#i think i was most active between 2018 and 2019

[rizardofether]

I finally made it through this damn stealth mission. I suck at stealth. It's been literal years that I've been stuck on this..

And oh! It saves up all mastery points you get even once you've hit cap for your current mastery, that's nice....

...1 million mastery points...

[rainbowsky]

In all my years of being a GGDD fan, I don't think any year has ever been better than this last one.

In the past I have watched them struggle and face incredibly difficult situations, be forced to spend almost all of their time apart, and deal with scandals and setbacks.

2024 was a year I could never have dreamed of for both of them. Watching them both thrive so well, take charge of their careers and their lives to a degree never before seen, and to have so much time for their personal lives - it's all I've ever wanted for them.

And you can see how well they are thriving, how much happier they are, how much healthier they are, and how much of themselves is stamped on every single thing they do.

I frequently see fans spinning negative fantasies about them, and it makes me sad. As if there isn't enough pain in the world, why generate more in your own mind?

A lot of turtles tend to overly romanticize 2018 and 2019 because they were the years that The Untamed was filmed, promoted and aired, and that's where a lot of our favorite GGDD content was born. I think that's rather self-centered and shortsighted. If we take five seconds to remove our rose-colored glasses, surely we can see how difficult those years were for them.

Yes, they got to work together for a few months, they got to spend some fun time together promoting The Untamed and even got to be somewhat open about their affection for each other in front of a crowd, but outside of that summer dream, they were both in pretty precarious positions in their careers, and both of them faced a lot of really gruesome anti attacks. Neither of them had very much control over their careers or their choices, and their management situations were atrocious.

We don't even have to talk about 2020. That was an incredibly difficult year. GG was the focus of one of the worst cyberbullying and nearly career-ending scandals that's been seen in that industry. He was being threatened, the people connected to him and the brands that he dealt with were being threatened.

Any time he tried to do anything in his career, whether it was an appearance or an endorsement, antis would come out in droves and protest until it was shut down. There were active organized hate campaigns whose entire purpose was to destroy his life and his career. People were trying to infect him with COVID, and there were other threats upon his life. Multiple times online hate campaigns tried to spread the rumor that he had died.

He couldn't go anywhere without people following him and chanting hateful slogans at him and trying to infiltrate the hotels he was staying at. It was terrifying.

DD was constantly overworked, exhausted, always on the move with barely any time to come up for air.

They had to spend most of their time apart, including some of the quarantine time, when DD was isolated so that he could begin filming LOF, right when the worst of the scandal broke. GG's grandfather died, and he faced so many personal burdens.

They did get some fun times together of course, and there were some huge successes for both of them, including GG's spectacular comeback at the end of the year with his sea of red for Tencent All Star Night. Even turtles worked to help ensure he had his red sea.

And GG and DD got to clown around and be silly as well, and they made a real effort to show us that they were getting through fine, they would be okay and that they were still the same people, still able to be happy. We got so much candy that year, and so many great LRLG messages as well.

But that was just a sign of their character and strength. Make no mistake about it, that was a difficult year.

The intervening years between then and now have been a bit of a mixed bag. There were a lot of COVID frustrations (scheduling issues, Kafkaesque hoops to jump through, inability to travel outside the country, risk of ending up in a prolonged lockdown, inevitable health stress), they had to spend a lot of time apart and there were more and more crackdowns on the entertainment industry, on the queer community and on fandom culture, which made things feel positively dismal and oppressive - at times even scary.

However, it's undeniable that things have been gradually improving for them. They've both been building more and more autonomy and control in their careers, and building more respect from audiences and within the industry. They've both been prioritizing their personal lives more and more. And yes - they've BOTH been looking happier, more relaxed, more balanced.

I've talked about that a fair bit over the past couple of years. Most recently in this post.

Looking at 2024, they have had so much more free time in their lives, have been able to spend so much more time together in the same city, have spent time with each other wherever they were filming, and even got to travel and spend some fun downtime outside of China.

They are in such powerful positions compared to even a couple years ago. They have made great connections and worked on some amazing projects.

GG has been working with some of the top directors on some of the most anticipated projects in C-ent. He recorded an entire solo album and several music videos, and did all of that on his own time and on his own dime, and released it to critical acclaim and massive success with audiences.

He has been the talk of the globe in fashion circles and entertainment circles, and has been the global face behind some of the most successful and exciting campaigns for some of the most prestigious brands in the world.

He got to travel a lot outside of China, and build on some of the great connections he's made over the years. He got to spend time with his parents traveling Europe!

He's given us so much incredible content with his vlogs and photo sets. It's just mind-boggling how much he's given us over the past couple of years.

DD took initiative to propose and participate in a documentary series where he got to explore interesting locations and engage in some of the most extreme outdoor activities. What could possibly be more exciting for someone like him?

He got to work with a team of conservationists who are fighting to save pangolins, and filmed a documentary there as well. Knowing him, that has to be one of the most rewarding things he's ever done in his life.

Both documentaries were highly acclaimed and award-winning.

Speaking of awards, he debuted as a film star and has been nominated for all of the top awards in China both for his film work and his drama work!

He has signed a new contract with his management company that will certainly have put him in a very powerful position in the company as their top breadwinner. He has been exceptionally successful with endorsements, holding more endorsements than anyone else in C-ent.

He got to play tennis on the top of The Great Wall with one of the top players in the world (regardless of how much I despise Djokovic).

He got to be an Olympic torch bearer! He is the ambassador for multiple high profile organizations and projects.

He earned his auto racing license, joined a racing team and finished in first place in his first ever auto race!

Make no mistake about it, they are both now solidly calling the shots in their own lives and careers, they are living their best lives, and they are both happier than I have ever seen them in all of these years.

And much more healthy! Just take one look at them and you can see how much healthier they both are. They've been playing a lot of sports and doing a lot of active outdoor activities together, and it shows in how much happier and healthier they are.

Frankly anyone who can't see that has their head stuffed firmly in a moist dark place.

I urge everyone to center GG and DD in all of our fandom explorations, theories and interpretations. The reality is that the more that they get to focus on their own lives and careers and personal freedoms, the less candy and CPN we're likely to see. We should be happy for them rather than try to spin sad tales about it.

[gabrielleragusi]

For Artists: My Experience with Commission Platforms and Illustration Agencies

Hi there! I’ve been wanting to compile a list of commission platforms that I’ve personally used for the longest time, and I finally did it! I’ve highlighted the still-active commission platforms in bold and struck those that don't exist anymore so you can jump to the sections that interest you without needing to read my entire story.

Let me start by briefly introducing myself.

I’m Gabrielle, a fantasy illustrator. Since 2014, I’ve been working on book covers and illustrations for publishers, authors, and book subscription boxes. Early on, work wasn’t as frequent as it is now. I had to search for opportunities myself, and even small private commissions were important for building my portfolio and earning some money, which I’d spend on materials, books, and online courses. Like many other artists, I started out by trying my luck with the biggest art community available at the time.

DeviantArt

2009-2018

Once upon a time, there was a virtual haven called DeviantArt. To my teenage self, it was a magical place. I signed up in 2009 and thought I’d never leave!

At first, I created an account just to share my work and learn. I didn’t even think about commissions for four or five years. But when that first inquiry finally landed in my inbox, things took off! My mum swears she remembers my excitement when I got my first commission, but for some reason, I’ve completely forgotten about it. I can't remember what it was or how much it paid. It might have been a portrait of a fantasy character.

Commissions on DeviantArt were fairly frequent, especially considering my cheap prices at the time. I used to offer discounts and post my rates in my DeviantArt journal, or in Commission groups that featured artists either monthly or weekly. After checking out my profile, a client could simply send me a private message and from there, we’d discuss payment, deadlines, and other details, and the platform didn’t take any fees, much like how ArtStation works today. Everything happened through private messages or email, with direct contact between artist and client.

The downside of this process was that there was no dispute resolution system on the platform. I had to handle all issues myself, and unfortunately, problems did arise sometimes: there were clients changing their minds about commissions, asking for refunds after work was delivered, refusing to pay, or just ghosting me. These issues didn’t happen because clients were evil, but rather because I was inexperienced and allowed some to take advantage of my naivety.

However, all that frustration helped me develop my commission process through trial and error (mostly error). And despite the challenges, I can say with satisfaction that most of the commissions I received through my DeviantArt profile were positive experiences.

DeviantArt eventually introduced a commission feature for Core (Premium) users, which came with a platform fee, but I didn’t use it much, and I’m not sure if it still exists.

The real beauty of dA, though, was the connections I made. I was able to meet people, both artists and clients, that I’m still in contact with today, and some of whom I still collaborate with.

I closed my account in 2018 or 2019, but by that time, I hadn’t really used it for a couple of years. The new user interface was a bit of a turn-off for me. I had always loved the geeky, and dare I say cozy, look of the old green and grey aesthetic, with its customisable panels that you could move around and personalise with HTML code... But I digress.

Artists and Clients

2013-2016

While taking small commissions on DeviantArt, I discovered Artists & Clients. It was a nice platform for clients to get things like their D&D characters or groups illustrated for relatively cheap. I think my highest price was $50 for a single character portrait, with the platform taking a 15% cut. I used it for about two or three years before the platform started to change.

As more artists with hentai art styles flooded in, the homepage shifted, and so did the clientele. There’s nothing wrong with drawing naked anime girls, of course, but you can understand that if a client is looking for a fantasy, semi-realistic painting of their female orc character, or a realistic portrait of their spouse, it's more than likely that they won't bother sifting through a sea of anime girls to find the style they want, imagining it isn't here. Let's just say that, at the time, the website took a definite direction that wasn't in line with my genre, but this direction didn't make the different, more realistic art styles stand out either.

