#but it's so clear when zoomed in (even on tumblr)

[ot3]

Hey! The link to your FAQ wasn't working for me so I don't know if this question has been asked before. I really appreciate your perspectives on AI art. Do you happen to have any resources that you read/listened to on intellectual property rights and the issues with it? I just don't really know where to start with it.

[heres where i cut out a big paragraph of me, once again, bitching about how blog pages don't work on the tumblr app and i think that's fucking stupid]

anyway i dont have any generalized sources on the subject but the tl;dr of it is: intellectual property rights exclusively benefit people who have the resources to pursue sustained litigation. 99% of the time, what IP law is being used for is to reinforce corporate ownership of work that was done by their employees.

the whole disco elysium debacle is a great case study.

The shareholders of ZA/UM accused the trio of, among other things, intending to steal intellectual property (IP) from the company — a curious accusation, considering that the world of the game is based off of a novel written by Kurvitz himself. The case of Disco Elysium illustrates the shortcomings of IP rights as protection for artists. Consequently, it contains a lot of lessons for the labor movement when it comes to the arts, and serves as a reminder that creative workers are, at the end of the day, workers. But this is not just an academic exercise. It’s a human story about the intimate consequences of capitalist exploitation. “I got my soul ripped out of me,” Kurvitz told me over Zoom in April of 2023. “I got my skull cracked open and my brain lifted out of it by a fifty-five-year-old financial criminal.”

another example: alex norris of webcomic name, which you will probably recognize when you see it, has been raising hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past several years to try and keep up with the protracted legal battle over maintaining ownership of his own work.

I have been fighting this case since 2019. It arose out of an agreement to make a boardgame based on my webcomic in 2017 but the publishing company has used this as an opportunity to take all of my intellectual property, and has even claimed ownership of Webcomic Name as a whole. I can't go into more detail here, but the details of the case are publicly available to read online.

Then, in a 2024 update:

I have essentially won the main case based on the decisions made last summer. The Judge has clearly stated that I own my comics, and that the other party has infringed on my copyright. It is not over yet, as there are still a few things that need to happen. Hopefully things will all be wrapped up this year. After 6 years of legal battling, I can’t wait to be free of all of this. Hopefully, this second case will backfire, and they will be sanctioned for filing it. But to get to that point requires a frustratingly large amount of work, time and money.

An interesting thing about both of these two specific instances is that they involve creators who had entire bodies of work produced around the specific IPs that were stolen from them before they even began partnering with corporate entities to produce works. which is insane! you can spend years writing novels, drawing comics, and if a company comes in with enough lawyers they can own those ideas.

this is pretty distinctly different to me than instances of work you do while being employed by a corporate entity being owned by that corporate entity, because at least you know what you're getting into there to some degree, but i still think that's bad too. consider stuff like the owl house and gravity falls, two disney shows made by people who very very clearly did not like working for disney. disney owns their ideas, their characters, their worlds, because that's the price you pay for having an animated show produced.

essentially it's very very clear upon even the slightest examination that intellectual property in no way exists to codify who the creator responsible for specific creative concepts or works is. it exists to turn nebulous things like 'ideas' into market commodities, and to funnel the profits made by the labor of individual artists and writers into corporate bank accounts.

the only person who has ever really benefited from IP law as an individual trying to lay claim to their own work is ken penders, who notoriously won his suit to have ownership of characters and storylines he created. heartbreaking: Worst Person You Know Gets An Unequivocally Deserved Legal W.

The comics continued under Flynn’s direction as if nothing happened, but things started looking grim in late 2012, when Archie suddenly fired its entire legal team. The company had been unable to produce Penders’ work-for-hire contract, which would have given control of his creations to Sega. Penders claimed the contract had never existed. A heavily circulated Tumblr post outlining the case (which has been corroborated as a reliable source by Penders) explains that while Archie did provide a photocopy of a contract allegedly signed by Penders in 1996, Penders claimed that the document was a forgery. That it was neither an original copy nor a contract from the beginning of the writer’s tenure at Archie meant that its validity was questionable. Making things worse, Archie couldn’t produce an original copy of any previous contributor’s contract, meaning that any writer or artist who had worked on the Archie Sonic line could potentially follow in Penders’s footsteps and reclaim their work. “So are you saying prior counsel blew it?” the presiding judge asked Archie counsel Joshua Paul in a May 2013 court session. His reply was unequivocal: “Absolutely, your Honor.”

So yeah. Owning the work you do as an artist is only something that happens when the people trying to profit off of it show unprecedented and staggering level of incompetence in their legal teams.

Then, alongside not owning the concepts and ideas you produce while working with corporate entities, there's the issue of NDA regarding specific pieces you've produced. This causes a LOT of trouble for freelance illustrators/character designers/concept artists, etc. Looking for work is very hard when the past three years of pieces you've drawn can't be added to your portfolio. Some people have password protected pages on their portfolios that they use for NDA work, but I believe the right to do this varies depending on your contract. I'm not 100% sure. In cases where the project you worked on eventually comes out, that's one thing, but there will be instances where the entire project gets canned after all the work is done, but is still under NDA so essentially all of your work has been taken from you, crumpled up into a ball by a studio executive, thrown in the trash can, and legally you are not allowed to go pick it out of the bin and try and flatten it out again.

This has all been pretty art-focused because that's the kind of circles I run in and where a lot of my interests lie but the truth is none of this is even remotely close to as evil IP law gets. I've saved the most egregious for last: The Lakota Language Consortium

The Lakota Language Consortium had promised to preserve the tribe’s native language and had spent years gathering recordings of elders, including Taken Alive’s grandmother, to create a new, standardized Lakota dictionary and textbooks.  But when Taken Alive, 35, asked for copies, he was shocked to learn that the consortium, run by a white man, had copyrighted the language materials, which were based on generations of Lakota tradition. The traditional knowledge gathered from the tribe was now being sold back to it in the form of textbooks.

When you're in defense of IP law, this is what you're siding with. This is the rational endpoint of IP and it is neither a fluke nor an example of the concept being twisted against its original design. Art, culture, language, it belongs to whoever is most capable of turning it into a product. The economic incentives of producing and distributing arts and culture demand this is how things be.

Meya says his work is a vital tool in preserving the Lakota language, which did not previously have a standardized written form. He estimated that there are fewer than 1,500 fluent Lakota speakers left and that over the last decade and a half, the organization has helped add 50 to 100 more. “Just because money is involved in it does not inherently make it an evil thing,” Meya said in a recent interview with NBC News. Most of the products his organizations make are free, he said, but the cost of printing textbooks has to come from somewhere. “That tends to be sometimes part of the rhetoric, ‘Oh, there’s money involved. It must be, you know, part of the overall colonization effort.’ Well, you know, that’s just not realistic.”

Artists looking to force their way into the class of people who gets protected by these laws are not looking out for their community. They are not protecting anything but their own perceived financial interests. Intellectual property will never, ever benefit the most marginalized members of creative communities and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is huffing some serious copium.

Frankly, I don't believe anyone can or should 'own' things like Ideas or Specific Aesthetic Flairs. But even if you do believe in that, IP law isn't the framework for handling it.

[imyourbratzdoll]

𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏

🍓the strawberry shack masterlist🍓

summary - it's hard being superman, and even an alien needs to relieve stress.

warning - smut, gloryhole.

18+ only please, the gif and headers I use aren't mine.

Warnings and Reminders - Please do not plagiarise, copy, repost/republish, adapt, or translate any of my work on any social media platforms, apps, or third-party sites. The only platforms I post my work on are: Tumblr and Wattpad. I do not own any character of any franchise (Marvel etc.) All my works are fiction and may be dark or triggering content: READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Clark didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t even know why he was here, of all places. But he had been so frustrated lately with hiding his secret from his friends and trying to take out the bad guys Clark couldn’t keep up without exploding. When Lex let him in on The Strawberry Shack, he turned it down and couldn’t even think about it without turning red, but after about a month or so. Clark had only one last option, and that was the place he was currently standing in front of. He awkwardly stuffs his hands in his pockets as he walks through the door and up to the counter, handing over some cash before he heads in the direction the woman points. 

Clark enters the room and looks around, gnawing on his bottom lip, not knowing who to choose before his eyes zero in on you and your juicy plump ass. He slowly makes his way over, feeling his pants tighten as the scent of your sweet arousal fills the air. He clears his throat, his hand going down to adjust himself as he stands in front of you. Clark’s gaze darkens, licking his lips at the sight of your weeping cunt. He takes his throbbing cock out of his jeans, squeezing and stroking it before aligning the massive thing with your tight hole. He slowly pushes in, grunting at how tight and warm you are. Your sweet sounds fill the room, hands gripping the bed underneath you at how large this unknown man is. 

His head tilts back, breathing heavily as your walls squeeze around him. Clark picks up his pace. No longer feeling awkward and shy, he slams hard into you, gripping your hips tight enough to leave bruises. Satisfied pants leave his lips, feeling the anger and frustration drain out of him and into you. Moans pass your lips, biting the pillow beneath you as he pounds into your sweet spot. His hand goes between your legs and finds your puffy clit, rubbing and pinching it. Your eyes roll to the back of your head, feeling your core tighten as your end builds up. His thrusts start to pick up, slamming harder and faster, deeper inside of you, grunting when your walls tighten around him, and your juices flow out. 

