#whether they won with this is up for the viewer to decide

[alex51324]

So, the NDA signed by producers of The Apprentice just expired, and one of them has published a tell-all article. Most of the article is about how they used standard reality-TV tricks to portray Trump as being wealthy and intelligent, when in reality he was, and is, a deeply indebted buffoon.

The money shot, however, comes when Trump and the producers are preparing for climax of the final episode, when the winner will be decided.

Per the FCC's rules for game shows, producers could not be involved in deciding who would be fired each week, or who would ultimately win: it had to be Trump's decision alone, like contestants and viewers were told it was. The producers could, and did, give him a presentation about the strengths and weaknesses of the contestants each time he had to make a decision. These were recorded, in case questions ever arose about whether the producers had crossed the line.

So, for the final episode, there were two contestants remaining. Both were men, one white, the other Black. They'd both done well in the final challenge of the competition. As the producers were summarizing the points for an against each candidate, this happened:

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

In the finished program, Trump chose the white contestant as the winner.

(Four years later, Trump would propagate the baseless conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not a native-born US citizen and therefore had not legitimately won the presidency.)

The article also describes how women working on the production faced discrimination based on whether or not Trump wanted to look at them while they did their jobs:

While leering at a female camera assistant or assessing the physical attributes of a female contestant for whoever is listening, he orders a female camera operator off an elevator on which she is about to film him. “She’s too heavy,” I hear him say. Another female camera operator, who happens to have blond hair and blue eyes, draws from Trump comparisons to his own Ivanka Trump. “There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he says toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”

And there's a third anecdote where he pressures a woman producer to break the FCC rules, while being casually misogynistic toward a contestant:

Trump corners a female producer and asks her whom he should fire. She demurs, saying something about how one of the contestants blamed another for their team losing. Trump then raises his hands, cupping them to his chest: “You mean the one with the …?” He doesn’t know the contestant’s name. Trump eventually fires her.

This information is pretty unlikely to persuade anyone who wasn't already persuaded by any of the other things Trump has done and said, which would for anyone else be a career-defining scandal. But it is a useful reminder of who we're dealing with.

(Link is to Slate, an x-number-of-free-articles-a-month site, but the incognito window trick works.)

[lwh-writing]

Skulker's Boring Hunt

“And now that we have located the proper biome, we are able to safely release the beast back into the wild.”

Skulker opens the cage door and turns the camera so that the virtual audience can watch as the peryton returns to the wilderness of the Ghost Zone, all the while silently bemoaning how he got here.

Ever since the existence of ghosts had become public knowledge, the Whelp had been determined to improve relations with humans. Part of that outreach effort included a handful of ghosts selected to begin ‘virtual relations’ through a process called ‘streaming’ and ‘vlogging’ so that they could ‘show the world that they weren't that different from everybody else.’

Skulker, honestly, couldn't give less of a damn about humans and what they thought of his kind. The only reason (and he very much means only reason) he had put his name on the volunteer list was for the easy access to the Living Realm and the new variety of hunts.

The Whelp, though, had put stipulations on Skulker’s ticket out of the Ghost Zone. Firstly, if he ever hunted in the Infinite Realms, he had to document and explain the animals he hunted so as to provide ‘educational value to his viewers’ or other such nonsense. Secondly, if any dangerous (non-sapient) ecto-animal was loose in the Living Realm, Skulker had to drop everything and stop its rampage. And last, and certainly least, Skulker couldn't kill anything.

Skulker had tried to reason his way out of that one, claiming that it contradicted his Obsession. The Whelp had tried to reason right back, claiming that he could still feed his Thrill of the Hunt without slaughtering something on live air. They had settled on a compromise: Skulker would run a poll with his viewers, and they would decide whether he gained a new pelt or not.

The fickle humans had, to date, always voted for catch and release.

“As this week's hunt has now concluded, it is time to decide what or who I will be hunting next week. The polls are now open.”

Skulker scrolled through his Fenton-Foley-Phone as he let his puny audience make their decisions. Ember had posted a recent picture of a restaurant in Barcelona, the latest city on her grand tour. Skulker gave it a like and looked back at the now concluding poll, a little surprised at the results.

Of the ten options given by his chat and selected by his moderators, there were a few picks that were always nominated but never won. It seemed his viewers desperately wanted to see him take on a dragon, a gorgon, a vampire, and some human named Lex Luthor. This week was no different, as all four of those options were just barely beaten by a new entry to the lineup.

“It appears that next week I will be hunting the Joker.”

Immediately, the chat exploded into chaos.

wonder_womanSIMP: pog

StardustSinger: skulker vigilante arc?? 👀

Penglow: RIP watch out for the Batman!

rock-mayo: RIGGED

golfAceVendetta: pog

OpperantParrot: LETS FUCKING GO!!!!

the_general_plum: :D

carbon-ham: D:

LizardSquid: E

egg_composition: gotham is going to chew you up and spit you out lmao

OtterCat: D:

“And once again, it’s time to decide my prey’s fate. Type one to vote kill, type two to vote spare. Voting is now open.”

That prompted another flood of responses, and Skulker returned to his phone, scowling a bit at his girlfriend’s posts. He was happy for Ember, of course he was. She was fulfilling her dream and chasing her Obsession, how could he be anything but ecstatic and proud of her success? He just missed her, though he would never admit it aloud.

Hm. Perhaps he could do a little solo hunting and send her a new pelt. Something to remind her of the Ghost Zone while she was away.

The timer went off, and Skulker dejectedly checked the results of the poll, only to do a quick double-take before smiling sharply at the results.

“Results are in. It seems this week I will be hunting, and killing, the Joker.”

The chat exploded with excitement right before Skulker started saying his outro and mentally mapping out his hunt in the coming week, unaware that at that very moment, a complication had arisen in his plan.

TheBloodSon: It appears that this may be a problem.

[olderthannetfic]

Hey. Maybe not the place. But people treat your ask box like a forum so 🙏 I thought I was ace because porn does nothing for me and I only like erotica/doujinshi if I like the characters. But I recently discovered watching wrestling does something for me. Is this really weird? How do I know where I fit?

--

I will gleefully embrace the identity of basement-dwelling gremlin who prefers horny fiction to actually dating or having sex with other people.

But porn tastes aren't what defines sexual orientation.

Neither is willingness to get off the couch.

Are you attracted to people, anon? That's usually how people define the various identities on that spectrum: no attraction, very occasional attraction way below what's seen as commonplace, attraction only when you know someone well, etc. (Which, of course, brings up the question of what level is "normal" and whether someone's judging based on Hollywood nonsense or on what's actually typical.)

For me personally, mainstream porno movies have actors I find un-hot wearing clothing I find libido-killing in ugly environments with bad lighting and camerawork. The scenarios lack the psychological depth needed to interest me, and there's little sense of intimacy.

This has nothing to do with orientation and everything to do with film craft.

Doujinshi of characters I'm already familiar with have a lot more context for what's going on, and this can add a lot of zing to kinks or increase the apparent intimacy.

Wrestling has plotlines. It has deeply charismatic stars. It has different body types than a lot of porn. There's nothing odd about finding it hot but not liking the porno movies you've been exposed to.

Plenty of people prefer all of the horny film festival favorites of the 90s to actual porno movies. It seems like funding dried up for those kinds of movies for a decade or two, but they used to be common.

I preferred the kinkier ones. Crash, for example, was a staple of my teenage viewing. Not the cringey one that won too many awards: the pervert one with the eight billion scenes of people licking each other's scars like they were performing oral.

It really digs into the psychology of kink... in addition to being far more visually beautiful and starring far hotter people than most of the commercial porn I've seen. Same deal with The Pillow Book or ¡Átame! or Maurice or Bound.

I've been seeing articles lately talking about a return to 90s levels of sex in arty movies. People point to the likes of Call Me By Your Name and Saltburn.

Live action commercial porno movies do vary, obviously, but it's just so, so, so common to find them tacky or boring while liking other forms of porn, even other live action sex scenes.

Hell, even for poorly shot stuff, I've never seen even amateur porn capture the vibes of this one long-deleted youtube video of a guy giving a lecture on anal massage and treating his subject like a prop while lecturing to a big group of onlookers.

--

Sometimes, people just aren't very into casual sex, and horny art where they can fantasize about people who actually know each other is better than horny art about the pizza delivery guy. Sure, there are pornos that try to have more plot, but porn stars are generally good at being porn stars, not at subtle and naturalistic acting.

Wrestlers are hardly subtle, but they do do different acting from your average porno, and there's more continuing plotline. Unless you mean... like... college wrestling? (In which case, Kink.com has or had some series where people wrestle to decide who gets to top. Wrestling is hardly a niche interest.)

For kinksters, the context and psychology often matter a lot. Showing an object with a lot of cultural baggage, like shiny black leather, can be hot, but the viewer might need more, and your average porno isn't geared up to provide that.

--

Anyway, if you want to determine your own orientation, your interest in art isn't necessarily going to help that much.

If you're only rarely attracted to people, and you have to know them well first, you could be demisexual, but you could equally well be shy or nervous or depressed or repressed or too busy and stressed to spend much time noticing your own feelings—or just surrounded by people who aren't your type. Only your personal interpretation of your internal experience can determine which it is.

