#they’re unspecified allegations for a reason

[stvrmhondss]

i would hope it doesn’t have to be said but either way, now is not the time to make jokes about “rbr’s downfall” or to say that you “always knew/thought he was weird/bad”. you can be sad and disappointed but at the end of the day, even if they’re still unspecified they’re serious allegations about the high profile team principal and ceo of the current championship holding team and they should be treated accordingly.

the investigation needs to be supported, the potential victim/victims should not be brushed off but supported and i believe regardless of whether the allegations are proven to be true or not, there should be a call on red bull racing and f1 at large to change because i already see (mostly) men brushing this off and calling women in motorsport the problem and it just shows that this is a symptom of the misogyny that is embedded in this sport and its organisations.

don’t reduce this to a gotcha moment in your idiotic fan wars.

[lacoonawalk]

— nct (127) fame indicators + success factors

because it was requested🥳🎉

idols with confirmed, approximate and for taeyong possible birth times (© to nugustrology on twitter):

johnny: 19:30 (7:30 pm) cst - chicago, il, usa

taeyong: 23:00 (11:00 pm) kst - seoul, south korea ! he might be born at earlier/later time

doyoung: 02:00 (am) kst - guri, south korea

jaehyun: 08:13 (am) kst - seoul, south korea

idols with possible birth times, in this case they’re unspecified if they’re born in the first 12 hours in the day or in the second half of the day:

mark: born in toronto, canada at (what he thinks since he allegedly don’t know) 11:00 et, either libra (for am) or aries (for pm/23:00). assuming his mbti (which is it really infj????), i would assume his rising might be aries, although i will check both alleged times with risk.

haechan: born in seoul, south korea at 10:00 kst, either leo (for am), or capricorn (for pm/22:00). assuming his mbti (enfp?), i would say he’s leo rising, although i will check both times.

i assume mark and haechan with these risings because of me being capricorn rising and also my experience with people with aries, libra and leo rising.

although winwin is inactive in the sub-unit, i will count him as member of nct 127 here.

—————

TAEIL

i won’t count moon and mars’ degrees. i will count moon’s sign and both sun and venus’ alleged degrees.

LEO MOON

aah, yes. leo moon. as a person whose moon is in leo, they're very emotional too. strongly fame indicator because it's in leo.

sun at 22/23 degrees

long-term fame (22 degree) or internet fame with him being trendsetter (23rd degree).

hm.. both are valid.

mercury rx at 8 degrees

mass of people watching him bc of obvious reasons.

venus at 28/29 degrees

his fame is fated. idk if someone from his family is famous, so 29th degree for now.

jupiter rx at 5 degrees

hm. maybe he wasn't ready for the fame? i doubt that the 5th degree is for short-term fame/fame since young age.

saturn (not in retrograde) at 12 degrees

he'll be relatable, lol

neptune rx in 22 degrees

long-term fame. see??

true node in scorpio, in 23 degrees

internet fame with him being trendsetter :D

grand water trine (mercury, jupiter, saturn)

deeply emotional, he has strong intuition. it can help his moon, his neptune and the planets in his grand trine.

scorpio stellium-ish

helps his water trine xd

taurus stellium-ish? (i would call it influence; stellium-ish because there’s more asteroids rather than planets…)

hm.. interests in fashion/art? he could have specific aesthetic in his wardrobe

(edit: 7th nov 2022, 15:10 eet) well, aries? capricorn? i have no idea….

JOHNNY

sun in 20 degrees

oh :)

anyway, uhm, mass of people watching him. yeah.

misunderstanding scandals, like the one he had last year.

mercury rx in 8 degrees as oriental planet

same as taeil's, although as oriental planet he has to learn to be himself. i know how hard it is to have mercury rx as oriental planet.. personal experience.

venus in 5 degrees

basically, his trainee life since young age.

mars rx IN LEO in 23 degrees

internet fame with him being trendsetter. possible hardships for when he has to act and/or say whatever he wants.

jupiter in sagittarius in 11 degrees

internet fame with him being trendsetter. his jupiter being in sagittarius, means his fame/glory/abundance/etc. is coming to him easily.

saturn in 12 degrees

he'll be relatable.

uranus in 27 degrees

success is coming to him with his freedom (and hard work).

neptune in 24 degrees

he'll be idolized. (if not now, then in the future)

pluto in 0 degrees

CRITICAL DEGREE! um, fame is coming to him in its pure way and it can be shocking.

5th house stellium

so, johnny in acting industry when? (asking this because it's great, great indicator for acting fame)

capricorn stellium

like jisoo from blackpink, he could give to his audience ceo vibes. he can have his own business in the future.

moon in 10th house

fame indicator by itself.

virgo rising in 17 degrees

the degree is fame indicator by itself. long-term fame.

medium coeli (mc) in gemini

yeah...ceo vibe. he might create company, or will be involved with something that involves talking/creativity in the future.

fire signs in the houses (sagittarius in IC/4th, aries in 8th and leo in 12th)

- sagittarius in the fourth house

with sagittarius in 4th house, he can feel that everywhere is his home

- aries in the eighth house

yeah.. mars rx, it makes sense he has hardships with his way of acting.

- leo in the twelfth house

johnny is unpredictable and even mysterious.

TAEYONG

MOON IN LEO

same as taeil's. literally.

mercury in gemini in 17 degrees

his mercury being in gemini is great (because the planet is in its comfortable sign alongside virgo)! although his degree is in fame (and critical degree), whatever and whenever he talks, everyone will talk about him and if he doesn't want/have to talk, ehm.. taeyong has to be careful/cautious.

jupiter rx in sagittarius

although rx jupiter is hard placement, it's good placement for taeyong to speak out when he has to. since he's in industry where these days has fans in the whole world, beliefs/social issues/etc. are important. this placement is great for that. although jupiter being in retrograde might slower the things, it can happen and if taeyong wants to, he should! + it being in the 9th house speaks to that even more. in conclusion: jupiter in sagittarius/9th house = great influencer placement.

saturn (IT ISN’T RETROGRADE) in 24 degrees (in first house)

look. i know his saturn is great indicator for his musician career, but i do think there's more than him being idealized..

maybe, perhaps, there could be possible movement? similar to free britney? i don't know..

uranus rx in 29 degrees (in 11th house)

karmic degree (it’s obvious it’s also long-term glory too). possible hardships with people who are more important than him, like boss(es)/friends/close people/etc. (more likely boss(es), colleagues). he has original, even shocking, one-of-a-kind ideas. can possibly help his saturn…

neptune rx in 24 degrees (in 11th house)

idolized, can be also relatable. hardships with putting himself in the first place (he could prefer to help others more rather than himself). emotionally he might have elements of mercury rx (his mbti is similar to mine…or the same).

possible controversial indicator personally to him, not sure. i could do a research on that actually but i don’t quite know from where i can start. there has to be 20 degree somewhere in his natal chart…

pluto rx in 28 degrees (in 9th house)

fame degree as well as perfect house indicator about media and entertainment. pluto rx strengths his neptune rx (about the elements of mercury rx).

pisces rising in allegedly 7 degrees

yes, i said allegedly. possibly from there we can sense he’s an introvert (infp mbti..)? i don’t know people who i know they’re pisces rising so that’s why i assume that.

we can sense he’s interested in music even from his rising.

fire signs in houses

- aries in the cusp of the second house, 22 degrees

success in military/sport/entertainment in some cases. long-term career (doesn’t matter if he has it rn or will have it in the future).

- leo in the cusp of 6th house in 3 degrees

great indicators for him in the entertainment/music/tv industry. he can use more communication in the future though.

- mc in sagittarius in 17 degrees

great influencer indicator! helps his saturn and jupiter imo.

in my opinion, the degrees on his natal houses aren’t these.

YUTA

i won’t count mercury, venus, mars and lilith’s degrees as well as moon as whole, although i will count sun’s degree.

scorpio stellium

he'd do (almost) anything to achieve what he wants. possible interests in mysterious things, spiritual life, similar things.

libra stellium-ish (influence i would say)

appreciates art and beauty in life. possible interests in fashion, art, even things that include fairness.

sun in 1/2 degrees

yuta's sun is more like "you are going to be successful" rather than "FAME". although if his sun is in the second degree, he'll see the fame in unexcepted things, in the mysterious for example.

mars and jupiter in sagittarius

i see yuta loves freedom in what he does career-wise so much..

his jupiter seems the same as taeyong's with the difference it isn't retrograde.

pluto in 29 degrees

karmic as hell. literally.

long-term fame, with heavy mark in the k-pop industry. either there, or in the future with whatever he decides to do.

hm. capricorn rising? maybe 22/23 degrees? having in mind his planets by degrees, it's very possible to have 20-degree planet, like moon (slim chance to none) or venus (small chance but not big, maybe like 40%; having in mind that he once? twice? wore questionable? controversial? shirt). if not, 20th degree house. 100%.

if his scorpio stellium isn't that influental to him.. i don't know.. sagittarius? pisces? not quite sure...

DOYOUNG

stellium in the 3rd house

his mbti (isfj?) really shows up here.

realistic for sure. communicative, hard-worker.

aquarius stellium

interests in everything that makes him free. fashion, art, technology, inventions, astronomy/astrology..

capricorn stellium

100% helps his 3rd house. can give ceo vibes (if he wants to). interests in anything secure.

saturn as dominant planet and in 22 degrees

how funny. long story short, his capricorn stellium (& aquarius). slowly, steady career.

his saturn in the 4th house, though... :( can relate. he's lucky his chiron is in 11th house.

sun in 11 degrees

internet fame. great indicator for social media fame.

moon in 27 degrees

i have that. success degree !!!

it's obvious he's introvert though, lol

uranus in 1 degree

success degree.

pluto in 2 degrees, 1st house

crazy, crazy fame. famous for what he is, as individual. he can shake the k-pop industry.

true node in libra, in 20 degrees, in 11th house

aah, the 20th degree. everyone is drooling over him, though the degree gives me similar vibes to saturn in 20 degrees. they could be fated too...

chiron rx in 11th house

there could be some hardships because of his (past/future) scandals. he has to be careful because he has 20 degrees more than once...

scorpio rising in 20 degrees

the degree :') can relate.

well, he can say something and later will realise his mistake and will apologize. he means it every single time. he could not change that though, he's introvert after all and sometimes whatever he says, he can meant it differently. i understand him too well..

mc in virgo in 0 degrees

everything involving communication/health/education/exploring (either one or more).

fire signs in houses

- sagittarius in the cusp of 2nd house, 20 degrees

flexible career-wise. could be misunderstood about his ideas at first. there's also possibility of people underestimating him.

- aries in the cusps of 5th (2 degrees) and 6th (28 degrees) houses

[5th house] success in entertaiment/sport industry.

[6th house] success in sport industry (including military). feeling like home... probably it'll be the military.

- leo in the whole 9th house

same as 5th house.

well, he could love the military when he has to go to serve..

he's lucky his mercury is in the 19th degree.

JAEHYUN

aquarius stellium

interests in fashion/art/computers..

12th house stellium

interests in anything spiritual/mysterious.

11th house stellium

massive fame. many, many fans. he probably loves being in nct (or having group work in general).

uranus as dominant planet, uranus in 5 degrees

he wants to do anything that makes him happy and free.

5th degree - either fame since young age, or he wasn't ready for his fame. ik he was in smrookies but just wanted to say that.

saturn as dominant planet, saturn in 1st house

slowly but steady career. in 1st house, this will be even more influental.

moon in 20 degrees

owch. he has intense emotions. possible scandals because of them?

mars rx in 5 degrees

hardships with his willpower.