Clark’s eyes roll to the back of his head, feeling his cock twitch and his balls tighten before a loud moan leaves his lips, emptying large amounts of cum deep inside of you. He slowly pulls out when he’s done, tucking himself back into his jeans and zooming out. He takes off and hopes that no one he knows saw him there. 

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[puppiesandnightlock]

Link: Why Bruce Should Not Have The Title of World's Greatest Detective Anymore, a presentation by Tim Drake

Summary: Bruce didn't know the Super Sons were dating somehow, and Tim compiled a list of evidence of a bunch of moment here he should have caught on, but did not.

Featuring Confused and Tired Dad Bruce, PowerPoint master Tim, Traumatized Dick, and an embarrassed Damian.

Super Sons Week Bonus Day: Family and Legacy (this one won by a landslide on the tumblr poll)

In Bruce’s defense, he was a father of six officially and about twelve emotionally. He had long ago resigned his title of World’s Greatest Detective to Tim, so honestly, could you blame him for not noticing that his youngest son had had company around more often? And come on, it was Jonathan Samuel Kent, the two were practically glued to each other even before recent developments. 

How recent, he wasn't sure. 

And now he had to sit through a folder Tim had given him, evidence compiled in an attempt to clear things up in his head. He plugged in the USB that fell out of it and it opened to a powerpoint.

Of course.

Angels and Demons, or otherwise known as B, how the fuck did you not know?

A presentation by Tim Drake 

Evidence #1: “Wrestling.”

The slide played a clip of surveillance feed from inside of the manor. Damian had Jon pinned to the ground, both panting and flushed. 

“What’s going on here?” Bruce turned the doorknob, poking his head through the door.

Damian scrambled off of the taller boy, schooling his features to a mask of indifference. 

Jon made no such efforts, choosing to starfish across the carpeted floor, a blank look on his face as he stared at the ceiling.

“Nothing, Father, we decided to make use of our time and spar. Jonathan needs practice.” 

Bruce eyed them suspiciously, pausing to take in the scene. Damian’s usual gel slicked hair was ruffled, and Jon’s curls were splayed out on the floor, some in his face.

Then again, his hair was always a bit unruly.

Their faces were flushed, and they had been breathing heavily when he came in.

The quick once over seemingly revealed nothing to him, although one could clearly see the still blown pupils of an expressionless Jon, and both boys’ kiss-bitten lips.

“Next time, spar in the cave, that’s what it's there for.” He walked out, shutting the door behind him.

The video feed played for a bit longer, Damian putting his face in his hands, a very un-Damian-like thing to do, and groaning.

“I cannot believe that actually worked.”

Tim had left a little note on the side of the video after it stopped playing. You have six kids, and one of them is one Richard John Grayson, how on earth did you fall for that?

Evidence #2: Dates

This opened to a video from a phone, someone walking into Damian’s room and filming his fussing with his appearance in the mirror.

“Whatcha doin’, baby bat?” Tim’s voice came from the other side of the camera.

“Fixing my hair, what does it look like, Drake?”

“Whoa, whoa, chill. I’m just curious, I haven't seen you put this much interest into your appearance since you had picture day.”

Damian scowled, more out of admittance that he was right then spite.

“Say what you will, Timothy.” He hesitated. “How do I look?”

“You’ll blow his socks off, Dames.” Tim said softly, a hand reaching out from behind the phone to straighten his jacket.

Damian inhaled deeply and carefully walked down the stairs. The doorbell rang, and as if filming a reality show, Tim followed dutifully behind. Jon stood, looking as nervous as he was, holding a small bunch of wild flowers that he immediately thrust into Damian’s face. 

“Oh my god-” was whispered from Tim as the camera zoomed in on Damian, a pink flush becoming slightly visible.

“I’m so sending this to Dick.”

Damian handed off the flowers to the nearest person, but not before threading a few into Jon’s curls.

“Where are you going?” Bruce came out from the dining room, files in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

Tim switched the camera over to him, zooming in on his tired appearance, then zooming out so he could see everyone.

“The movies, s-sir.” Jon stuttered.

Burce raised an eyebrow. “Jon, you’ve known me for years, you can drop the formalities.”

An undignified squeak came from the boy and Damian sighed, albeit affectionately.

“We will be going, Father.”

“Have a good time.” He waved them off, disappearing into the labyrinth that is Wayne Manor.

“That’s it?” Tim was heard screeching off screen. “He gave ME hell, gave my dates HELL, broke out the KRYPTONITE when Kon even LOOKED at me, and all you get is HAVE A GOOD TIME?”

“Sucks to suck.” Damian jeered, taking Jon by the hand and dragging him out the door.

Followed by it was several screenshots from a chat titled “Rockin’ Robins”, all of them sharing stories until someone pointed out that maybe Bruce didn't even know it was a date, which was accurate.

This note said There were flowers. Flowers.

Evidence #3: They were in A FUCKING CLOSET.

Bruce spat his coffee out at that, massaging his temples. This was getting to be way too much. He did not at all need to know about what had happened in the closet, especially because he remembered this particular one and frankly? It was embarrassing that he didn’t catch on then.

Bruce was walking down the hallway when he suddenly heard noises coming from the third floor janitor's closet.

Tentatively, he opened the door. The last thing he expected was for Jon and Damian to stumble out of it, school uniforms slightly unbuttoned and very rumpled. Jon’s glasses were crooked, and Damian’s tie was missing.

“F-Father!” Damian stuttered, attempting to smooth out his ruffled appearance. Jon silently handed him his tie, both boys flushing furiously under Bruce’s rather confused gaze.

“What were you doing in there? Aren’t you supposed to be on that field trip? Your class is still on the first floor.” 

“W-We were…uh-” Jon fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt, nudging Damian for help.

Suddenly, his gaze caught on something reflecting green in his son’s back pocket. His eyes narrowed and his face set into a firm expression.

“We will be talking about this at home. I’m disappointed in both of you, I thought we’d gone over this.” 

Damian’s face paled, before morphing into one of confusion. “What exactly are you talking about, Father?”

“Sneaking out for hero work.”

Both teens inwardly sobbed in relief as Damian said stiffly, “Yes, Father.”and Jon with a quaking “Sorry, Uncle Bruce.”

Satisfied in his parenting skills, Bruce continued towards his office.

If he watched the video Tim had put in from the surveillance feed of Wayne Enterprises, he could almost guarantee they would have both been sporting some rather suspicious brusings. 

Bruce stood up, he was going to need a drink to get through the rest of this. 

Unbeknownst to him, most of his kids were perched in the living room, wheezing at their father’s reactions.

Damian was rather displeased at all that was being shown, and his face was flushed red.

“Looks like baby bat isn’t so innocent.” Jason cackled.

“My precious sweet little boy, this is OBSCENE, they are BABIES!”

“Richard, I am nineteen years old.”

“BABIES.”

Tim closed the laptop as Bruce left the cave, leaning back. “It was sad, honestly, to compile all this information and realize Bruce didn't get any of it. I mean, how long has it been?”

“Three years.” Damian muttered.

“Three fucking years. It’s sad to see him go.” Duke said solemnly.

There was a moment of silence as they mourned the loss of their once perceptive father.

Then promptly burst into laughter.

@super-sons-week-2023

[mylifeisfruk4ever]

“How did it go with the kid?” Bruce asked, while he was doing some research on the computer.

Clark came up to him, “He got himself taken to the top of Bristol saying his house was there.”

“Mhm…he lied, obviously.”

“Of course,” Clark groaned. “I've been keeping an eye on him because, you know, I wouldn't dream of letting just a kid go home in Gotham of all places. No offense."

“No offense taken,” the man said. “Have you seen where he lives?”

“You won't believe it, but he's your neighbor.”

Bruce muttered something under his breath, and Clark sighed, "You already knew that, didn't you?"

“I wanted to confirm my suspicions.”

“Sure…and what will you do now?”

Bruce turned to him, their faces very close, "What do you mean?"

“I saw the way you looked at him. You had the same look when you greeted Dick and then Jason. You're interested, aren't you?”

The billionaire replied, “He has very lively parents, Clark.”

“Parents who are not here, and who leave him alone. I don't know, this seems like a case of child abandonment to me."

“His family is rich. They will be able to afford the best lawyers. “

"You too. So why don't you try?”

“It hasn't even been a month, and you already want a child with me?” he teased, pulling him closer.

“What can I say, you influenced me."

“What a smart mouth… can you use it for other things too?”

Clark smirked, “Do you want to try?”

They were about to kiss when they heard a disgusted, “Urgh, what the fuck Bruce. Don't fuck in the cave.”

Ruined moment. The two heroes walked away, Clark's cheeks as red as his cape.

Bruce sighed, “Jason, language.”

“Yeah, not this shit. You went out on your date night without me. I bet the rooftops were warm tonight.”

Here's what happens when you deal with a teenager: jokes and double meanings about his love life. Good thing Dick was in New York, otherwise there would have been two of them making fun of him.

“We were investigating together. It was work.”

“As you said, old man.”

Clark coughed then, “Jason…we'd like to talk to you about something.”

“What?”

“What would you think about a little brother?”

Jason blinked. Bruce ran a hand over his face. Clark really didn't want to let it go, huh? He was about to intervene when his son blurted out, “You got Bruce pregnant?!”

"No!" Bruce immediately exclaimed. “Jason, we're both men.”

“Hey, he's an alien. How do I know how it works! Oh god, Dickhead is going to go crazy…”

"Nobody's pregnant," Bruce sighed, suddenly feeling very old. “We met a kid tonight and Clark thinks I should take him in.”