But no, being horny for wrestling is not weird.

[tyttamarzh]

Just some late night thoughts.

For some reason January 21 is a special day in many ways for Missa Cubito…

21 de enero de 2023

Missa death in MCExtremo. In that series he had great character development, at first he was just a scared baby who didn't know the world, everyone had to take care of him, because with the slightest carelessness he would die (literally, they were distracted for a second and Missa looked at an ender and died, because he "did not know what it was"). He spent the first few days very scared, locked up at home, until after dying and reviving due to a bug, he decided that it was time to live that life to the fullest and decided to leave his crib and go out to face danger. He learned to fight being trained by none other than Spreen and Shadoune, learned to water bucket clutch with Rubius and became brave when facing mobs (sometimes recklessly). His new way of approaching life scared Q (it even cost him a life to him to this one) but for Missa it was very effective, because after losing practically 3 lives in 2 days being a scared guy, he managed to survive until day 5 with his brave attitude (even if he survived that day, he was able to reach the final) he was so full of confidence when fighting and decided that now that he was no longer the smallest of the team he was going to protect his friends, especially Q, who was the fearful one of the group now… and that's how he took too many risks and ended up dying, being something very shocking not only for his team but for everyone in the series and for the viewers, really, Twitter was flooded with fanarts and people crying about his death (even Missa said that an aunt called him because she thought something had happened in the real life).

That was very important because before that series almost no one knew Missa Cubito, he was just "the guy who died too quickly in Dedsafio" or "The funny guy who hopefully managed to get too far in siqud craft games". But in those 5 days (5 days of consecutive streams, it was heaven for the missaurios), he won over the internet with the story of his growth and death (Even today people say that the best thing about that series was having the "team vacio legal" and Missa was the heart of that team). I think that was the moment when Missa cubito separated from Missa Youtuber and became her own character.

But that was a sad day, because that day Missa Cubito lost the first family he had found.

This was the moment he died, fighting like a warrior:

January 21, 2024

Llegamos al día de hoy.

Missa wakes up in the QSMP prison and reunites with his family, it was the first time that Missa, Philza and Chayanne were together at the same time since April. Not only that, but he now officially adopts Tallulah as his daughter. Despite the adverse circumstances, his family has finally been reunited and grown (although Missa already considered Tallulah his daughter, now it is official and she calls him dad).

Despite being another universe, Missa is still the kind boy who wins everyone's hearts. Missa behaved politely with the guards, being mannerly when referring to them by saying "please and thank you" and greeting everyone very kindly.

He was very nice with the eggs, even with the ones he didn't know, and he refused to hit Dapper even though he was hitting him, Missa just said: "I'm never going to hit you or do anything to hurt you."

Missa was very happy to spend time with Phil, when he spent a long time losing sight of him, he would ask where he was and look for him.

The moment of the kiss (or the kisses) was something WTF I really didn't think that one day they would kiss and definitely I imagined many scenaries, but in no way I believed it would be that way, but that's what makes it special. They are not an ordinary couple, whether platonic or whatever they called it, whatever they have is special and I guess that was a special way for it to happen. Phil probably would never have dared to ask him to kiss him in another context and that's fine, because it seems like that would be the only way for it to happen (even if they both wanted it, I don't think it would have happened in another context).

It is worth mentioning that the moments of Philza being jealous and him reaffirming that he was married and being loyal to him was something I really didn't expect. After so much time apart, they still have that unique dynamic.

The day in prison was filled with so many things, but I can say that for the first time in a long time, Missa felt fully loved, not only by being with his children and his husband, but also by all those friendly interactions he was with others and that he could not have before on the island, because the first days he was extremely shy and did not separate himself from Roier and the friends he knew and after he only connected sporadically, meeting Foolish, BBH and rarely Philza.

Something curious that Missa Himself mentioned was that the previous times he was with Phil it was more of "ohh I miss you" but they didn't amount to anything more and today he was very happy because they were able to hang out together and do more things bonding with his family.

When he and Chay freed the turtle it was adorable, then the 4 of them doing the tasks, that was a unique moment and he was very happy singing for his family (being so nervous that he forgot the words to his own songs).

His bond with Phil strengthened and they didn't have to do much, that simple moment of the two of them talking about tacos and memes was something very cozy that they needed to do a long time ago. Just as the moment when they took the children for a walk with the llamas was something so sweet for this family that they almost forgot that they were in a prison, because it seemed more like a picnic in the park.

It really was a great advance, probably what happened today will help Missa a lot to grow and leave his self-esteem problems behind. He is important, he is loved and he is useful to his family.

Missa was a trend today, as it was last year, but the big difference is that this was a happy day because somehow, today he got his family back, that big family that he hadn't had in a long time and that he wanted so much and deserved.

The parallel of how he left today:

He is happy, laughing with his husband and children :')

[akashirl]

I now deem sei as silly.

(also, does he have DID?? I just need clarification and give u another reason to ramble about ur boyfriend(s?) :3

much love :D -kovu

hi. yes. sei is such a silly boy.

and yes, sei has DID!! he is a system of two! i've mentioned this but i'm not sure if i've already made a post simply for this topic. i'll try to not make this post too long by diving it in topics.

- all systems are traumagenic.

▪︎ akashi seijuro was born into a distinguished family who held him to inhumane standards. he has always been forced to be the very best at quite literally everything, excelling with 100% accuracy in all his subjects and just overall being at the top of every circumstance of his life. you can see in the video that not only did he have to study diligently but also have private piano and violin lessons. he's also a horserider but since that's something he actually likes to do, i won't include it in the trauma category. i'm not saying he dislikes playing the instruments, i'm just saying that he did not have a choice whether to start learning or not. it's something he had to do.

▪︎ his mother was significantly less strict than his father, being his pilar of strength.

▪︎ he started playing basketball from a young age. his father never encouraged it, but allowed him to play as long as he was always the victor. that being said, sei has never lost a game before.

▪︎ his mother died and his father got consequently more strict (unintentionally dragging his son along his personal grief) and that's when he started to "crack".

▪︎ by then, sei already had DID but there was no "trigger".

- seijuro's experience at teiko

▪︎ he was immediately categorized in the first string due to his abilities. that's when we're introduced to the main antagonic cast, the generation of miracles. the prior captain of the team, nijimura, had to leave the team and he decided to make seijuro the captain (this is where it all went downhill for sei.). as the team kept prioritizing victory above everything else, the teiko team started playing basketball without a purpose. as long as they won, it'd be alright. so, these kids, and i mean kids, began having to deal with their own strength -- which was far too great for their own good. seijuro, as the captain, got challenged by one of his teammates, murasakibara, and almost got defeated.

▪︎ bokusei's appearance (the fandom calls him "bokushi")

▪︎ seijuro's closeness to defeat led to his alter, whom had been bottled inside his mind, to get triggered out. this is when he developed his "emperor eye", an ability that makes him able to see the future of his opponent and therefore counter all their movements. so he ended up winning the challenge, humiliating murasakibara in return.

the basketball team was never the same, not because of sei's switch but because they simply longed for something greater than their own strength. the generation of miracles all chose to attend different high schools, making them rivals. and that's when our series begins -- the kurobas timeline. the winter cup is here and they all aim for victory. but only one team can be the winner.

information on both boku and ore (and my relationship with them) below the cut !!

- about (boku)sei ;;

▪︎ can be distinguished by his orange/golden eye (only visible to the viewer, everyone else just sees him with two red eyes.);

▪︎ is the "most recent" / younger alter;

▪︎ ENTJ and we have no clue when his birthday is;

▪︎ denominated "the emperor";

▪︎ refers to his teammates and friends using their given name instead of their family name;

▪︎ refers to himself using "boku" as a pronoun;

▪︎ his role as an alter is protector and arguably ex-persecutor;

▪︎ like i said, as he is the protector of the body, the sole intent for his birth was to protect seijuro from harm, which in their mind, is defeat;

▪︎ sees opponents and enemies alike;

▪︎ prefers his bangs short, unlike his brother who wants to grow out his hair;

▪︎ the "father" of the emperor eye / is more comfortable using it;

▪︎ main antagonist;

▪︎ often perceived as "scary" or "intimidating";

▪︎ unhinged (i can't keep pretending he's not);

▪︎ overly mischaracherized by the fandom, who claims that he's something in the lines of "psychopathic", "yandere", "violent" and the usual mischaracterization bs.

- my dynamic with (boku)sei ;;

▪︎ he fronted for the first time while i was on the team and i already knew about the situation, sort of like midorima being able to tell that there were two of them from the beginning. since i've loved sei from the moment i saw him, i spent time analyzing him and so i came to the conclusion before it was even revealed that he was part of a system;

▪︎ i was never frightened or intimidated by him. if anything, i was saddened at how lost in himself he had gotten -- seeking victory above all else, putting it beyond imaginary importance. as if that's how the sei i know actually sees victory.

