#a completely correct take from the maker of that video

[liu-yu-xin]

just saw a top 20 sm male vocals ranking video that put ten above chenle and renjun and people were sooooo mad about it but i was having a great time lol

[psychosomaticdeicide]

In storytelling, there are certain mediums for stories that logistically will not work as anything else. This isn't just about adapting a story that currently exists, but what has yet to exist in the first place. Or does exist but fits strangely in its current form.

Here's an anecdote:

The one time I managed to show up for a meeting of my local writing group, I had no idea how it worked. This was a perpetual “sign up for this slot and share for criticism!” and I could not have any thoughts on the stories that had been written and shared via email. I had to experience them as read by the writer while sitting around a table.

The man running the group that week—a small-time published author—had notes and corrections written into the document of one of the people sharing. He shared with me because I had no reference for the stories being told that week. This made it incredibly challenging for me to distinguish what I was meant to be reading (or what the original work even looked like) before the person began sharing.

This gentleman in his sixties had quite a few things technically incorrect in the writing itself, I learned as I tried to follow along with the published author's notes.

However, if I stopped reading and listened, there was nothing wrong with it. He was telling a story the way stories are told. The grammatical issues and strange turns of phrase were not present in a verbal telling of his story; they were punctuations of breaths and emphasis and just the way he spoke. He was fully in his element as he read, and I wondered briefly if that would make up for the issues of “craft” as the published author had later put it.

And to this author, who believed in craft over all else, that was not enough.

I found that the gentleman's storytelling style didn't match the medium that we were "meant" to be using. The group is specified in its name to be a “writers’ group” and not a “storytellers’ group.” This means that the medium is a large part of the evaluation of the work—all of it is meant to be read as text.

As we know, a novel is different from an interactive visual novel, which may have some differences compared to text-only interactive fiction, which is different from most types of video games and their various storytelling methods, which is different from the stories a grandmother tells her grandchildren about the country she came from.

And then, of course, there are stories with timelines moving in parallel and epistolary novels and countless structures within these mediums to choose from.

But given the choice to expand your horizons and create a story in another medium, what would make the most sense?

For half my life, I’ve focused solely on linear narratives to be read rather than told, edited to neurotic degrees of what I considered “perfection” (or oftentimes, "Good enough!” and posted blindly with my eyes half-covered) at whatever time I had decided the story was complete. Now, given the tools of Twine and RPG Maker, I have more options than just a standard narrative.

At the same time, I find myself apprehensive about taking a step forward in using either of these for a project. Theoretically, I know how these stories are told. I've gone through several stories (and demos) made with Twine. I've seen environmental storytelling built through settings, item descriptions, and in-universe texts in various RPG Maker games.

In the novel Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, we get to explore Gideon's world because she's reminiscing in the final moments before her attempt to leave all she has ever known. And then, the plot kicks in.

In the interactive fiction piece Hornets by Kitty Horrorshow, we explore the remnants of an insect-based apocalypse in the shoes of the person who caused it. We are given comparisons of what this world was like before the destruction while bearing witness to all that came after.

In the RPG Maker game Symbiosis by Spicaze, you first read the description of a situation that feels familiar, and have it changed in such a way that a stock character from a fairytale becomes a compelling protagonist. She is a witch, she lives alone in the woods, but she has a child she cares deeply for and someone has broken into her home. The beginning of the game, however, has you in the shoes of another character. It sets up stakes very nicely while exposing the things this witch doesn't want outsiders to see.

[christanworkshop]

DIY: Marauder with Screen and GPS For Flipper Zero

Many of you would have seen the humongous ESP32 add-on module with touch screen and GPS for Flipper Zero shared in discussion groups, forums, etc. Well, this tutorial will provide you with all the information you need to build one yourself.

This build consists of mainly 4 parts. The TFT LCD 2.8" 240x320 SPI ILI9341 Touch Display cost me around US$5.50, the ESP32-WROOM-32U module cost around US$3, the NEO-6M GPS module cost around US$2.20 and an 8dbi 2.4GHz Wifi Antenna which cost around US$2. All of these parts can be easily found in online marketplaces like Aliexpress, Amazon, etc. Here is how you need to wire them up together. How you wish to lay this out or mount on a prototyping board is entirely up to you. As long as the connections are correct, you are good to go. The GPS module is optional, and mainly, it's used for the war driving functionality.

Next, you need to download all the firmware needed from here. Please download the Bootloader, Partitions, Boot App and Firmware files for v4 (Yes, v4 files, not any others) and save it on your computer.

Now, press and hold the BOOT button on your ESP32-WROOM-32U module and connect it to your computer using a data-capable USB cable (some USB cables can only charge), then let go the BOOT button. Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser and go to ESPWebTool. Click the CONNECT button, then select the ESP32 usb serial connection. It should look something like below but can vary a little between different computers and operating systems.

Select the firmware files for each slot exactly like below (take note of the 0x1000, 0x8000, etc. and their corresponding .bin files), then hit the PROGRAM button.

When completed successfully, you can unplug the USB cable from the ESP32 module and now you can connect your Marauder module to your Flipper Zero. Please ensure that your Flipper Zero is turned off before you connect it, and also turn off your Flipper Zero before disconnecting it. The 3.3V pin is also used by your Flipper Zero's SD card reader and connecting/disconnecting external modules that use this pin while the Flipper Zero is on can potentially corrupt the SD card. So, if everything went according to plan, your Marauder module should boot up and everything should look like below.

NOTE: If your Marauder boots up, but when you try to touch the screen and get no response, try tapping around the bottom part of your screen and see if the touch panel seems to be in inverted position from the actual display. Should this happen to you, just flash your ESP32 module again following the steps above, but use the v6 firmware. This should resolve the issue.

In this build, I just prototyped this on breadboard, but you can of course make it permanent by soldering it on to a prototype board and 3D print a case for it. This setup is essentially just using the Flipper Zero as a battery pack, instead of using the Flipper Zero to control Marauder. The large screen does make some things easier to do, compared to the small screen of the Flipper Zero, and there may be some functionality (not much) that is not currently in the Flipper Zero Marauder companion app. Here is a video showing the different menus in Marauder.

Personally, I don't think I will actually want to bring something so big around with me, along with my Flipper Zero. I think what makes Flipper Zero special is just how compact it is and all the different functionality cramped into it. This would probably be better off as a standalone unit by just hooking up a battery, but that's just me. Well, that's it for this tutorial. I hope you found this helpful. If you haven’t already done so, check out my Makers & Hackers Exchange Facebook group to learn more from other Flipper Zero users.

Here's a good intro to Marauder if you are unfamiliar.

[videogpt]

The Evolution of Video Effects: From Manual Editing to AI Automation

While the demand for enjoyable video content keeps increasing, so do the challenges. Creating high-quality videos is a complex process and can be very time-consuming. Top AI video generators change this dynamic by facilitating the process of video creation through advanced algorithms and automation. Such extended data analysis further streamlines the editing process to maintain quality. Streamlining Video Editing Video editing can be overwhelming since it requires great attention to detail and usually takes time. Traditional approaches towards video editing use manual cuts, transitions, and effects that might be boring and tend to cause human error. AI automates such editing processes. With machine learning algorithms, AI analyzes footage quicker, can make appropriate edits, and enhances visual elements to reduce the time and effort one spends editing videos. Simplifying the Creation of Voiceovers Generating an effective voiceover often requires voice actors and special recording studios. It can take a lot of time, which can be pretty frustrating, especially for those who need to be better equipped or have very short deadlines. AI comes in to solve this with realistic voiceover generators. The innovative tools create high-quality, natural-sounding voiceovers supported by machine-learning toning and accentuation. They streamline the voiceover process, making it easier and more effective for content developers. Enhancing Animation Creation Usually, animation creation involves various tricky techniques and requires much manual work; therefore, it is expensive and time-consuming. Animators usually must meticulously design each frame, which adds to the workload and delays project completion. AI-powered animation makers solve these issues by automating the necessary steps of animation creation. Using advanced algorithms, AI animation maker can quickly create animations from basic input or text descriptions, making the creation process more efficient and accessible. Improving Video Quality Enhancement Most of the time, video quality depends on professional equipment and experts who get to work during after-production. Poor resolution, bad color correction, and many other problems tend to worsen the overall video highlights. AI video enhancement tools aim to solve these problems by scaling up resolution, correcting colors, and stabilizing shaky footage using many different algorithms. Such automation of improvement means that all the videos maintain professional quality and appear at their best even when shot with relatively low-end equipment. About VideoGPT: VideoGPT is an advanced AI video generator that easily creates videos from text descriptions and edits existing content. It simplifies content creation, making high-quality video production more accessible and efficient. Additionally, VideoGPT features a realistic voice over generator that enhances videos with natural-sounding audio. For more details, visit https://videogpt.io/ Original Source: https://bit.ly/405Jape

[charliepipedesigner]

Final UI Designs - Major Project

I have designed the key features of my app, which will be used in my final deck that explains the principles of the brand and the platform for to the target audience. The designs in this post are just some examples that have been designed for the app.

Landing & Home Screen

When the user first opens the app, the logo will appear in the centre. Since there is no option to set a timer for the transition from the loading screen to the landing page on Adobe XD, I've prototyped the interface so that when the user taps on the screen it will fade to the home page. This is where you'll find the essential elements off the platform, including a set of icon on the top of the screen (profile, coins and points, lives, and settings). At the bottom of the screen you'll find the tab bar, which serves as a quick access to different sections or features of an app. Since the app allows users to earn rewards for using the app's feature through the gamification service, I have designed task cards on the home page as an easy way to suggest users what to do first on the platform. Each task may take different times to complete so I made a UI button that allows users to switch between daily and weekly tasks, in which a reward is in place for completing these.

Lessons & Quizzes

This part of the app is what makes the service unique because the educational aspect has been designed to be fun and enjoyable, rather than a burden on the learners. There are three examples of the different types of questions that may be asked to the learners. Each of them have a unique illustration of the fox mascot to interact with the interface in a way that makes the learning more memorable. For instance, the lighting question UI designs show the correct answer being picked, and the wrong answer. I used my research into UI buttons to indicate the correct and incorrect answers using green and red. In addition, the summary of each answer acts as a revision card. I highlighted key words within each sentence, as well as an option to screenshot the card so that learners can look back on the answers as part of revision for academic individuals.

Projects

The film-making allows users to create their own projects with gamified motives, persuading consumers to use different editing tools as a way to develop their skills for future purposes. The first screen will show the projects that are either complete or currently being edited on the app. Using the finger frame icon in the brand logo, I designed a 'new project' button so that the users have unlimited amount of times they can create a project. When you click on the button, the screen will slide left to a screen with options for video templates. This encourages different types of film or video makers to use the app (whether it's for academic reasons, content creating on social media, or producing a short film). Once a template has been selected, the user is taken to the editing screen where they have access to different tools to make their project. In regards to the gamification aspect, it is possible to use an AI system to determine the points and coins they earn. AI could be used to evaluate factors such as technical proficiency, creativity, and adherence to film-making principles, but it would be difficult for an AI system to evaluate subjective elements such as storytelling, emotional impact, and audience engagement. Therefore it might be possible that there are people who can evaluate and provide nuanced feedback, similarly to YouTube.

Leaderboards

Having three different leaderboards can give users motivation to participate in quizzes and film-editing challenges by showing how they rank compared to other users. Whether that's with friends, globally, or in groups such as classrooms and teams, the leaderboards will help create a sense of community and friendly competition among users while promoting learning and creativity. I designed a podium for the top three highest ranked users on the platform, as well as the top 10 who can be seen if you scroll through the positions.

