#A POPULAR FAMOUS SHOW WITH BUDGET THAT WENT INTO IT

[akunemayo]

i’ve literally been so upset at xo, kitty for days

because it’s the cringey whitewashed koreaboo version of a kdrama like it fucks up representing korean culture and language so bad that watching it makes me want to rip out my eardrums

but people still think it’s so cool and it’s really popular and it’s like,,, man. they really did that. they really represented korean society in the most inauthentic, wish version, whitewashed way possible. and people are fucking eating it up.

Lowkey pissed at the disrespect to my culture and language (chinguseok, anyone? go fuck yourself.) and the fact that very few people seem to recognize that it’s not an accurate portrayal at all.

[drunkkenobi]

Today I’m thinking about three guys. Thinking about how they all had hands in creating concepts and videos that made the company they worked for famous. Thinking about how, despite that, they weren’t allowed to own what they created. Thinking about how their two biggest series were threatened to be taken away from them and given to more popular (whiter) hosts. Thinking about how they nearly burned out and faded away, but an idea lit a fire under them instead. Their own company, where they could have full creative control, where nothing could be taken away from them, where no one could tell them there wasn’t the editing budget for a show that was already written. Thinking about how they started it in secret, with no business knowledge. Thinking about how one of them took it upon himself to learn everything he could about running a business. How he knew it would mean putting his own creative pursuits on hold just to support his co-founders. How he did it anyway.

Thinking about how they announced their company to the world, with a shocking surprise. Thinking about how the world delivered its own shocking surprise back to them a few short months later in the form of a global pandemic. Thinking about how their company was almost strangled in its crib, how they thought it was DOA, how everything they worked so hard for was almost gone. Thinking of how, instead, it survived. Thinking of how they pivoted, how they threw everything they could at the wall, and while not everything stuck, the things that did kept them going. How they took every cent they made and put it back into the business by hiring fellow creatives and weirdos and investing in their future. Thinking of how they kept taking gambles, by taking the series that made two of them famous and making it their own. Thinking of how if that series had failed, it would have taken the company down with it and how they went for it anyway.

Thinking about how the CEO talked openly over the years about how he missed his old co-host, how hard it was to find that spark again. Thinking about how he focused on running the business instead of finding his own creative path. Thinking about how much thought he put into caring for their employees, how he put their well-being over churning out content, even if it meant less profit. How a work-life balance might not be in his wheelhouse, but how he wants it to be for the people that work for him.

Thinking about how the internet has changed in the decade since these three guys starting making videos for it. Thinking about how the algorithm values cheap drama over interesting stories. About how one wrong thumbnail or title can tank months’ worth of work. About how a misplaced swear can do the same, because the world is run by advertisers and not human beings. Thinking about how disheartening it must be to make a video to appease someone that would never watch it anyway. Thinking about how hard it would be to look at the numbers and realize the place that once was your space for success could now be home to your failure. Thinking about how much time they spent looking for a better alternative and how they ultimately realized there was only one.

Thinking about how delighted those three guys were once they had a plan. Thinking about the one of them who had finally reunited with his creative partners to start a new show, the one he’s been dreaming of for years, the one that’s been put on the backburner for the betterment of his company, finally able to exist. Thinking of the week of announcements, of the thousands of excited comments when this partnership was publicly declared. Thinking of how much joy was in the air, how much hard work was about to pay off. How their plans for months were about to come to fruition, how excited they were to take the fans on this next journey.

How they announced their new venture with a corkboard of fanart, showing it’s about them and us, together.

Thinking about how nearly everyone turned on them.

Thinking about how they walked back some of their plans to appease the loudest and the nastiest. Thinking about all the racist screeds their CEO had to read about himself. How he had to keep working despite it. How he and the rest of the company had to pivot immediately. How they had to know some of their contemporaries were also planning something similar and how none of them came to their defense. How they had to watch everything that they’ve worked so hard for become perilous. How a global pandemic was easier to weather than the cruelest words typed for everyone to see.

Thinking about how tomorrow, a new show will premiere. The one that’s been worked on in relative secret for so long and thought of even longer. The one that everyone was eagerly anticipating before they realized the people that make it need to eat, too. The one that everyone immediately mischaracterized to justify their own racism. The one that was supposed to be their big flagship series. The one that maybe still will be.

Tomorrow I’m hoping it will be the start of a new chapter. Hoping that the worst actors will get bored and move onto something else. Hoping that those who got the wrong impression will come back. Hoping that the show and its new home are a success and they get to make as much of it as they want, with no one to tell them how to do it.

I hope.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Yandere Radiz and Platonic Goku with a Female Sanji Reader?

Bulma’s latest invention teleported Reader from her world to theirs (It was a total accident) despite this Reader joined them on their adventures and later opened up her very own restaurant (Bulma bought it for her as an apology until she can find a way to send Reader back home) which she named ‘The All Blue Baratie’ (It became instantly popular and famous

When Reader also became Gohan’s ‘Aunty’ (She’s definitely not crying, nope, she’s definitely not crying everytime he calls her ‘Aunty’, her heart is definitely not being squeezed in happiness whenever he gets really happy to see her)

However when a man named Radiz enters the picture and reveals Goku’s origins as well as kidnap Gohan, there’s no way Reader isn’t going to stand around and let her precious nephew get hurt (She’s ready to kick ass, more specifically, Radiz’s Sayian ass

Unknown to her, she’s the definition of ‘Attractive’ to the Sayian Race (Her confidence, power, and savagery is very attractive)

The one thing I can’t stand about Dragon Ball is how the timeline constantly skips a few years (I don’t even know what year or how old everyone is, and they don’t even reveal their age either, so that doesn’t make it easier)

-It had been almost a year since you arrived in this new world, arriving with a bang, literally, you appeared as a result of an explosion after one of Bulma’s inventions backfired.

-You had no idea where you were and after a time, you realized you were in a completely different world!

-Bulma was so apologetic, doing everything she could to send you home, but you weren’t upset, as it was an accident.

-You had been given a chance, thanks to an apology gift from Bulma and her parents, to own and run your own restaurant, The All Blue Baratie, and it instantly became a huge hit, people were coming from all over the world, including celebrities, to try your cooking.

-Your portions were described as ‘healthy’ but affordable meaning Goku and his family were constant visitors, alongside Bulma and Krillin, as you would always give them a five-star meal on a two-star budget!

-You became friends with all of Bulma’s friends, whom she brought to your restaurant quite frequently, Roshi learned very quickly that despite your bright smile and slight boy crazy attitude, that you were not to be trifled with.

-You were way stronger than you looked, your kicks were some of the strongest any of them had seen, even Goku who asked to spar with you.

-Your favorite of the whole group, besides Bulma, was Gohan! He had quickly adopted you as his auntie and neither Chichi or Goku minded, until you started crying, hugging Gohan close, so overwhelmed with happiness that he saw you as his auntie!

-Chichi liked you because you would always give them a discount when Goku would bring you crops from their fields and animals he had hunted, providing his own food, while you just cook it, and she happy that she can get a break from cooking for their huge appetites at least twice a week, sometimes more.

-It a normal Thursday for you, you were preparing for the dinner crowd, prepping vegetables and some of the slow cooked dishes ahead of time when a loud pounding was heard on the front door to your restaurant.

-Normally you would ignore it, but it sounded frantic, and you set your knife down and went to the door and your eyes widened to see Bulma, looking scared and frantic.

-As soon as you opened the door Bulma launched herself into your arms, “Gohan’s been taken!!” you froze, only for a moment before your eyes narrowed, “What?”

-She explained that a man, an alien, named Raditz showed up, attacked Chichi and Goku and took Gohan, to force Goku to fight him, as they were brothers.

-This was almost unreal, until you remembered Gohan’s tail before you demanded to know where Gohan and Raditz were.

-Bulma gave you the coordinates, telling you that Piccolo, Yamcha, and some of the others were on their way too, as well as Goku, to get Gohan back.

-Bulma agreed to give you a ride on her motorcycle, which you thanked her for, “Once I’m there, get out of here as fast as you can.” She nodded, as she had already planned on it.

-You glared as you saw Yamcha already down, and Tien was quickly losing against Raditz and you leapt up, “Get out of here Bulma!”

-Raditz heard a shout and looked around to block another one of these weaklings, waiting for his brother and was stunned when a flaming leg swung into his face, sending him flying back.

-He landed hard, rolling and was quick to stand with a grin, realizing it was someone strong, before he froze, seeing a woman!

-You were wearing your normal outfit, a collared top with a vest, sleeves rolled up, a black pencil skirt with a slit in the right thigh, and black heels, and a tie that you were currently loosening.

-Gohan gasped, as he had been crying, seeing you, “Auntie!!” your eyes narrowed harshly, feeling fury that your darling nephew was upset and scared.

-Raditz charged and you froze as Piccolo and Tien tackled him from the side, keeping him busy and you immediately ran to Gohan, who was in a capsule like spaceship, “Close your eyes and turn into a ball Gohan!”

-The boy did as you told and you swung hard, breaking open the capsule, destroying it with a well-placed heel kick.

-Raditz was stunned, seeing your raw strength and fury, a feral grin on his lips as you picked up Gohan, holding him on your hip before you had to leap up, dodging his swipe.