5th degree.. well, he probably wasn't ready for his fame.

jupiter in 5 degrees

fame since young age/him not ready for his fame.

neptune in 28 degrees

his dreams are BIG. the fame is his home? he might've visualized it years ago without realising.

pluto in 5 degrees

ah, the 5th degree is everywhere...

true node in virgo, in 29 degrees

same as virgo mc: everything involving communication/health/education/exploring (either one or more).

lilith in LEO

just him having strong ego... or him not having that at all.

chiron (not retrograde) in 2 degrees

crazy, crazy fame. obssessive even.

pisces rising in 12 degrees

definite indicator (in my opinion) for his career in the industry.

mc sagittarius in 20 degrees

great influence indicator! though, the 20th degree..i do believe it has similar vibe to saturn in 20 degrees.

other fire signs in houses:

- aries in the cusp of the 2nd house

success in sports/entertaiment in some cases

- leo in the cusp of the 6th house

workaholics, success in the entertaiment industry (specifically acting/singing)

JUNGWOO

well, i had to manual write the coordinations since i cannot find GUNPO :) so i had to search sanbon-dong’s coordinates somehow

i won’t count sun in signs and moon as whole as well as mercury’s degrees. although, i will count sun’s degrees.

sun at 29/0 degrees

karmic/critical degree. the fame is fate.

saturn in aries, in 17 degrees

long-term fame. great leaders.

neptune in 0 degrees

critical degree. dreams comes into his head purely.

true node in 11 degrees

success in the internet. possible influence indicator imo.

aquarius stellium

interests in computers/fashion/art.

hm. water rising?

MARK

i won’t count sun and moon’s degrees.

and here comes my magic of editing:

mercury rx in 29 degrees

introvert vibe. karmic degree. long-term fame.

both houses seem realistic, although i am not nctzen and since i don’t watch mark to that extent i wouldn’t assume based on his natal chart which one seems more in place.

mars in 12 degrees

great willpower, acts when he has to.

assuming his mars is in scorpio, in dominant sign for the planet, and assuming that the degree is pisces one, both houses seem realistic too to my opinion.

neptune rx in 2 degrees

he could have (had) hardships with his dreams/illusions. massive fame, many, many fans.

since neptune is all about illusions.. ugh.

based on “child”, 11th house. he REMEMBERS his childhood (based on some facts i read randomly while doing my research). he’s not that dumb to not remember what his past was. he PRIORITISE his family, he doesn’t want to let them down. he puts that in the first place and he doesn’t forget.

on the other hand, i do see some water degrees in the aries rising chart, and there are asteroids and pluto in 8th house. there is definitely spiritual meaning to his neptune in some way.

neptune in the fourth house - no. big no.

true node in LEO in 12 degrees

him in entertaiment industry - yeah yeah it's too obvious yeah, he will be relatable somehow.

well, according to the true node in the 5th house, it’s about reclaiming his individuality, it’s about finding ourselves. it makes sense to the true node to be in the fifth house because of both his mercury and venus retrograde. mercury is about communication, way of thinking, knoweledge. venus is about creativity, art, beautiful things in general. as soon as i learned that his brother pushed him to try for the sm audition, i understood it makes sense.

in 11th house though, it makes sense too! he knows that he is worthy as person, though he gets sad and can find everything harder when he is alone, no matter if it’s literally or it is feeling.

both placements make sense.

lilith in sagittarius

influental for how he grow up or another secret(s). cou;d be relatable about that.

since lilith is about secrets and these dark things, i do believe it’s 8th house because of his true node. mercury rx and venus rx appear here as my reasonings for that too.

i do think it makes no sense for his lilith to be in the third house just because of his retrograde mercury, it’ll be hard placement if his rising is actually libra….

chiron in 27 degrees

helps his lilith!

imo chiron is in his 8th house because of his moving to south korea when he was 6 (that's what i read so if i am wrong, correct me).

HAECHAN

my magic of editing also comes here (without lilith; i am too lazy to fix that sorry):

MOON IN LEO

so yeah, very emotional. very expressive.

both houses makes sense imo, i don't stan nct so i wouldn't know to that extent.

mars in 22/23 degrees

long impact or internet fame, both degrees and houses make sense.

jupiter in 23 degrees

internet fame. both houses make sense imo.

saturn in 24 degrees

he is and will be idealized. both houses make sense imo too.

uranus rx in 20 degrees

oh.. is it about that scnadal when it was reported he was friends with saesangs? if yes, uranus in 20 degrees might mean scandals when he has free time, when he does whatever he wants..

both houses make sense imo too, lol

pluto rx in 11 degrees

internet fame, he might've accepted it hard at some point.

probably 4th house, pluto in 11th house is harder placement imo. i know from personal experience.

true node in cancer

he listens to his heart! great indicator for musicians. both houses make sense imo. again.

and, i know, he's inactive in this unit, but WINWIN

i won't count sun, moon, mercury, venus and mars' degrees, though i do think his sun might be in the 5th degree.

jupiter in 12 degrees

he is and will be relatable.

neptune in 27 degrees

success degree.

lilith in 24 degrees

he is and will be idolized.

i dunno which rising... i bet leo. libra. idk. scorpio. NO IDEA.

so yeah, the nct members are definitely interesting. i can relate the most with doyoung by degrees and signs. like, i felt myself somehow at least a bit (and i’m not nctzen).

click for nct dream here

[msclaritea]

Democrats who swept Moms For Liberty off school board fight superintendent’s $700,000 exit deal - POLITICO

"...People are really sick of the embarrassing meetings, the vitriol, they’re tired of our district being in the news for all the wrong reasons. And … the students are aware of what’s been going on, particularly our LGBTQ students and their friends and allies,” said Karen Smith, a Democrat who won a third term on the board.

The district, with about 17,000 students in 23 schools, has spent $1.5 million on legal and public relations fees amid competing lawsuits, discrimination complaints and investigations in the past two years, including a pending suit over its suspension of a middle school teacher who supported LGBTQ+ and other marginalized students.

The jostling — and spending — look likely to continue as Democrats who won a 6-3 majority in the Nov. 7 election prepare to challenge the severance package for superintendent Abram Lucabaugh, which was added to the Nov. 14 agenda only the night before.

Meanwhile, several voters in the quaint town of Chalfont filed a court petition Monday challenging the school board election tallies, alleging unspecified “fraud or error.”

Student Lily Freeman, a vocal critic of board policies on LGBTQ issues, decried the district’s spending priorities. She called the severance package a bad deal for both students and taxpayers.

“It’s kind of like a slap in the face,” said the senior at Central Bucks East High School. “Teachers are struggling, and there’s a lot of students that are struggling...."

[famedroleplayarchive]

As promised, here’s an admin update post. This addresses several topics you all probably knew were coming and might have been waiting for the answers on, as well as some other topics, additions, and changes! Please take your time to read this thoroughly, and thanks again for four years of Famed! There’s a lot here, so take your time reading it.

URL change

The main blog’s URL has changed to famedroleplay. Some links are still being updated, but if you notice anything still links back incorrectly after a week or so, please do let me know!

Faceclaims

After hearing out the opinion of everyone who shared theirs regarding banning faceclaims involved in bullying scandals and taking that into consideration, face claims will be banned if they are linked to outside crimes or severe such as sexual assault, molka, or bullying in connection to suicide / suicide attempts. This means the initial ban on actor Kim Jisoo and April members Kim Chaewon, Lee Naeun, Yang Yena, Lee Jinsol, and and ex-member Jeon Somin remain in tact.

Bullying allegations not linked to these outside factors will still be grounds for someone to be allowed to ask to change a faceclaim before their faceclaim change waiting period is up, though, if they are uncomfortable continuing to use a faceclaim because of bullying allegations. If a faceclaim leaves the industry and/or removes themselves from the public eye for the foreseeable future for any reason, they are also still unusable, but this rule was already in place.

As for how this will affect parts of the roleplay other than faceclaims, please see the section further down about Element. Two April songs (”Oh My Mistake!” and “Love Clock”) were previously used for the first season of base’s COLLA3ORATE. These will be retroactively replaced with Elris’s “Jackpot” and “Like I Do” respectively, but if you had a muse involved in “Oh My Mistake” and would prefer to remove them from COLLA3ORATE season one entirely, just message me and they will be removed. I assigned the lines trying to match the positions and line distributions up similarly, but if your muse was involved and you’d like to keep them in “Jackpot” but want to switch to an untaken position, you’re welcome to request that as well. Otherwise, any references to that can simply use those songs instead now.

Element update

Due to the recent allegations involving Somin, a major revamp of Element has had to be conducted. After discussing the situation with the current muns of the group, the past model discography of Element has been replaced using Checkmate, K-Tigers Zero, and Lucky J, and they will be making their final comeback on April 12. After those promotions end, Element will be disbanded and the members will re-debut later in the year in a boy group, Quicksilver, with model groups of Ateez and Treasure and a girl group, Marigold, with model groups of BVNDIT and Melody Day with two new members each. The Element spots have been reopened, but the new positions in the new groups won’t be opened until after Element have finished promoting. This will be a major plotline for the roleplay and Gold Star in particular so expect to see it brought up in schedules and in some articles on the Exclusive blog as the storyline unfolds.

The new debuts in Quicksilver and Marigold will be available on May 13.

Fuse’s model discography update

Thanks to everyone’s suggestions, I was able to find two groups to add to Fuse’s model discography that I felt could align with their sound, direction, storyline, and positions enough to be happy with for now. These groups are Cherry Bullet and Weki Meki. The updated line distribution can be found on Fuse’s page.

There are other groups I’m looking into adding onto the model discographies of, but Fuse was the most urgent, so they’re the only official update I have today!

Canon soloists

Ultimately, after the poll, more people voted to remove canon soloists than to keep them, and they are officially being removed from the roleplay.

Those discographies previously used for the soloists will begin to be open for points claims at midnight/12AM EDT on April 12.

With the removal of canon soloists, the plan is to allow a solo music career to become a more prominent claiming option, and there are plans for some additional claim options to become available in relation to such a career, but those will be added and addressed at a later time.

As for storylines linked to some of the soloists, this is how those will be retconned:

BC Soloist 1: Instead of BC signing and debuting a known Gold Star trainee, BC hired a high profile creative director from Gold Star known from working with Gold Star since their inception and had worked on some of their most defining comebacks and announced she would be taking over as one of the company’s main creative directors. She has since worked on conceptualizing several group’s comeback as well as most heavily on Chroma’s pre-debut project.

Dimensions Soloist 3: Instead of Dimensions buying out a small and brand new company created by a crew of popular music producers with one soloist who they transferred to their label, in early 2020, Dimensions bought out a music production company that was created by a top music production team with several rising producers signed with them and made the producers in-house producers for Dimensions. Since then, the new producers have helped to produce several hit Dimensions songs since.

While Gold Star Soloist 1 no longer exists as an IU stand-in, Gold Star still had an incredibly popular and loved NPC soloist as one of their first artists that helped give their name prominence. At the beginning of 2021, she announced her departure from the agency to create her own label, citing her reasoning as feeling she needed a more focused environment than Gold Star’s growth could provide. There are rumors she was alluding to dissatisfaction with Gold Star’s recent management and gossip that Gold Star was pushing for her to pursue activities in overseas markets she wasn’t interested in.

Anyone who had a feature or MV appearance claim on a soloist can contact me and let me know whether they’d like to just drop the claim (and, if a points claim, recollect those points), keep it as a claim in an unspecified work, or try to replace it with something else. The following muses had claims this applies to:

Features:

Cha Kyonghwa (Kami) (app claim) Kang Sunghee (app claim) Park Jaewon (points claim, 10 points) dropped! Choi Joosung (Sun) (points claim, 10 points) Moon Chaeyeon (Dita) (app claim) Park Duri (points claim, 10 points) kept as unspecified!

