#backstory on the image then BOOM brand name

[temeow]

shout out to media ..... its really interesting to look at how graphics and layouts and stylisation develops over time and what influences it (lots of analysis in the tags)

[mxnltimoon]

— && guests may mistake me as ( Anne Hathaway ), but really i am ( Petra Zetsev + cisfemale + she/her ) and my DOB is ( 02/14/1990 ). i am a ( model/influencer ) and would like to stay in suite ( 307 ). i won’t be much of a bother because i am ( + reserved, kind, generous ), but i can also be ( - intimidating, quick-tempered) at times. personally, i like ( photography, reading romance novels, writing in my free time, cooking anything on Pinterest) when i have the time to relax, and my favorite snack is ( sweet potato fries ) to have in my suite. thank you for checking in!

Hello y’all! My name is Danny my pronouns are they/them and I can’t wait to RP with all y’all!!!

[[MORE]]

FAQ

name: Petra Milan Zetsev
nickname: Milly (mother and maybe her best friend ONLY)
age: 30
date of birth: Feb 14th 1990
place of birth: Moscow, Russia
spoken languages: English, Russian, Italian
gender: Cisfemale
sexuality: Bisexual

nationality: American

ethnicity: Italian, Russian
hair color: Brown
eye color: Brown
skin color: Fair
height: 5’8

smokes? Rarely
drinks? Yes
drugs? Only weed and only with her best friend. She’s very secretive about that.

positive traits: Diligent, Organized, Professional
negative traits: Impatient, Ill-tempered
moral alignment: neutral good

Tw: eating disorder, depression, anxiety


Backstory

Petra born in Moscow, Russia—although she lived in a nearby town with her mother and father. Her life was quite normal, busy working mother and a stay at home father who worked in his office. And when she was a little girl she stayed with her dad almost all of the time. Over the years it became very clear that her mother and father just weren’t working right and they got a divorce a few months after Petra’s 6th birthday. Her father got a job with an American company and he was tasked with moving to the states. Petra had a decision to make, mom or dad? She thought it over and realized she couldn’t be without her father, especially when he relationship with her mom was so rocky. So, they packed their bags and left and landed in New York City.

Petra learned quickly to adapt. She didn’t want to be known as the weird Russian girl. She wanted to be known by her name. As the years went by, she became known around her school as a sweet girl, popular with the boys, straight A student, super active in clubs, beloved by her classmates. She was an athlete, a dancer, and found her voice on stage as well whether it was singing or acting. She made a point to be kind to every single person she came in contact with, earning her favor with people of all types whether it be teachers, students, or strangers.

As she got older she started to earn that same favor with modeling scouts and agencies, paired with her killer smile, kind attitude, and willingness to listen she was a perfect model to start young. She was 16 when she had her first shoot, earning her even more popularity at school. Moving into college she had earned bigger gigs, using her money to take care of herself and her father. She loved being in the spotlight and she was humble about, making her lovable to fans and employers alike. However there was a dark side to fame like that—a side that makes you more self critical, a side that makes you angry when you can’t do it right, a side that makes you want to be perfect.

Perfection started to become her enemy—only 19 and already addicted to fad diets and the pills to match. It was obvious she was getting thinner, which was getting her less commercial jobs and more high fashion. All the while her father was getting more and more worried but she kept insisting she was fine. She at the peak of her modeling career and it could only go up from here, not to mention she was nearly finished with her freshman year of college. Her grades were great and her friends were greater. She couldn’t have been happier, even if her habits were going to land her in the hospital.

During her sophomore year of college, she met her best friend. And to her pleasant surprise, he didn’t care too much about modeling or fashion or anything like that. He knew who she was but her job wasn’t her. She was an individual. And that really hooked her. They were thick as thieves—partners in crime. If you ever wanted to know where Petra was, it was right by his side. And they never tired of each other. He knew everything about her and she knew everything about him, and as their friendship grew so did her love for him. They’d talked about it jokingly, drunkenly, never sober—being together. What would it be like to hold each other and look up at the stars...but she knew it couldn’t happen. Her other friends were constantly telling her she was out of his league. Since she’d started to hang out with him she’d been gaining weight back, she was going to get smile lines, she was outside too much and getting more tan. But wasn’t that a good thing?

By her senior year she’d ditched her shit friends and stayed by her best friends side yet again. And by that time she was starting on her road to both recovery and a suggestion from her PR team—social media. Her and her best friend moved downtown together and he used his major to his advantage. He was apart of her team, well, the business side of it. His computer science and economics skills were coming in handy when she started to build her brand.

Within the next year, Petra had launched her own natural makeup brand. The premise was inspired by her bestie, being your true self is being your best self. So do what you want. Kick butt and take names. Don’t let other people determine your happy—YOU determine your happiness. And along with her brand she’d become an influencer with a focus on body positivity and inspiring girls recovering from eating disorders all over the world. Petra Zetsev was becoming a household name.

But as her popularity grew, so did her PR team’s obsession with her self image. They loved her genuine care for people and the way her brand encouraged individuality but...not for her. And not for her best friend either. It was obvious that things between them were very real and people could’ve already assumed they were dating. But her PR team needed her to keep her following and to gain even more. So they set her up with someone else, saying her bestie was just not cool enough for her. A pretty boy with a pretty attitude. He was sweet but...he wasn’t her best friend. Just the things she had to put up with to keep her image together.

The Present

Petra lives with her boyfriend, not liking the set up too much but enjoying the hotel. She’s here on business with her whole team, best friend and all. And she’s beyond busy and stressed. Her business is booming and she’s networking her way through the city. Find her easily at a lavish event or making content for instagram with her boyfriend—her following just eats that shit up.

Personality

- Petra is a sweet person, but she’s very reserved and a bit closed off. She’s not one to easily share things about herself...unless she’s drunk.

- The only time she ever gets aggressive it when she’s pushed to her limit. Then you’d better get the hell out of her way.

- She has tried so hard to be a good girl for her boyfriend, and quickly honestly surprised he was still around.

