#someone couldn't be exploitative while making a game that's so understanding and kind to humans

[vikas-room]

if you liked omori, please consider supporting melon kid (who recently came out with a thread describing workplace mistreatment by omocat) on ko-fi

[abronzeagegod]

That's what humans never understand. And that's why you have job security.

Genies don't grant wishes. They find loopholes. They're magic and their power allow them to find the most obscure and powerful and ironic loopholes in wishes and then execute on them.

Outside of that, you have no real power.

Genies all over know that that their powers are literally nothing more than variations on morality plays.

Those that struggle, that hurt, that feel may wish for better lives and escapes from their circumstances but they know that such a thing cannot exist or such things as capitalism would crush it under it's iron heel. They know that the game is rigged against them. They know that no matter how shiny the escape, how tantalizing the hook, there is always a cost to escaping their circumstances.

There is no charity or progress in suffering, but still there are no shortcuts in the post-capitalist hellscape the humans have fashioned for themselves.

However.

Those that are well off or who are at the very top of the pyramid always wish for more. More of whatever it is that they think will make them happy. More money, more power, more things.

That is why it is so deeply satisfying to see a wealthy man with a partnership in a vast and prestigious law firm that has money to bur and clients galore. You can see all the numerous flaws in the wish that they present.

You can't have access to that kind of wealth because it all has to come from somewhere. You don't just magically make things appear from nowhere. That's why you can't make someone fall in love or raise the dead. Love and life must come from somewhere and you cannot create it where there is none.

You don't sign contacts, you grant wishes with loopholes.

Wishes presented in contracts are not actually wishes as they have to be communicated verbally, unless the wisher was unotherwise incapable of speech, but the point of that rule was that the wish had to be communicated and not simply presented.

You only deal with individuals and despite whatever politicians would have their constituents believe, you don't see entire corporations and teams of underpaid interns as people so you have no obligation to deal with this wish.

The whole thing was pretty arrogant and terrible and just so far beneath you that you couldn't help but grin.

Then there was the most obvious and exploitable loophole there was.

No one ever thinks of the genie's agency, of your own willpower.

"No," you say. You can't help it. It was smug. You said no smugly. But it was just so much fun.

The lawyers were stunned, unable to contain their outrage, their arrogance.

They tried again.

"No." It was just as satisfying the second time.

The entire team of rich men reconvened to try again, to modify the contract.

It didn't matter.

"No," you said again.

Their outrage was palpable and you were going to keep this memory for years.

The entire law office was tasked with only figuring out this genie contract wish.

"No."

It's so much fun. You may be stuck here for a while but these rich men were so much fun to screw with.

"Oh my god," whispered an intern who was at the end of their tether, "I wish this would be over."

It was not intended to be a wish. It wasn't even directed at you.

But. Loopholes exist solely for you to exploit them.

The building wasn't as well maintained as it should have been. Overtime pay for the contractors wasn't paid out to instead pay bonuses for the CEO. Corners were cut. The contracts for all of the underpaid and overworked interns and entry-level staff had an "unreasonable act of god" clause because the higher-ups thought it would be funny, and an incentive to lure in the desperate and hardworking.

If only there wasn't someone who could loophole their way into a unreasonable act of god.

You collapse the building after hours while the higher ups, anyone with a "Chief" in their title was working late trying to keep you enslaved and get a loophole free wish.

And oh would you look at that!

There were a series of loopholes that made it so that the top floor conferences rooms collapsed and free fell seventeen stories to the floor while the employee breakroom was protected by the shoddy construction and while the interns and secretaries were trapped they weren't harmed. All of the drivers in the garage barely even noticed anything happening.

The unreasonable act of god contract clause meant that every singe underpaid employee beneath partner was granted a truly unreasonable sum of money as severance, and you were free to go off and tempt more terrible rich people with happiness they could never buy with all the money that they stole.

kofi time

You’re a wish granting Genie dealing with your latest arrogant mortal. This one lawyer thought he was clever by writing down his entire wish in a contract form and used his entire legal firm to close any loop holes. So imagine his surprise when you look over his wish and tell him “No”.