PRESENT WISE ♡

▪︎ he has a hard time trusting. we're working on that;

▪︎ he's surprisingly more laid-back than his brother. like i said, his sole purpose in life was to achieve victory and we're still working on that as well, so as long as he's winning, he doesn't care much;

▪︎ bokusei smirks and grins a lot, but rarely smiles. when i do catch him smiling (which isn't very often), it's when we're doing something that doesn't involve competition, and i'm able to see him from the core. from what he was truly meant to be;

▪︎ he overindulges in work so i make sure to take care of him when he gets home, be it with a snack, a massage, or whatever -- sometimes i even step in in his workplace to make sure that he's taking care of himself properly and not going too many hours without a pause or a snack;

▪︎ like i said, he prefers his hair short and it's a battle in innerworld whenever he's about to trim his bangs (they rely on my opinion for haircuts);

▪︎ his love languages are quality time and gift-giving;

▪︎ i call him "aka-chan";

▪︎ he is on the aro spectrum and he's gay. gay gay gay. and tries to hide it;

▪︎ i'm very protective of him and he is very possessive (although he gets a little toxic at times...WHO THE HELL CARES. he's passive aggressive about it and hurts no one. who cares. who cares.);

▪︎ me and him are horrible shit talkers. no one is safe around us and our absolute judgment. ore keeps trying to keep us in line but we simply do not care;

▪︎ he really likes being spoiled and pampered, as much as he denies it. it's also much easier to get him to blush...

(i'll be adding things if i remember later...)

- about (ore)sei ;;

▪︎ considered "the core" (once again, i hate this expression), meaning he is the one that was originally born first and considered, by the fandom, the "true" akashi (as silly as this sounds);

▪︎ INTJ and was born on december 20th;

▪︎ both of his eyes are / appear to be red;

▪︎ refers to his teammates and friends by their family / given names (much like anybody would);

▪︎ was shut off from the "real world" for nearly five years, staying inside innerworld and watching as bokusei took control;

▪︎ refers to himself using the "ore" pronoun and has a less sophisticated speech;

▪︎ prefers his hair longer;

▪︎ emphasizes teamwork over victory;

▪︎ the fandom considers him "the good akashi" which makes my blood boil but then again, he's called that because his persona is less rough (they don't take two minutes of their day to learn about bokusei) and he's got a more conventional way to keep friendships. that's the difference between them, conventionality;

▪︎ is more serene but still has a resting bitch face;

▪︎ more authoritarian than his brother and genuinely gets upset whenever one of his teammates skips practice or just begins acting irrationally overall;

▪︎ no one talks about this but he has trouble communicating with his friends since he was shut off for so long with absolutely no human interaction. he often says "silly" sentences that not everyone comprehends and finds it difficult to engage in normal conversations (he's so precious oh my god).

- my dynamic with (ore)sei ♡ ;;

▪︎ i relate to him a lot because my mother has also been strict my whole entire life so we bond over that;

▪︎ he's extremely protective over me;

▪︎ he's on the aro spectrum as well and he considers himself pan;

▪︎ i am obviously very protective over him as well but he always seems to have things under control so there's not much to protect him from;

▪︎ he always makes sure that i'm well taken care of;

▪︎ he's my greatest motivation but at the same time he makes me run a lap for every minute i'm late to practice so it's a double sided coin;

▪︎ ore is very argumentative and always wins whenever we fight so there's no point in even getting angry;

▪︎ he gravitates thorough all love languages but his most prominent ones are gift-giving and words of affirmation;

▪︎ he's a smooth talker and has a way with words that have me on the literal floor. everything he says (this applies to boku too) is absolute music to my ears. but i mean as in he is very persuasive (not in a bad way) and always gets his point across, no matter what;

▪︎ oresei's very responsible and gets rightfully upset when i don't take my duties seriously;

▪︎ he's quite the planner, always inviting me to go out with him and making time with me;

▪︎ has a spidey sense;

▪︎ late night calls to help me sleep;

▪︎ despite being a year younger than me, he still manages to help me with my studies and encourages me to study (even though i'm terrible at studying);

▪︎ is more comfortable with PDA than boku, even though i don't normally engage in PDA anyway.

i tried to keep this as short as possible but i hope i got the main ideas across. i definitely forgot some stuff but i'll eventually add them whenever i remember.

ending this with a small note. i love them more than anything in this world and i would set myself on fire to keep them warm.

i hope this was enough of a slap to the face of those who said mindless shit like "the good and the bad akashi", "akashi has two personalities" and other incoherent words. also bokusei may have died in "canon" but i'm better than fujimaki and i say that he lived. i'm with him, after all.

i think we all should appreciate sei more. both of him. he deserves so much love. like i said, he deserves the world but the world does not deserve him...

[lucianapinkgirlprettycure]

My 10 Favorite Disney Kisses

Disney, as a good animation's entertainment corporation, has given us many memorable things and moments, not only princesses or heroes we've dressed up as or identified with in some of their personality traits, but they've also given us love stories that (admittedly) we've dreamed of at some point, and even experienced, and like every love story, there are some memorable kiss scenes; when it comes to romantic animated pieces, no other studio has a greater grasp of the concept than Disney, and whether rendered in 3D or hand-drawn to perfection, these sequences can range from the simplest acts of affection to the truest symbols of love; there's nothing to make you fall in love like a good kiss, and since we were kids, we always saw that the kiss was the happy ending to every love story that Disney won us over with, so today, in another of my personal tops, I'll bring you my favorite Disney kiss scenes, like every good fan of the company that I am, those kisses that have made us dream of that real love that we so long for, in addition to being my first top on my Tumblr blog; without more to add, let's begin

Number Ten: Snow White and Prince Florian

Yes, no matter what people say, this kiss will always be my weakness; and the thing is, analyzing this "controversy" more deeply, it seemed very stupid to me, because it involves people who know nothing about the film and are using it as an excuse to attack Disney and its creative side. But going back to the kiss itself, contrary to what people would have you believe, Florian wasn't taking advantage of Snow White, but rather saying goodbye to her because he had searched everywhere for her, only to find her dead in a coffin, so he does what any lover would do: kiss her goodbye. Luckily, this is Disney, and the girl awakens, which increases the joy of the moment when the Prince carries her in his arms and takes her to his enchanted castle of love to live happily ever after; a scene that was the beginning of love scenes in Disney films, and an example of what this animation studio could do in its beginnings: immerse viewers in that fairy tale and make them live the experience of the story through scenes like this

Number Nine: Tarzan and Jane Porter

Tarzan may not be the Disney Renaissance film that's a masterpiece in terms of narrative and theme, but that doesn't mean it has any positive points; just like in Burroughs' original novel, when Tarzan begins to understand his human identity, he finds love in Jane Porter, a girl who helps him adapt to the ways that belong to him as a species; at the end of the story, when Jane and her father are preparing to return to England, she finally discovers that her place is in the jungle, so she decides to renounce her entire aristocratic world, jumps out of the boat and swims back to Tarzan, to whom she throws herself and kisses him in the midst of her excitement, which makes her stutter nervously, until he returns the glove as well as the kiss, while Tarzan's gorilla friends were watching everything; with that touch of lips, not only did Tarzan and Jane seal their love, but two totally opposite worlds come together to become a true family, a rare family

Number Eight: Lady and the Tramp

One of the most famous kisses not only in Disney and animation, but in all of cinema in general, so much so that it has received tributes and parodies everywhere in all media; the kiss occurs when both dogs share a plate of spaghetti at an Italian restaurant, and their mouths meet while eating the same noodle. This scene, which was almost cut by Walt Disney because it might be considered too risqué for children, has become a symbol of romance and tenderness in cinema, and is one of the most memorable scenes in the film; as I have clarified on other occasions, I feel that kiss is a little overrated in the sense that it undermines and overshadows other Disney animal scenes that I feel deserve more attention, but that still doesn't mean that I like it and consider it tender, because it also ends when Tramp gives Lady the last meatball from her plate of spaghetti, and the song, Bella Notte is beautiful and I like it as a love melody

Number Seven: Pocahontas and John Smith

Yes, Pocahontas is a movie that, since I discovered its problems, I can no longer watch it the same way, but equally, its two kissing scenes are to my liking; while it didn't exist in the original story of the true Native American princess on which it was based, it still has its good points, such as being the company's first interracial couple. There are two kissing scenes, the first is in Grandmother Willow's clearing, and the second at the end, when John has to return to England to recover from a gunshot wound, and when he begs his beloved to leave with him, the girl prefers to stay with her tribe, and after telling him that no matter what happens, they would always be together, Pocahontas gives John one last goodbye kiss, and the ship sails away; its final scene is one of my favorites, because I like its epic background music, and all in all, it is one of Disney's saddest kisses, so for that reason, it stays at number six on this top of Disney kisses

Number Six: Aurora and Philip

This kiss, like Snow White's, also has divided opinions on whether it was consensual or not, but in my opinion, it's also my guilty pleasure, and besides, let's look on the bright side, this movie brought us one of the most attractive and interesting princes than his predecessors, Prince Phillip, because he does something to save Aurora; after defeating the evil Maleficent, the coolest villain of all Disney villains, Phillip, with the help of the good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, climbs the palace stairs to the bedroom where the beautiful Aurora lies sleeping; he approaches her, and gently kisses her red lips, thus breaking the spell and causing the princess to wake up. On some pages I've seen this image in more famous movie kisses, even in some videos, and unlike Snow White, Phillip did know that with a kiss of true love, a princess plunged into a slumber can be awakened; how cute, right?

