#and that translates how we interact with art and media today as well

[cult--of--hypnos]

You don't have to, no. I mean, usually you also don't read a book in one entire go. And although there is such a thing as binge culture, we used to not watch a show in one sitting too. It's fine to pace stuff, if it means you'll appreciate the art more.

i can't believe the tiktokification of music has led to people saying an album with a one hour runtime is too long

[animanga-bc-tournament]

What is animanga Before Crunchyroll

This is a period in time roughly from 2005-2014 when the world is fully post-internet and Japanese anime and manga was already fully integrated into international youth culture and readily available to people outside of Japan.

Animanga fans had access via legal offline channels such as: television, home video, libraries, and bookstores. And illegal online channels such as: Youtube, pirate streaming sites, and torrenting. It is also a period with a sudden change in our general media viewing and reading habits impacted by events and technological innovations like the 2008 financial crisis, the introduction of social media as a primary way to be online, smartphones, and the slow death of live TV

Why start this period in 2005?

This page will be primarily dedicated to the English language distribution and fandom around anime and manga. By this point in time we are well beyond the stage of “evangelizing” animanga as mediums and a canon of “must watch/read” series has already been established.

The above mentioned channels were well established and readily accessible. Depending on where you lived you had a higher chance of being able to go to the bookstore and read the latest Fruits Basket volume, go to anime conventions, watch anime on TV, or join your school’s anime club, than in say 1996. The media industry in several countries outside Japan has or will soon start investing in the distribution of translated animanga for the first time ever. The US manga bubble spearheaded by Tokyopop is also still a few years from bursting.

From this point on online fan communities dedicated to anime and manga also steadily expanded via forums, database sites, to eventually meme aggregator sites, or facebook groups around 2010. In 2005 Geocities pages dedicated to sharing information are mostly dead and platforms such as Livejournal become the new place to engage in fan activities and access unofficial translations until the site was en masse abandoned following its 2009 acquisition by SUP Media

Why end this period in 2014?

Short version: 2014 is when the Naruto manga ended a mere 2 years after the Bleach anime ended its Japanese broadcast. Marking the end of the chapter on a seemingly endless period where every week without fail you could expect not just a new chapter of the manga, but a new episode of the anime version for the mega hits Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. Kids today will thankfully never know what it was like for years have all of these series as a constant presence in 2 mediums simultaneously. This trio was controversially called the “Big 3” by fans. I could also easily leave it to the fact that of course after 9 years fans have obviously grown up and moved on and the face of the industry itself is completely different. But was just the medium that changed? What about the way international fans interacted with it? I will now present my case on why we can use the popularity of Crunchyroll as a service to make a pre- and post- era in the way international fans consumed animanga.

When the US manga bubble burst after the 2008 financial crisis there was a massive shift in which manga was licensed. The publishers that survived the collapse had to downscale their output leading series to be cancelled or go out of print for several years. The cost of manga also went up turning translated print manga into bigger investments for consumers. Another major shift is online fan translations (scanlations) becoming more prominent and accessible, with new aggregator sites appearing one by one. Not only could you read as much manga as you wanted for free with unedited art and a translation that felt more “authentic”. The high output from the fan translators revealed not just how much manga was not being licensed; the international publishers were often really far behind and much slower than the original Japanese serial.

The popularity of scanlations has always caused obvious tension to the decisions on what US publisher would license as companies like Viz Media and Vertical inc repeatedly expressed the belief that fans would never buy a title they already read for free online. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that as the fansubbers of the 1990s proved, unpaid fan translators were and still are the most significant tastemakers and gatekeepers of Japanese media for an international audience.

This sets the stage for what i personally believe forever changed the way international fans watch anime (and in turn read manga): social media and the premiere of Kill la Kill and Attack on Titan. Prior to this the average international animanga fans experienced anime rather delayed. There is little awareness of what was actually new in Japan and to the average fan watching anime recommended in online or offline communities may have been enough. But how many official channels like TV, video rentals, and home video sales were actually available as distributors went out of business or lost their licenses how was a fan supposed to watch the series they wanted to see? And what if you didn’t even live in a country with any of these official channels? Fansubs or DVD rips uploaded to Youtube, torrenting sites, or other unauthorized streaming aggregators successfully democratized access to anime for anyone with a stable internet connection. The high output of fansubbers just like scanlators also revealed again just how far behind the official channels were. Why wait for the right to purchase something when you know you want it and can just get it for free online?

Enter Crunchyroll: the site was founded in 2006 as a for-profit media hosting site for east asian media. A lot of the media hosted was unauthorized and illegal but some distributors chose to look the other way. This was until Crunchyroll started securing more and more funding in turn letting them enter legal partnerships and distribution deals. Eventually striking gold with partnership with Studio Gonzo and the acquisition of the Naruto Shippuden anime rights. Eventually all unauthorized media was removed from the site as they built a catalogue of anime for consumers to legally stream, at a price. In parallel to this, by 2012 fansubbers could and were expected to keep up with just about every new anime airing in Japan.

Another change happened in our daily lives: smartphones became a piece of technology most people owned. And the abrupt consumer shift from live TV to streaming was right around the corner.

A gradually acquired awareness of just how far behind and slow official “legal” channels were was already completely reshaping the way the most avid fans viewed anime. So was our new phones. The smartphone wasn’t just good for watching anime while you were away from home it also made reading manga online an even easier experience. How were the official distributors supposed to compete with this?

Unfortunately most pirate streaming sites were slow to implement players that functioned on smartphones, Youtube was also not far from implementing an aggressive DMCA strike system preventing new anime uploads. A service like Crunchyroll became more and more attractive as it was available in almost any region outside of Asia. With a big catalogue of titles that put Netflix and hulu to shame and a smartphone app that worked smoothly, it didn’t seem like a bad deal for people who wanted to watch anime on their phones or other devices, not to mention the premium gave you HD quality. A luxury the illegal sites couldn’t always grant. And it offered what previously only fansubbers could: you got to see brand new episodes of subtitled anime only an hour after it aired in Japan. It’s second major selling point to younger and less financially free individuals was that free users could watch as much as they wanted as long as they sat through ads, were fine with SD quality, and being 1 week behind on brand new anime.

Socially the immediacy and size of large scale social media like Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter cultivated bigger and bigger and more public communities. It became more and more commonplace to not just watch and read whatever was recommended to you but to keep up as well as finding the next cool thing before anyone else. So what channels would keep you updated on everything new? Trustworthy sources were for many still difficult to discern. More and more fans were watching new anime at the same time as Japanese viewers via illegal and legal channels, but what would it even look like if everyone watched the same show the same time as Japanese viewers?

When Attack on Titan premiered in April of 2013 we learned. Its immediate success was unprecedented and shocking. In a matter of weeks previously unprecedented changes happened within the official channels. Not only could the US industry observe how overnight every online community was discussing this new series, Crunchyroll who streamed the series from episode 1 could provide them the actual numbers proving its success. For the first time the dub specialists Funimation would offer an unsubtitled and ongoing series for sale on iTunes. Kodansha America as well had lucked out by licensing the manga over a year prior giving the US industry another rare example of how a successful anime can give a previously niche series an unprecedented boost in sales. For fansubbers and anime and manga aggregators to keep up if a hit like this was to occur again they had to somehow work faster than Crunchyroll, or just steal from them.

Attack on Titan i think was the first time such a huge group of people all at once learned and experienced how to keep up with a brand new anime and still ongoing manga. October the same year Kill la Kill, an original story and the first work by Studio Trigger directed by the already acclaimed Hiroyuki Imaishi premiered. Once again there was an unprecedented amount of attention from international fans given to a series that was still airing in Japan. This new desire to be part of a series as it was happening was not just significant to the way international fans started viewing and evaluating anime and manga but also new opportunities for the industry to make a profit by investing more and more into “simultaneous” streaming

I didn’t read all that, sorry

Fans come to expect instant access to brand new anime and manga -> Crunchyroll is the only service able to fulfill that expectation and can do it faster than a fansubber -> in 2013 an unprecedented hit opens the eyes of the industry and anime fans alike -> now discussions and trends among international fans of anime and manga is more than ever centered around what’s “new”, a huge shift from when awareness around “newness” was vague or less relevant to how international fans interacted with animanga

How will you qualify an anime or manga as B.C. (Before Crunchyroll)

This blog and its polls will be primarily centered on the offline and online English speaking fan communities. English Second Language speakers are included in this.

Any survey will include works that received translations (official as well as unofficial) into the English language. And with consideration of these criteria

If anime: did it air on TV in the US, Canada, UK, or Australia? If so when and through which channels. Because the aforementioned delays in distribution this will matter more than when it first aired in Japan. I will continue to make 2005 my start point but exceptions might be made for series that were in some way rereleased or put in long term syndication. 2014 is the end point because of the above mentioned changes in how a lot of us watched anime was completely changed by this point in time.

Did it receive a fansub? When and by which group(s)? Identifying the groups also allows us to map out who were the tastemakers and what they wanted to make accessible to other fans. This is very key for anime that sustained popularity despite not being accessible through official channels for extended periods in the years 2005-2014. Also if you don’t live in the countries listed above it was most likely the only way you watched anime.

How often did it appear in “Anime is life” collages? (VERY IMPORTANT DATA!! how else are we supposed to quantify its cultural impact)

If manga: was it licensed by a US publisher? If so when and by who? This also matters more than when it was serialized in Japan. Viz Media’s Shojo Beat and Shonen Jump, and Tokyopop’s catalogue are very defining of the first half of this era and shaped our manga starter pack years after they stopped existing.

Did it receive a scanlation? When and which group(s)? Once again key to identifying the true tastemakers starting around 2010. Scanlations were not just key in bringing fans brand new manga hot off the Japanese presses faster than a US publisher could, but was very important in making manga that were neglected by publishers accessible in English.

Any criteria you want to suggest or already use yourself to determine eras of animanga? Or perhaps your own memories of this time? Feel free to share!!