MV appearances:

Kim Kyongmin (Alice) (app claim) Ryu Jaein (points claim, 5 points) dropped! Seo Minjung (points claim, 10 points) points reclaimed! Moon Chaeyeon (Dita) (app claim)

Points shop updates

There have been a few updates to the points shop!

Firstly, the nation’s title claim checklist now requires a headcanon on the muse’s image and how it relates to their claims and career to be completed. This is just so I can see a mun’s own intentions for how everything ties in with their image. This headcanon shouldn’t focus on the title itself since that isn’t ever guaranteed for approval, but the muse’s general image as the mun has shaped it. The viral moment requirement for a nation’s title is now also specified to need to relate to the image involved in the desired title.

In the wake of canon soloists being removed, I’m planning on being a little more strict regarding music claims aligning well with positions.This applies to both individual songs and whole discographies. Still, the intent is to be reasonable. Chungha having a rap-like verse in “Bicycle” won’t require someone to have a rap position to claim it since it’s not a lot of the song and she’s not known as a rapper, but I also wouldn’t approve a muse whose most prominent position is main rapper or a main dancer making their entire discography IU releases since IU is primarily a singing-focused artist.

There used to be a rule requiring that muns seek admin approval before claiming songs written by deceased artists, but that rule has now been removed. Keep it respectful, though, please. If any issue arises with muns breaking the fourth wall in relation to these songs to be disrespectful about a real person’s passing, that claim may be revoked and the rule may be reinstated. Songs performed by deceased artists still cannot be claimed.

There’s also a new claim available — a YouTube variety show or talk show. Please see the variety page for examples and more information, but note that this is separate from both a reality show claim. I’ve tried to specify the difference, but if you’re ever unsure which one what you want to claim would fit into, feel free to ask! Both will now be uploaded in-’verse to base’s Youtube Channel. Likewise, there has been a small change so that future radio show claims are now through base Radio, a radio streaming application (think Naver Now). 

Company building pages + Pinterest

I’m currently working on pages that give more detail on the layout of the company headquarters. They aren’t quite finished yet, but I have created a Famed Pinterest account for those of you who find more muse visually or who are into visual worldbuilding! One of the sections on the boards there gives a rough idea of company building visuals. There are group concept boards as well, so if you’re struggling to decide where your muse might fit, looking at those might help you if you’re more of a visual person. No one is required to follow it and I won’t be answering messages or anything of the sort there, but I thought it might be a helpful way to visually convey locations and concepts! I’ll make a small post to let everyone know when the pages with in-depth information on the company buildings is available.

Activity rules updates

I mentioned there’d be a few more touch-ups to the activity rules to fill in loopholes that have been around a while, so here they are.

- There is now a formal hiatus request form that must be submitted to request a hiatus. Simply sending the main an IM that you want a hiatus will no longer qualify as a valid request and it will not be processed.

- There will no longer be a week-long grace period after a hiatus ends. You are responsible for being active for the next activity check after your hiatus ends.

- The maximum length of a hiatus is now three weeks (and the minimum one week). The initial hiatus request maximum is still two weeks with one week extensions, but extensions may not be stacked to exceed three weeks total without a passed activity check in between. If you can’t be around for a longer period of time, it might be best to rejoin at a later time when you’re more available! In total, a mun is allotted a maximum of four weeks of hiatus over any twelve week period.

- If a muse reaches three activity warnings in a month, they will be automatically moved to the unfollow list on their third warning instead. If a muse is removed and refollowed three times over the course of six months, they will not be able to be re-followed again and will have to re-apply.

New points opportunity

As of this post going up, muses may now collect one point for every first closed thread with a new muse after it has reached ten posts. This will no longer only apply during events and the ten post requirement is new. Members should be interacting with new muses all the time, not just during events, so it felt right to adjust this accordingly. This applies only to threads started after this post goes up.

Chroma

As schedules have been made quarterly, all remaining Chroma roles will be made available for reserves and applications in at midnight/12AM EDT on April 12.

Suggestions + Feedback

I want to end off this post by reminding everyone that I’m always taking suggestions for events, tasks, etc! I plan on opening an official suggestion submission blog at some point down the line, but I’m happy to take suggestions through the ask box or submit if you have any. I’m also open to feedback as well. If you do send in either of these things, please specify if you’d like a reply from me, since sometimes I might be naturally inclined to keep a message simply giving a suggestion or idea without any questions instead of responding to it.

Thanks for reading this very long update! There are more additions to the roleplay in the works, some I’ve hinted at here and some I’ve not, but I hope Famed’s fifth year is able to be its best one yet!

[newstfionline]

Monday, April 5, 2021

Coming out of the cave: As life creeps back, some feel dread (AP) Dinner reservations are gleefully being made again. Long-canceled vacations are being booked. People are coming together again, in some of the ways they used to. But not everyone is racing back. For some, even small tasks outside the home—a trip to the grocery store, or returning to the office—can feel overwhelming. Psychologists call it re-entry fear, and they’re finding it more common as headlines herald the imminent return to post-pandemic life. “I have embraced and gotten used to this new lifestyle of avoidance that I can’t fathom going back to how it was. I have every intention of continuing to isolate myself,” says Thomas Pietrasz, who lives alone and works from his home in the Chicago suburbs as a content creator. Pietrasz says his anxiety has grown markedly worse as talk of post-vaccine life grows. He says he got used to “hiding at home and taking advantage of curbside and delivery in order to avoid every situation with people.”

Vaccine passports are latest flash point in COVID politics (AP) Vaccine passports being developed to verify COVID-19 immunization status and allow inoculated people to more freely travel, shop and dine have become the latest flash point in America’s perpetual political wars, with Republicans portraying them as a heavy-handed intrusion into personal freedom and private health choices. They currently exist in only one state—a limited government partnership in New York with a private company—but that hasn’t stopped GOP lawmakers in a handful of states from rushing out legislative proposals to ban their use. Vaccine passports are typically an app with a code that verifies whether someone has been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19. They are in use in Israel and under development in parts of Europe. But lawmakers around the country are already taking a stand against the idea. “We have constitutional rights and health privacy laws for a reason,” said Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a Republican. “They should not cease to exist in a time of crisis. These passports may start with COVID-19, but where will they end?” Benninghoff said this week his concern was “using taxpayer money to generate a system that will now be, possibly, in the hands of mega-tech organizations who’ve already had problems with getting hacked and security issues.”

Facebook data on more than 500M accounts found online (AP) Details from more than 500 million Facebook users have been found available on a website for hackers. The information appears to be several years old, but it is another example of the vast amount of information collected by Facebook and other social media sites, and the limits to how secure that information is. The availability of the data set was first reported by Business Insider. According to that publication, it has information from 106 countries including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates, and email addresses. Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years.

In Myanmar, Easter eggs a symbol of defiance for anti-coup protesters (Reuters) Opponents of military rule in Myanmar inscribed messages of protest on Easter eggs on Sunday while others were back on the streets, facing off with the security forces after a night of candle-lit vigils for hundreds killed since a Feb. 1 coup. In the latest in a series of impromptu shows of defiance, messages including “We must win” and “Get out MAH”—referring to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing—were seen on eggs in photographs on social media. Young people in the main city of Yangon handed out eggs bearing the messages of protest, pictures in posts showed.

With Swarms of Ships, Beijing Tightens Its Grip on South China Sea (NYT) The Chinese ships settled in like unwanted guests who wouldn’t leave. As the days passed, more appeared. They were simply fishing boats, China said, though they did not appear to be fishing. Dozens even lashed themselves together in neat rows, seeking shelter, it was claimed, from storms that never came. Not long ago, China asserted its claims on the South China Sea by building and fortifying artificial islands in waters also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Its strategy now is to reinforce those outposts by swarming the disputed waters with vessels, effectively defying the other countries to expel them. The goal is to accomplish by overwhelming presence what it has been unable to do through diplomacy or international law. And to an extent, it appears to be working. “Beijing pretty clearly thinks that if it uses enough coercion and pressure over a long enough period of time, it will squeeze the Southeast Asians out,” said Greg Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, which tracks developments in the South China Sea. “It’s insidious.”

Nearly 20 arrested in alleged plot against Jordan’s King Abdullah II (Washington Post) Jordanian authorities on Saturday arrested as many as 20 people and sought to restrain the movement of a former crown prince amid what officials called a threat to the “security and stability” of a country long regarded as a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East. Prince Hamzeh bin Hussein, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor, was told to remain at his Amman palace amid an investigation into an alleged plot to unseat his older half brother, King Abdullah II, according to a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official briefed on the events. The move followed the discovery of what officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot that included at least one other Jordanian royal as well as tribal leaders and members of the country’s political and security establishment. One official cited unspecified evidence of “foreign” backing for the plan. Biden administration officials were briefed on the arrests, which come at a time of heightened economic and political tension in a country long regarded as a bulwark of stability and an essential partner in U.S.-led counterterrorism operations.

Cairo’s mummies get a new home. And a grand procession on the way. (Washington Post) It was a parade unlike any other this city has seen. A procession of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies streamed Saturday from downtown Cairo, where revolutionaries rose up to topple autocrat Hosni Mubarak a decade ago, to a new museum three miles away that represents Egypt’s future as much as its past. At 8 p.m., the mummies—18 kings and four queens—left the famed ochre-hued Egyptian Museum near Tahrir Square, where they had rested for decades. They were each atop specially decorated gold-and-blue-hued vehicles resembling boats. Or perhaps the symbol of a winged sun, an ornament worn by Egypt’s ancient rulers and seen as providing protection. Each of the 22 vehicles was emblazoned with the name of the royal mummy it carried. The multimillion-dollar affair—called the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade—had been promoted for months. Egyptian authorities are seeking to attract tourists, a key source of foreign currency, and alter the course of an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic, Islamist attacks and political chaos in past years. The highly choreographed ceremony was also a nationalist vehicle to highlight Egypt’s place in history. The nation’s authoritarian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who himself is often referred to as “a new pharaoh” for his ambitious projects and iron-fisted rule, presided over the ceremony.

Confronting late-stage pandemic burnout (NYT) Like many of us, the writer Susan Orlean is having a hard time concentrating these days. “Good morning to everyone,” she tweeted recently, “but especially to the sentence I just rewrote for the tenth time.” “I feel like I’m in quicksand,” she explained by phone from California, where she has been under quasi-house arrest for the last year. “I’m just so exhausted all the time. I’m doing so much less than I normally do—I’m not traveling, I’m not entertaining, I’m just sitting in front of my computer—but I am accomplishing way less. It’s like a whole new math. I have more time and fewer obligations, yet I’m getting so much less done.” Call it a late-pandemic crisis of productivity, of will, of enthusiasm, of purpose. Whatever you call it, it has left many of us feeling like burned-out husks, dimwitted approximations of our once-productive selves. “Malaise, burnout, depression and stress—all of those are up considerably,” said Todd Katz, executive vice president and head of group benefits at MetLife. The company’s most recent Employee Benefit Trends Study, conducted in December and January, found that workers across the board felt markedly worse than they did last April. The study was based in part on interviews with 2,651 employees. In total, 34 percent of respondents reported feeling burned out, up from 27 percent last April. Twenty-two percent said they were depressed, up from 17 percent last April, and 37 percent said they felt stressed, up from 34 percent.