“Let me guess… he has black hair.”

“Yes,” Clark replied.

"Blue eyes?" Jason asked again.

“Yes.”

“Traumatized and weirdo?”

Clark thought about it before saying, “I'm not sure if he's traumatized, but he's definitely a…peculiar kid. He follows Batman to take photos to put on his Tumblr blog… ”

“He's definitely a weirdo,” Jason concluded. - There's nothing to do. You have a type, Bruce.”

Bruce groaned. What had he done to make people believe he had no impulse control… oh, yeah. He had literally kidnapped Jason. He didn't have a good record.

“Look, I'll check on him to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. If I see something that doesn't convince me, I will act accordingly.”

From the way Jason and Clark looked at him, it was clear that neither of them believed him.

READ MORE ZOOM

[genericpuff]

On today's episode of "Rachel exaggerates things to make herself sound cooler-"

Soooo this is a lie.

No seriously, this has to be a lie. I don't make these kinds of accusations willy-nilly. This has to be a lie.

First of all, if her file sizes are truly 11GB for each episode, that would mean her file resolutions would have to be stupid high, and I just ain't buying that when so much of her art comes out looking like fried chicken.

But again, look at the backgrounds. Crystal clear. Which supports my theory that Rachel has her assistants draw the characters flat and exports them as PNG's so that she (or another one of her assistants) can slap the backgrounds in afterwards which is why when they pinch and zoom, the backgrounds look fine (as they're added in afterwards) and the characters look like they've been drawn with chalk. The shading itself isn't deep fried though, which is, again, because Rachel adds in the shading in post after her assistants have sent her all the flats.

Anyways, moving on from that, if her file sizes are actually 11GB per episode, that would mean her resolution would have to be STUPID high and that would mean there's no excuse for panels to look like this. This is not a Webtoons compression problem, Webtoons does compress images for you if you don't do it yourself but they don't result in specifically deep fried textures like this, that's ALL happening on Rachel's side. If it were a Webtoons' problem, the entire comic would look like that, not just select panels.

This is also what the panels tend to look like in book form. The book art is clearly very compressed and blurred from being too low of a resolution for print, which means either the editor is not being provided the root files, or the root files weren't ever that crisp to begin with. Either one is plausible and either one isn't good.

But of course, I'm not going to make these claims without my own proof. So here's the file sizes for Episode 12 of Rekindled, the longest episode in the series so far by panel count and page length, clocking in at 42 panels and an average of 25 layers per page (and that's including the text layers which adds a good chunk on its own, the actual art layers are like, half of that).

Also, here's what a pinch and zoom panel in Rekindled comes out looking like:

You can still pick up on some fuzziness, but the lineart doesn't look straight up chunky like it does in LO.

Meanwhile, one of my longest episodes of TIME GATE: [AFTERBIRTH] has a file size that honestly shocked me with how small it was.

Guess how many panels that episode had?

Go on, guess. Take a second. Compare it to the file size of Episode 12 of Rekindled, take your best educated guess. Time Gate: [AFTERBIRTH] is also a full color webtoon with full shading and rendering that I used to upload once a week. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Ninety-seven.

Ninety. Seven.

Not only is that more panels than what LO dishes out on a weekly basis, but its overall file size doesn't even come out to be 10% of what Rachel is claiming LO's file sizes to be.

This is what Time Gate: [AFTERBIRTH] looks like, by the way:

(don't mind the blurriness that's working against my point, that's Tumblr, not me LMAO)

But, let's face it, I didn't want to just use my own examples as a comparison, because that seems unfair. I'm not an Originals creator, I just put myself under similar pressures as one because I'm an idiot who tries too hard.

So I asked one of my Originals pals. I will not disclose their name, but they are someone who works for Webtoons Originals and has similar panel requirements and deadlines. They also work with a similar flatting + shade workflow as LO, they have cel-shaded colors and bold flat coloring.

When I asked them how big their file sizes were, they said that at 2500px width - similar to what I draw at, 2400px width - and 200-300k pixel length (again, they're drawing an entire episode on one canvas) their episode file sizes come out to roughly one gigabyte, very rarely much bigger than that.

Rachel is full of shit. This is some Tommy Tallarico level shit, exaggerating stupid things that don't matter to try and make herself seem impressive. It isn't impressive. It makes her look like an unorganized dunderhead at best, and at worst, makes her look like a flat out liar who needs to prop herself up on the dumbest shit to make herself look good. File gigabyte size isn't impressive or indicative of anything, you can achieve high quality art without your file size amounting to 11 GB, and let's face it, Lore Olympus is not high quality art. You're telling me art like this:

amounts to 11 GB?

Now the only way I can see this happening is if maybe, maybe she had like, a bajillion layers full of garbage-

Oh. Oh no. Lore Olympus. Is a sprite comic.*

(*edit for clarification: I've had people confused over what I mean by sprite comic because LO clearly isn't made with 16/8 bit sprites. Sprite comic was a term universally used back in the day for comics that reused the same body parts, heads, expressions, etc. much like how sprites are designed, often keeping an entire file full of different layers made up of these assets to make for easier development. This technique was utilized in comics like CTRL + ALT + DEL. LO is definitely not literally a sprite comic but the way its layers are designed feel very much like something that's being cobbled together like 'sprite' comics were. I'm old.)

Even with these pics for proof, with 600+ layers on one canvas, if there's barely anything on those layers, then it still wouldn't make up that 11GB file size because the amount of layers doesn't necessarily add to file size on its own, at least not by that much, unless they're actually filled with stuff. And again, Rachel's art in LO doesn't scream "highly detailed with many layers". It only had many layers because for some reason she insists on working that way even to its own detriment.

From the looks of it, Rachel's importing all of her assistants' PNG's as separate layers and adding all the shading and the extra details on their own separate layers and basically dividing everything up into tiny bite sized pieces. That's the only clear explanation I can come up with. But if so, that means she's being INCREDIBLY inefficient with her workflow that it's amounting to SIX HUNDRED+ LAYERS AT 11 GB PER EPISODE. THAT IS ABSURD. THIS COMIC IS WAY TOO LOW QUALITY TO JUSTIFY THESE FILE SIZES AND LAYER COUNTS. RACHEL DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK SHE'S DOING-

She's also very clearly using the cloud as a way to backup her work and work with her assistants. God knows how much she's spending on cloud space because of her own incompetency.

Honestly, at this point, as I sit here playing the Photoshop equivalent of Cookie Clicker, clicking the 'new layer' button over and over and over again with my mouse to truly understand what it would feel like to operate at 600+ layers per episode of a webtoon, I'm more inclined to believe she's just lying. Capping. Pulling shit out of her ass. Straight up making shit up. It wouldn't be the first time she's done that. But also because the alternative is a lot more grim - the #1 best selling webtoon on the platform is being operated like the world's worst group project and still coming out on the other side looking like deep fried garbage despite its stupid high file size.

[bonefall]

Tbh I reread DotC in late 2022/early 2023 (I legitimately can't remember) and it struck me how awful Gray Wing was a lot of the time?

And like I found no one talking about it on Twitter, I felt like I had read I different series when people talked about how kind and perfect he was all the time (don't get me wrong, he has his moments, but it seemed like everyone ignored or forgot the bad).

Anyway, I came on Tumblr and I found your blog, and it has made me feel sane again, so I would really just like to thank you for that :)

Not to mention everything else you do on your blog, I love your au so much and how you're willing to go to bat for disabled and wronged woman characters. I look forward to every post :)

Thank u <3

Yeah Gray Wing is so... he's such an uncomfortable character, to me. I hate the way they basically use him to do Clear Sky apologia for the entire series, EXCEPT for when they need to zoom in on how much terrible pain and sadness Gray Wing is in for being Such A Nice Dude.

He's both a bully and a victim in the worst possible way. He'll get shoved around and insulted by Clear Sky and then immediately downplay how violent and shitty his brother is, and then say that Bumble was too fat to escape domestic abuse while commenting on how her death is sad even though he didn't like her. He's oblivious to any of the actual feelings of his four romantic interests, and then gets several chapters for man pain after the writers kill off three of them.

And the WORST is his parenting... They're desperately trying to stress how amazing and sweet and perfect Gray Wing is (even though he's not) for taking care of all these kids who are not his; but the CHILDREN don't return that affection. The MOMENT Turtle's kits know that he didn't knock up their mother, it's Tom, Tom, Tom.

I feel like "unrequited parental affection" is one of the most bizarrely uncomfortable things I can imagine, and yet, that's what they want for Gray Wing. They want to show how sad it is that he's so so full of love, and he doesn't really get it back. Baffling.

So, welcome! We serve Gray Wing Dislike here.

[thealogie]

Just stumbled into a twitter discussion trying to shade/lowkey cancel DT for joking about playing Kilgrave. In the clip he was asked what he liked about his character and he said: “I just like that people do whatever I tell them to do, it's kind of intoxicating. What's disappointing is when they say cut and everyone starts having their own willpower again". Apparently he should have said that he liked to participate in raising the issues of power and consent, no funny business. Then I remembered that a certain faction of GO fandom says DT and MS can’t joke in character out of character without becoming queerbaiters, and can’t flirt on zoom without actually fucking irl because that would make them homophobic, and we know they’re huge allies ergo they’re fucking. I don’t understand anymore where media illiteracy ends and maybe my own social illiteracy starts… My immediate reaction to all of the above is “aww, they’re so funny and interesting, I wouldn’t be able to be that quick and charming, actors eh?” But maybe I’m wrong and backwards without realizing it?

