#Redface No. 4

[vidukon]

Submissions are open for Vidder's Choice!

Vidder's choice is open for submissions for 2024! Submit your vid by the end of the day on April 1st, 2024.

VidUKon has grown a lot in the last few years, and since 2020, Vidders Choice -- a show where anyone registered for the con can submit one vid from their back catalogue -- has grown massively into our biggest show, from roughly an hour-long show prior to 2020 to 3-4 hours long. We adore this, but it does present a bit of a challenge for the in-person portion of the con, where the seats aren't quite as comfy as at home.

We're trying out a new approach this year. When you submit a vid to Vidder's Choice, you will now have the option to submit to either a fully virtual show on Thursday night (around 9 or 10 PM British Summer Time), or you can select the usual hybrid show which will be on Friday evening, likely around 7 PM UK time. You can also indicate no preference if either is fine with you. We can't promise that everyone's preference will be accomodated, but we will do our best! If there are more people who choose the hybrid show than we have time for, then we will prioritise in-person attendees and people who don't have vids showing in other shows in the con. We don't have strict time limits on the fully virtual show, so the reverse is unlikely to be true.

Additionally, please only submit vids under 4 minutes long.

When you submit your vid in Conline, you will indicate your preference using the "Priority" field:

1: No preference 2: Fully virtual Thursday night show 3: Hybrid Friday evening show

The priority field was designed for a different purpose, so please ignore the "1 is most important" text, and leave the "conditionals" box blank.

Full Instructions under the cut!

First, register for VidUKon 2024 and ensure you are logged into Conline. Go to your VidUKon Conline Dashboard and click on "Registration", then click on the "Submit Videos" tab.

Submit the vid details in Conline by clicking on "Add Video" next to Vidder's Choice: DETAILS: Type the name of the vid in "Video". If the vid has been shown before in a con that uses Conline, it will appear as an option. If not, you will need to click to add it to the database and follow the instructions there. Write a short description that will appear in the con programme. Premieres are not allowed in Vidder's Choice, so don't tick that box! WARNINGS: Please warn for the following: Animal Harm; Auditory Triggers; Blackface/Brownface/Redface/Yellowface; Blood/Gore [significant amounts]; Depictions of Colonialism/Imperialism; Depictions of Police; Genocide, Holocaust and/or Nazi Imagery; Fast cuts (more frequent than about 8 frames); Flashing/Flickering/Strobing lights; Incest; Queerphobia; Racism; Physical Triggers [anything that doesn't fall under fast cuts or flashing lights, additional descriptions are welcome!], Self-harm; Sexual violence; Suicide; Transphobia. Please warn for depictions of things even if the vid is critical of them, e.g. a vid that is critical of racism and includes depictions of racist violence should warn for racism. You may add additional warnings not noted here. Please try to keep the text brief if possible. PRIORITY: use the numerical field to indicate your preference for: (1) no preference; (2) the fully virtual Thursday night show; (3) the hybrid Friday evening show. Ignore the "1 is most important" text -- this field was created for a different purpose than we are using it for. Leave "Conditionals" blank.

STREAMING: We will create our own streaming links from the vid file you upload; however the submission form requires that one of these be entered, so please enter a link to any youtube video in the first field. Concom will later replace this with the correct link. Upload subtitles if you have them.

UPLOAD: follow the link to the mega upload form and upload your vid file. Make sure your file name includes vidder name, vid title, show you're submitting to (Vidders Choice), and the date of upload. Leave the "upload link" field blank.

[jezabatlovesbats]

18 Things I’ve Learned in 18 Years

Allow me to take a moment to reflect on my life that I can't say too much about because I can't find the words for it. 

1. Much like Minecraft, you're just kind of... put into a giant open-world sandbox when you're born. You are the most formidable creature on Earth to some beings, but are completely powerless to others. 

2. If you don't try it out, how are you going to know that you like it? Try to catch yourself before you do too much stuff, though. It gets overwhelming. 

3. Music and dancing are SOOOOOO much fun. Anybody else find it hard to believe that humanity invented that stuff? 

4. Learning is fun until you’re forced to do it. 

5. Don’t be afraid to let people into your life. If you know you can really trust them and they can trust you, then go right on ahead. 

6. Don’t do redface. Just DON’T. (Why did any kid in my kindergarten think that dressing like indigenous folks was okay?!) 

7. All the different shapes that the clouds can make are really cool. What’s even better is that our society doesn’t make cash off of them like they do with literally every other simple joy in life. Oh well. 

8. If you or someone you care about has to leave soon, cherish what so little time you have left with them. Find a way to keep in touch, if applicable. 

9. I’m partly responsible for the permanent closing of Maelstrom. Frozen frenzy was inescapable to every kid back in my day, myself included. 

10. If you draw weird stuff on the whiteboard in an office building while at a gathering or party being held at that office building, they’re probably just going to erase it, so long as it’s not offensive. (Did I ever tell you about the time I snuck into an office while at a gathering and drew Kirby stuff on a whiteboard? I thought the people working there would come for me soon.) 

11. Nothing built can last forever (unfortunately). 

12. It’s okay to scrap something and change it up if it isn’t working for you, even when you’re sure that it will. 

13. Middle school/junior high/whatever else it’s probably called isn’t like how Dork Diaries or Diary of a Wimpy Kid portrays it. Elementary-aged me believed it was. 

14. Everyone deserves to be happy, even if it’s just for one second. 

15. You don’t need to watch/read/play/listen to everything, even if it’s popular.

16. The best kinds of friendships are the ones that can work through their differences and problems and focus on what still seems right between them.

17. You can’t please everyone, and you can’t set your expectations too high.

18. If you don’t feel any older than you were a year ago, that’s perfectly fine.

Alright, that’s it. 

[yuri-alexseygaybitch]

I'm not fighting with anyone over this post cause that would be stupid and I'm as USAmerican as a carcinogenic burger lol but I'll just say:

1. The reason it pisses me off is cause I'm tired of seeing ignorant USAmericans harass and fight with my non-USAmerican mutuals (and assume they're Europeans cause they're speaking English and have the Internet) for them gently ribbing on shit like Fahrenheit and hamburgers, which is what inspired this post.