Soon, commissions slowed down for me, so I closed my account, but by then I was already working elsewhere.

That said, this platform could still be a useful tool if you’re looking to take on smaller commissions.

DreamUp

2014-2015

DreamUp wasn’t an AI generator back then. It was actually a subsidiary of DeviantArt, where clients could post projects and artists could apply. It was a competitive platform that offered well-paid work–very well-paid. I remember seeing jobs posted that ranged from $300 to $1,200. DreamUp was a very professional platform for clients with a mid to high budget.

I believe I landed my very first book cover commission through this website when I was in my last year of high school. I remember getting the job and going to school the next morning, excited to share the news with my classmates. Everyone was super thrilled for me (we were a really close-knit class!), and I felt like I was walking on air.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, that book was never released, but it didn’t matter because I was moving forward, and fast.

I’m not sure when DreamUp was shut down, but I do know that DeviantArt held onto the copyrighted name, assigning it to something so anti-old DreamUp that it still boggles my mind.

ArtCorgi

Now Artistree

2014-2019

When I received an invitation to join ArtCorgi from its founder, I already had a somewhat consistent portfolio. I was painting portraits and fantasy illustrations, and the clients on this platform were looking for both–your typical wedding and pet portraits, as well as book covers, which were what really interested me. To get to the latter, I had to do the former. Over the years, I’ve painted so many realistic portraits that now I have a strict rule for my own sanity not to do them any more. I have great respect for portrait artists, but it’s just not me.

When I first submitted my prices to the person I was in contact with, she kindly suggested that I raise them... a lot. That was a major step forward in my professional career. I went from charging $50 to $100/$200 overnight. And to my surprise, people actually wanted to commission me at those prices!

From 2014 to 2019, I took nearly every commission that came my way. I never spoke directly with the clients; all instructions and feedback went through my point of contact, which helped maintain a level of professionalism, although now that I’m used to working directly with clients, I’m not sure I’d want to go back to having an intermediary.

Sadly, as with all good things, this chapter came to an end. My point of contact eventually left communication in the hands of someone else, and shortly after, the commission fee changed to, I believe, 30%.

Simply put, 30% is an unrealistic cut for a website like this. For an agent that gets you all kinds of big work in the publishing industry, sure, but since this was not the case I had to stop taking commissions. Despite that, my overall experience with ArtCorgi was very positive.

Today, ArtCorgi joined another platform, Artistree. As far as I can tell, Artistree doesn’t take any fees from artists, with clients covering a small cost instead.

Sketchmob (?)

2016-2020

This was probably the platform I used the most. I’ve lost count of how many commissions I received through Sketchmob. Many. Enough to generate a steady income at the time. With reasonable fees and a variety of art styles available, clients contacted me almost daily. Communication was direct between artists and clients, and payments could be split. The review system also worked very well… for a while.

Once I raised my prices, requests became fewer and farther apart. But by then, I was already working with my own clients.

Is this platform still active? Who knows. The website is still up and the chat feature works, but I’ve seen users complain that money available for withdrawal never arrived via PayPal (the only payment method the platform accepted, if I remember correctly). Personally, I wouldn’t risk completing a job through Sketchmob right now, at least not until they release an update.

If you’ve used the platform recently and successfully received payment within the last six months, please let me know, and I’d be happy to update this section!

Upwork

2017-2019

In 2017, I was determined to break into the book publishing industry. After trying out Fiverr and Freelancer.com with no success (the competition was too fierce for someone just starting out), I decided to give Upwork a shot. The platform looked very professional, and while the process sounded a bit complicated, I wanted to land the interesting projects I saw featured in my category. I really wanted to work with a big client… but big clients didn’t seem to want me, despite having the Rising Talent badge.

In two years of bidding for jobs and submitting proposals, I only landed two projects: a small commission from a private client who actually reached out to me, and another project that I bid on.

Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic at the time and truly appreciated every opportunity that came my way. But looking back, I can see why Upwork didn’t work out for me. The platform just wasn’t the right fit for my style and niche, which is fantasy illustration. Graphic design, however, was (and still is) in much higher demand.

The commission process on Upwork wasn’t as simple as on other platforms. For instance, at the time, costs were calculated hourly, which was a challenge for someone like me who prefers working with flat fees (having already calculated my average hours spent on an illustration). From what I’ve seen, this has since changed.

One positive aspect of Upwork is its current 10% cut on what artists earn. I don’t recall if this has changed over the years, but 10% is quite reasonable in my experience. Of course, 0% would be even better, but for a platform as large as Upwork, 10% is fair.

Illustration Agency

2019-2021

By 2019, I had built a solid, consistent portfolio thanks to my personal work and commissions. I had a simple website in place, my Instagram following was growing… I was steadily working toward my goal of illustrating covers for big publishers (which didn't happen until two years ago).

So, when an illustration agency reached out to me one day, I was over the moon. I had always heard that artists were the ones who had to approach agencies, not the other way around.

Well, that should have been my first red flag.

I won’t name this agency because, unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say about it. In fact, the word “nothing” perfectly describes my involvement with them. Nothing came of this barely there experience.

The agency invited me to sign up, not on an exclusive basis, but they assured me they’d get me work. That work never came. Once in a while, I’d receive messages saying they were trying to pitch my portfolio to a French publisher or another client, but... nothing.

Please understand that meanwhile I was already working directly with shops and authors, so I don’t believe my portfolio was the problem. The real issue was something I didn’t realise at the time: some agencies do this. They feature talented artists in their catalogue without having actual clients lined up, just to appear more professional and credible to potential clients. Did this strategy work for them? Maybe. I’ll never know.

In 2021, I politely asked them to remove my portfolio from their website, and that was the end of it.

After that, I never actively sought out an agent again. By the time my portfolio was strong enough to approach a serious agency, I just didn’t need representation anymore.

Hireillo

2019-2022

My experience with Hire an Illustrator, or Hireillo, is mixed. At the time, Hireillo was a platform that hosted artists' portfolios, featured artist-submitted news, provided useful articles, resources, and directories of artists and agents. I joined the site hoping to catch the eye of publishers, but I was mostly contacted by authors and one fellow artist for a graphic novel.

Unfortunately, most inquiries didn’t go beyond the first couple of messages due to budget constraints. I did, however, have fun sharing news about my painting process and projects I landed on my own, which were often featured by the website. Additionally, if I had questions about 'complicated' things like copyright, or just needed advice, I could ask the website’s owner and that was incredibly helpful.

Despite these benefits, I didn’t see any real results, which was a little disappointing. The subscription fee was also... odd, for lack of a better word. $5 per week. In the end I just couldn’t justify the cost, so I stopped using the website altogether.

Reedsy

2019-2022

Finally, we come to the turning point.

I remember stumbling upon Reedsy randomly. It wasn’t very well known at the time, and I think it still isn’t. I was nervous when I submitted my portfolio because their catalogue features the best of the best: designers who’ve created covers for bestsellers, THE bestsellers, people who’ve worked on Stephen King covers, or George R.R. Martin's. Designers, editors, and marketers who are veterans. I didn’t have high hopes for my application. So, I was in shock when it got accepted.

I had an introductory Skype call with a representative from Reedsy, who explained how everything worked. Before the call ended, I remember asking if there was a good chance I’d get work through the platform. The rep laughed and said, “Yes.”

A few weeks in, I understood that laugh.

Reedsy has an overwhelming demand for book covers and commercial projects. For every designer there are many more clients. In peak seasons, I was getting requests almost every day. I’m not exaggerating.

Reedsy transformed my portfolio and my pricing structure. Thanks to the income I earned through the platform, I was finally able not to take everything that came my way but be selective and choose only the projects that really interested me.

The commission process is simple: artists pretty much decide how to split payments, what to include in agreements, and the best part, the most beautiful and helpful feature of all, they can request and adjust deadlines. For someone like me who's terrible with deadlines, this feature was a lifesaver. The admins are also very kind and responsive, available via email or chat.

Unfortunately (this is my last 'unfortunately', I promise), my time on Reedsy came to an end for personal reasons. I’ll explain since it’s no secret.

All my images on Reedsy were watermarked with my signature (my full name), which apparently violated the platform’s rules. Why? Because if a client saw my last name, they could contact me directly and bypass Reedsy, which meant the platform lost potential fees. I’ll admit this did happen a few times, but I had the good sense to redirect the client back to Reedsy.

After three years, an admin finally noticed and asked me to remove my full name from the watermark and any text on my profile. It was a simple and reasonable request, but here’s where the problem started. Profiles on Reedsy are public, and images appear in search engines like Google Images, meaning anyone could download my work and use it without permission. Sure, watermarks can be removed, but uploading my work without one in the first place felt like a bad idea. Btw, not only do I use watermarks, but I also use Glaze to protect my illustrations before sharing them online.

Anyway, for this reason, and also because I couldn’t get over the fact that full names were public at the time, something I won’t get into because, believe me, I tried over email, and my reasons went into the void (now, last names are just initialised, like Gabrielle R. Okay. Sure.), I had to close my account–they would have done it anyway because it was already 'flagged'.

Overall, if you’re willing to overlook the last name conundrum, I can’t recommend Reedsy enough. If you have a killer, solid portfolio and a love for books and editorial projects, go for it!

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

I hope you'll find this useful! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask (: Oh, and here's an old article I wrote in 2020, titled:

Tips to freelance illustrators to avoid being screwed over

Who knows, maybe I'll write another 'article' post in four years!