[consummate-deviant]

Why I Think Entrapdak is Pretty Neat

Hello!  How’s the family?  Cat treating you okay?  Isn’t autumn just...like… the best?  Anyway, so, my Hordak thing turned out to be kinda popular.  I’m flattered, really!  If there are people out there willing to reward me writing stuff with positive attention, then I’ll just have to write more stuff.  I mentioned back then that I had a similar write-up about Entrapdak, as a ship… and there seemed to be a little bit of interest in hearing my thoughts on the subject. So, here ya go!  I’m Lancer, by the by.  Not a lot to me.  I’m a guy who likes things, and who enjoys articulating why I like things.  I don’t really do it for any particular reason. I’m not trying to pwn haters or convert nonbelievers…  As you may recall, though you might have missed it (I tend to be very lowkey and subtle about it), I’m not your dad and have no interest in the position… unless it pays.  I just feel like the internet doesn’t have enough positivity, and the best way to remedy that is to produce some of my own.  

As fate would have it, I like Entrapdak.  A lot.  I don’t ship often... a relationship has to really sync with me on a profound level to make me invested enough in it to want to write about it, but this one did it.  Now, I’m not really promising originality here.  As someone who explores the tag frequently, I know that plenty have expressed feelings I’m going to share with you here, many of whom did so better than I ever could, but sometimes you want to share your perspective, even if others whose opinions mirror yours have done so in the past, y’know? It’s a human thing! The relationship is a little… polarizing with people, though, I’ve noticed.  A lot of people hate it, and have various reasons for doing so.  Again, I ain’t here to convert you if you feel that way, but I did feel like the best way to kick things off would be to look at some of the major reasons other people tend to react to the ship like it were horseradish on a hotdog, and why those reasons don’t really bother me.  A part that I, in my infinite wit and adorned in my clever pants, have dubbed:

Part 1: Entrapdak- Why I don’t hate it

***EXAMPLE THE FIRST: “HORDAK, THE AGED”***

By now it’s fairly well known that Entrapta is somewhere in the range of her late 20s to her early 30s.  Now a few people refuse to accept this, citing her behavior as childish and accusing the creators of lying.    I’m not really going to engage with that perspective.  Hordak and Entrapta have appeared together in creator works and concept art dating back to 2017.  Their interactions were intended to be a part of the show from the early stages of its creation.  If you have so little faith in Noelle that you believe she planned for her story to have a romantic-coded relationship between an adult and a minor… I don’t know what I can even tell you.

Rather, the perspective that interests me comes from people who accept Entrapta being in the stated age range, but who still find themselves repulsed by the relationship on grounds of age.  ‘She’s an adult, sure, but how old is Hordak?  He could be in his fifties or sixties, or even be hundreds of years old.’  This point of view is at least interesting to think about, so I reckon I can share why this deal-breaker for some doesn’t really bother me.  

To begin,  assigning human ages, and the stigmas thereof, to an alien bat clone just feels strange to me.  The Horde doesn’t seem like the type of place to want to waste resources on alien bat clone daycare... was Hordak born as an infant, or was he artificially developed to his current age?  If it’s the later, do we consider him 0 years old at the moment of his birth, or already an adult?  We don’t have a timescale provided to accurately determine his age, so investing too heavily in trying to learn it seems somewhat tedious and a lotofwhat pointless.

If we do, though, my next question is: what is the element of an age gap that makes it inappropriate?  Now, that’s a personal question, of course. Morality isn’t something that really lends itself to objective declarations, but there are a few answers you can offer.  ‘Morality’ isn’t really the operative word here anyway... since it has more to do with taste, though this particular taste does come from what you believe…  Y’know, it just occurred to me, but…  People who believe that their taste in ships makes them morally superior, and that ships they dislike are supported by moral degenerates, seem like people who just aren’t a lot of fun to be around or think about… but that’s a digression, I’ll refocus my thought-lazer.

For me, with age gaps, it comes down to two things:

1.) Both parties being on the same side of the child/adult divide- I should hope this one sounds reasonable, right?  The ships that really powdered sugar my poptart are the ones that feel like equal partnerships, and relationships that try to cross this line tend to not be especially equal.  

2.) What stage in their lives they’re at-  It’s difficult for even a wizard of self expression like myself to state plainly, so let me give an example: If I saw a 25 year old dating a 50 year old, the 25-year age difference isn’t so much what makes it off-putting, but rather what those 25 years represent in this circumstance.  At age 25, people are still struggling to find themselves.  They’re adjusting to independence, gaining an identity, maybe finally finding an entryway into a career path that suits them.  By 50, a person is already established.  They likely have a career, they have a firm grasp on who they are as a person and what they want to be, and they almost certainly have a greater degree of financial stability.  Thus, if they enter a relationship, which is supposed to be equal, it doesn’t feel that way.  One side has a stronger position than the other, and over time that could become power they use to sway and control the other.

I don’t see Hordak as being in a more advanced stage of his life than Entrapta.  They seem to be at about the same place when it comes to self actualization.  In fact, Hordak is a bit more arrested in his development than Entrapta is, simply because he’s never really thought to question what would make him happy or why.  Hordak rules the Horde, which Entrapta is a part of… which could lead to an imbalance, if Entrapta, like, could be bothered to give even the slightest toss of a salad about status or promotion, but she doesn’t.  Neither of them holds higher ground over the other in a way that’s significant to the two of them.  In terms of life stage, they’re perfectly equal. The fact that Hordak might be physically older than her by some unspecified amount is, by itself, completely arbitrary and meaningless.  

*** EXAMPLE THE SECOND: ‘ENTRAPTA, THE MANIPULATED’***

A second, rarer discussion point for those who are unfond of the ship is that it’s unhealthy, on the grounds that Hordak is manipulating Entrapta.  Taking advantage of her naivete to coerce her into aiding the forces of darkness despite not caring for her at all.  Now, as I mentioned above, I ain’t writing this to change anyone’s mind.  If you’re reading this, and this is a viewpoint you hold as valid, do what makes you happy, homie.  That said, the issue I ran into when I tried to think of why this perspective didn’t bother me was a vexing one. See, I like to fancy myself an empathetic dude.  I try really hard to consider other people’s perspectives when I have a disagreement, and avoid judging anyone too harshly if I don’t know their full circumstance… but even with all that alleged empathy at my disposal… this hot take about Entrapdak is… kinda completely incomprehensible to me? Like, I have no idea how anyone could have seen the interactions between the two and draw this conclusion?

Part of it has to do with how Entrapta is written.  She’s both ADHD-coded and Autistic-coded, and there’s a tendency to perceive the behaviors of both those groups of people as childish.  People who see that ‘childishness’ extrapolate it further to a general innocence/stupidity, and assume the character in question lacks the faculties to engage with other people evenly.

Look, I don’t have ADHD, but I am super, duper autistic.  Having lived with myself for a lifetime, let me just say, I kind of get why this happens.  We get extremely focused on our hobbies, we’re bad at reading social nuance, we have very simplistic body language, we tend to express our emotions in a very blunt and straightforward manner… I get that, for most neurotypical people, the only other group they ever encounter who shares these traits are children, and thus they tend to subconsciously connect the two.  I understand why it happens, even if I do find it awkward and condescending.

…but y’all are underestimating Entrapta.  She’s not helping the horde because she’s helpless and being manipulated. She’s helping them because she has no moral compass to speak of, and will eagerly assist with any scientific endeavor she finds interesting, without care for its ultimate application.  In season 1, she knew well in advance the damage her actions would have on the world, and followed through with them anyway.  In season 2, she happily assisted in the creation of a portal, knowing full-well that its opening would invite a colonialist military force into the vicinity of her home, and only withdrew her support for the project… hesitantly… when it became clearly evident that activating it would eradicate all life on the planet.   At no point is she ever acting while the applications of her actions are being hidden from her by Hordak.  She’s not an innocent child.  

The thing is, though, I agree that Entrapta would be incredibly easy to manipulate… if someone knew what buttons to push. She is very self conscious of how difficult it is for her to form lasting emotional bonds with other people.  She tends to blame herself when she feels she’s been abandoned by others, and feels that her inability make friends is a sign that she’s a defective failure. If someone wanted to manipulate her into doing something she didn’t want to do, they would probably find success if they offered her friendship and then fed into that self loathing, emotionally abusing her by implying that she was indeed a failure, and would be abandoned again if she didn’t obey.  That is totally something someone could do to her, and I would absolutely not enjoy any ship between her and such a person.  Good thing Hordak… y’know… did literally the opposite of that.

***EXAMPLE THE THIRD- “ENTRAPDAK, THE PLATONIC”***

A nice short one to balance out the longer examples above.  Quite a few people just deny that there are romantic implications behind their interactions, and see them as a friendship instead.  I do disagree with this assessment, but honestly, even if it were true, this would still be my favorite relationship in the show.  

Something that has always boggled me about people on the internet is their tendency to treat friendship like some ‘equal but opposite’ force to romance… a status independent of a romantic relationship rather than literally the foundation upon which all successful romantic relationships are built.  Genuine friendship is a beautiful, underrated thing, and acting as though the bond of friendship is inherently less worthy of appreciation than romance is silly.

So… yeah…  platonic Entrapdak… I disagree, but even if you’re right and I’m wrong in the end… I’ll be pretty okay with that, too.  Movin’ on.

***EXAMPLE THE FOURTH: ‘HORDAK, THE IRREDEEMABLE’***

For the last dealbreaker I want to consider today, I figured I’d bring one up that’s a lot like the platonic argument, in my eyes: that an evil guy like Hordak can’t change his ways, even with the power of love.  Thus, the relationship is bust, because what’s the point of of a villain x heroine ship, if not to redeem the villain?

...

So, recently I wrote this whole big thing about Hordak, where I argued in favor of his redemption, and why I felt like that was where the story is going… I stand by the opinions expressed there, but I’d like to ask any who read that to push it out of their mind for now.  Hordak’s redemptive potential is largely irrelevant to my feelings about this ship.  When it comes to entrapdak, when confronted by the possibility that Hordak may remain a villain, my reaction is the most intense and passionate of shrugs.

...I just don’t care.

There’s a tendency to assume that redemption is the aim of a villain ship, and I suppose I can see why that is.  There’s a bit of a stereotype for female fantasies where they fix a broken man with the power of their love, and when people ship villains, that’s probably the first assumption an outsider will make as to why.  I cannot speak for others, but that’s just not a factor in the appeal of their relationship for me.

When you allow yourself to be vulnerable in front of another person, you open yourself up to the risk of being completely devastated by them.  When you show vulnerability to another person, and they accept that side of you, and express vulnerability of their own, you establish a genuine connection with that person, and those connections are kiiiinda one of the most important elements of the human experience.

That Hordak was a villain who did terrible things was always kinda aside from the point of what really makes Entrapta and Hordak such a bewitching pairing for me.  It was always the serendipity of two people who privately believe they’re alone in the world realizing they resonate with one another in a meaningful way.  Resonance is the appeal of Entrapdak, not redemption.

I tend to hope for Hordak’s redemption, I won’t lie, and I do think it’s likely, but I don’t think it’ll be love that redeems him, nor would I want it to be… not entirely.  I like seeing flawed, morally dark/gray characters overcome the obstacles that deny them self actualization, and watching them grow as a result.

That’s got nothing to do with him and Entrapta, though.  Whether the story ends with the pair of them riding into the sunset to collect data and invent shit, or with the pair of them leading the Horde in the name of galactic conquest and terror… I’m down with it either way, dude.   In the context of the ship, I care that Hordak is an evil overlord… about as much as Entrapta does.

However, pseudo-responding to naysayers is a bit negative for my tastes.  I prefer to focus on the positive in life, like the smell of soil and rain on a crisp autumn morning.  I… I’m in a very fall mood, okay?  Sue me.  Y’know what else I like, though?  Entrapdak.  Lemme wax poetic for a bit longer, and I’ll tell ya why this ship is, like, the peanut butter on my blueberry pancakes.