[transformativeworksandcultures]

CFP: AI and Fandom

Unfortunately, this special issue will not be moving forward. All submitted pieces are being considered for our general issue. 

Due in part to well-publicised advancements in generative AI technologies such as GPT-4, there has been a recent explosion of interest in – and hype around – Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Whether this hype cycle continues to grow or fades away, AI is anticipated to have significant repercussions for fandom (Lamerichs 2018), and is already inspiring polarised reactions. Fan artists have been candid about using creative AI tools like Midjourney and DALL-E to generate fan art, while fanfiction writers have been using ChatGPT to generate stories and share them online (there are 470 works citing the use of these tools on AO3 and 20 on FanFiction.net at the time of writing). It is likely the case that even greater numbers of fans are using such tools discreetly, to the consternation of those for whom this is a disruption of the norms and values of fan production and wider artistic creation (Cain 2023; shealwaysreads 2023). AI technology is being used to dub movies with matching visual mouth movements after filming has been completed (Contreras 2022), to analyse audience responses in real-time (Pringle 2017), to holographically revive deceased performers (Andrews 2022; Contreras 2023), to build chatbots where users can interact with a synthesised version of celebrities and fictional characters (Rosenberg 2023), to synthesise celebrities’ voices (Kang et al. 2022; Nyce 2023), and for translation services for transnational fandoms (Kim 2021).

Despite the multiple ways in which AI is being introduced for practical implementations, the term remains a contested one. Lindley et al (2020) consider “how AI simultaneously refers to the grand vision of creating a machine with human-level general intelligence as well as describing a range of real technologies which are in widespread use today” (2) and suggest that this so called ‘definitional dualism’ can obscure the ubiquity of current implementations while stoking concerns about far-future speculations based on media portrayals. AI is touted as being at least as world-changing as the mass adoption of the internet and, regardless of whether it proves to be such a paradigm shift, the strong emotions it generates make it a productive site of intervention into long-held debates about: relationships between technology and art, what it means to create, what it means to be human, and the legislative and ethical frameworks that seek to determine these relationships.

This special issue seeks to address the rapidly accelerating topic of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning (ML) systems (including, but not limited to Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Large Language Models (LLMs), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and speech, image and audio recognition and generation), and their relationship to and implications for fans and fan studies. We are interested in how fans are using AI tools in novel ways as well as how fans feel about the use of these tools. From media production and marketing perspectives we are interested in how AI tools are being used to study fans, and to create new media artefacts that attract fan attention. The use of AI to generate transformative works challenges ideas around creativity, originality and authorship (Clarke 2022; Miller 2019; Ploin et al. 2022), debates that are prevalent in fan studies and beyond. AI-generated transformative works may present challenges to existing legal frameworks, such as copyright, as well as to ethical frameworks and fan gift economy norms. For example, OpenAI scraped large swathes of the internet to train its models – most likely including fan works (Leishman 2022). This is in addition to larger issues with AI, such as the potential discrimination and bias that can arise from the use of ‘normalised’ (exclusionary) training data (Noble 2018). We are also interested in fan engagement with fictional or speculative AI in literature, media and culture.

We welcome contributions from scholars who are familiar with AI technologies as well as from scholars who seek to understand its repercussions for fans, fan works, fan communities and fan studies. We anticipate submissions from those working in disparate disciplines as well as interdisciplinary research that operates across multiple fields.

The following are some suggested topics that submissions might consider:

The use of generative AI by fans to create new forms of transformative work (for example, replicating actors’ voices to ‘read’ podfic)

Fan responses to the development and use of AI including Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT (for example, concerns that AO3 may be part of the data scraped for training models)

Explorations of copyright, ownership and authorship in the age of AI-generated material and transformative works

Studies that examine fandoms centring on speculative AI and androids, (e.g. Her, Isaac Asimov, WestWorld, Star Trek)

Methods for fan studies research that use AI and ML

The use of AI in audience research and content development by media producers and studios

Lessons that scholars of AI and its development can learn from fan studies and vice versa

Ethics of AI in a fan context, for example deepfakes and the spread of misinformation 

Submission Guidelines

Transformative Works and Cultures (TWC, http://journal.transformativeworks.org/) is an international peer-reviewed online Gold Open Access publication of the nonprofit Organization for Transformative Works, copyrighted under a Creative Commons License. TWC aims to provide a publishing outlet that welcomes fan-related topics and promotes dialogue between academic and fan communities. TWC accommodates academic articles of varying scope as well as other forms, such as multimedia, that embrace the technical possibilities of the internet and test the limits of the genre of academic writing.

Submit final papers directly to Transformative Works and Cultures by January 1, 2024. 

Articles: Peer review. Maximum 8,000 words.

Symposium: Editorial review. Maximum 4,000 words.

Please visit TWC's website (https://journal.transformativeworks.org/) for complete submission guidelines, or email the TWC Editor (editor@transformativeworks.org).

Contact—Contact guest editors Suzanne Black and Naomi Jacobs with any questions before or after the due date at AIandFandomTWC@gmail.com. 

Due date—Jan 1, 2024, for March 2025 publication.

Works Cited

Andrews, Phoenix CS. 2022. ‘“Are Di Would of Loved It”: Reanimating Princess Diana through Dolls and AI’. Celebrity Studies 13 (4): 573–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2022.2135087.

Cain, Sian. 2023. ‘“This Song Sucks”: Nick Cave Responds to ChatGPT Song Written in Style of Nick Cave’. The Guardian, 17 January 2023, sec. Music. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/17/this-song-sucks-nick-cave-responds-to-chatgpt-song-written-in-style-of-nick-cave.

Clarke, Laurie. 2022. ‘When AI Can Make Art – What Does It Mean for Creativity?’ The Observer, 12 November 2022, sec. Technology. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/12/when-ai-can-make-art-what-does-it-mean-for-creativity-dall-e-midjourney.

Contreras, Brian. 2022. ‘A.I. Is Here, and It’s Making Movies. Is Hollywood Ready?’ Los Angeles Times, 19 December 2022, sec. Company Town. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-12-19/the-next-frontier-in-moviemaking-ai-edits.

———. 2023. ‘Is AI the Future of Hollywood? How the Hype Squares with Reality’. Los Angeles Times, 18 March 2023, sec. Company Town. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-03-18/is-a-i-the-future-of-hollywood-hype-vs-reality-sxsw-tye-sheridan.

Kang, Eun Jeong, Haesoo Kim, Hyunwoo Kim, and Juho Kim. 2022. ‘When AI Meets the K-Pop Culture: A Case Study of Fans’ Perception of AI Private Call’. In . https://ai-cultures.github.io/papers/when_ai_meets_the_k_pop_cultur.pdf.

Kim, Judy Yae Young. 2021. ‘AI Translators and the International K-Pop Fandom on Twitter’. SLC Undergraduate Writing Contest 5. https://journals.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/slc-uwc/article/view/3823.

Lamerichs, Nicolle. 2018. ‘The next Wave in Participatory Culture: Mixing Human and Nonhuman Entities in Creative Practices and Fandom’. Transformative Works and Cultures 28. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2018.1501.

Leishman, Rachel. 2022. ‘Fanfiction Writers Scramble To Set Profiles to Private as Evidence Grows That AI Writing Is Using Their Stories’. The Mary Sue, 12 December 2022. https://www.themarysue.com/fanfiction-writers-scramble-to-set-profiles-to-private-as-evidence-grows-that-ai-writing-is-using-their-stories/.

Lindley, Joseph, Haider. Akmal, Franziska Pilling, and Paul Coulton. 2020. ‘Researching AI legibility through design’. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-13). https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376792 

Miller, Arthur I. 2019. The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Noble, Safiya Umoja. (2018) Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York, USA: New York University Press.

Nyce, Caroline Mimbs. 2023. ‘The Real Taylor Swift Would Never’. The Atlantic, 31 March 2023. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/03/ai-taylor-swift-fan-generated-deepfakes-misinformation/673596/.

Ploin, Anne, Rebecca Eynon, Isis Hjorth, and Michael Osborne. 2022. ‘AI and the Arts: How Machine Learning Is Changing Artistic Work’. Report from the Creative Algorithmic Intelligence Research Project. University of Oxford, UK: Oxford Internet Institute. https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/reports/ai-the-arts/.

Pringle, Ramona. 2017. ‘Watching You, Watching It: Disney Turns to AI to Track Filmgoers’ True Feelings about Its Films’. CBC, 4 August 2017. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/disney-ai-real-time-tracking-fvae-1.4233063.

Rosenberg, Allegra. 2023. ‘Custom AI Chatbots Are Quietly Becoming the next Big Thing in Fandom’. The Verge, 13 March 2023. https://www.theverge.com/23627402/character-ai-fandom-chat-bots-fanfiction-role-playing.

shealwaysreads. 2023. “Fascinating to see…” Tumblr, March 28, 2023, 11:53. https://www.tumblr.com/shealwaysreads/713032516941021184/fascinating-to-see-a-take-on-a-post-about-thehttps://www.tumblr.com/androidsfighting/713056705673592832?source=share

[mikeyisbrooklyn]

I think it is very funny that I just had this conversation with myself (I’m a voice actor, of course I talk to myself) earlier today. Specifically, how the idea that “devs should be able to make the games they want” is a valid rebuttal to “games should be made more accessible”. So I’m taking this as a sign to pop off, so this is gonna be a rant. Buckle up.

So first things first, no, game devs should not be able to make the games they want if it makes their game less accessible intentionally. Hot take, right? Nah, it isn’t actually and here’s why.

Video games are a form of entertainment and a form of art, and while normally I’m of the opinion that artists get to make whatever they want, video games are different. Cause they’re

✨Interactive✨

Follow my train of thought here. Interactive media is defined by the way an audience can, well, interact with it. Specifically, if you interact with a work and it changes, or reacts to your action in some way, then it’s interactive. Books, movies, shows, music, etc. all those art forms aren’t interactive. You can engage with that kind of media— that goes into how your perception of it may change over time or if how your analysis of it may impact how the themes and messages translate for you blah blah blah, different rant for a different day. But you can’t interact with it.