- She loves to read books, drink tea, and get into a cozy sweater.

- She’s very big on personal space and typically doesn’t like to be touched.

Wanted Connections

- Friends (old/new)

- Drinking buddies

- People she’s networking with

[moonlightreal]

Winx Club season 8/25

In which it all goes down.

25 The White Fox

Underwater! Subnautica Below Zero!  Crystal Sirenix!

We’re searching for Sky, who is… in a cave!  With air!  But he’s hurt his leg and will certainly freeze before long.  The water is rising!  “Time to face the truth Sky, you’re in trouble!”

The girls swim, dodge some underwater falling rocks.  Flora sees a passage and the girls swim down it.

Water rises!  Sky is done for!  But the girls are here just in time!  Bloom surrounds Sky in a bubble of fire and they all blast up into the air.

On land, Bloom uses her Dragonfire to warm Sky up and he’s ok.  Bloom says, “I couldn’t live without you.”  “Neither could I.  Literally.” heh.  I wonder if these eps had a different writer or Sky’s voice actor was having a good day or something.

Oh wait, spoke too soon.

Bloom: “what are you doing here?  You weren’t supposed to follow us to Dyamond.”

Sky: “I wanted to be with you, Bloom.”

Bloom; “But that is not a reason to-”

Sky: “come on Bloom, we never get to spend any time together,”

Bloom: “You’re right, Sky.  But… there’s no time to talk now.  Tell us what happened.”

If this season wasn’t about to end, I suspect I’d end up shouting at Bloom and Sky to discuss their relationship like adults, just like I was with Musa and Riven.  Sky is passionate about being a Specialist going on missions, so he should understand Bloom has the same feelings about her missions with the Winx.  They have that in common.

Sky tells them about the fox and getting attacked by Icy and then Bloom tells Sky to go stay safe and let the Winx handle the Trix.  Sky is so not happy about being left behind because he’s injured.  Tecna repairs his suit--  ‘Thanks Tecna!  that’s the second time already!  I’m starting to like it!”

Tec: “Don’t get used to it.”  Heh.  I wonder if any of the boys has enough magic to learn the suit-fix trick.  Helia can do a little magic, can’t he? Maybe I’m misremembering.

So Sky can come along, “But you have to stay at a safe distance, all right?”

Sky: “Prince’s honor.”  And he does a little salute.

Elsewhere, Icy and the fox have come to the crystal-flower tree, now frozen in a thick layer of ice.  Icy puts her hand to the trunk and smiles, then sits down with the fox beside her.  “Remember this place?  I’m… just happy to be with you again, Sapphire.”

Return to flashback!  The two girls playing under the tree.  The older one says, “We could stay here forever.  It’s our own special place.” The little girl in funny shorts twirls and says, ‘But why?  The magic universe is full of wonderful places!”

“But on Dyamond we have everything we need.  We never have to leave.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, Icy!  Life is full of surprises!  One moment the sun is out, the next--”

Doom approaches, but we just learned that Icy is the timid, frizzy blonde older sister.  Well, I knew but the unspoilered would have assumed Icy was the silver-haired girl.  So, Icy and Sapphire.  So somewhere, parents named their firstborn “Heart of Ice”?  That is supposed to be Icy’s real name from season one.  Don’t quote me on where I read it, but it was canon at least 4kids canon which was the only one we had before canons started popping up like weeds in springtime.  I think the other two are “Lady of Darkness” and “Mistress of Storms” or similar, they’re not terribly inspired.  

Also: is it really a retcon when Icy had no backstory before?  Hmm.

Back to doom?  Back to doom.  The foxes flee!  Wind blows and darkness falls as purple stormclouds cover the sky!  The two girls cling to each other in panic.

The lightning strikes, and there appears… well the first thing you see is the skull helmet.  Red hair, purple lipstick, very pale skin.  Antlered skull helmet and feathers.  Necklace of claws.  Staff that’s a branch with things hanging off it.  Tattered dress.  Four ice golems behind her.  I think she looks like a hagraven from Skyrim but  she’s called the “Shaman Witch.”

Little Sapphire asks what we’re all thinking: “Who are they?”

The Shaman Witch lands and thwomps the end of her staff into the ground.  Ice spreads over everything.  There are a whole lot more ice golems now as this person advances upon the cowering girls.  Ice spreads from her feet.

Shaman Witch: “Good day little ones, I hope you can help me.  I’m looking for the castle where the queen of Dyamond lives.”

Ok those words, and her posh British voice, do not match her image at all!

Icy grabs her sister, shushing her.  Don’t move, don’t say a word.

Little Sapphire’s having none of it.  She pops out, “What do you want with my mother? The queen doesn’t talk to witches!  Because you ARE a witch!  I see it!”

Icy grabs her sister, ‘Stop, Sapphire!”

Shaman Witch: “Sapphire.  What a beautiful name.  Strong and fierce like a wild beast!  Go and join the other cubs!”  And she lightnings Sapphire into a fox.

Then she comes for Icy, “What’s your name, princess?… I hope you’ll be more more obedient, Icy.  Today Dyamond will have a new queen.  I expect you to obey.”  and she asks the way to the castle.

Icy points.

Shaman Witch and her golems go wreck the city.

Icy cries.  She picks up a last crystal flower.  She walks to the overlook-- the same one the Trix were watching from last episode, and the mountain the Winx were on is the remains of the royal city.

Icy: “Shaman witch, you have conquered my kingdom and transformed my sister, but I promise I’ll break that curse!  Hear that, Sapphire?  I’ll be as brave as you were!  And I’ll become a stronger witch than she is. And when I’m the strongest witch of all I’ll come back, and I’ll save you.”

Back in the present Icy magics the fox and creates a hologram of little Sapphire.  But it’s just a hologram, they can’t touch.  “The truth is, I’m still not strong enough to break the spell of the Shaman witch.  I didn’t want to come here, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up. Forgive me Sapphire.  I was forced to come back to Dyamond but I’m not ready yet.”

The fox cries.

Icy: “But I’ll catch up with you soon.  And you’ll be returned to normal, sister.”

