765x190mm PHOTOBOOK Size : 140x190mmㅣ2ea 1set THE FINAL ver. - 120p TOUR & BEHIND ver. - 120p 2. DIGITAL CODE - DIGITAL CODE Size: 27x85mmㅣAbout 185 mins [144p], [270p], [360p], [480p SD], [720p HD], [1080p FHD], [1440p FHD], [2160p 4K] KOREAN, ENGLISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE *This product is made of recycled plastic, so the marbling pattern is not identical on all items. Spots, parting lines, and other natural occurrences in the manufacturing process may be present and do not constitute defects. 3.PHOTOCARD SET BOX Size : 60x88mm PHOTOCARD Size : 55mmx85mmㅣ28ea 1set 4.POSTCARD + STICKER SET SLEEVE Size : 140x191mm POSTCARD Size : 140x190mmㅣ10ea 1set STICKER Size : 140x190mmㅣ1ea 5.TRANSPARENT FOLDING CARD Size: 600x150mmㅣ1ea

[CONTENTS] SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' The Original 해금 대취타 Agust D give it to me Trivia 轉 : Seesaw SDL 사람+사람 Pt.2 (feat. 아이유) 저 달 Burn It (feat. MAX) (with JungKook) Seven (feat. Latto) Tony Montana (with Jimin) Like Crazy 이상하지 않은가 (feat. RM) Come back to me Interlude : Shadow BTS Cypher PT.3 : KILLER (Feat. Supreme Boi)+BTS Cypher 4 욱 (UGH!)+땡+HUH?! (feat. j-hope) Life Goes On Snooze (feat. Ryuichi Sakamoto, 김우성 of The Rose) 어땠을까 (feat. 김종완 of NELL) AMYGDALA D-Day INTRO : Never Mind 마지막 (The Last) How to watch <SUGA | Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' The Original> Watch the video(VOD) by using the digital code card enclosed with the merchandise. Digital codes are services that allow you to watch high definition VODs on Weverse. Register/verify the code on the card to watch the VOD. [How To Use The Digital Code] - MOBILE * QR code: Use the smartphone camera to scan the QR code and visit m.weverse.io/code/dc. Redeem the digital code and enjoy the video on Weverse app. * Digital code: Visit weverse.io/code/dc, and enter the digital code near the bottom. Enjoy the video on Weverse app. - PC * Visit GLOBAL > MORE > [ENTER DIGITAL CODE] menu on the Weverse website. Enter the digital code near the bottom and enjoy the video. * Visit weverse.io/code/dc, and enter the digital code near the bottom. Enjoy the video on the Weverse website. - TV APP * Visit weverse.io/code/dc or the Weverse website and enter the digital code. Enjoy the video on the Weverse TV app. ※You need a Weverse Account to watch the content. ※One digital code can be registered per one Weverse Account. The code cannot be registered in another account when it is already registered in one account. ※Please note that once you delete your Weverse Shop/Weverse account, your purchase history cannot be restored.

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Dudley Dickerson

Dudley Henry Dickerson Jr. (November 27, 1906 – September 23, 1968) was an American film actor. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952, and is best remembered for his roles in several Three Stooges films.

Given the era in which Dickerson performed, he was usually cast in stereotypical roles that were common in films of the time. His boundless energy can be seen in what are rather restrictive roles, and was a master at what has become known as "scared reaction" comedy. One of his early screen credits was the Our Gang comedy Spooky Hooky (1936), as a bemused caretaker. Dickerson also appeared in Soundies musical films with Dorothy Dandridge and Meade Lux Lewis; Big Joe Turner had recorded three numbers for Soundies but was not present for the filming, so Dickerson stood in for him and lip-synced his vocals.

Modern viewers will remember Dudley Dickerson for his portrayals of startled cooks, quizzical orderlies, frightened porters, and apprehensive watchmen in such Three Stooges films as They Stooge to Conga, A Gem of a Jam, and Hold That Lion! In Hold that Lion, he played a lovable train conductor who memorably bugged out his eyes and shrieked, "He'p, he'p, ah'm losin' mah mahnd!" when a lion attacked him and ripped the seat of his pants while he was shining a pair of shoes. This gag had been used by Moe in a previous short, but Dickerson's portrayal of the scene was so funny that the crew (and Dickerson himself) could hardly contain their laughter, as one can hear in the final release.