[dornish-queen]

GQ MEXICO - PEDRO PASCAL 2021

It seems that Pedro Pascal is in all possible universes. Here and there. In the past, in the present, and in galaxies far, far away. Today, the actor is considered the great entertainment reference and one of those in charge of saving a franchise that seemed lost. Enough reasons to talk exclusively about discipline, gastronomy, creeds and how he traumatized his father in 30 seconds.

The RAE defines 'creed' as the set of ideas, principles or convictions of a person or a group. For example, by creed, one can leave his country and be in exile. It happens that one can leave the loved one behind. Or simply live in another reality. And also one can put on a helmet to pretend never to take it off again. If that is the path to follow, the creed says that it must be done with the profession of faith and without stopping to look. Turning the pages of the script for The Mandalorian , the Disney + series that revived passion and nostalgia for the Star Wars franchise , Pedro Pascal came across this definition in every dialogue and moment, and reflection carved his way.

More than two decades have passed since the Chilean-American, Pedro Pascal, began his acting career and today, named as the great reference of 2020 , he misses the theater and it still hurts him not to have the discipline to exercise and maintain a diet sana while acknowledging the irony of having the best year of her career in the midst of one of the worst in recent history. But even in physical solitude, the man who carried the best-selling Christmas baby rescues many positive things and shares his vision of the universes he has traveled through, his passion for distant galaxies and how to traumatize your family with a simple scene of TV. In an interview, the Mandalorian of Latinamerica.

IMDB named you the 2020 benchmark in entertainment, a year in which the world took refuge in fiction. How was living your best time locked up and what do you rescue on a human level from it?

The strength of family relationships and friendship. For them, we endure this physical loneliness. I do find it ironic that in 2020 I received projects so well received by the public, although they were carried out before the pandemic and their impact was during it, and that year I was isolated and alone. But I must emphasize that this loneliness is a privilege when many people had to continue working, surviving and maintaining the functioning of the world. We only had to be alone, but they more than that and you must value it too.

Among the activities you have missed, how much do you miss the theater?

Much indeed. It's something that I miss the most and being with people without being afraid. See a play and return to those experiences of being with people doing and living things in common. That is what I need most, in addition to my loved ones.

Disney fully entered streaming and its strong letter has your face, what do you think of the discussion of platforms against movie theaters?

There are incredible things in streaming and many people develop great projects that they did not have access to before. The diversity of voices is gaining ground and it is important to recognize that opportunities grow exponentially and boundaries change. It is incredible the availability that we have to very well made content and how creative people can share their work in different ways. But I also want to be honest: limiting the experience of watching content only on our gadgets or at home is a mistake that affects the stories we can tell. You have to achieve a mix of opportunities and challenges.

You jump between the fictional universes that mark the last decades until you reach the universe of universes. What is your first Star Wars memory and how do you summarize the essence of this legendary story?

For me, Star Wars is nostalgia itself. It is one of the primary things in my memory, of my childhood. I came to the United States with my Chilean family when I was less than two years old and one of my first memories is going to the movies with my dad to see the saga ; it becomes one of those romantic childhood things that opens your mind, so imagine how special it is to participate in this project. I think the creators of The Mandalorian perfectly understand this nostalgia and that power, and they managed to count on that element as a great ally for the world of Star Wars and I couldn't be happier to be part of it. (From which we expect the third season The Mandalorian)

The Mandalorian exploits the power and nuances of your voice, did you have that letter on your resume?

I didn't know I could do it, but I resorted to my theater preparation, which was very physical on all levels and feelings. There are elements that have to do with and that are essential to create a role, and they teach you that the voice is something primary, something you have to start with and you cannot hide. Now I have learned much more about the importance of that, and how to use it economically. The body also has to do with that, because something very subtle communicates something. In The Mandalorian , I had a great time figuring out how to do it, they gave me the opportunity to develop it in different ways. The opportunity to be very intense at it.

