#intermediary tapes

[freakinnefor]

good evening. i bring you guys an oc doodle

[mclalan]

Can you share what your art-making process is? What software and tools do you use?? I'm falling in love with your work!!

Thank you, I'm so happy you like my work and are interested in the process. The short answer is I mostly use Adobe Animate.

I hate how I'm using an Adobe product (although I still regard it as a MacroMedia Flash product), but there's just no other software that compares to its jankiness. Perhaps it's just my long familiarity with the program, but nothing I've experienced matches how it simultaneously feels like drawing in MS Paint and using Microsoft PowerPoint vector shapes. The result is something that feels in-between the two; handmade yet computer-generated.

Typically, I'll start with a hand-drawn sketch, often beginning as a thumbnail done with pencil and paper.

I'll then do a mix of hand drawing and vector shape tool rendering. I use the Paint Brush tool to hand draw strokes, and the line and shape tools mixed with transform to make more geometrically accurate shapes. The design is rendered into divided closed loop shapes, ready to be filled with a solid. The strokes are kept or removed depending on the design.

These fill shapes are then either coloured and rendered in Adobe Animate, using fills, gradients, or a more complex process of masks and effects.

Alternatively, I'll bring all these vector shapes into Photoshop and use them as clipping masks. The vector shapes act like masking taped areas or shields to maintain sharp edges, while the brush is like an atomized airbrush used to build soft volumed forms.

Please excuse all that horrible Adobe Cloud and AI bloatware...

And there we go!

Variations in the process include just using MS Paint, index color in Photoshop, or 3D programs.

Very old works of mine were almost abstract, just exploring digital mark-making, which was a trend I was following in the mid 2010s that I loved. This kind of stuff.

While my current work uses its digital material specificity as an intermediary to the subject in the illustration.

For example, #ersatz.world parodies clip-art and flash edutainment styles but imagines the characters living within that kind of world. The designs are meant to be cute, easy to read, light in computer processing, but also irreverent, janky, and generic too.

People typically regard this sort of clip art style as ephemeral trash, but I always found them charming. I use Ersatz World primarily as a satire vehicle, parodying educational formats to spoof corporate explainer content and digital media.

However, part of the problem with Ersatz is I've made it look too polished, complex, and I've grown too attached to the characters, which I imagine is a typical issue with overbuilding a world. So recently, I've made an even jankier Ersatz-like set of characters to play about with, using an even simpler style with less cohesion. I like to try and use slightly different styles and digital material styles to relate to the property at hand.

That’s why #autonymus has a bitmap digital material and a denser feel to it. Unlike Ersatz, Autonymus is not meant to be an overt semi-meta fiction. It’s not exactly pixel art, but the pixels are just about visible, as the intention is to create a digital expressionist depth to the setting. Although it’s still stylized and not realistic to our world, I definitely still want to evoke semblances of our world. That’s why there’s attention to landscape, plant life, and implied life beyond what you see in the frame with the characters, etc. But I'm still making a cartoon, and I still want it to feel at ease with itself being a digital material work. Characters are therefore flat, simple, stiff, and the speech style is like a bad Shakespeare parody. I like to balance between ugly and appealing, simple and complex, familiar and unfamiliar.

In regard to things like inspiration, references, and my relationship to aesthetic genres; these things certainly factor into my work, perhaps I'm even overtly dependent on them. My work can definitely be post-modernist in method; creating new, ironic, or fragmented interpretations through deconstructing a mix of various styles or methods. But at the same time, I'm still trying to make a digital gestural representation where the aesthetic is driven by my relationship to the software and techniques directly—not simply in an attempt to reference a style. For example, I like drawing lines in sweeping strokes, not to a point of geometric perfection, but just in a way where the curves are smooth and simple. But if I want perfectly curved or straight lines, I'll use the vector tools.

Working this way, you can sort of learn why certain styles and design choices in past vector aesthetics were made, as they would have also needed to make similar choices. That’s why I’m more mindful of using digital material specificity as a foundation to build narrative and subjects upon these days.

For example, genre references like cyberpunk clichés for #cyberhell or late medieval design for #autonymus or 2005 to 2015 era subculture fashion for #gradientgoblinz.