I can’t even make little off hand jokes on tumblr dot com without getting a minimum of 4 asks or comments that make clear the person is just not getting what I’m saying and I’m literally nobody and no one on an irrelevant site so I can’t even imagine how famous people breathe. I think the only way is for them to really not be on social media

I have to say the Kilgrave joke is only cute if you know DT’s whole vibe. Like if a douchebag actor made that joke it would be 🙄 but because everyone knows he’s the most polite guy who drinks his respect women juice it’s funny

[less-than-three-3]

(spoilers) On Miquella, Shadow of the Erdtree's ending and, well, everything

Having just finished my first playthrough, I wanted to write about my whole experience and review of the content, but there is just so much to unpack and, frankly, a whole spectrum of discourse about the story content of this DLC that I wanted to get all of my thoughts on the lore written down first. Plainly, I think people just have it wrong and those who are confused about the choices made just haven't been paying attention. Yes, there is a lot of big lore dropping in the DLC, but a lot of background characterization from main game is kind of being ignored even if it doesn't explicitly foreshadow the choices the characters made. Of course major spoilers for both parts of the game below, play and make your own opinions first before reading. Also this will be a lot so please bear with me.

I won't beat around the bush, the biggest sticking point to, like, pretty much everyone is "why the fuck is Radahn here?" Or, maybe more broadly, what was Miquella cooking, and how did things end up like this when we didn't have any clue about it in the main game?

And this is something you can't really answer in a vacuum, you need to zoom out and look at not just the framing of the whole DLC but of the entire game as whole - Fromsoft's DLC's are always about expanding on and deepening the characterization of the entire game as opposed to being a self-contained narrative, my favorite example of this being the DS2 dlc. So first, let's talk about Marika and Messmer.

Some people have pointed out amidst the noise that this DLC is not just about Miquella but about expanding on Marika and her motivations. This sounds obvious and like yeah it is, but the point is that these two stories are very intentionally woven together. And, without going to deep into the weeds, the big picture of what SotE says about Marika is more or less explaining her traumas that lead to her genocides and oppression. (shoutouts to _7albi on twitter, not sure if they're on tumblr, for a lot of marika and jar lore/deconvolution)

Of course we know about her hatred of Those Who Live In Death, not just a blasphemy to the rebirth cycle of the Erdtree but a cruel reminder of the murder of her Golden Child Godwyn. But now we learn that the hornsents, of the Crucible, tortured and laid waste to Marika's people, imprisoning the condemned in the DLC jars, leading to her hatred of the Misbegottens and Omens and to her son Messmer leading the crucade against the Hornsent. Additionally Messmer (her first son? or at least first child who was cursed by an Outer God?) was likely tainted by the Fell God, which led to her felling of the Fell God and genocide of the Fire Giants. (I think the current theory is that the war against the Fire Giants was also to protect the Erdtree, but I think having a deep personal hatred explains how far she went with it). Check out albi's twitter I linked above for a lot of really insightful posts about all of this!

Of course, this isn't to excuse her actions, and to be clear I don't even think she is a grey character, these are terrible things to have done. It's precisely for these reasons that we, the player, aim to either change or displace the current Golden Order of Marika in almost every ending, and precisely for these reasons Miquella was so intriguing in the first place, as one of the most powerful Empyreans and thus most likely successor to Marika. Deepening Marika's motivations in the DLC keeps her at the forefront of your mind as you engage with the drips of information we get about Miquella throughout the shadow realm. This is incredibly important because it can change how you view Miquella's attempted godhood. He is Miquella the Kind, who has put so much effort into essentially righting the wrongs he saw in the world. He views Marika's rule as injust and oppressive, and I think he recognizes that Marika's intense emotional trauma is the root cause of most of this, which is why he abandoned not just his flesh but his love, his fear, his doubt, and his heart. He seeks to become, essentially, fully unbiased and accepting of all, and compel everyone to do the same. But the major flaw behind this is that compulsion and forced peace without free will is a bland, sterile way to live. Additionally, there is St. Trina who Miquella has split off from, who claims that godhood would also be bad for Miquella, perpetuating the theme in the game of "power corrupts all". Essentially Marika and Miquella's rule would be two flavors of typical SMT Law/Order endings lol. And these parallels are important for the theme that Miyazaki loves of perpetuated cycles.

In other words, Marika's backstory isn't meant to be fully sympathized with per se, but also to showcase the reasonings and flaws in Miquella's judgement. But at the same time, I totally understand the reading of the text that Miquella could be completely right and Marika's backstory proves it - I think this is one of the biggest flaws of the DLC, that you can't get "The Miquella Ending/Mending Rune". I don't think you necessarily need to, like, parlay with Miquella about his plans like some people suggest, I think him being hostile to you makes sense because you are, at face value, Marika's champion and thus Radahn will flatten you at any chance he gets, but not having a ring or mending rune or something to be like "hold on he's got a point" after fighting them off I think is a missed opportunity.

Now I've already mentioned that he is Miquella the Kind, but I think it's also important to note very crucially that while he has a big heart and good intentions he is a major fuck up. This is explicitly clear in the text of the base game, and I think many people don't recognize this. He tried multiple times and failed to cure his sister's curse of rot. After the Night of the Black Knives he tried to call the eclipse to revive Godwyn and also failed to do so (this is also why his consort could not be Godwyn! I don't know why so many people are suggesting this it's literally impossible based on the timeline! and even if we go by the theory that Radahn was holding back the eclipse at that time and after his death Miq could call it, I think it's reasonable to believe that Miquella just gave up on Godwyn because nothing he does works, plus I don't necessarily think this timeline works either). And the Haligtree became a safe haven for the outcasts and oppressed of TLB, his original intent was to have it be another Erdtree and to ascend to godhood that way, and it didn't.

So in this state, after literally accomplishing almost nothing his entire life, it makes sense why his final push is to essentially full send, abandoning everything and using his compulsion powers at any cost to achieve something positive. So I don't think his actions at all ruin his characterization as Miquella the Kind, he's a well-intentioned character whose attempts to fix everything have been completely ruined at every possible step. I would hope that anyone that recognizes this understands how infuriating that must feel. St. Trina, who he has abandoned, begs you to kill him as he is too far gone, but to also grant him forgiveness.

But none of this answers "why make a vow with Radahn, and why did he agree?"

And to be honest, I really think the answer to the former is just that he's fucking strong, and more or less the best available option. I mean, he's held the stars together, he stalemated a literal goddess (and she probably would have died if not for Finlay!), and is essentially the poster child of power amongst the demigods. Having someone of that strength means your rule is untouchable. Remember, Godwyn is soul-dead and Miquella failed to recover him (he was definitely the first choice), Ranni is body-dead and fucking off somewhere else, Rykard is, uh, having a moment, Malenia would be a huge no-no, and Morgott (and Godrick and I guess Godefroy et al.) is a Golden Order loyalist. We'll put a pin in Mohg obviously, though I think we really don't know much about what he does until his involvement with Miquella? I think it's safe to assume that the Omen twins are more or less unknowns to the other demigods due to their confinement, though I don't know when in the timeline Mohg appeared on Miquella's radar.

But hey isn't Radahn also a simp for the Golden Order, Godfrey, and Radagon? He would never agree to be Miquella's consort, right?

Well, here's the thing. Radahn is very much a warrior's warrior, he lives by the blade and lives for the fight. The reason he loves the Golden Order and all of them is because they're awesome strong war heroes, he wanted to be just like them and more. He's essentially a military bro lol. He's not ideologically tied to the Golden Order, and to be honest I don't know how much he even really knows about or cares about the ideology; he's tied to the Golden Order because they're large and in charge.

From Radahn's Armor: "The golden lion is said to symbolize Godfrey, the Elden Lord, and his beast regent, Serosh. From his youngest years, Radahn was naturally captivated by the Lord of the Battlefield."

From Radahn's Helm: "Radahn inherited the furious, flaming red hair of his father Radagon, and is fond of its heroic implications. "I was born a champion's cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield's lion.""

So if Miquella can prove that his rule can be even mightier, Radahn will agree to be his consort. And what military prowess does Miquella have? The Blade of Miquella, Malenia, and her Cleanrot Knights. Malenia's march on Caelid was part of the plan, part of the vow she and Miquella made with Radahn ("If we honour our part of the vow" = the twins). And thus they went to war.

I think people are misinterpreting "vow" to mean everyone is buddy buddy and on the same side. That's not the case. To cite every Souls fan's favorite external media, this is literally a direct parallel to Griffith and Guts: "You are mine". Guts is first inducted into the Band of the Hawk because Griffith bests him in combat, and leaves when he wins. This was their vow.

But what wasn't part of their plan was Radahn surviving. By finishing the conflict in a stalemate, the conditions for the vow weren't met. Only after we defeat Radahn does the plan move forwards. This is why Miquella essentially thanks us for killing his lord brother.

So why is Mohg involved? The vow was handled and conditions met, it's a done deal right? Well yeah, but Radahn's body is literally a rotted mess that made him go insane, and resurrection probably isn't fixing that.