Video games, however, are interactive. That means, in simpler terms than stated above, you can do things to/with them and they will react. You can’t read a sentence in a book wrong and then it suddenly closes on you, but one mis-input in that platformer leads you straight to a GAME OVER screen. To bring up OP’s point, you can pause a movie or TV show with ease and just come back to it if you’re suddenly swept away. But if you can’t pause a video game without risk of losing progress, but you need to put your attention elsewhere, well then that’s just inaccessible game design.

And now we circle back to the main main point: Accessibility.

Taking into account what we just talked about, it’s obvious to connect the need of accessibility in interactive media, but I will gladly spell it out to anyone who hasn’t picked it up yet.

Interactive media (video games) requires audience (player) input to convey its themes and tell its stories. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. If you’re still not following, let’s make up an example turning non-interactive media interactive. Let’s say there’s a mystery novel that has a secret passages throughout the story pages that can only be seen using a blacklight, and each copy of the book is sold with a pen that doubles as a blacklight when you click it. Sounds cool, right? Now imagine that instead of selling the pens with the book, the author doesn’t, and they also never even elude to the exist of the secrets. Now, the only way anyone is going to be able to interact with entire sections of the book is if they already have a blacklight lying around (what are you? a cop?) or they go out and buy one once the secret’s been spread around the internet.

In the example, you can try and say that “that makes it fun and challenging” and if you do say that, I seriously cannot help you understand the difference between challenging and inaccessible, because those two things do not need to be mutually inclusive. If people literally cannot interact with your interactive storytelling, then something has gone wrong. When you’re making something with the explicit purpose that people need to interact with it, then you need to make sure they actually can. And if the only way you can imagine making it difficult is by making it literally impossible to do (at least, for large groups of people), then maybe it’s not actually challenging, it’s just frustrating and you’re conflating the two.

All that to say, no game devs can’t make games with poor design choices and cover it up with “cause I wanna!” unless they are literal toddlers, I guess. Accessibility is not some annoying extra step that takes away the challenge from games. It should be something you consider from the very inception of game development so that you’re able to tell your story, no matter who’s picking up the game. Then you can leave it up to them on how they feel about said story, and hey if you do it right, they be clamoring for a sequel!

TL;DR

All, yes all, games should be accessible. It’s literally the point of video games to interact with them, so it’s on the devs to make sure players can.

Unpopular opinion: All games should have the option to enable pausing.

And to save almost everywhere.

Yes even in soulslike games.

I am an adult who has a full time job and responsibilities. I get to play maybe an hour a week. I do not want to lose that hour of progress because devs decided 'pause' was not allowed in their game and I had sudden unexpected things come up that meant I had to quit the game without saving/leave it playing and hope enemies wouldn't respawn.

Also it would massively increase accessability. I have fully working non-injured hands and they still need a break after a tough boss fight. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for people with joint pain, arthritis, etc, etc.

[my-music-1460]

The Art of Music Video Distribution: Strategies for Success

In the modern music industry, distributing your music video has become as much an art as creating the music itself. With countless videos uploaded daily, standing out requires a well-thought-out strategy that blends creativity and marketing acumen. Whether you're an emerging artist or an established musician, understanding how to distribute your music video effectively can make all the difference in reaching a broader audience. In this article, we delve into the nuances of music video distribution, exploring innovative strategies and creative approaches that can elevate your video and resonate with viewers.

Creating a Unique Brand

Branding is a crucial aspect of music video distribution. Your brand is more than just a logo or a color scheme; it’s the identity that sets you apart from other artists. This identity should be reflected in your music videos, from the visual aesthetics to the storytelling elements. For instance, think about how you can incorporate consistent themes, color palettes, and visual motifs that align with your brand. A cohesive brand identity helps create a memorable experience for viewers, making it easier for them to recognize and connect with your work.

Visual Storytelling

The power of visual storytelling in music videos cannot be overstated. A compelling narrative or a unique visual concept can captivate viewers and leave a lasting impression. Consider exploring different storytelling techniques, such as nonlinear narratives, metaphorical imagery, or even silent storytelling where the visuals carry the narrative weight. The key is to create a video that not only complements the music but also adds a new layer of meaning to it. Engaging visuals can also enhance the shareability of your video, encouraging fans to spread the word.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Collaborating with other artists, brands, or creators can significantly amplify your reach. Whether it's featuring a fellow musician, collaborating with a popular YouTube creator, or partnering with a brand for product placement, these collaborations can introduce your music video to new audiences. Additionally, partnerships can offer valuable resources, such as access to professional production facilities or marketing support. The key is to find partners whose brand and audience align with your own, ensuring a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Marketing Beyond Borders

In today’s globalized world, music knows no boundaries. Distributing your music video internationally can open up new markets and fanbases. Platforms like YouTube and Vevo have a global reach, making it easier to connect with audiences worldwide. However, consider tailoring your marketing strategies to different regions. This might include translating subtitles, collaborating with local influencers, or promoting your video on region-specific social media platforms. Understanding the cultural nuances and preferences of different markets can help you make a more significant impact.

Engaging with Fans

Fan engagement is a critical component of music video distribution. The more engaged your fans are, the more likely they are to share your video and spread the word. Utilize social media platforms to interact with your fans, whether through live streams, Q&A sessions, or exclusive behind-the-scenes content. Encourage fans to participate in challenges or contests related to your music video, such as creating cover versions or dance routines. Building a strong fan community not only boosts your video’s visibility but also fosters loyalty and support.

Leveraging Analytics

Understanding and leveraging analytics can provide valuable insights into your video’s performance. Platforms like YouTube offer detailed analytics that can help you track metrics such as views, watch time, and audience demographics. Analyzing this data can reveal which parts of your video resonate most with viewers, allowing you to refine your future content. Additionally, consider using social media analytics to track engagement and sentiment around your video. These insights can inform your marketing strategies and help you better understand your audience.

Conclusion

In the competitive world of music, knowing how to distribute your music video effectively is as important as the music itself. By embracing creative branding, compelling visual storytelling, strategic collaborations, and targeted marketing, you can ensure that your video reaches and resonates with a wide audience. Remember, the art of music video distribution lies in balancing creativity with strategy, making every release an opportunity to connect with fans and share your unique artistic vision. As you continue to explore innovative ways to distribute your music video, keep experimenting and adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape.

[shosiblog]

Why Content is Important in Digital Marketing

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, content remains a cornerstone of successful strategies. High-quality content not only attracts and engages audiences but also drives conversions and fosters brand loyalty. In this blog, we will explore why content is crucial in digital marketing and how it can propel your business to new heights.

1. Content Builds Trust and Credibility

Creating valuable, informative, and engaging content helps establish your brand as an authority in your industry. When you consistently provide content that addresses the needs and pain points of your audience, you build trust and credibility. This trust translates into customer loyalty and can significantly impact purchasing decisions.

2. Content Drives Organic Traffic

Search engines favor websites that regularly publish relevant and high-quality content. By incorporating SEO best practices, such as using targeted keywords, optimizing meta tags, and creating valuable backlinks, your content can improve your website’s search engine rankings. Higher rankings lead to increased visibility and organic traffic, which can result in more leads and conversions.

3. Content Engages Your Audience

Engaging content captures the attention of your audience and encourages them to interact with your brand. Whether it’s through blog posts, social media updates, videos, or infographics, content provides a platform for meaningful interactions. Engaged audiences are more likely to share your content, expanding your reach and attracting new potential customers.

4. Content Educates Your Audience

Content is an excellent tool for educating your audience about your products, services, and industry. Informative content, such as how-to guides, tutorials, and case studies, can help potential customers understand the value of what you offer and how it can solve their problems. Educated customers are more likely to make informed purchasing decisions and become loyal advocates for your brand.

5. Content Supports Other Digital Marketing Strategies

Content is the foundation of many other digital marketing strategies, including social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising. Quality content can be repurposed and shared across various platforms, ensuring a consistent message and enhancing your overall marketing efforts. For example, a well-written blog post can be shared on social media, included in an email newsletter, and used as a basis for a paid ad campaign.

6. Content Encourages Conversions

Effective content guides your audience through the buyer’s journey, from awareness to consideration to decision. By addressing their questions and concerns at each stage, you can nurture leads and encourage conversions. Calls to action (CTAs) within your content can prompt readers to take specific actions, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or making a purchase.

7. Content Enhances Customer Relationships

Content allows you to communicate with your customers regularly, providing them with valuable information and updates. This ongoing communication helps strengthen customer relationships and fosters a sense of community around your brand. By responding to comments and feedback, you can show that you value your customers’ opinions and are committed to meeting their needs.

Conclusion

Content is an indispensable component of digital marketing, offering numerous benefits such as building trust, driving organic traffic, engaging and educating your audience, supporting other marketing strategies, encouraging conversions, and enhancing customer relationships. By investing in high-quality content and leveraging it effectively, you can achieve your digital marketing goals and grow your business.

Ready to master the art of digital marketing and create compelling content?

Enroll in the Best Digital Marketing Course in Erode today and take your skills to the next level!

[insdpcmc-24]

Exploring Pathways: Interior Design Styling Course, MBA in Fashion Design, and M.Des in Animation

In today's rapidly evolving creative landscape, specialized education can be a transformative step towards a rewarding career. Courses in interior design styling, fashion design, and animation offer unique pathways to blend creativity with practical skills. Here, we explore three distinctive educational opportunities: an interior design styling course, an MBA in fashion design, and an M.Des in animation.

Interior Design Styling Course

Interior design styling is an essential aspect of the broader field of interior design, focusing on the art of arranging and accessorizing spaces to enhance their aesthetic appeal. An interior design styling course typically covers topics such as color theory, furniture arrangement, lighting, and the selection of decor elements like art, textiles, and plants.

Students learn how to create cohesive and visually appealing environments, paying attention to both function and style. They are trained to work with clients, understand their preferences, and translate these into elegant, well-styled spaces. The curriculum often includes practical projects that simulate real-world scenarios, allowing students to develop their unique styling sensibilities.