2. People do use it as an excuse to be "ironically" nationalistic in a deeply reactionary and chauvinistic way they would otherwise not be comfortable with, especially towards non-USAmericans from imperialized countries.

2. Yes people acted this way over the fucking s'mores in GBBO, exhibit A:

(haha it's funny cause they're referencing the time settlers dressed up in redface to dump tea in Boston Harbor)

4. I'm not going to tell anyone from marginalized or oppressed nations or cultures within the US how to relate their sense of cultural identity to USAmerican identity, that's your own shit to figure out.

5. If you're upset about the erasure of Black USAmerican culture, indigenous culture, Chicano culture etc. you should probably direct that anger to the USAmerican state that has been trying to erase and destroy those cultures for hundreds of years and not random Internet posts making fun of other USAmericans for acting cunty about disgusting campfire food.

I'm tired of USAmericans trying to find "harmless" things to he "ironically" nationalistic about no you're not oppressed because GBBO fucked up s'mores no you don't get to compare it to the time they messed up Mexican food if I'm being honest the Paul Hollywood s'mores look better than the horseshit they forced me to eat at sixth grade camp.

[sebastianbieniek]

New series from in Rome! Sebastian Bieniek photographing Chiara Di Carmine for B1EN1EK. “Redface No. 4", Rome, 10.11. 2017. Photography, from the “Redface” series . More: www.B1EN1EK.com #itsabieniek

[tepkunset]

So I’ve been hesitant to say this, because I didn’t want to distract from the more overwhelming anti-Roma racism present with the MCU’s Wanda and currently, WandaVision. But I’ve reached my limit of seeing screencaps of Paul Bettany's face painted red.

Now, I’m sure at least half the people looking at this post are already starting to type out replies that it doesn’t count as redface because it’s fantasy / I’m overreacting / I’m too sensitive / “cancel culture” is bringing on the death of society, etc. Take a goddamn breath and for once in your fucking life, try listening to and taking seriously what a Native person says about anti-Native racism in media.

Marvel has a long history of using Vision as a stand-in for POC, specifically comparing racism to him being ‘oppressed’ for being an android. Here is an example from Avengers #114 (1973), where Wanda reflects on how she defensively tries to blend in with humans, and subsequently forgot about society’s hate and fear of mutants, and, she adds, androids:

This is a point-blank metaphor about racism and whitepassing privilege. (It’s also directly related to Wanda doing the same thing in separating herself from her Roma roots she grew up with, once joining the Avengers in America - something she much later in comics reconnects with.) 

More modernly, Marvel creators have specifically co-opted racism against Indigenous peoples and applied it to Vision. And when I say co-opted, I mean literally, not even metaphorically. In Vision #4 (2016), the issue is centred around using anti-Native racism as a literary device to show that Vision’s family is unwanted in the community they move into:

Haha, get it? “Fighting R*dskins”? Get it? It’s a super funny joke about a racial slur and caricature applied to an android! //Sarcasm

But even without this history with the character, I would still have a hard time letting this slide past labelling it as redface. The same way if a white woman was hired to play Starfire and they painted her skin bronze, I would have a hard time not labelling it as brownface. Vision is an android and Starfire is an alien, but the historical and ongoing use of makeup to mask people as a different race, both as a caricature and as a ‘performance’, contextualizes this.

You can read more about redface here: [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

[griffintail]

Part 4(Last Part)

Little Angel: *Staring intently at Phil at the dinner table*

Tommy, Techno, Dream, Little Terror, Little Blade, and Little (F/L): *Eating dinner, watching to see how this turns out*

Philza: *not looking up* We’re not gonna keep doing this, hun.

Little Angel: No, no. I’m over that bit of it. I’m more confused on another bit, though.

Philza: *sighs and rubs face in exhaustion*

Little Angel: So you're an elytrian or bird hybrid, right?

Philza: Yes

Little Angel: And you hooked up with a refrigerator, by the way, would the refrigerator you hooked up with be the one in your closet?

Philza: Yes, I… *Going redfaced* WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!

Tommy and Techno: *Laughing*

Dream: *Tea kettle noises*

Little Angel: Doesn’t matter. Anyways, since you hooked up with a fridge, wouldn’t that mean Tommy, Will, and Techno should be fridge-bird hybrids?

Little Terror: She has a point. How did you get to humans and a piglin?

Little (F/L): Yeah, and how did one of those said humans get a fox with a fish?

Little Angel: I mean, unless you had some fox and piglin genes higher up the line, I suspect some cheaters in our midst.

Philza: There were no cheaters, I assure you. Now please, let’s just finish dinner.

Everyone goes silent.

Little (F/L): …Hey, if Philza and Will gave birth, does that mean Tommy and Techno can too?

Dream: *Teas ready*

Little Blade: *Slams hands on table while standing up* Fuck this. I’m done. I’m going to Ghostbur’s for the weekend. *Leaves*

Alright, I hope everyone enjoyed whatever the fuck this was. Thank you Griffin for posting this on your Tumblr page.

Lots of love

-❄

Pfffft! I think my favorite part of all of this was (F/L) was just chill with all of it.

Thank you for giving us these!

[pruinaelibrary]

Biology is Weird (Pt 4)

Little Angel: *Staring intently at Phil at the dinner table*

Tommy, Techno, Dream, Little Terror, Little Blade, and Little (F/L): *Eating dinner, watching to see how this turns out*

Philza: *not looking up* We’re not gonna keep doing this, hun.

Little Angel: No, no. I’m over that bit of it. I’m more confused on another bit, though.

Philza: *sighs and rubs face in exhaustion*

Little Angel: So you're an elytrian or bird hybrid, right?

Philza: Yes

Little Angel: And you hooked up with a refrigerator, by the way, would the refrigerator you hooked up with be the one in your closet?

