#❛ ❪ analysis ⠀/⠀ bread vega.

[zcddymuse]

tag drop!

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[zcddies]

tag drop !

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[ava-core]

so i got a lot of love for phoebe, my mean girl female manipulator courier six :’) i’m so glad people like her!! granted, she’s not…likeable beneath her veneer of practiced amicability, but i’m still happy people dig her concept! i know i do, complicated couriers are my bread and butter—and incorporating more traditionally feminine elements into this specific storyline that’s no less brutal than may bells’ was a treat to do!!

my process on making her under the cut!!

(ALSO I FINISHED AN ENTIRE DOC ADHD YOU LOST TODAY)

honestly, phoebe came to me like lightning one day: i was resting from finals and still in the middle of my may bells playthrough when i came across this neat analysis of regina george as a dictator on my youtube FYP:

my half-dry brain: what if…we made a courier six that’s JUST LIKE THAT. an enigma of feminine power who weaponizes her assets to survive the wasteland?

and just like that, courier six phoebe was born. at her very core, i modeled her after the film noir femme fatales, but instead of ultra-vampy and mysterious, the persona she’s carefully curated is more on ‘untouchable angel’: she will smile, shake hands, do your errands and be nice, all the while keeping a distance because she knows you know that she’s only a dream you can have. but what wouldn’t you do for such a dreamy girl in the middle of the post-post-apocalyptic nightmare?

still, that doesn’t mean she’s no less deadly. she’s still human. if you piss her off, she’s going to…respond.

also, as you can see in her inspiration sheet, a huge chunk of the pegs i had for her are ultra-feminine queen bees, with varying degrees of…kindness. they’re also young, because she’s young: by the time the events of new vegas roll around, she’s only 20 years old.

let’s get to specifics (L-R, top to bottom)

Rita Hayworth’s Gilda: this one is pretty self-explanatory. call her what you want: the bombshell, the femme fatale, the desert angel, she doesn’t care if it gets her caps, favors, and access to things she otherwise wouldn’t have if she was true to her more awkward and snooty self.

Nicole Kidman’s Suzanne Stone, To Die For: yeah, that’s a face to die for. for phoebe, they also share in that all-consuming ambition: once phoebe gets a goal, it doesn’t matter what’s going on or what’s going to stop her. nothing is going to get in her way to achieve it, even if it means she has to kill someone. or open her legs.

Katherine Heigl’s Izzie Stevens: for this character, she’s more of a physical inspiration. in FNV’s character creation, i had a picture of her on standby to serve as a peg to copy LMFAO even downloaded a mod to make her pretty. i’ve been so obsessed with katherine heigl none of you understand :’) but if any of you have watched grey’s anatomy, you’ll know how genuinely sweet and nice izzie is. that’s the persona phoebe puts forward: scrappy, kind, will bake you cookies if you need it, optimistic and happy. even if she’s not those things, not at her core.

Rachel McAdams’ Regina George: yeah. evil takes a form in phoebe buendia, her doctor ex would say. and maybe she’s right: just like regina, she lies, smiles, and chokes behind the scenes to stay on top in terms of power—the most a courier can wield, anyway. she’s also still just barely out of being a teenage girl: it’s not an entirely happy life pretending you’re sweeter than you are almost 24/7. so she gets her reprieve with the kill missions, especially when the Legion sends her assassins—hell yeah. also, to cultivate a cult of personality, you have to be intelligent. so many people are unaware of how smart phoebe is; the girl’s a damn genius, but she doesn’t play on that often. it’s a big advantage to be underestimated.

Alexa Demie’s Maddy Perez: like izzie, the biggest thing i got from her for phoebe is the allure. the aura. you can’t tell me you don’t look at alexa demie’s smize and not fall to your knees in awe of such sheer beauty. that’s the effect phoebe has, even on the most hardened in the mojave. and, well, yeah, again—just a young girl with confidence oozing out of every unblemished pore.

Natalie Dormer’s Margaery Tyrell: out of all of them, i’d say she’s the most similar to phoebe in terms of personality. she’s known for her ‘beautiful altruism’, with sweeping gestures of charity for anyone who would accept: it’s why freeside and westside love her. but behind closed doors, she’s power-hungry, irritable, petulant and even borderline psychopathic in her quest for ‘a better Mojave, no matter the cost’.

Another major influence, though not pictured here, is the Sofia Coppola-brand of feminine gloom (when she simmers down, or when she was back home in Shady Sands), specifically The Virgin Suicides.

her past + more on her personality is inside the doc! i hope you guys love her as much as i do even though if i met her irl she’d probably flick my forehead for kicks </3

(p.s. i haven’t even talked about her love interests: the aforementioned centurion enemy-husband, legion recruit begrudging ally, followers of the apocalypse ex, and even another one that’s a terrifying great khan who will rip hundreds to shreds to see her smile…should i make a doc about that? it’s in these dynamics her complicated personality shines through the most lmfao)

[daeyeol4you]

The Chay Rewatch Ep 6

As part of my KP Rewatch, I’m going to be commenting on each episode and analyzing the different Chay scenes. He’s my favorite character, and I thought I’d put down my thoughts (as well as timestamps for his scenes) as a fun way to express that.

Ep 1 & 2, Ep 3, Ep 4, Ep 5

Ep 6 - World's gayest camping trip

This episode is honestly the one that made me change my mind about Kinn. During my first watch, I genuinely did not like his character in any way, shape, or form until this episode. It almost made me stop watching the show I won’t lie.

The bodyguards just screaming in the woods looking for Kinn. Chan, please organize the boys better.

Some people be saying Korn actually organized this kidnapping, and I fully support that theory.

Time: 14:18 – 14:36 – Macau Spotting

Why does Macau only show up in Chayless episodes? Is there an innocent baby bro ratio that keeps the two separate?

Macau swinging around the pole. Bro does not know you are not supposed to split the pole!

Macau’s Outfit: a rainbow sweater vest over a white shirt, double silver chains, and what I think are khakis? The colors make him look younger even though the outfit is very Grandfatherly, and it stays in the bright colorful theme the minor family uses though. Love that he wore this while Vegas looks like an 80s porn star with his crushed velvet shirt nearly exposing his tiddies.

Macau is the only person who regularly wears stripes throughout the show. I’m not gonna say only person, but he’s definitely the only one who wears them multiple times.

Vegas and Macau using English as their sort of code language is important to me! (Yes I know this is because of Bible’s background, but I love it)

Bruh Macau was with Vegas when he bought the condoms + bread, no wonder he had such a shit-eating grin the entire time he was on screen. He knew Vegas was about to start psychological warfare – I mean flirting with Pete.

Where is my baby boy?! We got so much Chay content in the last two eps! Why must we return to the drought!?! We don't even get Kim to at least remind us that Chay exists in the storyline. I will perish.

Overall Chay Rating (Chrating): I will give this episode an F+

The F is because no Chay. I must quote an earlier rewatch analysis, why am I, the Chay Rewatcher and Fan, here if there is no precious baby brother huh? Is my scholarly work a joke to you BOC? Anyways, the + is because this episode is the one that made me actually start to like Kinn, and Macau showed up for a little bit, which is always fun to see. Very excited for Ep 7 and the end of the Chay break.