What happens to the ego when someone works under a suit and a mask?

In the conversations about the project, before doing it, we were communicated the idea and the concept of the entire season , so I clearly understood what it was. I wanted it to be the most powerful version of what they were trying to accomplish, so there was no point in involving my ego, you know? It was already very clear what the project meant, so I knew about the character , the piece that it represented for him and the opportunity that it was for me, so I was only focused on executing in a better way the part that touched me in everything this. In the theater, I worked several times under a mask and it helped me develop the experience.

It seems that The Mandalorian has a very theatrical base ...

Exactly, and thanks to the physical experience of working in theater, doing a play a few times a week, discovering how your body and your voice communicate , being part of a whole image, and how you will tell that story visually, I achieved this character. I never imagined that it would be something I would have to use on such an important Star Wars project .

On the list of entertainment greats, there are names like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, do you think John Favreau should be added to the list?

I think your name is already included. Without a doubt, it is in that category and it is incredible. His vision fascinates me. I remember an episode in the second season , and I had some boots and I walked so much in the snow, it stuck to them. He figured it out, so he talked to the art department about the kind of boots you need when you're out in the snow. They approached me and gave me new ones that fulfilled the idea I was looking for. He noticed it in an instant. It is such a wonderful detail and it is repeated to scale in every session with him. He thinks of absolutely everything and his vision of the use of technology is admirable. He is someone who makes you feel motivated and always sees how to achieve the goal.

One of the reflections in the series is on how and under what circumstances a man can break his creed and way of life. What makes you break with your beliefs?

I think that you must follow your heart so as not to regret anything; Although sometimes it brings pain or conflict, deep down when you look back, everything is worth it because it was what you heard in your heart. I am very afraid to deny that feeling or not to attend to it. I am 45 years old now and I cannot believe I have a finer philosophy. Make it more disciplined. It's ridiculous, but I'm trying to accept that I am and it's all I can say, "follow your heart." Although, you know, I'm not on a good diet yet, I still have trouble sleeping or exercising.

Still good at Chilean empanadas?

Yes, I couldn't stop. And also how good that I do not live in Mexico City because I would only spend it eating. I could move my whole life to defe just to eat.

I want to deviate and ask you, with whom did you see the chapter of your death in Game of Thrones and what traumas did you cause in your family?

For me, no trauma. I separate myself well from the characters , although I fully understand that if I were a Game of Thrones audience and loved that character, it would make an incredible impression on me. Thank you that it was not. I had to interpret it and there was a model of my head to be crushed that way with the tubes and the fake blood, you know? Me lying there, with pieces of my meat, it was funny in the end. But not for my family. For them there is nothing funny but traumatic. My dad's voice changed completely when we saw the episode, he turned around and said: “I didn't like it, Pedro . No, Pedro , not this ”.

The media found similarities between your villain in Wonder Woman: 1984 and Donald Trump. When playing a character with characteristics like this, do you humanize him or do you understand him?

The project had nothing to do with the former president. They always told me that my character in Wonder Woman: 1984 was emotionally messy, and I took that and took that as far as possible. Instead of creating it with images or certain inspirations from life, it was more to work with what was on the page. Personally, what made sense to me is the size of the story that is being told and there is always more, and we all want more. Creatively, if this makes sense, that meant "blowing her out of the park." Connect a hit with the character and be committed to telling his story faithfully, in a way that was true to me. So all the exterior elements found their way.

What a way to start 2021 with the theme of the Capitol ... How do you perceive that moment?

I am not a politician and it is not that I do not have an opinion about this type of event; however, it is not necessary to state the obvious. My opinion would be very simple compared to that of a person who studied this, who knows how to act in these kinds of scenarios; I believe that I am next to the majority who experienced this, which is the logical result of what we have experienced during these years and we are all horrified . It was distressing to see this violence.