-A guillotine kick stunned him, but only for a moment as you leapt back, blocking one of his punches with your knees. The fire in your eyes seemed to entice him more and more as you blocked his blows, but he didn’t seem as serious compared to when he was fighting the men.

-It was almost like he was toying with you. He tried to grab Gohan, to toss him aside so you could have a real fight and you kicked up hard, your leg coming up almost perfectly straight into his chin, throwing him back.

-Yamcha then shouted at you, “You need to use your hands to fight Y/N! He’s too powerful for just kicks!”

-You sent an icy glare to Yamcha, and everyone felt it, even Gohan, “These hands are for cooking only!” and as you shouted that, you swung your leg at Raditz, fire covering it again, “Diable Jambe!!” and it slammed into Raditz’s midsection, sending him flying back, completely knocked out, stunning everyone, including Goku who had just arrived.

-You were panting softly, holding Gohan close with one arm as he was hugging you around your neck, sniffling softly and you instantly softened, stroking his cheek gently as he pulled back, whimpering out, “Auntie?” as the men all quickly came over to apprehend Raditz.

-Everyone went back to your restaurant, and you put a sign on it, telling everyone that it was closed for the day due to a personal issue.

-Raditz wasn’t as scary when he woke up, completely bound and unable to move, just loud, demanding to be set free and making a ruckus.

-You walked by, carrying food for everyone and you shoved a meat stick into his mouth, shutting him up, not seeing his eyes sparkling at the tasty food as he ate his way through it.

-You passed by Roshi who thank you warmly, putting his hand on your rear like it wasn’t anything and you squeaked and went to kick him before a meat bone came shooting across the room and hit the old man in the head, sending him flying.

-You turned to Raditz who was glaring harshly while Goku was laughing hard, finding it funny as you picked up the bone, “Oi- don’t play with your food!”

-Raditz grinned at your anger, as if he thought it was attractive, “Just staking my claim- you’re my mate!”

-Jaws dropped and everyone turned white in shock at his bold claim as he demanded more food like what he said was no big deal.

-Raditz was calmer once he had more food and surprisingly, he was very forthcoming with information, in exchange for even more food, telling you all about the looming threat coming and he was willing to vouch for this world, so that Vegeta and Nappa, who were scheduled to be coming as well, wouldn’t attack, in exchange for help defeating Frieza, a powerful alien warlord.

-Now that there was time to prepare, preparations could be made with the hopes of preventing the slaughter of innocents and preparing to defeat Frieza.

-Goku decided to trust his brother, which was shocking to most everyone in the room and Gohan ran to you, clinging to your leg as you trusted Goku, but if any damage came to your restaurant, you were gonna break Goku.

-Raditz behaved and you were stunned, learning that the way you acted in the fight, being so angry and fierce, was actually how Saiyan women were, and to him, you were the perfect mate.

-You were irritated with his jealous tendencies, growling at other men, treating you more like an object than a person, and claiming that you were his.

-You gave Raditz a part time job for your restaurant, hunting and fishing for you, in exchange for food and getting to stay with you, as he liked your cooking and threw a tantrum when he wasn’t allowed to be with you, and you just allowed it to avoid more headaches.

-Raditz crossed the line wen Goku and Gohan came for a visit and a meal, and the little boy ran to you, “Auntie!!” and you were quickly kneeling, all smiles to hug him close, before you heard Raditz growl at him.

-Your glare was hotter than the sun and instantly Raditz was showing throat to see, seeing the flames of hell behind you, “Did you just growl at your nephew?!”

-Goku froze, trying not to draw any attention to himself with hopes he would be safe from your wrath. Raditz could see how soft you were with Gohan, with a child, and his eyes seemed to sparkle at the realization.

-You fed the three Saiyan men, who all thanked you for the food, something Raditz learned to do that you appreciated, and you would give him warm, bright smiles.

-Once the father and son were gone for the day, Raditz approached and wrapped his arms around you from behind, spooking you, but at the same time surprising you, as the embrace was soft.

-You turned to look up at him, seeing the heated look in his own eyes, “I’ll give you what you want, Y/N. I’ll give you a child!”

-Your face turned bright red before WHACK!!! You stomped away from him, your face bright red as he was now on the ground, several large lumps on the back of his head.

-He sat up, seeing you holding your cheeks and he couldn’t help but grin, seeing you acting so shy with the idea of having a child. It made him desire you more.

[deliicacymercy]

kobd: the wildbreak theory

So, let it be known Mercy loves this piece of shit show - only for the Stunticons and specifically Wildbreak 

He’s my favorite character ever, only because every time i see him i go: “omg same” 

HOWEVER, the Wildbreak appreciation post comes later - I got some damning proof this fucker is a KOBD child.

This is fucking long. And only me being obsessed would produce this masteriece.

Buckle up BUCKAROOS- 

So, to begin. 

The famous fan theory in Transformers is that Wildbreak is the love child of Breakdown and Knockout from TFP. 

It’s so popular that everytime you see domestic KOBD art, there’s a good chance a tiny little Wildbreak is in there. 

Usually comes from the fact that TF:RID 2015 is a sequel series to TFP, as well as Wildbreak has an image likened to both of them. He is a Stunticon like Breakdown, but has similarities to Knockout. blah blah, someone already made a shorter post that explains the appearance factor- 

HOWEVER MORE EVIDENCE- I have it. 

Let’s talk about Wildbreak’s Weapon. 

Cutie pie does not get a lot of screen time, in fact, all he gets is five episodes he appears in and one dedicated to him and Dragstrip mainly.

So this episode is all we get of him + Dragstrip + Dragbreak 

In the ep, Dragstrip and Wildbreak stole Windblade’s weapon stash and are being chased down by Bee and the gang. They only get one fight scene and its as Dragbreak [Wildbreak/Dragstrip combined]. 

So when I saw that Dragbreak had a weapon in the form of a HAMMER ON A STICK - I thought huh, sounds too good to be true.

Because isnt it funny that KOBD weapon combo would be a hammer on a stick. 

Let’s assess. aka let mercy ramble at 2am

At first im like, that couldn’t be KO’s weapon [”a shock stick”] cause his is notorious shaped like a “trident” and its extendable.

[lol it has to be the toy model cause TFP’S LIGHTING IS SO DARK I CANT GET A GOOD SCREENSHOT OF IT] 

Until....

I sped it down by 0.25 and i see it transform into this

my ass lifted from the seat AS I WAS LOOKING AT A HAMMER AND A TRIDENT STAFF- THAT IS EXTENDABLE-

AND ITS CONFIRMED TO BE WILDBREAK’S WEAPON BECAUSE

this is Dragstrip’s weapon

its even seen with DRAGBREAK- 

AND NOTHING ABOUT IT CHANGED! IT DIDNT BECOME ANYTHING DIFFERENT or combo with Wildbreaks- ITS JUST DRAGSTRIPS GUN

Which meannnsssss THIS NEVER BEFORE SEEN, HAMMER ON A TRIDENT STAFF HAS TO BE WILDBREAKS. 

I even looked into the older G1 Stunticons for further reference and saw that all Stunticons had guns p much, especially Dragstrip. And I looked at G1 Wildrider and Breakdown since thats where Wildbreak’s namesake came from and...they both have guns. No hammer or staff. Which means- 

The inspo for a Hammer and Staff sounds like it came from ~~ 

TWO GAYS

-------///------

Hello everyone, welcome to half way point where Mercy acknowledges that she’s lost her fucking mind and cant stop the conspiracy theories on her fav character from a show no one watched. 

However I just like to say as a funny side note, that Wildbreak is voiced by Kakashi and Dragstrip is Brain from Pinkie & the Brain. 

Literally looking at the voice cast list for EVERYONE in this show and you’ll realize where the budget actually went. CAUSE IT WASNT TO THE WRITERS-

can u tell i love this fucking show

-------///------

At first I got a wee bit scared cause Im thinking- wait, the whole episode was about them finding Windblade’s weapons stash...maybe these were Windblades weapons???

But after closer inspection:

nope. 

In fact, Wildbreak is so cute and helpful, he did a 180 for me to see front and back. uwu 

Even Dragstrip doesnt have any that resemble his gun or retractable hammer.

‘ o ‘ 

And for a show that loves reusing models for everything-

(im still mad about this)

Why wouldn’t they reuse the weapon models?? ...unless they were specifically suppose to be weapons for Dragstrip and Wildbreak~

Also I was looking to see if their toys came with any weapons and- 

they dont 

but its so funny cause now Wildbreak is the one on top LOL DSAKLFJASLD

Haaaaa, guess they are both switches--- [this isnt canon. there’s no way Wildbreak is a switch.]

Well then it comes down to if they had their weapons on them at all during the show outside of this scene then its a done deal. 

Nope. They just come out of thin air. Thanks show. 

But Mercy- doesn’t Knockout’s staff have a “shock” ability? 

Well im glad you said that mercy, cause this fucking happens

LITERALLY the SAME BLUE HUE 

and it also explodes for some reason at the end of the episode?!?!??!!?!?

So rip 

Wildbreak’s gift from his dads doesnt exist anymore. bb sad. 

anyways thats my talk on confirmation that KOBD had a lil bb named Wildbreak and he got a combo weapon from them-

thanks for coming to the ramble!!!