[thatgirl4815]

Color & Expression - VP

(Ep 12 Meta - *Love Scene* 2/2)

**For Part I, look here 👀: Cinematography & Mood.

I want to start off by saying that when it comes to color, this scene is by far one of my favorites in the entire show. Say what you will about KinnPorsche’s plot and characters--the cinematography and lighting have been consistently on point. Especially in riveting scenes like this, it’s important to set a strong emotional foundation not just with the characters, but with the setting itself. 

Before I get into it though, I want to offer some links to my previous analysis of VP’s specific colors and color symbolism throughout the series so far: Torture in Ep10, Pink: Color Analysis, & Colors in Ep11 🌈

Without further ado...

There are, by my count, five prominent colors at use in the series on a regular basis, all in various shades and levels of intensity. These colors are Green, Blue, Pink, Purple, and Gold. I’ll go ahead and offer a brief explanation of what I personally have interpreted each of these colors to mean in the context of the show (though not all of these show up in this scene alone):

Green: Danger & mistrust; it’s most prominent in situations where a character is in peril, such as during Pete’s first torture scene or in the bathroom scene between KP in Ep7.

Blue: Pete; Porsche has also been connected to the color blue; it’s prevailing associations are loyalty, sincerity, freedom (emphasis on this one!), harmony, and sadness/mourning. (**This entire analysis really hinges on the fact that blue does, in fact, represent Pete as a character, so I pray to God this is the case.)

Pink: Romance & subduing; depending on its shade, it can represent more passionate emotions (closer to red) or more sweet, affectionate ones (baby pink); it’s also been connected to Pete’s effect on Vegas because pink is a lighter shade of red: Vegas’s color.

Purple: VegasPete together; a merging of both Vegas (red) and Pete’s (blue) symbolic colors; it’s been broadly connected to themes of spirituality, harmony, devotion, and peace (among many others). 

Gold: Mafia transitioning to idyllic; over the course of the show, its meaning seems to have shifted from negative (crime and duty) to positive (honesty, transparency, etc.).

*Note how we don’t see much red in this scene. Red often comes as a pair with green (see: Pete’s torture scene), as it has been closely connected to Vegas as a character. It’s interesting to me how, though red seems to coincide with Vegas’s yearning for dominance and control, we don’t see it at play much in this scene. I think this is because though Vegas is in control of the sex, he’s not really in control of the situation. No, the control lies in the hands of the man who offers him that dominance in the first place: Pete. Essentially, red showed up in the torture scene because Vegas was taking control despite Pete’s objections. Red doesn’t show up in the love scene because Vegas is receiving control. There’s a huge distinction here. 

Additionally, this is really specific and probably strictly trivial, but Vegas wears a white t-shirt during this episode, and white is typically associated with positive themes like honesty and purity. This might be relatively meaningless; however, I have noticed that he seems to be wearing it more recently. Coincidence or not? 👀

Ok, so how exactly do all of these colors function in this scene? 

Purple & Blue

The prominent colors I see from the list are purple on the left and blue on the right. What’s interesting is that the purple can lean more towards a pinkish hue depending on the angle, while the blue can lean more towards green. These color combinations are interesting, as purple and pink seem to fit naturally together with the symbolism I've described above, but blue and green are less clear about their relationship to each other. In any case, the blue is notably light in its shading, which makes me think it’s leaning towards the more positive aspects of Pete’s personality (not mourning, as mourning is typically associated with darker hues). 

We see the blue outlining Pete, and I find this shot specifically^ to be incredibly telling and effective. Pete already has authority because he’s standing up; it’s one of the few times we’ve seen him in a power position over Vegas. What’s so significant about it is that this is one of Vegas’s lowest moments; he’s been reiterating throughout the episode that everyone he loves leaves him, but here he has this man with every reason to hate him standing in front of him. Not only that, but Pete’s own color--blue--is glowing at his back. It’s as if Pete’s essence is spilling out, demanding Vegas’s attention, consuming the entire room with the only thing that could possibly banish all the darkness in Vegas’s heart. Finally, I do think the topic of “worshipping” is at play in shots like this one, because it does make Pete seem like a godly figure in Vegas’s eyes.

When Vegas pulls Pete in, he draws him closer to the purple light streaming out of the left circles (Windows? Holes? I’m not sure what to call them). Since purple is their color, pulling Pete towards it is a sign that Vegas is trying to close the distance between them both physically and metaphorically. Pete looks worried, probably thinking that Vegas is about to get physical the same way he did during the torture scene. I wouldn’t call it fear, but you can see his eyes widening at the movement. 

Vegas’s actions have consequences here. It’s almost as if by pulling Pete farther away from that blue light and closer to the purple one, Vegas is pulling him farther away from himself. And by that I mean his old self. As Pete comes closer to the purple--to the merging of himself and Vegas--he is leaving his old self behind. Stockholm syndrome at it’s finest.

This is where I see the green hue start to come through a bit more clearly (?), though the light behind Pete’s head is definitely an altered shade of blue. It’s almost like a merging of blue and green--of Pete and danger--which is...actually pretty accurate. Pete knows even before he initiates with Vegas that this is dangerous for him. But the thing is that for this moment at least, it doesn’t matter. What matters is holding onto whatever twisted thing they have going on--leaning into it, clinging to it, because it’s something they both know they need. Vegas, specifically, has just seen how much Pete cares for stopping him from harming himself, so he capitalizes on that brief display of affection. From the way he stares at Pete here, it’s clear he wants to bring Pete’s blue light towards his red one. I mentioned freedom with the color blue, and it’s certainly applicable as a key factor in Vegas’s allure towards Pete. It’s ironic, given that Pete is not physically free with Vegas, but he is more free than Vegas will ever be. I’ve no doubt Pete has a ton of his own baggage to carry, but from Vegas’s perspective, Pete is exactly the person he needs in his life. 

Speaking of this, the dialogue coincides nicely with the coloration onscreen. As we see the separation of purple on the left and blue on the right, we have Vegas luring Vegas to the purple side: “Don't try to hold it. I know you’re suffering inside. Let it out.”

(*Side note, but the amount of time Vegas spends staring at Pete’s lips during this scene...ugh.)

I like that when Pete goes for the kiss, their positions have switched. It only makes sense that Pete would take the initiative to plant a kiss on Vegas when he’s stepped towards the purple light where Vegas just was. Once again, this show is pairing the plot development with the coloring and character placement. 

I keep reiterating this, but something about Vegas having planted himself so firmly in that blue light--in Pete’s light--just speaks to me on a very personal level. 

Ok, so we see these same colors at play throughout the rest of the scene, though things get darker as we proceed (literally and figuratively...). I want to focus on a few of the most prominent shots:

Purple reigns supreme yet again. I’ve mentioned before that the camera angle gives Vegas dominance, just like Pete gives him dominance, but I see a more substantial merging of blue and purple here behind him--emphasis on the purple, of course. Everything is coalescing in this moment. All of Pete’s reservations, all the past trauma, all the hatred--it’s just wiped away. 