Philza: Yes, I… *Going redfaced* WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!

Tommy and Techno: *Laughing*

Dream: *Tea kettle noises*

Little Angel: Doesn’t matter. Anyways, since you hooked up with a fridge, wouldn’t that mean Tommy, Will, and Techno should be fridge-bird hybrids?

Little Terror: She has a point. How did you get to humans and a piglin?

Little (F/L): Yeah, and how did one of those said humans get a fox with a fish?

Little Angel: I mean, unless you had some fox and piglin genes higher up the line, I suspect some cheaters in our midst.

Philza: There were no cheaters, I assure you. Now please, let’s just finish dinner.

Everyone goes silent.

Little (F/L): …Hey, if Philza and Will gave birth, does that mean Tommy and Techno can too?

Dream: *Teas ready*

Little Blade: *Slams hands on table while standing up* Fuck this. I’m done. I’m going to Ghostbur’s for the weekend. *Leaves*

[insidious-intent]

Only here to be entertained by how ridiculously dramatic and messy this fandom is. Which is why I'm going to go out on a limb and say that rosa chick is responding to your "woke white people" tag on your original post. Technically, you did bring up race. Tho you didn't specifically say white bully. K continue entertaining me please. It's like high school all over again with aliens and like adults throwing shade. 👀

I will cede to that. Thank goodness we all now know neither of us are white and the conversation can all just be about terrible behavior instead. 

I’ll quote a great friend who listed why this entire conversation is a dumpster fire that it currently is: 

1. Tyler did harm unknowingly. Fact. 2. PLL asking to cast someone "ethnic" and not having his character reference that at all is problematic 3. Alex Manes is intended to be half Native American so calling him and Michael a "white couple" is not only wrong, it's erasure 4. Tyler continuing to play Alex is NOT redface. This is an essential point because words have meanings and if you misuse a term, especially one that's used to call out racism, you dilute its importance. 

Using all of this to attack fans is just meanspirited and basically a gotcha tactic to make fandom spaces look inferior and thinking it somehow elevates the characters you stan. 

[asteriluv]

Racism in Kpop

(slides prepared by @lizannbeth1999​ and @asteriluv​)

These graphics make up a condensed version of our earlier post about this situation. Please like, share, and reblog this post. If you would like to re-post these graphics on other platforms, please message this account for permission first. Our petition to have the racist imagery removed from Bon Voyage promotions and other releases can be found here. Thank you for your support!

[Image description: Graphic including a picture of Oh My Girl’s YooA’s Bon Voyage promotions, the WM Entertainment logo, and the title “YooA & WM Entertainment Cultural Appropriation: What’s Happening and Why it Matter”]

[Image description: Graphic including a picture of YooA in war paint and turquoise jewelry with the the text: “On August 27, WM Entertainment began posting a series of photos to promote YooA’s upcoming album “Bon Voyage”. Within these photos, YooA can be seen wearing aspects of Cherokee, Inuit, and Blackfoot culture as part of the concept’s aesthetic. Using a culture that someone is not a part of in this way constitutes cultural appropriation.”]

[Image description: Graphic including a picture of a man wearing war paint and the text: “So, why is war paint significant? It’s a part of culture and spirituality for many Native American tribes. Wearing war paint was criminalized in the U.S. for over 100 years. Religious freedom for Native Americans, including the right to wear war paint, was not granted until 1978 with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA).]

[Image description: Graphic containing a picture of YooA wearing war paint and aiming a sling shot at the viewer, a picture of a woman in a Halloween costume as a sexualized version of a Native American woman, and the text: “But YooA’s face paint doesn’t look like this...because the paint she is wearing is commonly worn by those participating in redface, when a non-Native person wears traditional Native American paint and clothing in a disrespectful way.”] 

[Image description: Graphic showing woman in redface. The picture is captioned, “An example of redface found on Pinterest with: #Tribal paints #Halloween ideas #Halloween makeup; Do you see the problem? This usage of war paint, along with other instances of cultural appropriation, dehumanizes Native people by reducing their cultures and spirituality to an aesthetic, a costume.]

[Image description: Graphic including a picture of Princess Mononoke, a picture of Shishigami, YooA in facepaint and turquoise jewelry, and the text: “Princess Mononoke?? Nope. While some aspects of the album/mv concept are inspired by Princess Mononoke, the paint and jewelry YooA wears are not. And creating a mv/album visual concept off of Princess Mononoke would appropriate Japanese Shamanism.”] 

[Image description: Graphic containing the text: “What We Want from YooA and WM Ent: 

Written apologies from WM Entertainment, in both English and Korean, that include details on what they have done, the impacts of what they have done, and a commitment to educating staff about cultural appropriation to make sure that this situation is not repeated

A video apology from YooA

The complete removal of all culturally appropriated content from the Bon Voyage promotions, videos, and other releases”]

[Image description: Graphic containing the text: “Actions Others Can Take:

Message WM on Instagram and Twitter (comments and DMs) about the impact of their actions

Sign our petition at (link)  

Boycott the single and album releases until the appropriated imagery is removed”]

[Image description: Graphic containing the text: “Additional Topics to Consider Researching: About American Indigenous History:

Indigenous Sovereignty

#MMIWG2S Movement

Settler Colonialism

Decolonialism

Indian Schools and the Pope

Residential Schools

American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA)

Land Back Movement

About Culture

Appropriation vs. Appreciation

Forced Assimilation

Cultural Imperialism

Dominant Culture”]

[Image description: Graphic containing the text: Photo Credits: 

Slide 1: WM Ent; Slide 2: WM Ent; Slide 3: photobucket.com via Pinterest; Slide 4: WM Ent (left); Rumor Apparel (right), Slide 5: amylynnlarwig.com via Pinterest; Slide 6: Google images (left, Studio Ghibli via Pinterest (middle), WM Ent (right)”]

(Information repeated from top of post: 

slides prepared by @lizannbeth1999​ and @asteriluv​)

These graphics are make up a condensed version of our earlier post about this situation. Please like, share, and reblog this post. If you would like to re-post these graphics on other platforms, please message this account for permission first. Our petition to have the racist imagery removed from Bon Voyage promotions and other releases can be found here. Thank you for your support!)