Remember that in this game, there is a good amount of emphasis about the duality, separation, and linkage of body and soul, from of course Ranni/Godwyn and Marika/Radagon but also the twinned knights. It's also apparent, through Ranni, that the soul is the source of supernatural abilities, with Ranni being able to do her witch stuff even with a literal inanimate doll as a body.

So what I'm saying is that if they can stuff Radahn's soul into a healthy body, we can say welcome back Radahn. I don't think the strength of the body matters much, probably as long as it meets some threshold, because Radahn's insane gravity magic can bolster even the weakest of beings, like Leonard! So Miquella just needs like a warm demigod body to compel and essentially die for the cause. Process of elimination alone pretty much leaves Mohg as the prime candidate, but also keep in mind the Omen Twins' arcs, where they have essentially been shunned their whole lives and channel that trauma through different avenues. Morgott is the devout one, believing that he was truly born inferior and needs to work harder and devote and prove himself to the Golden Order to be accepted. Mohg, on the other hand, is lost, and though he eventually finds himself devoting himself to the Formless Mother, Miquella being his beacon of hope and relevancy as a consort gives him direction. And I'm sure he harbors resentment towards the Golden Order which helps. I guess Miquella didn't lie to him about that.

Maybe the timeline is a bit of a stretch but it would make sense that Miquella learns of the stalemate, that's when he gets fed up and just decides to abuse his compulsion to target the mentally weak Mohg, and while Miquella slumbers Mohg steals him away.

This definitely gets muddy when we consider the process by which we stuff Radahn into Mohg, or how we turn Mohg's body into Radahn's. I don't think Miquella has access to the Rune of Death... This is the most handwavey part of this story, and to be honest is my other biggest issue with it. I don't think he needed to look like Radahn if this is the case. Or if there is some process by which this happens, I don't think they've made it clear at all how. Leaving this kind of huge detail as speculation feels like a misstep. Maybe we're missing something, I mean it's only been a week, but to have no leads at all is questionable. Maybe it has something to do with Godwyn's presence in the DLC (that seemingly goes mostly untouched)?

Also, as an aside, I really don't think Mohg is "uncancelled". He was compelled but he still did all that freak shit with Miquella's cocoon. I think we still really don't know what the point of all of that was (though I can stand to be corrected), but much like real life, "he seduced me" isn't exactly an excuse. Apparently this is a hot take. If his compulsion doesn't work on, for example, Golden Order loyalists (which clearly it doesn't, otherwise Miquella's story would be a lot lot different) due to their convictions, that means it is possible to stave it off. But Mohg can't. He is tantalized by some inner desire that I wish not to unpack, and while maybe we can reduce some of the blame, he still has a good amount of it.

But anyways I guess that's my answer to "what the fuck just happened?" There's definitely holes in what we know and probably holes in my theory (though I have tried to steer away from speculation and more towards textual evidence where we have it), but this is what makes the most sense to me based on my reading of the text. And frankly, the things I see most often in the discourse I think a lot of people just missed in the details of the main game (which is fine, to be clear), so I hope if you're in that boat this got your cogs turning more and enabled you to look at these characters from a different lens. Or if you think I'm just spouting nonsense, that's cool too! For better or worse they leave a lot up to interpretation and heavy analysis, so if you have a different reading I'd love to hear it!

[tani-b-art]

((my very distraught Avanine recap))

When people have a connection like this, ain’t a thing you can do to stop it! Even Ava couldn’t stop that.

Ava, sweetie, I am so, so sorry. It’s too la—. Janine and Gregory has happened!

Ava wears purple a lot and that color represents part of the LGBTQ+ community so I’m gonna tentatively say she is a part of the rainbow!

Janine has a cardboard cutout of Allen Iverson, who Ava dated. She didn’t get a cardboard cutout of any other 76er (I mean Allen is the most famous Sixer of all time) but she doesn’t have one of Andre who Ava is/was dating. I feel she got this post Ava revealing this. She pays attention.

Janine brought her cousin to her party for Ava — obviously to be a distraction and to keep her out of her hair for the night. Is it because she knew she’d maybe be distracted by Ava and didn’t want that to happen? Ava saying “we’re like sisters”…so we’ve gone from friends-acquaintances and now “sisters”. We took a L, Avanites.

((now for the real))

Ava noticed Janine and Gregory’s chemistry while she was dancing with the cousin and physically attempted to position her body between that and was extremely vexed about it! And before she did that, she gave such a glaring stare to Janine when she noticed something was happening beside her. Her hyper-awareness & sensors for Janine is unmatched! [Ava gave Gregory a livid look]. And to say, Ava was very much preoccupied with Janine’s cousin and paying zero attention to Janine until this happened.

It was kinda funny seeing how unbothered Janine and Gregory were with Ava shooting eye lasers their way! And then it crushed my feelings because the ball was rolling from that moment onward.

So Ava obviously HAS feelings for Janine and it hasn’t stopped. So they want us to know that (or to remember if some forgot or thinks that Ava has stopped liking Janine just because we all witnessed the snail-paced progression of her and Gregory eventually becoming a thing).

Ava is probably going to be unbearable towards Janine and Gregory come next season now that they’re together unless Ava amps it up higher and flirts harder with Janine out of frustration OR they’ll have her the complete opposite, which would be awesome, and make her sad and despondent and lovesick with the new couple and she’ll be less picky towards them both which will shock Janine because she’s expecting Ava to tease her more than before.

WRITERS, what are y’all doing to us?!?! They wanted us to know Ava has feelings (still has) for Janine because why would y’all have Ava be so visibly bothered with Janine’s moment with Gregory?? (Then they zoomed in on Ava realizing what’s going on). Why have Janine dance right beside Ava too when this happened? But then have Janine bring her boy cousin specifically for Ava AND make Ava declare “we’re like sisters”? Unless this “sisters” statement was purely under the guise of Ava just being instantly excited for an attractive guy and it was sheer surface-level. Conflicting, testing, twisting and unreadable Ava+Janine story arc.

Ava seemed so dejected. Like the rug was pulled from underneath her. And while it’s very charismatic to see her unravel when it comes to Janine because she’s longing for something with her and is that attached and interested, I’m also sad for her because it’s yet something else that’s disappointed her as far as relationships are concerned. It doesn’t seem like she’s had much success with relationships.

I get it…Avanites will simply have to suffer till the end of Abbott time with their unrequited love! I feel queasy lol!

I think I set myself up way too high with my Avanine delusions and now look at me…I’m all undone about them being done (when it is clear they weren’t ever). I blame all the Tumblr Avanites for pushing me here - jk! Y’all are awesome! We’re awesome!

All is fair in the world of delusions.

[atamascolily]

As someone who makes fanvids and AMVs, I spend a lot of time looking at media in unconventional ways--cycling the same clips over and over again, jumping around in a non-linear fashion rather than watching straight through in chronological order, etc, etc. Usually, this is in service of getting shots to line up with the music or finding that one snippet that perfectly illustrates a lyric, but it also means I spend a lot of time engaged with the source material at a level of repetition and detail that most viewers do not indulge in.

I thought nothing would be able to top that level of granularity, but then I started making text post memes by juxtaposing media screenshots with clever and witty posts made by strangers on the Internet. Instead of watching the same clips over and over again, I was now watching specific individual scenes shot by shot, searching for the perfect frame to pause and screenshot. Suddenly, I was engaged with the source material on a whole new level, staring at stills I have never really looked at before, despite having watched them in motion a billion times already.

This was especially true of Madoka Magica and even more true for Rebellion, where the animators had lovingly incorporated whole new levels of detail I had never encountered before--some of them so complex and intricate, they could only be fully appreciated as stills, either because they were only on screen for an instant or because there was so much action/other stuff going on in the foreground that drew my eye when I was watching casually or for plot. (As much as I love subtitles, they did not help with this, since their presence meant my eyes were also naturally drawn to the bottom of the screen as well instead of focusing on the background.)

I started documenting my PMMM observations here on Tumblr, partially because it was low-stress and informal fun, and partially because this site has such excellent and convenient image hosting (for now, anyway) that it's really easy to discuss and compare multiple images at a time, which I think is more effective than reams of text at proving my points.

When I look at a screenshot, I have two major questions in mind:

1) What am I looking at? 2) What does it mean?

The first question is one of observation and identification. This part is usually straightforward, but can be more complicated if the animators are drawing on an element of Japanese culture that I'm not already familiar with. The answers to this question vary considerably depending on context, but they're usually not a source of tremendous controversy among the fandom; they are fairly objective, with a definitive right or wrong answer.

The second question, however, is more complicated and subjective. This is where analysis and interpretation come in--of the shot itself, the scene in which it occurs, and how it fits into the installment/series/franchise as a whole. It's entirely possible for different people to have wildly different takes on this, and multiple readings can and do exist simultaneously.

In my meta writings, I usually attempt to answer both questions: first, by pointing out details that I think are interesting, and then by offering my interpretation of them. Rebellion in particular is so visually dense that it's possible to randomly pause at any scene and find something new; no matter how much I watch it, there is always more to analyze.

To be clear, I don't think that watching Rebellion frame by frame is inherently better than watching the whole thing straight through, just that different perspectives and insights are possible. In this sense, both Madoka Magica TV series and Rebellion are inherently fractal in nature, with meaning multiple levels and layers regardless of scale. Unlike real-life fractals like the Mandelbrot set, however, there is a clearly defined limit to this--I doubt once you zoom into the pixel level there is anything to find, but hey, you never know with SHAFT.