BONUS: 

Gay Sideswipe

[wolfnanaki]

What Happened To Me Yesterday

Figured I might as well catch people up, since this all went down on 4chan and Twitter. Some nasty words are said so tread lightly.

I used to frequent 4chan in my younger years, and just by happenstance, I was scrolling through their /co/ Comics and Cartoons board yesterday during some casual off time between job hunting. I saw a Helluva Boss thread, and within it, some people have developed a conspiracy theory regarding Loona.

If you're a fan of Helluva Boss, you'll recognize that in the past three episodes of season 2, Loona, one of the most popular characters in the show, has had no speaking roles. People attributed to this being because of the death of her partner a few years back, but Erica Lindbeck, her voice actress, confirmed this to not be the case, so there was still heavy speculation. And a few days ago, Erica was harassed by AI bros after she requested a video using an AI replication of her voice to be taken down; the harassment got so bad that Erica deactivated her Twitter.

Anyway, 4chan users concocted a conspiracy theory stating that: Vivziepop's funds were being bled dry by changes to Hazbin Hotel requested by A24, Erica recognized how popular Loona is and was demanding higher pay, and Viv was retaliating by cutting her out of the show and is trying to replace her, either with an AI replication or a new, cheaper VA. A Loonaspiracy.

(Ah yes, A24, famous for "family friendly" content like Hereditary, Midsommar, The Witch, and Ex Machina. Trying to make a show about demons more family oriented. Right.)

It was so on-its-face ridiculous that I took a screencap of the posts and I posted them on Twitter so I could laugh at them with a few of my friends and maybe some other Helluva Boss fans.

What I did not count on was Viv herself responding.

Viv then went on to start a separate thread about the topic and cleared up the misinformation and conspiracy theory. Because season 2 is longer than season 1, all the episodes had a tighter budget and therefore, they didn't have Loona speak in every episode to save costs. This is an independently funded show, after all.

So anyway, my phone notifications start blowing up with people liking/retweeting/replying to my tweet, and my tweets get shared on 4chan. The response was not great.

Why am I showing you this?

Because I think it illustrates an incredibly important point. These people believed so hard in an obviously bullshit conspiracy that when confronted with the truth, they'd rather attack a marginalized person than admit they were wrong.

This is no different from how almost all conservatives act.

There are people who cannot - and will not - be convinced their beliefs are wrong, even when the truth is in front of them. You cannot convince these kinds of people to stop being racist, sexist, queerphobic, or whatever. They are told their actions and beliefs are evil, and their response is "Evil will have to do."

Don't waste your breath praying they become better people or trying to convince them to change. The best things you can do are to stay away from them if you can, but step in and protect the people they're trying to harm.

And as for 4chan... just stay away, lmao. There's nothing of value there, except maybe a life lesson of how not to be.

[cidthesquid]

Better Late Than Never! | Style Savvy : Styling Star #05

[Previous Post]              [First Post]              [Next Post]

Hey, So I do try to upload at least once a week, wasn't actually going to post today, but a lot happened today, and I need a distraction. So expect a bit less commentary than normal. But let's get started!

Alright, so last time, we failed Rosie's request, so let's fix that:

Ok, it's pretty much the same, but only contains items fully in the 'rock' theme. And the Result.

$4 over budget :'( No option to compromise, or change her mind, she just leaves the store again. (I would have given you a discount if that was an option.) Alright, round 3. (same outfit but without the $19 earrings)

Ok, there we go!

We're reminded of Rosie's dreams of being a popstar, and it seems like she has a bit of a rival/role model! She then offers to show us some family photos, and..

well it's nice to see she cares for her animals. okay next photo:

I lover her description here, showing that both groups are considered family.

I know I mentioned this before, but I'm really enjoying her character, they really put a lot of effort into making her story enjoyable to witness, even if it is in a fairly passive sense. I really like hearing about her reason for wanting to sing, it's not just "I want to be rich, popular or famous, it's about bringing smiles to people.

Definitely very in line with character motivations to become idols in Japanese media. Alright, with that event cleared, ..back to work!

I'm always sprised when I I read these inteatctions, Lots of intresting ideas, for example Lydia just wanting to branch out, But afraid that other styles may not work well for her. I've been there, it's like "if it works, why change it?", My own appearance is not really something I see often, so I don't really think about it, nor put much value in.(Real clothes are $$$!)

And that's the great thing about avatars and dress-up games, they make the design/composition work super easy, And I feel I can appreciate the designs more as I can actually see them, they stick out in my mind more.

Ok, I'm sure that sounded super weird to some, I don't even 'self-insert' into games, so this idea is kinda hard to explain, not even sure why I brought it up. oh well. Any way, the day has ended, but before we move on to the next, let's try on a new outfit. Hmm, I guess we have not gone for a 'cute' look in this game yet.

Originally I went with a pink bow, but I really wanted an inner with straps, and the only option was dark blue, so I picked this hat to match, I think the navy blue still stands out a little, and the hat ages the look up a bit, but I still like it overall, and may just swap out the blue stuff later when I get more options.

And so we end the day.

We've just reached rank 6, and Raven Candle has just unlocked!

Oh, I really like the sample outfit:

And on the way out of the shop...

We run into Rosie, she's super nervous about her audition, and was a little too focuses on her breathing practice, but she's so pumped that she.. ends up going in the wrong direction.

So we decide to join her at the production studio:

Against the receptionist wishes, we decide to check on Rosie's audition. It's really cool that we get to follow her to this degree, and see her try out using the outfit we picked out. It's really driving home our connection to the character's story, and even if we can't really change anything, it makes us feel like we have some level of agency, even if it's just picking out the outfit, it feels deeper. As she starts she bumps into the mic and falls over, but her endless optimism helps her push through.

Before she can begin, we get kicked out. And this ends the event, I guess we'll have to wait till later to see how it turns out. Its getting a bit late, but I stop by the shop to see if any customer arrived. And it looks like Richard (jo's Brother) and Anneke are here:

They talk a bit about office and pop tar clothing, giving more hints to Richard's preferences. (Likely for a later event) And Anneke asks for a new outfit to wear to the office. I don't really know what qualifies as professional, but I'll try to avoid anything too flashy, and see how it goes.

I think my color matching could have been better, but overall I'm pretty happy with this. and it seems they were too.

Afterwards we get a followup with Vincent, seems he's looking for Jo and he reiterates the frustrations around Richard's dress codes.

And with that, I've again reached my 30 image limit, and I got to get ready for work soon anyway, so this seems like a good stopping point.

Playing and writing this has been very relaxing, and I actually found a solution to my initial irl problem while working on this. So it just goes to show, making some space from a problem is not the same as ignoring it. Doing something fun/creative may seem like a waste of time when you're busy, but it can also give you the boost you need to complete a hard task you'd otherwise be stuck on. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this post! <Next Post>

---- As always, all comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! (I'm also looking for feedback on this new style, how's the formatting?)

You literally can't bother me, (unless you go out of your way to be a jerk), so post whatever you need to say!

[ikemenomegas]

Hey!! (animeomegas here <3) I don't know anything about jjk, but I love actor AUs and I was wondering if you have any fun ideas for Naruto, the arcana or Mystic messenger? For some reason I've been imagining how a Mystic Messenger TV show would work and sketching out poster ideas for it 😫 This isn't really intended as a request, I just want to hear your stream of thought haha. Hope you've been having a wonderful day! <33

Hi @animeomegas I actually had a really long day but it was nice! I got a lot of things done. I hope you also had a good day ^^. So, okay okay okay you know I love casual stream of thought... and talking ahaha, and I also love behind the camera drama (I am also avoiding any wip work because 9+ hours at work fried the thesaurus bit of my brain)

Naruto

Naruto is such a specifically anime show. The budget for a complete 1:1 live action remake would probably make people so mad, there would have to be so much CGI for the final battle.

I feel like it could work for actors au as either:

1. Make Naruto a movie series. It's probably got a cult following like Star Wars and started off as some kind of original idea in the 70s and then got acquisitioned by a huge conglomerate in the 90s-2000s era, and had enough films (like the fast and furious franchises XD, so... eight at least) that it was able to cover all the material up until our time lol.

I actually went and reviewed the arcs because I love procrastination through research oop, but if you cut out/combine the filler arcs/turn them into serialized shows for streaming, you're left with enough material for about 3 movies from genin-days (when the actors Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura age from 11-14) and 5 movies from the shippuden era (there the main trio actors age from 16-24)

Playing off that nostalgia factor, Jiraiya's actor either played Minato or Naruto in the 70s film. He's since become a very famous actor/producer/director. Kakashi's father also played Kakashi's character in the original 70s film, so having him return as Sakumo for the Pein arc was a little Easter egg. There's a couple of instances of this throughout the series. For example, Madara is actually played by the same actor who played Sasuke in the og series, and the makeup used to age him in the flashback arcs gets high praise. Hashirama is played by the same kid who played Rock Lee in the first films too. Tsunade was played by the same girl who was either Ino in the original, etc.

Kind of like marvel, there's a ton of actors who are only sort of or not very famous when the films start, and the kids are certainly no-name actors (kind of [Sakura reads to me like a former disney-channel kid lol]), and then as the films get wildly popular, the franchise gains the Midas touch and even all of the recurrent minor characters get arcs/spinoffs/or see further success in their careers.