Graduates of an interior design styling course can pursue careers as interior stylists, decorators, or staging professionals, working in residential, commercial, or retail settings. This course is perfect for individuals with a keen eye for design, a passion for aesthetics, and a knack for creating harmonious spaces.

MBA in Fashion Design

An MBA in fashion design combines the creative aspects of fashion with the strategic and managerial skills necessary for leadership roles in the fashion industry. This program is designed for those who aspire to take on high-level positions in fashion companies, such as brand managers, creative directors, or entrepreneurs.

The curriculum typically includes core business subjects like marketing, finance, and management, along with specialized courses in fashion design, merchandising, and trend analysis. Students learn how to navigate the complexities of the fashion market, develop innovative business strategies, and lead creative teams.

Through case studies, industry projects, and internships, students gain a deep understanding of the fashion industry's business side. An MBA in fashion design is ideal for individuals looking to combine their passion for fashion with strong business acumen, preparing them for dynamic and influential roles in the industry.

MDes Animation

A Master of Design (M.Des) in animation offers an advanced education in the art and technology of animation. This program provides a comprehensive understanding of animation techniques, storytelling, character design, and visual effects. It is designed for students who aspire to create captivating animated content for films, television, video games, and digital media.

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including 2D and 3D animation, motion graphics, interactive design, and animation software like Maya and Adobe After Effects. Students are encouraged to develop their unique artistic style and bring their creative visions to life through various animation projects.

An M.Des in animation also emphasizes the importance of storytelling and narrative structure, helping students create compelling and engaging content. Graduates can pursue careers as animators, visual effects artists, game designers, or animation directors, working in animation studios, game development companies, or as freelancers.

[anaseoservices0]

Understanding the Power of Effective Brand Management Services

In today's competitive marketplace, the strength of your brand is more than just a logo or a catchy slogan—it's a vital component of your business's success. Brand management is the art of creating, developing, and maintaining a brand so that it resonates with current and prospective customers, fostering loyalty and recognition. This process is crucial for businesses seeking to secure a significant place in their market segment. Through strategic brand management services, companies can greatly enhance their reputation and visibility.

What are Brand Management Services?

Brand management services encompass a variety of activities aimed at improving a brand’s value and market position. These services involve careful analysis and planning to create a positive perception of the brand among its audience. Effective brand management not only focuses on dealing with competitive markets but also aims at aligning the brand’s identity with the company’s objectives, ensuring consistency across all marketing channels.

Why Invest in Brand Management?

Consistency Across All Touchpoints: A consistent brand message across all platforms increases recognition and fosters trust among consumers. Whether it’s your website, social media, or advertising, each interaction tells part of your brand’s story.

Customer Loyalty and Retention: Strong brands create emotional connections with their audience, which can translate into higher customer retention rates. People are more likely to remain loyal to a brand that consistently meets their expectations and values.

Differentiation from Competitors: In a crowded market, a well-managed brand can stand out from competitors. It becomes not just about the product or service but about the overall brand experience that you offer.

The Role of SEO in Brand Management

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component of digital brand management. It helps ensure that when people look for products or services similar to what you offer, your brand appears prominently in search engine results. This visibility is essential for building brand awareness and credibility online. Integrating SEO strategies with brand management enhances your market reach and customer engagement, which is vital for long-term success.

AnaSEO’s Approach to Brand Management Services

At AnaSEO, we understand that brand management is about much more than surface-level aesthetics. It’s about deeply ingrained values and consistent experiences that resonate with your target audience. Our brand management services focus on developing these aspects, ensuring that your brand’s presence is powerful and positive.

Key Elements of Our Brand Management Strategy:

Brand Identity Development: We help articulate your brand’s core values, personality, and unique selling propositions. This foundation is crucial for any further marketing and communication efforts.

Reputation Management: Online reputation can make or break a brand. Our services monitor and enhance how your brand is viewed online, addressing any negative perceptions proactively.

Strategic Content Creation: We create content that speaks your brand’s language, designed to engage and convert. This includes everything from website content to social media posts, all crafted to echo your brand’s tone and message.

How to Get Started with AnaSEO?

Embarking on a journey to refine your brand management strategy with AnaSEO is straightforward. Our team of experts is ready to assess your current brand position and tailor a strategy that aligns with your business goals. With a focus on tangible results and strategic growth, partnering with us means investing in a future where your brand not only survives but thrives.

In conclusion, effective brand management is an ongoing process that requires attention to detail, strategic planning, and continuous improvement. By leveraging professional brand management services, you can ensure that your brand remains relevant and strong, regardless of market changes. With AnaSEO, your brand is positioned to achieve greater heights—discover how our services can transform your brand today.

[ascendantgb]

The Art of CEO Branding: Building a Legacy Beyond the Boardroom

In today's dynamic business landscape, the role of a CEO extends far beyond steering a company's strategy or balancing the bottom line. With the rise of social media and the increasing importance of corporate transparency, the CEO's personal brand has become a powerful asset, capable of shaping public perception, attracting top talent, and even influencing market trends. In this article, we delve into the art of CEO branding, exploring why it matters and how leaders can craft a compelling personal brand that resonates with stakeholders both within and outside their organizations.

The Evolution of CEO Branding

Gone are the days when CEOs could afford to operate behind closed doors, shielded from the public eye. In today's hyper-connected world, stakeholders expect more from their corporate leaders—they want authenticity, purpose, and a clear demonstration of values. As a result, CEOs are increasingly stepping into the spotlight, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and industry conferences to share insights, engage with audiences, and champion causes they believe in.

Why CEO Branding Matters

Trust and Reputation: A strong CEO brand can enhance trust and credibility, both internally among employees and externally with customers, investors, and partners. When a CEO is seen as authentic and values-driven, it fosters a sense of trust and loyalty that can translate into long-term success for the company.

Talent Acquisition and Retention: In today's competitive job market, top talent seeks more than just a paycheck—they want to work for companies with purpose-driven leaders who inspire them. A well-crafted CEO brand can attract top talent, serving as a powerful recruitment tool and helping to retain existing employees who are proud to be associated with the company.

Influence and Thought Leadership: CEOs have the opportunity to shape industry conversations and influence public discourse on key issues. By establishing themselves as thought leaders in their respective fields, CEOs can position themselves—and by extension, their companies—as industry innovators and experts, driving market trends and setting the agenda for the future.

Crafting Your CEO Brand

Define Your Values: What do you stand for? What principles guide your decision-making? Your CEO brand should reflect your authentic self and the values that drive you personally and professionally.

Tell Your Story: Every CEO has a unique journey that has shaped their perspective and leadership style. Share your story—your triumphs, challenges, and lessons learned—to humanize your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Be Consistent: Consistency is key to building a strong CEO brand. Whether you're posting on social media, speaking at a conference, or interacting with employees, ensure that your messaging and actions align with your brand values and reinforce the narrative you're trying to convey.

Engage Authentically: Authenticity breeds trust. Engage with your audience in a genuine and transparent manner, whether it's through thought-provoking content, candid conversations, or meaningful interactions. Show that you're not just a figurehead, but a real person who cares about the issues that matter.

Case Studies in CEO Branding

Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX): Known for his bold vision, unconventional approach, and active presence on Twitter, Elon Musk has built a larger-than-life CEO brand that transcends the companies he leads. Despite occasional controversies, Musk's authenticity and passion for innovation have garnered him a devoted following and helped propel his companies to new heights.

Indra Nooyi (Former CEO, PepsiCo): As one of the most influential female CEOs in corporate America, Indra Nooyi's brand was built on her leadership style characterized by empathy, resilience, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Through her thought leadership and advocacy work, Nooyi left a lasting legacy that extends beyond her tenure at PepsiCo.

The Road Ahead

In an era defined by rapid change and unprecedented challenges, the role of the CEO has never been more crucial. By embracing the power of CEO branding, leaders can not only enhance their own reputations but also drive positive change within their organizations and communities. As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility"—and today's CEOs have an unparalleled opportunity to leverage their influence for the greater good, leaving behind a legacy that extends far beyond the boardroom.

Top of Form

[thankskenpenders]

Today’s new Frontiers article from IGN is the one I’d most been hoping for - an interview with Ian that clears up his role working on this game

As I’ve said many times before, the job of “writer” can mean many different things in the world of video games. Sometimes they’re creatively responsible at a high level, but other times they’re just charged with filling in the dialogue for an adventure that already exists. Even in recent years on the Sonic series, Pontac and Graff have had more involvement in some stories than others, despite being credited as the writers for all of them. So the big question was always how much input Ian would have on Frontiers. Well, now we have an answer:

“With the other tie-in media, I’m the one to pitch the story, the characters, the themes, etc. With Sonic Frontiers, SEGA provided the story, backstory, plot beats, usable characters, and so on. So it was a very different approach to telling a Sonic story than what I’m used to.

“All that aside, it was a dream come true to work on a major Sonic titles like this, and an incredible learning experience. I hope everyone enjoys what I was able to bring to the table.”

This has me slightly disappointed on some level, as I really would like to see what Ian could do when given the reigns, but I get it. Video games have a ton of moving parts, and they need to budget out things like level art and character models ahead of time. You can’t always just let the writer come in and say they want to add more characters or plot beats, because that means more work for everyone else. And in a series like Sonic, the gameplay is going to come first, with a story conceived to fit the desired mechanics

That being said, other things in this interview do have me excited:

“Sonic, Tails and Amy embark for the Starfall Islands to investigate the disappearance of the Chaos Emeralds. Things take a turn for the dramatic immediately, and Sonic is left alone with a lot of questions. The story is his journey to uncover all the mysteries of the islands, rescue his friends, and discover how everything ties together.”

"’Melancholy’ is a good word for the story overall. Sonic’s indomitable spirit carries him throughout the adventure, and it’s what allows him to help each of his friends as they tackle their own personal challenges. Someone else you encounter will have their very identity shaped by their interactions with Sonic, which isn’t always a comfortable process. Then there’s the secrets of the Starfall Islands themselves and how the tragedies of the past have led to the adventure today. Sonic’s ‘never say die’ attitude is certainly put to the test.”