I do see a little bit of red on Vegas’s face here--perhaps a callback to the torture scene, when red permeated everything; however, it’s notably drowned out by the purple. Symbolically, I’d say this represents how “controlling” Pete is not a domineering, selfish pursuit: it’s something they both want, something that represents their union rather than their opposition.

Here we have Pete looking up at Vegas with a more subtle purple light on his face. I want to commend Build’s acting because his expression has gravity. He’s asking a silent question, but asking almost feels like too light of a word. His eyes are focused and intent, but at the same time, it’s like he’s not quite there--like he’s just now giving in to some distant part of himself he’d kept locked away. Not to be dramatic, but he’s looking at the face of both his pleasure and his destruction, and God does he know it. 

I want to reference this shot^ because it does allow us a brief look at the one source of the only yellow/gold light we have in this scene. I reference it because it seems to come into play briefly with the final shots of the scene:

The after shots are the only time we really get any objective lighting. I especially like it because we’ve just been exposed to so many eye-catching, vibrant colors that this break really narrows the focus on the two of them. It’s a nice reprieve for us, as an audience, having been present for all the intensity. It’s like we can let go of everything and finally breathe a sign of relief. 

--

As usual, this got quite long, but this is my interpretation of the colors in this scene. Concluding thoughts are that 1) purple is VP’s color, 2) I did not breathe once while watching this scene, and 3) hedgehogs really can bring people together.

For a more complete list of other KP analysis threads, visit this post! :)

[trcshy]

bold whichever applies to your muse ／ hobbies !

fishing | camping | sewing | singing | dancing | drawing | painting | baking | cooking | making music | gardening | mixology  | playing sports | beekeeping | knitting | chess | video games | working out | doing yoga | playing an instrument | collecting things | hiking | parkour | kite flying | making bread | origami | wood carving | trivia | board games | jigsaw puzzles | juggling | swimming | creative writing | journaling | scrapbooking | thrifting | doing makeup | working on cars | cosplaying | wikipedia editing | genealogy | book club | table tennis | calligraphy | meteorology | astronomy | larping  | geocaching | photography | reading | litter picking | scrolling through social media | watching movies / shows | witchcraft | pottery | lego building | ghost hunting | graffiti | poker | people watching | birdwatching.

[fishy-xp]

KinnPorsche Ep 7 Brain Rot (this time, with some actual analysis lol)

aka me focusing on the things that no one else cares about

Firstly, Arm being hungry and readily accepting food from Vegas paired with Pol being overtly excited over bread in Ep.6 gives me incredibly wholesome foodie boyfriend vibes. In another life, they would own a joint food IG acc and it would be super wholesome photos of Arm always sneaking away a bite of a chip whilst Pol smiles blissfully unaware of the gremlin beside him stealing his food (bonus, Arm is always looking up in those photos through his sexy ass glasses with a mischievious glint in his eyes because he's in love love, they both are). Alternatively, they pull a 2gether Chic Gang moment and film themselves in the bodyguard compound like 'ayo it's your fave blogger boys, today we are rating the gruel they feed us and it's a zero outta ten from me, i'd rather eat Khun Tankhun's carps if i didn't value my life!' (another bonus, Tankhun joins in the fun and brings them exotic sweet treats, namely spicy ass shit that has them confined to the bathrooms for hours on end, pete is off the side grimancing in disgust and pouring them glasses of milk)

Vegas also knowing the way to those two bodyguard's heart (and trust and overally loyalty while we're at it lmao) is through their stomach is incredibly endearing to me as a giant food lover myself but also amazing characterisation because he appears to pick up very easily what sets off everyone, their comforts and uncomforts, like Porsche and motorbikes/issues with authority/hierarchy, Pete and outward sexual behaviour, Arm and food <333

Porsche's rigidity at seeing Macau again is fucking hilarious

Vegas sitting at the head of the table during the courtyard dining scene instead of his father who is clearly there, inchresting inchresting

PORSCHAY'S FUCKING GIGGLES AND TINY LITTLE WAVE WHEN HE SEES KIM, I WILL BURN THE WORLD TO KEEP THAT LITTLE MAN WARM

The way Korn talks about his wife makes it very clear he believes love is a weakness instead of a strength, no wonder Kinn is the way he is. When he says our family is waiting for you and holds out the apple, he puts Kinn in a position to once again choose between Porsche or his duty. Kinn takes it relunctantly and eats it, a complete contrast to the cocky, shit-eating way he did in Ep 1 with the green apple in the shooting range. Korn reminds him here, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, Kinn cannot escape who he is and what he must do.

Porsche's happy feet wiggles, you can see it when Kinn asks if Vegas is taking him as his bodyguard or wife, his feet aren't in shot but his knees are moving in that wiggly motion. He's so stinking cute.

Korn lectures Kinn and Kinn goes and does the exact fucking opposite lmao, he told him to stop letting a pawn distract him from the bigger game, goes find said pawn and gets kidnapped, unlocking a whole side quest. He told him not to give away his lucky knife, Kinn immediately goes to give Porsche his lucky gun. Korn is spinning in his not-yet-dead grave.

Absolutely everything about the drug/Don scene was amazing and we are not talking about it enough. The entire English exchange was so fucking hot especially the 'let bygones be bygones' line holy moly. But on a serious analysis note, the theatrics of Porsche passing the gun to Vegas in slow-mo before the theme song kicks in was amazing. But the following action scene is entirely too clumsy. I'm not saying the acting is bad, I'm saying within the story, Porsche and Vegas are not as in sync as Vegas later chalks it up to be. They are slow to react, clunky, disjointed rather than working together and Vegas landing on Porsche (whilst maybe intentional because he is in his manwhore era) looks clumsy, especially in contrast to the quick, methodical and efficient beatdown by Kinn and Porsche in the kidnapper's truck in Ep 5 and they were freaking chained/handcuffed together.

I think Porsche is unsettled by Vegas knowing his beach bar dream because he wasn't the one who told him. When Kinn kidnapped Porsche initially and read out all the info about him, Porsche didn't like it because that info was obtained through power and means, rather than through Porsche himself. His beach bar dream is something that a person should learn through a conversation with him like Kinn in Ep 7, a conversation where Porsche trusts that person enough to talk about his dreams. Vegas mentioning it indicates to Porsche he got it through an alternative way and he realises Vegas wants something out of him just like Kinn wanted him to be his bodyguard.

[aladybetween2majors]

My reply to @myezblog ask about Vegaspete episode 6 interaction analysis.