And as with marvel, it truly becomes like... everyone famous in a certain generation was in the Naruto franchise.

Sasuke had some actual industry connections prior to casting, but that was only because his brother was a young up-and-coming model. They sort of spring-boarded one anothers' careers. Playing the franchise characters traumatized them oop, and irl they're very close. There's a noticeable uptick in viewership for compilation videos of the Uchiha brothers being best siblings after about movie 6 when Sasuke finally kills Itachi and movie 7's fight with Kabuto is one of the most watched clips ever.

Also marvel-esque, I think people have mixed opinions about the ending lol (just like they do the anime) because on one hand, explosions! amazing visual effects! the whole ensemble ready to assemble! stacked nostalgia value! answers to some of the most asked fandom questions! amazing physical feats (Naruto and by extension Sasuke mostly insist on doing their own stunts)! and on the other... you have some of the thousand story threads being lost in the sauce, lackluster characterization for a some of the ladies, leaning perhaps too much on nostalgia value, complete obliteration of power scaling, suddenly there's almost too much content, and you have to have watched all three spinoff series to understand some of the in-world references, also fighting between the original concept creator and head writer and the production teams :p (yes this is Io being too literal haha)

2nd option: The Naruto characters all belong to the same representative entertainment company (think SM or YG /pulls face because cabal culture disturbs me/). I think this is more like an idols AU, and the relationships are significantly more catty and have more drama, but they're all actors/other entertainment related career lol so it's also kind of actors au?

The company probably tried for a ninjas/powers theme during recruitment and promotion so that's where you get Kakashi associated with dogs and lightning, Sasuke associated with snakes and later hawks and fire, Naruto associated with frogs and wind, Sakura associated with slugs and healing, Itachi associated with crows and dreams, Haku associated with ice and mirrors, Sai associated with tigers and ink, Tenzo/Yamato associated with trees, Gaara associated with tanuki and sand etc.

Itachi and Sasuke have an infamous rivalry that never really "resolves" so much as disappears because Itachi retires for a few years to deal with physical and mental health issues. It would be during this time he goes public with a relationship and he gets married before making a comeback. Even after the brothers reconcile and do projects together, people still bring up their Fighting Era and it pisses Sasuke off because the public doesn't really know what happened and he hates the speculation. Part of the controversy is that Sasuke left the company only a few years after signing on, joined a small rival company that was later embroiled in scandal, and then returned to the same company as his brother right around the time Itachi took a break.

Kakashi is the oldest of the "new generation" that's promoted during that time, but he's a very successful child actor turned model and adult actor. He did a bunch of shows that have great repeat value though so he basically lives off residuals and picks his projects and is very obvious but rather quiet about the ways he critiques the current entertainment industry. He's very good friends with Tenzo, stagename Yamato

Haku is a musician first and an actor second. He made his debut as part of a short lived idol group before going solo and starting musical stages. He's an up and coming favorite for historical dramas.

Gaara and Naruto are child actors who have been best friends for ages and help one another work through the inevitable industry challenges. They separately become really popular role models for kids from their hometowns. Kankuro is Gaara's personal rock in the working world, even though Kankuro's bad-boy image and slightly freaky aesthetic don't surface level seem to match with Gaara's more reserved and authentic method of dealing with the constant press.

Shikamaru and Nagato both separately give me musician/model vibes, but in different genres. Shikamaru quits the music thing very quickly to become a producer lol because more math and less fighting with fickle public opinion.

Mystic Messenger

If you sketch the the poster idea you haaaave to post it, please pretty please Amy?? Because you're so right, the whole plot is absolutely like a thriller/romcom kdrama. (Because the characters are well fleshed out it could also work with preserving the character backstories but have them all have entered acting later on.)

I looked up some Kdrama posters and the one where the leads for "because this is my first life" are standing in a stylized apartment balcony reminded me somewhat of thee game, mostly because the MC is stuck in the apartment for a good portion of the seven days lol.

If the whole Mystic Messenger plot were a drama...

MC is probably a rookie actor with one or two well done but not widely distributed productions under their belt.

Yoosung was maybe a child-actor which makes the whole ingenue thing kind of funny for his fans. Like yes, this is his first "adult role" (his baby face means he otherwise plays a lot of high schoolers) but it's this odd mixture of experience meaning he plays the role perfectly, but lack of experience with normal people resulting in a lot of blushing and stammering and totally tunnel vision flirting during the press tour haha.

I'd love for Jumin to come from a similar but less severe situation as game-Jumin. Like maybe his father has remarried a bunch of times, but he actually gets along with the stepmother who's been his mother for most of his life and he takes her to premiers with him. He grew up poor so he finds playing a lot of wealthy heirs type characters because of his looks to be a very strange turn of events, but he overall doesn't talk about his past much in public.

Hmmm, Jaehee seems the type to play a lot of severe characters in her usual roles because of her appearance, but like game-Jaehee she's got a very cute and adorable side that's coupled with a very genuine personalty. The interviewers probably make her do a lot of aegyo T.T poor Jaehee. She probably also worked her way through a prestigious drama school, either in-country or abroad, so she loves to read.

Zen always offers to do the aegyo with Jaehee so she doesn't have to suffer alone haha. He on the other hand never went to drama school, he's been acting since he was about 17 so all his training was in-company, although his company helped to put him through college where he did an advertising and media degree. He didn't have the exposure Jaehee did to classical media and arts, so they are irl very good friends who bond over their interest in business and Zen's interest in gaining a deeper understanding of acting and theater.

I see 707 as the person who was probably an idol musician before he started acting and mostly left group music behind. I've never played his route through, but he seems like the kind of person who is sometimes frustratingly talented lol. He is a natural at almost everything he tries which sometimes stresses him out because he wonders if there's something else he should be doing besides acting.

V seems like the kind of person however who was maybe a model first, and then turned to acting? I hate to say this, but it's the kind of situation where his incredible looks and sweet irl personality have garnered him a very devoted following but his parts in dramas tend to be second-string or somewhat minor or... kind of weird lol, and when he is the lead the show is usually only "okay" because the writing will be strange 😅 which is technically not his fault, but to be honest most of his income comes from promotional deals.

You like Saeran, right? so I won't leave him out! He's got this doe-eyed look that makes me think of a new debut actor! This is also one of his first major roles so he and MC lean on each other a lot and have to work hard to make sure their relationship off-screen is comfortable because they have so many scary intense scenes later on. He and 707 are either irl siblings, or just because so close during filming that they're truly like brothers now and 707 is always seen supporting Saeran, especially when Saeran decides to venture into the music scene and his vocal style and color means he explodes into popularity almost right away.

The Arcana

Somehow I can see this becoming an HBO drama? or maybe an Akuzon special because it's very good about placing lgbtq themes in-world (which was sort of groundbreaking when the game debuted). This one is so hard because each route gradually ended up diverging so much and in such different ways and expanding on the world in such a rewarding diversity of directions that you could truly have a beautiful, successful show no matter what route was filmed.

You could potentially have a Witcher-type situation where you really do have multiple routes and timeline splitting. If someone who's got a really good editing team working with a really tight writing team I think they could do it.

But otherwise, this is another situation where the main cast has had friend configurations for a While and doing this project brought them all closer together!

Ilya and Asra have known one another probably the longest industry-wise. They did a smaller well received indie film once about five years before Arcana with the vaguest of nods to brokeback mountain (I've never seen it, sorry) but a much happier road trip lovers plot, so having to play disillusioned, one-sided pining ex-lovers who had a very toxic last year to their relationship is... something XD.

Asra and Muriel have been personal friends since their days as students - they went to the same camps and programs to study acting and in their interviews, they have a fun time talking about some personal anecdotes (like the fact they did indeed frequently camp at a lakeside together as children) which made it into their own characters' backstories.

Nadia and Lucio are very Nikolaj/Gwendoline during their press and off-screen interactions. They find their characters' personas to be sort of hilariously poorly matched.

Portia is a famously hard working actress who clawed her way through the world of cinema and still managed to stay a decent, well grounded person. She's not actually related to Ilya irl but they got along really well from the beginning so there's lots of videos of them acting like siblings off screen.

Because the on-site shoots for Arcana required so much travel, the cast got to spend a lot of bonding time together, and saw a ton of unique places. The cast always has stories of swimming and hiking or trying new food or pictures of each other at famous sites during their days off. Muriel is actually the one who plans the outdoor adventures the best, he was an athlete and had military training before becoming an actor and he loves being outside so he'll lead these kinds of outings. People adore his social media because he's got that outdoors guy vibe but he's very sweet and he smiles a lot more irl than his roles usually do.

Portia and Julian are the most likely to get lost in any place, but they're also super fun to travel with because they always find interesting people and places that are off the beaten path.

Nadia and Asra have the most normal but also most aesthetic social media feeds. They always seem able to catch the golden hour light somehow...

After Arcana, they each often end up cast in or around the same movies/franchises/series as well, because they do work very well together. The show also helped them break out of some type casting, to their delight.

Lucio trends towards action and romcom films, he does often get typecast as some kind of villain, but his redemption arc in Arcana actually helped him break into more of the antihero type roles. He can be adorably goofy at times.