Aaaand here’s Darcy and Stormy with the question we’re all asking: ‘I thought WE were your sisters!’

Icy: “Companions, allies, friends maybe.  We call ourselves sisters, but we’re not. She’s the only real sister I have, Sapphire.”

Icy’s voice actor nails this line.

That answers something I’ve been wondering about since season one: were they biological sisters?  Back when 4kids canon was the only canon there were mentions of which of them was oldest and youngest suggesting they are bio-sisters, but was that 4kids or straight from Rainbow?  Who knows.  I only know season one as I saw it and what i saw was suggestions that they are biological sisters but no confirmation.

Stormy: “I thought there were no secrets between us.”  

Icy takes to the air for a mini tour.

Icy: “This was my kingdom a long time ago, but a merciless witch conquered it.  My family, the people of Dyamond, everything has been turned into ice. These totems are the work of the witch, they’re symbols of her dark power, eternal and unbreakable.  The guardians of her frigid spell!”

Darcy gets why Icy didn’t want to come, too many bad memories.  Stormy: “too much pain… bleck!  All this sadness is making me sick!”  Heh.

Icy’s plan is to get the new powers Valtor has promised them and maybe then she’ll be strong enough to bring life back to Dyamond-- and if Valtor double crosses them they’ll defeat him.  “The most important battle is here.  The reason I became the witch you know, I did it for her.”

Or you could get the stars yourself and use your wish, Icy.  That’d probably work.  

Sapphire tugs at Icy’s cape.  She knows where the prime star is!  Off go the Trix! It’s down a crevasse, across a bridge into this crystal cavern with an iced over building in it.  And there’s the star, floating in its hamster ball.  But when Icy grabs for it, it zaps her and flies away down a small tunnel.  With Icy down, Stormy sees her chance.  She tries to zap the tunnel wider and ends up destabilizing the whole cavern!  

Ok, what-all do we have to talk about?  Icy sure changed personality fast, exactly like Tinx at the end of Wow from evil to wimp in one quick move!  Also, Icy is sad about her kingdom being buried in ice but was unbothered by the same thing happening to Domino.  And in eight seasons of watching the Winx help people, Icy hasn’t once thought to ask Boom—who helped reverse the exact same spell on her own planet—for help?  My head’s spinning here.

I sense there will be followup posts deconstructing Icy’s brand new backstory further.

But we’ve got more episode to go!  Topside the winx and Sky are flying when snow blasts up from the crevasse.  Sky notices and now the girls know where the action is.

Down below Icy’s yelling at Stormy for nearly bringing the mountain down on their heads, but her zapping hasn’t widened the tunnel.  Icy realizes that the building is filled with the Shaman Witch’s magic.  So this is her lair?  And where IS the Shaman Witch?  She wanted to be queen of Dyamond but instead she wrecked the place and vanished.  Maybe the people of Dyamond put up a good fight and the realm got so busted up that the Shaman Witch realized there was nothing left worth being queen of and she went off to conquer someplace else?  I mean, a queen of a destroyed city and zero subjects isn’t worth much.

Also: Is the Shaman Witch the ice witch of the Three Ancestors, before she met the other two?

Sapphire runs off down the tunnel to get the star.

Winx arrive, not knowing any of this!  Battle is joined!  Crystal Sirenix powers are strong, but this cavern is not real stable!  Rocks fall, threatening to trap Sapphire in the tunnel.

Darcy and Stormy seem to have gotten used to this “sister” thing real fast once Sapphire became useful.

Everyone else flees the crumbling cavern, leaving Icy to get her fox sister out of the tunnel.  Icy calls Sapphire to come out, but Sapphire wants to get the star.  Icy calls, ‘Forget the star!  it’s not that important!” and uses magic to pull Sapphire back.  They fly up into the air.

Stormy: ‘tell me you got the star!”

Icy: ‘No, but I saved what really matters.”

Bloom gapes.

The star rises out of the crevasse.  Stella’s happy, but I think the Trix may have a better claim.  The star case appears for more poetry.  “Behold the seventh and final prime star revealed, holding a greater power than all the others, the star of the bond that lasts forever, the love of two sisters who stand together.”  the star flies to Icy and Sapphire.

The Trix gloat. The Winx are confused.  Icy gets all evil-eyes again.  She and the Trix, and Sapphire and the prime star, leave through a portal.

Stella is confused! “What do those three know about sisterly love?”  but Bloom says it’s not all over yet.

Team Trix appears still on Dyamond.  Stormy asks why they haven’t gone back to Valtor yet.  Icy tries the prime star’s magic, and it erases Valtor’s mark from their hands.  Darcy and Stormy hug and chant, ‘Freedom, freedom, freedom!”  heh.

Icy tries to use the prime star to change Sapphire back—and it works!  They hug, but Sapphire changes back into a fox.  The prime star wasn’t strong enough.  Icy breaks down crying.  But she promises again, her voice getting eviler as she gets her determination on, to become the most powerful witch and come back to save her sister.

Nighttime Alfea with a big moon!  The star case is pontificating, the last star has been found but the winner has not yet been decided.

Stella: ‘Four to three to Valtor!  The star case may be magical but it can’t do math!”

But the other girls realize Valtor only has three stars, it’s Icy who has the tiebreaker.  Bloom feels that icy won’t give the star to Valtor. “It’s what I’m hoping.  Because today I saw a spark of love in Icy’s heart!  Winx, we’re not just going to stand here and wait. we’re going to attack Valtor’s palace and take his prime stars. I have a plan.’

Episode end!  What a ride!

...hang on, they can just go to Valtor’s asteroid?  Why haven’t they done that already?

Also with the whole “secret of sisters” thing it seems like Icy was the only person who COULD have gotten this star.  Or Bloom, if Daphne existed in this timeline but she maybe doesn’t.  So… the Wishing Star set this up.  The Wishing Star wants good things for Icy/Sapphire/Dyamond’s people if they’re frozen instead of dead, and set this up.  But with one episode to go I’m pretty sure Dyamond doesn’t get saved yet.  Hmm.