“For new players, I hope they enjoy their time with Sonic, get to know his friends, and are satisfied with the journey to uncover all the mysteries of the game. For veteran players, I hope they enjoy the individual character arcs and the threads I tried to weave between Sonic Frontiers and the rest of the Sonic Series.”

While it might not be a plot Ian came up with, it sounds like he may very well be the right man for the job with this one. We’ve known for a bit that the story would be more serious than what we got in the 2010s, with Ian comparing it to the games of the ‘00s and the IDW comics on the BumbleKast, but I’m very excited for Sonic Team to try telling a story like this again, and for Ian to be the one steering the characterization and writing the dialogue. (I do wonder if they decided to reach out to Ian specifically because of the tone shift.) He just gets the characters, being able to do both hard-hitting character drama and genuinely funny comedy with them, and it sounds like he has decent leeway on that front

(He also makes it sound like he had some involvement in figuring out the pacing of the story as development progressed, so it definitely doesn’t sound like he was just hired to translate an existing Japanese script. He has input, even if most of the big picture was decided on by other people.)

Like, I’d love to see Ian conceive a whole Sonic game story from scratch. But one of my favorite things he’s ever done, Archie Mega Man, is largely just Ian fleshing out the character work in a storyline that already existed. And that’s my favorite take on the Mega Man story! We’re not at the finish line yet with Frontiers, but Ian’s involvement here and the type of story they’re telling - one that seems to skew much more sincere than cynical - has me excited for the possibilities. Between this and the many hands-on previews saying the game is genuinely fun when it’s in your hands, I’d say I’m officially allowing myself to be excited for this

[somerabbitholes]

Hi!How are you ? I wanted to ask you about something. I would appreciate any info you can provide on this or anything related to this. If you're busy i totally understand. No worries.

I learnt about this today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTXNm8psak1/?utm_medium=copy_link

Why was this history never taught, never spoken so much. Like it was non existent. It broke my heart to read about this. What do you think about this and the lack of knowledge about this? Don't such stories matter? Is it because they were women? The boisterous freedom speeches describing colonialism, our history textbooks so many media outlets but i hear this story today!!!??

Please suggest any books that i can read to learn more about this and stories most of the history books leave out.

Thank you.

hello! i’m sorry this took long, it’s festival season and i’ve been busy at home.

if you mean why it wasn’t taught in schools, then that’s a tricky question. because on the one hand these are obviously very important stories and school textbooks have typically had biases that need correction, but also on the other hand, school textbooks would typically be devoid of the nuance you learn in college while studying labour and everything. this history is taught in college, and has in fact been a pretty big deal for the past fifty years when you’re studying colonialism and gender or labour histories. there is also always new research being done on this in academia, and always new books being written on this. feminist and subaltern history has in fact done wonderfully well in indian academia. so, you know, we talk about it all the time in college.

not all of it always translates into popular histories — which i’m guessing is what you mean by why this is never talked about — and why that doesn’t happen is complicated. sometimes there is obvious politics, like how with the freedom movement the congress occupies most of the space (you can guess who that helps), or how tribal leaders are hardly ever mentioned; or how with medieval india the north is prioritized and the south or the northeast largely ignored. but also, more importantly, there is always new work being done, there are always new sources that someone accesses, and in that sense no work of history is complete, because something more could be discovered that changes everything. and because the time we live in changes, older sources are always being read and reread and lead to new interpretations: like recently queer histories have grown, so we’ve gone back to ancient hindu and indic writings and combed through them again with a clearer picture of what to look for.

and that’s something that has been happening lately; there have been more diverse stories written and brought into the mainstream over the last seven-ish years. these are the most recent ones that have been well-received —

the coolie's great war: indian labour in a global conflict, 1914-1921 by radhika singha: about the non-combatant indian labour that was part of the first world war; looks at how the war was fought on the backs of such labour

lady doctors: the untold stories of india's first women in medicine by kavitha rao: how women became doctors and accessed medicine in the 19th century; looks at how they navigated caste, family, gender tensions

makers of modern dalit history by sudarshan ramabadran and guru prakash paswan: short biographical collection about people who have been important to dalit history; also looks at how dalit agency worked in modern india through these stories

 ayo gorkhali by tim i. gurung: it’s about the gorkha kingdom, the people, and particularly how they were militarized during the encounter with the british

most of these build on the academic work that has existed since about the 1980s in india —

elementary aspects of peasant insurgency in colonial india by ranajit guha: looks at how peasant consciousness developed in colonial india, it’s a pioneering book, and ranajit guha gave birth to subaltern studies so a classic, really. his other work is great too, and if you want a more theoretical work, check dominance without hegemony

labour matters: towards global histories by sabyasachi bhattacharya: an anthology about global labour and also about how history needs to be transnational, especially while studying things like mobility

castes of mind by nicholas dirks: about how caste identities and categories were created/reinforced in colonial india and its implications for modern india

an endangered history by angma dey zhala: it’s about the chittagong region and how religion, colonialism, culture, and ethnicity interacted and how european encounter changed (or not changed) the region

ayahs, lascars, and princes by rozina visram: about indians in britain during the empire days, probably the most relevant to what you asked

thuggee by kim wagner: about banditry in 19th century india and how it emerged in the specific context created by colonial socio-economic policy; how it was further criminalised

for popular histories you can keep track of publishers, that way you’ll know anything new that’s being written. aryan books does indic histories, navayana is great for all writings on dalit history; then there are the big ones who are better with popular history (penguin, harper collins, rupa etc). academic publishers (oxford and cambridge university presses, springer, brill, routledge etc) are also good if you’d like conventionally academic writing.

and also lastly, the instagram page that you got your story from is great! there are so many of these coming up lately who bring history and heritage into the mainstream and they’re every bit as important! here are some favourites — 

ancient indian art

itihasology (bonus points because they’re friends!)

pangsau history project

the heritage lab

india lost and found

i hope that helps clear things up for you :)

[etherealjaunt]

Should I get this cookie run game? I'm interested to know what it's like and I'm looking for an experienced person to ask if they reccomend it or not

It’s a bit long but i hope this gives you a clear idea of what the games are like as well as the company behind them: Cookie Run Ovenbreak (the “main” game): Gameplay: - 2d side scroller - you run and collect jellies/points - 2 main keys: jump/slide - each cookie has different perks and abilities - compete in races where the winner with a higher score gets rewards - compete in guild races with other members to beat other guilds for rewards - events and new cookies released often PROS: - cute art, music, and characters - fun for a while CONS: - extremely grindy, it became a chore really fast and i dreaded playing it - it’s PAY TO WIN if you’re a new player and haven’t invested a lot of time yet to make it “bearable” - new cookies are generally the “META” meaning you need them to score well (thus P2W) - it can be difficult to keep up/score well enough if you fall behind because of the constant new “you must get this new cookie” updates - events are very repetitive Yes/No? I personally would say no after playing it for a while. It maybe fun for the first while but it gets grindy and boring. == Puzzle World (the “match 3″ game): Gameplay: - matching game - unlock/use cookies with different abilities/power ups PROS/CONS: - i can’t really list these since i’m not interested in matching games Yes/No? If you’re into matching games and you like characters then sure ==

Cookie Run Kingdom (the farm/pvp game): Gameplay: - new, so easy to catch up atm - farm resources to create items - decorate your kingdom with buildings and deco items - small pool of cookie characters (for now) - pvp system with a customizable team of cookies to fight each other - story/lore to follow with story map - dialogue and voices available - each cookie has different skills and stats - frequent events - guilds will probably be released soon PROS: - one of the easier and more ‘forgiving’ type farm games - very cute art, music, and characters - many interactions you can do with the cookies and the decorations/buildings - combat system is fun - clear timeline of events and upcoming events CONS: - it crashes so damn much - it’s imbalanced in terms of cookies, (ex. you ABSOLUTELY NEED espresso to win) - not as P2W as ovenbreak CURRENTLY, but i do see the possibility since that’s how they messed up their old game Cookie Wars - unclear at times and has translation errors (ex. details about the buff items for pvp is inconsistent with KR text) - it’s not very balanced with overall character skills and items (ex. attack speed is kind of useless but they still make it a “thing”, and crit resist)

Yes/No? If you’re really interested in trying the cookie run games, this is probably the one you should go for. It’s still new (released in late january 2021) so it’ll be easy for you to catch up. You can get a head start when things become more P2W (which they most likely will) But be prepare for crashes and frequent long maintenances. == Devsisters (the company itself): Before deciding, I think it’s good to also know a bit about the company. I want to make it clear that they are not an indie company. It is a corporation that is owned and run by men. The management team behind this company purposely chose the name Devsisters as a marketing tactic so investors and customers were “more likely” to choose to work with them when they think the company is run by women. They have a very long history of showing misogyny within their games despite the cute characters and supposed representation. If you want to read about it in detail, you can check it out here:

{{WARNING: it may be upsetting and have sensitive content such as clear misogyny and homophobia}}  twitter(DOT)com/I_love_My1a/status/1360645981918744578 (Also just in case someone tries to argue since it has happened) Many KR players HAVE contacted the team about these issues a long time ago. The company waited a long time and MASS REPLIED to all reports with the SAME COPY AND PASTE MESSAGE of in a nutshell: “sorry we can’t do anything”. But are super quick to take action when men are mocked/insulted in usernames/messages == Conclusion: What i’m trying to say is, if you do decide to play the games or just join in the fandom(+ consume the cute character content), it’s good to be aware that the people managing it may not be genuine and the games can be quite P2W.

Some players found it difficult to keep playing or staying with the series after these many incidents came to light, some found it even difficult to join the fandom...

They are not much different than the big triple A game companies that have a long history of questionable actions/decisions behind closed doors. (cough blizzard+riot)

The artists and the creative team themselves are still the MVP of the company and the reason why the game is still alive today. (I truly think they’re just trying to do what they can to make a living since it is quite difficult to get an art type job especially in South Korea with so many competitors) 

I personally refrain from purchasing too much and think that it’s best to directly support the artists of the team since they do have their own personal social media online.