Nadia used to play the femme fatale quite frequently but since Arcana she's been able to take on softer roles, still often playing a woman in power, but she's been able to mix and cross genres. She also has been working on a screenplay and wants to try directing.

Portia was famous before Arcana but the show helped enter her into some of the more mainstream conversation and she has her first action-type role soon after Arcana ends.

Asra has a delicate physique and had some trouble in the past with being passed over roles that required more "force of presence" in the past. However, since showing his side as the secretive, enigmatic, manipulative magician, he's been able to try on the hats of villains, return to some roles on the true stage (his first love), and play the lead in a more serious political thriller.

Muriel had the opposite problem with his large build often precluding him from anything but action films. Since Arcana he's been able to try a few romantic lead parts, and has embraced his popularity by searching out meaningful mid-budget films where he can broaden his talents.

Julian is very tall, so he used to play quite a few more domineering, dastardly types in the films he did before Arcana. The show also brought him into the spotlight. He still does well as the sneering, dangerous, tall and dark type, but he's found that he can and is willing to push for playing something softer, someone who follows instead of leads in the on-screen dynamics. You and Ilya end up in a bodyguard type of drama at some point where he spends a lot of time on his knees swearing his devotion and playing a lot of subtext lol.

MC in this seems like they would have been a more experienced actor before taking on the linchpin role for Arcana, but the show granted you the experience to step into other roles both in front of and behind the camera and we'll probably see an MC directed and produced short film or indie film within the next few years!

[hong-kong-art-man]

What Is So Special About The Dance Drama Wing Chun (詠春) As An Art Furore ? Will The Competition From Shenzhen Force Hong Kong To Do Our Cultural Best?

In the Western world, martial art is the art of motion. For the Chinese, martial art is more than that. It is a master’s philosophy and use of his body to accomplish visual art result.

Success is no accident. Many in the art world just want to follow success and not create it. Great stage works never come from comfort zones. The real risk facing the performing art circles in Hong Kong is the lack of enough top-notch breakthroughs and talented persons, apart from the usual problem: insufficient financial resources to make a big dream possible.

The world has changed. Home cinema, home video game and home audio are the kinds of ‘home entertainment’, because of their instantly accessible enjoyment, are replacing the traditional places like theatres, movie houses and concert halls. Determining what play or dance to go to watch in a theatre can be exorbitant these days, especially when you have to take into account travelling expenses, parking and dinner, apart from the expensive tickets. Making the overall trip ‘worth it’ obviously favours the large budget stage productions these days.  

For the above reasons, the new dance drama Wing Chun (詠春), produced by the young city of Shenzhen (深圳) in China, has been extremely popular in the country for more than a year since 2023. The show went to Asian cities. Some said, “What a grand show! Almost 80 dancers perform on stage!” Some said, “The electrifying movements and gravity-defying choreography performed by the dancers create a visual spectacle that keeps us glued to the stage!” Some said, “The variety of striking scenes is another thing that makes me excited. Nobody performs ordinarily!” Some said, “The dancers, male or female, are good-looking, powerful and extremely stunning! They express their performing passion glamorously!” 

The story of Ip Man (葉問) who created the famous martial art of Wing Chun (詠春) is well-known among the Chinese. Ip man was born in 1893 and died in 1972. He developed the great martial art of Wing Chun when he was 20. He had a famous legendary student Bruce Lee (李小龍). After the Second World War, Ip left Foshan (佛山) for Hong Kong. The dance performance was chiefly about how he was struggling for a living in Hong Kong, bullied by the gangsters, training his students, sparring with other martial art masters and deserted by his loved wife. His life has an unbroken line of unusual events and emotions, resulting in a successful and yet regretful life.

The production is high-quality but a bit expected. It is said that the investment was fuelled by the Shenzhen government. The stage design, lighting, audiovisual engineering, music and costumes offer their best, though the show are somehow not good enough if it wants to be at the top of other top dances. The truly excellent ones in this case are the dancers. The physically captivating dancers have no stuntman. I can feel that they sometimes risk their bodies to complete dangerous movements. These marvellous performers make the show absurdly beautiful because it is the most rigorous job for a dancer to be equally capable of the best martial art skills at the same time.  

The southern island of Baoan (寶安) County became the British Hong Kong after the Opium Wars more than 100 years ago, while the primitive small village of Shenzhen was ignored on the border. In 1979, Shenzhen was suddenly made an Economic Zone for the ambitious economic developments of China. After about 40 years, the young au courant city managed to produce this art show that shocks the Asian art world. Hong Kong has a much longer cultural history and up to now, there has been no such comparable achievement. We should feel downcast by the scale of the threat that we see from this pioneering city neighbour.

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong announced in 2023 that Hong Kong, with the government’s help, will be able to produce big stage shows for large-scale long runs or re-runs. The ‘Signature Performing Arts Programme’ will provide a subsidy of up to Hong Kong $10 million, a matching funding of up to $5 million to match private sector funding and venue support so that these Hong Kong performances can become world-class art productions and the international cultural brand that can represent Hong Kong. This is surely a piece of exciting news. But, the local performing art sectors are too used to government’s money as their major source of funding. How to make profits is right now a big lesson for the local art groups to learn. Money can be a good reason for success. They must realize that there are 10,000 ways that make things not work. Complacency, inertia and lack of business sense are the imminent hurdles that they must overcome. 

We all do better when we can gather the most talented people from a larger pool to work together. The population of Hong Kong is just about 7 million. That of Chinese mainland is around 1.41 billion. A top-class performing art team must be made of many gifted artists, from front and back stage. It is almost a necessity that in order to accomplish the ‘signature stage projects’ of Hong Kong, we cannot work alone or simply let a few big stage groups determine the scene. Joint productions of Hong Kong and Chinese mainland will be the sensible path, and I am sure we can find and manage a right path. It is going to take some time, though. Flexibility is the art of creating way outs within the cul-de-sac, as a Turkish playwright pointed out. 

Maurice Lee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hong-dong-ya-de-98447537?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 

Wing Chun Dance Drama

Acknowledgement-CultArts x Creative

Wing Chun Dance Drama

Acknowledgement – 生活生活

Wing Chun Dance Drama Interview

Acknowledgement – 香港商報

[freakingoutthesquares]

How to dress exactly like Pulp did in the 90s

2 December 2015 Text Alex Denney

Wanna look like common people? Former Pulp member Russell Senior spills on the band’s Britpop style inspirations.

Russell Senior was the secret coolest member of Pulp. Back in Britpop’s heyday, when Jarvis Cocker was a spindly ever-present on Top of the Pops, Senior could be seen stage-left in a pair of Charles Jourdan sunglasses, blithely sawing at his violin like a member of the Velvet Underground on loan.

In fact, the musician was instrumental in shaping the sexy, shopworn look that Pulp perfected in the early-mid 90s, a look that’s weathered better than other, more leisurewear-inclined strains of the Britpop aesthetic. An occasional antiques dealer with a weakness for “Scandi-modernism” and an eye for a dashingly cut suit, Senior bowed out of the band in 1997, after their “Common People”-era peak, before returning for their triumphant comeback shows of 2011/12 – here, he looks at some of the inspirations behind the band’s mismatched aesthetic.

TAKE A BAG TO A JUMBLE-SALE AND FILL IT UP

“We were all great lovers of jumble sales, although we kind of abhorred each other’s tastes – Jarvis would always look at suits like, ‘Look how wide these lapels are!’, and I’d be like, ‘Christ, what does he look like?’ You don’t know what you’re going to find at a jumble sale. You’re going to get things that other people aren’t wearing – you’re not choosing it so much, you’re just getting this random bag of stuff and then you get a new version of yourself. I used to enjoy the idea of being really conservative in my dress-sense – you could be a revolutionary communist dressed like a bank manager with a briefcase! I really did have a briefcase, by the way.

“Jumble-sale chic was a term that got applied to us a lot. It wasn’t just a poverty thing, it was a pride thing. We would come in and go, ‘My underwear cost more than my outfit!’ (Our look) was kind of artless, it was whatever you chanced upon, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have an intellect about it. We were proud of our cheapness!”

CHOOSE TIGHT OVER BAGGY

“Baggy was a genre but it was also a kind of look...or a ‘non-look’. For a while (in the early 90s) our music was quite baggy – we were using that kind of wah-wah sound. So we became quite popular in Manchester, but even though we liked the music we had this contrary thing of wanting to be different – like, all the band t-shirts at the time were really baggy, so we went the other way, but it was hard finding t-shirts as tight as we wanted them.”

IF YOU’RE IN A BAND, COPY YOUR AUDIENCE

“Our audience influenced our look a lot. People would come to our concerts in feather boas and they would end up finding their way into our photoshoots. Or you’d have girls in the audience with necklaces made out of sweets and they’d be carrying Barbie dolls, but they weren’t 15 years old, they would be 23 and doing a degree in postmodern irony! We had Love Hearts thrown at us at shows, so we ended up getting plates made in the form of Love Hearts for one of our videos. We were getting things sent in the post – Candida (Doyle, keyboardist) got jars of kitsch jewellery from people who were picking up on the fact that we were just like them, finding our style on a budget. We had cool audiences, they were often very interesting people. And we fed back into it – our look would give people a bit of boldness, just to walk through town in those outfits. It something that’s articulated best in the ‘Misshapes’ video.”