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[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hey weird question but, with the context that while conspiracy thought in and of itself is just a sort of dangerous logical fallacy, most conspiracy theories have some kind of tie to antisemetism, are there any antisemetic aspects to gaylor theory? i can't think of how but somehow it almost always weasels in there, no matter how innocently silly something seems on the surface.

DEEP SIGH okay it's time to talk about Scooter Braun and his place in the Gaylor conspiracy

I'm not going to recap everything but will instead link you to this US Weekly article (I know, sorry) which is basically a fine summation of events despite being a bit sensationalist in calling a business disagreement between two adults a "feud"

tl;dr for anyone who doesn't want to read all of that (it's not actually that long, I prommy): in 2019 talent manager Scooter Braun acquired Taylor Swift's former record label Big Machine, giving ownership of the masters of her first six albums. Swift objected to this very publicly on the grounds that she wanted ownership over her own work and had repeatedly been denied the opportunity to buy it outright, while also alleging that Braun has been harassing and bullying her for years. ultimately, Swift has remained unable to buy back her work, leading to her steadily re-releasing expanded versions of her first six albums under the "Taylor's Version" headline.

obviously, given my stance against speculating on the personal lives of famous rich people, I'm not particularly interested in debating whether or not there's merit to Swift's accusations against Braun, although given the exploitative nature of the music industry I hardly think her claims are implausible.

regardless of whether or not Braun sucks as a person, it's important to note that he was only very briefly in ownership of Swift's discography: as the linked article above notes, he only owned them for about a year and a half before selling them off in 2020.

despite this, Braun holds what I would consider a rather outsize role in a lot of Gaylor conspiracy theorizing, with many apparently believing that Swift fully intended to come out in 2019 with the release of her seventh album, Lover, but was prevented from coming out by Braun purchasing her discography. I've seen some claim that he actively subjected her to homophobic bullying and others saying that she didn't him to financially benefit from any career boon she might have after coming out (although no one ever seems to have an answer for why she still hasn't come out three years after he sold her discography).

I can't say whether or not the majority of Gaylors, like, know or care that Braun is Jewish, but it feels tragically predictable and yucky that a Jewish man is given such a disproportional share of blame for why Taylor "can't" come out and is made a scapegoat in the ongoing effort to evade reality with "arguments" like this

(source)

... hang on, what's that?

oh man I love when a Jewish family gets put n SCARY ALL CAPS

okay so let's talk about Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner!

as many of you probably know by this point, Karlie Kloss is the pinnacle of Taylor Swift's platonic gal pals that she gets relentlessly shipped with; I think it's fair to say that "proving" a romantic relationship existed between the two of them is the primary focus of a lot of Gaylorism.

since 2018 Kloss has been married to Josh Kushner, heir of THAT Kushner family. his infamous brother Jared is in fact Donald Trump's son-in-law and probably guilty of, like, a lot of federal crimes. that doesn't inherently make Josh a shithead or anything and he and Kloss both claim more liberal politics, although it should be noted that like a lot of rich liberals Josh does also suck pretty hard. he and Jared own a real estate management company together and were suing their tenants and evicting them during the COVID-19 rent moratorium, so that's kind of everything you need to know about him and Karlie Kloss IMO!!!

having said that, Josh being a bastard landlord doesn't make it appropriate to frame a Jewish family as having some kind of sinister interest in suppressing a queer woman's sexuality or imply that Kloss and Josh Kushner are in some kind of sham marriage. for YEARS Kloss' marriage to Kushner, including her conversion to Judaism and their two living human children, have been dismissed as elaborate turbo-bearding, with some Gaylors going so far as to allege that Kloss and Swift have actually been married for years and Kloss is just having Kushner's children for... reasons unknown... which feels like, you know. a pretty gross dismissal of a Jewish family in favor of pretending two WASPiest WASPs to ever WASP are secretly scissoring.

anyway I certainly don't think it's the most deliberate anti-semitism that's out there in the conspiracy world but are there some Gaylors blaming The Jews(TM) for forcing poor innocent Taylor to stay in the closet? resounding yes.

[milfygerard]

hello bestie you are my resident taylor swift moot so i thought you’d be a good person to answer: i’m like 40% a swiftie and i know Some of the lore around the gaylor theories but not all. is there some kind of masterpost or blog you can link me to where i can like Gain Knowledge abt it i just really feel like wasting my time on that today

hi ok. God.

Most of the comprehensive ones are either lost to the annals of tumblr or fucking historical documents at this point

the two biggest non-tumblr starting points (though a few of them are still built on a few tumblr links) are the iconic reputation is about karlie kloss powerpoint and the abandoned-in-2019 blog kaylorevidence which are great looks at of-its-time gaylor culture opinions and in jokes as well as having a pretty comprehensive swiftgron timeline, though lots of things have changed w context and time. A big problem w post-2019 kaylor is that widely agreed upon timelines split massively between LSKs and more general gaylor fandom who just like think shes gay/bi or like her music in a lesbian fashion which makes it way harder to keep track of (though i did find this extremely long post-folkmore kaylor update from before midnights was announced) and makes it harder to divide like actual interesting or relevant stuff from babygating or person-who-knows-a-person-who-knows-taylor-wears-someting-with-flowers-on-it type of stuff. @/throwbackgaylor is a good example of having a very uneven mix of both of these things that can be hard to sort through but is probably a good resource for backsearching. If anyone knows how to find the old 2018 kaylor masterlists (of which there were a TON

I know @that-curly-haired-lesbian used to do queer readings and reinterpretations of her songs that I used to scroll thru and ashley norton did a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the taytaysbeard clusterfuck from a non gaylor perspective which as someone who was in the thick of that in high school I thought was pretty respectful and well done even if its kind of unbearable to watch and remember. If you want to see the state of LSK now ttb is still active at @/spade-riddles I believe but that person is a genuine certified weirdo and i dont really recommend it. penelope and priscilla are gay twins also is a good source of at its time gaylor culture and in-jokes (warning for being probably dated I havent watched any of these in a Long time)

if anyone else has masterposts or resources of Gaylors Past pls add on! I feel like so much is lost in social media based communities like this one and it can be hard to illustrate a time in online fandom without a broad spread of examples and stories and pre 2020 gaylor was such a specific moment in time!

[fae-morrigan]

I Read Bendis So You Don't Have To: The Famed Jon Kent Age Up

Hi! I'm Milas. I've read more Bendis Superman than is probably healthy.

No matter if you liked the age up or not, most fans are in agreement: this run was bad. Pretty dang bad. And I agree- this run is often hard to parse through all the... er, bendisisms, and often mangles what little themes it has through poor storytelling and lackluster use of page real estate. However, I unfortunately have become an expert on this particular story due to how many times I reference it in analysis, and I do not wish my suffering upon anyone else. So, to spare us all from said suffering while writing meta, I encourage Jon fans, from whichever corner of his fandom you come from, to use and link to this series as shorthand if you so need to.

This installment will be going, objectively as possible, beat by beat through the actual events of the famed 2019 Jon Kent age up.

Issues covered are Superman (2018) issues 7-10, as well as briefly covering the events of Super-Sons of Tomorrow (all issues) and The Man of Steel (issue 6).

Before we can get to the actual mainline Superman run where this event occurred, we should real quick go through the events leading up to this.

In Super-Sons of Tomorrow, Jon is confronted by Savior, an evil version of Tim Drake from a future where Jon accidentally causes a massive loss of civilian life via an explosion of his powers. Savior is travelling from back in time to try and prevent this from occurring by killing Jon, therefore stopping the catastrophe. This causes infighting amongst the Teen Titans, even more fighting with people from this alternate future timeline, and concludes with a vote being held to decide if Jon is welcome amongst the Teen Titans. The vote decides no, Jon will not be admitted onto the team.

Though the Teen Titans tell Jon that this is because the events of the book gave them a lot to think about and work out, this is not what Jon takes away from it.

In Man of Steel, Jor-El shows up and invites Jon out to space with him. This is meant to be a journey where Jon will be able to learn things that Clark has "neglected" to teach him, as well as connecting with his Kryptonian heritage.

Clark and Lois are vehemently against this at first. Clark, especially, does not change his mind on this being a bad idea, even after Jon leaves.

However, the reason Jon goes is because, in his own words, he feels like there is something wrong with him.

This is a feeling, that, in text, Jon feels specifically sparked on by the events of Super Sons of Tomorrow. Feeling lost, and like he needs to explore himself, Jon (and Lois, who does not want to leave her son unattended, and intends to write a book about the experience) join Jor El in space.

(I highly do recommend you all read Man of Steel, because it's about as close as Bendis gets to writing genuinely well in this whole collection of books, and I can only screencap so much of the sheer amount of discussion that happens between the three Kents about Jon going on spacecation. Trust me, they didn't just shoo Jon off! They talked about it for what in comic time was AGES.)

This is where we get to issue 7 of Superman, where Jon returns from his vacation... as a seventeen year old.

As Jon himself says, he didn't get aged up magically- He lived those years. So, what actually did happen to him while he was out there? What happened during those six-to-seven years (depending on who you ask)?

First: What happens to make Lois leave?

The House of El suit Clark lends her to keep her safe makes her a target, a target that puts her in active danger (in exact opposition to what Clark intended), and so for her own safety she departs.

Leaving Jon alone with his grandfather. Who, as Jon says, has gone completely insane.