Films

Users are able to search a specific film title where they can find information about that film, whilst being able to have their own favourites list that keeps the films all in one place. Moreover, the filters icon in the search bar makes it easier to find that specific film through the selection of genres, rating scores, age restriction, directors, and the general organisation by default. As for the individuals films I've used two examples from my primary research at ODEON Cinema. For the Super Mario Bros Movie, for instance, the screen showcase the movie poster along with the year it was made, the length of the film, and the genre. Then you can scroll through a collection of shots from the film (since it would by copyright to have the whole film on the app), for film-makers to take inspiration from the techniques that have been used. As you scroll down, there are circular cards to show the cast and crew members (that would be clickable if I had time to design a UI design for this part of the app). Users can also leave reviews and see other people's opinions on the films. Finally, the bottom of the screen will have exclusive behind-the-scenes content that allow users to know what it's like to be on set for a film product, in addition to interviews and trailers for the film.

Profile & Achievements

This is where the owner of the account can change their profile picture and see details of their progress in terms of completing tasks, challenges, lessons, and achievements. It felt important to show the screen time on the app because it can promote responsible use and helps users to monitor their usage habits. As for the achievements, you can see your own progress, in addition to others who may also be completing the same achievement. This is a gamified aspect that can motivate young learners who like to collect achievements or badges in video games, as a method to promote a fun learning platform. You can click on the achievement badge to show the details about the award, and also being able to share this information on other social media platform to persuade others to download the app.

Rewards

Using a similar layout to the films screen, there's a list of coins and points rewards after earning a certain amount. Film and cinema-related content can be very expensive, especially for the younger audience, therefore the points you earn can be used to earn discounts, codes, and deals for festivals, cinemas, and streaming services where people can benefit from using the app to financially help themselves. Then the coins are used to unlock different avatars of directors, actors/actresses, and famous film characters. These can be used for the user's character profile, which means that they won't have the option to choose a picture from their smart phone photo gallery cause they can easily use a photo from an online source. All the locked avatars will appear as silhouettes until they have been paid individually using the in-app currency.

Conclusion

Considering the fact that this was my first project designing an app, I am very happy with the final outcome because I was able to use my research and inspiration from contemporary work to design an app that serves the purpose of providing a gamified platform for young users about film and cinema. I believe that visually it feels like film and cinema with the dark interfaces and stand-out UI features. The fox illustrations bring interactivity to the platform so that it's memorable and stands out in the market place. There are improvements that can be made for the graduation show, in addition to more UI designs that will clearly show the majority of the concept.

[penkraft123]

5 Reasons to subscribe Penkraft Online Course

5 REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE PENKRAFT ONLINE COURSE

Introducing Penkraft's NEW Online Courses where you can learn a variety of courses ranging from Calligraphy to Abacus to Madhubani, and most importantly Handwriting Improvement. Calligraphy is a highly unique handwriting-based art form. Within the Online Calligraphy course, you will learn techniques and different types of calligraphy fonts using various and distinct calligraphy pens. Also available in online art form courses are Madhubani Painting, Warli Art, Mandala Art, Gond art and many more. For each course, Penkraft will teach you the right method, right techniques and guide you towards the right equipment or material to use. Online Abacus and Handwriting improvement course are especially suited for kids. In this course kids can learn abacus and improve handwriting within the comforts of their homes while also being able to practice, taking advantage of the Penkraft kit included with the subscription. Online Handwriting course will also explain print, Devanagari and cursive font/form. Reasons to subscribe to Penkraft Online Courses.

Learn at your own place and pace Penkraft Online Course is available worldwide. You simply just have to log in to Penkaft website or Penkraft app. You can watch the course videos on demand in your home, school or office on any device. Learning online provides you with the flexibility you desire. Affordable price: Price of the course is affordable which also includes all the materials (i.e. Penkraft Kit) related to the online Course. The knowledge you are going to get from these courses is of pristine quality, that will help you to improve your skills and provide you with the correct technique to make marvels with the particular art form. Easy accessibility Penkraft Online Course is accessible on a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. You can watch course videos on any resolution or any device. Certified Course On completion of the course, a digital certificate will be awarded to you! Which you can then add to your resume or showcase elsewhere!

Penkraft Kit Each course has its own unique requirement of materials. This is included in the kit without any extra fees when purchasing subscriptions of these online courses.

So this was the reason why you should enroll for Penkraft online course. Do visit the website start your course now. https://www.penkraftonline.in//

Penkraft conducts classes, course, online courses, live courses, workshops, teachers' training & online teachers' training in Handwriting Improvement, Calligraphy, Abacus Maths, Vedic Maths, Phonics and various Craft & Artforms - Madhubani, Mandala, Warli, Gond, Lippan Art, Kalighat, Kalamkari, Pichwai, Cheriyal, Kerala Mural, Pattachitra, Tanjore Painting, One Stroke Painting, Decoupage, Image Transfer, Resin Art, Fluid Art, Alcohol Ink Art, Pop Art, Knife Painting, Scandinavian Art, Water Colors, Coffee Painting, Pencil Shading, Resin Art Advanced etc. at pan-India locations. With our mission to inspire, educate, empower & uplift people through our endeavours, we have trained & operationally supported (and continue to support) 1500+ home-makers to become Penkraft Certified Teachers? in various disciplines.

[mayhighfilms]

Mayhigh Films Best ad Film Maker in Mumbai

Introduction

Are you looking for a reliable and experienced ad film maker in Mumbai? Look no further than Mayhigh Films. We are a leading name in the industry, with a team of experienced professionals who can help you create an impactful and memorable ad campaign. ### Topic: 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest in SEO Intro: If you’re not already investing in SEO, you’re missing out on a critical opportunity to reach your target audience. Search engine optimization is more important than ever for businesses of all sizes, and here are five reasons why you should make it a priority for your business.

What is an ad film?

An ad film is a short film or video that is used to promote a product, service, or brand. Ad films are typically created by advertising agencies and production companies, and they are often used in television commercials, online ads, and marketing campaigns. Ad films can be used to communicate a variety of messages, from raising awareness about a social issue to promoting a new product. They often tell stories that are designed to evoke an emotional response from viewers, and they can be very effective at persuading people to take action. While ad films have been around for many years, they have become increasingly popular in recent years due to the growth of digital media. Thanks to platforms like YouTube and social media, ad films can now reach a wider audience than ever before.

The process of making an ad film

When it comes to advertising, there are many different types of films that can be created in order to sell a product or service. Ad films are one of the most popular and effective ways to advertise. There are many steps involved in the process of making an ad film. The first step is to come up with a concept for the ad. Once the concept is finalized, the next step is to write a script. Once the script is finished, the next step is to find a location for the shoot. After the location is set, the next step is to find actors and actresses who will star in the ad. Once all of these elements are in place, filming can begin. After filming is complete, the post-production process begins. This includes editing the footage, adding music and sound effects, and color-correcting the final product. Once all of these steps are complete, the ad film is ready to be aired on television or online.

Mayhigh Films' services

Mayhigh Films provides a wide range of services to its clients, including advertising, marketing, and production services. The company has a team of experienced professionals who are experts in their respective fields and can provide the best possible service to their clients. Mayhigh Films also has a state-of-the-art production facility that is equipped with the latest technology and equipment. This allows the company to produce high-quality films that meet the specific needs of its clients.

Why choose Mayhigh Films?

There are many reasons to choose Mayhigh Films as your ad film maker in Mumbai. We have a proven track record of success, with over 10 years of experience in the industry. We are a full-service production company, with a team of experienced professionals who will work closely with you to create a custom-made ad film that meets your specific needs and objectives. We have a wide range of capabilities and can produce high-quality films for any budget. We also offer a variety of value-added services, such as scriptwriting, storyboarding, and casting, that can help you create an even more effective ad film. If you're looking for an experienced and reliable ad film maker in Mumbai, look no further than Mayhigh Films. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your marketing goals.

Contact us

Mayhigh Films is one of the best ad film makers in Mumbai. We have a team of experienced and creative professionals who can help you create an effective ad campaign that will reach your target audience.

If you are interested in working with us, please contact us at Marketing@mayhighfilms.com or +91-9999864193 and we will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.

[anantradingpvtltd]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] ULTIMATE RESOLUTION, DEPENDABLE PROCESSING: Powered by Fujifilm’s high-performance X-Processor 4 quad-core CPU, GFX100S utilizes its 102MP, back-illuminated large format CMOS sensor to create truly stunning results. Create remarkably detailed still images that possess amazing color fidelity, and rich shadow detail, with enough dynamic range to allow for astonishing push and pull adjustments in post-production. Or, use Pixel Shift Multi-Shot to create ultra-high resolution 400MP stills with remarkable detail. In video mode, record 4K/30p footage in 10-bit F-log or 12-bit ProRes RAW, with an incredibly beautiful depth of field, for a look that is made for the silver-screen. SMALL, BUT STEADY: Sitting at the heart of GFX100S is a newly developed shutter and In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) system that helps ensure you always make the most of the extreme resolution of the camera’s 102MP imaging sensor. While reduced in size, compared to their counterparts in GFX100, both elements offer incredible performance, with the new shutter capable of 5fps continuous shooting and the unique, five-axis IBIS now working in conjunction with GF Lens Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to provide up to 6 stops of correction. With such outstanding performance, GFX100S frees you from a tripod and lets you keep creating even when the light is low. THE SHARP END OF AF TECHNOLOGY: With an advanced phase detection autofocus (AF) system, GFX100S spearheads a whole new era of large format digital camera systems. An updated autofocus algorithm brings subjects into focus in as quickly as 0.18 sec, even in light levels as low as -5.5EV. This extraordinary performance is strengthened by the presence of phase detect autofocus pixels across nearly 100% of the frame, resulting in complete precision regardless of where the subject is. Combined with responsive tracking and reliable Face/Eye Detection, GFX100S lets large format photographers enjoy reliably accurate AF, even in low-contrast situations. LARGE FORMAT HAS NEVER FELT LIKE THIS: The GFX system already has a strong reputation for taking high-resolution photography out of the studio and into the world, but GFX100S takes it even further. Not only does it have a super-tough magnesium-alloy casing, but it is also made to operate in temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C) and to be dust- and weather-resistant for those off-road moments. At less than 2 pounds (900g), its compact body is comparable in size to many full-frame cameras, but it contains an incredible, 102MP sensor that’s almost twice the physical size of the typical full-frame sensor! Simply put, whether you are creating handheld portraits on location, or framing landscapes in the remote wilderness, GFX100S will truly let you harness the extreme power of large format. ICONIC COLOR MADE FOR YOU: Fujifilm’s expertise in color science is legendary among image makers. For more than 86 years, Fujifilm has been responsible for some of the world’s most iconic photographs and movies. GFX100S gives you access to this wealth of experience at the touch of a button, powered by one of the world’s most widely acclaimed digital color processing engines. With a choice of 19 exclusive FUJIFILM Film Simulation modes, it is easy to achieve fantastic color straight out of camera. With a new FIlm Simulation mode to explore - Nostalgic Neg. - it may just be worth it to spend a little more time here than you originally thought. SMALL, BUT STEADY: Sitting at the heart of GFX100S is a newly developed shutter and In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) system that helps ensure you always make the most of the extreme resolution of the camera’s 102MP imaging sensor. While reduced in size, compared to their counterparts in GFX100, both elements offer incredible performance, with the new shutter capable of 5fps continuous shooting and the unique, five-axis IBIS now working in conjunction with GF Lens Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to provide up to 6 stops of correction.