Before I get into this I just want to say that I found it f-ing hilarious that of all people to tail Vegas the main family would send Pete and Pol, two bodyguards Vegas has seen several times. Apart from plot convenience, it makes me think that perhaps they underestimate Vegas's ability to take notice of the people he comes in contact with. Also I wondered which member of the main family sent them there and my first guess is Kinn but the question is when did he ask? Is it an ongoing thing or is it a new assignment for them? We have seen Pete's reaction to Vegas and apart from him simply being a member of the minor family that they are not on good terms with there seems to be more

Now onto the interaction, when we first see Pete and Pol we hear Pete ask who is better? Him or Vegas's bodyguard. Take note that we don't really see any bodyguards around Vegas and we never have, I think this is an indication that unlike the main family's rigid way of doing things the minor family is much more lax, the question is interesting though as we are not given any context to interpret it. It is just thrown out there and I think it is meant to be taken that way. Pete is merely asking for the sake of it, he is asking on the thought that if there is any confrontation who would be better.

The second part of the scene is when Vegas and Macau come passing by, I saw this in another post and I agree with it, it was pointed out that having him with Macau shows another part of him. Up until now we have only seen Vegas like a snake and now we see him just walking past with his brother seeming normal. I thought the seem however fleeting gave a warm view, and also the lack of bodyguards (none that we can see anyway) is indicative of the difference between main and minor family. The carefree nature of the brothers is also to be noted, while Kinn, Tankhun, and Kim obviously have great affection for each other there is still a clear divide between them that doesn't seem to exist for Vegas and Macau.

Then Vegas says 'do you think they know we know' you immediately think who is he talking about. The surface answer and the one that I am going to go with is that he is talking about Pete and Pol, who are obviously very bad at surveillance. they walk by and Pete jumps on Pol, I take that as comedic and don't think there is anything more to it.

The real interaction though is a mix of comedic and unsettling. When Vegas comes and gives the bag to Pete, it is a clear statement. He is saying "I see you and you don't scare me, in fact you amuse me. I don't see you as a threat, I see you as a cute toy."

While Pol doesn't seem to get the message (taking out the bread happily, like does he have any sense of self preservation?) Pete definitely does. Everything Vegas does here is merely to unsettle. He wants them to feel that way because it amuses him. That is why he leaves the condom in there on purpose and when he comes back his hand brushes Pete's and he speaks in flirty manner. He does it not because he is really interested but rather to make Pete uncomfortable. He talks in a sexual way because he is aware that sex makes most people uncomfortable. What he does is a typical soft intimidation tactic used by shameless people, and Vegas is most certainly that. This is just another way he and Kinn differ. While Kinn is comfortable in his sexuality he is still quite sedate and low key about it. But I believe Vegas is the opposite, he isn't just comfortable in being gay he sees himself as a sexual being and that is just one of the weapons in his arsenal.

I don't have much thoughts on Pete's reactions because I think they are pretty straight forward. There isn't much hidden in his view of Vegas, I think what we see is what is truly there. He is uncomfortable and wary because he can sense who Vegas is but we shouldn't fail to take into consideration the fact that at the end of the day Pete is still an employee and Vegas is related to the family he works for so he is technically his boss. Pete is also scared of (or at least careful around) Kinn because that divide exists and he isn't Porsche who can just trample over the rules, that is the reason why Porsche captures the attention first and Pete doesn't. He is a rule follower through and through.

I still maintain my belief that Vegas's interest still hasn't been peaked, Pete amused him and that's all for now. His (evil 😁😁) eye will only fully come on Pete when Pete is in his chains and he sees that Porsche is truly lost to him.

@myezblog I hope this is up to what you want. I might have overwritten though 🤭🤭 glad to have answered 🤗🤗.

[theangryjikooker]

I know you tend to have a 50/50 mindset with Jikook, but since you first started noticing would you say that you've become more inclined to believe, or less inclined? Or is it literally just 50/50 since you first caught on to their dynamics?

I ask because I was super anti-shipping, and still am really, I don't do fan fics or anything like that. But obviously when you see something that makes you raise your eyebrows, you definitely take notice. So after taking notice, the more real content I watch, and even just after these Las Vegas antics, I'm slowly leaning more towards real then not. I'll never be 100%, because they aren't dumb and they never completely drop the facade (if it is a facade).

And a follow up, how deep have you gone into Jikook stuff? I am not a fan of analysis videos at all, but I have watched compilations of their moments (non edited or slowed down...ew) and have gone back to watch some videos about their history throughout the years that definitely helped give me a good solid basis on them. Just curious where in your Jikoo "journey" you are =) Thanks!

It’s more like I’m 50/50 in my approach to the Jikook narrative and how I convey information, but my personal thoughts tend to be on a sliding scale. So when people ask me about my thoughts on a specific situation, I interpret it in how I feel but delineate those opinions neutrally and defer to straight facts because it’s not my relationship to say it’s real or not. Does that make sense?

It makes a lot of sense in my head, anyway.

I try to watch moments in their most raw form, and compilations help because it collects an abundance of moments into one video. I actually don’t like analyses videos, but I will roughly go through one if I’m trying to get more information on why supporters think a certain way.

Fan-made content with the intent to prove something isn’t my bread and butter, basically, but it’s just a preference. Someone compiled and uploaded all Jikook moments as-is—no edits, no music, no commentary, nothing—and that’s what I rely on when I form opinions, if it’s not the original upload itself. I don’t do any crazy “deep dives” either into Jikook or non-shipper communities because I find it’s really easy to get caught up in a vacuum where you start to believe the words around you the more you’re exposed to it—not because it’s your own beliefs but because there’s so much of the same thing being said that it tricks some people into agreeing.

Thanks for the ask!

[dominionra]

Luxury Retailers Double Down on US Expansion, Including Moves Into Smaller Markets

September 26, 2022   I   By Linda Moss  I   CoStar News

Luxury retailers have dramatically ramped up their expansion in the United States, opening stores in new areas of major cities and establishing a presence in smaller untapped but growing markets, such as Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.

A new report by brokerage JLL, "For the Love of Luxury: The Renaissance of Luxury Retail in the United States," describes the strong rebound in the wake of the peak of the pandemic. That surge is in line with strong leasing demand seen earlier this year by a CoStar analysis.

"With both sales and foot traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels, luxury retailers are focusing their energy and new capital on their bread and butter: physical storefronts," the JLL report said.

Luxury retailers have adapted following the coronavirus outbreak by debuting stores both inside and outside central districts in big cities and by following Americans who deserted urban hubs to relocate to less densely populated regions of the nation, according to JLL. For example, Ralph Lauren plans to open 250 stores through 2025, citing opportunities in and around cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Denver. And Chanel has opened 15 new locations in the United States since the onset of the pandemic, in locations including Nashville and Las Vegas.

"The early stages of the pandemic saw many people move out of overcrowded coastal cities in favor of the spacious landscape and temperate climate of the American South, and luxury retailers have shown a clear determination to go where the people are," the report said.

Before the pandemic, luxury retailers were mainly looking internationally, to countries such as China, for their most explosive growth. But now, because of geopolitical uncertainty, the United States is seen as the place for brick-and-mortar expansion, according to JLL. Luxury retail's U.S. sales dropped 14.3% in 2020, coming in at $59 billion. But those domestic sales were just over $64 billion last year and are expected "to eclipse pre-pandemic numbers" by the end of this year, the report said.