The nature of Jor El's insanity is revealed in the next issue, issue eight, as we reach what I and friends call the Jor El Nihilism Speech:

Jon follows Jor El's line of thinking for most of the conversation- He understands what it feels like to not belong in the story, because that fear of being somehow wrong was what brought him out here in the first place. Jor El, Jon Kent, both men outside of time, outside of belonging. Neither should exist. But Jor El takes it to a conclusion Jon doesn't accept: That it's a hopeless existence.

This makes Jon want to go home. Concluding Jor El has utterly lost it, he decides he needs to make a break for it somehow. Because of how far from Earth they are, he can't just fly off, so he attempts to get some help from some Green Lanterns:

It doesn't go well. At this point, Jor El stops speaking to Jon for awhile, and they spend... an indeterminate amount of time fighting through the galaxy, trying to solve people's problems. While not talking to each other. At all.

But when Jor El finally does try and talk to Jon....

Well. Here's the part you're probably reading this post for:

Yay! Its volcano time! An unexpected black hole throws Jon (and Jor, but we'll get to him later) through dimensions, landing him on Earth-3. At the feet of the Crime Syndicate.

If you're going to read ANY issue for yourself, I recommend it to be this one. The Ultraman stuff is not only perpetually relevant to Jon's story, its LIKELY going to be relevant again when Absolute Power: Super Son releases. Ultraman is the one member of the Syndicate who claims Jon as 'his':

And proceeds to imprison Jon in a volcano. As I am sure all of you know by now. The Volcano.

Ultraman and Jon trade some conversation back and forth, establish who each of them are, before Ultraman tells Jon he is never going home, and that this is home now:

It becomes quickly apparent that due to the lack of sun, Jon has no protection, no way of escape. He tries to fly out, but no dice:

And so stuck he is. For multiple years. With nothing but pigs to feed on, stuck with a monster who intends to 'train' him to his full potential:

But eventually, Jon escapes. He takes a rock, bangs a hole in the side of the Volcano, and gets himself out, relying on what little he has left of his invulnerability.

Now is a good time to mention a small misconception I see peddled around a lot: There is actually significant evidence pointing to the idea that Jon did NOT spend all six years in the volcano. After wandering Earth 3 for an indeterminate awhile, going from city to city and stopping to help people along the way, there is a strong suggestion by the way Bendis frames it that this was also years. I'd personally estimate Jon's time on Earth 3 was about half and half- Three ish years of the volcano, three ish years of surviving out in the wild. Anyways, Jon finds his way to the Syndicate's headquarters, encountering an evil version of Lois who tries to attack him. But surprise! Onto issue 9, we finally get to Jon's rescue!

Jor El was also displaced in the multiverse, of course- But we have no idea for how long, where, and what he did during this time. All we know is this: Jon wasn't just thrown across space and time, he was thrown backwards.

I think this is where the source of the most misconceptions come from: Its complicated to grasp! But very simply, the reason why Jon was able to live six years while everyone else stayed the same age was because he wasn't just thrown TO Earth-3, he was thrown backwards as well. Here's a chart I made about a year ago to try and visualize it:

If you're wondering how Jor El found him... we actually don't know. All we know is Jor El apparently made some fucked up arrangements in order to accomplish it.

And that kind of brings us back to the beginning, where Clark and Jon reunite. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, namely how Jor El managed to get Jon back in the first place, but this is essentially the rundown of the age up. So to recap very quickly: 1. No, Jon was not magically aged up. He lived those years. Its spacetime travel, not just space travel. He is mentally 17-18. 2. No, Clois didn't just 'let him go' with no conflict. It was actually a huge argument that ended up also really mentally fucking with Clark in later arcs. He goes to therapy with Khalid Nassour about it! 3. Jor El has a lot more to do with all this than he reasonably should. I could explain why he's alive but it would give us both an aneurysm- Just know in this story, he kind of serves as a foil to Jon.

Now, why did Bendis write the age up? Here's a post by a friend that gets into the metatextual reasons why this was a thing.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

ISU released an article about Shoma

Two-time ISU World Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan has announced his retirement from competitive skating after a long and distinguished career and is ready to open a new chapter in his life.

“I have decided to retire from active competition,” Uno wrote on Instagram. “I am very grateful to have been able to continue skating for 21 years since I was 5 years old, and to have had a wonderful athletic life.”

The Japanese star will talk in more detail about his retirement and future plans in a press conference scheduled for May 14.

The 26-year-old looks back at a career with many highlights and also difficult times, but he always came back, proving his talent and showing resilience. When five-year-old Shoma went to the ice rink in his hometown of Nagoya with his father to have fun, he had no idea that he would become a World Champion, Olympic medalist and super star of the sport. He only knew that the enjoyed skating and kept coming back to the rink, taking lessons. He trained with Machiko Yamada, the coach of Japanese skating icon Midori Ito and also with Mihoko Higuchi for many years and worked his way up in the skating world.

Uno debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 2011 and was so tiny that he was unable to look over the boards. He won a few medals on the Junior circuit but his breakthrough came in what was his last Junior season in 2014/15 when he qualified for the first time for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final where he claimed gold. Shoma went on to take the ISU World Junior title in 2015, in what was his fourth and final appearance at the event (climbing from 10th in 2012, 7th in 2013 and 5th in 2014).

Once at the senior level, Uno quickly became one of the top Skaters in the World. In his World debut in 2016 he placed 7th but then the next year won silver, his first of a total of four World medals. In his first Olympic Winter Games in 2018, Shoma skated off with the silver medal and returned on to the Olympic podium four years later, earning the bronze. In 2022 and 2023 Uno crowned himself ISU World Champion.

However, in between there was a time of struggle. In the 2019/20 season, for the first (and only) time in his career, Uno finished off the podium in the ISU Grand Prix Series. He had left his coaches since childhood and struggled with confidence.

“At first, to be honest, I was thinking about finishing my career,“ he said in an interview at Skate America 2021 about this time.

“I did not know how much longer I would keep going. But imaging the end (I thought) maybe I'll enjoy the rest of this career as an athlete.“

Uno started to work with two-time World Champion Stéphane Lambiel as his coach and choreographer in fall 2019 and soon came back strong. He grew as an athlete and a performer with beautiful programs that highlighted his versatility: “Turandot” (Free Skating 2017/18), “Great Spirit” (Short Program 2020/21), “Bolero” (Free Skating 2021/22) and “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Free Skating 2023/24) to name a few.

At the same time, the Japanese star always pushed the limits technically and made history by becoming the first Skater to perform a quadruple flip in competition in 2016.

“When I train and want to become better, it's not good for me to work on what I can already do. If I'm satisfied with just giving 80 per cent, I'm not good. The right training for me is to push my limits,” Uno said in an interview.

The Japanese Skater has an independent mind and a fun personality. He has a Youtube Channel where you can meet his three toy poodles Emma, Baron and Toro.

“When I am on the ice, I am totally focused on my sport, but when I'm off the ice, I am sure most people know I am just a lazy slacker, but I thought that would be a good way to show to the people how I am off the ice, but still this is Shoma Uno,” he explained.

When asked who inspires him the most, Shoma’s surprising answer was:

"Myself. Of course, I think I am inspired by many people and heard some good words from everyone, too, but in the end when you break it down, I do feel that it is myself that inspires me and sadly, I don't listen to anyone. Sometimes I listen, but mostly I go with my own mind,” he added.

For sure Uno will follow his own ideas in the years to come but you can certainly expect to see him gracing the ice in shows for a while.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA’s Voyager 1 Revives Backup Thrusters Before Command Pause

The mission team wanted to fix the thrusters, deemed unusable decades ago, before the radio antenna that sends commands to the probe went offline for upgrades.

Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have revived a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft that had been considered inoperable since 2004. Fixing the thrusters required creativity and risk, but the team wants to have them available as a backup to a set of active thrusters whose fuel tubes are experiencing a buildup of residue that could cause them to stop working as early as this fall.

In addition, the mission needed to ensure the availability of the long-dormant thrusters before May 4, when the Earth-bound antenna that sends commands to Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 went offline for months of upgrades.

Thruster Clogging

The Voyagers launched in 1977 and are hurtling through interstellar space at around 35,000 mph (56,000 kph). Both spacecraft rely on a set of primary thrusters to gently pivot them up and down as well as to the right and left in order to keep their antennas pointed at Earth so they can send back data and receive commands. Within the primary set of thrusters are other thrusters that control the spacecraft’s roll motion. Seen from Earth, the roll motion rotates the antenna like a vinyl record to keep each Voyager pointed at a guide star it uses to orient itself. Both spacecraft have a primary and backup set for these roll movements.

(Another set of thrusters, intended to change the spacecrafts’ trajectory during the flybys of the outer planets, were revived on the spacecraft in 2018 and 2019, but they can’t induce roll motion.)

To manage the clogging tubes in the thrusters, engineers switch between the sets of primary, backup, and trajectory thrusters of both Voyagers. But on Voyager 1, the primary roll thrusters stopped working in 2004 after losing power in two small internal heaters. Engineers determined the broken heaters were likely unfixable and opted to rely solely on Voyager 1’s backup roll thrusters to orient the star tracker.

“I think at that time, the team was OK with accepting that the primary roll thrusters didn’t work, because they had a perfectly good backup,” said Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL, which manages the mission for NASA. “And, frankly, they probably didn’t think the Voyagers were going to keep going for another 20 years.”

But without the ability to control the spacecraft’s roll motion, a variety of issues would arise that might threaten the mission, so the engineering team decided to reexamine the 2004 thruster failure. They began to suspect that an unexpected change or disturbance in the circuits that control the heaters’ power supply had effectively flipped a switch to the wrong position. If they could turn the switch back to its original position, the heaters might work again, enabling them to reactivate the primary roll thrusters and use them if the backup roll thrusters that have been used since 2004 become completely clogged.