Also, did Icy start out as a fairy?  If Sapphire said “our mom the queen doesn’t talk to witches” that suggests that they’re fairies or nonmagical girls.  It also suggests that Dyamond is a pretty magically bigoted place.  

This sudden batch of backstory just came out of nowhere with no foreshadowing and no conclusion.  My first thought was that the writers were setting up for season 9: Icy finally realizes the Winx like to help people and asks Bloom to help her save her sister.  The Winx and Trix have to work together defeating the Shaman Witch and her minions while Darcy and Stormy try to mess up the alliance because they’re jerks, and in the end Icy restores her kingdom and family and settles down to be a princess.  Except Icy is a jerk too, but that’s a different subject.  But they never foreshadow future seasons…

No.  Wait.

This isn’t setup for season nine, it’s setup for MOVIE FOUR!  Just like Politea’s story kind of appeared out of nowhere in season 5.  Whaddaya think, does that make sense to you?  We haven’t heard anything solid about movie 4, and with how things are in Italy now who knows what the future holds for Rainbow, but maybe that was the plan.

[aion-rsa]

Garbage Pail Kids At 35: The Kids Are Alright

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Presented by:

This story appears in the Den of Geek x eBay special edition trading card magazine.

Garbage Pail Kids gave birth to my anti-authority streak. I was in fifth grade waiting for art class to start and showing off my prized Ashcan Andy to enraptured classmates when my teacher walked in the classroom, sighed, confiscated the card and proceeded to rip it up. “This junk has no place in an art room,” she stoically declared as Andy was transformed into sad confetti before my eyes. Years later, I came to realize that this demonstration was all about jealousy – these cards had instantly engaged students in art in a way that her years of teaching never could.

And let me be clear here: Garbage Pail Kids are most definitely art. Often grotesque and always eye-catching, the unfortunate children showcased on these cards fostered an interest in painting, illustration, and design for generations of kids since Topps first introduced them back in 1985 (their pun-heavy names also were a gateway for subversive humor). After 35 years, Garbage Pail Kids have become a cultural institution—not to mention schoolyard contraband for nearly four decades, an unexpected bonus that would make the creators of these cards—veterans of the counterculture themselves—beam with pride.

To trace the origins of Garbage Pail Kids, a brief history lesson is in order. Although they were best known for their baseball cards, the Topps Company also had huge success with bubblegum cards based on popular films and TV shows. Further expanding their creative pallet, Topps released numerous humor card lines, the most popular of which was Wacky Packages. Like Mad Magazine before them, these stickers showcased parodies of contemporary products with bitingly accurate focus. 

In the early 1980s there was no bigger consumer frenzy than the Cabbage Patch Kids. These dolls from Xavier Roberts and Coleco featured an elaborate backstory and cloyingly adorable looks that became the stuff of toy legend (news reports featuring near riots as parents tried to get their hands on the damn things were commonplace in the early 1980s). 

Naturally, then, Cabbage Patch Kids were an ideal target to get the Wacky Packages treatment. But the decision was wisely made by Topps execs that Garbage Pail Kids could be a card line of their own. Spearheading the project was underground comics legend Art Spiegelman (who would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for his groundbreaking holocaust graphic novel Maus), Raw comics anthology contributor Mark Newgarden, and artist John Pound. 

Pound, a veteran of painting fantasy and science fiction book covers, was brought by Spiegelman to illustrate the original Wacky Packages “Garbage Pail Kid” card (featuring one of the dolls pushed into a trash can and touting orders to send the unfortunate soul to the Department of Sanitation). Though this Wacky Pack was shelved, Pound single-handedly painted all the characters featured in the first Garbage Pail Kids set. “They liked the idea sketches I sent in,” he says, “and asked me to do all 40 paintings in two months, which was faster than I was used to, but I got organized and made the deadline.” 

Working with Spiegelman, Newgarden, and Topps creative favorite Jay Lynch to craft ideas, Pound’s early characters included the now iconic Adam Bomb, and remain some of the most beloved in the line (for the record, Pound names Adam Bomb, Up Chuck, Jolly Roger, and Mona Loser as some of his favorite creations). 

Looking back over three decades later, Pound sees several reasons why Garbage Pail Kids have endured:

“The original concept had strengths: doing a parody of the famous Cabbage Patch Kids, and a name that was both clear and familiar sounding,” he says. “The concept’s rebellious attitude and shock value gave it initial attention. Also, in the ‘80s, Topps products were widely distributed, like in drug stores, variety stores, convenience stores.”

Although he freely admits that “I wasn’t expecting it, but Garbage Pail Kids became a huge hit,” Pound says aesthetic concerns were foremost on his mind when painting these garish figures. “On my end, despite the abundant gross humor and shock value, I simply wanted the art to feel good to look at. And I tried to put love into the paintings.” 

The care with which these outlandish cards were created was appreciated by consumers. Fifteen different series of Garbage Pail Kids were produced between 1985 and 1988. There was spinoff GPK merchandise too, ranging from folders emblazoned with images of popular characters to the on-brand/subversively named Cheap Toys. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie was released in 1987 with The Facts of Life co-star Mackenzie Astin in the lead. On that topic, The Toys That Made Us and A Toy Store Near You creator Brian Volk-Weiss sums up the flick perfectly: “That movie is so bonkers even seeing it is not believing it. It reminds me in a weird way of a low budget Batman and Robin in that it was like a ton of people were involved with the green light and execution and seemingly had no oversight on any matter.” 

But as far as Volk-Weiss is concerned, a new motion picture has plenty of potential. “I would love to see them do a ‘serious’ reboot that would be similar to the first Guardians of the Galaxy film in that they take the characters and the world seriously,” he states, “but the fun and humor and oddness stays intact too.” While there may be a future on screen for New Wave Dave and company, whatever it turns out to be must avoid the mistakes of the infamous 1987 cartoon series – which was produced for CBS but never aired due to the then-ongoing controversy surrounding the franchise (it eventually landed on DVD, and the less said about it the better.)