[flamboyant-king]

Hello, have the scripts for comics I wanted to make when I first started using Lewn, got L!Azura, Taku got brave bow+, and Joji ‘retired.’ But, you know, my hands can only draw so much.

So this is context for comics and relations at the moment, in case yall are lost since I didn’t DRAW THESE.

--Jeorge meets Lewyn--

(Game context: During a grand conquest, my units were dying left and right because of poor placement. Lewyn was trapped behind a wall so he would only defeat the units that spawned right in front of it. Jeorge got closest to the fortress, but he couldn’t kill the Corrin standing there in one hit. So I used his turn to break down the wall and Lewyn hath been released.)

Jeorge: [running towards the fort] Where the Hel is everyone.

[aims at Corrin]

Jeorge: Damn. [Stops in front of a wall] Her defense is too high.

[melody playing from behind the wall]

Jeorge: ...Lewyn?

Lewyn: How are you, Jeorge?

Jeorge: Have you been hiding there this whole time?

Lewyn: I can’t believe you think that lowly of me.

Lewyn: The area you’re standing in is empty because of me.

Jeorge: [patting the wall] Well, I need more than one area cleared by you.

[one brick pushed out and the wall crumbles]

Lewyn: Now, why did you go and do that...

Jeorge: [pointing behind to Corrin] Get rid of her, please. 

Lewyn: Only because you asked so nicely~

[meanwhile]

--New Bow--

(Game context: I gave Taku brave bow because... Idk seemed like a good idea. he’s like not fast at all but I was giving him a lot of bows)

Gordin: KOUHAI! TAKUMI KOUHAI!

Takumi: I told you not to call me that.

Gordin: Then what do I call you?

Takumi: MY NAME.

Gordin: Okay! I have gift for you, from senpai to Takumi!

Takumi: Brave bow?

Gordin: You said that you’re fighting for two. That means twice as many arrows!

Takumi: Oh...thanks. I’ve never really used this before.

Gordin: [GASP] THAT MEANS I HAVE TO TEACH YOU!

Takumi: No, you do--

Gordin: I AM YOUR SENSEI, YOU ARE MY STUDENT! 

Takumi: He’s not listening...

--New Training--

Gordin: [pacing about] This is all so sudden. From senpai to sensei in a blink of an eye. 

[turns around]

Gordin: Since you know all the things Mr. Jeorge has taught me, that means I have to teach you my own methods!

Takumi: Yippee?

Gordin: [rubbing chin] The leaf thing is outdated. That means I must make a new curriculum.

Gordin: Shoot through here. [okay hand]

Takumi: What?

Gordin: It’s just like a target except with the risk of injury.

Takumi: I’m not doing that.

Gordin: Do you have confidence in your aim!

Takumi: I do but the risks are to--

Gordin: DO IT!

[shoots arrow right into gordin’s palm]

Gordin: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Takumi: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Gordin and Takumi screaming in the background]

Niles: [behind a tree] Ah, so Jeorge was actually a babysitter...

--The Real Doubler--

Lucius: What are you two doing? You’re lucky Leon came and got me!

Leon: If I didn’t get you, Niles would have just let them stand there screaming for hours.

Niles: And I would be laughing for all those hours.

Gordin: [sobbing] I’m sorry Takumi, I’m a terrible teacher. How can I teach without my good hand!?

Takumi: Eh...you were just excited to help me. I really appreciate you giving me your bow. Maybe we can train together when you’re all better.

Takumi: As equals, not student and...sensei.

Gordin: That sounds nice. But if I can’t teach you won’t be able to shoot double the arrows.

Kravice: [offscreen] That’s where you’re wrong!

Kravice: [on Legendary Azura’s ride] Sup guys, guess who finally learned the importance of dancers!

[a day, maybe, later]

--Aether Keep Rearrangement--

(Game context: Aether Keep editing is fun, just nothing but traps.)

Lewyn: Hello, Jeorge, enjoying your “break?”

Jeorge: Barely. I still hold the job as representative, so I still have to deliver messages to other realms, assist in gauntlets, and defend this place from invaders.

Lewyn: At least it’s cozy up here. [counting on his fingers] Got an inn, a park, places to shop, hot springs, and a library. What’s really missing is somewhere to eat.

Jeorge: It’s far from relaxing. The set up of this place changes constantly. Not to mention the traps.

Lewyn: What tra-- [Lewyn promptly falling through a trap door]

Jeorge: Lewyn!

--

Lewyn: [freaking out] WHY IS THAT THERE!? WHY IS THAT JUST THERE!?

Jeorge: Blame Kravice. He says it’s ‘fun.’

Kravice: [offscreen] I actually said ‘funny.’ 

Kravice: [on Azura’s ride] I get a lot of great snap shots with all my set ups.

Kravice: [turning around the tacticians tablet revealing a photo of Lewyn on top of Jeorge] Who do you think would benefit more from this? Anna or Nina?

Lewyn & Jeorge: >:^\

[A week or so later]

--Quadrupler--

[four arrows in the target]

Gordin: And in one swift motion you’ve shot 4 arrows into your foe’s back!

Takumi: I honestly thought my hands would be too small to hold all the arrows.

Gordin: If I can do it, so can you! [jazz hands]

Kravice: [offscreen] Taku!

Kravice: [Azura safely lands her horsey] I need you to come with me!

Takumi: You...need me for something?

Kravice: I’m gonna nab me another Michalis, so I need some fliers

Takumi: But we learned last time that arrows have no effect on him.

Kravice: [sparkle] That’s why we have Azura.

--XD--

[in the skies]

Ryoma: Takumi, you’ll have to take care of Michalis.

Takumi: But why? You’re more suited for this.

Ryoma: Look around you, Takumi, this is the only viable option.