Communications Pause

The solution required some puzzle-solving. The team would have to turn on the dormant roll thrusters, then try fixing and restarting the heaters. If, during that time, the spacecraft’s star tracker drifted too far from the guide star, the long-dormant roll thrusters would automatically fire (thanks to the spacecraft’s programming). And if the heaters were still off when they fired, it could trigger a small explosion, so the team needed to get the star tracker pointed as precisely as possible.

It would be a race, and the team faced additional time pressure: From May 4, 2025, through February 2026, Deep Space Station 43 (DSS-43), a 230-foot-wide (70-meter-wide) antenna in Canberra, Australia, that’s part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, would be undergoing upgrades. It would be offline for most of that time, with brief periods of operation in August and December.

Although the Deep Space Network has three complexes equally spaced around the globe (in Goldstone, California, and Madrid, in addition to Australia) to ensure constant contact with spacecraft as Earth rotates, DSS-43 is the only dish with enough signal power to send commands to the Voyagers.

“These antenna upgrades are important for future crewed lunar landings, and they also increase communications capacity for our science missions in deep space, some of which are building on the discoveries Voyager made,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager and director of the Interplanetary Network at JPL, which manages the Deep Space Network for NASA. “We’ve been through downtime like this before, so we’re just preparing as much as we can.”

The team wanted to make sure the long-dormant thrusters would be available when the dish is back online briefly in August, by which time the thrusters currently in use on Voyager 1 might be completely clogged.

The advance work paid off: On March 20, the team watched as the spacecraft executed their commands. Because of Voyager’s distance, the radio signal takes over 23 hours to travel from the spacecraft to Earth, meaning everything the team saw happening had occurred almost a day earlier. If the test had failed, Voyager might already have been in danger. But within 20 minutes, the team saw the temperature of the thruster heaters rise dramatically and knew they had succeeded.

“It was such a glorious moment. Team morale was very high that day,” said Todd Barber, the mission’s propulsion lead at JPL. “These thrusters were considered dead. And that was a legitimate conclusion. It’s just that one of our engineers had this insight that maybe there was this other possible cause and it was fixable. It was yet another miracle save for Voyager.”

More About Voyager

Voyager 1 and 2 are located about 15 billion miles (25 billion kilometers) and 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth, respectively. Following their exploration of the four outer planets, they are the only spacecraft to ever have sent back data from interstellar space, the region beyond the planets and outside the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun, called the heliosphere.

IMAGE: NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, are now traveling through interstellar space at around 35,000 mph (56,000 kph). This artist’s concept depicts one of the probes speeding away.  Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[shopwitchvamp]

Ello!! Same person who was trying to emo-fiy his mom lmfao. (Just changed my username) but anyways, how exactly did this business start? It seems newer.

How new does it seem? I'm curious!

Witch Vamp has been solidly it's own thing since 2017, though it was originally "Witch Vampire" for a while and only on Etsy / at conventions. I think my first skirts hit the con scene in 2015, but at the time the vast majority of what I was doing was crocheted amigurumi plushies (which I'd been selling since 2008).

The most ancient of my skirts!

This is gonna be SO long sooo if you want a whole spiel, it's under the break-

How those first few skirts started was that a friend said, "Hey, I found this place called ArtsCow where you can get custom clothing printed! Wanna try making skirts?" And I was desperate for anything I could try selling that didn't involve me literally and actively breaking my body to produce it (I had multiple bouts of tendonitis in my wrist from crocheting a ridiculous amount to produce enough plushies for cons ✌️🥲), so I tried designing some patterns to put on skirts, zipper bags, lanyards, etc. After a time, skirts were doing really well in particular.

Between 2015-2018 there was a gradual shift from the focus of my time/work/con tables/etc going from plushies to clothing. By 2019 I gave up crocheting all together and had fully shifted my focus to Witch Vamp, and it's also when I set up my shopify so I could have a stand-alone site and start escaping Etsy.

Side note, 2018 and especially 2019 I was slowing down on cons a lot. I used to get sick all the time, be exhausted and miserable all the time, and generally had started feeling too old & weary to keep doing them at such a grueling pace. I also spent about 1/4 of each of those years having run off to Japan to do an English teaching/Japanese learning exchange program in a countryside town called Ojiya. Going into 2020 I thought I might be returning to Japan to teach full time and help the program director open an English school for adults in a nearby city.. But 2020 had a big surprise in store for us all, didn't it? As you can guess those plans got absolutely demolished. So 2020 hit and cons got cancelled, Japan plans got cancelled, thankfully I had already started up my shopify so I went fully online-only pretty quickly. Things started picking up quite a bit in 2021 & 2022, and in 2022 I left Fresh Hot Flavors (a group shop I was in with other artists, including the one that got a bunch of us ((as in me, FHF, Vetiverfox, and Maya Kern)) all started on this clothing journey) to only run Witch Vamp. Around the same time my partner quit his increasingly awful job and started helping me out with the shop instead. January 2023 is when we made the business part of our partnership official and Witch Vamp became Witch Vamp LLC. Up until then I'd been a sole proprietorship the whole time and doing all of everything myself. With my partner around to start taking on various tasks (like fulfilment and customer service emails) and with my clothing order schedule no longer being tied to FHF, things started to speed up a ton. This is when Witch Vamp fully coalesced into Witch Vamp as it is now, with the weekly restocks and more frequent new designs and preorders. If you consider the business as having started (in it's current state) as when the LLC was formed, then yeah it is pretty darn new! But depending on when you consider it starting it also goes wayyy back. It's been a long road, haha. PS: if you're interested in seeing old designs, plushies, and con tables from my past life, I made a big long post about it -here- :D

[lanternlit]

DASH GAME: BEHIND THE MUN

NAME: Havu.

PRONOUNS: They/them.

MOST ACTIVE MUSES: On this blog, Iris, Cas, Izzy, Will and Hannibal are being the loudest gremlins. Also the Doctor, mostly Thirteen, and Fifteen very much trying but I am sooo intimidated by the thought of starting to write him (me whenever I write a regeneration of the Doctor I haven't written previously).

EXPERIENCE: I started roleplaying privately with friends when MSN Messenger was a thing, in my teens, in the mid-late 2000s. We migrated to private phpbb forums with some friends for one-on-one platforms for more organisation than private messages. I transitioned to tumblr in 2013 when I found out the independent rpc here (I was on tumblr in a generic way since 2010). I pitched an idea for a Doctor Who OC to someone on anon to see if they would be interested in writing with her, I didn't know how the rpc functioned, etc. And then I made a blog for her. That was Iris, by the way, if you can believe that.

From 2013 to 2017 I wrote various OCs and Doctor Who canon muses, namely an AU version of Rose Tyler for a while, and then mainly the Eleventh Doctor for several years (my url was legsyes and later snogboxed but the latter was 2018). I was so unwell I was nearly psychotic around 2015-2017 and I was on the wrong meds etc. so I took a long hiatus of over a year from 2017 to 2018.

A huge part of my recovery process was coming back to the rpc with Cas in june 2018 (waywardfeathered). He was my primary muse for a long time, but I also came up with Jillian around that same time, and had some other muses in their own blogs, so in 2019 I consolidated everyone that wasn't Cas on a multimuse, on this blog (I think it was Jillian, Eleven, Charlie, River and the TARDIS, maybe Thirteen, and I've since retired Eleven). Now you know I recently moved Cas and Thirteen here from their respective blogs, and I still have Shepard on her own blog @dutyworn and I changed my url here from smokedanced to lanternlit.

FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT: Angst, smut, and fluff. I love multi-genre interactions, a little bit of all flavours in different threads between the same muses. Fluff is the only one of these I need to balance with something else to enjoy it a lot. I can write angst and smut without craving for something else for contrast.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Both. I vastly dislike focusing on reply length as any sort of an indicator of how good someone is at roleplaying; it makes sense for length to vary. Are you setting a scene with lots of exposition? Are the characters having rapid fire dialogue? The former easily suits novella replies and the latter easily suits a single paragraph. I like dynamic threads where the response length feels natural considering the scene.

PET PEEVES: Relating to the previous one, my ultimate prose related pet peeve is when replies become like... two or even more threads in one thread? Consider:

Muse A asks Muse B, "How have you been?" Thread proceeds to have plot happening, and Muse A's internal thoughts regarding it.

Now Muse B's writer is stuck in a situation where, if they have their muse react to the dialogue before the following events, they are splitting the thread into two timelines, if Muse A's writer wants to be able to have their muse react in any way. This makes incredibly awkward writing flow where you are basically writing two interactions in one thread. I think people do this because they want to write longer replies but it becomes so unnatural and difficult to work with. I've been guilty of this as well. I always try very hard to consolidate a thread into a singular interaction, but sometimes that means I am forced to have my muse react to stuff only internally, or answer to questions delayed, etc. and it can be difficult to justify. And this is so difficult to explain it's hard to bring up with people if it happens because I don't even know what words to use to describe it - I drew a diagram to a friend once XD

Less of a pet peeve, more of a "I am going to block you", but any kind of rhetoric that even HINTS AT judging other people based on what kind of (no matter how problematic) content they enjoy in fiction.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE: For the most part, I am very different from all of my muses. I think it's because I would make a very boring fictional character, so there simply aren't ones much like myself; I'm very passive, unadventurous, etc. and I have no issue with that, I would rather be safe and comfortable than "an interesting fictional character" LOL. There are some, mostly minor, things, that I can relate to with most if not all of my muses, but these are usually either small quirks or life circumstances, not values or personality defining traits. For example: I relate to Castiel and him having been heavily controlled by other people, in having been controlled/abused by people who had authority over me, myself. I relate to feeling like I am existing as an outsider looking, like Iris (being isolated from society, for her for totally different reasons, for me due to disability) and tbqh many of my other muses. I am aromantic and pansexual, so I relate to Dean being demiromantic and bisexual. I am easily startled, and so is Lucius, so I relate to him in that. And such.