TRY TO BE A MOD, BUT DON'T TRY TOO HARD

“Mod became a big current in Britpop through bands like Blur and Menswear. I’d always liked the clobber, but I didn’t conceive of myself as a mod until I went to the seaside on bank holidays and found that rockers were looking at me funny. I used to wear Union Jack socks before it became a Britpop symbol, just because I thought it looked good. Then there was the famous cover of Select with Brett Anderson against the backdrop of the Union Jack that really crystallised the feeling, and then 18 months later Oasis had a guitar with a Union Jack on it. I just thought that was a bit try-hard.”

IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE GLAM, BE TRASHY

“We all had this idea that Top of the Pops had gotten boring around 1973, when people stopped wearing outrageous outfits. But our take on glam was rather shamefully not Bowie and Roxy Music, it was the kind of glam that will forever be lodged in some town outside Birmingham, like The Glitter Band, Slade and Sweet. But there was pathos in that.

“We were into all that twisted funfair stuff. Glitter for us wasn’t just shiny, it was seedy ­– it was, like, the guy making a snuff in a garage on the outskirts of town, if you know what I mean? It was the David Lynch take on glamour. Jarvis loved all the frilly-shirted 70s stuff, which I hated because you end up looking like a working men’s club turn and that was exactly what I was trying to get away from. Mates I knew from school were playing in those sorts of bands, so the idea that you’d skate anywhere near that was absurd to me. But that was part of the tension in the band. And it was a good tension, I think.”

GET ALL YOUR SUITS TAILORED

“This was later, when we had a bit more money to throw around – but of course, the suits would all be based on the jumble-sale suits we loved that were falling to bits. There’s great joy to getting a suit made. It’s working out all the little nuances, like whether you want 13 and a half inches at the bottom of your trousers or if you can get away with a 13 – but will that make you look like a comedy mod? People did say a number of times that I was the best-dressed man in Britpop, which was nice but I also used to think, ‘Well there isn’t much competition!’”

FOOL PEOPLE INTO BELIEVING YOU’RE SEXY

“You can see it in the pictures with Jarvis. He looks like a gawky freak one day and in the next photoshoot he’s being the Jarvis you know. My Auntie Val, who liked spivs and wide-boys, had had this crush on Jarvis for a while, and we were like, ‘What are you talking about? He looks like a bad pub comedian!’ but she loved it. Jarvis started announcing it from the stage – ‘This is for Auntie Val!’ The week after he was Jarvis the sex symbol. But then he’d come offstage and he’d be clipping his toenails… The idea of this guy being a sex symbol made us burst out laughing, but he was, you know? I mean, there was a bit of postmodern irony from our fans in the whole ‘throw your knickers at Jarvis’ thing – it wasn’t really teenyboppers. But it ended up becoming the reality.”

Freak out the Squares: Life in a Band Called Pulp by Russell Senior is out now via Aurum Press

Photos from pinterest

[tplambies]

(context for this post can be found in this masterpost under communications re:boot!)

The actor who plays Frances (I’ll be calling them by their roles, not the names of the actors- too confusing) has played a lot of big roles since her involvement in Number Street and is a very well known actor! She's almost like the Meryl Streep of this au, being very versatile and having a lot of famous titles to her name. Her performance as Poppy went pretty under the radar, seeing as the show wasn't super popular and had a small budget- at least until the announcement that she would be returning to play Frances in the COMMUNICATIONS reboot of the show. Her hardcore fans started circulating clips of her as Poppy, several of which were meme'd and made into tiktok audios (as you do). This brought hype for the reboot that wasn't there previously, seeing as the fan community for the original show was fairly small.

A few interview quotes from Frances!

Q: What were your thoughts when you found out Poppy was cut from the reboot?

A: “I’m sad to see her go, at least for now. No spoilers! However, I do enjoy the new dynamic the Elsner family has now that they're child-free. Platonic marriage isn't typically explored in media, it was a very interesting direction. So as close as I hold Poppy to my heart, I’m willing to let her go to explore new scenarios with the rest of the family.”

Q: What inspired you when playing Frances?

A: “I was a little out of my element at first. I mean, there was no Frances last time I was an Elsner! But then on my first day on set, somebody asked me if I’d read ‘the comic’. And I went, ‘what comic?’, and they said ‘oh my god, the comic!’ And so they showed me this insane, crudely drawn comic about extreme versions of the Elsner family with time travel and psychics and spirits, oh my! It was the craziest thing I’d ever read. I'd have to credit the mind of that author for inspiring me. Beyond that, there were a lot of other actors I looked up to…”

Q: Will you be coming back for a second season?

A: “Unfortunately, I don't think Frances will appear in the second season, but I would love to come back as another character if I was asked. It seems the second season is going to defy all expectations.”

Q: What was your relationship with Henry off set?

A: “It’s quite funny, actually. I’d always apologize to him after dramatic scenes, as he really looked that scared! Henry is an excellent actor, and it was a pleasure to work alongside him. I can’t say much about our relationship off set, as we didn't often hang out outside of cast dinners and such.”

Q: And what about Nancy?

A: “Oh, Nancy is such a joy! I like to think I took her under my wing during this project. She has such raw emotion in her acting, I almost didn’t believe her when she said this was her first lead! She acted quite nervous around me at first, a bit intimidated I believe, but we warmed up to each other and became quite good friends. She asks me for lots of advice, always striving for perfection. Such a hard worker. She's precious.”

Q: And Ray?

A: “Oh my, he makes me feel old and young all at once. He wrote 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss’ on my mirror in lipstick a few days into filming. I had to ask him what it meant. I thought it was quite funny, although it is apparently outdated now. Times change so fast. To get back to the topic, Ray is an incredibly talented young actor with so much potential! He truly transforms into his character, it’s almost scary sometimes on set. We’re not in any scenes together, unfortunately, though he’s told me if we were we’d be an unstoppable “male and female manipulator duo”.

this definitely needs some more editing but I wanted to share the scraps lol

[tourpackagejaisalmer]

What to Expect from Desert Camp in Jaisalmer

Exploring the enchanting sands of Jaisalmer is a unique experience that transports you into a world of golden dunes, starry nights, and rich cultural heritage. If you're planning a trip to the desert, a stay at a Desert Camp in Jaisalmer is a must. This article will guide you through everything you need to know about this magical experience.

Introduction to Jaisalmer

Nestled in the heart of the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer, moreover known as the "Brilliant City," is famous for its staggering yellow sandstone design, dynamic culture, and endless forsake landscape. A visit to this city is incomplete without experiencing the unique charm of a Jaisalmer Desert Camp.

The Charm of Desert Camps

Desert Camps in Jaisalmer offer an immersive experience that combines luxury with the raw beauty of the desert. From traditional Rajasthani hospitality to modern amenities, these camps are designed to provide comfort while allowing you to connect with nature.

Types of Desert Camps

Desert camps in Jaisalmer range from budget-friendly to luxurious options. Here are some popular types:

Luxury Camps: Equipped with air-conditioned tents, private bathrooms, and fine dining.

Standard Camps: Provide essential amenities like comfortable bedding, shared bathrooms, and meals.

Budget Camps: Basic facilities with a focus on experiencing the desert environment.

What to Pack for a Desert Camp

Packing for a desert camp requires some careful planning. Here's a checklist to offer assistance you out:

Lightweight Clothing: Breathable fabrics for daytime and warm layers for the chilly nights.

Sun Protection: Sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses.

Comfortable Footwear: Sandals for the day and closed shoes for evening activities.

Personal Fundamentals: Toiletries, medicines, and a reusable water bottle.

Miscellaneous: A camera, flashlight, and insect repellent.

Arrival and Welcome

Upon entry at a camp in Jaisalmer, you are welcomed with conventional Rajasthani music and a warm welcome drink. This sets the tone for the hospitality you will experience throughout your stay.

Accommodation at Desert Camps

The accommodation in Jaisalmer Desert Camps varies from basic tents to luxurious suites. Each tent is typically furnished with traditional Rajasthani décor, comfortable beds, and en-suite bathrooms, ensuring a cozy and authentic experience.

Dining Under the Stars

One of the highlights of staying in a desert camp is dining under the starry sky. Camps usually offer a buffet of delicious Rajasthani cuisine, allowing you to savor local flavors while enjoying the serene desert ambiance.

Cultural Performances

Evenings at desert camps in Jaisalmer are vibrant with cultural performances. You can expect to witness:

Folk Dances: Traditional dances like Ghoomar and Kalbeliya.

Music: Profound Rajasthani society melodies went with by rebellious like the dholak and harmonium.

Fire Shows: Thrilling performances by skilled fire dancers.

Adventure Activities

For the adventure enthusiasts, Jaisalmer desert camps offer a variety of activities:

Dune Bashing: An adrenaline-pumping ride on the sand dunes in a 4x4 vehicle.

Quad Biking: Investigate the hills at your claim pace on an ATV.

Sandboarding: Surf the sands for an exhilarating experience.