JLL joins others in citing the strength of the U.S. luxury sector. At a conference this month, Macy’s Inc. Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mitchell said the company’s “luxury customers” for its Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury chains remain “very resilient.” And Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, in a note on upscale Nordstrom said its shoppers have high incomes and that “gives them the confidence and ability to spend even as prices for essentials rise.”

Americans still remain concerned and affected by high inflation and the specter of a recession. Despite those economic headwinds, JLL and other analysts consider consumer spending for luxury goods to be inflation-resistant, saying upscale retailers view the U.S. economy as more stable and inviting than China, once considered one of the biggest engines driving those sales. And America still has high employment, with workers getting wage increases, Naveen Jaggi, JLL's president of retail advisory services, told CoStar News.

Beyond China

Meanwhile, the economy in China remains essentially closed because of the ongoing pandemic, according to Jaggi.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in China," he said. "We have an open economy here. We have a better idea of what’s going to happen in the U.S.”

U.S retail leasing overall has been strong, according to a recent report by CoStar.

"With sales sitting at record highs, retailers have turned back to expansion mode, albeit selectively," according to the report. "As such, retail leasing activity has bounced back to near pre-pandemic levels, with slightly more than 250 million square feet of retail space signed for over the past year, which is just below the 264.4 million square feet of leasing activity recorded in 2019. Nearly 58 million square feet of retail space was signed for" in the second quarter this year.

In some cases, luxury retailers are expanding their footprints in traditional commercial corridors, according to JLL.

"When deciding where to open new stores in the United States, it’s no surprise that these retailers first targeted the urban cores where they gained initial prominence," the JLL report said. "These prime retail corridors, which include areas like the Plaza District in New York City, Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles and the Gold Coast in Chicago, are the premier destinations for tourists and local shoppers alike and are known for their concentration of luxury flagship stores. Versace had this reputation in mind when it chose Madison Avenue, in the heart of the Plaza District, for its new New York City flagship. The Italian legacy brand leased the former Givenchy space at 747 Madison Ave. earlier this year in a seven-year deal and plans to open its doors in time for the holidays."

In a similar vein, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the French luxury goods conglomerate, "opted for the established opulence of Rodeo Drive for its recent openings," according to JLL's report.

"The French company is in the process of constructing a new 47,000-square-foot Dior flagship at the site of its demolished former men’s store at 319 N. Rodeo Drive," JLL said. "The new three-story location will feature a restaurant and multiple private terraces and will be situated not far from LVMH’s recently opened Louis Vuitton men’s store, which is the brand’s largest men’s store in the United States. The 6,500-square-foot outpost also showcases the 'Giant Man' sculpture, an art piece conceptualized by the brand’s beloved late creative director, Virgil Abloh."

CoStar News first reported that Goyard, Cartier and Ksubi, an Australian luxury denim brand, were coming to Chicago's Gold Coast, debuts cited in JLL's report.

Move Into Neighborhoods

Luxury retailers in some cases are opting to move into neighborhoods near existing residential populations instead of "office-heavy" central business districts where "tourism [is] still depressed and office occupancies [are] hovering around 44%," according to JLL's report.

"In New York, retailers like Givenchy, Hermès and Gucci have chosen to open new stores in SoHo, Williamsburg and the Meatpacking District, respectively, as they remain weary of tourist havens like Times Square and Fifth Avenue," the report said. "The Magnificent Mile in Chicago has seen vacancy approach 30% due to decreased tourism, and luxury retailers like Goyard and Cartier have been flocking to the Gold Coast instead."

Chicago’s Gold Coast includes Oak, Rush and Walton streets. It is near the Magnificent Mile, a stretch of North Michigan Avenue that is the city’s best-known shopping street.

In Manhattan, Fifth and Madison avenues used to be the streets where luxury retailers needed to set up shop, according to Jaggi. Now areas like Elizabeth Street in the East Village and SoHo are new luxury destinations.

“What retailers found out is consumers will find you," Jaggi said. "You don’t have to be the most successful in the prime locations. And actually it works to luxury’s benefit … to be somewhere separate, because they’re actually looking for a very discreet clientele, and that clientele wants to be able to walk into a Louis Vuitton, or into a Tory Burch ... or a Canada Goose, and they want to walk in quietly where there is no rush. So you will see more and more luxury retailers trying to go off of the Main Street to a destination, not to an impulse location.”

And with population shifts in response to the pandemic and other factors, luxury retailers are making their way to new markets, including not only Austin but San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, Nashville and Seattle.

Follow the Money

"Hermès made waves in this regard when it announced it was opening a new store on S. Congress Street in Austin, to complement its existing locations in Dallas and Houston," according to JLL's report. "The company, headquartered in Paris, will try its hand at place-making in Austin as the first luxury store on the corridor. Elsewhere in Texas, Gucci is building its first stand-alone retail location in San Antonio, where it will join Carolina Herrera and Louis Vuitton at The Shops at La Cantera."

These brick-and-mortar expansions make sense, according to Jaggi. Electric-vehicle maker Tesla, for example, relocated its headquarters to Austin from Palo Alto, California.

"We hear a lot about how all the big Silicon Valley companies are establishing their foothold in markets like Nashville and Austin," Jaggi said. "And that makes perfect good sense. Luxury retail follows money, and if money is going to Nashville or Austin or other markets like that, they will be there as well.”

In the wake of the influx of residents into South Florida with the onset of the pandemic, Ksubi and Chanel both plan to open stores in Miami's Design District later this year, according to JLL.

“Retail understands you follow where the money is," Jaggi said.

[bellechuu789]

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT "토토커뮤니티사이트" in Black Ops 3 *ONLY USABLE FOR 60 MINUTES*

However, if you hit a large, hand-paid jackpot, and service has been good from a change person, it doesn't hurt to tip. Player must fold or raise. If player folds he forfeits his cards, ante bet, and side bet (if made).If player raises then he must make a raise wager exactly equal to twice the ante Players should do nothing, by word, expression or gesture, to indicate or imply anything about the cards which they hold or the view which they take of any play. Shapes and Sizes of Playing Cards-Rounded corners where introduced in 1858,  by  Baptiste-Paul  Grimaud. A rounding radius  R  at the four corners reduces the card's surface area by  (4-p) R2  with respect to the unrounded rectangular area. The most commonly encountered commercial sizes of playing cards are tabulated below, together with rarely-used  standard  "B" sizes  (ISO 216). Also included, for good measure, are the series of  Archimedes  and  Fibonacci  sizes, which are only of theoretical interest at this time  (with the possible exception of the  62.5 by 100 mm  format, which is very close to the 62 by 100 size of some novelty decks by Cartamundi). Cards of more than  105  square centimeters are considered  oversized.  Conversely,  the surface area of  miniature  cards is less  than  35 cm2. Oversized , Regular and  Miniature  Card Sizes   (rounded corners of radius R)

In eighteenth-century France playing cards, tokens and the calling out of numbers were added. http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=비트게임 As of 2015, Japan's pachinko market generates more gambling revenue than that of Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore combined. If you've ever seen a casino dealer engage in some odd ritualistic behavior before going on break, it's because they're being closely watched at all times by cameras embedded in the ceiling. Some activities of very large scale (horse racing, lotteries) usually require commercial and professional organizations to present and maintain them efficiently.