TIME TO WRITE: I don't have a set time that's easier than others, but in general (i say as i type this at 3:39am) my ability to function decreases exponentially if I am not maintaining a sleep schedule. The biggest reason for me going radio silent for weeks is "I couldn't sleep for 1 night and now I'm sleeping during the day and this has made me like 9000 times more disabled than usual".

TAGGED BY: @naitfall, thank you! TAGGING: @qapsiel, @shepcdr, @hellweep, @henosiis, @uselessdevice & anyone who wants to do it tag me so i can see!

[thelionandthelark]

Some of the actors who participated in the Brazilian soap opera adaptation of Les Misérables in 1967

Sadi Cabral as The Bishop Myriel

Born Sadi Sousa Leite Cabral (September 10, 1906 – November 23, 1986) he was an actor who was active between the years of 1923 and 1986. In addition to being an actor, he was also a announcer, scriptwriter, screenwriter, director, dancer, lyricist and producer.

Leonardo Villar as Jean Valjean

Born Leonildo Motta (July 25, 1923 - July 3, 2020), he was an actor who was active between the 1950 and 2011. His career, like many actors of the time, began in the theater; and to this day he is considered one of the best Brazilian actors, and was acclaimed by many colleagues in the profession.

Both of his parents were Spanish immigrants from Andalusia, and he was the youngest of 7 siblings.

Otávio Augusto as Javert

Born Otávio Augusto de Azevedo Sousa (January 30, 1945), he is an actor, comedian and director who originally began his activities in 1965, and continues with them to this day. He has many credits involving films, plays and other soap operas.

Laura Cardoso as Fantine

Born Laurinda de Jesus Cardoso Balleroni (September 13, 1927), she began her career in 1950. However, her love for acting began many years before her adult life. As a child, she used to play theater with her friends in the neighborhood; and at the age of 15, she decided to finally pursue an artistic career, starting her work in radionovelas.

"She is one of the actresses who has acted the most in the country, with more than 100 works [...] including more than 60 soap operas. She has also made 30 feature films for the cinema."

Chico de Assis as Félix Tholomyès

Born Francisco de Assis Pereira (December 10, 1933 – January 3, 2015) he was a Brazilian playwright who began his activities in 1953. I believe that of those mentioned so far, he was the only one who was not actively in the acting field. Although he participated in some soap operas, the focus of his work was most directing and producing plays.

Maria Isabel de Lizandra as Cosette

Born Maria Isabel Reclusa Antunes Maciel (June 5, 1946 – March 14, 2019) she was an actress of soap operas, series and plays who was active between 1963 and 1998.

She starred in Les Misérables early in her career, making it the fifth soap opera in which she appeared.

Serafim Gonzalez as M. Thénardier

Born Seraphim Gonzalez (May 19, 1934 – April 29, 2007) he was an actor and sculptor who was active between 1946 and 2007. Like the actor who played Jean Valjean, his parents were also Spanish immigrants.

And here's a fun fact about him: Here in Brazil, there is another very famous soap opera called "Mulheres de Areia" (I think in English it would be something like "Sand Women") and there is the original version, and the remake made two decades later. He participated in both versions. He was the one who sculpted the sand statues that appeared throughout the story.

Cacilda Lanuza as Mme. Thénardier

Born Cacilda Lanuza de Godoy Silveira (September 1, 1930 – June 17, 2018) she was an actress of theater, cinema and television. In addition, she also worked as a television host, radio broadcaster, writer, reporter and announcer.

[alsenvs3000w25]

Blog 10: My Personal Ethic

Introduction

Throughout the Nature Interpretation course, I have learned valuable principles that help people connect with and appreciate nature. As I develop into a nature interpreter, my personal ethics consist of the passion for informing others, appreciation for nature, inclusivity, and curiosity.

In the first week of the course, I learned about the concept of a “sense of place”, which is the connection people feel to the surrounding environment (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 1, p. 10). This allowed me to reflect on how I got my own sense of place, which came from my dad who would observe and ponder nature's beauty at our family's cottage with me. Thinking about these experiences helped me realize how my appreciation for nature has evolved over time. Nature’s amenities bring me comfort and peace of mind, making me even more passionate about helping others discover, experience, and appreciate nature and culture in their own unique ways (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 1, p. 14). 

My family's cottage, where I developed a "sense of place".

My Beliefs

I firmly believe that everything in nature plays a role in maintaining its ecosystem. Regardless of size, each component is necessary for the environment to thrive. However, understanding nature’s significance can be challenging, which is why I strive to bridge the gap between science and the natural world. By combining the two, I hope to effectively address critical issues like climate change while simplifying complex ideas (Wals, Brody, Dillon, & Stevenson, 2014). Interpretation requires much more than scientific knowledge; it requires enthusiasm to make its beauty clear. To make a lasting impact, I believe I must share information in stimulating ways.

Another belief I have is that viewing nature from several perspectives is essential to enhance the way we perceive the environment. This can be completed through real-life experience, indigenous knowledge, art, museums, and narratives (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 5, p. 100). Engaging the senses, including seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting further ensures that nature’s true effect is being felt (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 5, p. 100).

Finally, arguably the most meaningful lesson I’ve learned is that people protect what they love. This idea greatly influenced me to create experiences that allow individuals to form genuine connections with the natural world. Fostering this connection will inspire a stronger interest in preservation, which is especially crucial today (Rodenburg, 2019). Recent reports mention that as of January 2025, global temperatures have reached record-breaking levels, posing a major threat to wildlife and weather patterns (Nature Geoscience, 2025).

My Responsibilities as a Nature Interpreter

My responsibilities as a nature interpreter are shaped by my beliefs. These duties enable me to succeed in my role by sharing information and forming deep relationships between humans and the natural world. I strive to educate others about sustainability and the glory of the environment while promoting inclusivity and evoking curiosity to ensure everyone is properly informed and included.

As mentioned, I accept that it is my purpose to educate others about the importance of sustaining the environment (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 5, p. 96). I aim to inspire people to make minor yet meaningful changes to their everyday routines, such as conserving water and energy, recycling, using environmentally friendly transportation, planting trees and respecting wildlife (NDEP, 2024). Integrating these simple practices can slow down the rapidly changing climate while preserving clean spaces for the activities we cherish, like relaxing, gathering with loved ones, or engaging in physical activity (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 3, p. 49).

Additionally, I aspire to promote inclusivity, as everyone should have the equal opportunity to enjoy nature, regardless of their background, skills, or experiences. By using simple language, treating all visitors equally, considering different learning styles, and acknowledging the cultural significance of various natural areas, I hope to create a welcoming environment where economic, cultural, and communication barriers, as well as, fear, are minimized for all (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 7, p. 131-135).

Lastly, a nature interpreter is expected to evoke curiosity in their audience. Therefore, I encourage my visitors to explore nature themselves, to form personal experiences and to perceive nature in their own way. Discovering new things motivates individuals to continue learning about the mysteries and glory of the environment around us. Curiosity and self-discovery can spark a lifetime appreciation for the environment, as discovery leads to a closer bond with nature (Rodenburg, 2019).

Sustainable practices that can help protect the environment. (https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-environmental-protection-infographic-flat-concept-ways-to-protect-environment-ecology-infographic-vector-illustration-image66632133)

Most Suitable Approaches

Everyone has their own learning styles, emphasizing the importance of interpreting in a way that appeals to a broad audience. I believe the most suitable approaches include hands-on learning, storytelling, visuals, and asking questions.

Aldo Leopold stresses the importance of providing first-hand experience, which uses all five senses (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 5, p. 100). People learn best when they experience something for themselves; therefore, designing activities that motivate visitors to physically engage with nature would allow them to develop meaningful connections (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 5, p. 88). For example, organizing a scavenger hunt to find animal tracks or specific species, would not only evoke curiosity but also demonstrate nature’s interconnectedness and beauty.

Bluntly stating facts can fail to engage the public, highlighting the importance of effectively delivering information. Storytelling is a powerful method to bring nature to life, especially for those who do not have the assets to travel and experience diverse ecosystems. For instance, the story of the Boys & Girls Club illustrates how some people lack the privilege to view nature in the same way as others (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 7, p. 127). Through narratives, interpreters can paint a realistic picture, helping audiences feel as if they are experiencing a scenario themselves. Furthermore, storytelling is effective for educating children (Rodenburg, 2019).

Many people, including myself, learn better through visuals due to a short attention span (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, Chapter 8, p. 166). Utilizing resources like photos, diagrams, and videos, can make people feel more invested in the material presented. Since nature interpretation serves a wide audience, including children, incorporating visuals makes the information accessible and engaging for most learners (Rodenburg, 2019).

Finally, asking questions is an effective way to encourage people to reflect on their experiences and think about nature from different perspectives. Additionally, it forces individuals to pay closer attention to details. For example, asking “Why do you think this flower is by itself in the field?” encourages visitors to consider how species interact with one another, demonstrating nature’s glory.

I've included a video on how to engage an audience when presenting, which is helpful in interpretation.