With such outstanding performance, GFX100S frees you from a tripod and lets you keep creating even when the light is low. THE SHARP END OF AF TECHNOLOGY: With an advanced phase detection autofocus (AF) system, GFX100S spearheads a whole new era of large format digital camera systems. An updated autofocus algorithm brings subjects into focus in as quickly as 0.18 sec, even in light levels as low as -5.5EV. This extraordinary performance is strengthened by the presence of phase detect autofocus pixels across nearly 100% of the frame, resulting in complete precision regardless of where the subject is. Combined with responsive tracking and reliable Face/Eye Detection, GFX100S lets large format photographers enjoy reliably accurate AF, even in low-contrast situations. LARGE FORMAT HAS NEVER FELT LIKE THIS: The GFX system already has a strong reputation for taking high-resolution photography out of the studio and into the world, but GFX100S takes it even further. Not only does it have a super-tough magnesium-alloy casing, but it is also made to operate in temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C) and to be dust- and weather-resistant for those off-road moments. At less than 2 pounds (900g), its compact body is comparable in size to many full-frame cameras, but it contains an incredible, 102MP sensor that’s almost twice the physical size of the typical full-frame sensor! Simply put. ICONIC COLOR MADE FOR YOU: Fujifilm’s expertise in color science is legendary among image makers. For more than 86 years, Fujifilm has been responsible for some of the world’s most iconic photographs and movies. GFX100S gives you access to this wealth of experience at the touch of a button, powered by one of the world’s most widely acclaimed digital color processing engines. With a choice of 19 exclusive FUJIFILM Film Simulation modes, it is easy to achieve fantastic color straight out of camera. With a new FIlm Simulation mode to explore - Nostalgic Neg. - it may just be worth it to spend a little more time here than you originally thought. [ad_2]

[derangedhyena-delphinidae]

numerous issues with “The Aftermath of Seaworld”

When I get time to do so (aka when I’m done with the documentary), I’m likely going to make a video version of this going into the details. 

But for right now, I’ve made this. Both as a guideline for me and so everyone can begin to get an idea of the severity of issues involved.

Researching things is time-consuming and can be very difficult - believe me, I know. But I’m of the mind that if you’re making content with the intent of educating people, you have a responsibility to perform a certain level of due diligence. It IS okay to express uncertainty or doubt if you have it. It is NOT okay to confidently assert things that you do not know with certainty.

The video has an anticap slant, and I’m obviously not disagreeing on that front. But again: if you’re gonna go through the trouble of teaching people something. Bare minimum... please make sure it’s actually correct. *** 1) x ‘founded in 1964 and based out of Florida’ -  ???? Seaworld definitively began on the west coast, in San Diego, CA. And given that the first park opened in early 1964… things came together before that. Uh? 2) x ‘four people founded Seaworld [...]’ For one… it wasn’t originally conceived as a restaurant, it was originally conceived as an underwater bar/lounge. Two… calling the four guys involved in founding the place “frat brothers” is fucking ridiculous and completely overlooks a) how each was actually involved and b) the overall significance of their contributions to the field as individuals. Hint: like it or not, they were important and did a lot! 

3) x If one is going to bring up SWBGCF/rescues while talking about the literal founding of SW, it gives the impression that it’s been around for that duration. It hasn’t.  It’s actually a bit unclear when SW started an organized rescue program, but the Fund itself and all that it did came about much later. The rescue information and how it’s presented is actually INCREDIBLY complex, nuanced, and has a fascinating history (from a “bad company behaving badly” perspective). Oversimplifying this, to this degree and in this misinformative way, does the facts of the situation an INCREDIBLE disservice.  

4) x [assertive statement about what the name Shamu means]  ….Uh actually there’s several explanations for the name Shamu, and the most likely one IMO seems to be the “she-namu” one, not the “friend of Namu” one(? What is this even based on.) 4b) It’s not quite clear if she’s saying “Namu was the first ever orca to be displayed and perform shows” or or Namu was the first to be displayed and, like Shamu, performed shows. Either way, Moby Doll was the first to truly be displayed to the public, not Namu.

5) x ‘Namu died after one year in captivity and you’d think that this might deter Seaworld from doing the same thing again…’ Seaworld truly had nothing to do with Namu. And they leased/took possession of Shamu before Namu died. ‘Again’? What?

6) x “Now, PETA paints a pretty disturbing picture…” [while showing Okura’s artwork] This video segment is, and this is putting it nicely, a pile of poorly-researched BULLSHIT.  -Yes, PETA talks about Shamu’s capture, re: the harpooning of her mother. This Youtuber cannot apparently be arsed to look more than 1 Google search into this, as she proceeds to dismiss the information as potentially fabricated. There are two detailed accounts of Shamu’s capture that I’m aware of - in books - and though they have some slight conflicts, it’s absolutely NOT in doubt that the female who was very likely Shamu’s mother was 1) harpooned, 2) died from her injuries and 3) this had been done to make her easier to catch/locate because there was a fucking buoy attached to the harpoon. Which she dragged around for at least 24 hours prior dying.  So maybe don’t dismiss that as PETA hysteria, maybe TRY to determine the truth of the matter, which would inform one that it is both true and completely horrifying.  -In addition, Okura is an awesome individual who has worked very hard to create a variety of informative artwork for our cause. Okura is NOT associated with PETA and it’s borderline libel in my eyes to use their artwork in this dismissive manner when the primary sources of it can be easily identified online, with full explanations and everything. Do I take special offense to this because of the misuse of artwork? Absolutely. Artists get disrespected enough online. I’m tired of it. This kind of laziness IS NOT acceptable.

7) x ‘timeline is fuzzy about when Shamu died’ …………… it’s…. It’s really not … newspapers are pretty clear about it…..

8) x [complete and utter oversimplification of the lifespan issue, which is not acceptable for anything published in 2020. It just isn’t. If you’re going to bring it up like this, either do the legwork and get into the weeds or stay out.] 8b) [same for reproductive ages. sigh]

9) x if we’re going to talk about when Cornell was involved with Seaworld it’s very important to specify when Cornell was involved with Seaworld and not make it seem like it’s present tense.

10) x “both were rescued by Seaworld” - uh? no. Zero orcas have been rescued by Seaworld. Literally none. The infected-jaw orca was Sandy, whose story is complex and certainly does not involve Seaworld until much later. And many of the orcas in that time period had bullet wounds, often only identified post-mortem because they didn’t seem to hurt the animals much. Also, unflinchingly blending 70s captivity ethics with modern ones is also complete nonsense? 

11) x [tilikum coming from sealand] inhales I am going to make an entire video centered on this fucking subject because it’s one of the single most profound arguments for Seaworld being garbage as assessed by US government agencies in the 90s yet everyone utterly fails to mention this. Why?!

12) x what on earth is this nonsense re: quoting a quote from Zimmerman’s article - which has already been removed from its original context, so the original context is not available - and then penalizing the quote for existing as if Zimmerman’s article were the context? That is offensively disingenuous. I honestly don’t know what the original context is, either - but it’s wildly inappropriate to act as if the Zimmerman article is.

13) x this is relatively minor but ‘Paul Sprong’? You literally have his name on the screen. And then mis-reading his age too? While asserting it from a static article published years ago? Effort? Where is it?

14) x ‘another trainer, Peter’ ….. Ken Peters…. 

15) [weirdly glossing over the widely-available list of orca-trainer injuries/aggressions, despite it being central to the point.] 16) x This pilot whale outrage certainly happened but it was pretty clearly Blackfish that started the cascade of woes for Seaworld. Who has ever asserted this?

17) if you’re gonna just rehash blackfish, tell people to go watch blackfish.

18) x I’ve already gone over the context issue with Seaworld calling out Howard’s statement in Blackfish here (point 23). Which is to say, IN CONTEXT in Blackfish it’s clear what Mr. Garrett is talking about but, divorced from that, it sounds incorrect. But this Youtuber AMPLIFIES the issue by doubling down on the assertion with “no record of a killer whale doing any harm to anyone in the wild.” The surfer event should always be mentioned. Yes, there’s absolutely room for doubt. But there’s also a clear demarcation between an accidental attack (eg mistaken identity, as was likely for the surfer) and intentional one (eg the incidents at marine parks.) Why do people kneecap themselves on this point 18b) please stop acting like Luna represents orcas in general.

19) x “Howard, for all of his research…” … while referring to David Duffus’ b-roll and statements. Uh. 20) x Apparently this Youtuber has single-handedly resolved the dorsal fin issue. You know, the thing that hasn’t been properly researched ever, that has been subject to a ton of debate, that isn’t 100% settled for a variety of reasons, and almost everyone talks about in terms of theories and likely possibilities.  21) x Alexis Martinez wasn’t “torn to shreds.” In a space where even moderate exaggerations are often penalized harshly by the opposition, this kind of blatant nonsense is not welcome. Plus, the reality’s bad enough… you don’t have to make anything up!

22) x *sighs. points at own webpage*

23) Talking about the shows stopping without acknowledging how that’s a bit of a farce is something else. In addition to apparently just flipping to buying what Seaworld’s selling re: its ‘improved image.’ 

*** Tl;dr video is so unrelentingly full of errors ranging from small to egregious it makes me seriously concerned for the veracity of the rest of this person’s content. The maker of the video provided a list of their sources in their video description, which I will have time to look through in detail later. The above is solely a response to the information they present IN THE VIDEO - which, is very important because let’s be real: a lot of people are not going to look at the list of sources. People don’t even do it when citing papers (no really, you’d be surprised, fml.) For anyone who wants to whinge that I haven’t linked or asserted any sources of my own for my claims… well, remember what I said about time-consuming and ‘I’m busy’? Yhea. Getting all of that together will be part of making a video. So if you want to shrug loudly at my list here… you can, that’s your prerogative, I’m happy to say I DGAF if that’s your takeaway. 

What I hope, is that if there’s anything I’ve made clear over the While of running this blog, it’s that I don’t fuck around when it comes to sources and information and do my best to provide what information exists, all of it, not just cherrypicked bits and bobs. Anyways. Here’s step 0 at least. Please don’t share that video. Pretty please.

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S4 E17 (The Hedwig Episode) (Spoilers)

Jughead says a shocking thing at the start of this episode: At its heart, Riverdale was and is, a wicked little town.   He’s just so worn out he doesn’t even believe in Riverdale is Good anymore.  He’s also given to hyperbole:  Evils of Stonewall Prep had been vanquished.  (I mean was the whole school truly evil or just the nutty kids who want to write crime fiction?)   The fates are vicious and they’re cruel, sings Betty, but here the fates = the makers of Riverdale and this is their mission statement. 

The whole town is shown freaking out about the voyeur video tapes.  At the diner are SWEET PEA and REGGIE and FANGS and KEVIN (and also Tom Keller but I’ll allow it) and so these four hang out at Pop’s together and feel at home there.  I mean,  because I know this is Jellybean I’m finding this retroactively very funny like, this one bratty weird Jones kid is freaking out literally every single person with a name in Riverdale.  Including Hiram Lodge!

Hiram is working out too much and almost injures himself.  And Archie is not good at keeping confidences, and lets Hiram know that Veronica told her boyfriend about Hiram’s so called illness. 

Betty is in the I am Superior To Jughead And Better Than Him At School mode again, and she’s so comfortable and happy here.  She’s put in a lot of work - taken on, as though she was his parent  and he was a struggling student, the project of getting him ‘make up’ assignments that he finds clearly very tedious and borderline insulting to think about.  Do note, that Jughead is not behind in school - he’s being subjected to bureaucratic vengeance by Stonewall Prep. But Betty likes to think this about Jughead, that he’s behind when she knows she’s valedictorian, so we’re going with this.

Jughead is not only off Riverdale but he’s off school, because he’s heartbroken, and his girlfriend’s attitude to all this is Thank god that part is over, Hooray, You’re behind me in school again.   His English assignment is especially insulting - writing a book report when he had just experienced the peak of completing a novel for a series that he’d loved as a child.  Betty is annoyed at his lack of gratitude, and this is also very Alice, to just bulldoze over why Jughead might be not all that gung ho about graduating from Riverdale, ‘on time.’  