[cuts to Michalis covered in arrows with hp bar at exactly half] 

Takumi: Even with Azura’s boost and all these arrows, I barely got him to half HP

Azura: <:^) Cheer up, okay. [gives taku another turn]

Takumi: [zoom in on stats] :0

Takumi: [turns to azura] XD

Azura: ....Okay, maybe tone it down a bit. [that finger pinch thing]

(game context: I have a video of a damaged taku getting danced by azura and it’s just exactly this)

--New Rep--

[Krav barging through the front doors, triumphant]

Kravice: Oh baby! I can’t believe my strategy actually worked! Good job out there, Taku!

Takumi: I...I gotta go! [runs away, redfaced]

Kravice: Compliments really do drive him crazy...

Alfonse: Kravice, I have urgent news.

Kravice: Okay? What is it.

Alfonse: Jeorge is stepping down as our representative.

Kravice: WHAT! BUT WHY!

Alfonse: He said...he’s tired of you.

Kravice: ...ouch...

Alfonse: We need a new representative. Someone who can bring up morale and encompasses the spirit of our castle!

--Camus’s Tit--

Kravice: [pacing the tactic’s room] I started learning to strategize for him and now he’s bailing like that!

Alfonse: I don’t think your tactics are the only reason. 

Kravice: I’ve done nothing but give him the worlds!

Alfonse: Well you’ve also killed him over two hundred times and fatally injured him twice that much

Kravice: But that’s less frequent now that I’m strategizing!

Alfonse: To be honest, Jeorge tolerated you much longer than I could’ve under your orders.

Kravice: What are you trying to say, Al.

Alfonse: You are...you...should really consider finding a new representative.

Kravice: Fucking! Camus’s Tit!

(context: That was my ingame name for a bit pshs)

--

[nowaki’s castle]

Nowaki: Hello--

Camus: [one(1) boob exposed] I have come with greetings from afar.

Nowaki: [slowly closes door]

--

(watching from afar)

Alfonse: I don’t think--

Kravice: Why do you take things so literally! 

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

I didn’t write a script for these next parts but here’s what was gonna happen:

Sentimental stuff, Jeorge passes the torch of representative to Taku, Krav approves, big ol ModFam moment and Party.

Month or so later, Jeorge starts getting bored just relaxing in the Aether keep and wants to travel still. He finds out he’s going to be in a gauntlet, and since Taku is representative at the moment, he’s the one to assist Jeorge in the gauntlet. You all know what happened with the gauntlet. <3

Jeorge comes back out of retirement but only for guantlets and just scouting worlds. He has an attachment to gauntlets pssh. Taku vows to protect him from getting hurt. They agree to be equals and protect each other when Jeorge decides to join battle.

For now, Jeorge chills in the Aether Keep with the Reserves (Lucius, BK, Lewn, L!Azura, etc) aka: units I use when I have to because they’re actually kind of built. Although, I’m using Lewn more and more because of his stupid infinite.

That’s how the plot/timeline is going so far. I have so much story to tell but agh my hands, but I hope these scripts are good enough context for why character focus and groupings are shifting and stuff.

[purplerakath]

The Anomalous Writing for Esme Song

This might be my last tumblr essay post, I’ll be moving over to a wordpress once I set-up and doing my stuff there. I doubt I’ll be moving my archive of writing here over, but I will be doing new stuff and there’ll be a post to link over to where I am now. As-

I’ve never liked Tumblr anyway, and now it is dead. But onto Esme and some flawed writing for her.

Her Overall Direction

Esme Song is regularly accepted as having Borderline Personality Disorder, it feels like the direction, but I won’t be using that and more a look at individual motives and actions in her history and writing. She’s closed off, cold, paranoid, and generally crass and unapologetic about her actions.

She’ll do what she wants and loves the attention even negative, provided one (or two) people love her as she is. Those one or two people she will do whatever feels best to help them, even if this help is poisonous. And without those people she shatters and starts to self-destruct. Her last plot in NC4 being the final straw to get her the help she needs.

Esme’s existence is anchored on a few people, and beyond that she’ll let the world burn. However, there are two major missteps in her writing, and those need to be talked about.

Misstep #1

Between the first half and second half of Next Class 1 Esme went from ‘trying to help Miles in horrible ways because she thinks prescribing him drugs without being a doctor is okay’ to... ‘wanting him to desperately notice her and not leave her or ignore her.’ This overall means her desire is Miles in her life still.

...So why the fuck is part of the plot her allowing him to nearly die taking random drugs?

She was careful he knew all the pros and cons of what she gave him, even if she couched it as ‘it’ll help you handle ‘daddy’.’ Warning him how strong they were, talking him through panic attacks.There’s no bridge to how she got to enabling him on drugs so dangerous he’d die from them.

Her goal is keeping Miles, she can’t do that if he’s dead.

Misstep #2

This is easier to explain ‘why’ they went so out of her usual realm of actions. Degrassi wanted a ‘yellowface’ plot. My guess is it’s easier to get away with than blackface (and not torch the character), or redface (as they don’t even acknowledge Grace’s race at all). So we had a plot centered on Esme trying to torch Zoe in a targeted and vindictive way.

...without Esme actually having enough connection to Zoe to care.

So they never explain Esme’s hatred for Shay, but it’s pretty evident. Shay is a cold, stoic, no fun prude and Esme is... Esme. Any interactions between them (through their respective boys) means Esme would feel Shay’s disapproval and want to needle her over it. There’s not enough of a set-up for Zoe.

They never suggest Esme has latched onto Zoe (like Miles or Zig), she’s mostly approving of Zoe being gay as hell (she had zero issue with the kiss an ep prior). And while Zoe did steal her gig on the variety show... so what?

Esme doesn’t care about things like that. It isn’t a part of her character, so it just felt off. Now if she was trying to hurt Shay’s academic or athletic career, that’d be fine. That’s straight up Esme’s thing.