Conclusion

My personal ethic will continue to evolve as I gain more experience as a nature interpreter. However, I will always carry my values including, informing others, inspiring appreciation for nature, encouraging inclusiveness, and generating curiosity, as these principles are crucial. Furthermore, I want to foster a lifelong love for the environment through interactive exercises, storytelling, and asking questions. I aim to Increase the number of people who feel a deep sense of responsibility and connection to the natural world (Beck, Cable, & Knudson, 2018, p. 182).

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore Publishing.

Nature Geoscience. (2025). Temperature rising. Nature Geoscience, 18, 199. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01663-x

NDEP. (2024, December 11). Protecting the environment: Key strategies and solutions. Retrieved from https://ndep.org/protecting-the-environment-key-strategies-and-solutions/

Rodenburg, J. (2019, June 17). Why environmental educators shouldn’t give up hope. Environmental Literacy. Retrieved from https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/15637

Wals, A. E. J., Brody, M., Dillon, J., & Stevenson, R. B. (2014). Convergence between science and environmental education. Science, 344(6184), 583-584. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1250515

[4lbon]

"I do find it interesting that ppl will ignore the many many times Taylor Swift has publicly supported democrats just because she was friendly to her boyfriend's coworker's wife"

the "many many times" in question being an entirely self-serving activism kick in 2019 and 2020... she hasn't even spoken up about this year's (arguably more consequential) election Imao if normal ass people can cut off their own relatives for being bigoted then white woman of the year can certainly avoid snuggling with a loud and proud racist. i'll also remind you that the "political arguments" in question that occur between trumpies and normal people directly affect the lives and safety of millions of people both in the States and abroad but okay! sure! not everyone has enough empathy to care about that! whatever!

if you want to believe taylor swift is a bad person, or not progressive enough, or a performative activist thats fine!! you don't have to like her and you also don't need to justify it with any "good enough" reason!!! you can just hate the bitch you're allowed!!!

the point i was trying to make is it is weird as hell to be making polls and speculating if she's a republican when she's endorsed joe biden in 2020 and many other democrats since 2018, it really seems like a bad faith fucking conversation to me 🤷 i think the people who are having these discussions have already decided that she's a bad person and are discounting very significant data points to present their opinions like they're reality. if you think it was self-serving activism, that is actually just your opinion :) that you are allowed to have but that does not change the objective truth that she has never been vocally anything other but liberal in her political views.

i also think its fucking weird that people who hate her so much won't shut the fuck up about her TBH!!!!!!!

also acting like i, a disabled nonbinary dyke don't know how politics affect real people?????? bitch i'm one of them. and you're right, not everyone has enough empathy to care about everything wrong with the world all the time. not everyone has the capacity to argue with every bigot they meet 100% of the time without getting burnt the fuck out. it is not sustainable and also not very effective to do! most of these crazy assholes are not gonna have their minds changed with an argument. caring for vulnerable members of our communities is a far more valuable way to spend your energy. getting young leftist people registered to vote is gonna be a much more viable strategy for change than arguing with trumpies.

i have also, for the record, been kind to bigots. so fucking cancel me too i guess. i've said hey i'm not gonna start an argument bc my siblings deserve a christmas without all that. i've heard coworkers say bigoted things and said hey i'm exhausted from the work day i dont have a capacity to deal with this right now. and if you think i'm a bad person for that? dont worry you can unfollow me i will still sleep easy at night :)

i also think it's worth mentioning that taylor swift recently had to cancel a show bc of a real terrorist threat. i personally think it's very likely she's being advised not to say anything in order to not increase risk of another tragedy like the manchester ariana grande attack. if this is true and you still think that taylor swift prioritizing the safety of herself and her fans dying over speaking up politically, thats your right to think so!! but i don't expect my faves to be activists 24/7 personally, for any reason. i dont think thats fair to expect of people who aren't politicians.

but that's just me!!!

[littlemisssquiggles]

LittleMissSquiggles’ Summary of Art 2023

Honestly folks, I don't got much to say about this year. This might just be my shortest art summary to date since I don't have much to comment on this year's events.

2023 was a general mix of highs and lows but overall, not a bad year. You could say that this was the year I was more work-oriented.

I focused more on work especially during the early half of this year, between January and July and therefore didn't spend much time on personal projects; specifically 3D. That being said, I did end up getting back up to my art. Since I've been more focused on 3D for the past two years, I chose this year to get back into my 2D art doing illustrative work since I missed it.

More than that, I took this year to spend some well needed time improving my drawing skills, using tools and techniques from my 3D workflow in an attempt to improve my illustrative work and needless to say, I think it worked out great, even if the end results wasn't much.

---

Some squiggly good accomplishments I achieved in 2023:

Started the year employed and while I had to juggle two job opportunities which had its fair share of ups and downs in more ways than one, at least it allowed me the chance to earn the funds I needed to obtain my new workstation: a Lenovo Ideacentre 5 Gaming PC.

Learned about the almighty power of networking and remote desktops thanks to my contract job which allowed to me to transform my current setup into one that fully connects and maximizes the full use of all the devises in my arsenal. Basically I figured out how to connect my previous laptop to my new PC so now I work with a setup where my laptop acts as a third monitor for my PC while I'm able to access all my files from my laptop from my PC. Ontop of that, I also learnt how to connect my PC to my Ipad Mini, not just for transferring files for art but for also using it as a proxy computer device to remote into my main PC workstation. This may not seem like a big deal to most but for someone who didn't know a thing about most of this stuff up until this year, it makes a huge difference to this squiggle meister.

Gained a new four-legged member to the squiggle meister family household. A playfully mischievous yet adorable Husky-mix pup fittingly named Alaska or the "Wee Las" as I like to call her.

Experimented a lot with my art this year and while I may not have shared all of the fruits of my labour to social media, I have been making quite a few strides. ---- I spent the last couple of years pushing my social media presence and while I have benefitted from it from time to time, I missed out on just taking some time to myself; getting back to indulging in other activities that brought me joy; particularly the ones that involve truly honing my craft.

I hope to maintain this type of vibe moving forward towards the new year.

Even if my social media activity won't be as frequent as previous years, I do hope that those who have been following and supporting me and my work over years still continue to do so, even if it's to simply just check in from time to time.

To conclude my post, as always, I'm wishing everyone all the very, very best in their respective lives and daily endevours for the upcoming new year.

Let see what we got in store for 2024! Happy New Year folks!

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♦  PREVIOUS ART SUMMARIES  ♦

2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

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LittleMissSquiggles (2023)

[anything-bitesized]

Case Study: Social Media Influencers and the Slow Fashion Movement

Keywords: digital citizenship, slow fashion, fast fashion, greenwashing

While scrolling through Instagram reels one evening, I stumbled upon an influencer’s video about her ethical wardrobe tour. It showcased organic cotton tees, upcycled denim, and compostable packaging. But as I admired the aesthetic, a question came to mind: Is buying ethically still just buying?

Fashion is more than fabric—it’s identity, culture, and self-expression (Mandal & Kumar 2022). Yet at its core, it remains tied to consumption. Even slow fashion, despite its sustainable ethos, still operates in a system where buying fuels the industry. This raises a difficult question: Can fashion truly break free from capitalism—or is slow fashion simply reshaping how we consume, not whether we consume at all?

Digital platforms allow consumers to challenge exploitative brands, promote ethical alternatives, and demand transparency. Hashtag campaigns like #WhoMadeMyClothes and #PayUp demonstrate how online engagement can hold corporations accountable and amplify ethical consumption movements (Adi 2018).

Yet, greenwashing remains a widespread issue. Brands often market themselves as sustainable while continuing unsustainable practices, misleading well-meaning consumers (Kerner & Gillis 2023). Digital spaces empower individuals to expose these tactics, encouraging critical thinking and ethical responsibility.

Slow fashion promotes longevity, ethical labor, and sustainable materials (Brewer 2019; Domingos, Vale & Faria 2022). It advocates for quality over quantity and challenges fast fashion’s wasteful and exploitative model. However, ethical consumption is still consumption. As Carrington, Zwick and Neville (2016) explain, the “ethical consumption gap” suggests that people may buy more when they believe purchases align with their values.

Moreover, cost is a barrier. Ethically made garments can be up to 10 times more expensive than fast fashion (Chi et al. 2021). Influencer Cora Harrington detailed how high prices in sustainable fashion reflect the true cost of labor, materials, and production (Harrington 2020). This price point often limits access, raising issues of privilege and exclusivity.

Influencers have emerged as powerful voices in fashion activism, using their platforms to promote slow fashion and challenge fast fashion brands. Ethical influencers such as Kristen Leo and Venetia La Manna highlight secondhand alternatives and expose industry greenwashing (Adi 2018).

Venetia La Manna offers a quick but impactful take on fast fashion’s environmental cost, showcasing the scale of waste and overproduction through visual storytelling.

Kristen Leo critiques the culture of the fashion industry, examining how it perpetuates gender stereotypes, exploitation of labor, and a homogenized ideal of beauty.

However, even influencers advocating for sustainability may contribute to consumerism through affiliate links and brand sponsorships. This paradox underlines how capitalism adapts, absorbing ethical movements into its commercial framework (Carrington, Zwick & Neville 2016). In this context, the line between activism and advertising becomes increasingly blurred.

True sustainability involves rethinking consumption entirely, not just shifting to ethical purchases. As Geiger and Keller (2018) argue, valuing what we already own is the most sustainable practice. Other actions include:

Supporting reuse through thrifting, swapping, and upcycling.

Educating others without shaming, fostering a constructive community.