Betty’s egotism is astounding.  She thinks Jughead will be motivated  with “make sure that you graduate, with me. What is more important than that?”  The universe where Jughead is struggling to graduate so that Betty has to guide him by the hand through it, and she’s going to Yale while Jughead has no college prospects is the correct world order in the mind of Betty Cooper.  So then he stops trying to stick up for himself and they kiss and they play the pretty Bughead theme and I have the heebie jeebies. 

Veronica has just told Jughead not to do this, but Jughead needs to something more to avoid feeling hatred towards Betty, so he seeks out Charles (who has the same  Child of Alice Cooper amnesia and acts surprised to see him even though they just last week worked intensely together to solve the Dupont murders and find Grandpa Jones) and asks to do the videotape mystery investigation.  He expressly does not want Betty to know about this, because he can’t take another conversation where she joyfully treats him like a kid who’s bad at school.

The promise is I won’t bring it up to her unless she asks me directly.  But why would she.  The world is in order.

Kevin wants to do Hedwig and Mr. Honey won’t let him do it.  Kevin says Hedwig is “not a niche show.”  And Kevin suddenly bursts into a Voice of My Generation (Or A Generation) speech, and I kind of love it, because I know what’s coming.  The blue T shirts with like, priority numbers or whatever they are is cheering me up by a lot.  So 1 = Archie,  2= Betty,  3 = Veronica, (Is Kevin 4? Jughead?)  5= Cheryl, (Who the heck goes HERE??) 13= Reggie, Toni= 14,  29 = Fangs, 35 = Sweet Pea (THIRTY FIVE??).  So anyway while singing this song about random number generation, they trash the school hallway, to which Honey of course threatens to fire Kevin from the entire thing.   

Archie makes up a fake band and calls it the Archies and signs them up to perform.  Archie’s guitar string breaks, so he goes to the garage, and picks up Fred’s old guitar with the spare strings. 

So Kevin is in the Archie Andrews Sex Room (Sorry, the Music Room) all sad about not being able to do Hedwig, and tells Fangs about what’s happened with Honey.  Fangs suggests that he ‘go rogue.’ 

Betty says “you know I support you”  and also “I think you’re an amazing writer, Jug” before she tells Jughead that his book report is crap.  And of course I keep editing in what I think she means in my head - she supports him as long as he doesn’t surpass her, and the bit about his being an amazing writer is a condescension she’s willing to hand out as long as he isn’t actually a writer with a publishing contract.  Jughead feels dead inside, so he holes up inside the bunker, because he can’t stand to live with Betty right now. 

“It’s the Archies.”  Archie wants the Four to play as the Archies and brings them all coffee.  What Jughead says is very revealing - he doesn’t want to do any of this make-work (it really is just make-work) but he has to or else his girlfriend is going to punish him even more ( “my girlfriend over there is going to put me in the stocks.”)  

KEVIN IS IN THE HEDWIG OUTFIT WITH THE CLOAK AND I AM SO HAPPY. The hotpants and the fishnets and THE WIG and the lipstick.  Just the whole thing! Such a jolt of energy. And of course, Kevin is the best singer on the show.   Also also!! The Serpents Jr Division were a band? Why have we never seen them before?? Where is their practice room? What sort of music do they usually play?? What’s the band name??   Oh and Kevin plants one on Archie and everyone is very, very happy about it (me, Archie, Jughead, Cheryl, everyone).

For some reason they only show Fangs (because he’s not wearing a shirt?) but when Honey is yelling at Kevin after he yanks the speaker cords out of the wall you can see that Sweet Pea is wearing the same blueish eye make up, striped leggings and a tiger print... bathrobe or kimono or whatever that is.  The whole ensemble for this band is amazing. Why is this the only time it exists??

So there’s a sleepover at Betty’s where it’s four girls and Kevin.  And Kevin says he is sad because the variety show was taken from him.  So Jughead is hiding from Betty in the bunker at this point, right?  But that aside - this is a really charming musical number and Kevin looks beautiful in the make up and beehive wig.  In the middle of the song, they switch location to the Choni bedroom.  They do a neat shot where each girl is showing her own face with a handheld mirror to the viewer while Kevin is finishing up his second look.  Then we’re at Veronica’s having a pillow fight.   And the girls suggest something actually useful - that they’ll sing songs from Hedwig as a sign of solidarity to Kevin. That’s really sweet, actually.  

Of course, this is Cheryl, so she sings Sugar Daddy at her principal by ambushing Mr. Honey at the diner.  I love Mr Honey’s performance by the way - I’ve never said that.  He’s so great at being a repressed prig, though I do wonder what would’ve happened if he suddenly got into it.  The girls are counting on his being a prissy stick in the mud here.  Choni dance on the counter at Pop’s and they look amazing.  And also he’s not... wrong?  Hedwig is highly sexualized.  And Mr Honey knows where to hit them - If they defy him, they’ll be barred from senior prom.  For some reason they don’t play the DOOM sound effect about this announcement.  Mr. Honey saying Tootles with a Cheryl amount of stank on it is classic and unimpeachable. 

Hiram has had a fall, and Veronica texts Archie with SOS.  So Archie, who can keep zero secrets, tells Veronica about Hiram’s mishap with the workout.  And then Veronica just goes off on him and yells at him about being short sighted for not forcibly taking Hiram to the hospital, but in the middle of that she says, amazingly, “This my life. This is my father’s life.”  To her, the two are the same.  That’s not very healthy at all. 

Bughead finally have the fight they need to have. I ... I had to take a break for a bit because it’s been an excruciating experience, of watching what the show was actually presenting to me, rather than... whatever the heck I was doing the first time through.  This is what Betty says:

I am trying to make sure that we stay together, that we have a future. I’m going to New Haven in a few months, Jug.  Where are you going to be?  

Um. But.  You. Took. His. Spot. At Yale. Betty.

And then she calls him dead-end Jughead and says she’d prefer a dorm husband (Jughead’s words). But she doesn’t need him to graduate high school to do that, right?  Except I guess having a boyfriend who didn’t graduate on time is just a touch too déclassé , because Betty Cooper has standards.

The song that Jughead sings really, really fits. He’s hollowed out, outside’s a paper shroud,  and this is a song about a botched sex change operation, which put in a more transphobic way is about - castration.  And in the most retrograde way possible, this is in fact what Betty has done.  To be clear - Jughead’s Stonewall dream was a mirage hiding a death cult, and his Yale acceptance was at least 50% obtained for him to keep him strung along until he was sacrificed to the Baxter Bros Perfect Murder Cult.  The act of castration was not letting Jughead have some time to work out what he wants to do from here on out. (I will also note that Gore Vidal never went to college - he did have an acceptance to Harvard but never went - and had a spectacular writing career, so it’s not strictly speaking necessary). The act of castration was in shoving him into the ‘fell behind and needs to catch up’ category, which is factually untrue. 

Jughead starts throwing things, scream-singing.  The other three join in on the song, and I made myself laugh wondering if they were doing a Freudian thing by applying the castration song to Veronica (the daughter being the castrated version of the father).   Everyone is eventually screaming at each other.  I feel sorry for Varchie because there’s no reason for them to be hollering like this, but Bughead are due for  big fight.

Principal Honey is summoned and everyone is in the Hedwig wig. Some of the make up is utterly transformative - Fangs, Sweet Pea, and Reggie are standing side by side and right next to Kevin, on the front lines next to Cheryl and Toni, and it took me a full few seconds to see who they were.   Reggie says he will ‘weaponize these babies’ if he has to, which makes no sense, but I LOVE IT.   This sort of confirms for me that the Southside Serpent Late-Millennial / Gen Z division does not have a single straight member. In response, Honey cancels the variety show altogether. 

 The Archies’ rehearsal is accordingly cancelled, and only Betty has shown up.  Barchie have always been each other’s back up.  Archie asks when the last time they had fun was, and Betty, who could not remember the time she, Jughead and Archie played in the snow or the time she, Jughead and Archie got attacked by leeches at the swimming hole, remembers  something that she and Archie did in the first grade.   (Is this supposed to be because after she had to kill her cat, she’s been splintered? If so, who the hell is Jughead Jones in love with? Does that girl even exist?)

I think Betty and Archie are much more compatible, than Bughead, which only exists because Jughead wants it so desperately (at least, until this episode).  Barchie are violent, ruthless people.  And they’re so at ease with each other, not least because Archie is in no way an academic competitor with Betty. Betty needs to be superior to her partner, and Archie has already said that she’s just too perfect for him to consider as a peer enough to date. (Am ... I... a Barchie?)

The origin of love song is pretty, but I kind of hate this sort of concept, that the ‘right’ relationship should require no work whatsoever.  Jughead is still in the bunker, breaking things.  And what I choose to notice is that each time he’s in there he makes it prettier.  There are lots of votive candles in lots of jars, which makes for some really lovely mood lighting.  This bunker is in the middle of nowhere, so this means each time, he’s remembered to bring bottles and candles to add to the supply.  And Jughead, by himself, in a  metaphorical grave, decides to recommit to Betty, as he always does, on his own, and settles down to do his homework and graduate on time. 

And Barchie kiss.  It’s a beautiful shot. I love the fairy lights in the rehearsal garage of the Andrews house.  I think Fred set that up for Archie. I miss Fred. And I’m not upset about the Barchie kiss, per se, which is weird, because I’ve been careening through the recaps for all the eps leading up to this one because I figured I had to rip the bandage off  fast.    The reason I don’t mind is because this is within character for Betty, who is at best an anti-hero and at worst a villain.

Jughead shows up with the homework,  and Jughead does what he has to do as per the rules of Bughead engagement - he has to say sorry, and be in the wrong, and recast everything that Betty does in the best possible light while abnegating and denigrating himself.  He goes off again to finish the other assignment, and Betty starts weeping. She can’t ever tell Jughead about  the fact that Archie and she sang a  love song joyfully at each other and then kissed when she had Jughead agreed to strict monogamy,  because that would disrupt the Bughead power balance, and she can’t be in the wrong.  That’s where Betty’s suffering comes from - she needs to have the absolute dominant abuser position in Bughead and end the relationship in a way that she is not wrong, because she must always be superior to Jughead, and she’s done something that’s going to cost her that dominance.  Why is she like this? Because Jughead was her settle,  her distant second choice.  He turned out to be a gem, but he was and remains, a settle.

Veronica apologizes to Archie, as she should, because she yelled at her boyfriend and was lashing out, and she apologizes for the precise thing that she did wrong.  I think the point of the Varchie fight was twofold: One was to tell the audience that as long as Hiram is alive, Veronica and Hiram will fully identify with each other.  The other was to show the audience how a couple who got together because they wanted to, having intentionally forsaken all others, interacts after a fight.  

And Betty is revealed as having spookily been watching this entire thing, with Veronica coming in, sitting on Archie’s lap, kissing him. She looks exactly like a serial killer.  This needed the DOOM effect, at that moment, because omg, that was so scary.  Barchie serenade each other across the way, and I am sad but I feel like Betty is trying to comfort me about my experience during this retread.  

She sings:  There’s no mystical design/ No cosmic lover pre-assigned.   Right, and in any case, you don’t think Jughead was that mystical cosmic pre-assigned lover for you. Then Archie takes over:  There’s nothing you can find/ That cannot be found and this feels like the writers talking to the people who care about Riverdale a normal amount, like me.  That there’s enough in here you can find whatever you need to. 

When you’ve got no other choice/ you know you can follow my voice

And anyway, fuck you Barchies, Varchies, Bugheads and all the rareships!  We have a voice and you don’t.  