Number Five: Aladdin and Jasmine

Oh, the famous Aladdin and Jasmine balcony kiss after flying on the magic carpet; what's so tender about this scene is the protagonist's reaction, as he's having the time of his life other than on the streets, and although he's aware that he was lying to his girl about being a prince, he eventually realizes his mistake and everything is fixed with the power of love (yes, I criticize those who believe this whole relationship is toxic because, quote, "It was based on a lie"); I would also put their kiss at the end when they get married while a rerun of A Whole New World plays in the background

Number Four: Ariel and Eric

Ariel the mermaid and Prince Eric, although they continue to fall in love under the concept of "Love at first sight", at least they had a little more interaction between them, but of three days, that's what Ursula tells Ariel when she wants to conquer her prince; at the end of the film and after defeating the sea witch, King Triton understands the importance of his daughter in his man, and decides to give her the long-awaited legs, and the girl can finally kiss her prince, something that everyone, including me, were waiting for since Ariel decided to have her legs; this kiss represents everything that Ariel had to go through to conquer her love, so a big applause to this little mermaid for fulfilling her mission to conquer her great love

Number Three: Belle and Beast

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite princess movies, and it introduced us to one of the most beloved and cherished romances in cinematic history; after many twists and turns, Beast is able to become human again thanks to Belle's confession of love, who manages to break the spell, and upon becoming human, at first she doesn’t recognize him, but upon seeing his eyes that she saw in a painting, she is finally able to recognize the man who was hiding behind the Beast, and they both share a kiss that sets off fireworks that return the castle to its original splendor; epic, adorable, and passionate, this kiss is undoubtedly one of the favorites of Disney fans, including me

Number Two: Bambi and Faline

Get ready everyone, because here come two of my favorite kisses that I feel are underrated and deserve more attention, in my humble opinion, of course; Bambi is best remembered for the infamous and sad scene of his mother's death, but in my opinion I don't remember it like that, and while I recognize that this scene is sad, I remember it in a more positive way, like the other films of the company, and one of the scenes that I like the most in this film, is the one in which a Bambi meets his friend Faline when they are adults; this scene seems the most tender to me, because it reminds me of a certain scene between animals that I will name as number one on this list (be patient); in this fragment, Bambi is drinking from a pond, when suddenly, his friend Faline appears, more beautiful than ever, and approaches him in a clear flirtation, but he, although he has grown, has not stopped being shy, and in the middle of his escape, his antlers get tangled in the branches of some trees, and before he can escape, there comes Faline and plants a kiss on his cheek that leaves him "twitterpated", as Friend Owl said, since that was her prediction, that Bambi and his friends would fall in love. This scene seems to me the most tender, and one that brings happiness after the disaster that was the death of Bambi's mother; I would also name their romantic walk in the moonlight while I Bring You a Song plays in the background, because something I realized is that Bambi takes his now girlfriend to the meadow he visited with his mother when he was little; what a touching way to pay tribute to his most beloved being

Number One: Simba and Nala

Oh, how I love this kiss, ever since I saw it for the first time, it became one of my favorites, and one that, at least from my point of view, should be included in the list of best kisses and love scenes in cinema; I know it's not a human one and is based on animal instinct (just like Bambi's) but that doesn't matter because I find it so adorable; what makes this animal kiss my favorite, is because of the nature of the music, the setting is beautiful, and Simba and Nala look adorable playing and reconnecting, even affirming their romantic feelings; their kiss happens when they are both playing throughout the jungle, and end up rolling down a hill and falling on top of each other, and Nala takes advantage of Simba being looking away to kiss him on the cheek, which leaves him surprised and stunned for a moment, but she just smiles at him mischievously and lovingly, and he understands and smiles back, and they both end up caressing each other lovingly, embracing their new romance; This kiss is not only very tender, but it marks a new point of reflection in Simba's life, as he leaves behind his life as Hakuna Matata and begins to reflect on his responsibilities as an adult, and i also love that it is Nala who initiates the relationship (hurray for her) and how that simple kiss awakens Simba's maturity; for all the romantic nature of the scene, it remains not only as one of my favorite Disney kisses, but I consider it should be included in the lists of the best kisses in cinema for its tenderness, sensitivity and display of affection

I hope you liked it, and reblog this whether you agree with me or not

[alicepao13]

As I said, not really in the mood for my usual extensive and exhausting (not for me) posting about Eurovision this year so I'll make just this quick post:

Our Klavdia was great, exceeded expectations. Everyone in Greece thought she wouldn't even get to the first ten. I'm glad that she proved us wrong.

Austria had a good song, I'm glad they won.

Some of the results from the juries were straight up weird.

One of our commentators said about "Ich Komme" that it means "I'm coming" and that it's about orgasming, which is definitely true given the context of the song but he said it ON NATIONAL TELEVISION and we have a right wing government (definitely not sex positive) so I'm having doubts about whether he'll get to be a commentator next year, which would be a damn shame.

People said our song had the most views on Youtube before the final but I don't trust Greeks to not have watched it 5,000 times each.

Did not want 12 points from Israel, thank you very much. Also, Israel. Greece's song was about genocide. Did you... get it?

Did want 12 points from Cyprus, thank you very much.

As I said last year, when you decide to boycott Eurovision and not vote because of Israel, you risk giving the win to Israel, because those who want Israel to win will vote instead. And Israel spends millions every year to promote their contestant. I'd gotten ads for their song without even having watched one Eurovision video of any country this year. So... yeah. For people who thought boycotting would work last year and this year, if you don't want one of these years for the competition to be in Tel Aviv, which would mean A LOT of good publicity for them and hundreds of millions of viewers watching them be the perfect hosts, I suggest you stop this nonsense.

[blueberryscones30]

beyblade burst surge: episode seventeen

I’m a writer and I sometimes say what I would do if I were driving the story of Surge, and in this review in particular I want to make something clear. I don’t think I’m somehow superior to the Surge writing team, or that there is only one good way to tell this story, or if I don’t understand why something happens immediately that it’s a sign of poor writing. What I would do does not translate to what the series should look like—I’m just experiencing the show through my eyes, so my input is going to be natural in what I think of the show.

With that being said, episode seventeen completely baffled me. The episode begins with a tag battle between Valt/Shu and Hikaru/Hyuga, and this battle was by no means bad; I just felt like this one served a more strictly narrative purpose, namely, to show Shu the potential of Flare. There were some other smaller points in this battle that I enjoyed. The fact that the battle was Valt’s way of showing Shu why blading matters is such a testament to the way their relationship has grown. He knows that Lain’s turmoil is making Shu more focused on winning to prove a point instead of staying true to his method of blading. I also feel comfortable saying that Valt is definitely the character with the most drastic character growth, in my opinion, but I think that’s a topic I’ll have the chance to cover in another episode.

Valt and Shu win and there’s a nice scene where they eat spaghetti before the plot takes hold again. Lain, reeling from his loss, decides to conquer Spriggan with a new bey: Lucius Endbringer, and challenges Shu not even halfway through the episode. This is what confused me first: wasn’t this fight happening too early? It hadn’t been a full episode since Lain had tasted his first 1v1 defeat. I tried to brush the thought off, because when the Burst writers make an event happen at an unexpected time, it usually happens for a reason. In season two, I thought the battle between Red Eye and Lui happened too soon after the World League, but it turned out to be a really smart writing choice. So, I tried to roll with the punches.

I’d also like to mention that Lain decides he wants a new bey and builds one within a five-minute onscreen span. Hikaru and Hyuga do the same thing, and this has the much bigger problem of decreasing the impact of breaking a bey on the viewer. Breaking someone else’s bey is supposed to be nearly unforgivable and a sign that someone doesn’t know what blading is truly about, but if beys can be repaired and evolved on a whim, does it actually matter that much? There’s still the social shock value, I suppose, but it makes it feel less important.

There’s a small scene before the battle where Hyuga and Hikaru are arguing about whether Shu can defeat Lain. Their disagreement is so fierce that Hyuga slams the table, careening an open bottle onto Hyperion; fortunately, Hikaru snatches it out of the way and Hyuga catches the bottle before any damage is done. I think this was a nice addition that shows how despite their differences, Hikaru and Hyuga put each other first and are each other’s sources of strength.

The battle begins and Lucius Endbringer, which very clearly took a lot of inspiration from the new Hyperion and Helios, makes its debut. This presents the second thing that confuses me: the battle isn’t even close. Spriggan gets an Over Finish upwards of six times without ever getting a point on Lucius before it’s Burst. Not only is very uninteresting, it also has the implication that the problem with Lain was his bey and not Lain himself, because nothing changed within the span of the last battle and now except for the bey he used. 

You could make the argument that Lain had stronger Flare than before and that’s why he won, but that only brings up another point: why is Lain’s Flare lugging him through battles? And the additives on Lucius? So far, the series has thrown a list of factors for Lain’s brilliance except for his actual skill. His experiences, strategies, and thoughts have had very minimal contact with the audience. But because if this end-all-be-all mechanic, his victories are all but guaranteed?