Probably Dickerson's most memorable role was that of the hapless chef in the Stooges' A Plumbing We Will Go, in which he uttered in bewilderment, "This house has sho' gone crazy!" He was also able to show the range of his acting talent in this role, able to raise a laugh from the audience by just giving a suspicious, sideways look to a kitchen appliance that had previously acted up. The footage would be recycled twice more in future Stooge comedies: 1949's Vagabond Loafers and 1956's Scheming Schemers. Both films included a newly filmed scene of a raincoat-clad Dickerson informing guests that "dinner's postponed on account of rain" (a turn of phrase usually used to describe the cancellation of a baseball game due to inclement weather).

Dickerson received featured billing in several Hugh Herbert comedies produced by Columbia Pictures, in which, as Herbert's valet, he is always in scary situations and reacts with comic terror.

In the early 1950s, Dickerson appeared in several episodes of TV's The Amos 'n' Andy Show, usually as a lodge member or Joe the Barber.

Dickerson had also appeared opposite Columbia comic Andy Clyde. When Columbia concluded its long-running Clyde series, producer Jules White called Dickerson back to appear opposite Clyde in a remake of the 1948 short Go Chase Yourself. To White's surprise, Dickerson had lost considerable weight and would no longer match the scenes filmed in 1948. White regarded Dickerson so highly that he filmed the new scenes anyway. Columbia released the film in 1956 as Pardon My Nightshirt.

Dickerson retired from acting in 1959. He died of a brain tumor in 1968 at age 61, and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

I've seen a few posts recently where people have had a highly negative reaction to someone else claiming shows they like (cough MAWS) are copying others and like-

We have this gut reaction when someone says "copy" to assume the negative. To copy is to steal, we think. And we have the automatic urge to defend the art we like (even without reading the full post cough cough). And like yeah, why wouldn't we? I know I've done it.

But copying can be positive, and I don't think some of yall know that. Like, most art is copying something else. That's how art works: inspiration. Subconsciously, intentionally, all art is derivative. Style, contents, whatever. Sometimes it's a blatant ripoff, sometimes there are fun homages, sometimes you have a green multiverse plotline with evil Supermen who give the main one morality issues (aka could use just a little tweaking in the separation department). And that is more often than not a very very positive thing.

Power Rangers for most of its run has just been literally recycled footage from Super Sentai with plot to fill the gaps between fights. The Ninja Turtles were a parody of Daredevil. Daredevil is a shameless Batman rip. Shazam was a shameless Supes rip. And so on and so on.

You get it?

[mayakern]

Hi Maya! I tried looking in your FAQs but am not able to find this information. The past few years I've only been thrifting as I grow more aware of how the clothing industry is. Fast fashion going in mountains of landfills aside, the treatment of workers is absolutely horrendous 99% of the time. Your Meyoco skirt is my first piece of clothing I didn't get from thrifting the past year, and I'm absolutely in LOVE. I believe it's more than fair to pay $60 for a skirt as long as every designer, worker involved is compensated fairly. I don't believe that someone as empathetic as you would ever partake in a business model that takes advantage of the others, but for the peace of my own mind I just wanted to outright ask and make sure that the skirts are produced in an environment/manufacturer/business where the workers are compensated fairly after you've received your fair share of profit margins. 😅I adore your designs so much, and am already budgeting how to make it a staple of my non-essential purchases, I just would like to know that I'm supporting a business that align certain values that's important to me! Thank you very much for reading!

this is a great question! sorry if i'm kind of scattered answering it, im still dealing with neck pain (just got a cortisone shot which should help in a couple days but for now i'm relying on rest, pain meds and muscle relaxers so i'm a bit out of it)

first off, we've always done our best to search for manus that have good working conditions. we don't have the budget to personally visit factories outside the US, but we get footage from the manufacturers that show the working environment (specifically while making our items) so we can ensure the spaces look up to snuff (good lighting, ventilation, enough space, cleanly kept, etc). we also always look out for any red flags like a PPU (price per unit) being too low to afford fare wages to the workers.

without being able to hire someone to do a full blown investigation it's hard to 100% know what's going on in a factory, and unfortunately we do not have the budget for that, but we do our due diligance.

and i'm really happy to report that our new primary factory, which we found with the help of a supply chain manager, is GOT certified, which is a HUGE leap for us. basically, GOT certification requires a factory to meet certain thresholds for ethical labor and environmental practices. for our factory specifically, this includes a biometric clocking system that makes sure the hours worked are consistent with GOT requirements, as well as regular medical check ins and a dr on site. they also run internal social audits (sedex, ICS, inditex). they provide food and transportation for the workers and have multiple regulated breaks.