*~*~*~*TL;DR*~*~*~* It’s a cute game but you don’t need to play it to enjoy it. I personally think that the main success factor are their characters, which you can very well enjoy them on their own without touching the games at all. I hope this was informative and helpful for you! FINAL NOTE: I want to clarify that most of what I said are my opinions only. BUT the contents of the link and the history of the company is real. The evidence is mostly in that tweet but also deeper if you want to look further.

[spatort]

I’m at my parents’ house and I have too much time on my hands apparently, so it’s time for a trip down memory lane! More specifically, a trip into the weird world of 1990s for-profit teen idol RPF, such as this beauty:

No, I did not find this at my parents’ house, I bought it second-hand specifically in order to make this post because I’m a person who enjoys studying fan culture in her free time. So, if you’re wondering what the hell the monstrosity pictured above is, and why it exists, don’t worry, I’m about to answer that question extensively.

LONG (AND HOPEFULLY FUN & INTERESTING) POST UNDER THE CUT

Let’s start with a bit of history: In the pre-internet era, fan culture differed from today in a few key regards. Although fanfiction existed, without the internet it was much harder for fans to share their stories with each other. Large fandoms such as Star Trek did have fanzines where fanfic could be printed, but all in all it was a much more niche thing than it is today with millions of fics accessible on AO3.

Fan culture in general, however, was a big thing in the 90s – particularly when it came to pop acts that appealed to teen (and tween) audiences, such as the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls, or (mostly in Europe) the Kelly Family. When I was in elementary school, you basically had to pick whether you were a BSB or an NSYNC fan – and god forbid you were a Kelly fan like me, then you were the lowest rung on the social ladder and the target of relentless mockery. Like many German kids in the 90s, me and my sister would religiously read teen magazine BRAVO, cut out every single bit of material about our faves and collect them in folders and self-made fanzines. We created fan art and fanfiction without having words for these things. Without the internet and social media, fans did not have a constant stream of content about their idols, and were left with no other choice but to cling to every bit of information they could find in magazines, on TV shows, or on the radio.

Enter a savvy businessperson who comes up with the perfect merchandise product to sell to these popstar-obsessed teens: fan novels! These books, featuring taglines such as ‘The novel for all Backstreet Boys fans’, typically revolved around a relatable female teenage protagonist who is a fan of the celebrity or music group in question, and usually ends up meeting their idol or, gasp, even becoming romantically involved with them. As far as themes go, they look pretty much exactly like your classic self-insert RPF. Except there is a big difference setting these books apart from ‘actual’ fanfiction: Rather than being written by real fans to express their ‘fannish’ feelings about the subject, fan novels were most likely commissioned works created by professional romance authors purely to profit off of actual fans. There is very little background information available about this ‘genre’, but I did stumble across an academic work on Google Books which featured a passage about these fan novels (translated into English by me):

There are several commissioned works by professional authors, which could be mistaken for fanfiction. Especially in the 1990s, when lots of boy bands were on the market, many books of this kind were published. […] These are fictional stories for fans [redacted].

Jennie Hermann: Backstreet Girl. Projektionsfläche Popstar - Wenn der Fan zum Schriftsteller wird (2009) [Popstar as Projection Surface – When fans become writers]

One of the things I find most intriguing about this type of commercially published fanfiction is the question of personal rights. Obviously, the celebs in question or their management must have consented to using their names in the story, their pictures on the cover and so on – because a profit could be made with this. Especially with the fan debate around RPF allegely being unethical, I wonder if the celebrities themselves were aware someone was writing these stories about them, putting words in their mouth, and if they had any clue what exactly happened in these novels. Now, I’ve read a couple of them in my own youth. Some of them deal mostly with the state of being a fan, e.g. I recall a novel about a girl who is so obsessed with Leonardo Di Caprio that she doesn’t pay attention to real life guys at all, only to learn that her actual dream boy has been in her life all along! This story did not feature Di Caprio himself as a character, it was more about the protagonist’s arc of realizing your idols are not all that matters in life. Others do describe fan encounters with teen idols, and some even feature (hints at) romance with a celebrity. When I decided to purchase a vintage copy of one of these books, I opted for one of the latter category, precisely because of the popular argument that writing romance stories featuring real people is somehow ‘wrong’. For only a couple of euros, I was able to get my hands on a weird and wonderful relic of fan culture: Mein Frühling mit Nick (My spring with Nick) by the likely pseudonymous Maxi Keller, heralded on the book cover as ‘the novel for all fans of the Backstreet Boys’.

The story revolves around 16-year-old musical prodigy and designated wallflower Katharina, who lives in a German small town and cares about nothing else than playing the organ – certainly not about boys, let alone ones that are super-famous American pop stars. This means she is not initially a fan of the Backstreet Boys, which I guess is something of a trope itself – the protagonist meeting a celebrity by chance without knowing who they are and the celeb being thrilled that someone doesn’t just like them for their fame. Anyway, the boys visit Katharina’s hometown while on tour in Germany because band member AJ is doing some research on his German ancestors who happened to live in this very town. Katharina runs into them, she and Nick (who was only 17 himself when this was published in 1997, so it’s legal) fall in love at first sight, she helps them dig up information on AJ’s ancestors and finds out the two of them are related, the boys invite Katharina and her friend Saskia backstage after their show and … nothing happens. The book is 200 pages long and Katharina doesn’t even get one kiss with her boy band sweetheart, even though they mutually crush on each other right away. Perhaps that’s as far as the band or their management agreed for the novel to go – a hint at romance, but no trace of any on-page action, no matter how innocent.

That said, the book is so hilariously poorly written that it was still very entertaining to read. Although I could not find out anything about the author Maxi Keller, and therefore assume this might be a pseudonym, their writing style very much suggests that their are a professional romance author who usually writes for an older audience (plus, the book was published by Bastei Lübbe, who also publish a range of cheap romance novels known as ‘Romanhefte’). The language is extremely flowery at times, and even teenage characters speak with an eloquence that is hardly age-appropriate, with some 90s teen slang peppered in at unfitting times (such as the overuse of the English word ‘girl’). Often the novel loses itself in pointless detail that does nothing to move the plot forward (such as an extensive description of a house party hosted by Saskia’s rich parents, with minute details of their luxurious lifestyle and assets, even though Saskia is only a supporting character in the overall plot). It appears as if the author is desperately trying to fill the pages with meaningless drivel so they don’t need to write too many scenes featuring the presumed main attraction, the boys themselves.

If Keller was indeed merely hired to write this, and is not a fan themselves, one must still admit that the author did their research when it comes to the band. Whereas fanfiction typically assumes that the audience is already familiar with the characters and often skips any introductory descriptions of their appearance or personality, Keller makes sure that even a reader who is completely unfamiliar with the Backstreet Boys can keep up. The author delivers extensive descriptions of the boys’ appearance and demeanor, even spelling out their full names repeatedly, and frequently peppers in ‘fun facts’ such as ‘Kevin was raised on a farm in Kentucky’. While an actual fan might do so to prove how knowledgeable they are, and earning their status as a ‘true fan’, in this case it only seems like Keller really wants to show off how much research they did – as if not a single piece of information they took in must go to waste by not being used in the novel.

When it comes to the question how realistically the non-fannish author replicates the way the boys act and speak, there are two barriers to delivering a well-founded answer: Firstly, I was personally very young when BSB were popular and I really don’t remember too well what each member was like. Secondly, the elephant in the room: the language barrier. All of the aforementioned fan novels were written in German, and the problems posed by writing about an English-speaking band interacting with German OCs (and teenage ones at that) are addressed poorly, if at all. Pretty much all dialogue is written in German, and the audience is left to assume that everyone is actually speaking English whenever the boys are involved – except the novel does nothing to explain why two 16-year-old German girls would be able to express themselves so effortlessly in a foreign language. (Remember, the internet was not a thing, so German kids were not exposed to the same amount of English in everyday life as they are these days.) It would have been easy to make one of them a language nerd who gets straight A’s in English class, and give the other a British parent and make them bilingual. Instead, Katharina initially even worries about the prospect of having to talk to boys at all, and in English on top of that! But when she actually does, the language barrier never comes up again. The suspension of disbelief expected from the reader is therefore immense. The language barrier also gives the author an easy way out when it comes to imitating the way the boys speak in real life – there is no need to take into account idiolects or regional differences (such as ‘you guys’ vs. ‘y’all’) if the boys’ speech is essentially translated into a foreign language. However, I wanted to give you guys (or y’all, if you will) a taste of how Keller attempts to write a scene where AJ and Nick discuss the latter’s crush on Katharina:

I would argue that this sounds realistic enough for what it’s worth, if a little cheesy, which is excusable in this genre. Perhaps a true 90s BSB fan would beg to differ, so if you happen to be one, feel free to drop me a message. But in my semi-professional opinion, this most likely holds up for readers.

So, to answer the initial question that drove me to purchase this book: Do fan novels like Mein Frühling mit Nick count as fanfiction?

If we assume that something is only a fanfic if the author themselves is a fan of the subject matter, then I would argue no, Maxi Keller is probably not a fan themselves and therefore this work of for-profit real-person fiction does not qualify as fanfic. However, fan novels definitely have a (however small) place in the history of fan culture and fan-adjacent works, and I personally found reading this relic both entertaining and insightful!

[irichika013]

0. Introduction + Trivia

A bit about the person behind the blog:

I am super new to C-drama as a whole and have never properly used tumblr in my life...but I fell in love with this series one whole year later than the rest of the world, and am devastated to see that the 3rd canon pairing of the series is barely discussed. Thus I have made it my mission to leave their footprint in the English fandom! 