I generally prefer to work with material that has already been released rather than stuff that hasn't, but I try to ground my predictions in my observations as much as possible--by which I mean, consistent with the show's themes and motifs on both a macro and micro level. That in itself doesn't guarantee that they're right, but I like to think they are plausible, which is all you can really hope for with that sort of thing. And of course, all my analyses and predictions tell you as much about me--how I see the world and what I value--as they do the work itself.

I used to joke that I was working on an honorary master's in media studies and Rebellion in particular, but after looking back at my output over the last six months, I'm not so sure that's a joke anymore...

[celeste444spacey]

INSTANT MANIFESTATION 🕛

Hello it girls of tumblr I’m back again

And today I’ll be talking about instant manifestation

Instant manifestation is something that we all want to figure out how to do. And I’m here to help you today to manifest instantly <3

So let’s get into it.

Manifesting on a time crunch is actually really easy. You can control when you want your manifestations (it is your creation after all). This means if you wanted something by tomorrow morning? You can actually have it.

But we all feel like it’s hard sometimes and also we fear it’s impossible. And therein lies the catch. Ah the good old dread.

We as humans have been conditioned to think that if we want something we need to struggle for it. That if we want something that means we must cry for it. This mindset is why there’s only like 1% people living the lives they want and the rest complain about their living.

Now see, what is time? Time is linear. It’s a human construct. Time is only past present or future. Time is a measurement that was developed by us to be able to comprehend our existence on this universe since our lifespans compared to the universe is so so so tiny that’s it’s negligible. The universe on the other hand is so so so big, that our understanding of time is practically nothing compared to it. Now let’s stop the existential crisis and let’s go to manifesting.

Manifestation is not creating something out of thin air. Remember: Creation is complete. Which means you’re simply bringing whatever it is that you want (all your desires already exist) by using the power of positivity and the spiritual laws of attraction and/or assumption.

You have a near infinite version of yourselves. Best way to prove this is that everyone who knows you knows a different version of you. You’re a different manifested version for everyone in their lives. This means that each passing moment there’s a version of you that already has what you want.

I personally do not think that i’m “accelerating” my desires, I simply think that I shift to a reality where I already have what I want. That i access the version of me that has what I want. And that’s what you are going to do. Shift to a reality you want whenever you want. As simple as that.

I won’t go into explaining super deep about time and creation etc. im simply here to tell you how to do it so here goes.

Whenever you think your desires are impossible, zoom out a bit. Think of the universe, how vast it is, and how truly big it is. It is huge and enormous and these words don’t even begin to explain that. Now think about your desire. Tiny right? No do not get into an existential crisis! It’s tiny, yes but that’s all you need to know! Creation seems so impossible in itself but it exists, so why won’t a reality where you get into your dream college for example not exist? It’s shameful honestly to think it would be impossible.

So manifesting instantly

HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT

Do not overthink it! One of the most common mistakes is thinking and worrying about what you want over and over again . Trust me neither will it make you feel good nor will it make your situation any better.

Act as if and let go. You shift to the reality where you have what you want by thinking like the version of yourself that belongs in that reality.

FOR EXAMPLE: if you want to get into your dream college ( like the above example) you wouldn’t worry about not getting in it right? CAUSE YOU ALREADY GOT IN! You wouldn’t think about it over and over again. Neither would you keep affirming every 5 minutes about it.

Get clear on what you want and do not settle! Circumstances might seem the opposite of everything but it is very crucial to be in the mindset of ���I already have it’

STOP SAYING I WANT! INSTEAD SAY I HAVE OR I AM. Saying ‘I want’ implies you do not have it and that’s not true cause you already have your desire. Stop being desperate. Desperation looks horrible on a hot girl like u luv

Know that it is you who decide. There’s no divine timing babe you ARE in divine timing whenever you manifest.

Distract yourself if u get negative thoughts.

Change I’m nervous to I’m excited. Did u know that your body reacts to anxiousness and excitement in the same way? Use this trick next time you’re worried.

Apply these small but surefire methods to get whatever it is that you desire.

You’re a hot girl and hot girls get everything babe.

Calm down, you already have it

It’s a long post i know

K bye for now

xoxo

[lestatslestits]

A few people responded to this post wanting to know more. I tried to make a follow-up post twice on mobile and Tumblr deleted my in-progress post both times, so I’m trying again on desktop.

I’m currently writing a paper on the history of de-institutionalization in the United States, so I’ve been learning a lot about mental hospitals in the US lately. That got me thinking about the references in Interview with the Vampire to Paul de Pointe du Lac’s institutionalization. Here’s what we know, via Louis:

I was curious to learn if there really was a mental hospital in Jackson, Louisiana in the early 1900s, so I did some digging and discovered that there was. Not only that, but it’s still operating today and is one of only two mental hospitals in the state of Louisiana. It has been renamed East Louisiana State Mental Hospital, but at the time that Paul would have been there, it was called East Louisiana State Hospital for the Insane.

Before I share any photos or talk further, I want to reiterate: this is a real hospital that has served and continues to serve people with severe mental illnesses. It also has a disturbing history of neglect and abuse that continues today. You’ll see in some of the photos that I share that even in modern times, much of the hospital looks outdated and run down. A news article from 2019 referred to the facility as “deteriorating.” I don’t want to talk about this facility in a fictional context without recognizing that real people have been impacted by it. If learning this information piques your interest in any way, I recommend taking time to look into the history of how people with mental illnesses have been treated and continue to be treated in the United States (or in your own country, if you aren’t from the US). Also, obligatory caveat that I am by no means a historian, but I’ve done my best to compile accurate information.

The Louisiana State Mental Hospital was established in the 1840s, when many similar institutions were being built in the US. It was requested that the building “not look like a prison,” so it was built in a Greek Revival style. Here’s an early picture of the hospital:

Here is a more current photo:

And here is a photo from around the time Paul would have been there (this photo is dated between 1900 and 1909, and we can assume from the timeline established by Louis that Paul was probably removed from the hospital around 1905 or 1906, following their father’s death five years prior to the beginning of the narrative in 1910):

Here are a couple more exterior shots from around the same time period, and an interior (?) shot from a women’s ward. I couldn’t find a photo of a men’s ward, unfortunately:

Here are some photos taken more recently. The first two appear to be older areas that don’t seem to be used much anymore, and the last appears to be from a more commonly used area (although you can see it’s still fairly dated):

I couldn’t find any photos of the hallways leading to individual rooms that didn’t feature people in them. Since I’m not clear on who those people were (whether or not they were consumers), I’m not comfortable posting them here. However you can find them if you go looking.

Finally, here is a fire insurance map of the facility, made in 1908, near the time Paul would have been there. As you can see, if you are able to zoom in, the hospital was segregated at the time, so you will find the ward where Paul would likely have stayed in the lower left-hand corner of the map.

I’m not sure who, if anyone, this information will be useful for, but I hope it provides some insight and historical context to the show (and to mental health treatment in the United States).

[omens-and-more]

Can you describe briefly what is this whole drama with exes about? I have no idea what I am reading

"Exes": C (Carolina), RB (Rose), OG (We don't share her identity because she wishes for her name not to be known. She's not the "original" ex in terms of timeline so that nickname understandably may be confusing. That was a nickname given to her by a fan named Brandi. You would have to asked Brandi for an explanation as to why she chose that nickname.)

Others: BB (An IG model baddie type who was rumored to be with Noah simple because she posted an IG of him a while back now. Some say she has a boyfriend while others say she doesn't. No real proof her and Noah had anything. Like most things regarding Noah, all just speculation.)

Brandi: She's a BO fan. Runs the blogs called x3rrorx, badomensteablog, antiantiantiantiantiantianti as well as other blogs.

Trying to give the most objective take on some of it to help you better understand some of what people are talking about or at least who they are referring to.

RB: Childhood friend of Noah's then had some form of relationship with him later on. She was not known years ago or anything like that. She engaged with a fan who runs a blog here (Brandi) and attempted to troll here. Brandi and her had issues which were public. Noah texted RB in December on last year telling her that he was hurt by her involvement in the drama and engaged with the "toxic side of the fandom" and that it causes him anxiety. The text are available on her twitter @rosedamian6669. She has also posted tweets about Noah that some view as unkind including ones about his mother who has past. Other things discussed about her include Noah giving her 3k for her dog that need medical assistance. This information became known from Rose herself sharing it. Rose has said she originally asked for Noah to share her gofundme but instead donated the amount privately as to not have her be publicly know since he tends to be private about his persona life. She also has a blog over at rosedamian.com which has blog entries from years ago. Some of which is about Noah. Including but not limited to a blog entry titled "you have shattered all my dreams" or commonly referred to as the "hot dog story." You can look up all this stuff on her twitter and website, read it all, and come to a conclusion for yourself about her.