Despite a lull in any new products that lasted from the late 1980s until 2003, Garbage Pail Kids never really left the public consciousness. If anything, they were inspiring new talent. Enter Buff Monster. The Hawaii native and prolific street artist known for his upbeat, ice cream-inspired work was so inspired by Garbage Pail Kids that he created his own line of sticker art cards, The Melty Misfits. With names like Mind-Blowin’ Owen (featuring a cameo by a very Adam Bomb-esque character) and Bam Bam Sam, these intricately designed stickers—created on the type of antiquated machinery that Garbage Pail Kids were made on—come complete with a retro-styled wax pack and showcase Buff Monster’s own unique aesthetic as they pay homage to the Topps line.

Talking about why he personally connected with Garbage Pail Kids, Buff Monster makes a salient point on why these things were so memorable in the first place. 

“If you look at most trading cards, they are less than what they’re about. Having a baseball card is a ‘less than’ experience than watching the game. If you’re watching a baseball game in person, that’s great, but watching a baseball game on TV is actually better because you’ve got commentary, and you’ve got playback, and all this sort of stuff,” he tells us.

“But Garbage Pail Kids stand out because the art was made for the cards, so the card was the thing. The card wasn’t some sub-version of something else. It was the point of making the art in the first place. And so that has always stuck with me. And that is really kind of what it comes down to for me.”

Buff Monster’s The Melty Misfits stickers are a burgeoning phenomenon for the 2020s, just as Garbage Pail Kids were for the 1980s. It’s understandable that he is partnering with eBay for a special pack of The Melty Misfits, some of which will come packaged with a random “Golden Ticket” card that will entitle the recipient to have Buff Monster create a character of their choice. 

“This pack that we’re going to do is a nice little introduction to me and eBay working together,” he says. “This is a very easy thing for the completist to get. And that’s good.” 

It’s clear when talking to Buff Monster that Garbage Pail Kids continue to inspire. And the cards themselves feel more vibrant than ever, way more relevant today than the doll that inspired them in the first place. Case in point? Recent political and horror-themed Garbage Pail Kids sets (which are really one and the same when you think about it) have brought old fans back into the fold. 

Another example of booming Garbage Pail Kids interest is the 2017 documentary 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story. The film’s writer and (with Jeff Zapata) co-director is Joe Simko, himself an accomplished artist and graphic designer who has worked on the card line and IDW’s spinoff Garbage Pail Kids comic, as well as his own series of The Sweet Rot graphic novels and his Cereal Killer trading cards. Simko vividly remembers when Garbage Pail Kids entered his life.

“I first discovered Garbage Pail Kids when I was 10 years old while riding the school bus. A couple of kids were sharing them,” Simko says. “It was the second series, and I just remember that artwork jumping out at me. Never had I seen such appetizing visuals on a trading card before. I knew instantly they were an attack on the highly successful Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, which dominated the kid’s market landscape at the time. Garbage Pail Kids were such a great middle-school kids protest to that cutesy Cabbage Patch world.”

Simko has been a part of Garbage Pail Kids lore since 2009, and during that time has given the Garbage Pail Kids treatment to everything from Stranger Things to Universal Monsters. “I think my favorite Garbage Pail Kids projects are the licensed product paintings I get to do,” he says. “For instance, the Garbage Pail Kids cereal for FYE was just so great to work on. Doing cereal box signings at the FYE pop-up shop during San Diego Comic-Con was an overwhelming experience. Greeting Garbage Pail Kids fans, when I too am a fan, is amazing.”

When I mention the brand’s longevity to Simko, he is quick to sum up their continued popularity. “Garbage Pail Kids have lasted this long due in part to the dedicated group of collectors who grew up on the series in the ’80s. Yes, there are younger kids buying them today, but the nostalgia it brings to those grown-up kids keeps the spirit and revenue of the Garbage Pail alive.”

Bringing things full circle, he also vindicated myself and everyone else who was ever frowned upon for appreciating the cards’ artistic merits.

“They are a true form of art. To pass judgement on them and reject these cards as ‘art’ because of the subject matter, is to have a narrow perspective of what art is,” Simko says. “Credit goes to the original creators of the Garbage Pail Kids cards during the 1980s, Art Spiegelman and Mark Newgarden. Art and Mark knew the ingredients to make GPK work. And of course the artists, John Pound, Tom Bunk, James Warhola, and Jay Lynch, were the ‘cooks.’ They made it taste and look perfectly gross. Without any of these creative minds, I believe Garbage Pail Kids would not be the success it became at the time.”

Despite being anchored to a fad from the 1980s, Garbage Pail Kids are ultimately timeless. Children of all ages will always take to the goofy grossness that is embedded in the line’s DNA. Nostalgia is a potent thing too, but as recent years have illustrated, Topps is always looking to evolve the IP, be it through virtual Garbage Pail Kids, high-end collectible figures, or just by continuing to bring in great artists to keep the bread and butter of the franchise—the card line—going strong. These Kids may be pushing 40, but in the heart of fans, they’ll never age.

Garbage Pail Kids eBay x Topps Exclusive 

The 10-card set created by Joe Simko is the first exclusive from eBay and Topps. Each card is representative of buying and selling on eBay. The set will be available for $19.99 on eBay for one week starting on August 10. 

The post Garbage Pail Kids At 35: The Kids Are Alright appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/30gkomP

[neverwatchedonepiece]

529-530: "The Fish-Man Island Will Be Annihilated?! Sharley's Prophecy!" and "The King of the Fish-Man Island! Neptune, the God of the Sea!"

A rare image of Hordy Jones stepping on a lego.

Only had time for two episodes tonight. Luckily, there was enough in them to write about: including the reveal of a villain (always exciting!)

His name is Hordy Jones. He is angry, he is a Fishman, he looks oddly like the guy from ACDC and he has... a dog slung round his neck?

Not to mention the prophecies, designer boutiques, royal invitations and awkward questions.

Dreams Do Come True in Fishman Island

The episode opened with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper rushing around the harbour town, looking for a human - any human - who could donate Sanji’s blood type.