Sunset and Sunrise Views

The desert landscape of Jaisalmer provides breathtaking views of the sunset and sunrise. Watching the sun cast its golden glow over the dunes is a mesmerizing experience that you shouldn't miss.

Camel Safari Experience

No trip to a Desert Camp in Jaisalmer is complete without a camel safari. Riding through the dunes on a camel, often referred to as the "ship of the desert," offers a unique perspective of the vast desert and its tranquil beauty.

Nightlife in the Desert

The desert nightlife in Jaisalmer is unlike any other. As the sun sets, the campfires are lit, and the desert comes alive with music, dance, and stories, providing an unforgettable evening under the stars.

Stargazing

The clear skies of the Thar Desert make it an ideal place for stargazing. Without the interference of city lights, you can see a stunning array of stars and even the Milky Way. Many camps provide telescopes for a closer look at the celestial wonders.

Safety Tips

While staying at a Jaisalmer Desert Camp, it's important to keep these safety tips in mind:

Stay Hydrated: The  desert climate can be drying out, so drink bounty of water.

Follow Camp Guidelines: Adhere to the rules and instructions provided by the camp staff.

Protect Yourself from the Sun: Use sunscreen, wear hats, and avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

Stay Warm at Night: Desert temperatures can drop significantly at night, so dress in layers.

Conclusion

A remain at a Desert Camp in Jaisalmer is a special and exceptional involvement. From the breathtaking scenery and adventurous activities to the rich cultural performances and serene nights under the stars, it offers something for everyone.Whether you're looking for enterprise, unwinding, or social submersion, the Desert camps in Jaisalmer are beyond any doubt to give a paramount and improving experience.

[katalina1116]

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

The film I decided to watch this week was Bonnie and Clyde. I was very excited to watch this film because I have heard lots of great things about it, I always hear others refrence to bonnie and Clyde so I was very interested in the movie. It is a very unique movie with an interesting story. The film was released in 1967 and directed by Arthur Penn, it has been extremely popular ever sense. It is based on a true story about the lives of very famous criminals . This was around the time of the great depression when there was a lot of economic hardships and people struggled with employment.  The story is about a criminal couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, when bonnie meets Clyde she instantly falls for him. Despite him showing little affection from the beginning she decided to stay with him and take on a criminal journey with him. The couple would rob banks and kill people while on the run from the police. There were a lot of mixed reviews about the film it became very controversial because the film was too violent. 

Bonnie and Clyde has a very unique style, it romanticizes the life of the criminal couple while showing all of the hardships they encountered. The production budget for the film was very high 2.5 million dollars went into making it. Domestically they earned $50,700,000. World wide the movie made 50,700,128 and has been very successful sense. I believe it is an unconventional film, although it showed the villains as sympathetic people instead of criminals there are a lot of violent and graphic scenes. It didn't necessarily follow the rules of mainstream cinema. A lot of historical events happened around the time of the movie, I think this is one of the reasons it became so popular. It was not only based on a true story but it shows a little bit of the hardships people went through around the Great Depression era. 

Robert Ebert had very strong opinions about the film, he thought it was the best American Movie that year. He says "Bonnie and Clyde" is a milestone in the history of American movies, a work of truth and brilliance. It is also pitilessly cruel, filled with sympathy, nauseating, funny, heartbreaking, and astonishingly beautiful." I can see why people loved this movie and it is truly a classic historical film. 

Some major events that happened in 1967, were the Vietnam war early in the year and Dr. Martin Luther Kings first Speech about it. "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence". The speech Took place at Riverside Church, in New York City. In his speech he said "If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land." A lot of people were concerned that his speech would not be a movement of peace and were afraid it would be perceived in a different way. 

[buzzdixonwriter]

Riders Of Death Valley (1941 serial)

Caveat:  For wholly irrational / nostalgic reasons, I love this serial so while I will try to analyze its strengths and weaknesses fairly, don’t expect me to be objective.

Riders Of Death Valley is one of the first serials I remember seeing -- indeed, one of the first things I ever saw on television.  I know my parents purchased our first TV set no later than October 4, 1957 because I remember watching news about Sputnik on it.  We lived in Rocky Mount, NC at the time and I watched afternoon cartoons and cowboy shows on Channel 5 out of Raleigh (the afternoon kid show host called himself Captain Five and used a submarine backdrop for his set).  We moved to Barnardsville, NC (near Asheville) prior to my going to first grade in 1960, so my exposure to Riders Of Death Valley occurred sometime in that three year period.

It made quite an impression on young little Buzzy boy.  Decades later I found myself surprised at how many scenes and set pieces I remembered accurately (not to mention my first exposure to Felix Mendelssohn's “Fingal’s Cave” movement from The Hebrides, which helped cement my lifelong love of classical music).

Called “the million dollar serial” at the time of its release (it wasn’t; the final budget was $460,000 which represented a hefty chunk o’change back in the day), Riders arguably has the most stellar -- and expensive --- cast of any serial if we go by B-movie standards.*

I’ll go on about the ecology of B-movies in a bit, but right now let’s just focus on Riders’ cast.  These were major names in the B-Western genre and the B-Western genre is nothing to sneeze at; several times stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers made the top box office draw list even though appearing only in B-Westerns.

And man, if you’re familiar with the world of B-Westerns, you’ll recognize what a stellar cast this was for the day:

Dick Foran (Jim Benton) appeared in 163 movies and TV episodes, often as a supporting character in A-films but better known as a hero of B-movies including horror flicks and Abbott & Costello movies but most famously as one of several singing cowboys in the wake of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. 

Leo Carrillo (Pancho Lopez) is best known today for his role as Pancho on The Cisco Kid TV series but appeared in literally hundreds of films and TV episodes.

Buck Jones (Tombstone) found stardom in the silent era, being one of the most popular cowboy stars in the 1920s.  When he balked at becoming a singing cowboy, his career stalled out in the early 1930s though he soon made a comeback with a series of successful B-Westerns.  After completing Riders he went on to make nine (!) B-Westerns in the next twelve months, dying tragically in the infamous Coconut Grove fire while reportedly saving the lives of others.

Charles Bickford (Wolf Reade) played small parts in big pictures and big parts in small pictures, and was nominated three times for a best supporting actor Oscar.

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams (Borax Bill) appeared in over 220 movies and TV episodes in a career dating back to the silent era, starring in Westerns in the 1920s and early 30s but moving into amicable sidekick roles by the 1940s.

Lon Chaney, Jr. (Butch) is most famous for his roles in The Wolfman and other horror films, but he made Riders just two years after being nominated for a supporting Oscar in Of Mice And Men as well as appearing in numerous Westerns of the era.

Noah Beery, Jr. (Smokey) is best known today as TV’s Rockford Files dad, but he appeared in hundreds of films and TV episodes as well as starring in a few B-Westerns as an unconventional low key cowpoke.  (By astonishing coincidence, he was recently married to Buck Jones’ daughter at the time of Riders filming.)

The rest of the cast includes such recognizable names as Glenn Strange (Frankenstein’s monster and Matt Dillion’s bartender), Roy Barcroft (Republic studio’s go-to guy for screen villainy, freelancing for Universal this time), Monte Blue (silent matinee idol now playing supporting roles), and in an early role, Rod Cameron (who in addition to playing an unnamed bad guy also doubled for Buck Jones…but more on that below).

Lest one think the testosterone levels are off the scale, there are two females in the serial:  Jean Brooks played Mary Morgan, heir to a lost gold mine, and Ruth Rickaby as Kate, wife of one of the outlaws.

Of Rickaby, there is no biographical information; she made 21 movies between 1939 and 1961 but nothing else is known about her.   

Of Brooks, a sad tale to tell.  Though she made 41 films and serials, she’s best known as the suicidal devil worshipper in Val Lewton’s The Seventh Victim.  Her early film career saw her using the names Jeanne Kelly (as in Riders) and Robina Duarte in Spanish language films (she was bilingual).  Changing her name after marrying screenwriter Richard Brooks, she continued working until 1948 when alcoholism rendered her unemployable.  She and Brooks divorced, she married twice after that (and apparently was married before Brooks but no information on that can be found), and eventually died of cirrhosis at age 47.

There’s a point to be gleaned in all that, but I’ll leave it to others to do so.

Riders Of Death Valley was directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor, two old hands at this sort of thing.  Screenplay is by Basil Dickey, Sherman L. Lowe, Jack O'Donnell (as Jack Connell), and George H. Plympton off an original story by Oliver Drake.  Of O’Donnell little can be gleaned; he apparently enjoyed a career in the 1920s as a successful playwright, did a few stories and screenplays for Hollywood, then ended his professional writing career with Riders, dying in 1965 at age 75.

The other four have screenplay and story credits in B-movies and serials -- particularly Westerns -- stretching into the hundreds.  Dickey even wrote the great-grandma of them all, The Perils Of Pauline in 1914!

That being said -- and loving this serial as much as I do -- I gotta say, “It took five of you to come up with this?”

Because to be frightfully honest, this is a paper thin story, on par with comic book writing of the era.  Everybody tends to speak in declarative sentences, the writing and characterization is too on the nose.