Cheryl introduces the Archies, and they perform.   So Reggie is sitting with Sweet Pea and Fangs all the time and since when has that been happening??  The Archies give their first and last performance.   Wait Kevin’s in the Archies?  He’s in the Archies.  Why does Jughead know how to play drums?  And absolutely everyone gets a call out except Kevin who has to do it himself.  Reggie as always making the absolute MOST of a nothing line and moment (the YeAh! when he gets a call out) same as Sweet Pea and Fangs.

This song is lovely and bittersweet, and I’m so into it, because all these young people are singing and being happy in possibly the most terrible town in America.  The whole town has turned out for this variety show replacement performance at Pop’s, and it’s hokey and I love how heartfelt it is.  

Then Jughead is thinking about the videotapes again, and is worried about the serial killer because he saw the snuff movie with the masks that Jellybean has graduated to.  And Jellybean, the smartest Jones, has it right. Betty killed Jughead. 

[sindrafalcone]

Secret Valentine...

Fandom: BIGBANG/ Kwon Jiyong (G Dragon) x reader

Synopsis: Jiyong finally figures out his secret Valentine

Warnings: fluffiness, candy induced fluffiness

Author’s Note: Finally finished this belated Valentine’s fluff piece! Maybe Jiyong will leave me be for now so I can go back to writing Seunghyun. lol My apologies for the lateness. But I hope you guys still enjoy!

Suggested Listening: ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work. I do not own any images used.

Masterlist

From his place on the floor of the YG mens locker room, partially hidden behind some empty boxes, Jiyong yawned as quietly as he could & checked the time on his phone. 5am. That meant that most of  the early employees should start arriving soon. He felt himself smile and excitement bubbled up in his chest. This time he was finally going to figure it out...

The chocolates had begun mysteriously appearing in his locker on Valentine's day of 2007. Bigbang had made their debut, but hadn't quite managed to find that hit song that he was so sure he'd be able to write sooner or later.

After an incredibly long and tiring day of dance practice he'd opened up his locker, only to find a tiny white box sitting on the shelf inside. The box was plain, not even a bow or a note in sight. Curiosity got the better of him as he carefully extracted the little package from it's hiding place, turning it over in his hand to see if he could figure out what it was. “Hey!” he called out to the other four men. “Did any of you guys slip this into my locker?”

He held the box up so they could all see it, but every man shook his head. “What is it?” Seunghyun asked, his voice a bit muffled as he changed shirts. “If I knew that, do you think I'd be asking who put it here?”

“Well, open it!” Youngbae encouraged.

Jiyong eyed his best friend warily, but decided he was right... the only way to find out was to open the damn thing. He slid his thumb along the flap and pulled it back. He had to fight the urge to laugh as the whole group crowded around him in order to see what his unexpected gift was.

“It's...” Jiyong was at a loss for words.

“Chocolate?” Daesung offered tentatively. “I think...”

A single chocolate truffle was all the box contained. It was sad looking and irregularly shaped, clearly a homemade attempt. Jiyong reached into the box with trembling fingers, picking up the chocolate in between his forefinger and his thumb so he could examine it closer. It was obviously dark chocolate, covered in a layer of cocoa powder. But it still had a faint scent of something else... 'Oranges, maybe?' he thought to himself.

“Awww.... Jiyongie got himself a Valentine!” Youngbae teased. “Who's it from?” the maknae asked.

“I have no idea.” Jiyong whispered, just before he held it up to his lips and took a bite.

Despite the yelling protests of his friends, telling him he was insane for eating something from an unknown sender, Jiyong was in heaven.

He had been right. The slightly bitter flavor of the cocoa powder hit his tongue first, followed quickly by the sweetness of the rich chocolate as he chewed the soft confection slowly. Only after he swallowed did he taste the orange and something slightly more astringent... probably alcohol of some sort. A satisfied groan came from somewhere deep within Jiyong's chest.

“Damn...” Seunghyun swore under his breath. “Must have tasted better than it looked. Can I have the other half?” he looked at the leader hopefully.

“No.” said Jiyong simply & then popped the rest of the treat into his mouth. This was his very first Valentine's chocolate and he was not in the mood to share it.

The guys just shook their heads and went back to getting ready, all interest in teasing Jiyong was lost now that the chocolate was gone.

And that was how it had started.

Jiyong had received “mystery chocolates” in his locker every Valentine's Day from there on out, with the exception of the couple of years he'd actually had a girlfriend. And on those years, he'd found himself seriously missing the candies. So much so, that he'd started to make absolutely sure he was single on Valentine's Day, just so he'd be guaranteed to get his chocolates.

Over the years the number of candies had multiplied and improved in quality. The second year, there had been four of the same that he'd gotten the first time. Each one a little rounder & more expertly shaped than the one before. And it had just snowballed from there... fillings and toppings had changed, there was now a mix of dark, milk and white chocolate. And, he had to admit, the candy itself had gotten prettier, more well made. Practice made perfect, Jiyong supposed. But the boxes, even though they'd been getting steadily bigger, were always plain & white with no indication whatsoever as to who kept leaving them in his locker.

Jiyong heard the door to the room open, jolting him from his memories. He watched as a shadowy figure crept into the room and headed straight for his locker. Patiently he waited... the “chocolatier” as he'd come to think of her, opened his locker quietly, pulled a container from her bag, and slid it into place on the shelf. Then she stealthily shut the door to the locker and turned around.

That was when Jiyong sprung his trap.

“A-ha!” he yelled in triumph, flipping up the light switch and flooding the room with the harsh glow of florescents. “I've gotcha now!”

You screamed and flattened yourself against the row of lockers at the sudden invasion of light.

Jiyong stood there just blinking, trying to give his eyes time to adjust.

“Ji... Jiyong?” your voice wavered in shock and a slight tinge of fear. “You scared me to death!” you held a hand to your chest, attempting to slow the frantic beating of your heart.

“______________-ah?” Jiyong asked, his voice sounding confused, but intrigued at the same time. He couldn't imagine that you, of all people, turned out to be his mysterious Valentine chocolate maker.

You'd begun working at YG in 2005, starting as an unpaid intern, basically running errands and cleaning. Through the years, you had managed to work your way up through the company based solely on hard work and perseverance. You moved over to working with the Coordi Noona's on wardrobe & then transferred to the set and stage team. Now you were incredibly proud to be able to say that you were the main set designer for all of Bigbang's concerts. It was a job that you loved and hated at the same time. Because it helped keep you close to Jiyong, the man you had come to love and accept that you could never have. So, you made a compromise with yourself to make him chocolate every Valentine's Day, never letting him know who they were actually from, because you knew that his rejection would absolutely wreck you.

Jiyong moved around the boxes he'd been using as cover and strode over to stand in front of you, dangerously close.

“So... you're my 'chocolateir'?” he asked with a smirk.

“I...” it was on the tip of  your tongue to say that you didn't know what he was talking about, but you knew it was no use. You'd been caught & now would come the rejection and humiliation that you had been so scared of for years. That's why you had placed them in his locker in secret in the first place, you didn't have the courage to face Jiyong and admit your feelings.

He simply reached around you and deftly popped his locker open, reaching in and coming out with the simple white box in hand.

“Jiyong, I...” you started to explain, but he just held a finger up to your lips.

“Shhhhh.....” he said with a smile as he pried the lid open.

You watched as his face lit up like a little kid, looking at the variety of chocolates in the box this year. He pointed to a white chocolate one that you'd made for the first time. “What's this one?”

“Raspberry mousse.” you told him flatly.

“And this?” he pointed out another.

“Pistachio.” you sighed.

Jiyong took his time looking the box over, but the longer he took, the more his delighted face turned into a frown.

“Where's the orange ones?” he pouted.

“What?”

“The orange ones!” he whined. “You know... like the first one you made me.” Jiyong looked at you then, his brown eyes pleading.

“Oh....” you chuckled. “those are on the second layer.” you reached over and lifted the first section of the box to reveal the tier below.

Jiyong's eyes grew wide as he saw that the entire second box was filled with nothing but the orange truffles that he loved so much. Without hesitation, he reached in and lifted one out, popping it into his mouth in a single bite and moaning aloud, just as he had the first time.

You felt yourself shiver as Jiyong ate the truffle. Watching as his eyes slid closed in complete bliss and the sound of satisfaction escaped his chest. You couldn't help but feel proud that your chocolate making skills had managed to elicit such a response.

“They aren't orange.” you whispered, not sure why you felt the need to correct him on such a small detail.

“What?” his eyes popped open in shock, the moment ruined.

“The truffles...” you stammered. “They aren't orange. They're Grand Marneir.”

Jiyoing grinned. “I thought I tasted alcohol...”

“I, uh... I learned how to make them from my aunt.” you admitted shyly.

“And the rest?”

“Well, at first I just watched videos online and eventually I took some local classes on chocolate making.” you said quietly, not really sure why you were admitting all this to him.

“All that... just for me?” he asked, carefully taking the first layer from you & setting both down on the nearby wooden bench.

You just nodded, suddenly unsure of what to say.

Jiyong turned back to face you, his face suddenly serious. “All this time... why not just tell me, _______-ah?”

“I...” you briefly thought about lying, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it. “I... wanted to wait until they were perfect. And I was... I was afraid you wouldn’t return my feelings.” you looked dejectedly at the floor, certain that he was going to try and turn you down as gently as he could. You couldn't bear to watch his face as he did it.

To your great surprise you felt Jiyong step into your space. One hand snaked around your waist, coming to rest at the small of your back. His other hand gently came up under your chin, tilting your face so that you were forced to look at him.

“They're already perfect.” he murmured. “They were from the very beginning.”

You opened your mouth to protest, because even you had to admit that the first truffle you'd left him had been positively ugly. Instead Jiyong slid his mouth over yours, objectively swallowing anything you were about to say.

The kiss shocked you at first, but once you realized there was actually feeling behind it on his part, you began to kiss him back eagerly. You wound your arms around him, pulling Jiyong even closer to you.

There was a hint of dark chocolate & Grand Marnier and you found that couldn't get enough now that you'd finally gotten a taste of him.

After a while, he broke the kiss and pulled back slightly, his lips still barely touching yours. “You were my first Valentine.” he admitted breathlessly.

“Really?” you gave him a dubious look.

“Honest.” he smiled. “You can ask the guys if you don't believe me.”

You returned his smile, leaned forward and gave him another small kiss.

“Can I also be your last Valentine?”

Jiyong pulled you into a tight hug, whispering into your ear, “I'd love that, actually... just as long as you always make me those orange truffles.”

“Deal.”

Jiyong exhaled a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and chuckled. He pulled back so that he could look at you.

“Fair warning,  _________-ah. I feel like I should tell you to brace yourself.” he said, his face suddenly serious.

“Brace myself?” you asked, confused. “For what?”

“I have a lot of White Day's to make up for...” he said, winking at you before leaning in for another kiss.

[wittyno]

So I had another one of these videos recommended to me because YouTube’s algorithm hates me.

So let me reiterate: spending your life intentionally reading books you won’t like and then putting down them down for the entertainment of others is weird.

It’s like going into an R-rated comedy and being pissed that there are dick jokes. You knew what you were getting into and now you’re pissed.

This video was from a person who intentionally read books she knew she wasn’t going to like. She did it on purpose.

It’s almost as if you wanted this. You wanted to feel outraged and morally superior and you wanted your followers/viewers to bask in it with you.

You know what that is? It’s purity culture repacked by/for the left. It’s the age old “If you read/write [insert trope/idea/relationship] then you’re a bad person” and is so steeped in purity culture and people don’t recognize it.

When will people (especially young queer people) learn that marginalization and taboo expression are historically and inherently linked.