GOT certification also covers things like making sure the dyes and materials are ethically sourced. unfortunately because our skirts are synthetic fiber, we cannot brand the skirts specifically as being GOT certified because GOT certification only covers natural fiber, BUT all the other materials and the labor practices surrounding the skirts are certified. they are also certified for their ethical recycling for reuse of scrap material specifically regarding their synthetic fibers.

in addition to this, we do not function the way fast fashion does. fast fashion relies on constantly pushing the trend cycle faster and faster so that garment workers are pushing out new garments in weeks or days rather than the more traditional 3-4 month cycle (which is where we fall). this traditional cycle is why we used to have fashion "seasons," which honestly we don't believe in either. our goal is that when you buy a skirt, it is loved and worn and kept for years and years. we don't follow trends or seasons: we just make things we like.

also, we strive to never order more garments than we think we can sell. traditional fashion/retail typically strives to order 20% more product than will sell so that they can make maximum sales because nothing will ever sell out. that extra 20% is baked into cost/loss and usually is what ends up in places like ross or in landfills. so although we know it's frustrating that we continually sell out of our designs, we do this for a reason: as much as we're able, we want to not contribute excess waste to this world. this is also why we don't include specialty boxes or packaging with our orders, even tho literally every piece of small business advice recommends doing this for improving brand recognition/customer retention. for us, even tho it might generate more sales, it's not worth it to generate more waste. it's a very small thing, but over thousands and thousands of orders over the years it builds up.

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth

This one's gonna be pretty quick, but I wanted to get it out of the way before I tackled End of Evangelion.

All right, so the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series (1995-1996) was a success, and there was also a strong fan demand for a different ending. I'm pretty sure fans thought the original ending in Episodes 25 and 26 was an incoherent mess, but maybe they were more supportive about it. Anyway, those two factors led to the release of the first NGE movie, Death and Rebirth, in March 1997.

The movie is actually two smaller movies and both of them are kind of bullshit. The first half, Death, is just a trumped up clip show, which is pretty rich considering how much footage they already recycled making Episodes 14, 25, and 26. The second half, Rebirth is actually all-new material that serves as an alternate ending, but only the first 25 minutes' worth of that ending. This 25 minute segment ends on a cliffhanger, and it would air again, along with the conclusion, in End of Evangelion, released in July 1997.

So really, Death and Rebirth was just an extended preview of End of Evangelion. A fan would have gone to the theater for D&R in March, and gotten a recap of the TV series, followed by the opening third of EoE. That would presumably whet the fans' appetite to come back in four months to see EoE in its entirety.

So in 1997, this was probably a cool idea. By that time, NGE had been off the air for about a full year, and fans might have appreciated a highlight reel of all the big moments from the series before diving into the next thing. And seeing 25 minutes of a new episode doesn't sound like such a bad deal either.

But, it's 2024, and from my vantage this just comes across like a cheap stunt. It looks a lot like End of Evangelion was the movie they wanted to make all along, but they couldn't get it finished in time, so they slapped together what they had and padded it out with old clips. Then they released End of Evangelion as they had originally intended, but this way they got their fans to pay twice for that same 25 minutes of footage.

Any way you slice it, there's not much of value in Death and Rebirth. The first portion is just clips from the TV series, and the second portion is just the first portion of End of Evangelion. What does that leave?

Well, a little. I think this "found footage" clip from Misato's dad's lab is new? I could be wrong. There's not much to it. You hear people talking about stuff and then everyone gets upset because Adam is awakening or something, and then Second Impact happens.

There's also a bit with Kaji and Asuka talking while they're en route to Japan. Kaji tells her that one of the other Eva pilots is a boy, but she doesn't care about boys her own age, all she wants is Kaji.

There's a framing sequence where the Eva pilots each show up to the empty theater from Episodes 25 and 26, and they prepare to play classical music. Shinji's on cello, and I can barely tell what the others are even doing. It's all meaningless filler disguised as some sort of powerful, meaningful thing.

I think this is new footage of Unit 00 removing the Lance of Longinus from Adam Lilith's body. When the lance comes out, the bottom half of Lilith expands and grows into a pair of humanoid legs, as opposed to the bulbous mass of many teeny legs.