(I spent the last 5 months reading the novel 3+ times and going through all the analysing/fan theory posts on Lofter and Weibo...so most of the opinions I've forms stem from there and I take zero credit for noticing all the details, I thank the fandom for that! Being multilingual means that I can read both sides of the comments but it hurts to see that I can’t share them T.T)

15/07/21 EDIT:

So I have been informed that they are actually pretty well received by international fans and is a rather popular pairing! But there seems to be some misunderstanding that they're not canon :P

I'm still super bitter that there's a grand total of one fic and one piece of art on AO3/tumblr by the time I came around to finding the series though T.T  From all the youtube comments and discussion threads I've found on google they still need a little bit of a push and there's still a meaning for this blog, and I just enjoy writing about them...so stay tuned!

About the pairing:

I have a few theories as to why they're so overlooked compared to the other two:

1. As side characters, they barely have any screen time compared with CFT and SXR as is. They also never got the official confirmation like Lord Qi and Jiu Lang from the books where they were compared to CFT and SXR who were clearly lovers.

2. Their story is almost split into 2, with the novel mainly showing XQS's seemingly unrequited love, but the drama ties everything together and Du Qi gives his reply.

3. In the 6 deleted episodes, there's at least 2, possibly 3, scenes that are super important to their relationship and character development. So much got taken out that it even affected the average viewer's experience with the main plot.

Plus the story is written mainly in SXR/CFT POV so the author hid their relationship so well... They're super subtle, but if you take a moment to properly read their interaction, it's quite obvious that they're not just friends.

As mentioned above both the novel and the drama illustrated their relationship in a different way (likely because they had to tone down a LOT of things due to the censorship so it can actually be filmed/aired, or that the author wanted to complete their untold story in the form of the drama) and it's very interesting to see how the information from both mediums comes together to paint the full picture!

I will be posting translations of snippets of the novel, some important transcript from the drama, additional information regarding deleted scenes and writing posts to summarise the information to lead to my final conclusion that is also the title of this blog.

Trivia: 

For those who didn't know, the author of the novel, Shui Ru Tian Er was one of the three scriptwriters for the drama series, so we can see this as everything that transpired in the drama having the seal of approval and is pretty much canon.

Another scriptwriter, Jiu Ren, is an editor who produces fan-edit videos on the Chinese media site, Bilibili. In 2017 she released a fan-made PV of Winter Begonia using footage from other dramas starring Yin Zheng (Andrew Yin) as Shang XiRui and it was her recommendation that brought us the Boss-Shang we know today.

[tearsofthemis]

Tears of Themis : Chapter 2 “Unbearable Love“ Part 6

[Previous Chapter] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part] 

▌Location- Exhibition Hall

(The nameless student I met earlier brought me to the new exhibition hall, and it was there that I met Mo Yi by chance.)

Mo Yi: “Good morning, MC.”

MC: “Good morning, Dr. Mo.”

???: “He’s the one that invited you?”

(Mo Yi noticed the student standing beside me, and his smile waned.)

Mo Yi: “Lu JingHe, you came. Well, that’s to be expected, considering the art gallery is hosted at your school, you’ll surely be in attendance.”

Lu JingHe: “Mo Yi…” MC: “Lu JingHe!?”

(Our firm’s collaborator, PAX Group’s acting CEO, Lu JingHe?! This is my first time seeing Lu JingHe in person, although his pictures have been plastered all over entertainment and economics forums.)

MC: (So this is Lu JingHe. The same person that was being talked about on the news app?!)

(I guess my shock was pretty evident. Mo Yi looked at me and seemingly read my mind.)

Mo Yi: “That’s right, it’s the same Lu JingHe that you’ve heard about on the news, in the flesh.”

MC: “You two… know each other?”

(I looked between Mo Yi and Lu JingHe and noticed that… Lu JingHe’s behavior expressed his desire to be anywhere else but here, near Mo Yi.)

Lu JingHe: “Who in their right mind would be excited to see their private tutor?”

(Private tutor? Mo Yi is younger than Lawyer Zuo, so Lu JingHe must be in his twenties. That’s not much of an age gap…)

Mo Yi: “He just came back from studying abroad. He graduated ahead of his class and is in the process of completing his masters at Stellis University. His father stressed the importance of understanding human psychology, and thus, I became his private tutor. His father thought he wouldn’t listen to an old professor, so he requested for me.”

MC: (Am I just too open with my thoughts, or are you guys just that observant? You just answered all my questions without me even asking…)

Lu JingHe: “Hiring an older professor sounds great right about now.”

Mo Yi: “Thank you for showing my partner the way, but we’ll be departing for the art gallery now. Have a good day.”

Lu JingHe: “I wanna see the gallery too. Let’s go together?”

Mo Yi: “...Kids these days sure are clingy.”

(Lu JingHe’s raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything. However, Mo Yi’s expression, on the other hand, changed.)

MC: “Dr. Mo, what....”

(I followed Mo Yi’s line of vision and noticed a police officer approaching us. Lu JingHe’s back was facing the officer. He was armed and not just any ordinary officer.)

Mo Yi: “It would appear that our plans to visit the gallery will be cut short.”

MC: “Lu JingHe, behind you…”

(He must have guessed from my pale complexion that something was up. With a raised eyebrow, Lu JingHe turned to face the officer currently displaying his badge to us.)

Yan Wei: “I’m Yan Wei, Captain of Stellis Criminal Police Task Force. Are you Mr. Lu JingHe?”

Lu JingHe: “That’s me.”

Yan Wei: “Saturday, that is, yesterday from 9 PM until 2 AM, where were you?”

Lu JingHe: “I was attending a business reception at Manney Hotel. I left at around 7 PM and went home. Once there, I retired to my art studio.”

Yan Wei: “This business reception at Manney Hotel, was it hosted by Venus Fashion?”

Lu JingHe: “Yes, the event was hosted by Venus Fashion’s owner, Shen Xi, eldest daughter of the Shen family, and located in a neighboring province.”

Yan Wei: “During the reception, did you interact with Miss Shen Xi?”

Lu JingHe: “Of course. Yesterday’s reception was in celebration of Venus Fashion winning the Gold Design Award at Stellis Fashion Week. Out of courtesy, of course, I would congratulate Miss Shen. I also gave her a box of liquor-filled chocolates.”

Yan Wei: “With that said, you admit to the fact that you were the one who gave her the box of chocolates?”

Lu JingHe: “Why would I not admit to something that insignificant? Officer Yan, you’re not asking these questions just to stir up media, right?”

Yan Wei: “This morning, police received a report that someone in room 1818 of Manney Hotel was harmed.”

Yan Wei: “The deceased was identified as Shen Xi, female, twenty-six years old, and from a neighboring province. After preliminary autopsies were completed, forensic has determined her time of death was between 9 PM last night to 2 AM today. The cause of death was tetrodotoxin poisoning from ingesting laced liquor chocolates. Lu JingHe, since you already admitted to giving the chocolates to Miss Shen, you are under suspicion of her death. Please come with us.”

Lu JingHe: “Shen Xi was harmed? For real?”

(I don’t know what he was thinking, but Lu JingHe smiled and barked a laugh.)

Lu JingHe: “So now, are you asking me to cooperate with the investigation, or are you here to arrest me?”

Yan Wei: “This is only standard protocol. Do you think you’ll receive special privileges just because you’re a CEO?”

Lu JingHe: “How could I afford such heavy scrutiny, Officer Yan. Of course, I’ll cooperate, but surely I have the right to a lawyer at the very least?”

Yan Wei: “If you believe you require one, yes.”

(Lu JingHe nodded, seemingly content with Yan Wei’s response. Then spun around to look at me as his lips curved up in a devious smile.)

MC: (Is he thinking of…)

Lu JingHe: “MC, then can I ask you to represent me, as my lawyer?”

MC: (I guessed it!)

MC: “You must be joking…”

Lu JingHe: “I would never joke around with such a big issue.”

(His expectant gaze almost had me agree impulsively. Fortunately, reasoning stepped in and stopped me.)

MC: “My experience handling criminal cases is quite limited, Lawyer Zuo from our firm may be…”

Lu JingHe: “Zuo Ran, yeah I know him, he’s famous around here. But his fees are too expensive and I can't afford it. Don’t forget, our little accident from earlier, your fifty percent of the shared responsibility is still unaccounted for.”

MC: “And here you are still taking everything as a joke. Do you not understand how serious these allegations are! Lawyer Zuo can-”

Lu JingHe: “Do you think I’m the murderer? Do you trust me?”

MC: “Of course I-”

(Subconsciously, I wanted to admit that I trusted Lu JingHe. And I truly believe he didn’t commit the crime, but I don’t have the evidence to back up my claims. Perhaps this way of thinking carried over from my job, and I quickly rescinded the other half of my sentence.)

MC: “I believe in evidence and facts.”

Lu JingHe: “Makes sense, though it looks like you’ve agreed to represent me.”

MC: “H-hey! I did no such thing!”

Lu JingHe: “You said you believe in evidence, right? If you don't look for it, how can you find evidence? The way I understood it, you just said that you’re going to help me find evidence.”

MC: “That’s not what I meant!”

Lu JingHe: “I don’t care what you mean, that’s how I understood it.”

(Lu JingHe called Officer Yan over and emphasized again.)

Lu JingHe: “Officer, this lady is my lawyer. Can you take us to the crime scene so I can personally see these so-called troublesome chocolates.”

MC: “I’ll say it again, I never agreed to help!”

(Officer Yan didn’t comment on our argument and proceeded to lead Lu JingHe away. He didn’t handcuff Lu JingHe, as if he needn’t worry that Lu JingHe would attempt to escape.)

Mo Yi: “In psychology, this phenomenon is called ’The Halo Effect[1],’ or sometimes referred to as ‘The Halo Error.’ The initial impression that one may leave is affected by the emphasis of one’s strong points to cover one’s weaknesses. Lu JingHe is PAX Group’s successor and one of the wealthiest people in the world. He has an impeccably clean history. To accuse him of murder, hehe... in reality, even Officer Yan himself doesn’t believe he did it.”

MC: “So all I can do is accompany him to the crime scene.”

Mo Yi: “There’s nothing to lose from taking a look. Shall we then?”

MC: “We?”