I don’t care if the book is bad, whatever the fuck that means. I care that the maker of that YouTube video and all the other ones like them go into these books not with an open mind, but to laugh and point in disgust. It’s modern day freak-show with the YouTuber acting as some sort of carnival barker.

You want to talk about the death of literary criticism? It’s not people taking death of the author completely out of context. It’s this. It’s purity culture. It’s laser focusing not only what media to consume but also the “correct” takes on that media.

Social media���s need to tear down relatively unknown authors is so weird to me. It’s one thing to not like their writing or even the genre they are writing in. It’s another to spend an ungodly amount of time making content about how you hate that author.

I don’t care if the writing is bad or worse ✨problematic✨. Enjoy it or don’t but spending your life essentially dunking on someone for their writing is weird.

[p-artsypants]

I’ll Handle This (13)

In Which There’s Cheese

Ao3 | FF.net

Trigger or Squick warning: Man has done some messed up stuff in the pursuit of perfect cheese. And what is cheese but moldy, rotten milk? This chapter contains some very foul and nasty descriptions of actual cheese that people eat. So if eating rotting food makes you uncomfortable, best skip to the end of this chapter.

(Spoiler: Plagg gives Lila really gross cheese. She eats it, and has to run out of the room to vomit.)

--

“—so the best way to level up is to get a skill up to 100, and then legendary it back down to 15, so then you can use the skill perks on another ability that’s harder to level up. That’s where I’m at right now. I’m on level 106 and trying to fill up all my skill trees by using smithing, speech, enchanting, lock picking, and blocking.” 

Day three of Lila’s torment, and there was presumably no end in sight. 

Had she known from the beginning that Adrien Agreste was this big of a nerd and completely socially inept, she wouldn’t have talked to him at all. 

Funny how people looked less attractive the more annoying they got. 

And she had tried. She had sincerely tried to get him to shut up. She told him, “I’m sorry Adrien, I’m just not that interested in this video game.” 

“Well, you’ve just never played it before! You should come over this weekend—no, actually, I think we should go to your place. When you aren’t grounded anymore. Your mom seemed to really like me!” 

Of course she did. Her mother likes anyone who’s a ‘good influence’ on her precious baby. And nothing like Paris’ golden boy to fill that bubble.

Her mom probably preferred that Adrien was so naïve and oblivious. 

The bell rang for lunch, and Lila was up and out of her seat without another word. She was tired of the games. Skyrim, Magic: The Gathering, and trying to salvage a friendship with the dumb blond. But Adrien usually ate lunch at home or with Marinette, at least he had been, so lunch was her time to recharge! She’d take her place in the throne room that was the cafeteria and have everyone’s attention. With an hour of that, she could certainly put up with whatever Adrien had to tell her the next half of the day. 

In the cafeteria, most seats were taken. The two open seats were at a table with Alya, Nino, and Marinette. Of course Lila wasn’t thrilled with Marinette, but she’d leave eventually, and someone else would hear her tales and come to sit with them. 

“Hey guys! Do you mind if I sit with you?” Lila smiled, all friendly-like. 

“Not at all, Lila, take a seat!” Alya welcomed. 

Marinette and Nino kept their poker faces as she sat down. 

“So Alya, I had this amazing idea for an article for the Ladyblog, and I bet I could get some quotes from Ladybug for it too.” 

“Or really?” Alya squealed. “That would be amazing! So what’s the idea?” 

“Basically—“ 

“WHO WANTS SOME CHEESE?!” Plagg sang as he took his spot in the last remaining seat, right next to Lila. 

She wanted to die. 

“Cheese?” Said Nino, intrigued. 

“Yeah! I have been dying to give you guys a cheese tasting, and wouldn’t you know it? All my best buds are all together! So it’s perfect!” 

Lila cautiously relaxed. Cheese tastings were just as fancy as wine tastings. Maybe this would be a break and a peek into Adrien’s refinement. She could handle this. 

“Okay, so for you three,” Plagg gestured to Nino, Alya, and Marinette, “I have some more...beginner cheeses. They’re still extremely tasty, but more mild for a less refined palette.” 

“You calling me unrefined?” Nino glared. 

“I see what you eat. And yes.” 

“Touché.” 

“And for you, Lila, you mentioned that two weeks ago, you had dinner with Wolfgang Puck himself. I assumed you could handle more advanced cheeses.” 

Advanced cheeses? “Oh, well, yes of course. I’ve done a few cheese tastings before. Maybe not with the same quality of cheeses as you have...” 

“Then this will be a walk in the park.” He unzipped the lunchbox he had brought with him, and handed out three orange cubes to the ‘beginners’. “Alright, so first, we have a whiskey cheddar.  Whiskey is fermented in oak barrels that can only be used once. So they’re sold to beer, coffee, and cheese makers. The cheese is stored in the barrels and the remnants of the whiskey seep in and give it almost a spicy flavor.” 

They all took a bite, chewing thoughtfully, humming in content. 

“Oh wow, I think I can taste the whiskey! That’s really good!” 

“I’d put this on crackers and eat a whole box! This is really good!” 

“I’m not a huge fan of cheddar,” stated Marinette, “but maybe I just haven’t been trying the right stuff, because this is awesome!” 

“I’m glad you like it!” Plagg beamed. “And for Lila,” he opened a container and a smell emanated immediately. It smelled like rotten armpit. “This is finely aged Limburger, aged to three months. It’s imperative that you take in the scent of the cheese first, before eating it. Don’t waft it, just breathe it in.”

Lila took the offered container, sparing it a withering glance before she inhaled. 

If her face could have melted off, it would have.

“It…smells like rotten feet.” 

“Ah yes, Brevibacterium linens. This is a smear-washed cheese that gets a fresh coating of bacteria that prevents mold and helps the maturing process. As a food connoisseur, you’re getting the peak time of maturity. I usually let it mature longer than this still, so it gets really runny, like camembert~…” At the very name, Plagg moaned in a way that was inappropriate for young ears. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I got swept away in the moment. Oh right! Limburger, you eat it with your nose. Take another whiff!”

“I’m good.”

“Another whiff I say!”

Lila inhaled, and her whole body shuddered. 

“Perfect. Now you can eat it.” 

She popped the sample in her mouth, and swallowed quickly, shuddering the whole time. 

“Good?”

“Hmm mmm…”

“Oh! I forgot to mention, the bacteria that that cheese is smeared with is the same that grows on your feet, that’s what makes the cheese stink!”

Lila made a face of disgust and turned a little green.

“Great! Round two!” He placed little samples in front of the other three first. “Okay, so this is a little more advanced. This is scamorza, which is much like Mozzarella, but it has a distinct smokey flavor. I think it tastes kind of like wood fired pizza.” 

“It does!” Nino cried, savoring each little nibble. “Oh my god this is so good!” 

Alya took a bit of tomato out of her sandwich and ate that with the cheese. “Oh, that is just like wood fired pizza. I’d love to try this warm! You have to get more of this!”

Plagg grinned. “And you, Marinette?” 

Marinette was still chewing, and just nodded with closed eyes and a contented sigh. 

“Awesome! I personally think scamorza is too mild, but it’s still very good. So for Lila I have another advanced taste.” He took out another sealed container and popped the lid. The smell wasn’t as brutal as the Limburger, but it was still potent. “This is Casu Marzu, a Sardinian delicacy. So it should sound familiar to you, since you’re from Italy and all. It’s made from sheep’s milk. Oh! And it’s illegal, so this sample is from a ‘friend’ who will not be named.”

Lila held the container a little away from her face and peered at it with hesitation. Her lip curled up in disgust, before she gave Plagg an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Adrien. It looks like this cheese has gone bad.” And she pushed the container back towards him. 

He looked in it. “It looks fine to me. They’re alive. That’s a good thing.” 

“Adrien, those are maggots.” 

“Cheese fly maggots, to be exact,” he corrected. “They’re introduced to the cheese to help break down the fat in the milk.” He pushed the container back in front of her. “I mean, it’s not any more gross than escargot, or caviar, or grasshopper, or tequila worms, you know?”

She looked back at the worms, her lip trembling. “This is a delicacy?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t bring bad cheese in for a laugh.” He took out a spoon and scooped out a little cheese, worms and all, and spread it on a piece of flatbread. Then he ate it. “Ohhh that’s good!”

“I…” She cast one more look at the container and confessed, “I’m sorry Adrien. I just can’t do it. It’s too gross for me.”

“Oh,” said Plagg, with genuine sadness in his voice. “Okay I guess...anyone else want to try?” 

Marinette, who was always looking for a chance to show up Lila, offered up, “I’ll give it a try.” 

Plagg’s eyes widened with glee. “You will?!” 

“Sure. Even if it’s gross, I can say I tried it. Not everyday you get to eat illegal cheese. And you ate some, afterall.” 

“Yes! I promise it’ll be worth it! You just have to thoroughly chew it to kill the maggots.” 

Marinette scrunched up her nose. “Can I...kind of eat around the worms?” 

“You can try.” 

So to Marinette’s credit, she did eat some of the cheese, though it was picked through, and she scraped what she could off with a knife. Then she spread a little on a larger piece of bread, more bread than cheese obviously, then chewed her sample thoroughly. 

“Well?” Asked Plagg, bouncing in his seat. “I think it’s kind of like Camembert and Gorgonzola had a baby. A rotten, decaying baby.”

“Mmm hmmm.” Marinette nodded, her lips shut tight. Once she swallowed, she downed a huge swig of her water, swishing around in her mouth first. 

“That bad, huh?” Asked Alya. 

“No no, it actually tasted really really good. And I couldn’t feel the worms or anything. I just couldn’t get over the idea that they were there. You know?” 

“It’s scary!” Plagg assured. “I know it freaked me out when I was a kid, but if it wasn’t worth it, they wouldn’t make it!” 

“You’re wicked brave, Marinette.” Nino patted her on the back. 

She chuckled. “Alright. Do you have any more samples so I can cleanse my palette?” 

“Oh yep! Last round!” He set out three more samples. “So this is Cantal. It’s from Cantal, France, obviously. And it’s often thought of as a dessert cheese, as it’s got a sort of spicy sweet taste, or like hazelnuts. Oh, and you’ll want to eat it with these apple slices. This is a young wheel, only two months old.” 

Contented hums filled the air as the three munched on the sweet, buttery, fruity delight. 

Plagg felt extremely pleased that he convinced Adrien’s friends to eat cheese. And he was especially proud of Marinette for eating the best, most amazing cheese of all time. If casu marzu wasn’t an absolute pain to get ahold of, and if it were more portable, he’d demand Adrien to get him that instead of Camembert. 

But, as it was, they had to go with more convenient cheeses. 

“I think I’m all cheesed out...” said Lila. 

“Dude, you only actually had one sample. You can’t bow out now!” 

At this point, especially after the maggots, a small crowd had assembled around the table to observe the tasting. And if anyone would cave under peer pressure, it was Lila. 

“Well, I suppose I could try one more...” 

“Perfect! Because this last sample is really special!” He placed the little white flecked square in front of her. “This is my take on pepper jack cheese.” 

“Wait, you made this?” She asked. 

“Yep! I figured that if I love eating cheese so much, I should make my own!” 

“So what’s it made of?” Lila asked, hesitant. 

“You have to guess! I want to see if you can guess the milk and the pepper. It’s part cow milk, obviously, but I wanted a different flavor that you don’t get with most semi hard cheeses.” 

“And there’s no bugs in it?” 

Plagg laughed. “Nope, no bugs!” 

Feeling a bit better, Lila brought the sample up to her mouth. The smell was subtle, a little spicy, a little milky. Not at all like the last two. 