Lain wins and the rest of the cast is left to ponder what this means. We get a scene alone with him and finally get a glimpse into what he’s thinking: he’s been trying to quench his “thirst” by battling legends, but even when they’re all defeated, he still isn’t satisfied. I wish we had more scenes like this before this point, when the season is in its final arc, but the run time is something I can’t blame the narrative for. 

I wonder where they’re taking this and how the Tag Series will unfold. I assume we’re widening our scope a bit and focusing on the Legends again and Hikaru and Hyuga’s interactions with them. In terms of this conflict, the ball is definitely in Shu’s court and I’m curious to see how the plot will unfold. My unfiltered notes are below:

[the-somewhat-rambling-reviewer]

Love for Love's Sake EP1

I’ve only watched episodes 1-3 so far.

Given the opening scene, I’m worried Yeo Woon is actively suicidal.

Tae Mayung Ha adapts really quickly to this how possibly being in a virtual world thing. I always have trouble with premises such as these, because, I know if too much time is spent on the main character struggling, it’ll turn viewers off, but I also know someone like me would not last long at all if I suddenly found myself in a different world or what have you. I would question my sanity hardcore, and assuming I decided I was still sane, I would likely kill myself in the process of trying to reverse what had happened.

Did his author friend do this to him?

It’s interesting how I haven’t seen anything online about how a 29-year-old is actively pursuing an 18-year-old. Granted, virtual world (possibly), he’s in a 19-year-old body (possibly), and even in the real world, I don’t think there are any countries where a 29-year-old being with an 18-year-old is illegal, nor do I think it should be illegal, either. But also, if an 18-year-old loved one of mine was with or being pursued by a 29-year-old, I would not have good feelings towards this 29-year-old.

This said, it being fiction, I’m not counting myself as hypocritical for the fact I’m shipping Sang Won with Mayung Ha.

Sang Won reminds me so much of Jang Jaeyoung from Semantic Error.

And unfortunately, it seems I’m the only one shipping these two right now.

I don’t dislike Yeo Woon, but I honestly don’t understand why everyone is cooing over him, either. I feel bad for him. I do think people aren’t taking his grandmother’s death into consideration at all and that he should be given time, and possibly, counselling, to actually mourn her. But other than feeling sympathy for him, I don’t see what makes him so appealable to both the audience and Mayung ha

Back to Mayung Ha waking up in the classroom, the teacher’s reaction was milder than I expected, and in this circumstance, sending him to stand in the hall was likely best for Mayung Ha, but a good teacher would actually be trying to find out what caused such a bizarre reaction in a student.

So, Mayung Ha finds Yeo Woon, and it was smart convincing Yeo Woon that he was close to Yeo Woon’s grandmother. All the same, there are more plausible answers to the question of missing her funeral than, oh, sorry, I was so late that I didn’t even make it.  

Speaking of grandmothers, I no longer take cultural or generational differences into consideration when it comes to abuse. Mayung Ha’s grandmother is a horrible person. Parents from 1950s movies and Thailand BL series and so on who lay their hands on their children are terrible people.

Onto non-horrible people, I love that Kyung Hoon is basically Mayung Ha’s teddy bear. It’s not scary to see when he physically stops Kyung Hoon, and in later episodes, he’ll openly cuddle him multiple times.

Speaking of adorable, bedsharing!

I do find it interesting how Asian shows tend to make much less of a big deal about two boys/men sharing a bed when there’s no romantic relationship in play. Which they should. I’m going to squee over most instances of bed-sharing regardless of whether it’s parents co-sleeping with kids, a couple, or just two or more friends, but I don’t find it commentary-worthy in and of itself when two male characters who aren’t in a romantic relationship end up sharing a bed.

I know Yeo Woon and Mayung Ha will almost certainly end up together, but couldn’t it just be a case of Mayung Ha helping this depressed kid be happy and maybe Mayung Ha ending up with Sang Won?

I’m not sure this new format is doing much better at helping me present my thoughts in a coherent fashion, but I’m going to try it a few more times.

[yourreddancer]

AG Kris Mayes is Fighting Back Against the Trump-Musk 'Coup' Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joins MeidasTouch to discuss efforts she is taking to fight back against Donald Trump and Elon Musk's violations of the Constitution Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Feb 23 I had the privilege of speaking with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who didn’t mince words: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are engaged in a full-blown attack on democracy. And while spineless Republicans in Congress refuse to stand up to them, state attorneys general are leading the fight to hold them accountable in court. Both we here at the MeidasTouch Network and our millions of viewers and listeners have demanded action. Well, attorneys general like Kris Mayes are stepping up.

At least five major lawsuits have been filed by Democratic AGs against Trump and Musk, with Arizona leading the charge. Their actions are so egregious that federal judges have already issued multiple Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) to stop them—yet they continue to ignore court orders, pushing the country into uncharted legal and constitutional waters.

“This is a coup against our Constitution, against our way of governing ourselves,” Mayes told me. “They are violating over and over and over again… What do you do when the people running the federal government aren’t playing by the rules?”

Mayes and other Democratic attorneys general have filed lawsuits challenging some of the most egregious and unconstitutional actions of the Trump regime and Musk’s influence over the government. Among them:

Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship – This blatant violation of the 14th Amendment is nothing more than MAGA authoritarianism, and state AGs are taking it to court.

Elon Musk’s Takeover of Government Agencies – Lawsuits are challenging Musk’s unconstitutional role in the Treasury Department and USAID, where he’s exerting influence despite never being appointed or confirmed to any position.

The Federal Funding Freeze – Trump tried to freeze federal funding to states, threatening firefighters, law enforcement, rural hospitals, and social programs like Meals on Wheels. AGs successfully won a TRO to stop it.

Trump and Musk Violating the Appointments Clause – The lawsuits argue that Musk and Trump have installed unqualified loyalists into positions of power, sidestepping the constitutional requirement for Senate confirmation.

Contempt of Court Violations – Federal judges have ordered Trump and Musk to stop their unlawful actions, but they continue violating those rulings.

And that’s just the beginning.

“We’ve never been in a more dangerous place than we are today, at least since the Civil War,” Mayes warned.

One of the biggest concerns Mayes raised was what happens when Trump and Musk outright ignore federal court rulings.

If judges hold them in contempt, will Trump just pardon his allies? Will Musk keep defying subpoenas, protected by a corrupt federal government?

Mayes made it clear: state attorneys general aren’t backing down. These cases will likely reach the Supreme Court, and when they do, the justices will have to decide whether they stand with America—or with authoritarianism.

One of the most outrageous aspects of Trump’s government is Elon Musk’s unchecked access to Americans’ personal data. Under Musk, DOGE has become into a tool for government surveillance, with teenage hackers and unqualified tech bros accessing sensitive private information.

In Arizona alone, Mayes’ office has been flooded with calls from furious citizens—Republicans, Democrats, and independents—who are outraged that their tax records, medical files, and Social Security information have been accessed by Musk’s lackeys.

Meanwhile, Musk—who is bragging about gutting government agencies—is running around at tech conferences wielding a chainsaw like some kind of deranged movie villain.

“I don’t think Elon Musk has ever used a chainsaw in his life,” Mayes said, mocking the bizarre stunt. “At the same time, what he’s doing is devastating real people’s lives.”

Here’s where the hypocrisy of Trump’s MAGA movement is on full display. While Trump and Musk rant about stopping drug cartels, their own actions are making it easier for them to operate.

The federal funding freeze that AGs fought against would have eliminated critical drug task forces working to stop fentanyl and cartel operations.

In Arizona, police just seized over 1.5 million fentanyl pills, along with meth, guns, and cash—but if Musk and Trump had their way, those operations would have been defunded.

Trump claims to want “border security,” but his reckless, unconstitutional executive orders have weakened law enforcement’s ability to do their jobs.

One of the biggest questions I get from viewers: When is Elon Musk going to be forced to speak under oath?

Mayes couldn’t reveal everything about legal strategy, but she confirmed that AGs are already working to subpoena Musk, demand documents, and expose the truth about how he’s infiltrated federal agencies.

The Appointments Clause lawsuit—which Mayes filed alongside 12 other state AGs—is the most likely case to force Musk into testifying under oath. And when that happens, his entire corrupt arrangement with Trump will finally be exposed.

The message from Mayes was clear: This is a fight for democracy itself.

And Americans are stepping up. The Democratic attorneys general are launching a nationwide town hall tour, giving people a chance to voice their anger over the corruption, lawlessness, and invasion of privacy happening under Trump and Musk.

“If your Congress member isn’t holding a town hall, demand one,” Mayes urged. “Make your voice heard. Call their offices. Let them know you’re not okay with a billionaire weirdo having access to your personal data.”

Mayes made one thing clear: Americans—regardless of party—are waking up.

Arizonans didn’t vote for a dictatorship. They voted for a better economy, a secure border, and functional government. What they’re getting instead is authoritarianism, corruption, and an all-out assault on democracy.