C: Someone who slide into his DM's in 2020, right at the start of covid, after seeing photos of him online. They went on to have a situationship for a few months while she was in LA then remained friends for around a year after when she went back to Brazil which is were she is from. Many versions on how exactly she became known but based on what she has shared, people first figured out her identity based on who Noah followed. This was back when Noah has his own IG and not many followers and wasn't following many people. There was also a situation with a crazed fan named Heather who would harass Noah and in turn harassed Carolina when she figured out they had some sort of connection. Anyways, her identity became gossiped about on Tumblr by Bad Omen blogs (prior to any Brandi ran blog). She was nicknamed "Mirror Girl" because of a photo that went "viral" amongst BO Twitter and Tumblr which was a photo of Noah wearing her sweater but she could see her reflection in the mirror if you zoomed in and people were speculating on who she was and rumors began about her, including a rumor that she had and shared explicit photos of Noah. Those were merely rumors and NOT true as Carolina has clarified several times that photos of that nature do NOT even exist. She eventually made her own blog (Mirrorgirl95) to clear up rumors and ended up answering questions people sent it. The blog was very short lived. Time passes and everything dies down and everyone moves on. That is when Brandi comes into the picture. Newly a fan, she goes looking into things she sees posted about "Mirror Girl" and that is where the tweet of Brandi asking people to tell her the identity of "Mirror Girl" and she eventually figures it out. Brandi begins her interactions with Carolina by spreading a the rumor Carolina had cleared up and saying it was true. Brandi has since said she was wrong for doing so and believed the rumor was true in the beginning. That is how they started off on the wrong foot. They go on to have an endless back and forth insulting each other in every way you can think off, both claiming to want the drama to end, drama involving "OG", a discord brandi made where others in the discord said some objectively sexist remarks (comments not made by Brandi, at least in the screenshots that have been shared but in a public discord server that she runs), both garnering supporters who make blogs to go to bat for each other, Carolina doing lives and answering NGL's on her twitter where she has spoken negatively about Brandi and has answered questions about Noah that people find to be oversharing or sharing personal information which has upset many fans including Brandi, Both of them looking up and sharing info about each other, and much more drama. That's barely even scratching the surface.

OG: Again, different versions or theories of how she became known. For starters, do not go trying to look her up or asking blogs who he is. It's pointless. She is just a normal American woman in her mid/late 20's who apparently had some type of situationship or hook up with Noah although how long is unclear but very brief. That's all you need to know about her. Her identity was being shared by an anon to multiple Bad Omen blogs some of which had posted her (the posts have long since been deleted). It was also shared with Carolina on her MirrorGirl95 blog, that is what Carolina claims. Carolina has also said when her identity was first shared her IG was private but then moments later unprivated as well as IG captions that were edited to make it seem as though Noah had written BO lyrics were based off of her IG captions leading Carolina to believe the anon was "OG" herself. There are not public screenshots to support Carolina's claim on a privated then unprivated IG account in minutes of her being sent the messages or for the edited IG captions. Brandi would later go on to receive similar messages down the line when she opened up her own Tumblr blog. "OG" then messages Brandi on IG to ask her not to mention her and said she wished not to be known as an "ex" and that her experience with Noah has been positive. That would lead to Carolina feeling as though "OG" was trying to "invalidate" her experience because hers was not the same. Brandi respected her wishes and does not name her. Brandi, on her public discord, theorized if certain BO songs were about "OG" which people commonly mistake those messages as Brandi claiming "OG" said those songs were about her. Although some, including Carolina, claim "OG" has said songs like Who Are You by BO are about her. I do not believe there are screenshots for that claim. At one point "OG" and Brandi wanted to have a conversation with Carolina as there were obviously ill feelings there due to things said publicly. The conversation did not happen as Carolina has said her face was healing from some treatment she had received. And much much much more.

Honestly this posts covers maybe 10% of events that have transpired between the parties involved and doesn't even touch on BO fans involvement in all this or the side character on each "side" of this never ending drama.

You can read the some of the posts on Carolina's, RB's, and Brandi's socials to see all sides and come to your own conclusions. My only advice, look at any screenshots as all "sides" tend retell versions of events in ways that make themselves look favorable but there are some absolute truths mixed in there. Do NOT by any means send any of them hate. It's unnecessary. They are all actually quite open to answering questions when asked respectfully or privately if you are that curious although I can imagine that at this point the topic of Noah or these women's issues with each other feels like everything that needs to be said has already been said and quite repetitive.

…

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Wordsville's Official Release -- Is It Really an Odd Squad Clone? (Part 1)

You can bet your fine ass I am, because, to put it nicely, the fuck is this?

All right. Anyway. So part of what I used to weaponize my YouTube channel for was doing Seren Reacts videos on new PBS Kids shows. Basically, I'd take the first episode they'd upload and react to it. Since I don't have the capacity to actually do that for this show, and since I did tell you all I'd do a Seren's Study on Wordsville when it came out and I had a chance to see it...here ya go. I watched the first episodes of this thing so you don't have to!

...Uh...well...if you don't want to, anyway.

In this essay, I'm going to put the final nail in the coffin as to the issue of whether Wordsville is truly an Odd Squad ripoff or not. I'll also be picking apart the first episode screencap by screencap, just like I used to do in the good old days of Odd News.

(At the very least, the America's Funniest Home Videos animation I'm not a fan of. At least with Tom Bergeron it was funny.)

Below the break we go!

(Just as a side note: this will be split into multiple parts because Tumblr apparently has a photo limit now. That's...gonna make these followup Seren's Studies just a bit trickier.)

Ohhhh they're really trying, bless their little hearts.

Look at that, they even threw in a goddamn university degree like these kids up and went to Harvard. Because Odd Squad agents didn't go to university and aw God man you gotta be shitting me.

Man, the theme even follows the same schtick of Odd Squad agents explaining who they are and what they do! I guess that's one for the Half-Ass list...

(And on a related note, because I don't think I brought this up: Gabby's actress sounds like she was on Odd Squad at one point, but hell if I know where. Guess I'll know when the credits come up.)

Hm. Hah. Just like, y'know, Olive and Otto, Orla and Omar at one point in ti- really, do I have to keep going?

You could tell me this was an Odd Squad sequel spinoff in disguise and I'd 100% believe you.

(Also is that...is that a rainbow bead design in the upper right there? Does Sly is gay or am I just going nuts because this episode was uploaded in Pride Month and Sinking Ship already has some LGBTQ+ rep under their belt?)

I will say that, unlike with Odd Squad, I appreciate them not making this out to be some stupidly thinly-veiled Zoom or Skype parody. It looks like a new fresh platform that isn't supposed to reference anything. I like that!

...Nah, not even I'm desperate enough to pry an Odd Squad jab out of this title.

I am, however, getting flashbacks to Wonderful Precure and people speculating about the colors in the title. If this were one of those seasons we'd have a group of five with a blue-green Cure as the leader, which would melt the Internet. Definitely. Maybe.

Also, unless they're working on Odd Squad UK and we don't know it yet, Christin Simms is not an Odd Squad name I recognize. Seems they've worked on pretty much every modern Sinking Ship series but Odd Squad, which I choose to take as intentional just due to the similarities between the two series alone. I mean let's be honest...if it were an Odd Squad writer, it would really only reinforce a few of my points.

So I've chosen to watch "The Case of the Disappearing Donuts", mainly because I believe that's the episode that was featured in the sample script I talked about in the previous Seren's Study. Just...y'know, as a heads-up. I tried to go for the first episode.

And needless to say...I'm not sure if this is it (TVO released five episodes in a bundle and your guess is as good as mine as to which one is the series premiere) but I can already see a striking difference with Odd Squad, in that yes, Wordsville does indeed launch us clear into the plot without any warning. Yeah yeah they explained it in the intro but I do not care. Let me get to know your characters first!

Once again, I will reiterate for you all: this show being purely digital instead of live-action completely hinders it. It is 2024. The pandemic is not an excuse anymore. I'd get more enjoyment out of this if it weren't two people communicating through mock Apple laptops.

And if you aren't getting what I'm picking at, imagine if, for the nearly ten years it's been on, Odd Squad was a purely-digital show. Would we get the worldbuilding? The lore? The character development? The funny interactions? No, no, no, and no. It's like the difference between talking to someone in video chat and talking to someone in real life. One boosts your health. The other one, not so much.

Clearly they didn't really try for this bit in the audio department, because this cookie is all about that bass with absolutely no fuckin' treble.

(To be fair, though, Odd Squad has soundbytes like this from time to time too. So I can't really complain all that much.)

Something I was shocked to find out about Wordsville: each episode is all of 8 minutes long. Which...doesn't really help the series' case because the pacing is utterly atrocious. For Odd Squad, which has mostly 11-minute episodes, the pacing is smoother for a lot of them. I can take my time, understand what's going on, and enjoy what I'm seeing. Hell, even Tiny Time Travel's pacing isn't awful for the short time it has, and I wasn't gonna even touch that show for this Seren's Study because it's not made by the same people outside of Tim...until people brought up similarities, and I felt at least obligated to mention it once.

This falls squarely into the category of "if I go on an acid trip, can I drag out this episode three times longer than it actually is?"

We.

Are 55 seconds in.

And we are already getting to the conflict.

...Hand me the bong. The BIG bong. If you see dogs in my front yard, just tell 'em to get inside and glow upstairs because I'm goin' hard.

BIG BONG.

...I'm not touching the timing of this call because convenience is in literally every piece of media with video chatting ever. It's not just a Wordsville thing.

The Town Baker walked so Baker Graham could work his hand at a whip.

No but seriously, I can't look at this character and not think of Chef O from Odd Squad UK. The brainrot set in once I viewed the trailer. It hasn't left.

Hey, it's a good marketing tactic.

And it makes a great gift for your SO if they happen to have a name that starts with any of the letters. Hell, get the U, the T and the I and you'd have a winner!

...

Waaaaaaait a second-

In this era of super-powerful processors and AI seeping into anything and everything, there is no scientifically possible way Gabby can pull up a computer dictionary within milliseconds.