She bit the sample in half, and chewed thoughtfully. “It’s...kind of sweet...but the spice is...” she blinked a few times, her face turning red and eyes watering. “It’s hot. It’s really hot!” She ate the other half, and then regretted it. “Ugh! I shouldn’t have done that!” She swallowed and downed her little carton of milk, but the heat wouldn’t leave. It kept getting worse and worse! 

“What did you put in there?! What was that?!” 

Plagg looked confused. “It’s really that spicy?” 

“My mouth hurts!! It hurts to talk!” 

“All it is is Carolina Reaper and Breast Milk.” 

Lila was up and out like a bolt, running to the bathroom to hurl. 

Marinette likewise, had to leave the room, as her uproarious laughing at Lila’s suffering would have looked really bad. 

—

(If you were looking for the cheese free section of the chapter, this is it!)

Lila didn’t return to class immediately. In fact, it was two periods later when she finally returned. Her face was flushed and her eyes bloodshot, and she had a wet spot on her shirt. Before everyone settled in, she claimed Adrien’s old seat, right up front. 

“Sorry,” she croaked, her voice hoarse after retching so much. “Vomiting usually exacerbates my tinnitus. I hope you don’t mind if I sit up front, Adrien.” 

Nino answered, “oh dude, you can have my spot. That way you and Adrien can still sit together!” 

Lila’s eyes widened slightly in horror, but before she could protest, Alya slid into the spare seat. She was unfortunately not in on the plan, and was picking up all the blatant body language Plagg was ignoring. “I think Lila needs a little girl time, after her rough lunchtime experience.”

Marinette silently scooted over into Alya’s spot, so that Plagg could sit right behind Lila. It wasn’t ideal, but it would work. Nino gave them both a silent thumbs up and took the open spot in the back of the room.

Lila let out a sigh of relief. 

“You okay, girl?” Alya asked.

“Yeah.” She said shortly. Lila was done with the day. She would have gone home if she thought her mom would believe the cheese story, but as it was, she was already in hot water. She just needed to make it through the last two periods, and she’d be okay. Maybe she could convince her mom that she was sick and stay home tomorrow? I would be worth a try. She just needed some time away from Adrien. He was much too much. 

As if reading her mind, Plagg leaned forward in his seat and spoke softly to her. “So I wanted to tell you about Stalhrim. It’s a material they added in the DLC, and you can learn how to craft with it, but it’s triggered by a quest. The first time I played the game, the person who was supposed to give the quest was killed by a lurker. Hold on, let me backup, so there are these huge monoliths call Standing Stones, and they all give you special abilities, like the Steed Stone let’s you carry things and the Apprentice Stone lets you learn magic quicker—“ 

As he talked, Lila’s fingers curled into the surface of the desk. His words didn’t even make any sense anymore, it was just this droning sound that wouldn’t stop. 

“So in the DLC, the stones are totally different, right? And there’s this bad dude named Miraack and he’s also a Dragonborn. You remember what a Dragonborn is, right? Except this one is bad and he’s brainwashing the people on the island of Solstheim. Oh right, the whole DLC takes place on a separate island—“ 

The whole two weeks had been a camel. And each little rant or pushed boundary Adrien forced was another piece of straw piling up. Just then, it was like that fragile spine snapped, and something in Lila went from ‘playing the long game’ to ‘MURDER’.

“SHUT UP!” Lila screamed, pounding her fists on the table. “OH MY GOD JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!” She stood and whirled around to glare at him. “Adrien, you are the single most obnoxious person I have ever met! You just don’t know when to shut up! Are you dense? Are you retarded? How can you not see that I literally cannot give a flying eff about anything you say?! I was trying to be your friend because I thought it would be an easy way to fame. Then I felt sorry for you because of how awkward you are. Now? It’s not worth it. It’s not worth pretending to think you’re interesting when you aren’t. It’s not worth trying to ease back and deal with everyone wondering what happened. Everyone in class would wonder why we weren’t talking anymore, and I’d have to come up with more lies to get away from you, and I just don’t want to deal with that! You’re not worth it, okay? You are so selfish and annoying! Is this why your dad kept you home schooled all your life? Because he needs to lock you right back up! You are a menace!” She swung back around for a moment to gather her belongings. “I can’t even be in the same room as you anymore. I’m so done with you and your stupid rants about stupid video games! And what kind of weirdo is that obsessed with cheese?! You ate maggots for Christ sake! You’re disgusting! If you weren’t attractive, I bet your father would have regretted having you, if he hasn’t already!” She moved to the door quickly. “I’m asking to change classes, effective immediately. I suggest everyone run while you still can!” Then she caught Marinette’s eye. “Listen, I dislike you almost as much as him, but you don’t want him, Marinette. He’s an absolute freak. Look at him! He’s wearing that stupid ramen themed sweat suit! You know what? Forget it! I’m out!” And she left, slamming the door behind her. 

No one had the nerve to speak after she left. It was just too big of a can of worms, no one wanted to open it. 

The silence was broken by a high pitched whine, followed by a sob. 

Though Marinette knew it was Plagg faking it, the sight of tears on Adrien’s face made her heart hurt. 

“Oh Adrien...” 

“You still like me, right Marinette?” He blubbered. 

She hugged him. “Of course, Adrien. I love you.” 

That seemed to be the words to break the spell and the classmates descended on him like vultures. 

“You’re not annoying, Adrien!” Someone protested. 

“You’re the coolest!” 

“I love talking video games with you!” 

“That cheese testing was really fun!” 

“Who cares if you struggle with social cues? We all do! You do better than most, even for being homeschooled!” 

“Lila admitted she was in the friendship for fame, her opinion doesn’t matter!” 

Marinette whispered in his ear. “Nicely done, but I was not expecting that blow up.” 

“Thanks, I was hoping she’d crack soon. That was just as violent as I had expected of her.” 

“You okay? Those look like genuine tears.” 

Plagg wiped his face as the rest of the class started to back off. “I’m okay,” he whispered. “Just hurts to hear someone be so cruel to my kitten.” 

He glanced at the ring, hoping to see the final pad gone, and the one minute wait to switch back initiated. 

But alas, no. The third pad was still there. 

Lila wasn’t finished yet.

[jedi-order-apologist]

A Refutation of Telltale’s “Is the Jedi Order a Cult?”

I was directed to this video that claims that the Jedi Order is a cult during a discussion on reddit earlier, and while the person who linked it respectfully asked to end the discussion we were having, I figure the video is worth addressing on its own, separately from that discussion. So I’ve cleaned up the points I made over on reddit and stripped out the stuff relevant to that conversation, to explain just what I took issue with with this video.

To the video-maker’s credit, he does acknowledge that the Jedi are presented as correct within the narrative of the films. Having run into one too many “the point of the prequels was the flaws of the Jedi” across the Internet, I have to say it’s refreshing to see Jedi-critical arguments made without that assumption.

I still disagree with pretty much all of the points made in the video, and found it to be uncharitable, blatantly incorrect at times, and almost completely lacking in concrete examples and evidence of his claims, but he has a right to his own interpretations, especially in that he acknowledges that they’re not the intended takeaway. But I hope that my response will show that it’s not something actually reflected by the source material, and that the Jedi are not actually a cult, even setting aside creator intentions.

Disclaimer – I’m not familiar with this video-creator’s other work, but from what’s said in the video, it does seem that this isn’t his usual kind of material, and that he intended this as “lighthearted” video. With that in mind, its lack of robustness and misinformation is forgivable – this response is mostly meant as something for me (or you, if you want) to point to the next time someone brings this video up to support their position, not as a criticism of this video-creator or his work in general. If you choose to engage with the video directly, please be kind.

He begins his arguments by claiming that the Jedi erase people’s identities by having them block their emotions completely - this isn't true; what we see the Jedi say is "be mindful of your feelings" (Mace Windu, TPM), and "don't let your personal feelings get in the way" (Obi-Wan, AOTC), and "don't let your feelings cloud your judgement" (several times). All of that requires acknowledgment of one's emotions and dealing with them appropriately.

He then claims that those who leave are shunned - this is again, blatantly untrue. For instance, at the beginning of AOTC, Dooku is still spoken of highly long after he has left the Order - the Jedi are reluctant to even entertain the idea that he could be behind the attack on Padmé. The Sith are for one thing, not necessarily ex-members of the Order, and for another, they’re "shunned" because they're going around torturing and murdering people, not because of heretical views on the Force. We see in TCW that the Jedi Order co-exists peacefully with other Force traditions, even dark-sided ones like the Nightsisters.

Another claim he makes is "There aren't any checks and balances for the Jedi Council", which is again, untrue - the Jedi are accountable to the Senate, and, if anything, that arrangement is skewed in favor of the Senate, because the Senate is not truly accountable in turn. The Jedi Council is ultimately pressured into decisions against its will, especially as the war goes on – most notably, Anakin’s appointment to the Council in ROTS.

He is critical of the Jedi taking in children, but the same can be said of any adoption - simply taking in children is not, in of itself, cult behavior, or else every adoptive family is a cult. The approach the author of this video takes to this category is too broad and does not adequately establish how to distinguish cults preying on children from healthy child-rearing.

He then claims that Jedi are expected to obey unquestioningly – but I disagree that this is evidenced in the source material. The Jedi are expected to respect their elders but we don't see harsh punishment for disobedience or dissent, merely disapproval. For instance, the most trouble Qui-Gon, as a noted maverick, gets is some exasperated side-eye. Similar to the previous claim, the approach the author takes is too broad and doesn’t distinguish a cult’s expectation of obedience from a parent’s expectation of obedience.

He claims that the Jedi control clothing and hairstyle - this is misleading at best. While the padawans all are expected to wear the braid, the hairstyle isn't set beyond that (many species don’t even have hair!), and even with the Jedi sporting a traditional outfit, we see their robes and tunics come in many different shades and colors. Some forgo the traditional robes all together, such as Ahsoka Tano, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, some of them even wearing the ornamentation of their homeworld cultures on top of that (again, Ahsoka, Luminara, and Barriss Offee, and Depa Billaba, and Shaak Ti...).

Sith are, again, not ex-members as the video-author implies, and again, the issue with them is the torturing and murdering and enslaving people, not simple philosophical differences. The Jedi are perfectly allowed to speak with outsiders and presumably critics of their Order; they just don’t want to let a bunch of genocidal despots have their way with the galaxy. The video also makes an unfair assumption that Jedi can't get information from outside sources; there is no evidence for this – in fact, we see in AOTC that Obi-Wan turns to an outside source when he can’t get the results he wants from the Temple droids, and even trusts that outside source over contradicting information coming from within the Temple’s information base (i.e., the existence of Kamino – he does not simply accept that Kamino doesn’t exist, he seeks further wisdom on the matter).

The video-author completely omits the fact that Palpatine is arrested not merely because of being "on the dark side", but because the man had orchestrated a war for his own sake and was attempting to turn the Republic into a dictatorship under his control. That is a very good reason to arrest someone.

Regarding the good versus evil section - first of all, the Jedi in the first six films never once refer to "the light side". Not once. I don’t recall if it came up in TCW (aside from the beings on Mortis, but they are not Jedi), either. Luke does refer to the "good side" in the OT but his teachers don't call it that. This point also goes against the visual metaphors that Lucas makes use of: “Color plays an extremely important part. The bad guys exist mostly in a black and white world; the good guys live in an organic world of browns and greens. Philosophically the bad guys live in an absolute world of black and white, where the good guys live in a more naturally nuanced world.” - George Lucas, the Making of ROTJ. The Jedi’s belief system is more nuanced than “this is good” and “this is bad”, and their rules and Code are not purely about morals.

The video goes back to the identity thing – but as I've already said, several Jedi are seen wearing the garments and ornamentation of their birth cultures. They also keep their birth names, and seem to value names highly given how they approach the clone troops under their command. Here’s a good post going into that even more.