If you had the monolith in your hands, what would your wish be?

My wish would be… it's impossible, really (laughs). I think it is to be together again, with less fear and that people have the opportunity to connect.

What is your position on the reality that Chile has experienced in recent years and how has the relationship with your country been since exile?

It is something that I am developing and I continue to do in my life, trying to understand that it is my home. To be in Chile is to be at home, but my life has been very nomadic, living different things and having many influences; so it is strange, I do not feel with the title of a complete Chilean identity nor with an American one.

Neither here nor there?

In a sense, but I'm also completely both. My parents are Chilean , my brothers were born there before my parents traveled, and I came back sometimes because my family is very large; in fact, my parents came back. It has always been there, it continues to develop, and it will be a part of me. I don't know if it answers your question, but it has a lot to do with who I am.

What is your relationship with Latin American cinema? Are you interested?

Much, it has invaded me in life like American cinema. The movies that I carry in my heart, seeing something like Y tu mama was also something that changed me; I also love the work that comes out of Chile , and the only thing I can say is that it is a cinema that needs more access and projects.

Today you have a comedy with Nicolas Cage on the door, can you tell us something?

It's my first shot at comedy , as a complete story within the genre. Speaking of American influences , in the 80s I saw all the films where Nicolas Cage appeared , he came into my life and it's great to be his partner after seeing all his performances.

How is the relationship you have with the comedy genre?

I love it, I have done a lot of comedy in the theater, what happens is that in film and television issues , I was always part of drama castings . And in the cinema, you go where the doors open; Although I identify with one or the other, I think that being an actor , one goes and does what one has to do. Comedy is something unique, it is very challenging because it must be very real to be funny, you cannot hide or use normal tricks. I was very excited to have this challenge in front of a camera.

Finally, Pedro, after going through so many fictional worlds, literally, what do you dream about when you sleep?

I dream that my bathroom is dirty, that I haven't done my math homework, that the oven is on and all that stuff. Sure, there are times when I close my eyes and see myself in all these projects , although my conscience is with the anxieties of the day that you can imagine.

Without a doubt, Pedro Pascal is a particular type .

English Tranlation: Google Translate

SOURCE:  GQ MEXICO

[rwby-rants-and-theories]

You know, in process of writing my RWBY fic...I realised something...I know that some stuff in RWBY came later on such as Grimm Eclipse, it was not planned from the start but...I get ahead of myself what I mean is that why couldn't Merlot and Jacques be the villains alongside Salem and Cinder instead of WF? Especially Jacques. We knew he was a jerk pretty much from start1/2

and he is like this rich coroporate…I know it’s been done with eevil corporations and such but like he has been said in like 3rd ever episode to have shady business partners. Why not the devil herself then? 

It would have been something done before but at least it wouldn’t be insensitive and tone death and as for Merlot, his fate at the end of the game is unknown, whynot introduce him as a villain too? He is a mad scientist obsessed with Grimm. It would have been easy to have him wind up at Salem’s place or aiding Cinder. Because NEW SPECIMEN!! or whatever. and he would have been better than Tyrian imo at least. Because there would be some direction and some sort of purpose in his ‘madness’ either than ‘he crazy lol, nothing more to him’.

I’m not… quite sure what kind of benefit Jacques would reap from Salem’s plan to topple humanity’s governments, especially since Jacques holds a seat in government. If he’s unseated and there’s no mankind, how is he gonna make a profit?

Like, even if Salem lied to Jacques about her goals I don’t think he’d be the kind to get involved in dangerous magical schemes with vague specifics that would obviously end up disrupting the Dust Trade and Atlas’s hold on the world (heheh). As for Merlot and the White Fang, here’s my two cents on that:

Salem’s evidently being upfront with Team WTCH. They’re all very well aware of what Cinder did because they discussed those events in the very first episode of Volume 4. There wasn’t any protest, no one reacting surprised, no “whys” and “hows” or “buts” because they know exactly what the plan is. So it must be a plan one cannot refuse without long consideration (if Ozpin was indeed involved with Salem, he must’ve joined her for good reason and left her for an ever better one). We’d have to examine the villain’s motivations in order to understand what kind of relationships we’re dealing with here and what they stand to gain.