And ya know what?  Who gives a rat’s patoot?  The onscreen chemistry of Foran / Jones / Carillo / Williams is what makes this a delight.  It’s not a Western, it’s four grown men playing cowboys & outlaws and they know they’re playing cowboys & outlaws and they know the kids in the audience know they know they’re just playing cowboys & outlaws but they’re telling the kids, “We want you to play along, too!”

Now do you understand why I love this serial?

I gotta say, for the most purportedly expensive serial Universal ever made, they sure spent their money in the right place with their casting.  Yeah, you can pick this story to shreds easily, but why would you want to do that?  It’s four guys and their friends having a good time playing cowboys & outlaws and they want you to have a good time watching them.

The serial was shot in Death Valley and the Alabama Hills in California, familiar territory to B-Western and B-sci-fi fans.

  © Buzz Dixon

  *  There are actors who became famous and successful after making serials (John Wayne, Boris Karloff, and Lloyd Bridges to name three), there were actors who once topped box office popularity polls who sank to serial hack work (alas, poor Bela, we hardly knew ye), there were several regularly working character actors who appeared in everything from bit parts in A-pictures to staring rolls in serials (Lionel Atwill falls in this category), but the bulk of serial performers never rose higher than small parts in B-movies.  They can’t all be winners, folks…

[translationwala]

Conquering the Globe: How App Localization Services Can Propel Your App to International Success

In today’s highly linked world, it’s easier than ever to reach people all over the world. Mobile apps, in particular, are a great way to reach people all over the world and keep them interested. But it’s not enough to just make a great app. You should think about App Localization Services if you want to really take over the foreign market.

What is App Localization?

App Localization Services is more than just translating it. It’s the careful process of making changes to your app’s content, functions, and layout so that they appeal to specific groups of people. Among these are:

Translating text: All on-screen text, buttons, signs, and menus must be turned perfectly into the target language to make sure they are clear and appropriate for the culture.

Adapting visuals: Images, icons, and other design elements might need to be changed to fit local tastes and avoid making a culture faux pas.

Formatting dates and numbers: Formats for dates, currencies, and units of measurement should be changed to match the standards of the target area.

Testing and quality assurance: It is very important to make sure that users can have a smooth experience across all devices and languages.

Why Invest in App Localization Services?

There are many and varied perks to App Localization:

Expand your reach: You can reach millions of new possible users in a wide range of markets, which will greatly increase the number of people who download your app.

Boost engagement: When an app is available in a user’s local language, they are more likely to use it and make purchases inside the app.

Build brand loyalty: Showing respect for and dedication to local users’ cultures builds trust and improves the brand’s image.

Stay ahead of the competition: When it comes to foreign markets, localized apps give you an edge because they stand out in crowded app shops.

Finding the Right App Localization Partner

It is very important to pick the right App Localization Services provider because so much is at stake. Look for a business that has these traits:

Proven expertise: A strong history of App Localization projects that went well in the areas you want to reach.

Linguistic proficiency: Interpreters and cultural advisers who speak the target language and society as their first language and know how to use it properly.

Technological know-how: To make sure the process goes smoothly, you should have worked with different app systems and translation tools before.

Competitive pricing: Pricing models that are clear and fit your budget and project needs.

Excellent communication: During the whole process of localization, there should be clear and consistent communication.

App Localization Success Stories

Many hugely famous apps have become hugely popular all over the world thanks to great localization tactics. For instance, the language-learning app Duolingo has been translated into more than 30 languages, which means that millions of people around the world can use it. In the same way, Netflix‘s careful translation efforts, such as using subtitles and dubbing that are appropriate for different cultures, have helped it become the biggest streaming service in the world.

Ready to Take Your App Global?

You can take your app to new heights and tap into the huge potential of foreign markets if you work with a skilled App Localization Services provider. Remember that localizing your app is an investment that pays off in the long run by letting you reach more people, getting them more involved, and ensuring your brand’s place as a global player.

So, go ahead and localize your app. One language at a time, your app will take over the world!

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR APP LOCALIZATION SUCCESS:

Do a lot of study on the market to find out who your target group is and what they want.

Put languages with the best possible return on investment at the top of the list.

Make sure that your translation partner and you are on the same page when it comes to culture and brand consistency.

Before putting your customized app on the market, make sure you test it fully.

Keep an eye on and update your customized app so that it keeps up with changes and trends in different cultures.

You can make your app a worldwide hit by using App Localization Services and following these tips.

Source: https://translationwala.wordpress.com/2024/01/09/conquering-the-globe-how-app-localization-services-can-propel-your-app-to-international-success/

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

The Battle of the Lycans

Universal Pictures created two of the earliest and most well-known werewolf horror movies of all time in “Werewolf of London” and “The Wolf Man.” With these films being released only 6 years apart by the same production company and featuring the same makeup artist, you’d think that their reception would be indistinguishable. But despite “Werewolf of London”’s extra $15,000 in budget and the fact that it came first, “The Wolf Man” is the one that skyrocketed into fame. The Wolf Man returned in four more films, always alongside other Universal Classic Monsters, and has inspired countless more werewolf-centered media. Throughout all of this, “Werewolf of London” continued to fade into the background. Why? Much of it can be linked to “The Wolf Man”’s use and focus on their studio talents, namely Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular Wolf Man.

The vast majority of criticisms of “Werewolf of London” have to do with the acting. J. Robert Craig calls the film “a missed opportunity,” saying that Henry Hull’s acting in the titular role “does little to create audience identification with, and sympathy for, his plight.” In the world of studio talents, there’s little room for imperfect performances, as seen through the fact that Hull only appeared in three more Universal Pictures movies in his career that spanned 31 more years and 59 more movies. Hull also took a 3 year break in between “Werewolf of London” and his next film, which would prove to be his longest break he’d take from film acting until the tail end of his career. Studios had swathes of actors under contract that they could use in any picture that they wanted, causing these actors to be used over and over again in movies by the same studio. As such, these actors became very well-known, and it was easier for studios to sell movies with a certain actor’s name attached to it. This is one of the predominant reasons “The Wolf Man” thrived.

“The Wolf Man” was a star vehicle for Lon Chaney Jr.. This was not only in the role of Larry, but in the production itself. Where “Werewolf of London” focused more attention on its camera angles, special effects, and exposition, “The Wolf Man” was all about the acting. And it showed. Chaney’s performance was incredibly memorable, and as such, he went on to be the only Universal Classic Monster to be played by the same actor in every appearance. Name recognition was so important in this time that Chaney’s real name was Creighton Chaney, but he used his extremely famous father’s full name as his stage name to get more recognition. This proved so successful that going forward, Universal had Lon Chaney Jr. drop the Jr., to confuse audiences despite the fact that his father was dead.

The success of “The Wolf Man” over “Werewolf of London” showed Universal what audiences were most interested in: compelling performances by actors they already knew. This knowledge, combined with the actors they had locked into long contracts, allowed Universal to pump out over 300 films from 1942-1949, with many featuring their studio talents. Universal’s success in this era, particularly from their horror movies, is what has made them a consistently large player through today. As these contract players were phased out between the 1950s and 60s, Universal had to learn new ways to get a smash hit on their hands. But it’s a testament to them that they were able to change with the times and continue their success past the 30s and 40s.

Haley Ruccio

Craig, J. Robert. “The Origin Story in Werewolf Cinema of the 1930s and ’40s.” Studies in Popular Culture 27, no. 3 (April 2005). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_of_London

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_Man_(1941_film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Universal_Pictures_contract_players

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Chaney_Jr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hull

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Universal_Pictures_films_(1940%E2%80%931949)

[scotianostra]

Alex McCrindle the Scottish actor was born on August 3rd 1911.

Born in Elderslie Street, Anderston, the son of a steward on the paddle steamer Waverley, McCrindle entered the profession as a youngster. and went on to play numerous prestige roles such as John Knox, Walter Scott, and Robert Burns. Well before most of our time, McCrindle is most likely to be associated with Jock Anderson, an off-beat character who captured the public’s imagination in the radio serial Dick Barton, Special Agent, which ran from 1946 to 1951.

McCrindle, whose late wife was the authoress Honor Arundel , also presented the BBC’s Saturday afternoon sports programme before Eamonn Andrews took over and the popular record show Housewives Choice.

Alex was effectively blacklisted because of his Communist and Equity activities for much of the important years of his career, especially from the late 1940s to the end of the 1950s. In the 1950s, he appeared - often uncredited to escape the blacklist - in a string of small budget movies as a character actor. But, in the main, blacklisting resulted in him devoting more time to building up Equity and securing improved pay and conditions for Actors, to meet this objective he was sent by his union to found Scottish Equity, which only had 15 members before he began his work. He worked at this full-time for the next seven years, leaving the union in a flouring position north of the border. In this period, he only worked in British television and then only twice during the early 1960s.

Alex McCrindle is also a name well known to fans of the Star Wars films, he was General Jan Dodonna in the first film, now called Episode IV. He will forever go down in cinematic history as the first character to utter the famous phrase, “May the Force be with you”.

In the 1980s, with US screenings no longer debarred to him, he appeared in dozens of major roles on television mini-series, including “Reilly: The Ace of Spies” and in film such as `Eye of the Needle’. As late as 1987 he played the role of a jailer in `Comrades’, the film about the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

Alex McCrindle died after a short illness con April 20th, 1990 in Edinburgh.