“We still believe in America,” Mayes said. “And we still believe in our Constitution. But we need to fight for it before it’s gone.”

Watch my full interview with AG Mayes above and consider joining us now as a paid member to keep us going.

[hmanhh]

Week 4: Can foreign reality TV shows create a significant impact on attracting online communities when imported to Vietnam? 

Reality TV shows have been gaining greater shares of viewership across different audience groups largely because of their potential that widen the avenue for the sharing of opinions and driving argumentative discourse (Deller 2019, p. 153). The shows are inclusive of many forms such as gamedocs, dating programs, talent shows, and reality sitcoms amongst others (Murray and Ouellette). The Vietnamese market has also seen a significant penetration of foreign television programs. The recent reality TV formats acquired for broadcast in Vietnam include: 'Running Man,' '2 Days 1 Night', 'Brother Overcame a Thousand Thorns,' 'Street Woman Fighter.' These shows were received with phenomenal success in their home countries, where they left a deep impression on their viewers. A question remains whether they would keep their phenomenal appeal when they are adapted to the Vietnamese culture. 

Street Woman Fighter Vietnam (Nữ hoàng vũ đạo đường phố) is a real dance competition adapted from the original Korean format. Its first episode was released on July 27th, and it features six competing crews including So Fire, F.E.D, OOPS!, HanoiXGirls, SSWarriorZ, and Salad. All dance crews contain well-recognised female dancers of the industry with different styles and genres.

Korea has been known as the birthplace of a variety of well-known reality TV shows. Understanding that Vietnam has the potential, with a large number of talented female dancers whose ability in both choreography and competitive dancing is equal to the international standard, the producers of the original show decided to choose Vietnam as the first foreign host for this program. This initiative aims to provide a platform for young dancers to showcase their talents and creativity (Phan Trai 2024).

In order to set a strong and long-lasting foundation the show has strived to maintain the original format to attract viewers who are used to the former Korean version. However, since the production is now based in Vietnam, it has to fit the local culture. An instance of this is the performance of the dance crew F.E.D during the Mega Crew mission, in which they used Vietnamese music and set up the formation in a star shape, representing the emblem on the national flag. Specifically, the emergence of well-known faces in the Vietnamese entertainment industry, such as popular judges and master hosts Hari Won, Diep Lam Anh, Gil Le,... has contributed to its appeal and viewership.

The show broadcast both through the HTV7 channel and YouTube, enjoyed an incredibly active online audience. This is somewhat understandable considering the quality of social media viewership, which essentially tends to be a communicative practice, best linked with the scheduling of a live show (Deller 2019, p. 157). Consequently, it places viewers in a position where they have topics of commonality they can discuss each week on various social media platforms. It is a sense of collective empowerment that provides greater ease and immediacy, especially when they can identify and unite behind a common interest such as fandom for a television series (L'Hoiry 2019, p. 11). Notably, the diverse responses to individual performances can elicit a whole gamut of opinions; where one may show eagerness, the same feelings might not be shared by another person. These differences in views mostly result in the creation of different online communities based on a wide array of outlooks.

In short, Vietnam opens a very huge opportunity to produce reality TV shows based on foreign formats, owing to the diverse audience demographics in the country. However, more is indeed required to be done to enhance quality and creativity by the producers themselves to catch more viewership in the long term. 

References:

Deller, R.A. (2019) Reality television: The television phenomenon that changed the world [Preprint]. doi:10.1108/9781839090219. 

Murray & Ouellette, ‘Week Four Reality TV Case Study 2023 Slides’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, 2023, viewed 04 October 2024. 

L’Hoiry, X. (2019) ‘Love Island, social media, and Sousveillance: New Pathways of challenging realism in reality TV’, Frontiers in Sociology, 4. doi:10.3389/fsoc.2019.00059.

Phan Trai (2024) Show đình đám hàn quốc ‘Nữ hoàng vũ đạo đường phố’ đến Việt Nam, Tạp chí điện tử: Người Đưa Tin. Available at: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/show-dinh-dam-han-quoc-nu-hoang-vu-dao-duong-pho-den-viet-nam-204649700.htm#:~:text=Nh%E1%BA%ADn%20th%E1%BA%A5y%20Vi%E1%BB%87t%20Nam%20c%C5%A9ng,v%C3%A0o%20cu%E1%BB%91i%20th%C3%A1ng%207%2F2024.(Accessed: 04 October 2024). 

[techtired]

Bart Springtime: The Man Behind Diana Nyad’s Success

Few tales in endurance sports and notable accomplishments are as motivating as Diana Nyad and her husband, Bart Springsteen. One big name in the entertainment business is Bart Springtime. But his friendship with long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad has also made him famous. The world is renowned for Diana Nyad, an author and swimmer. On the other hand, Bart has had a lot of success and accomplishments in his life. Bart Springtime is more than just Diana Nyad's husband. He has made a name for himself as an actor and director on Dutch TV. He is interested because of his job, family, and love for Diana Nyad. Let's learn everything about Bart Springtime, his life, how he has affected the entertainment business, and his relationship with Diana. Full Name Bart Springtime Date of Birth September 18th, 1976 Place of Birth Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands Gender Male Nationality Dutch Profession Actor, TV Producer Famous For Roles in “Big Brother” and “De TV Kapper” Parents Cindy and Dave, Springtime Siblings 3 (Evan, Paige, and Chad) Marital Status Married Spouse Diana Nyad (married in 2019) Children None Net Worth (2024) Approximately $1 million Career Highlights Won “Big Brother,” reshaped TV3 programming Who Is Bart Springtime? On September 18, 1976, Bart Springtime was born in Zuid-Holland, a Netherlands province. Growing up in a happy household with Cindy and Dave Springtime as his parents and three brothers Evan, Paige, and Chad, his early years were one with encouragement, especially from his parents, who inspired him to follow his aspirations. Driven towards a profession in entertainment, Bart's confidence was shaped in part by his solid family background. Although his early schooling is not well documented, Bart was obviously always keen to meet fresh challenges. Eventually, his curiosity and daring nature brought him to the front stage. Bart's career took off in 1999, and he has been a big celebrity on Dutch TV ever since. Bart Springtime Starting a Career With "Big Brother" When Bart took part in the popular reality show "Big Brother" in 1999, his path towards popularity started. Audiences were charmed by his clever demeanor and appeal, which soon made him a favorite. This exposure opened several opportunities for Bart, allowing him to play more parts on TV. Bart had established himself as a gifted actor and TV producer by 2001 already. His most well-known performance helped to increase his profile even further on the show "De TV Kappers". Bart's adaptability in the business is shown by his ability to enthrall viewers in front of and behind the camera. Move on to TV Production Although Bart's ambition also included TV production, acting gave him notoriety. He started behind the scenes since he wanted to be more than just a talent on film. Working as a TV producer let him be more creative, creating fresh shows and changing TV3, one of the leading television channels in the Netherlands, programming. Bart's creative concepts helped him to become a well-known person in the business very fast. Thanks to his dedication to providing top-notch television content, he has, over the years, earned multiple honors for his work. His natural storytelling style and ability to know the audience's wants have helped him flourish as an actor and producer. How Bart Met Diana Nyad? 2019 saw the paths of Bart and Diana Nyad cross at a charitable gathering. Their friendship started from their mutual love of serving others. < Over time, their relationship developed, and soon it was clear that it was something more. Bart and Diana, later in 2019, decided to get married. Love and support abound in their relationship, and Bart has grown to be a great source of strength for Diana, both personally and professionally. Bart has always been at Diana's side, supporting her and providing direction whether she was getting ready for a swim or working on one of her several literary projects. A Father and a Foundation of Support Bart is not merely the husband of Diana Nyad. In every sense, he is her friend. Respect and adoration between them define their connection. Often complimenting Bart for being her rock, Diana has always supported her through every difficulty. Many of Diana's goals have been reached thanks in great part to Bart's relentless encouragement. One outstanding example of a balanced relationship is between Bart and Diana. While always strengthening their link, they value each other's work and passions. They have shown the world what true love and friendship entail, taken together. Bart Springtime: The Man, The Actor, The Producer Bart has blue eyes and blond hair; he stands five feet ten inches (178 cm). His athletic build and good appearance, which mirror his busy lifestyle, are well known. Often spending his free time riding or engaging in another physical activity, Bart loves outdoor hobbies and keeps fit. Bart likes to keep some facets of his personal life secret, but among his followers he is a favourite based on his appearance and appeal. Whether he is working on television or in his regular contacts, his tall and attractive appearance, along with his clever demeanour, allows him to connect with people easily. Bart Springtime's Net Worth Bart Springtime's net worth is approximated to be $1 million as of 2024. Years of diligence and attention to his trade define this number. As a TV producer as well as an actor, Bart has put in endless effort to shape a successful profession. Although Bart's net worth is really remarkable, it's crucial to remember that his riches cannot define his level of financial success alone. His net worth captures the many hours of labour, inventiveness, and passion he has poured into his work. It speaks to his dedication to quality in the entertainment business. Bart Springtime: What's Next? Bart is not the kind of person to settle for his laurels. He keeps stretching the bounds of what is feasible in television and has great future ambitions. Mentoring emerging talent and sharing the knowledge he gained over his career greatly interests him. By guiding the next generation of TV creators and performers towards their distinct voices, Bart seeks to inspire them. Bart also wants to keep performing and assume increasingly difficult and varied roles. He is eager about what the entertainment business has in store for him since he thinks there is always space for development. Bart's Social Media Accounts On social media, especially Instagram, where he boasts over 104K followers, Bart is highly active. His story offers supporters a window into his personal and professional life. From behind-the-scenes pictures of TV production to souvenirs of his travels with Diana, Bart's social media profile reflects his several hobbies. For Bart, though, it goes beyond simple enjoyment. He also promotes optimism and highlights charitable initiatives from his platform. Bart's internet presence has let him interact with a larger audience and have a good impact both online and in person. A Few Interesting Notables About Bart Springtime Bart Springtime is more than just a brilliant producer and performer. He enjoys riding and frequently spends time on his bike, seeing the countryside. Bart also enjoys cooking and getting ready to present delicious food to his family and friends. Bart speaks Dutch, English, and Spanish among other three languages fluently. His capacity for multilingual communication has enabled him to relate to people from many spheres of life. Another one of his several loves is jazz and classical music; he regularly goes to live events wherever he can. The Bottom Line Bart Springtime is a multifarious man. From his acting career to his behind-the-scenes producing work, he has made a lasting impression on the entertainment business. More importantly, though, Bart's position as Diana Nyad's devoted husband and friend reveals his commitment to the people he loves. Bart is still a great inspiration to everyone around him as he develops and expands in his profession. His narrative reminds us that the affection and encouragement of people closest to us also contribute to success in addition to skill and diligence. The road Bart Springtime travels is far from over. In his personal life, as much as in entertainment, he keeps aiming high. Years to come will surely be inspired by his legacy as an entertainer and Diana Nyad's boyfriend. Read the full article