Overall Esme

Esme’s a very damaged person, who hurts others out of her own messed up belief of what ‘help’ is. Because Esme’s never known help. Nobody has been there for her until Frankie Hollingsworth. Think about that, Frankie is her first support. 33 episodes in.

This isn’t condoning her actions, but putting a context as to why she got Miles hooked on anti-anxiety pills. Why she attacks Shay. Why she’s paranoid about Zig’s friends. Why she sold Saad out to Zig (to make Zig stop blaming himself for Maya). Her trying to distract Zig when college didn’t work for him was her wanting his happiness over his future.

When she doesn’t have a plan, because she’s alone and scared, she freaks out. Like with Miles at the end of Season 1, and shoving Zig off a cliff when he rebuffs her in Season 4. Both unhealthy acts, but there is a lack of malice that most ascribe to those (which she definitely has for Zig’s friends + Shay).

[angelstills]

content warning for The Seven Year Itch

infidelity and sexual harassment

redface and anti-Native American stereotypes in opening skip to 4 minutes in; sexual assault 51 minutes in

[winnetou-oldshatterhand]

Honestly, this is a good explanation from what I understand.

Obviously, as you might be able to tell: I love the books. I've watched the movies, I've read the books (though not all of them, there are a lot). Prefer the books over the movies. Never actually been to the theatre games though.

So yeah, the books have their good parts. I enjoy Karl May's style of writing, his descriptions of both characters and nature, I enjoy his sense of humour that occasionally shines through, the basic quirks of his characters in many cases and mostly the fact that conflict tends to be solved by talking rather than fighting whenever possible. I like that the books make me laugh and I like trying to figure out how the real story might've played out considering the books were allegedly written and therefore edited by the protagonist.

That being said:

1) If Karl May still earned money from the books I'd think twice about buying them. There's a lot of racism in there, though one can argue that overall they're progressive for their time. I just download them for free, copyright is expired after all

2) The books are absurdly inaccurate as actual sources on Native American culture. As is pretty much all fanfic because you'd have to rework the books entirely. I try to get some information from and about actual Native Americans and their lives in both the past and the present too.

3) It's a white saviour reforming the noble savage who becomes a Christian in the end. The basic premise is a racist mess already.

4) The movies, especially the old ones, are even worse than the books in my opinion. Sure, less deep faith Christianity, but also way more explosions and gunfights and one group is the definite bad guys without much motivation.

Finally, let's talk about German fans. Many definitely do not understand why blackface/redface is bad or why the costumes are bad - I had that discussion just last weekend. Their opinion comes down to "Well dressing up isn't harming anyone, we do it because we love them, and also I'm not offended when someone thinks all Germans wear Lederhosen all the time", this being the people who would casually dress up their kids as Native Americans, not the ones going to reenactments. (I got at least one of the people I was arguing with to accept that if Native Americans say please don't do this we should respect that but yeah, general opinion seems to be 'we're not physically hurting them what's the problem', same with actors 'if you can't play a person with another skin colour then that just embeds racism and only the person themself can play themselves on screen next')

TL;Dr: In my opinion reading and enjoying the books as adventure novels is fine, as a part of German cultural history, but don't expect to learn anything about Native Americans or accurate history from them and maybe consider listening to the actual people about returning the artifacts we have in our museums and accepting that some of their religious practices are closed and secret.

It'll take a while longer before we manage to convince Germans not to dress up as other ethnicities, especially ones that were forced to silence or lose their culture in favour of Christianity. That conversation has just barely started here.

Ok I have to ask; what’s with the Germans’ obsession with Native Americans? I hear about how German people will literally throw themselves at native Americans and then indianthusiam being a thing like ????????????

Oh I dont even know where to start here tbh, I'm sorry if this ends up being a pretty long post

I think the German obesession with Native Americans is often thought to be a "newer" phenomenon starting with Karl May's Winnetou novels but it actually goes back to as early as the 17th and 18th century. Depictions of Native Americans in art and literature were a thing all over Europe but unlike the French and British for example, Germans never really came into direct contact with Native Americans which led to projections on (romaticized) NAs. Basically the simplified thought process was "NAs are wild and free. We're not but we want and dream to be just as free as them. That's one thing we, Germans, have in common with Native Americans."

(Brief german history lesson here for context reasons) 1871: Germany becomes a nation for the first time in history after a nationalistic war against France. It's time to find an "origin story" for the nation to unify the many small states and to do that they focused on "Germania" written by roman historian Tacitus. In Germania he praised the Germanic peoples for their independence, sincerity and their closeness to nature but also described them as savage and cruel. (remember these attributes)

Now they took the Romans (the conquerers) and equated them with the French, same thing with the German peoples (the pure, wild tribes) and Germans. So Romans = French, Germani = Germans.

Then they did the whole thing again but this time they drew parallels to the colonial wars in which Indigenous people fought against the British and French -> remember the free, independent germanic people (germans), living in harmony with nature while also having their violent moments? Another similarity between Native Americans and Germans. The projection continues.

1870s onwards: One of the best-selling German writers, Karl May, writes his extremely successful Winnetou novels. I have to admit I never read the books or watched the movies so I'll just copy paste a summary from wikipedia here sorry:

'First-person narrator Old Shatterhand encounters the Apache Winnetou, and after initial dramatic events, a true friendship arises between them; on many occasions, they give proof of great fighting skill, but also of compassion for other human beings. Winnetou became the chief of the tribe of the Mescalero Apaches (and of the Apaches in general, with the Navajo included) after his father Intschu-tschuna and his sister Nscho-tschi were slain by the white bandit Santer. He rode a horse called Iltschi ("Wind") and had a famous rifle called Silberbüchse (The Silver Gun, a double-barrelled rifle whose stock and butt were decorated with silver studs). Old Shatterhand became the blood brother of Winnetou and rode the brother of Iltschi, called Hatatitla (Lightning). In a number of adaptations, Winnetou referred to himself in the third person.'