Part 2: Entrapdak- Why I love it

So, uh… If brevity is the soul of wit, I may be something of an idiot.  I’ve made my peace with that, of course, I’m just sayin’: I’m many things, but I’m not pithy.  If someone were to put a gun to my head, though, and demand that I describe the shipping aesthetic I love the most in life in a single sentence… I would probably respond with this:

My favorite ships are ones in which awkward, lonely people bond over a shared fondness of nerdy hobbies.

Now, that sounds super narrow, and it totally is… I don’t get new OTPs very often… but hearing that, I imagine you can see why Entrapta and Hordak immediately appealed to me.  It goes a bit deeper, though.  

The bonds between people are a major part of the story of She-ra.  We see how characters are changed, positively or negatively, by the connection they share with other characters.  Just like in real life, these connections are a mixed bag; some of them are positive, and some are negative.  Some characters, like Hordak and Catra, resonate strongly with one another, but the resonance is a negative force in their lives, which draws them deeper into darkness, and for many of the characters in the show, their character journeys are about breaking free of such toxic relationships and forming healthy bonds.

The bond between Entrapta and Hordak is unique among all bonds in the show though, in that it is the only one that isn’t mixed.  It is an unambiguous positive influence on both of them. Let’s break it down a little bit.

***ENTRAPTA***

Entrapta, at first, seems like the kind of person who isn’t super connected to other people.  At the princess prom, she mentions that she finds observing the relationships of others far more fascinating than forging relationships of her own, and she spends much of the early seasons working alone with her robots, buried in whichever task happens to have her interest in that particular moment.  

Later seasons gradually tear this facade away, though, and reveal a fairly tragic truth hidden behind it.  I mentioned above that she internalizes her failures to form lasting bonds with other people, and is genuinely distraught about it.  When she’s exiled to Beast Island, her frustration at her inability to make friends was the driving force that chained her there, even more so than her love of technology and invention.  It becomes clear that, to some degree, she buries herself in her work to escape her feelings of inadequacy.

This is a relatable and sad thing to realize about a character, but it also has the unpleasant effect of making events that were played for laughs earlier in the show somewhat tragic in hindsight.  Seeing the way she interacted with the Princess Alliance, you could see how she would have come to a very soul-crushing misunderstanding:  That, among other people, she was someone whose presence was… tolerated- at times even appreciated- but never seemed to be enjoyed by anyone. She was the friend everyone sought out when they needed her help, then forgot about.  

This wasn’t the case, of course, and clarifying her value to the group was what ultimately helped her escape the vines in season four, but from her perspective that was how it appeared, and likely how all her previous interactions with other people had gone before that. Some people complained about how easily Entrapta was able to believe that the princesses had left her behind, but it’s the same reason Hordak was so easily able to believe that Entrapta had betrayed him: In the eyes of someone who hates themselves, it’s only a matter of time before others abandon them.  

That said, it also goes to show why Hordak became so special to her.  For the first time in her life, she had a friend who joined her in her workspace, instead of leaving her to a task after giving it to her.  Someone able to converse equally with her about subjects she was interested in.  The elements of herself that made it so difficult to draw closer to others were the very same elements that caused her to get so close to him.  Her intelligence and hyper-focus upon science made her the intellectual peer of a space-faring alien, her lack of awareness of social subtext helped her to see beyond the barriers he put up to keep other people away, and her past experience with failure and rejection helped her to empathize with his pain.

It’s perfectly pleasant to find someone who accepts you and enjoys your company despite not understanding the idiosyncratic elements of your personality, but that pales in comparison to how it feels to find someone who accepts you precisely because they understand those elements.

***Hordak***

Hordak didn’t really have ‘peers’, per se, for most of his life.  We don’t know the level of autonomy the average clone has in the Horde… but I feel comfortable assuming that the level isn’t very high.  Thus, his circumstance differs quite a bit from Entrapta, in that, rather than trying to form bonds with others, and feeling like he failed, for much of his life he never had the chance to try to form them in the first place.

He is, at first, deeply dismissive of the people of Etheria, whom he regards as primitives who are beneath his acknowledgment.  Much of this, as with much of everything that dictates how he treats others, is born of projection… dude has some pretty major self-loathing issues… but regardless of cause, it results in a kind of self-imposed isolation.

Unlike Entrapta, who knew, on some level, that her lack of ability to bond with others troubled her, Hordak kept most of his emotions bottled up... Locked so deeply inside him that not even he really bothered to try to understand them.  That was where her disposition and his meshed perfectly for him.  Because Entrapta was defined by her curiosity, and her lackluster awareness of his attempts to keep her at bay, she was able to metaphorically crack him open, forcing him to vocalize and confront his own motivations.

Sometimes you need someone to just… like... grab you with their hair, push you up against a vat, and demand you tell them everything, man.

I’ve already discussed Hordak fairly extensively in my first blog blurb thingy, and while I repeat myself by accident quite frequently, I’m loathe to repeat myself on purpose.  I just wanted to take the opportunity to marvel at how well their personalities fit together.  Perhaps I’m just high on this feeling: I’ve never actually shipped something a creator so clearly intended to be there, before!

*** In Conclusion***

We’re all born imperfect, and we’ll all die imperfect.  Our imperfections are similar, but never uniform.  Each of us bears jagged cuts and missing sections of many shapes and sizes.  Humans are social creatures, and it’s in our nature to constantly seek one another out.  We keep trying to find people who are strong where we are weak; someone whose missing sections happen to lie in a pattern compatible with our own.

We’ll resonate with many in our lifetime.  Sometimes, the melody will be harmonious, and guide all involved higher and higher into the light of self actualization. Other times the sound will be discordant, and pull us down into self destruction.  Sadly, from our perspective in the middle, it will always be difficult to tell which is which.

I love the relationship between Entrapta and Hordak because it’s a dynamic that elevates both of them.  Not in a moral sense, but in a personal one.  In a series defined by toxic and uneven relationships that wear others down and tear them apart, these two have a dynamic that shelters and reinforces them.  Giving them an opportunity to be glad they were born the way they were, instead of cursing their misfortune.

It’s the kind of relationship that makes me muse about how imperfection really is beautiful.  It’s because we’re imperfect that we never stop trying to harmonize with other people, and if there’s one theme I can’t help but feel that the show itself is building toward, it’s this: Two in harmony surpass one in perfection.  

*** So hey!  Thanks for reading all of that!  Sorry if it was a bit of a mess.  Saying nothing with a great deal of words is a talent of mine, but I really do love these guys, and if you love ‘em too, don’t let anyone grind you down over it!

Let me know if you enjoyed my work, though!  If so, I’ll be happy to share my thoughts on other things, since I’ll be stuck with this series on my brain until I see how my new obsession plays out.  In the meantime take care of yourselves! If you do heavy lifting, make sure to do so with your knees, not your back.  Tell someone who makes your day a little brighter how much you appreciate them.  Then, take some time to savor the greatest of all winter beverages: hot apple cider.

[wrestlingisfake]

NXT Fake Rankings, 6/25/2020

Keeping track of NXT has felt like herding cats for the past six months, but I think I’ve finally got a bead on it.

Men’s heavyweight singles division - babyfaces

Keith Lee (NXT North American champion)

Finn Balor

Velveteen Dream

Tommaso Ciampa

Dexter Lumis

Damian Priest

Bronson Reed

Men’s heavyweight singles division - heels

Adam Cole (NXT champion)

Johnny Gargano

Karrion Kross

Timothy Thatcher

Cameron Grimes

Killian Dain

A problem I’ve sensed in NXT is that they keep turning people heel or putting heels over, while the babyface side gets weaker.  Consider that Balor turned heel late last year by ambushing Gargano, and now he seems to have run out of faces to fight so he’s just fighting heels all the time, making him a de facto face.  It feels like Gargano has turned heel about five times in a row.  By the time Thatcher turned on Matt Riddle, it felt like old hat.  I’m not even sure what NXT needs all these mega-dick heels for, when they all have to take a back seat to mega-dick heel champion Adam Cole anyway.

The face side is essentially made up of inadequate heels.  Balor, Dream, Ciampa, Lumis, and Priest never really stopped being jerks, if you think about it.  That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem except that they largely feel secondary to the heels.  Balor acts like the top guy even as he can’t string together enough wins to get a title match, which makes him look like an idiot calling Cole a “transitional champion.”  Dream has been knocked out of title contention altogether, and Ciampa was squashed by Kross.  Somebody seems to want Lumis and Priest to be big mean guys, but they’re on a roster that already has Keith Lee and Karrion Kross.

Things feel a little screwed up right now.  I suppose we’ll have to check in again in a few months and see if the storylines pull things into better shape.

Women’s division - babyfaces

Io Shirai (NXT women’s champion)

Rhea Ripley

Mia Yim

Tegan Nox

Shotzi Blackheart

Kayden Carter

Kacy Catanzaro

Xia Li

Women’s division - heels

Candice LeRae

Dakota Kai

Raquel Gonzalez

Chelsea Green

Aliyah

Since Charlotte Flair is taking time off for elective surgery, we can conclude the whole “Charlotte wins the NXT women’s title” thing is over, and accomplished very little.  Rhea Ripley’s push may recover, but it sure hasn’t yet.  I think Io turned babyface in the process of taking the title from Charlotte, but it’s getting hard to tell these days. 

Men’s tag team division - babyfaces

Breezango - Tyler Breeze & Fandango

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

Men’s tag team division - heels

Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel (NXT tag team champions)

Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong

Indus Sher - Rinku & Saurav

Aichner and Barthel are technically assigned to the NXT UK brand, but they seem to have been in Florida when the travel ban went down, so they’re effectively NXT US guys for the duration.

Normally Fish teams with Kyle O’Reilly, but O’Reilly has been sitting out the pandemic.  (I gather that he’s been appearing in a few pre-taped skits, but not at ringside.)  Fish and Strong have since begun feuding with Dexter Lumis, which may or may not lead to Lumis and Velveteen Dream forming a tag team.  (Considering the recent allegations against Dream, though, I won’t hold my breath.)

Men’s cruiserweight singles division - babyfaces

Drake Maverick

Kushida

Jake Atlas

Isaiah Scott

Men’s cruiserweight singles division - heels

Santos Escobar (NXT interim cruiserweight champion)

Tony Nese

The cruiserweight division was reintroduced in 2016 to augment the Raw roster and be showcased on a new show, 205 Live.  Today, the division is contained entirely within NXT, with 205 Live essentially serving as NXT’s B-show.  Most of the 205 Live mainstays are either gone altogether, sidelined for various reasons, or reassigned to other rosters.  Of the six men listed above, only one--Tony Nese--appeared in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament.  The turnover is rather amazing.

Technically the cruiserweight champion is still NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin.  I suspect the plan in February was for Devlin to hold the belt “hostage” overseas until the US cruiserweights found a way to get it back.  But the coronavirus basically shut down NXT UK, and the travel ban left Devlin unable to return for a title match.  Now Devlin has been caught up in the recent wave of sexual abuse allegations, so it’s looking more and more likely that Escobar’s interim title will quietly become the undisputed title one of these days.