Maybe this was in the TV episode, but I feel like I would have remembered seeing this before.

Also new, maybe? This scene of Clownshoes talking to Yui Ikari and baby Shinji. He isn't keen on SEELE and their predicted scenario of Third Impact happening in the next ten years. Yui's a member of SEELE, and she assures him that they're just trying to ensure that Third Impact happens in a way that humanity will survive and be prepared for. Clownshoes also says that he basically got an offer he can't refuse from SEELE, which is why he's reluctantly helping them. And mybe this was in Episode 21, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I remember wondering when and how Clownshoes joined up and being irritated that a scene like this didn't exist to spell it out.

Oh, here's that suitcase with the embryonic Angel in it, remember that? Gendo called it "Adam" when Kaji delivered it, and I didn't understand this. Then they called the big white angel on the cross "Adam", except it turned out to be Lilith. Well, what they did was they shrank Adam down into embryo form so he'd be easier to move around. This also had the benefit of keeping him hidden when the other Angels attacked NERV in search of him. We found out Lilith was kept on the cross as sort of a decoy, but where was the real Adam, then?

Uh, in this guy's hand? I guess? They never show whose hand this is, but it just occurred to me that Gendo always wears gloves, and there were a couple of battles in the TV show where things were looking pretty dicey and he got up to leave his command post. Maybe he was trying to keep Adam away from the intruding Angel during those moments.

We also get a clip of Kaji greeting whoever shot him, but instead of the gunshot we hear a slap, and then Shinji telling Asuka that Kaji is gone. She refuses to believe it.

After that, things pretty much wrap up with the final battle against the 17th Angel. That segment is basically a quick rundown of Episode 24, but the stuff before that is a jumbled collage. I think they tried to organize it thematically. A bunch of Shinji stuff, then Asuka moments, then Rei moments, and so on. When I first learned about this movie, I assumed the Death portion was like an abridged treatment of the TV show, but it really isn't. This would be a terrible way to introduce a new viewer to the franchise. All the big important story beats are included, but in a jumbled order, often with no context. It's designed for a fan to watch and go "Yeah, I remember when that happened."

Anyway, the kids wrap up their music practice and exit the stage. Whatever.

Then there's an intermission clock before the Rebirth feature starts. Cute. I made sure to take a screenshot of the clock on 4:20, because that's the weed number. Ha ha, can you imagine what it would be like if everyone in Evangelion was high? On weed? The NERV logo would be green, and instead of a maple leaf it would be a marajuana leaf, because that's the weed plant! And when they get in their entry plug, they would be full of bongwater, and it would be green from all the weed molecules in it. Instead of LCL fluid, they would call it "THC fluid", amirite? Also Shinji and Asuka would be a lot less upset all the time.

After that, Rebirth starts, but I'm not going to get into that here. We'll save it all for End of Evangelion, since the whole thing is supposed to be there. It might take me a little longer to write that up, but I'm sure it'll be ready this weekend. Doncha dare miss it!

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Yes!!! I'm SHOCKED at the warp speed everyone has moved on from the documentary! Was it because of the memoir? Don't know. But they released the whole of the their past 6 years to people, even their sonogram((!), their new baby's videos literally moments after birth, super personal Botswana pics and STILL literally one month later and it's all gone. Honestly I was waiting for a strategic pic of Meghan delivering her baby, but alas, something for part#2 I guess. Remember your analysis where you had analysed (and rightly so) everything reset within 3-months? That cycle is getting shorter and shorter.

It is! Part of the reason, I think, is that, except for the personal revelations, the documentary was eminently forgettable. No cool house pics, no fashion, no cute baby clothes, no interesting travel ( just California and NY). Plus a lot of the content was generic stock footage and old material.

I used to scoff at Kate’s fashion and wish she would focus more on the substance, but following this I’ve come to realize that fashion (as well as impressive backdrops, buildings, etc…) is how you hold on to people’s interest and how you make the content memorable. That’s why royal content from decades ago is still compelling today and people recycle in in tv shows like The Crown and movies like Spencer. And when you compare the original to the recreation (like KStew’s Diana), you realize the original was better. That’s amazing. Hollywood excels are creating hyperreal content that is more attractive and compelling than the original and they can’t do that with the royals. Their formula is unmatched.

But Harry and Meghan are not following that formula, which is why they are failing.