The "Code" and swearing-in ceremonies he cites are not used in the films or TCW. I’m not sure where the swearing-in is sourced from, either, and the “Code” is a meditation mantra.

The things the Jedi say are not to stop complex thought – his example of Obi-Wan even at once point telling Anakin to “use the Force! Think!”, indicating that he would like for Anakin to think things through – he echoes this later in ROTS, trying to get Anakin to consider the Chancellor’s suspicious behavior. There’s also the fact that the way Yoda speaks is by George Lucas's own words, designed to get people thinking about what Yoda is saying.

Comparing meditation to hypnosis is...completely uncharitable.

And again with the emotions thing - at no point are any emotions labeled evil, nor do they avoid them - they are expected to be mindful (i.e. cognizant) of them, and to not let those emotions rule their actions. There is nothing to indicate that their teachings are the most uncharitable and extreme interpretation you can take from their words (as this video does) instead of a reasonable and healthy approach to self-control that is actually valuable psychologically.

His final claims repeat the earlier claim of “shunning” - again, there is no evidence for this behavior towards non-believers, especially as we see them having friends outside the Order. And at no point does anyone say that there is no happiness outside of the Order.

I hope I addressed all his points and sufficiently explained why they don’t match up with what we see in the source material. If you want further reading on how the Jedi actually function, with robust sources, I recommend checking out @gffa’s reference guide for the current continuity. There is also my “in defense of the jedi” tag, which collects my and others’ meta posts on the Jedi, their philosophies, and actions.

[clonewarsarchives]

Inside 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'

By: Gerri Miller  (original article link on howstuffworks)

Sources

George Lucas interviewed August 4, 2008

Dave Filoni interviewed September 11, 2008

The sci-fi phenomenon that began more than 30 years ago with a movie about a galaxy long ago and far, far away has expanded exponentially ever since with sequels, prequels, books, games and animated spinoffs. Although the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" movie, released this summer, has to date grossed a less than stellar $34 million, it was an offshoot of creator George Lucas' mission to create a TV series, and it served its purpose as a promotional tool for the weekly "Clone Wars" episodes that premiere on Cartoon Network Oct. 3, 2008.

Focused on the conflict briefly referred to in the original "Star Wars," the galactic civil war takes place in the period between "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." The Clone Wars pit the Grand Army of the Republic led by the Jedi Knights against the Separatists and their Droid Army, led by Count Dooku, a Jedi turned Sith Lord aligned with the evil Darth Sidious. Many of the characters from the "Star Wars" universe are involved, including Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and young Anakin Skywalker, before he was tempted to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader.

"I was lamenting the fact that in 'Episode II,' I started the Clone Wars, and in 'Episode III,' I ended the Clone Wars, and I never actually got to do anything on the Clone Wars," says Lucas. "It's like skipping over World War II."

To remedy that omission, he tapped Dave Filoni, an animator (Nickelodeon's "Avatar: the Last Airbender" series) and passionate "Star Wars" fan, to bring "The Clone Wars" to TV.

Ensconced at Big Rock Ranch, near Lucas' Skywalker Ranch headquarters in Marin County, Cali., Filoni and his team of artists and computer animators are making 22 episodes in season one and have nearly two more seasons written.

"We're way ahead. We've been doing this ever since I finished 'Revenge of the Sith,'" says Lucas, who hopes to do at least 100 installments.

He and Filoni collaborate on everything from story to design to execution in translating the "Star Wars" universe for television. It's a daunting creative, technical and logistic task, as we'll explain in the following sections.

Building the Universe

How do you scale down an IMAX-size spectacle for television and still have it make an impact, especially on a small screen budget? That's just one of the problems Dave Filoni has to solve.

"'Star Wars' is very famous for the scale of it, and how convincing it looks. So when you're doing a weekly television series, you have to figure out how to do things on that level," he notes. "Sometimes it forces you to be creative and come up with solutions that are better than if you can shoot everything you want," he continues, preferring to consider budgetary constraints a creative incentive rather than a limitation. "The team here is challenged to come up with these giant battles. We haven't shied away from anything."

While he did some of the initial character design, subsequently, Filoni has spent most of his time supervising other artists and animators, who number around 70 in-house and another 80 or so at facilities in Singapore and Taipei.

"Everything is written here, and the story and design and editing are all done here. The animation and lighting are done overseas, and sometimes some modeling as well," he outlines.

­"I meet with George to talk about the episodes and he hands out a lot of the storylines and main ideas for the stories. I'll draw while he's talking and show him the sketch," Filoni continues. "That way we communicate right off the bat about what something might look like."

At any given time, the director notes, episodes are in various stages of completion, "from designing to working on a final cut, or adding sound and color-correction. I have four episodic directors to help me, who each have an episode they're managing."

Rather than use computer animation to duplicate the live-action films' characters or continue in the very stylized vein of the 2004-2005 "Clone Wars" micro-series, "We kind of shot for the middle," says Filoni, who endeavored to blend a 2-D esthetic with 3-D technology.

"The 3-D model makers and riggers who worked on the prequels dealt with the height of realism to create convincing digital characters. I knew that we weren't going to be able to do that for the series. And we wanted it to be different than a live-action feature, to get away from photo-realism. It was a choice to simplify something in the character models, the same way we would do things in a 2-D show."

So how did Filoni stay true to the "Star Wars" legacy in this newest installment? Read on to find out.

Clone Style

Taking some inspiration from the earlier cartoon series, Filoni

approached the characters as a 2-D animator would, "but stylized the face a little more. If you look at Anakin, he has certain edges and lines in his face. I would draw an edge or a line that might be unnaturally straight or curved, and that would play into the lighting of it. I tried to sculpt in 3-D the way I would draw or sculpt an image in 2-D, with shadow and light. I wanted it to look like a painting -- you see a textured, hand-painted style on every character. I have texture artists who literally paint every single character right down to their eyeball, because I wanted that human touch on everything."

Advances in computer animation have allowed Filoni to accomplish much more than he would have been able to in traditional 2-D. "For eight years I worked just with a pencil. I never touched a computer. But working with George, we try to look at computers as an incredibly advanced pencil. The technical side helps the creative, artistic side," he says.

Battles filled with huge numbers of soldiers can be rendered faster than ever before, but they still have to be created, along with every other prop and character in an enormous universe. "'Star Wars' is so complex in that you're building a whole galaxy. We go to many different planets," Filoni reminds. "So every rock, tree, blade of grass, native vehicle -- every asset -- needs design. We had to create a whole bunch of assets for each episode, and the budget goes up for each element you have. Once you build it, you have it, but we can't go to a different planet and have the same chair there," he laughs. "On a schedule where we need those things right away, it's difficult to get it all built."

Since "The Clone Wars" is chronologically sandwiched between "Clone Wars" and "Revenge of the Sith," it has been a mandate for the creators to stay consistent with the mythology. "That's probably one of the trickiest things," admits Filoni. "We always have to keep in mind what the characters are thinking and feeling at the beginning of this and at the end. You have a lot of room to play with when you're in the middle, but you have to remember what people say in the third movie. With characters like Obi-Wan or Anakin or Padme, I have to pay very careful attention that it will hook up. And then there's the expanded universe of "Star Wars" novels and video games. I try to be aware of it all and work it in, because fans really appreciate it."

Filoni hopes to attract existing fans and create new ones, especially among the younger generation, but admits doing the latter may be easier. "One thing we have that's different from any movie that came before is we're an animated series. But there's an instant reaction to the word animation that it's for kids. How you get around that is with the stories you tell. We'll have our snow battles and we'll also have our lighter 'Return of the Jedi' moments. Some episodes lean older, some younger. But in the end it has a broad appeal," he believes.

The recent "Clone Wars" movie (out on DVD Nov. 11 ) served as a stand-alone prequel to introduce the characters at this point in time. In contrast, "The series has its small arcs and shows you the war from across a broad spectrum of episodes. It's not just Anakin Skywalker's story," Filoni underlines. "We can go left or right of that plot and deal with characters we have never seen. There's a lot of material. It's a three-year period in the history of the 'Star Wars' Universe, and there are so many stories to tell. The longer it goes, the more chance we get to tell fascinating stories in that galaxy."

Character Study

"The Clone Wars" shows a different side of some of the film franchise's most iconic characters. "In a series, you can do a whole episode about a character and learn more about what they were like, which makes what happens to them a lot more poignant," explains Filoni. "We know Yoda is powerful, but how does that power develop? How does he use it? We get to go into more detail that you just couldn't do in the live action films, because they're mainly focused on Anakin."

While few of the actors from the live action movies agreed to reprise their roles in voice over for "The Clone Wars," Anthony Daniels, the original C-3PO, is the exception. "One of the special moments for me was hearing Anthony on the telephone, discussing C-3PO with me and his experiences. That really helps us round out the characters," says the director, who enjoyed similar input from Rob Coleman, the animation supervisor who worked on Yoda on the prequels.

Of the new characters not seen in the live action series, there's the alluring but venomous Asajj Ventress, a disciple of Count Dooku. "She is, of course, a villain, and fits into the structure of the Sith," Filoni elaborates. "Darth Sidious -- Senator Palpatine -- is the main bad guy, and his apprentice is Count Dooku. Dooku is training Ventress in the Dark Side. She's getting more powerful. I wanted to make her intelligent, deceptive and also kind of sexual. She's kind of a forbidden fruit -- Jedi are not supposed to get involved with the more lustful aspects of life. She adds another dynamic to the series."

On the other side of the good/evil coin is newcomer Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's teenage pad­awan, or apprentice. "She's Anakin's student and helps us see him as more of a hero," says Filoni. "Once he gets over his initial reaction, he takes pride in her. He's unpredictable and the Jedi know that, but he has compassion and that is used against him and it later brings him to the Dark Side."

Ahsoka was created, says Lucas, "Because I needed to mature Anakin. The best way to get somebody to become responsible and mature is to have them become a parent or a teacher. You have to think about what you're doing and set an example. You look at your behavior and the way you do things much differently. The idea was to use her to make Anakin become more mature. We've made her a more extreme version of what Anakin was- - a little out there, independent, vital and full of life, but even more so. He gets a little dose of his own medicine."

"She's been a really fun character to develop," adds Filoni, who likes Ahsoka but admits that his character tastes tend to run a bit more obscure -- his favorite is Plo Koon, "a bizarre Jedi Master. It's been fun to develop him and show his personality beyond the fact that he's bizarre looking and carries a lightsaber."

Fan Fare

Just three years ago, Filoni dressed up as Plo Koon to see an opening night showing of "Revenge of the Sith," so it's not surprising that the 34-year-old fan is still pinching himself that he has this job. "It's a very creative atmosphere," he says of Big Rock Ranch, where the lakeside setting is "meant to inspire us artistically and definitely does. A lot of the people I work with grew up with 'Star Wars,' so we have a great time. It's hard, intense work, but George is very engaged in what we're doing. What more could you ask for? I have the guy who created the 'Star Wars' universe excited and interested in what we're doing. We couldn't be happier about that."

Asked why he thinks "Star Wars" remains a fan favorite today, three decades later, Lucas says diversification is the key. "We were always able to deal with different aspects of the story in various forms and I think that keeps it alive. It is a lot of fun and it's a universe that has been created to inspire young people to exercise their imagination and inspire them to be creative, and I think that always works."

"The original 'Star Wars' had broad appeal to everybody, and it holds up so well," adds Filoni. "I think there's a timelessness to it, even though Luke looks like a kid from the '70s with that haircut. Luke is a farmer boy and Han is a cowboy. Jedi Knights are like the samurai of Japan or the knights of Europe. Those archetypes work the globe over. It's a world phenomenon that speaks to everyone. There will always be a character you can relate to."