No TV or Takeover matches in 30 days: Dominic Dijakvovic, Joaquin Wilde

No TV or Takeover matches since March: Ariya Daivari, Arturo Ruas, Brian Kendrick, James Drake, Kona Reeves, Mansoor, Marina Shafir, Mercedes Martinez, Raul Mendoza, Vanessa Borne, Zack Gibson

It’s not always easy finding out if there’s a reason why a WWE performer hasn’t been on TV lately, but it seems more challenging when it’s someone on NXT--especially if they weren’t heavily pushed to begin with.  I know Wilde and Mendoza have been appearing in Santos Escobar’s new heel stable, and I’ve heard rumors of Dijakovic being moved to Raw, but that’s about it.  Everyone else could be injured, or quarantined, or stuck in another country, or just training in the Performance Center. 

Inactive

Boa (left shoulder - torn rotator cuff and labrum)

Jessamyn Duke (both elbows - unspecified injuries)

Kyle O’Reilly (quarantine)

Pete Dunne (travel ban)

Samir Singh (travel ban)

Sunil Singh (travel ban)

These are the only absences for which I could confirm specific reasons.  Please note that this article is only concerned with the official NXT roster in Orlando.  Anybody that WWE.com categorizes with NXT UK is not included here, even though a lot of them were being heavily used on this brand before March.  It appears NXT UK is going to be in deep freeze for quite some time.

[two-baes]

Just gonna, leave this here for myself.

Main Batfam (ie; the ‘core’ fam) :

Athanasia - Sparrowhark - 14

Barbara - Batgirl - 29

Bruce - Batman - 42

Cassandra - Black Bat - 19

Claire - Gotham Girl - 18

Colin - (work in progress) - 14

Cullen - No superhero identity - 17

Damian - Robin - 14

Dick - Nightwing - 27

Duke - Signal - 16

Harper - Bluebird - 20

Helena W.- Huntress - 21

Jason - Red Hood - 22

Matt - (Flame) Robin - 13

Maya - Nobody - 15

Maxine - Oracle - 20

Stephanie - Spoiler - 19

Nissa - Batgirl - 16

Terry - Batman - 21

Tim - Red Robin - 18

Extended Batfam (ie; cousins / like family) :

Basil - Clayface - 37

Beth - Brightbat - 40

Bette - Flamebird - 24

Carrie K - ‘Robin’ - 13

Charlie - Misfit - 17

Helena B. - Huntress - 26

Jean-Paul - Azrael - 27

Kate - Batwoman - 40

Kitrina - Catgirl - 16

Luke - Batwing - 30

Maps (aka Mia) - No superhero identity (as of yet) - 14

Mary - Strix - 19 (physically)

Selina - Catwoman - 35

Tiffany - Sugar Glider - 12

Outer (ie; not quite Batfam but Batfam adjacent / Batfam friends) :

Calvin - Falcon/Falco (I’m undecided) - 31

Lonnie - Anarky - 20

M - Midnighter - 36

Tatsu - Katana - 33

Violet - Mother Panic - 21

Zatanna - 39

Other (ie; people I haven’t decided what to do with yet but they exist) ;

Lincoln (aka Thomas Jr) - Owlman - 39

Thomas - (currently undecided) - 62

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

Breaking things down a bit - The inner fam ;

Dick, Jason, Tim, Cassandra, Harper & Cullen, and Maya have all been officially adopted by Bruce in this universe

More or less in that exact order.

They’ve all kept their respective last names, but will occasionally hyphenate and tack on ‘Wayne’ to the ends of them.

Maya was brought home one day by Damian, who insisted Bruce take her on as a ward. Bruce was more than happy to oblige, tho noting how close of a bond the two children already had (and how they were already referring to one another as ‘brother’ & ‘sister’), he decided to just adopted her.

Barbara and Stephanie are not adopted

Steph is however a ward.

Bruce did ask to adopt her but she feels that it would be too weird for her to be legally adopted, since her and Tim are dating. ---She is however, considered by most of the family (in particular Harper, Cullen, & Cassandra), to be an ‘honorary sibling’.

Barbara’s father is still very much alive, altho Gordon and Bruce often joke about shared custody. (Also Babs agrees with Steph in that it would make dating Dick awkward)

Bruce still thinks of them like his own, and they’re considered as a core part of the family by everyone else.

Both also have their own respective rooms at the manor. Steph because she lives there, and Babs because she visits so often.

Claire is more or less an unofficial ward of Bruce’s.

In this verse he took her in after the death of her brother, and has been helping her to get the help she needs to recover; she’s been healing slowly but surely.

She’s formed a close bond with Duke.

She’s been getting training so that she feels less inclined to use her powers and won’t shave any more years off her lifespan.

Duke and Colin, while not officially adopted by Bruce, are his wards

Duke’s parents are still alive (though Jokerized), in light of this Bruce has offered to adopt him, but Duke politely declined. The offer remains open should he ever change his mind, however.

Colin similarly has been made an offer to be adopted, but turned it down for unspecified reasons. (ie; I haven’t decided yet if I want to go the ‘Tiny Boyfriends’ route w/ Dami&Colin in this AU, so I’m holding off on making them adopted siblings)

Helena, Damian, and Athanasia are all biologically Bruce’s children

Helena is from the future (or at least a possible future) in which Bruce and Selina have a child together. She refuses to tell them what year she’s actually from, or reveal much about her timeline.

Damian is Bruce’s son by Talia. He came to live with Bruce when he was 10.

Athanasia is Bruce’s daughter by Talia, although she was more ‘created’ than ‘conceived’ (ie, very much like those spare clone babies Talia had floating that she showed to Damian in the comics).

For clarification, she isn’t a female-clone of Damian. Talia used a sample of her own DNA and a sample of Bruce’s to create a new embryo.

When Damian was sent off to join his father, Talia had Athanasia born; aged up to ten years old to match her brother. She kept her a secret, hidden from Bruce and Damian, training her in the ways of the league for the next three years, before having a change of heart and sending her daughter to meet her brother and father.

Terry, Matt, Nissa, and Max are all from a future timeline that was wiped from existence somehow, they managed to time travel back to the past to survive.

Terry and Matt are (because of genetic tampering done by Waller) biologically Bruce’s sons. Terry is aware of this information. Matt is not.

Since they didn’t arrive with them, Terry and Matt believed Nissa & Max had died. However it turned out that their device had been damaged somehow, causing the timing of their arrival to be off by a year.

Breaking things down further - The extended fam ;

Kate and Beth are identical twin sisters, and are Bruce’s cousins.

In this verse Beth recovers from her ‘Alice’ persona and adopts the mantle of ‘Brightbat’, working alongside Kate as a vigilante.

Bette is the youngest cousin of Kate, Beth, and Bruce.

Jean-Paul isn’t related to anyone, nor is he adopted by, or a ward of Bruce.

He does however work closely with the family, and is considered an extended part of it. He’s like an honorary cousin more or less.

Luke also isn’t related to anyone, but works closely with the batfamily, earning him a spot as an honorary member, even if he's not a part of the core family.

Tiffany is Luke's youngest sister.

She's taken to training with and helping him out on the field. Don't call her his sidekick though, she hates that.

Helena B. has close ties to the batfamily, although she isn’t part of the core family, she is always welcomed by them, and in turn will always aid them when they need it.

She’s particularly close w/ both Barbara & Dick, as well as Cass. She also gets along well with Jason.

Mary isn’t officially integrated as a part of the core family, but she does live with them, having been brought to the manor to live by Babs, who she has grown close to.

She appears to be around 19 years old, in actuality she is much older. Because of the process she underwent when being made into a Talon, she doesn’t age physically.

She was taught sign language from Cassandra, although she still prefers writing as a means of communication.

While Babs fills the role as an older sister type figure for her, Mary seems to have latched on to Secret Six team-member Thomas Blake as something of a (reluctant) paternal figure.

Charlie isn’t exactly a full fledged part of the Batfam, so much as Babs has taken her under her wing and started to mentor her.

She lives with Barbara, and is generally introduced as her cousin.

Carrie is Barbara’s second cousin on her mother’s side, who randomly showed up on her door one way after finding out she had a relative in Gotham.

Eventually she discovered Babs was Batgirl and pleaded for her to mentor her.

Basil has gone from a former Gotham rogue, to a redeemed and trusted member of the batfamily.

He's particularly close to Cassandra, and has become somewhat of a second father figure to her.

Selina really is on the family friend/extended family cusp, with Helena’s arrival edging her a bit closer to the latter. --She’s not quite a part of the core family, but with a daughter from a potential future timeline showing up her dynamic definitely changes.

Her and Bruce have, as you can expect, had a thing. They have in fact, had several things. They’re very on-and-off.

When they’re 'on’ their relationship is sometimes left open (bc y’all kno I’m all about that poly)

Selina being the alleged long-lost daughter of Carmine Falcone is canon in this verse.

Kitrina isn’t quite a part of the batfamily on her own, however as Selina’s protege she’ll make appearances here and there during times of need at her mentors side.

Kitrina is Selina’s niece (unbeknownst to her, tho Selina knows.)

Maps is one of Damian’s very best friends, and has taken full advantage of that to worm her way into the (at least somewhat) inner bat circle.

She’s is --as Damian keeps reminding her -- a vigilante in training and is always asking him to mentor her so she can join in when he goes on patrols. She's even volunteered to be the Robin's sidekick.

Breaking things down even more - The outer fam;

M is for lack of better explanation, like that close family friend you have who is sort of like the cool/fun Uncle. He helps out here and there, gets along w/ most of the fam, and pops into the manor uninvited every now & then to get a rise out of Bruce.

Gets along well with Dick and Jason. (Tends to team up with the latter to tease the former)

Cullen seems to have taken a real shine to him, and has asked if M would mentor him since starting to consider becoming a vigilante. (M however is unsure he's the right fit as a mentor for the kid, since his crime fighting methods tend to be a bit brutal)

He’s not married to Apollo in this verse, though they do have an on-again-off-again type relationship (so I can occasionally hook him up with other people w/o leading to drama).

Zatanna also falls into the category of close family friend.

Her and Bruce have been friends since childhood, making her one of his oldest and closest friends.

Also her and Bruce have had a thing once upon a time. (There might still be some feelings on both sides, I’m keeping options open here...)

Violet isn’t part of the core batfamily, and she doesn’t work quite closely enough with them to be considered part of the extended fam either, but in this verse she’s close friends with (and maybe dating) Harper. which has lead to her working a bit more frequently with the bats than she usually would otherwise.

Calvin is an ally of the Batfam & comes to help them when called upon.

He gets along really well w/ Dick. Circus boys gotta stick together! ...No really, they've got like a whole act worked out together.

Tatsu is another close friend and trusted ally of the bats. Though she doesn't work often with them under normal circumstances as she usually has her own things going on, when they're in a real pinch they can call on her, knowing she'll answer.

Lonnie's position within the batfamily is...complicated, as he doesn't always see eye to eye with some of them.

Despite not always getting along (with Bruce in particular), he does help out the family from time to time when they have need for him, and has admitted that he prefers being friend over foe.

Gets along best with Stephanie and Harper.

Had somewhat of a rivalry with Tim when they were kids. They're both (mostly) over it now.

Sort of awkward around Jason since it's highly possible Lonnie's biological father is the Joker... in this verse it totally is canon

Whatever is left to break down ;

Lincoln - aka Thomas Wayne Jr - Bruce’s younger brother that he was unaware most of his life that he even had.

(I’ve not really decided what to do with him yet, he’s only been fleshed out in this verse far enough for me to have decided that he definitely exists here, his backstory will mostly follow comic canon but after that I don’t know yet)

Thomas is Bruce (and Lincoln)’s father from an alternate timeline where he didn’t die (so, again, also not a huge divergence from comic canon, except this one isn’t an asshole who tries to ruin his son’s life and break his spirit whilst claiming it’s to help him...)

(I haven’t decided yet what to do with him. Do I want him to also be Batman?? Do I want him to have retired??? We’ll see... He, much like Lincoln in this verse, hasn’t been fleshed out beyond ‘he exists’, yet.)