Playing-card manufacturers produced decks meant for other uses beyond simple card playing, including instruction, propaganda, and advertising. The mathematicians and computer programmers that do this kind of work are called gaming mathematicians and gaming analysts. Casinos do not have in-house expertise in this field, so outsource their requirements to experts in the gaming analysis field. The center space is usually marked "Free" or "Free Space", and is considered automatically filled. The familiar suits of hearts heart, diamonds diamond, clubs club and spades spade were introduced by French cardmakers in the late fifteenth century. Their success was probably due to their simplicity, which makes the cards easier and cheaper to print than those using the older Latin, German and Swiss suit systems. In European countries where other suit systems are still in general use, cards with hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades are still generally known as French cards.

The Community Hall contains two items that are registered as historical objects If multiple players qualify for a Royal Flush Progressive Payout during the same hand, the winners will share the jackpot equally as shown on the progressive meter when the first player with the royal flush is paid.If you are familiar with poker, you'll be able to see the differences, but the game will not be much easier to understand or play. It still has its own set of rules. The Caribbean Stud Poker rules are very simple and there really isn't any way to make mistakes as not much is left for you to decide on. To have the appropriate card counting, you must ensure all cards are out from the deck.

This game is played on a table specifically made for it, and there are specific areas where certain bets are to be made. In front of each player will be an area for their antes and their bets. Additionally, there will be either an area or a slot which is used for progressive payout jackpot bets, should players feel inclined to make one.  Breaking the bank meant he won all the available money in the table bank that day, and a black cloth would be placed over the table until the bank was replenished.The Moncton, New Brunswick-based Spielo has been heavily involved in the VLT market; it was acquired in 2004 by GTECH Corporation, which was in turn acquired by Lottomatica of Italy, which then acquired and merged with IGT in 2015. Each spin pays out a small number of balls, but the objective is to hit the jackpot. The program of the digital slot machine decides the outcome of the spin when the ball falls through the center gate, not when the spinning animation plays.

The town's celebrated glassworks and crystal factory, also known as Baccarat, has operated since 1765. nother growing form of Internet gambling is the so-called betting exchanges—Internet Web sites on which players make wagers with one another, with the Web site taking a small cut of each wager in exchange for organizing and handling the transaction. 모바일바둑이환전 If you’d like to read the rules first, you can find them either on Bicycle Cards: How to Play Blackjack or on Pagat’s Blackjack Rules – and once you’ve got the rules down, let’s move on to the rest. A Golden Arm is a craps player who rolls the dice for longer than one hour without losing.

In the nineteenth century a game like this was widely played in Germany to teach children spelling, animal names and multiplication tables. Fan-tan was very popular among Chinese migrants in America, as most of them were of Cantonese origin.Eight rolled the hard way, as opposed to an "easy eight", is sometimes called an "eighter from Decatur". It’s still all too easy to make mistakes in the casino if you don’t know what you’re doing, so it’s important that you make sure you fully understand a game before you start playing it.

VLTs typically feature a selection of multiple games, primarily video slot machines and Keno. If casino games provided even chances to win, like when you flip a coin with a mate, you’d win half the time and the casino would win the other half. But the odds are stacked towards the casino.It is based on a mathematical equilibrium theory devised by a French mathematician of the same name. This is where his cook started to put meat in two pieces of bread which allowed him to enjoy his game while being able to enjoy his game.

[brianha402]

몰디브게임사이트 TABLE GLITCH IN GTA 5 ONLINE - (FAST & EASY) #3007

Players purchase cards and mark out all even, odd or pre-drawn numbers. The certificate holder may pay a Magic Card or Lucky Bonus in accordance with the odds in the following paytable:The rate of progression for the meter used for the progressive payout in paragraph must be in the Licensee's Submission. But the French government, which controlled the design of playing cards, prohibited the printing of cards with this innovation. Rather, the Arizona technological aid system allows a player to deposit money into a unique individual player's account, pay for the games played out of that account, and at the end of play redeposit the value of any unused games that player may have purchased or won back into that account.

The city of Macau is the only Chinese territory where it is legal to gamble in a casino... and it also happens to be the world's largest gambling city. Playing cards arrived in Europe from Mamluk Egypt around 1370 and were already reported in France in 1377. Sharp corners wear out more quickly, and could possibly reveal the card's value, so they were replaced with rounded corners. The police tolerate the level of gambling in pachinko parlors.

After Ante and any Progressive bets are placed, all Players and the Dealer will be dealt five cards each. The Players' cards are face down and the Dealer will place four of his cards face down and one face up. Now, go ahead and look at your cards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=모바일바둑이환전 Any player can make a bet on pass or don't pass as long as a point has not been established, or come or don't come as long as a point is established. May 2012 is the first I heard of anybody analyzing the game completely. I noticed the TCS John Huxley website claimed to have cracked the game. Not much is mentioned of the analysis, except for a house edge of 2.31%. The French-speaking areas of Belgium play with a deck of cards that is very similar to the one used in the neighbour country, but with a few differences: the court personages' names never appear; the diagonal band doubling the courts in two halves has no beads, and is usually white; the knave of Clubs wears a red hat, whereas the French one has it in blue, and holds a triangular shield, divided in quarters featuring heraldic symbols (usually a tower, a rampant lion, a cross and a striped pattern), while the French one is oval, with hexagonal and round decorations: a detail of the shields is shown further in the page); all Belgian court personages fill the white space slightly less than the French ones (i.e. the latter are "roundish").

During promotional periods, a casino may even offer 100x odds bets, which reduces the house edge to almost nothing, but dramatically increases variance, as the player will be betting in large betting units. One card is dealt from the red deck and one is dealt from the blue deck. The shooter throws the "cubes" and the color of the cube that is higher selects the color of the card to be used to settle bets.At William Hill Casino, you will find Playtech’s own take on the Caribbean Stud Poker game. As soon as you open it, you are presented with three choices of betting limits, a minimum of £10 and a maximum of £1000, a minimum of £2 and a maximum of £300 and a minimum of £0.10 and a maximum of £100. Choosing the limit that’s right for you will enable you to make the most out of your bankroll. If he loses, then he adds his previous bet to the end of the line and continues to work on the longer line. This is a much more flexible progression betting system and there is much room for the player to design his initial line to his own playing preference.

The vast majority of players opt for the maximum number of special prizes offered for their ball total, selecting other prizes only when they have a remaining total too small to receive a special prize. In this craps variant, the house edge is greater than Las Vegas Craps or Bank craps.the National Profile Study by Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gaming Panel by TNS. The National Profile Study included face-to-face interviews with 2,000 American adults, and the U.S. Gaming Panel had a questionnaire mailed to 100,000 adults (57,205 responded). With a count of 16 or less, the dealer draws cards one at a time until there is a count of 17 or more.