These books really sparked the german love/obsession for Native Americans and May's romantic and idealized depictions and projections of NAs have heavily influenced generations of Germans, even to the point that Winnetou is often prioritised as a source over texts and books written by actual Native Americans themselves. The fact that a comedic parody of Winnetou (and the Western genre in general), Der Schuh des Manitu, is the most successful german movie after World War 2 also shows that pretty well I think.

Americanist Hartmut Lutz (who coined the term Indianthusiasm) states that after WW2, Indianthusiasm served as kind of a "surrogate" for guilt about the Holocaust. The 19th century "Wild West" became a "distant, vaguely defined past" where it was the Americans who were perpetuating genocide and German immigrants to the United States (like Karl May's Old Shatterhand in Winnetou) became the ones who were trying to stop the genocide.

From the 70s onwards Native American hobbyism (also called "Indian Hobbyism", or "Indianism") became popular in Germany. It's basically Germans attempting to historically reenact Native American culture of the early contact period.

1st picture: Leipzig, 1970 | 2nd: Schwerin, 1982

This is done as a hobby and pastime (weekend retreats or summer camp) in several European countries, but is most common in Germany, where it has approximately 40,000 practitioners.

Unfortunately a lot of Germans tend to not take using blackface or redface seriously at all. I remember recently, I think 2019 (? idk correct me if I'm wrong) a kindergarten in Hamburg tried to bring attention to cultural appropriation and asked the parents to please not dress up their kids as Native Americans for the daycare's carnival party and parents all over Germany (and not just parents) threw this huge tantrum like all these grown ass people behaving like toddlers because of costumes like their lives depended on them. All those discussions about whether cultural appropriation is bullshit or not while no one even bothered to ask actual Natives and quite frankly I dont know how to end this post, I just hope we can someday have a discussion about this without half the nation breaking down in tears.

[reddead2blog]

Red Dead Redemption 2 gets its own high-end clothing line - Polygon

Polygon

Red Dead Redemption 2 gets its own high-end clothing line Polygon If the sartorial stylings of Red Dead Redemption 2 have you feeling inspired to update your real-life wardrobe, a new clothing line inspired by Rockstar Games' Wild West adventure is now available from New York-based label Barking Irons. Barking Irons ... 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Apparel Collection LaunchesHollywood Reporter Red Dead Redemption 2's Redface Proves How Far Games Haven't ComePaste Magazine Red Dead Redemption 2 (for PlayStation 4)PCMag.com Geek -IGN -AList -Barking Irons all 341 news articles »

from red-dead-redemption-2 - Google News https://ift.tt/2G0QGdA via IFTTT

[funnibunnytweety]

One of them is the number of esports matches that will be running in the SEA Games Vietnam, namely PUBG Mobile. The PUBG Mobile number compares two groups, namely team and solo. For the solo which will run on May 16-17, coach Jeffry entrusted these six players as the back of the PUBG Mobile solo number.

6 Indonesian Representatives for PUBG Mobile Solo at SEA Games 2021

Luxxy, Alan/Satar, Potato, RefFace, Genfos, Jayden and Luxxy are believed to be the best options in solo groups. There will be a total of 51 players from 17 teams participating in the PUBG Mobile solo group.

The 51 players will compete in five rounds starting with the Erangel, Miramar, Sanhok, Erangel maps and ending with Miramar again. From the PMPL ID Spring 2022 statistics, the six players for this solo group have cool statistics.

For example, Redface, Luxxy, Satar and GenFos are counted in the line of players with the highest overall kills in 2022 PMPL ID Spring. Reface made the most kills with 106 kills so far in the competition. The 4 players have the highest overall damage average which means they have high accuracy and are aggressive.

The PUBG Mobile solo group is a number that can offer many titles for Indonesia. The 1, 2 and 3 winners will of course bring the most valuable gold, silver and bronze to lift Indonesia's status in hunting for the hosts Vietnam.

PUBG Mobile solo will compete first on May 16-17, followed by team groups on May 18 for the qualification round, then on 20-22 for the grand final round.

Source: Berita Esports.

[rkxsicheng]

MGA4 | EP 4 | NEW

MGA4 Episode 4 | New Classics Team G | 장미와 가시 [ @rksxngyeol , @rksomi , @rkchungha , @rkssoojin ] Song: Bad Boy by Red Velvet [line distribution] Outfit/Hair/Make-up: [x] 

 Sicheng feels his confidence growing. He’s not given himself to delusions of grandeur by any means, but when his team places third out of nine, he begins to think himself competent enough to do well, at the very least, and that’s most certainly a step up from uncertainty. 

 His teammates had been strong competitors, of course, and he didn’t know what was coming next, but he hoped that if he poured himself into rehearsal, if he did his absolute best, he just might make it another round.

 It’s only a matter of keeping up his streak. 

 When the episode airs, he watches eagerly. He can’t help but be happy about the fact that he’s at least featured a bit more, but finds himself cringing at how Yerim is portrayed. Sicheng knows that the girl is...difficult, she’s a good friend of his and he’s aware that she can be prickly even at the best of times, it’s kind of what he likes about her so much, her refusal to sugar coat that which is bullshit, but it still hurts a bit to see her made into some sort of villain. 

 She’d been kind of a brat, to be sure, but she hadn’t really been quite as bad as the show, which leaves out her softer moments, illustrates, and it claps on a light bulb in Sicheng’s brain. 

 Although he hadn’t exactly been neglected, he realises that perhaps he hadn’t given the show much to work with. So he promises to be a little less shy, a little less timid in the practice room this week. To push himself a little more to be friendly.

 It’s a taller order than it seems, of course. He was excited to find out who his new teammates were, but notably less excited for the first day of working with them. He’s always nervous meeting new people, and their initial introductions are awkward because he can only manage shy smiles and deep bows and soft-spoken nice to meet yous, although he does make a deal with himself to initiate a conversation with every one of his new groupmates by the end of the first day, to break the ice that he might work easier with them over the subsequent week.