[arcticdementor]

In late April, the Williams College Council, the college’s student government, rejected a request to recognize a group called Williams Initiative for Israel (WIFI). The move was more or less unprecedented: In the previous decade, the College Council had not rejected any otherwise-qualified group. WIFI’s opponents openly admitted that they did not want a pro-Israel organization to operate on campus.

In short, the student government at one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges utilized two sets of criteria—one for a proposed pro-Israel group composed mostly of Jewish students, another for every other current and potential student group on campus. Often, debates about biased attitudes toward campus pro-Israel voices and the mistreatment of Jewish students raise ambiguous issues. This was not one of those cases.

…

Some anti-WIFI arguments were standard fare on college campuses. Multiple anti-recognition students said they would experience unspecified forms of emotional or physical harm unless the council refused to recognize WIFI. Others positioned the group as offering succor to “the rhetoric of Trump right now, who’s saying Jews don’t belong here, Jews should go to Israel.” This student, needless to say, did not identify when Trump had made such a statement.

Shutting down the council’s usual livestream was justified, one college legislator noted, to accommodate “the students who are afraid to speak out because of the pro-Israel lobby in this country and the things that they are known to achieve when it comes to their campus activism.” A colleague presented the obvious response: “Why are people so worried about the things they’re going to say? Are they that hateful?”

…

Though constricting the spectrum of acceptable positions on Israel would seem to undermine principles of free speech, a WIFI critic explained otherwise. “It’s really important,” he reasoned, “for us all to take a moment to just think about what ‘free speech’ and ‘democracy’ actually means.�� Two sides should present “clashing free ideas,” after which the council should “vote in what we think are the best ideas and for us to vote out what we think are ideas we think are worthy of being discarded.” Defining free speech as tyranny of the majority is a mainstream view on too many contemporary campuses.

The two council sessions also featured troubling, and in one case appalling, lack of historical knowledge about events in both the Middle East and Europe. Multiple Williams students deemed nondebatable the proposition that Israel has perpetrated a genocide against Palestinians—a position so extreme that virtually no member of Congress shares it. This purported genocide, one student explained, came amidst an alleged historical record of Muslims living in peace with Jews in the pre-1947 mandate and the contemporary reality of “Jewish people, living in Palestine, safely.” Where in Gaza or the PA-controlled West Bank these Jews live was not indicated.

Assertions about World War II were even more disturbing. One student acknowledged the “horrible conditions that Jewish people experienced” during the Holocaust, but claimed that Palestinians currently were “even experiencing worse.” Why? Unlike the seemingly unending Israeli occupation of the West Bank, “the purpose of these [World War II] ghettos were basically to control, segregate, and separate the Jewish people for short periods of time.”

Schools such as Williams long ago abandoned required courses in Western civilization or European history. Nonetheless, a student at one of the nation’s best colleges publicly describing the World War II experience of European Jews as even partly a short-term problem of living in ghettos is shocking. That other Williams students could take from such an assertion a possible reason to avoid recognizing a Jewish campus group is remarkable.

…

And so, after a procedurally irregular meeting, the Williams College Council denied recognition to a pro-Israel group by using criteria the body hadn’t employed in at least a decade. It did so despite a debate in which critics of the organization made statements the council’s own note taker considered anti-Semitic, and offered wild arguments, in at least one instance bordering on a form of Holocaust revisionism, that were wholly unrelated to the specific issue at hand. And the council performed its act in the dark, after a session that it chose not to livestream to the campus community.

As the decision generated national and international attention, WIFI opponents reiterated their ideological rationale. “The state of Israel does not need a student group defending its ‘right to exist’ on this campus any more than we need to ‘defend’ the rights of wealthy, straight white men,” 11 Williams students wrote in The Williams Record, the campus newspaper. Articulating an unusual form of the heckler’s veto, they added that WIFI supporters violated a condition of “free speech on campus” by not showing “basic respect” for their viewpoint—presumably by disbanding the group.

[codakilled-a]

Is  your  child  rebelling  against  authority?  Have  their  grades  suddenly  dropped?  Do  you  fear  they  may  be  dabbling  in  drugs  or  alcohol?  Then  Oak  Ridge  School  for  Troubled  Teens  is  for  you.  Oak  Ridge  is  a  school  designed  to  reform  your  children  and  give  them  a  quality  education  while  helping  them  through  their  troubles.  No  matter  the  teen,  we’ll  do  our  best  to  help  them  to  become  the  best  person  they  can  be,  all  while  still  giving  them  freedom  to  explore  the  campus  and  socialize  with  other  students.

rules.

-  general  stuff.  don’t  godmod,  try  to  be  active,  no  ooc  drama. -  please  follow  me.  mutuals  is  preferred,  but  i’ll  allow  some  non - mutuals  too. -  this  verse  is  very  triggering.  players  should  tag  all  triggers. -  students  should  be  13 - 18  (or  older  if  they  failed  any  years),  teachers  can  be  any  age. -  use  actual  fcs.  no  cartoons / drawings.  if  you  want  a  duplicate  fc  check  with  the  other  mun. -  you  can  have  multiple  muses  in  this  verse!  it’s  preferred  that  you  have  at  least  one  staff  member,  but  it  isn’t  required. -  tracking  the  tag:  group:  troubled  teens.  -  when  accepted  post  a  short  bio  about  your  character / why  they’re  at  the  school.

application.

submit  here.

[ NAME ]  is  an  [ AGE ]  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  [ PRONOUN ]  has/have  been  at  oak  ridge  for  [ LENGTH  OF  TIME ].  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  [ FACE  CLAIM ].  they’ve  chosen  to  take  [ ELECTIVE ONE ]  and  [ ELECTIVE TWO ],  they  also  play  [ SPORT ]  OR  they  don’t  play  a  sport.  they were sent to the school because [ REASON ].

[ NAME ]  is  an  [ AGE ]  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  [ PRONOUN ]  has/have  been  at  oak  ridge  for  [ LENGTH  OF  TIME ].  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  [ FACE  CLAIM ].  they  teach  [ SUBJECT ],  they  also  coach  [ SPORT ]  OR  they  don’t  teach  any  subjects,  but  they  coach  [ SPORT ]  OR  they’re  a  [ ROLE -  ie.  principal,  janitor,  administration  role,  receptionist,  etc. ].

current  student : staff  ratio  -  12 : 8

students,  staff,  classes,  sports,  &  important  info  below  the  cut.

students.

@codakilled  //  BETHANY  GREENE  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  TWO  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  EMILY  KINNEY.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  and  MECHANICS,  they  also  play  BASEBALL.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  DEPRESSION,  DRUG  &  ALCOHOL  ABUSE  AND  VIOLENT  BEHAVIOR.  roommate:  alexandra  grimes. @unheroc  //  STILES  STILINSKI  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  THREE  MONTHS.  They’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  DYLAN  O’BRIEN.  They’ve  chosen  to  take  DEBATE  and  MECHANICS.  They  also  play  LACROSSE.  They were sent to the school because of ANXIETY,  DEPRESSION,  SELF - HARM,  VIOLENT  BEHAVIOR  AND  FRONTOTEMPORAL  DEMENTIA.  roommate:  dustin  sterling. @daughtergrimes  //  ALEXANDRA  GRIMES  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  Oak  Ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  Oak  Ridge  for  ONE  MONTH.  They’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  CRYSTAL  REED.  They’ve  chosen  to  take  MUSIC  and  ART.  They  DON’T  PLAY  A  SPORT.  They  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  SELF - HARM,  SUICIDAL  IDEALIZATIONS  AND  BULIMIA  NERVOSA.  roommate:  bethany  greene. @biblicle  //  KATE FULLER  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  TWO  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  MADISON  DAVENPORT.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  DEBATE  and  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION,  they  also  play  VOLLEYBALL.  they were sent to the school because of  PTSD,  ANXIETY,  AN  UNSPECIFIED  DISSOCIATIVE  DISORDER  AND  ALLEGED  STOCKHOLM  SYNDROME.  roommate:  cheryl  blossom. @wasomething  //  DUSTIN  STERLING  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  MONTH.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  JOE  KEERY.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  MUSIC  and  MECHANICS,  they  also  play  BASKETBALL.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  DEPRESSION,  ALCOHOL  ABUSE  AND  VIOLENT  TENDENCIES.  roommate:  stiles  stilinski. @worldfathered  //  CARL  GRIMES  is  an  SIXTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  MONTH.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  CHANDLER  RIGGS.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  PHOTOGRAPHY  and  MECHANICS,  they  DON’T  PLAY  A  SPORT.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  GRAND  THEFT,  SUICIDAL  BEHAVIOR,  ANOREXIC  EATING  DISORDER  AND  DISRESPECT  FOR  AUTHORITY.  roommate:  lucas  bennit. @blsms  //  CHERYL  BLOSSOM  is  a  SEVENTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  MONTH.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  MADELAINE  PETSCH.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  ART  and  MUSIC,  they’re  also  in  DANCE.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  DEPRESSION  AND  PTSD.  roommate:  kate  fuller. @wallwolf  //  LUCAS  BENNIT  is  a  NINETEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  YEAR.  they  DON’T  HAVE  AN  FC.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  ART  and  PHOTOGRAPHY,  they’re  also  in  WRESTLING.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  ANGER  ISSUES,  CRIMINAL  CHARGES,  AND  ON  COURT  ORDERS.  roommate:  carl  grimes. @druggmakerr  //  GETHIN  LAWLIET  is  a  SIXTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  THREE  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  ASA  BUTTERFIELD.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  ART  and  PHOTOGRAPHY,  they  also  play  LACROSSE.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  VIOLENT  BEHAVIOR  AND  SUPPOSEDLY  CREATING  DRUGS  IN  A  SCHOOL  BATHROOM.  roommate:  duncan  haynes..  @shehclps  //  ENID  is  a  SEVENTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  TWO  MONTHS  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  KATELYN  NACON.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  ART  and  MUSIC.  they  also  do  TRACK.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  DEPRESSION,  SELF  HARM,  ACTING  OUT,  DITCHING  SCHOOL  AND  DISRESPECTING  AUTHORITY.  roommate:  rachel  “raven”  roth.. @variantsurvivors​  //  DUNCAN  HAYNES  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  THREE  YEARS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  COLE  SPROUSE.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  MUSIC  and  CHEMISTRY,  they  also  FENCE.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  he  CHOKED  OUT  HIS  MOTHER  AND  ATTEMPTED  TO  POISON  HIS  NEIGHBOR.  roommate:  gethin  lawliet. @zinthatic  //  RACHEL  “ RAVEN ”  ROTH  is  a  FOURTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  YEAR.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  TEAGAN  CROFT.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  ART  and  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION,  they  also  do  TRACK.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  SHE  KILLED  HER  STEP - FATHER,  ASSAULTED  A  POLICE  OFFICER,  ESCAPED  POLICE  CUSTODY,  SELF  HARMING  AND  ATTEMPTED  MURDER  OF  A  CLASSMATE.  roommate:  enid. @mechempathy  //  EMILIA  MATTHEWS  is  an  EIGHTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  FIVE  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  SOPHIA  BUSH.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  MECHANICS  and  ART.  they  also  play  SOCCER.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  ALCOHOL  ABUSE,  MISSING  CURFEW,  DEPRESSION  AND  ANGER  ISSUES.  roommate:  patty  bladell.  @payreality  //  PATTY  BLADELL  is  a  SEVENTEEN  year  old  student  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  TWO  WEEKS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  DEBBY  RYAN.  they’ve  chosen  to  take  CHEMISTRY  and  ART.  they  DON’T  PLAY  A  SPORT.  they  were  sent  to  the  school  because  of  ANGER  ISSUES,  ASSAULT,  ATTEMPTED  KIDNAPPING  AND  ACCIDENTALLY  KILLING  HER  STALKER  EX - BOYFRIEND.  roommate:  emilia  matthews.

staff.