Luckily, a pair of nice okama stepped up and saved Sanji’s life. Of course, when Sanji regained consciousness, he freaked out. Usopp and Chopper both had to remind him to thank the okama. Come on, Sanji. Not cool. They saved your life in a place where donating blood is an act of great political significance. Show a little gratitude, eh?

While taking a break from Sanji’s fool antics, Chopper examined a strange mark on Luffy’s arm. Turns out it was poison! Luffy took a hit from Hyouzou (how did I miss that?) Chopper declared it very potent and wondered how the hell Luffy survived it. He asked if Luffy had ever been poisoned before.

Oh boy, Chopper. Does Luffy have a story for you. It can be told in one word: Magellan.

(Seriously, though, did Luffy not tell the Strawhats what happened to him while they were sailing, or was it all so next level that being poisoned to near death was not one of the major highlights?)

Camie, who had come to see how Sanji was doing, took Luffy and Usopp back to the Mermaid Cafe dorms. On the way, they called in to see Madame Sharly: a beautiful shark mermaid with premises at the back of Mermaid Cafe. (I think she might own the cafe because she gave Camie the day off to show the Strawhats round Fishman Island?)

Not Unless You Play the Lottery

Oh, and she is also a dab hand at crystal ball fortune-telling and has been since she was little. She has correctly predicted a few cataclysmic events, including the war in Marineford and Whitebeard’s death. Recently, she’s stopped using the crystal ball because she can’t stand knowing bad things will happen. I suppose Whitebeard is the kind of guy that would go to war no matter what. I can’t see anyone convincing him otherwise, even if it was someone like Sharly, who knew he’d be killed in battle.

I wonder if she’s been burned before by using the crystal ball? She was all dramatic and stared off into the middle distance when she said, “It’s better not to know the future.” Something has clearly gone wrong in her life that she has that attitude to such a strong power.

Luffy, who seems to be living on another planet at the moment, said, “All very well and good but do you know how mermaids poop?”

That’s right, Luffy. Always asking those important questions!

It was round about then that Camie realised she’d forgot to deliver the clams to Pappagu! So they hurried off to find him at another, fancier cafe up in Fishverly Hills (lol), where they found Brook, aka Soul King, living it up with Pappagu and a couple of mermaid fans. (I love how famous Brook is in his own right and not just as a member of the Strawhats.)

There was a lot of good world-building here. Courtesy of Pappagu, who tried so hard to be a Good Exposition Starfish (why won’t anyone listen to him?), I now know that Merpeople don’t eat meat and fish (but Fishmen do). That King Neptune runs the Island. That, if a Merperson and Fishman marry and have kids, any children they have will either be a Merperson or a Fishman, not a harmonious amalgamation of both. 

And the good news is that the Flying Dutchman/Captain Vander Decken stuff was not a random encounter character to be used once and disposed of! Not sure what his role will be yet, but Oda seems to have something planned, as he has been given backstory. Turns out Brook was right about the original Flying Dutchman crew being several hundred years old, but the original Captain Vander Decken reached Fishman Island and died there. The one manning the Flying Dutchman now is Vander Decken IX, his descendant. Apparently, the guy has a bounty and the whole island’s been looking for him for ages because he started sending unwanted love letters, packages and threatening marriage proposals that scared the princess to the point a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Looks like someone can’t take no for an answer, eh?

But the most interesting thing was this.

Big Momma’s House

Luffy noticed the sign on a candy factory. Pappagu explained that when Whitebeard had shuffled off his mortal coil, the role of Fishman Island Protector became vacant.

The position was filled by Charlotte Linlin (or Big Mom, to the rest of us): one of the four (now three) Yonkou. She hasn’t been mentioned since Thriller Bark, so I was excited for that miniscule teaser Oda gave. 

Big Mom demands loads of candies as a fee for her protection. This confused Luffy. “But she’s protecting this land after old man Whitebeard died? Isn’t she a good person?”

Pappagu shrugged, as only starfish can. “Whitebeard didn’t demand anything, but maybe Big Mom sees protection more as a business.”

Interesting... she’s definitely a different kind of Yonkou.

But I didn’t have time to think about it for long because the action switched to Sharley, who had burst out onto the street, freaking out about Luffy, begging everyone she could  grab hold of to “find Strawhat Luffy and throw him out of this country!”

Wait, what...? Wasn’t she happy to see them ten minutes ago? Why? What had caused the change of heart?

Apparently, she saw a vision of Luffy in her crystal ball: an image of him surrounded by fire. “At Strawhat’s hands, Fishman Island will be destroyed!”

Eh? Surely not. There has got to be some mistake here. There is no way Luffy would sink Fishman Island. Or at least not on purpose. That is the only way I could believe Sharley’s vision would ever come true.

Hmm....

This Guy Is So Hard, He Puts Sharks in Sweaters

Cliffhanger over, I steamed straight onto episode 530. After a dark and mysterious opening (more on that later), the action cut back to the Strawhats. Pappagu was explaining his job. Turns out he’s not just an adorable starfish on land: in Fishman Island, he is a Super Influencer: a rich designer and president of the Criminal Brand clothing company - a famous fashion line.

As they approached one of his shops, the Strawhats heard some serious, weapons-grade haggling within. 

Of course it was Nami! 

The harassed shopkeeper was pleased to see Pappagu. This lasted until his boss told the Strawhats they could have as much free clothing as they liked in return for saving his ass at Sabaody.

Pappag, that was a rookie mistake. Never tell pirates they can take as much free stuff as they want. THEY ARE PIRATES! xD

But that was not the only drama going down in Fishverly Hills. Outside, there was a commotion. The Strawhats, Camie and Pappagu went to check why everyone was shrieking.

King Neptune had arrived. The big, bearded, booming-voiced ruler of Ryugu Kingdom and Fishman Island. Golden rays of light bathed the spectators. I wondered why he kept mispronouncing the word “ham” in Spanish.