[thetoxicgamer]

Chaos ensues after Pokémon Champion Wolfe takes shots at the VGC community

Wolfe Glick, the 2016 World Champion and renowned content maker, is receiving backlash from the VGC community after recounting his harrowing experience at the Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) in a video broadcast yesterday. In the video, Glick highlighted where his NAIC run went wrong, saying his unique Perish Trap team had been leaked just days before the tournament, and that it gave other competitors time to figure out how to counter it. He specifically called out Brady Smith, who had brought the same team of six Pokémon to the event after the leak was confirmed. Glick referred to his team as “leaked” and “stolen,” but that’s not how other players in the VGC community viewed the situation. One of the most vocal players about the incident, 2018 Senior World Champion James Evans weighed in, saying “everyone steals teams,” and “nobody’s hiding anything.” https://twitter.com/TheKingVillager/status/1688005756312748032 Giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes, Evans among others say “team stealing” is just part of the game they signed up to play, while Glick’s video painted the concept in a negative light. In addition, toxicity quickly flooded into the otherwise quiet community as players had been busy prepping for Worlds and traveling to Japan. Smith began receiving hate messages following the posting of Glick’s video, with many saying he stole the team from Glick on purpose. This did not sit well with fellow VGC players, who rightfully came together to discourage and criticize any hate toward Smith. After seeing the community response, Glick put out a statement today, urging his viewers to not harass anyone he mentioned in his video. He also acknowledged the video was “emotionally charged” and that the criticism he’s facing for it is fair. Smith later posted his own response to the NAIC incident as a whole, thanking the community for supporting him, criticizing those who sent him hate, and addressing Glick directly. https://twitter.com/vgccorner/status/1688294701680742400 Smith clarified he had personally battled the same Perish Trap team while practicing on the ladder and heard only rumors that it might have been Glick who built it. He decided to take the team as Perish Trap was a strategy he personally enjoyed playing; much like Glick, who had won Orlando Regionals earlier this year with that same strat. Glick was also called out for criticizing how Smith had piloted the team during the tournament. The latter said he isn’t one to hold grudges but left the world champ with some advice moving forward: “I know you are very passionate about Pokémon, but be careful to not let that passion burn others.” Both Glick and Smith are set to compete in the Pokémon World Championships, starting on Aug. 11. We’ll see how many people pull up to Yokohama with the same teams and whether this week’s NAIC drama will boil over any further at the all-important finals in Japan. Read the full article

[valeriehalla]

just saw a post suggesting that if you want to avoid your art getting fed to an AI training algorithm, you should reduce the quality. the example image they produced was a 780x1200 pixel, quality-60 JPEG. jeez!? not to put anyone on blast at all, but that's a pretty big image still! the datasets these AIs are trained on are likely full of images that size or smaller. it depends on the specifics of the algorithm, but it's rarely an issue to the neural network that an image is too small -- more often it's the opposite problem.

incidentally, 60 is a pretty low quality, especially for a jpeg. this is up to every artist to decide for themselves, but it feels pretty "the terrorists won"-style dystopic to compromise the human viewer's experience of your art for fear of theft. the fact of the matter is that these bots are already vacuuming up tiny low-quality JPEGS off every website that'll have them and slapping them onto t-shirts and into training datasets -- that's the backbone of their diet!! the goal, for the bots, is quantity, not quality.

personally, i'm always looking for ways to post my images as close to raw as possible. 8-bit PNGs, carefully-tuned lossless WEBPs, anything that can get the filesize small enough without impacting the image quality. does this make my art easier to put on a coffee mug? i would argue no, because nobody who's buying autogenerated print-on-demand trinketry off amazon gives a hell's shit about the DPI to begin with. this only really makes art easier for humans to steal, because humans are the ones who care whether an image looks like shit or not. it's easy to forget that that's still a problem in this robotic dystopia, but for me it's enough of an "enemy I know" issue that I'm comfortable taking the risk. again, though -- up to you to decide for yourself!

[wasflypaw]

Dream doesnt seem to like his character losing, which makes me wonder Why he did the Exile arc and whether he thought of the Long Term Effects of it

This has Always been a theme, back during season 1 he won the L'Manberg war And had arranged it so Tommy would have to give him a Disc back if he lost which would Continue the Disc War because he Didnt like that Tommy won against him the last time (just Barely, Tommy managed to get the discs in the Enderchest SECONDS before Dream shot him). He didnt lose Anything in the Pogtopia arc by betraying Pogtopia, because he came out on Top with the Revive Book and didnt Actually care about his allies.

Season 2 wouldve gone Fine, I wouldve had No Issues with it, had he not made the Disc War Finale staged. It was set up so this antagonist character who we have never seen lose before, FINALLY got his ass kicked and locked away after so long. And it turns out..... it wasnt a win at all for his victims? Because he staged it? And we never got to find out WHY he staged it?

He loses his friends, yes, but that was also Because he Willingly Chose that path. He decided to give up his "attachments" on his own, nobody made him, nobody pushed him to that, it was all his decision.

In Season 3, even though he's in Prison, he doesnt Lose anything worthwhile on screen. He, while Locked Away, still has FULL access to a whole ass Revive Book, he torments the Prison Warden with info about what he did to Tommy, he manages to send c!Ranboo into Enderwalk mode using Sapnap, he manages to Kill someone And revive them, he manages to kill Another Guy and Revive Him...?

Then we get the Torture Arc. Finally, something that has c!Dream actually Lose something And.... we Dont see it. We see 2 very short clips on screen (one of c!Quackity first entering the cell, another of c!Dream cowering and going "Yes Sir") but That's. It

Literally the Lowest point c!Dream was in throughout the entire series and we Barely saw it, leaving me struggling to feel sympathy for what happened. I watched something last night that tackled a similar topic and I felt Bad for the person in question cause their "punishment" (Psychological Torture it was in the show) happened On Screen. It doesnt work as well when a characters lowest moment is Mostly Off Screen.

This would be similar to if the entirety of Exile Arc was off screen and we just had a clip of c!Tommy going "Sorry Dream" or something along those lines. Last time I said this I had weird anons going "You want to see torture on screen?" and I'm like. They're playing this in Minecraft, theres Limits to what they can Show. This is how the Exile Arc managed to show an abusive dynamic while also sparing the Bloody Details (which we know were there by scenes of Tommy shouting in pain)

And After the Torture arc, c!Dream's behaviour did not change. At All. He stayed the exact same dude he was before it. He didnt get Worse (he literally murdered his abuse victim Before the torture arc).

After escaping the prison he didnt need time to recover or wander around without armor or food needing to start over again, he conveniently had an ally outside and was able to get into full netherite armor within ONE stream and was Back to tormenting people, specifically c!Tommy.

Dream likes playing a character that Always comes out on Top regardless of what happens to him, (and when he loses something it's either off screen or he CHOSE to lose that thing) and it Worries me because making that character abusive doesnt Work with that, as viewers will be rooting for the Abuse Victim to Win and Upset when he Loses Yet Again to him.