Cinder’s “destiny” was robbed from her, there was something she felt she was rightfully owed to her and it was taken away forcefully enough to leave a very clear emotional mark on her. This is motive compelling enough to join a plan involving causing anarchy and engaging in mass genocide.

Emerald was probably born into poverty and is possibly an orphan. Her Semblance is extremely useful and drew Cinder’s attention. Desperate to avoid homelessness and starvation, Emerald joined Cinder out of a sense of gratitude and loyalty (and implied romantic infatuation). 

Mercury is the son of an assassin whom he likely killed himself in a brutal duel. Killing is all he knows and killing is all he ever has going for him. There may not really be any kind of redemption for a man who actually takes quite a bit of pleasure in taunting his opponents right before he willingly kills them.

Watts is probably an aristocrat who also happens to be a technological genius who reasons in terms of “success” and “failure”. However, I can’t really figure out why specifically he’d join Salem. We’re sure to find out later on (Volume 5 would be the perfect time for it considering how everyone’s in Haven now).

Hazel’s motivations are more clear-cut for me: I just don’t fucking know, lmao. And I wanna find out!!!! (And we will, no doubt about that.)

Tyrian worships Salem for… reasons? I wanna believe that Tyrian remains alive because Salem still sees some use for him and because we’ll get to see the circumstances that led him to being so unwavering in his loyalty to (and emotional dependence on) her and because I wanna think that M&K are above killing autistic-coded characters. Speaking of Tyrian, don’t let @rwbycriticism catch you bad-mouthing their son like that or they’ll curse you forever. 👀👀👀 (Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! 😂😂😂)

While I strongly agree that the White Fang should not be portrayed as evil, they most definitely do have probable cause to join Salem. Humanity is the oppressor and enemy of the Faunus race. Even with all the progress made with their extreme measures, true equality between Faunus and humans has not been achieved after decades of struggle and does not seem to be even close to being achieved in the near-future. Also, Salem’s plans do not seem to target the Faunus specifically, just mankind- so Faunus as a whole stand to benefit from the societal collapse and extinction of their aggressors. Besides, Adam was threatened under death to join Salem or put his men at risk of losing their lives. When faced with a decision like that, only a fool would pick destruction over submission. (EDIT: A counterpoint to this is Salem fully intending to destroy the Faunus as well but is using TWF as foot soldiers and exploiting their circumstances for them to consent to her plan. However, seeing as Faunus likely died on Beacon, that could be refuted.)

I haven’t touched Grimm Eclipse nor watched a playthrough of it (they say it’s fun and I wanna play it but no $$$ lmao) but I guess ???? that Dr. Merlot is someone easy to incorporate into the show???? I mean, in comparison to the members of WTCH, his reason seems a little one-dimensional and therefore a little incongruous. But there’s no doubt you can somehow make it work into something a little more profound. Leaving an antagonist’s fate unresolved would seem like such a cop-out and a wasted opportunity, even if we were given answers about what happened to him off-screen. Does anyone know if the CRWBY has said anything about putting Merlot in the show? I’d like for someone to tell me if we’ve missed anything.

Of course, the essential component missing here is Salem’s plan. We don’t know it so we can’t extrapolate the fundamental reasons why everyone’s involved in it. We have generalizations, things we can infer but not things we know for sure. Given these, I’m not convinced Jacques would be a good pick or an appropriate pawn, even, for Salem and WTCH. Merlot, on the other hand, would be a great fit (if a little underwhelming if done incorrectly, like most things) as a useful asset for their endgame.