And when Odd Squad, the show that has ironic low-tech stuff, is more realistic than your high-tech show, you got a problem.

Minute and a half into this thing and this is the only bit that got me close to smiling thus far.

But something I wanna point out is that I've gotten cookies from bakeries that look a lot better than that. Hell, the cookies at my local supermarket look better than that! Just as big, and far yummier!

I see they switched around the personalities for Sly and Gabby, and I can see why.

Gabby emotes the most.

So does Olive.

Gabby is Olive with a braid and a fedora.

Gabby is the serious o- guys, really, must I go on?

Something something substituting bagels like in "Soundcheck" for donuts instead.

This is what happens when you let your co-CEO binge-watch all the Shrek movies, Sly.

Careful, Gabby...please don't drop the title.

Odd Squad doesn't drop the title all that much, but the fact that the episodes are referred to as cases in-universe sells the comparison. Wordsville's cases are just...different. Copyright infringement and all that. When Oprah sues, she sues hard.

Thank you. I hate it. Off you will fuck from my lawn.

...Look, I know what the "Sly-mation" is and y'all are not being slick. You don't get to wave a fucking stylus in my face and say what you're doing is animation but with a fancy name. Animation is hard. Animating stuff halfway and slapping your client's head on their animated body instead of drawing a face resembling your client is a disservice and I will abso-fucking-lutely take that personally as a fan of animation.

I mean, hey, if I were an animator, I'd fully commit. You people remember that the studio who made this worked on a Spongebob movie. Lemme repeat: a Spongebob movie. And yet this is what they decide to do for animation.

When Odd Squad does animation, it's good in most instances. (I choose to forget "Olive and Otto in Shmumberland", TYVM.) Not anything stellar, but it certainly is passable. Here? Lol. Lmao, even. God no. This feels like a way to insert animation into the show but without employing the CGI that other shows, Odd Squad included, have. Like a "lol I'm so quirky" thing.

Get out.

This is like if Disney had Disneymation. Dreamworksation. Laikation. Netflixation. Huluation. So on and so forth.

Point being, it's dumb. Just say it's animation and stop plopping flowers onto it. When you get more of a time limit, then you can be quirky all you want.

We are now 2 minutes into an 8-minute episode. I know what's happening. Kids know what's happening. Unless you're banking on the research that kids' attention spans are the size of a pea, we do not need a recap.

...Is this really the same person who wrote for Endlings? Because apparently they can't handle something in an 8-minute timeframe.

You either get the Chad Blender/Flash/ToonBoom, or you get the Virgin Mock Scratch.

I just feel cheated. Disappointed. Like when your mom and dad drove by McDonald's when you were a kid after they promised you they would get you some. I've seen good animation. They had the chance to do better, and didn't. That's what pisses me off the most. It's that complete utter wasted potential.

I know Vet Wilder is a reference to some celebrity (the name is at least somewhat familiar), but I'm at a complete loss as to if they did the same thing for Athlete Glory or if they just confined a girl named Glory to one destiny in life.

So she'll become...a Faded Glory.

(I'm sorry, I had to.)

Okay, they're reiterating this for the young children, and I- guys, this hurts. It's like they're trying to differentiate themselves from Odd Squad but tripping over their own feet in the process.

Ten cookies Gene Vet Wilder gave it to an animal named Yummy and that this series will go down another Odd Squad route and defy biology.

Either that, or "Yummy" is his pet name for Not-So-Faded Glory, which I am banking absolutely nothing on because romance.

...No, not Baker Graham's cookies. I'm sure dude's good at what he does, but I know of a better bakery, thank you very much.

*aggressively takes out the ibuprofen for the headache this shit is giving me*

This reads like TVOkids font, and I'm not even mad.

I'm only sad I didn't get the "I know so much about fonts" autism.

(Also, this is really just called The Bakery? They have one bakery? That's it? Even Toronto has more than one!)

-----------------------------

Onward to Part 2!

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Looks very much like the Harkles christening photo is a collage pasted on a photo of the room: the background is sharper than the people. And looks like not all the people were photographed together either. by u/Lensgoggler

Looks very much like the Harkles christening photo is a collage pasted on a photo of the room: the background is sharper than the people. And looks like not all the people were photographed together, either. Reposting as I had a misleading mistake - the candelabra behind Camilla is actually in the other room. Apologies to anyone who commented to the previous post!

I discovered after opening the image downloaded on the Getty website (link) that not only were people's faces illuminated differently (my original beef with this photo), but the background was sharper than literally anyone in the photo. INCLUDING Meghan and Harry!

So reposting again.

I am trained in photography and noticed something looked off and wanted initially just make a post about what direction everyone in the photo were illuminated from. But lo and behold, when I opened the photo on Photoshop, it was clear the differing lighting was the least of this photo's problems.

The background is sharper than anyone, and has more contrast to it. It's especially apparent when you look at Catherine and William. Also, MM's white dress isn't reflecting on the sofa. People's white or light clothes don't cast a reflection on what's next to them - which is impossible as per how light works :D

My realisation: nobody was photographed in that room. Even those who were photographed together are pasted on the photo of the room. It's a collage.​

Full frame, not zoomed. Kinda...something makes you go 'hmm' but you can't out your finger on it, right?

​​Zoomed 200%, now something's definitely off. People look blurry while the room doesn't. It was probably a very very well done interior shot!

​Look how different the light and shadows are on these three people's faces. it looks like Diana's sister was photographed on a nice sunny day outside, not indoors with photographic lights. It looks like William is illuminated by a light that is higher and on the right. And Catherine looks bright and contrasty while the two other people here (or actually anyone else of whole group) look more subdued. ​

This is absolutely mind boggling here. Look how blurred Catherine is, and how sharp is the room.​

And lastly, this physical impossibility of blindingly white fabric not \"talking\" to what it's next to. In this case, a guilded sofa. Harold's light grey suit should cast light on the sofa a bit too.

So all in all I'm actually shocked by the extent of this paste job. I didn't even bother looking at the bending picture frames of whatever that the Daily Mail talked about. This photo being served as an official christening photo is an abomination in more ways than one. I want answers :D

post link author: Lensgoggler submitted: March 20, 2024 at 09:58AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[ireallyamabear]

okay i thought about it and here is what i would do if I was put in charge of Lucasfilm: first i would wonder how i came to be in this position, but i do have some memory issues so I just go with it. then i cancel all upcoming star wars properties, not only the shows and movies but all the books and comics, videogames and even the lego star wars shorts. i beef up the Lucasfilm legal division, pulling the most promising young lawyers from all over the world who never watched star wars ever. their goal: draft up a legal document that will make it impossible to produce any star wars content ever again. meanwhile the internet is wondering what my next move will be, as i’m a total newcomer to the world of media. then I’ll announce the only project we will be doing that year: a 20 minute black and white short prequel about skeen in an imperial prison. ebon moss-bachrach doesn’t want to do it at first but I pay him 360 million dollars. in the meantime, the team of lawyers is working 35 hour weeks (i’m a good employer) towards my secret goal.

reddit twitter and tumblr are united for the first time in wanting to boycott the skeen movie (that’s the title btw), but when it releases everyone is so starved for sw content they watch it anyway. it is massively controversial because it depicts prisoners eating each other out of desperation, but the ones that are eaten aren’t humans so it’s unclear if it’s cannibalism. i can’t even watch it because i forgot this squicks me out a lot. i gave the creative team total freedom, which might have been a mistake.

during all of this my home life is shit, but let’s not talk about that. i do 12 hour zoom calls everyday because I refused to relocate to california, but then my home address gets doxxed and i have to move to an undisclosed location in the middle of the night (there are a lot of threats against me). people are absolutely hating me, asking for mando season 4, asking for andor season 2 (i have seen the screeners and it is good, btw). dave filoni and jon favreau write an open letter to ask me to reconsider the pause on star wars production but i respond in the only way i know how - with the mariah carey “i don’t even know her” gif. after a while, favreau moves on to develop a vr based immersive series about ultimate fighting about his character in friends. by all accounts, he’s happy.

one of the lawyers betrays me and leaks my plans to the world. fans are in outrage. it’s clear now that i’m planning to ban any sw related media, deep fakes, adaptations, hell, even re-releases of the old stuff. why? i’m not available for comment. from now on, star wars will only exist in your memory, the only place it has ever been good.

there’s an outpouring of fan creativity in the wake of that bombshell leak. people begin to make fan films that are so good and creative that a new wave of avant garde scifi film making is ushered in. a person who worked on the andor set gets massively famous with their spoken word rendition of the scenes they can remember. i go after them with everything Lucasfilm has. this makes the video of their performance even more popular and it becomes the 2nd ever most viewed clip on Vimeo.

other streaming services green-light a mass of scifi and fantasy shows just in case they have the next sw on their hands - entertainment abhors a vacuum. There are so many good new properties, it’s an embarrassment of riches. my favourite of them all gets cancelled after one season though - I will never be sure if it’s because of my bad karma or because someone blabbed about my preferences and this was retaliation. i can’t trust anybody in my inner circle. All over the world, people still are wondering why I did it, but in the end, they are much happier now. sometimes little kids see a star wars toy - one of the few ones that didn’t get destroyed in the five waves of merchandise burnings I had ordered over the years - and asks their parents about it. “It’s nothing.” the skeen movie gets a throwback oscar for special effects twenty years later.

Anyway, what would you do.