A lay bet is the opposite of a buy bet, where a player bets on a 7 to roll before the number that is laid. Players may only lay the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 and may lay multiple numbers if desired. On the eve of the First World War the city was home to the 20th Batailion of Foot Chasseurs at the Haxo barracks - some buildings of which remain today.In order to get statistical significant results, millions and millions of games would have to be played. To give an example of why, take the concept of the house edge.

The opposite is also allowed. By default place and buy bets are not working without an established point; a player may wish to wager chips before a point has been established. (See Figure 3.7.) However, between 2003 and 2007 poker revenue more than tripled, totaling $168 million in 2007.The authors claimed that Cepheus would lose at most 0.001 big blinds per game on average against its worst-case opponent, and the strategy is thus so "close to optimal" that "it can't be beaten with statistical significance within a lifetime of human poker playing". A bet once paid and collected is never returned.

Montagu didn't invent the meal - it's meat between bread, after all; people had likely been eating this combo for centuries - but he did give it a name and a cool story to go with it (whether he liked it or not!). The funds to pay big jackpots come from frequent losers (who get wiped out). 온라인현금맞고 With a total of 9, the player should double down only if the dealer's card is fair or poor (2 through 6). The series is 22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26-0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25 (on a single-zero wheel).

[trcshy]

What Shape Does Your Pain Take? ( this test )

Answer: Flowers.

Description: Your pain takes the shape of flowers, or something else beautiful and free. You can't help but see what you don't have in the beautiful thing, can't help but feel pain as you see what you're missing out on. Maybe you even wish that you could just be happy and surround yourself in flowers, but you can't, because each time you see them it's like a reminder of the empty hole you carry.

They say that pain is beauty... Right?

[fishy-xp]

KinnPorsche Ep 8 Brain Rot

(ghosts and love and trying to ignore the honkee)

Porsche and his fear of ghosts - I don't know if they really just threw that in there for some heeheehaha comedy but I will take the opportunity to superimpose my thougts and call it analysis. I have zero clue about Thai culture and their beliefs in the supernatural so this rambling comes from a secular perspective but I would definitely love to know more about Thai beliefs and relationships with ghosts. But my canon, if you can call it that, is that people who see the underbelly of the world, mafias, murderers etc etc are more inclined to be scared of ghosts because at this point they aren't scared of humans anymore. They know just what humanity is capable of, all the horrible little things about us so it no longer scares them unlike a regular person who would definitely be terrified of their closest serial killer. But death for these types of people is always knocking at the door so at this point he's just an unwanted salesperson. But on the otherhand, ghosts and the supernatural, it provides a sense of uncertainty and the unknown. A human, no matter how bad, is still limited by their mortality. They will die if a bullet is put in them, Porsche knows this. But a ghost? How tf does one even begin to fight off the ghost of your boyfriend's ex? Is it even possible? So yeah, why wouldn't he be scared of something he knows a bullet won't stop.

I would defend Ken some more, but right now he only needs protecting from KinnPorsche's unending hornkeeness

KINN TAKING SNEAKY BITES WHILST PORSCHE SCOLDS HIM BECAUSE HE'S TRYING TO TAKE A PHOTO IS SO GNTIGJVSKRANFMEDWRNTE, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME

The shift in Kinn in this episode may seem out of character for big bad mafia but for me, someone who loves you will bring out the part of you you could never be in your day to day life. Throughout life, you become this mold of a person that is incredibly hard to change, the roles you fall into seem so natural and you find yourself unconscionously giving and giving to this expectation of yourself. But when you're in love, suddenly, those roles are reversed. Someone else makes the decisions for once, that person draws out the spontaneity to your timetabled-to-the-hour perfectionist. The other person throws a complete hammer in the works and at first, it's anxiety-inducing to be taken out of your comfort zone before you realise it's just the fact you've never been on the receiving end until now. In this ep, Kinn is taken out of his element, put in sheep's clothing and he realises how much of the pretty green meadow he hasn't seen because it's absolutely beautiful. Porsche wanted a beautiful dinner by the river, but Kinn has spent his life in excess, opulence and beauty. But you know what he hasn't done? Sat on the ground next to a fountain and eaten fishballs off a stick. You can look at one thing every single day and the beauty may fade, you bring someone who has never seen this thing before in their life and you will see the stars in their eyes expanding. This is what Porsche does for Kinn. This is why Kinn seems so completely enamoured and happy by the entire day. AND IT'S WHAT HE DESERVES.

I wonder if Kim is like an asshole of endearment? I remember in one earlier episode he said to Big 'why are you still here?' and I just remember thinking WOW WHAT A DICKHEAD WHY HE WANNA CATCH THESE HANDS. But then this time, his very thinly veiled 'joke' about Porsche being his dad's secret child makes me wonder if he's actually friendly with Big but in the insult your friends type of way.

Okay I really can't remember anything else from this episode other than soft KP (like the bread) and then very very hard KP (like Kinn's Magnum pistol lmfao, send help)

Sidenote, I was also one of the people eagerly awaiting some VegasPete and I'm absolutely feral because I was convinced we would have a Killing Stalking moment of Vegas of giving Pete some severe blunt force trauma to the head as the final cliffhanger scene. So now I've decided absolutely not to listen to KP Tumblr because the way y'all got my hopes up SHSHSHSHHS

[hanukkahgiftcsq]

Stock Market Analysis: 11/04/10

Molycorp has resistance at $50 now. Las Vegas Sands Corp will now have resistance located at $50. You will be shocked to find out that many have cancer, birth defects, or are dead as a result of working in those conditions. I'd expect some kind of news out of the company soon regarding the FDA. Panera Bread Co. (PNRA) - Panera Bread Company (PNRA) remains hot and has resistance located at $120. Wednesday. RAD will have resistance at $1.49. PZG will now have resistance located at $4.00. PZG is a buy again below $3.50. Level 3 Communications is a buy below $1.20 on a correction. Level 3 Communications Inc. (LVLT) - Level 3 Communications Inc. broke up through $1.30 on Tuesday. Level 3 Communications Inc. (LVLT) - Level 3 Communications Inc. hit $1.40 on Wednesday. Molcorp (MCP) - Molcorp (MCP) boutiques near me hit $49.95 on Wednesday and then pulled back. The fact that the stock couldn't hold the 50 day moving average ( $16.29 ) is concerning. Below is a list of stocks that are worth watching for February 17, 2011. Also, check out some of the biggest stock gainers of the Day, Top 2011 stock Gainers , stocks to Buy 2011, and Day Trading Tips.

Below is a list of stocks that are worth watching for February 16, 2011. Also, check out some of the biggest stock gainers of the Day, Top 2011 stock Gainers , stocks to Buy 2011, and Day Trading Tips. Evergreen Energy, Inc. (EEE) - Evergreen Energy is now back below $4.00- EEE is the hottest stock in 2011 and will have resistance up at $4.10 now. Below is a list of stocks that are worth watching for February 15, 2011. Also, check out some of the biggest stock gainers of the Day, Top 2011 stock Gainers , stocks to Buy 2011, and Day Trading Tips. Quotes are updated continuously throughout each trading day, and are delayed the absolute minimum time required by each exchange. stock Intraday Quotes Download then gets it converted to Metastock format and also loads it into charting tool. What is a stock market ? We are witnessing a redefinition of long term market landscape.