Demanding systemic change, such as fair labor laws and transparent supply chains.

Disrupting planned obsolescence—the deliberate creation of short product lifespans—requires reducing consumption, not merely buying “better” (Geiger & Keller 2018). This challenges capitalism’s core logic, which thrives on constant demand.

In conclusion, slow fashion offers a more ethical path, but not a complete solution. It still operates within capitalism, framing smarter consumption rather than less consumption as the goal. True change requires questioning why we shop, not just how.

The most sustainable outfit? Not the latest organic linen dress, but the clothes already in your closet.

Reference list

Adi, A 2018, ‘#Sustainability on Twitter: Loose Ties and Green-Washing CSR’, in G Grigore, A Stancu & D McQueen (eds), Corporate Responsibility and Digital Communities, Palgrave, pp. 99–122.

Brewer, MK 2019, ‘Slow Fashion in a Fast Fashion World: Promoting Sustainability and Responsibility’, Laws, vol. 8, no. 4, p. 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws8040024

Carrington, MJ, Zwick, D & Neville, B 2016, ‘The ideology of the ethical consumption gap’, Marketing Theory, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 21–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593115595674

Chi, T, Gerard, J, Yu, Y & Wang, Y 2021, ‘A study of U.S. consumers’ intention to purchase slow fashion apparel’, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2021.1872714

Domingos, M, Vale, VT & Faria, S 2022, ‘Slow Fashion Consumer Behavior: A Literature Review’, Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 5, p. 2860. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052860

Geiger, SM & Keller, J 2018, ‘Shopping for Clothes and Sensitivity to the Suffering of Others’, Environment and Behavior, vol. 50, no. 10, pp. 1119–1144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916517732109

Harrington, C 2020, X (formerly Twitter), 8 December, viewed 21 March 2025, https://x.com/CoraCHarrington/status/1339620266348044289

Kerner, SM & Gillis, AS 2023, ‘What is greenwashing?’, WhatIs.com, viewed 21 March 2025, https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/greenwashing

Mandal, A & Kumar, R 2022, ‘Fashion is a Form of a Self-Expression’, International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, vol. 3, no. 12, pp. 845–853. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.2022.31220

[dojae-huh]

Oh definitely. The lack of more U.S. dates during the last tour was something I completely forgot about 😅 And yeah, I've noticed how relatively low their U.S. popularity is in comparison to other boy groups, and I agree with you and your friend that content and a loss of focus is the reason. When they were at their peak, it coincided with the high frequency of videos they were putting out on YouTube and the attention SM placed on the Western market specifically. Even the fandom memes were better/funnier. But at the moment, they seem to have scaled back a bit. Why do you think that is?

About Aespa vs. NCT:

Unfortunately, SM 3.0 does seem to favor Aespa right now. It was very clear to me at their show that the girls have a lot more money and resources being poured into them. The stage direction was more complex, the show was better structured, each member's solo performance was well-planned, the setlist was relevant (compared to 127's where they omitted popular songs that should've been there and included b-sides that maybe shouldn't have - I understand this is due to the missing members, though. Certain songs simply cannot be performed without Taeyong and Jaehyun. So I don't blame them at all). Even the little movie clip transitions between songs were better directed (the story was coherent and easier to follow than 127's)

I think the boys are ultimately content with how things went, though. That's the impression I got while watching them and hearing their final speeches. Every single member was engaged, extremely confident, and had equal amounts of attention placed on them/perfect line distribution. Most importantly, they all seemed so genuinely happy

It is right to favour aespa right now. 127 experiences the enlistment period, while aespa is having their best year (I said 127, because Wish and WayV had a lot of support in 2024) and looks most promising as a global act for several reasons. It's as simple as a 4 y.o. group vs 8 y.o. group. 127 had their 2018 and 2019, heh. 2020 was supposed to be their year as well... it still played out despite covid, Neozone and NCT2020 was what finally brought 127 real fame.

LSM persisted with the 127 neo sound despite the unit not "making it" for over 3 years after debut, and WayV wasn't abandoned either despite mediocre sales and Lucas and WinWin situations. SM far from perfect, but credit where credit is due.

I think we will have to be patient and wait for TaeJae to return. This will be the time to make a new attempt at growth. It is when we will know for certain SM's attitude towards NCT. Will they concentrate only on younger groups and "abandon" grandpas, or not. NCT Centre exists for NCT and listens to neos, Wish gets content with the older units, and Doyoung is active in building bridges across. So I'd say the hope isn't lost.

Now to answer your question.

Enlistment and focus on other units

We kind of constantly forget NCT is a mega group, not several separate unrelated groups. Putting money into Wish, means less money for 127. However, Wish brings new fans to 127 via osmosis as well. NCT Dream went on a large-scale global tour, it was the year for them to secure their success of 2023 and even expand a little (more stops in Europe). No MarkHyuk, less content with 127. Doyoung said several times how hard it was to find time for MokChu for Haechan.

2. Focus on solo activities and promotions.

Yuta spent a lot of time in Japan, Doyoung travelled with his tour - again, less time for the whole unit to meet and make content. And I think it was the right time. We know how Taeyong and Doyoung were burnt out (their cry sessions during big concerts in 2022-2023). There were tensions among members (like JohnDo), Taeil's car accident (whatever you think of Taeil now, his absence due to the injury was hard for the members). Solos and individual success for everyone (like brand deals) brought life back to the team as well. Aespa is a younger group, still full of energy, neos expressed many times how they want a break and go for a holiday, heh (Jamal especially). Think of this low season as a breather for 127 and a time to recuperate.

3. Focus on Korea

It started earlier than 2024, and mostly has faded out by now. Still, Koreans were put first (pop-up stores, fansigns in non-Seoul cities, fancalls, re-arranged setlists), and it brought dividends. Koreans were finally won over. 127 is very little behind Dream now in terms of popularity, despite their music and style remaining pro-Western.

4. Focus on Japan and SEA.

Yes, there was little growth with US, but a noticeable one with Japan (despite no new albums in Japanese) and countries like The Philippines and Indonesia. (Remember the Indonesian language lesson and traditional dances/cousine content? heh)

Especially Japan. And this is the 2nd largest music market, and more important long-term. Once you get Japanese' love, they stay loyal for tens of years. TVXQ shows us how it works.

Thanks to Yuta and his radio show, Doyoung learning Japanese, special Japanese merch, pop-up stores and fanclub magazines.

4. 127's music not being easily digestable

This one stays as a factor that hinder's 127's mass popularity. It is a simple rule. To be liked by as many people as possible, the music should be as palatable as possible to fit multiple tastes. It can't be too experimental, individualistic or "quiet" (think "Coming home" vs " 2 Baddies" YT views). It is easy to say which song - "Ay-Yo" or "Mountains" (SKZ) will appeal to more people. The second has a safer composition and is very upbit, energetic.

5. 127 is a bunch of introverts

Remember how we discussed Doyoung not being very popular in the West? His smarts, ambition, straightforwardness, looks being the exact qualities that make him attractive to Asians, but non-attractive to Westerners.

All the currently very popular groups - SKZ, Seventeen, Ateez - they are all more rowdy and boyish/manly. 127 have their individual charm, but NCT content fares better (because of the addition of WayV and Dream into the mix).

6. LSM/SM3.0

I don't want to spend time on properly collecting information, but it is evident anyway that Hybe and JYP are ahead of SM in US market. I'm talking the behind the scenes work: establishing own companies in US, making deals with distributors and labels, producing local-based groups, etc. SM lost time while they were sorting out their internal feud. And maybe they lost LSM's personal deals/connections as well.

Like, I know 17 made themselves, but Hybe's money is what gave them such a push in recent years.

It's not just 127 that didn't focus on Americas. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't notice big efforts from other groups either (the kind of 127 made in 2019: Macey Parade, Mickey's BD, that cowboy show). It's the overall popularity of the currently leading groups that spills over, with a usual support of interviews for English YT channels and visits to fashion shows and kcons.

To resume: SM took a break from US as a whole. It gathers its wits before a new attempt.

7. Doyoung the manager

Heh. Yes, he is to blame too.

SKZ has a Korean-Australian as the leader (Bangchan?), and Ateez has a West-oriented rapper and songwriter (152 credited songs? wild). These two are the producers and means of success of their respective groups, not the companies behind.

Meanwhile Doyoung has no understanding of the West and little interest for US, let's be honest (he evidently likes Europe more, sorry, hehe). Taeyong is a good leader for the team, and the one who keeps 127's neo identity, however, he is no producer. Doyoung is the manager, he stirs the wheel mainly.

The problems: 1) SM has a stronger control over their artists, less freedom, 2) nor Tae, nor Do have any idea how to target the West (the mentality, the knowledge of how to make valuable connections, how to appeal to the media and fans), 3) Do cares for Korea and Japan much more (no need to go far: he landed in Duluth and wrote to kfans about the 1st day of Spring and said to stream "Beginning" right away), 4) it is democracy in 127, Doyoung gives a lot of ideas and leads in Tae's absence, but he also is not a producer with an iron fist who dictates the direction.

When Doyoung is in US, he tries (remember that fruit throwing game? the Ariana is hot?), or the latest "scream for me only". Still, it is much easier for him to win over Asians and come up with things that work there (like tying songs to seasons, both Koreans and Japanese like seasonal things to mark and feel their passage). Or the way he revived Sijaks, and made it possible to tie Wish to 127 and Dream despite the lore and NCT projects being on hold. Even his musical co-workers include "NCT 127" in the final show as ad-libs (all Do's solo activities advertise NCT as well, he is always Doyoung of NCT).