Mo Yi: “That’s right, I’ll go with you. Since I specialize in criminal psychology, perhaps I could be of assistance.”

MC: “H-how can I ask you for such an important thing? Especially since you came here on your day off to check out the art exhibit. I think I should-”

Mo Yi: “A homicide case versus paintings on the wall, naturally I would pick to see the one that pertains to my area of expertise.”

(Mo Yi was speaking truthfully, and his golden eyes shone with warmth and sincerity. I don’t want to decline his offer as having an expert with me on the case would help give me more confidence.)

MC: “Then, I’ll have to trouble Dr. Mo.”

Mo Yi: “Let’s go, Lu JingHe is waiting for us.”

(Not far away, Lu JingHe stood with a scowl on his face. Judging from his depressed air, he looked like a child who just had his toys taken away as he stood pouting. I couldn’t help but think that perhaps he looked cute. Then I recalled something Lu JingHe had just said to me.)

MC: (Lu JingHe said he couldn’t afford to hire Lawyer Zuo?! CAN’T... AFFORD?!)

——-

T/N: [1] Halo effect (sometimes called the halo error) is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect)

——-

[Previous Chapter] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

——- 

 《CREDIT》 Translator: @humi-and-co​​ Editor: @cL QC: @hallowsivy​ 《未定事件簿》Tears of Themis is a 2020 Chinese otome game by 米哈游Mihoyo. All original credits go to 米哈游Mihoyo. 

 《 VOICE ACTORS 》 Mo Yi | Jiang GuangTao: https://weibo.com/jiangguangtao  Lu JingHe | Yang Tianxiang: https://weibo.com/u/1745507755  Yan Wei: https://weibo.com/lengquanyeyue

——-

Ivy: Ahaha I don’t usually put MC’s face in here but that last sprite was too good to not add.

Humi: Fun Fact: Tetrodotoxin (the poison used to kill Shen Xi) is the neurotoxin found in pufferfish, and can cause cardiac arrest and/or asphyxiation. Very cool!

[meteoradominic]

Pantheon of Influence

The fate that awaits Elizabeth as the daughter of a media entrepreneur turns out to be a heavy burden. Left with an Empire of «old fashioned» media, that is on the edge of abyss. (…) times change and the Empire is no longer what it was. [1] The newspaper of the day, fashion, both go out of fashion, the news quickly becomes outdated. [2] The heritage in danger, it requires an effort to adapt to the changing conditions. She (…)felt a thread of a sense of personal responsibility associated with the deep, deep fear of loss. [1]

The solution for preserving new media culture lies not in attempting to circumvent its variability with outdated notions of fixity, but rather in embracing the essential nature of the medium and transforming its greatest challenge into a defense against obsolescence. [3] While “old” media such as print, film, and television traffic in immaterial representations that can be reproduced endlessly for any number of viewers, the interactivity of “new” media draws it closer to live performance. [4] As the secular empire faded, a new idea of spiritual domination that had been growing quietly and slowly in seclusion slipped into the great house of the dying world giant. [5] Moreover, the motive behind the writing of history was not objective curiosity, but a desire to influence contemporaries, to stimulate and uplift them, or to hold a mirror up to them. [6]

The new Brand of Elizabeth Murdoch stands above the chaotic noise of information and

media. From the elevated platform vision is unobstructed. [7] At that height one could look into the top rooms from the elevated pathway. [8]

In all of these media we see a number of consistent patterns. [9]

That assemblage is the “ megamachine,” or the apparatus of capture, the archaic empire. [10] (…) Elizabeth always tried to talk as though there were lots of people in it with her. [1] Her new brand is not defined by its clear agenda but the appropriation of viral phenomenons. Consisting of Influencers, attracted by their striving for fame and recognition.

The gods have entered the “cultivated” world; they no longer speak through the moving figures of animals and natural elements but through those of a sedentary pantheon that takes charge of society and supports the activity of transforming the world. [11] The image (…) shifted from social crusader and aesthetic puritan to trendsetter and media star. [12] But they somehow function together in structuring the social life process, as complementary media, each with its own specific affordances and limitations. [13] The crowd, a compact mass, a locus of multiple exchanges, individualities merging together, a collective effect, is abolished and replaced by a collection of separated individualities. [14] The media become the messengers, rather than the message. [15] The type of frame used to present information dramatically affects how people make decisions and judgments, and is consequently a powerful influencer of behaviour. [16]

Therefore, this new type of Pantheon is created by Elizabeth. Gathering selected contemporary influencers under her roof.

Influencers such as: Owners of different Media outlets, Presidents like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, modern industrialist entrepreneur like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. [17] very bright people, like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. [18] CEO of Social media Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Search engines Sundai Pichai, Environmental activists like Greta Thunberg, Sport Stars like Roger Federer or Cristiano Ronaldo, Or trash media stars like the Kardashians.

The overall effect of the display (…) is create an exotic display; a sort of cabinet of curiosities. [19]Contradicting and supplementing each other. Her palace a place to collect them all.

The facade was well constructed, composed of bricks, glass walls and windows. [20] The field of glass bricks is ordered in a raster of a thin solid framework made of white granite with black frames and stripes indicating the main direction. [21]

Hall of Fame

The entrance was discreet, with a rounded metal railing. [22] Leading into the Hall of Fame. Inside, you confront a wall of glass bricks set in concrete in a black steel frame at the back of a standard Paris type courtyard, with two steel ladders flying up on either side, and some massive floodlamps carried on clever steel brackets. [23] Self reconfiguring building skins (…)filter both urban noise and airborne toxins.[24] Creating a place which was quiet, well lit (…). [25] Only selected and high-quality materials are used. The atmosphere was perfect, the moment sweet for something sacred. [26]

It’s is the Place Elizabeth welcomes her guests. Start with a house cocktail—say, L’Alsacien, in which the aperitif Belle de Brillet meets cognac, pear, and fresh lemon in a happy union. [27] Everyone shouts and has an alcoholic smile(…) A French aperitif is taken when you are seated around a table. There are two, three, four persons. You have chosen your companions. You drink slowly. [28]

Chamber of Feasts

In the dining room, meals were served family style at long tables that could seat 150 guests. [29] Only the finest dishes made by world class chefs are served. This dinner the place for debate and disputes. This performance, itself enough to win great fame,(…) [30]  It resembles a Sensation drama: play that intends to create strong effects. [31] Harmony and dissonance of ideas create a rough and interesting music. [32] The principal requirements of a summer dining room are water and greenery; of a winter one, the warmth of a hearth.[33] Both should preferably be spacious, cheery, and splendid. [33] For this reason, distribute more spacious intercolumniations around the performance space. [34] (…) the walls of the ceremonial chamber were covered with purple tapestries embroidered in gold, specially made for this feast. [5]

Oracle of Artificial Intelligent

In the middle, as in the center of a house, there is an Capsule, roofed, spacious, and majestic; (…) their lineaments taken from the Etruscan temple, as we have described it. [33] Enter the oracle. [35] Intensifying the color, lights, and excitement of Broadway by translating the commercial message into form and color, a wordless interpretation of New York. [33] The “Oracle (…)” presented a head that seemed to float in space. [36] Commercial constructions such as Apple’s Siri and more recently Microsoft’s Cortana are quite literal but archetypal examples of “the guide” or “concierge,” elsewhere manifested as the guide, oracle, or personal secretary. [37] There is no knowing how far a real image may lead: the importance of becoming visionary or seer. [38] Is it Illusionism, confusion, or manipulation? [39]

Paris

Paris. [40] Facing Notre Dame, a church for one god.   In close Proximity to the existing Panthéon, a symbol of glory and a burial place of famous French personalities.

Elizabeth's palace does not require the physical size of those buildings of past times. It is not dependent on its rigidity but flexibility to accomodate as much power as possible. In the digital age, power is no longer seen through its built image in stone, but through the power of those present. The once powerful institutions have lost their power. Today, the influence changes rapidly from person to person, from ideology to ideology, from institution to institution.

Elizabeth's pantheon is a machine to capture those all new and constantly changing influence.

Bibliography: [1]Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology.[2]Serres, Biogea.[3]Rinehart, ReCollection Art New Media and Social Memory.[4]Siemens, A Companion to Digital Literary Studies.[5]Semper, Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts or Practical Aesthetics.[6]Freud, The Uncanny.[7]Alexander, A Pattern Language.[8]Hollis, Cities Are Good For You.[9]Tuck, A History of Roman Art.[10]D. Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus.[11]Henaff, The Price of Truth.[12]Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968.[13]Schumacher, The Autopoiesis of Architecture Vol 2.[14]Foucault, Discipline and Punish.[15]H. Buehlmann, Quantum City.[16]Holden, Universal Principles of Design.[17]Heskett, Design and the Creation of Value.[18]Green, Architectural Robotics Ecosystems of Bits Bytes.[19]Tythacott, Collecting and Displaying Chinas Summer Palace in.[20]Bill, Form Function Beauty Gestalt.[21]L. Eisenschmidt, Twentieth Century Architecture.[22]Goldsmith, Capital New York Capital of the 20th Century.[23]Banham, Critic Writes.[24]Bureaud, MetaLife Biotechnologies Synthetic Biology ALi.[25]Jerram, Streetlife The Untold History of Europes Twentie.[26]Goldsmith, Capital New York Capital of the 20th Century.[27]F. Travel, Fodors New York City 2015.[28]L. Corbusier, When the Cathedrals Were White.[29]H. Lawson, Gastropolis Food and New York City.[30]Serres, History of Scientific Thought.[31]Gaudreault, A Companion to Early Cinema.[32]Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence.[33]Alberti, On the Art of Building in Ten Books 1988.[34]Vitruvius, Ten Books on Architecture 1999.[35]Serres, The Five Senses.[36] Gaudreault, A Companion to Early Cinema.[37]Clarke, Design Anthropology Object Culture in the 21st Ce.[38]Deleuze, Cinema 2 The Time Image.[39]Derrida, Signature.[40]Naginski, Sculpture and Enlightenment.