[punkrockpolitix]

The House Always Wins

Hedge Funds routinely manipulate the market by using disinformation and institutional buying power to move perceived values in their favor, kneecapping corporations and putting hard-working employees on the street while they profit to the tune of billions. This week, the class of investors who are so often exploited in such cons struck back and the financial world went ape shit. 

To short a stock is to essentially place a bet that its value will drop between the time you take your position and a future date. You don’t even buy the stock. The investor simply borrows the shares, which they then sell at the current market price, betting that the stock’s trading price will decline and they can purchase shares at a lower cost before the borrowed shares must be returned.

Funds with billions of dollars in assets under their management can easily engineer wealth by taking short positions on a stock even if there is no reason to believe that the price is set to decline, so long as they can convince enough investors outside of their fund that it will. If you’re big enough, simply taking that position can lead to such speculation, while large, institutional investors can also influence markets simply by moving in and out of various stocks.

During the run-up to the financial collapse of the securitized debt market that helped spawn the Great Recession, many investment banks actually advised their clients to take the opposite position that they themselves were betting, enhancing their own odds at the expense of those paying the banks’ for financial advisory services. No, it was not illegal.

Increasingly, the ever-growing industry of financial news and analysis has been a platform in which large institutions create market movement in their favor. By sending a high-ranking executive onto MSNBC, CNBC, or Fox Business to give their insight to individual investors watching at home, these institutions can influence the confidence of less savvy and informed market participants.

These influences can actually cause market reaction to produce the result they’ve bet on. Once the price begins to drop, that becomes the new story and, as nervous investors who can’t afford to take a big loss get out, the price drops further, increasing the value of their short position. This happens ALL.THE.TIME. and no one cries foul. In fact, those who engineer such manipulation are routinely hailed as geniuses.

While technology has made it even easier for such big players to dominate the market, it’s also created opportunities for individual investors to mimic such tactics, guerilla-style. Smartphone applications and other digital trading technologies have decreased former barriers that slowed the movement of small investors while social media and other digital communication systems have allowed such investors to create real-time information clearinghouses that make them less reliant on antiquated and manipulative information sources like the financial media.

Founded in 2005, Reddit is a "social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion" website. It has a decidedly low-tech look and feel but has nonetheless grown into the 7th most visited website in the United States and 17th in the world. Subreddits exist for a mind-dizzying number of topics from the ordinary to the weird, to the truly disturbing.

Its look is similar to the pre-millennium chat rooms and message boards of early internet days. Users can upvote answers and contributions which push them higher in the feed, ensuring that what are thought to be the best answers, offerings or other contributions by the largest number of users are easiest to come by. Don't know if you should buy a certain year and model vehicle? There's a subreddit for that. Did you just watch a movie, not understand the point of the ending, and want to hear what others think? You can climb down a subreddit rabbit hole for hours.

WallStreeBets is a subreddit for investors who swap everything from tips to memes. Redditers there noticed that some very big hedge funds were taking short positions on GameStop, a chain of retail stores that mostly sells new and used video games. When users started pointing out that there was no reason to do so based on the company's financials they soon determined that it was garden variety market manipulation and began promoting a massive movement to buy GameStop shares in order to drive the price back up and foil their plans.

And did it ever work! The price of shares rose nearly 2000 percent, making some Reddit investors very, very rich in a matter of a day or two, as they dumped shares that had been purchased at the unnaturally low price for an overinflated one. This sort of "frontrunning," in which a price is driven up for investor benefit, is essentially the inverse of shorting it, though they were mostly working with purchased shares rather than ones that were borrowed (which is called a put option and would be the true opposite of a short).

This created billions and billions of dollars in exposure for some very wealthy and powerful people. The Redditers then went after other similarly positioned stocks. Soon, the entire financial news media was decrying the injustice done to the poor billionaires who were being fleeced by everyday people who, it is becoming increasingly clear, the financial markets aren't meant to benefit.

Robinhood is an app owned by financial services company Robinhood Markets Inc. Founded in 2013 by Vladimir Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, who had built high-frequency trading platforms for big financial institutions, its mission was said to be to "provide everyone with access to the financial markets, not just the wealthy." Let the People Trade was another early slogan.

However, while Robinhood, a free app, makes money from interest earned on its user's cash balances and margin lending, it also makes a lot of money selling user trading info to Wall Street (aka many of the people who are currently pissed) which led to the company suspending trading on GameStop and other targeted stocks on Thursday, freezing many of its users in poor positions. It turns out, they only want users to benefit if it doesn't interfere with the winnings of its real clients, the market manipulators who buy their user data so that they can more efficiently shake money from the pockets of the little guys.

When big firms make billions on speculation, there's always someone on the other end of that bet, or, in most cases, tens of thousands of people who don't have the ability to manipulate markets. The losers might be pension funds who've invested the money that's supposed to come back to employees at retirement or a middle-class worker whose 401k holds the wrong stocks. Not to mention the managers, employees, and others who are affected when a company is tanked for sport by the uber-rich.

It's hilarious to now watch those in the ivory towers—and the so-called financial journalists who shill for them—getting all worked up and actually call for the sort of regulation they so often fight tooth and nail against if it threatens to restrain their profits in the name of market stability or fairness. Where were the handsomely-paid talking heads when GameStop stock was falling for no other reason than an apex predator spotted it in the wild and decided it was hungry for a snack? Nowhere to be found because the people who butter their bread weren't making the phones ring, and they don't pick up when the number doesn't have a 212 area code.

Wall Street has become less and less about providing liquidity for markets so that the corporations that create American jobs can grow and prosper and more and more about setting up a rigged casino, in which the wales with three commas on their net worth always get dealt a hand that's superior to the tourists gambling with money that comes from wages rather than wealth. And when someone who's not in the club figures out a way to game the gamers just once? Well, that shit has to be stopped! Remember that the next time some politician points to the stock market as an expression of the American economy.

Like the yachts, boarding schools, lear jets, and palatial mansions, that shit ain’t for you, Jack. It’s for you to look at, to lust over, and to dream about so that you’re more willing to keep getting farmed for the benefit of the one percent and the promise that someday you too might get invited into the club (spoiler alert: you won’t). 

A long time ago, people who were good enough at organizing in their head what had transpired in a blackjack game to bet according to what they believed was most likely to happen started taking such skills to places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas. If they were lucky, they got thrown out and told to never come back, while their picture was circulated to every pit boss in town. The message was the same one Wall Street is now trying to send to those who want to play on an honest table: Fuck off, peon, haven’t you heard, the house always wins.

Mitch Maley (bio) is the editor of The Bradenton Times and host of the Punk Rock Politix Channel on YouTube. You can also listen to the Punk Rock Politix Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and other platforms.