It was the first time Camie had ever seen him. The King only descended from the Upper World if there was trouble. He hadn’t brought guards. Very strange! Ryugu Palace is a sacred place for Fishmen. A celestial place where ordinary people aren’t allowed to go. Where the princes and princess live.

The King turned and said, “Oi, Megalo. Are you sure these are the guys?” When the cute, sweater-wearing shark popped out of nowhere and confirmed (I love that it has a name), King Neptune invited the Strawhats to Ryugu Palace.

“Is there good food there?” Luffy asked. Priorities, amirite?

“Of course. We’re planning a banquet,” Neptune answered.

Luffy couldn’t have accepted any quicker. He piled onto Neptune’s fishboat with Usopp, Nami and Brook, then looked back. “Aren’t you coming?” Camie and Pappagu were frozen in awe.

“We don’t deserve to go to Ryugu...”

That was the Wrong Answer. Rank and status does not impress or intimidate Luffy (and that’s one of the reasons I like him so much). He told them to stop being dumb and get on. 

It’s funny how the rest of the Fishmen and Merpeople are so awed of Neptune, yet he was completely unbothered when Luffy invited some commoners to his house. Neptune is either more chilled than he seems, or he is up to something.

But not everyone is as enamored with King Neptune...

This Guy Is Not A Fan

This is the Fishman behind the New Fishman Pirates: Hordy Jones. 

Now, I can’t help but compare this guy to Arlong. He’s a shark fishman and he has similar views to Arlong.  

Hell, Arlong was the first real villain I took to in One Piece. The first real threat. He did horrific things. I’ll never forget that black and white scene when he shot Bellemere in the head. When Nami broke down and Luffy laid his straw hat on her head. Then there was the walk to Arlong Park. All those iconic moments.

Hordy Jones has big shoes to fill. It’s early yet, so I’ll wait until I’m further in to make any judgments. When I first watched Thriller Bark, I was kinda bemused by Moria, then he ended up one of my favourites. 

This guy has got a hold of some Fishman Roids and likes necking a ton to gain super strength. Apparently, the Roids shorten lifespan but Hordy does not care. When a bunch of escapee human pirates were reported for desertion (they must have met Hammond and enlisted. Now I think I know why there haven’t been many visitors to Fishman Island lately!) Hordy ate a meaty fistful of those Fish Roids like they were candies someone had packaged up for Big Mom.

Then he swam off and deliberately crushed the deserters while handcuffed to show how strong he was. It was cool the way he punched through the ship like a cannonball. He also let the hapeless crew live because: “Humans killed Fisher Tiger and shattered Arlong’s dreams. The dark and tragic history of Fishmen Island will end with us, the New Fishmen Pirates. You humans, survive with cuts and bruises to show the people on earth what happened to you in the sea, and who you met. Tell them how horrendous it was. We’ll capture the centre of the world, Fishman Island, from the gutless god of the sea, Neptune, and drag you humans down to the dark sea bed. You’ll all learn that the Fishmen are the superior race.”

I can tell he’s ambitious, is this Hordy Jones.

Unfortunately, the very same humans who crushed Arlong’s dreams have just landed on Fishman island. And he knows it. I wonder what he’ll say to Luffy when he meets him. That should be an interesting conversation.

Oh yeah, and Caribou has escaped the barrel because some mermaids opened it. No idea what he’s up to now, but it won’t be anything good.

Say yes to drugs on Fishman Island!

[succeedly]

5 Fab Ways to Animate Your EduLife!

This article was published in NEA Today Magazine - pages 18-20 - and also posted on the NEA Today Website  5 Fab Ways to Animate Your EduLife!   

Begin Bitmoji

Savvy Signage

Fresh Feedback

Social Sharing

Cool Communication

Have you fallen in love with Bitmoji yet? This fun FREE app has been around for a few years and now can be easily used to transform and animate your professional life and classroom. For those new to this app,  Bitmoji is an emoji or avatar that you can customize to look just like you (or in my case a younger skinnier version of me!) which is then automatically inserted into all kinds of colorful cartoons. You can use Bitmoji stickers as your Twitter avatar, on Snapchat stories, within Seesaw and Google Apps for Education, rubrics, within Gmail, on your blog, or for classroom or library signage.  It’s also a fun way to add spice to you texting life with friends and family -- and there are at least four fab ways you can animate your edulife and use in the classroom!   I'm hooked! DISCLAIMER & BACKSTORY: There are other avatar creators out there, I have blog posts, articles, and resource web pages that go over more than 15 of them - but Bitmoji is FREE and is, by far, the easiest one to start with. I also have to assure you, I don’t work for them, this is not sponsored or a “paid advertisement,” nor do they even acknowledge my positive Tweets or social media love, though I wouldn’t be mad at them if they sent me a T-Shirt!      I used Bitstrips back in the day, and Bitmoji was created by them. A couple years ago one of my amazing MHMS Social Studies teachers, Ms. Daniller had her Bitmoji as her Twitter profile pic and I was all like "OMGosh, where did you get that!?".....she graciously shared, and well, now

1- Begin Bitmoji   With Bitmoji you can create your face, hairstyle, shape, and then dress it up, & BOOM! They're automatically put into fun cartoon stickers that are an alternate emoji keyboard on your cell phone, Chrome extension, Snapchat, and more! Even my 70 something year old Mom and Dad have them, and we use them with each other all the time. It's hilarious and a blast!  Though I gotta warn you, they’re a bit addictive!  Sweet Setup: 

Get the FREE App by searching for Bitmoji - available in iOS iPhone and Android. Download, open the app, start designing your avatar.  Don’t worry, you can easily and always change it later.   First you need to choose a cartoon style: either the more anime or squished Bitmoji style or the regular cartoony Bitstrips style. You can play around with skin tones, eye colors, eyebrows, hair color and style,  body shapes and even outfit styles. Keep choosing and testing until your digital doppelganger looks just like you. Once you finish, Bitmoji will automatically create an entire library of fun — and just a tad bit silly — images. Like this one of me:   Add the Keyboard & Give Full Access To use these Bitmjoji's you have to add them as an additional keyboard on your phone. For an iPhone go to General Settings > Keyboards > Add new keyboard and make sure you select ALLOW FULL ACCESS, this way you can use them on your iPad's, too.  For Android, Wikihow says:  “Enabling the Bitmoji Keyboard. Open your Android's Settings. It's the gray gear icon in the app drawer. Scroll down and tap Language and Input. It's in the