@sxperflxity  //  DARYL  DIXON  is  a  FORTY  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  FIFTEEN  YEARS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  NORMAN  REEDUS.  they  teach  MECHANICS. @tophct  //  MADISON  CLARK  is  a  THIRTY - NINE  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  THREE  YEARS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  KIM  DICKENS.  they’re  a  GUIDANCE  COUNSELLOR. @suitedblue  //  TEDDY  LUPIN  is  a  FORTY  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  FIVE  YEARS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  MATTHEW  GOODE.  they  teach  ENGLISH,  and  they  also  coach  SOCCER. @decompanioned  //  INARA  SERRA  is  a  TWENTY - SIX  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  EIGHT  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  MORENA  BACCARIN.  they  teach  DRAMA. @payreality  //  CHRIS  DEMARAIS  is  a  THIRTY  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  FIVE  YEARS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  ANDY  SAMBERG.  they’re  a  SECURITY  GUARD. @withumans  //  RAIN  MARS  is  a  TWENTY - FIVE  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  YEAR.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  JOSEFINE  FRIDA  PETTERSEN.  they  teach  MUSIC. @vanishcng  //  KATIA  LIONE  is  a  TWENTY - TWO  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  SHE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  FOUR  MONTHS.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  DOVE  CAMERON.  they  teach  SCIENCE,  they  also  coach  DANCE. @treespoke  //  LEAF  “ TOMMY ”  COLLINS  is  a TWENTY - FOUR  year  old  staff  member  at  oak  ridge.  HE  has  been  at  oak  ridge  for  ONE  YEAR.  they’re  said  to  look  a  lot  like  ANSEL  ELGORT.  they  are  a  GROUNDSKEEPER.

important info.

-  the  dorm  rooms  aren’t  huge  but  have  enough  storage.  two  people  per  dorm  room,  separated  by  gender.  dorm  room  layout.  roommates  are  assigned  randomly.  staff  have  separate  housing  which  looks  the  same  but  single  person  rooms.  it’s  against  the  rules  for  girls  to  be  in  boys  rooms  and  vice  versa,  though  that  doesn’t  stop  students  from  sneaking  into  each  others  rooms. -  there  are  stalls  for  the  toilets  and  communal  showers,  again  separated  by  gender. -  uniforms  are  to  be  worn  in  class  hours,  but  outside  of  class  hours  students  can  dress  however  they’d  like.  since  i’m  lazy  uniforms  are  the  uniforms  from  house  of  anubis. -  therapy  and  rehabilitation  is  offered  to  students.

compulsory  classes.

-  english,  taught  by  teddy  lupin. -  mathematics,  teacher  tba. -  science,  taught  by  katia  lione. -  history,  teacher  tba. -  physical  education  &  health,  teacher  tba.

electives.

-  photography,  teacher  tba: carl  grimes,  lucas  bennit,  gethin  lawliet. -  drama,  taught  by  inara  serra: students  tba. -  art,  teacher  tba: alexandra  grimes,  cheryl  blossom,  lucas  bennit,  gethin  lawliet,  enid,  rachel  “raven”  roth,  emilia  matthews,  patty  bladell. -  music,  taught  by  rain  mars: alexandra  grimes,  dustin  stirling,  cheryl  blossom,  enid,  duncan  haynes. -  religious  education,  teacher  tba: bethany  greene,  kate  fuller,  rachel  “raven”  roth.. -  debate,  teacher  tba: stiles  stilinski,  kate  fuller.  -  mechanics,  taught  by  daryl  dixon: stiles  stilinski,  dustin  stirling,  carl  grimes,  bethany  greene,  emilia  matthews.. -  chemistry,  teacher  tba: duncan  haynes,  patty  bladell.

sports  (optional).

-  basketball,  coach  tba: dustin  stirling. -  american  football,  coach  tba: students  tba. -  soccer,  coached  by  teddy  lupin: emilia  matthews. -  track,  coach  tba: enid,  rachel  “raven”  roth. -  baseball,  coach  tba: bethany  greene. -  netball,  coach  tba: students  tba. -  swimming,  coach  tba: students  tba. -  lacrosse,  coach  tba: stiles  stilinski,  gethin  lawliet. -  wrestling,  coach  tba: lucas  bennit. -  volleyball,  coach  tba: kate  fuller. -  fencing,  coached  by  inara  serra: duncan  haynes. -  dance,  coached  by  katia  lione.: cheryl  blossom.

[bbcbreakingnews]

Tapestry Inc. CEO resigns after claims over ‘personal behavior’

Jide Zeitlin, chairman and CEO of Tapestry Inc., has resigned from the company after less than a year in the role, effective immediately.

Tapestry – the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman – announced Zeitlin’s resignation in a Tuesday press release, saying that he had come to the decision because of unspecified ‘personal reasons’.

However, sources told the Wall Street Journal that Zeitlin departed the company after its board launched an investigation into his personal behavior.

Tapestry hired the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, to investigate concerning allegations made by at least one woman, the outlet reported.

The woman reportedly accused Zeitlin of posing as a photographer under an alias to lure her into a romantic relationship more than a decade ago. 

Responding to those claims, Zeitlin said: ‘ ‘In the past month, a woman I photographed and had a relationship with more than 10 years ago reached out to various media organizations to express her concerns about what had occurred. 

‘I felt compelled to resign today because I do not want to create a distraction for Tapestry, a company I care deeply about.’

Jide Zeitlin, chairman and CEO of Tapestry Inc., has resigned from the company after less than a year in the role, effective immediately

The alleged incident reportedly occurred in 2007, when the woman, then a model looking for headshots, met Zeitlin on an online site where he posed as a photographer under a different name.

Zeitlin and the woman later entered into a romantic relationship, but he never disclosed his true identity to her, sources familiar with the matter said. 

The 56-year-old was married to Anne Klein fashion executive Tina Goldberg at the time of the reported incident. They have at least two children together, though it’s currently unclear if they’re still married. 

Zeitlin and Goldberg’s first son was born in 2005, the second in 2008. 

In 2009, Zeitlin was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as an envoy to the United Nations for financial overhaul.

The 56-year-old was married to fashion executive Tina Goldberg (above) at the time of the reported incident. They share at least two sons, though it’s unclear if they’re still together.

However, after being approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he withdrew his nomination citing personal reasons. The woman allegedly played a key role in stifling the nomination, the Journal said.

Announcing Zeitlin’s departure in an 8-K filing to the Securities Exchange Commission, Tapestry made no mention of the woman’s allegations or the board’s subsequent investigation.

The company simply specified that his departure wasn’t spurred by ‘any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, financial statement or accounting.’

The company has not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for further comment.    

Zeitlin had just taken over the role of CEO in September 2019, replacing Victor Luis, and had served as Tapestry’s chairman since 2014.

In total, he had been with the New York-based company for 14 years and had been lauded as one of only four black CEO’s at a Fortune 500 company, following his appointment last year.

‘It has been a privilege to lead Tapestry with its powerful brands and outstanding people,’ Zeitlin said in a press release announcing his resignation. 

‘I have incredible belief in the Company’s growth potential as each brand sharpens its focus on meeting the broad and diverse needs of their consumers,’ he continued. 

The 56-year-old (left) had just taken over the role of CEO in September 2019, replacing Victor Luis (center), and had served as Tapestry’s chairman since 2014

Tapestry hired the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, to investigate concerning allegations made by at least one woman

CFO Joanne Crevoiserat has been appointed interim CEO while Tapestry begins its search for a permanent replacement. Susan Kropf, lead Independent director, was named chair. 

In the company’s press release, Kropf praised Zeitlin’s ‘meaningful contributions to Tapestry over the past 14 years, first as a director, and then as chairman, and most recently as CEO.

‘During his tenure as CEO, he played a key role in driving the development of Tapestry’s strategic growth agenda, Kropf continued.

‘Importantly, he led with purpose during these unprecedented times. We thank him for all he has done for the company and remain committed to continuing this important work.’ 

Tapestry announced in March that Zeitlin had reaffirmed his commitment to stay with the company for at least the next three years as it worked on restoring growth. At the time, they also announced the resignation of Joshua Schulman as Coach CEO and brand president.

Susan Kropf, lead Independent director, was named chair following Zeitlin’s exit. She credited his ‘meaningful contribution to Tapestry over the last 14 years’

‘Over the next several years, I will continue to work with our world-class teams to sharpen our focus on execution while driving our evolution to being a truly consumer-centric and data-driven organization, which will ensure we deliver on the full potential of our entire portfolio and enhance returns for all stakeholders,’ Zeitlin said at the time.

Amid renewed national conversations about race, diversity and inclusion following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, Zeitlin was recently said to have been making inroads at the company, prior to his resignation.

‘Our team at Tapestry wants to collaborate with a number of social justice, legal, and corporate entities to develop and support longer-term plans for addressing systemic inequality, he told Footwear News last month.

‘Inequality in health, economic opportunity, public safety, and other sectors, and we’re taking the first steps along these lines. We hope to join with government, but events of this past week make it clear that we cannot wait.’ 

Zeitlin was born in Nigeria and adopted and raised in the US. He attended Amherst College and obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Prior to working a tapestry he worked for Goldman Sachs in a number of senior management role across a two decade period. 

In 2007, wireless tower operator American Tower Corp. filed a lawsuit against Zeitlin accusing him of impersonating their chief executive in an email.

Zeitlin was accused of forwarding a negative article about the company to investors, using the email address of James Taiclet, the Boston company’s chairman and CEO, to do so.

He allegedly accompanied the article with the message ‘fascinating’, and typed Taiclet’s email address into the ‘sender’ line so it appeared the email had come directly from him.

Zeitlin later claimed the incident was just a ‘joke’ and the result of a misunderstanding. American Tower later withdrew the suit. 

The woman reportedly accused Zeitlin (near right in 2019) of posing as a photographer under an alias to lure her into a romantic relationship more than a decade ago

Tapestry announced in March that Zeitlin had reaffirmed his commitment to stay with the company for at least the next three years as it worked on restoring growth. At the time, they also announced the resignation of Joshua Schulman as Coach CEO and brand president

In addition to the departures of Schulman and now Zeitlin, Tapestry Inc. has seen a number of high-profile executive exits in the last few months.

In February, Tapestry named Liz Fraser CEO of Kate Spade to replace Anna Bakst, who left the company toward the end of 2019.

Eraldo Poletto also resigned as CEO and brand President of Stuart Weitzman this year. He was later replaced by Giorgio Sarne.

Despite the strain the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the retail sector, Tapestry said Tuesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter results have exceeded internal expectations ‘from a top and bottom-line perspective’.

‘Importantly, gross margin expanded on a year-over-year basis, reflecting lower promotional activity, while inventory declined from prior year. In addition, the company ended the year with a significant cash balance of approximately $1.4 billion.’

Tapestry shares are down 51 percent this year. The company has a market share cap of around $3.6 billion.

Coinciding with Zeitlin’s departure, the company announced a number of ‘interim’ changes. 

Todd Kahn, president and chief administrative officer and company secretary, will take the reins as interim CEO and brand president of Coach, a role that Zeitlin had held since March.

Andrea Shaw Resnick, global head of investor relations and corporate communications, has been appointed as interim chief financial officer.

The post Tapestry Inc. CEO resigns after claims over ‘personal behavior’ appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

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