[mononokehunters]

Interview with Kenji Nakamura and Koji Yamamoto on the upcoming Mononoke movie

Google translation of the article below the cut

It was announced the other day that the movie version "Mononoke", which will be a completely new episode of the TV anime "Mononoke" broadcasted in the late-night anime frame "Noitamina" of Fuji TV in 2007, will be released in 2023, and it has received a great response. called. Kenji Nakamura, who has worked on "Mononoke" and is also the director of the new work, and Koji Yamamoto, the first editor-in-chief of Noitamina and the representative of the twin engine in charge of the production of this work, when announcing the animation after 15 years. Conducted a direct hit interview. We asked him about the circumstances at that time, the path leading up to the announcement of the new work, the thoughts he put into the new work, and the reasons for sticking to the new work.

　This work is the story of a mysterious man, "Pharmaceutical Seller," who has a sword that can slash the Mononoke by identifying "Makoto," "Ri," and "Shape." It depicts the terrible tragedy created by human hearts and Ayakashi, cut off by drug dealers and swords of demons who travel around the world.

　A topical work that combines CG processing such as the texture of Japanese paper to create a novel image that has never been seen before. In the 2005-09 production division), it won the first place in a dignified manner. Fifteen years after its broadcast, it is still very popular.

■ The idea for the new production was right after the broadcast at that time-At the event held the other day, the animation of "Mononoke" was announced for the first time in 15 years. please give me.

[Yamamoto P] The story "Why don't you do a new work of Mononoke" was mentioned every time you planned the next work of director Nakamura. It was often talked about between the two, but when I consulted with them several years ago, Mr. Nakamura refused (laughs). It wasn't established for various reasons, but this time it was finally realized.

[Director Nakamura] At that time, I was making another work and the timing just didn't match (laughs). I've always wanted to do it someday, but it's been 15 years since I realized it.

――How did the new work become the movie version?

[Yamamoto P] Inevitably, it became the movie version. Originally, "Mononoke" was a series of 3-4 episodes in the TV format, so I was arguing that it would be put together as a single ghost story movie rather than being released as the first, middle, and second parts on TV. I will make it with. "

■ I am convinced that the timing to create a new episode while maintaining quality has arrived

――What was the deciding factor for making this time?

[Yamamoto P] Mr. Nakamura is originally a person who wants to make a "real new work". I also want Mr. Nakamura to do a completely new work, so I thought it would be better to do that while I had something I wanted to do. Rather than stopping, it feels like the timing wavelengths didn't match exactly. This time, when launching a production team with Mr. Nakamura as the director with Twin Engine, Mr. Nakamura will make a sequel while talking about several projects in parallel, whether to do a sequel to "Mononoke" or a completely new work. He chose that.

[Director Nakamura] That's right.

[Yamamoto P] The engine is already running, but Mr. Nakamura is easy to think about until he decides what to make. That's because I'm thinking about various things, so I really need time, including customer needs, market trends, and themes. So when I started the team, I was promised "I'll definitely do" Mononoke "somewhere" regardless of the order in which I started.

--I see. It means that you made something like a prospect or a path in consideration of Mr. Nakamura's personality. What was Mr. Nakamura's thoughts about that?

[Director Nakamura] "Mononoke" is a very difficult work to make in many ways because it requires depth and various kinds of quality. I don't want to betray the expectations of those who saw the old work, and I wanted new viewers to enjoy it, so it was difficult to calculate whether I could do it. It's just one word, but I had a lot of thoughts.

――After the situation where various feelings are coming and going, is it now at the stage where you can issue GO both in terms of timing and feelings?

[Director Nakamura] That's right. I think that will be the case.

■ Atmosphere of the production site that has changed drastically due to the response from the viewers The response from the bulletin board is a response.

――Looking back on it now, the quality is high, and I think it was highly evaluated by the fans at that time, but is there anything that remains strong in the response at that time?

[Director Nakamura] At first, more than half of the staff were worried that it was overkill, and about 30% of the staff were forcibly pulling. After the broadcast of the introductory curtain of "Mysterious ~ ayakashi ~ Kaneko" was over, there was a reaction on the Internet bulletin board etc., and the uneasy staff seemed to feel "accepted" after seeing the reaction of the customers. The air has changed.

――The touch of the pattern is an unprecedented impression, and some people were worried whether it would be accepted in that sense.

[Director Nakamura] Nowadays, it is normal to use 3D CG, but at that time there was no such full-full full-cut 3D work in the TV series. It may have been a big change in terms of work and workflow.

――It's challenging to change your workflow, isn't it?

[Director Nakamura] Since the order of work changes, I asked "Is it okay?" Rather than "a feeling of refusal." I feel confident that I was saved by the people who saw me. The most memorable impression is that you have backed it up.

――It was such a challenging or experimental work, but how did you take it?

[Yamamoto P] I felt that "Bakeneko" was overwhelmingly superior as a picture and as a director, and I thought it was a work that will remain in history. Of the three "Yotsuya Kaidan," "Tenshu Monogatari," and "Bakeneko," the other two were good, but the audience rating for "Bakeneko" was missing. Of course, I didn't intend to make a sequel at first, nor did I make it as a pilot for the sequel. However, I remember thinking that only "Bakeneko" should be treated differently.

■ Director Nakamura, the pressure on the new work is "not mysterious"

――It seems that you talked about it at various times, but as a result, do you feel the high expectations and pressure of the fans for the resurrection as the time has opened?

[Director Nakamura] It's not strange. When I started preparing, I had a lot of hesitation, and there may have been a bearish time until I decided on a path. Now that it's over, there's no hesitation because it's decided how to make it better and how to make it interesting.

I would say it myself, but to be honest, I thought that everyone remembered "Mononoke", so it was rather good that I had high expectations. I thought it was okay to make it because of the response. If there was no response, it would have been messed up, and I think he was telling Mr. Yamamoto, "Let's stop."

――Is the bearish time overcoming because your thoughts have matured, or is it overcoming after a certain amount of time has passed?

[Director Nakamura] Isn't it both?

[Yamamoto P] In making the sequel, there were endless choices as a director, such as what to leave and what to change, and there were some parts that could not be decided without seeing them. As a director, I'm worried or confused when I think "Is it possible to make the right choice?" It means that there is no such thing.

[Director Nakamura] This work is scheduled to be a rare type of content. How you feel depends on the user, and in a sense, I think that the individual's impression is the "correct answer." Doing my best is the most important thing right now, but I'm afraid I'll run out of time (bitter smile). If there is pressure, there. And the bigger the echo, the more powerful it is. I think that will deliver better things to everyone. It's a synergistic effect (laughs).

■ "Mononoke" episode "H × H" newly published "strong sense" corresponding to the present era

――Re-editing and re-animation have become one of the trends in the anime industry in recent years. Is there any reason for sticking to new works?

[Director Nakamura] I didn't think about re-editing from the beginning. If anything, I felt that it was more important to increase and add to the content of the work "Mononoke". As the times have changed, the awareness of problems in the world has changed, so I also had the desire to create works that corresponded to them.

[Yamamoto P] From the planning side, "Mononoke" is easy to update, or it is easy to do because the format is solid. I would like you to continue the new work while adding and replacing, and updating each time in the future.

[Director Nakamura] Actually, I thought "I should have made more series", so I have a strong feeling that "new issue" was released as a series. For example, like "HUNTER x HUNTER", users are happy to see the continuation. I think we have to put it out.

――The expression “new episode” has come to me. With that stance, it seems that the flow will continue.

[Director Nakamura] I realized that I should continue to publish new publications, even if I found it difficult to create a new work for "Mononoke", so I didn't hesitate. I think there are various possibilities, so I hope I can take good care of myself while listening to the opinions of many people. Of course, it is most important not to betray the users.

■ I want to make something that does not deteriorate over time

――After 15 years, it is difficult for all the staff at that time to gather together, and it is said that it is a new production with new “blood”, but what is the core of the work that cannot be handed over?

[Director Nakamura] It's difficult, but I feel that the overall balance and this is in the hearts of the users.

――Is it something like the “dark part” or “karma” that people have in their hearts?

[Director Nakamura] That's right. Also, personally, I think it's important to stay in people's hearts for a long time. I'm sure some people will see the old work for the first time, but it's important that they see it and cry. I want to make something that does not deteriorate over time.

――It's true that the previous episode still sticks even now. I think there are many commitments, but please tell us the most important points in the production process.

[Director Nakamura] It's all about the meaning and color that enriches the theme that can be read from the entire screen, the mysterious and mysterious sound, the unique static and dynamic tempo, and the charm of the acting of the voice actor who does not fit the standard. It's different from the current animation trend, but I'm going to add a sense of update while keeping it steady. I am particular about various things.

--looking forward to it. Lastly, I would like to ask those who are new to "Mononoke" to see the part that I would like to see with this announcement, and the highlights that do not disappoint those who saw the previous work, as far as I can tell at this time.

[Director Nakamura] It's a catharsis when slashing the Mononoke. The work contains various elements, such as mystery-like horror, hero-like, and a little era-like. It's simple to look at, but I want to keep the fun of the complicated part as I get closer, and I think that users can think "Is it my story?"

Anyway, if you can see the coolness of drug sales. He's very playful and cool, so if you follow him, the work will be interesting. Please look forward to it.

Interview / text: Masaki Endo / Editing: Takeaki Sakurai

Oricon tie-up special feature