“Personal” section. Tap Current Keyboard. Tap Choose Keyboards. Slide the “Bitmoji Keyboard” switch to the On position. Tap OK.”    While you’re texting, there are 6 categories of Bitmoji's, you select them by just touching, copying, and pasting into the text message box.  To take them from the app and to send them into your computer, you can save them to your Camera Roll, upload to Flickr, email them to yourself, or the easiest way is to insert it into a Google Doc then take a screenshot, that way you can easily edit them in Photoshop or FREE with PicMonkey. Learn how to do that here Like Bitmoji? There's an Extension for That! 

2 - Savvy Signage   Once you have your Bitmoji on your computer you can make signage for your classroom or library. Think of Back to School Night signs and a classroom door welcome sign with your room number and name, or a “Place Homework Here” sign, the possibilities are endless.  I created the sign here by adding the text using PicMonkey, a FREE site with creative tools for photo editing and graphic design.  

Classroom do’s and don’ts signs can be so boring, Bitmoji’s really jazz them up! My friend Andrew Tyler aka @atylerlibrarian in New Hampshire, created really a neat Computer Lab sign featuring Bitmoji’s for his school!   (Picture found here in many sizes)   Andrew also shared on Twitter how he created a fantastic photo booth sign for his Middle School Library for Grandparents Day!

3- Fresh Feedback 

Bitmoji is now available as a Chrome extension that puts your cartoon avatar stickers super handy on your browser toolbar to use within Google Apps for Education, Gmail, Seesaw, and a growing list of other platforms. Getting feedback from teachers, in cartoon form, makes that feedback fun and much more personal.  Super educator, speaker, blogger, and author Alice Keeler, says about Bitmoji’s:  “When using digital tools try to put yourself into them to help students feel there is a teacher guiding them through the lesson. Bitmoji’s are great for adding “you” along with some personality into digital resources. Google Forms are awesome for flipped learning, formative assessment, checks for understanding, and so much more. Bitmoji AND Google Forms… the awesomeness meter here might explode.”  For step by step directions, search for her blog post titled: Bitmoji Feedback in My Google Doc 

Mr. Parkinson aka @ICT_MrP, a Primary ICT teacher in Britain, uses Bitmoji stickers in a rubric for writing prompts. What a great way to give kids a visual feedback for their assignments. Anything we can do to make Rubrics more approachable and useful the better!

  4 - Social Sharing 

Bitmoji avatars are super for sharing on social media. Whether it’s as your Twitter profile picture, on a blog, in Snapchat stories, or on Instagram - these cartoons really bring personality to any platform.  One of the coolest ideas I’ve heard lately was from Tara M. Martin aka @TaraMartinEDU called #BookSnaps. Tara shares how she takes a picture of a section of text, uploads it to Snapchat, adds a filter, re-types the quote from the book, draws arrows, writes words, and then brings in a Bitmoji to add more zip.   This is a cool way for the reader to express their connections to text with a digital visual representation. Search #BookSnaps for articles, directions, blog posts, and videos on how to join in on the fun.   But since I don't want to "friend" my kiddos on Snapchat (because, boundaries and I teach Middle School) I could see how you can do this same thing can be done using Instagram. You could also create these with Google Docs! 

5- Cool Communication  Leveraging the power of the FREE Chrome extension puts your Bitmoji right in your browser toolbar for easy use with Gmail and Drive. Linda Lindsay aka @mauilibrarian2, a super Teacher-Librarian in Hawaii says: “If I had my druthers, I would use my Bitmoji all the time! So I have to restrain myself. My favorite use is in Gmail (Chrome extension) to punctuate my ideas and responses to make my colleagues laugh. They're always pleased, and it makes me so happy imagining the looks on their faces.”  Our wonderful school data clerk Kimberly Walley (who has since moved schools - miss her!  She the one saved teachers when our Synergy electronic gradebook went wonky or changes - she used it to transform a possibly boring newsletter to bright when directions or updates are shared with the school staff. See her graphic above!  Caution: For Grownups Only!  I have to warn you that Bitmoji’s are to use FOR kiddos and not to use WITH the kiddos.   This is because some of the stickers or cartoons have to do with drinking alcohol, some have trendy bad-ish language (FML), and some are sorta flirty. Not R rated, maybe not even PG-13, but just not for kiddos in my humble opinion. Since I teach Middle Schoolers, this is right-out. Sure, some of my kiddos might have their own Bitmoji, but I’m not going to be the teacher to promote their direct use.  This is for your professional classroom branding and fun.   

Why Bitmoji?   Emojis have become necessary in recent years because they fill a gap people didn't even know they had. When texting, they add feeling to conversations and allow you to tell if someone is being sarcastic or sweet. Bimoji’s give those conversations identity and personality. Maximizing that super power of a customized and engaging cartoon and using it in your professional practice brings it to the next level.  Give it a whirl, and discover more ways to use them in your classroom! I’d love to see your Bitmoji, share and Tweet them to me @GwynethJones so our cartoons can be friends! Resources: If you’re reading this on paper, Google the title to find online & enjoy! Gmail Just Got Zanier, Thanks To Bitmoji | HuffPost Using Bitmoji In Your Classroom - BISD Learning Technologies Bitmoji Feedback in My Google Doc By Alice Keeler Why and how I Bitmoji in my classroom? - Sahar @MyMathscape #BookSnaps by Tara M Martin It's a Cartoon, It's An Avatar, It's a New Animated YOU! Got Bitmoji? - The Daring Librarian A Super List of 15+ Avatar Generators & Creators by The Daring Librarian The Daring Librarian Bitmoji Flickr Gallery 5 Fab Ways to Animate Your EduLife! published first on http://ift.tt/2jn9f0m