 The leader is selected rather quickly, it’s Soojin, a cute, fairly unassuming girl, Sicheng thinks initially. The song selection takes a bit longer as they cycle through options, discussing their skillsets, crossing options off their list based on the group’s strengths and weaknesses until they decide on Bad Boy. A good choice, Sicheng thinks. It hasn’t got a rap part, because nobody in this group is a great rapper, but it still manages to exude a strong, dark energy that Sicheng thinks makes up for that. It also allows him to showcase a very different colour, versus what he presented to the judges last week, and he’s eager to do so. 

 Once the details are ironed out, they divide up lines, work through the beginning stages of learning the choreo, and during their first break of the day, Sicheng decides to try and challenge himself, to greet his teammates.He tries this with Sungyeol first, who is apparently also quite awkward. They exchange an awkward how are you, I’m fine thank you, and then sit in a near-painful silence for a moment before Sicheng giggles and apologises, 

“Ah hyung, I’m sorry, I’m so shy...”

 Sicheng is beet red, but Sungyeol is very kind about it. 

 Later, he tries the same thing on Somi, a rascally thing with an enormous amount of very cherubic energy, asking her how she’s doing over lunch, and she knocks him far off his game, telling him about how pretty and shiny he is, and he’s reduced once more to a redfaced, giggly mess. 

 It’s here that he largely gives up on this quest, although he does find that as the day wears on, it happens naturally, that the ice is broken. Chungha, who is initially intimidating, is actually quite cool, and Soojin, who he first thought was cute based solely on her appearance, proves a stern leader, running them like he imagines an actual coach might, although she doesn’t go as far as to make practice miserable, by any means, simply...very well-organised. 

 She in particular, helps Sicheng quite a lot. She gives him lines that stretch the limits of his vocal ability, but also takes the time to sit him down, seeming to recognise that he’s a young singer, without much experience, and give him a few short, impromptu vocal lessons, a dozen or so very important pointers. How to control your breathing for better control while dancing, for one, which Sicheng grasps quite easily; he’s danced much more intense dances his entire life and is thusly in quite good shape. She gives him advice on oral posture, as well, and teaches him how to project for more volume. 

 On the second day, the two of them sit crosslegged in one corner of the room and she runs through a vocal exercise with him, wherein she sings a note, and he matches it in pitch and volume as best he can. It starts out seriously, but eventually dissolves into the two of them getting louder and sillier, culminating with Soojin doing her best impersonation of an opera diva and Sicheng attempting to follow suit only for his voice to immediately crack into a low wail, which sets the two of them off into a fit of laughter. 

 Soojin runs a tight ship, certainly, but she’s no cruel captain. There’s room to enjoy practice a bit, too, sometimes even a lot. 

 He warms to everyone in his group, over the course of the week. Chungha and Soojin at one point reassure him when he expresses worry about the sultrier vibe of the song that it’s less about being “sexy” and more about rocking it in a confident way, and that he’s doing well and really just needs to relax a bit. 

 Sicheng can’t help but follow their lead, trying to study the ease with which especially Chungha performs, putting on an attitude that suits the track and the dance. It’s impressive.

 He’s always been one who appreciates an opportunity to learn, and he’s sure to express his gratitude every time someone takes the time to help him where and when he needs, doing his best to return the favour where he can, helping the others with their vocals a bit, using what Soojin’s taught him, suggesting ways of bettering the impact of their dance. He gives Soojin a few pointers when it comes to performing when she expresses a bit of anxiety over being overshadowed.  

 They carefully select their costumes, and even do a fun little runway, cheering for one another as they one by one do their little dance on the catwalk and strut their stuff. Sicheng can’t help but believe that he looks good, and it’s a much-needed boost of confidence, even as he blushes so profusely that his face pulses with each heartbeat.

 Sungyeol brings his daughter, an adorable little thing. Sicheng doesn’t know why, but he’s shocked to learn that he’s a father. He seems so young. Sicheng loves children, though, and interacts well with them, and so whenever he gets a chance that day, he crouches down to her level to ask her how she’s doing and coo at her just a little bit, even playfully sneaking her the biscuit he’d brought for himself as a treat with lunch.

 On the final day of practice he is sure to take a minute to speak to his group. 

 “I just...would like to thank you for working so hard with me this week, and for teaching me things. Let’s do well together!” and although his Korean is slightly accented, and perhaps a little childish, he does his best, although he still blushes at the sentiment. It’s a little corny, is all, but he still means it. 

 By the time Friday rolls around, he’s surprisingly confident in his part. Not entirely lacking in nervousness, by any means, but confident that him and his group are capable of giving a worthy performance. They were awfully thorough, especially compared to his last group, who were much more laidback, even laissez-faire about certain things, whereas with Soojin’s guidance, they’d left no stone unturned in their quest to improve this performance. They’d gone about every decision with a discussion, with logic, allocating lines based on skill, thinking about who should be in the centre and when, what to wear, how best to deliver Bad Boy to their audience in every way. Sicheng hoped it had been enough.

 It’s incredible how fast this week had passed, how it seemed like one second he’s stepping into the KT practice room for the first time, and the next, he’s on stage, the lights dimmed as they stand in their starting formation, and then they raise, and the track begins and they begin to move, and sing, and perform. 

 Sicheng has a few key moments in the centre of the performance, and he does his best not to waste a second of it, finding his cameras, painting on an intense expression, half-envisioning how he might look to a fan on the other end of it, and adjusting accordingly. He’s always been photogenic, at least, having good camera sense as a result of being sat for more photoshoots with his dance company back home than he can count. Tilt your head back a bit, stick your chin out, tense your forehead. Even when he’s not in the centre, he’s flanking the person who is for much of the performance, and is thusly sure to keep the intensity up even when the focus shouldn’t necessarily be on him. 

 He keeps the pointers Soojin gave him in mind every time he sings, as well, and is surprised with how much a few technical improvements can go to really making one a better vocalist, and when the performance winds down, and they’re in their ending poses, he finds himself at peace with what they’ve achieved. 

 As they make their way backstage he bows in greeting to the next group waiting, giving them a friendly hwaiting. He’s happy, and hopeful.