I think it’s important to take inspiration and reference from a wide variety of sources, but I think they’d mean nothing without having something to say or express. Autonymus, although it is a collection of tropes and clichés, isn’t just about that. It’s a story about the tensions of socially constructed systems and how that shapes faith, technology, and the natural world, or at least that's what I'm aiming for anyway.

But despite all that, I think there’s a danger of locking myself into the past by using these methods. For example, using nostalgia and references to past aesthetics can result in just recreating the past in a form of role-play. To avoid that, I try and evoke the past through a messy, inaccurate pastiche rather than caring to accurately re-enact anything. I’m probably not always successful at communicating the deliberateness of this, and it can certainly get very frustrating and pedantic. To be honest, I do kind of hate aesthetic labels (terms like Y2K, global coffee house, utopian scholastic designs from a pre-9/11 world).

I do not believe that a project aimed solely at mapping history through aesthetic styles is worthwhile. Sure, they can be handy for organizing style trends, but they can also be reductive and ahistoric. Who are these people to define the history of these design eras? The result is a kind of suffocating simulation of design history but removed from context, perfect for moodboardism. I wish it felt more tongue-in-cheek, less absolute of itself in its own practice. Instead, it acts to legitimize and engender those making these labels, almost giving them ownership of the design styles. It’s similar to the logic and process of generative AI and its databases in a way, just done manually.

I’m very inspired by artists like Oneohtrix Point Never in this regard, as I think he’s able to create an aesthetic portal to all kinds of memories, feelings, and worlds reminiscent of the past, while still being in the present. It’s more a reflection of how timelines are messy now, like a memory or dream, rather than an audacity to say the past was actually like that, or to try to actually map some kind of timeline.

I think the benefit of this process is how it avoids the other side of the spectrum—being locked into chasing the cutting edge of digital processes. I don't necessarily think using an old digital process means your work inherits the semiotics of old aesthetics. Non-digital mediums don’t have this issue to this degree, as you can still paint in oils and be considered contemporary, or at least it's not frowned upon to such a degree. And I also don't think anyone in the heyday of Flash ever made work the same as I do, especially as computers are more powerful now so can handle more. I probably shouldn't boast too much about that though, as artists at the time probably just had more sense than to use Flash like a painting program! So then, why is my use of Adobe Animate critiqued as obsolete and an aesthetic dead-end? Because to whose standards is this process obsolete? If you value digital aesthetics as an apparatus in industry practice, then sure, my work is redundant.

But as wonderful as the latest tech can be in creating new aesthetics, I do feel it can be overtly dependent on the trends and directions of tech corporations, and therefore act as an indirect propaganda tool to their hegemony over digital aesthetics, such as the ever-demanding processing power needed for simulated realism. If anything, work that does follow in the direction of the latest tech trends is ironically the quickest to date once the trends move on.

I've noticed I've not really described what my work is about, just the process, in this text. But I don't know, maybe I like Flash because it is regarded as redundant. No one really cares about it, so I feel free to make whatever I want, and can decide on form myself, to my own standards, the quality of my work. As fun as making images is, I find it difficult to put into words what it is exactly I'm expressing in my work, and perhaps that would spoil it anyway.

[eternaltae7]

Hani & Wonwoo Moments That Cause Fans To Speculate

Fox of BTS | BTS 8th Member

The MAMA Awards Glances:

During a major award show like MAMA, cameras caught Hani smiling and subtly glancing toward Wonwoo while Seventeen performed. Fans noticed that her gaze lingered on him more than once, sparking speculation about whether there was something more going on between them. BTS was seated near Seventeen, and Hani’s fond looks didn’t go unnoticed by eagle-eyed fans.

Matching Accessories:

During separate promotions, both Hani and Wonwoo were seen wearing what appeared to be matching bracelets. While it’s possible this was a coincidence, fans couldn’t help but speculate that the matching accessories were a sign of their closeness. Social media went wild with side-by-side comparisons of their jewelry, with fans asking if the bracelets were “couple items.”

Coordinated Social Media Posts:

Fans have pointed out that Hani and Wonwoo sometimes post on social media at suspiciously similar times. Whether it’s photos from the same location or cryptic captions that seem to mirror each other, fans have theorized that the two could be spending time together behind the scenes. One particular post where Hani uploaded a sunset photo followed by Wonwoo posting a similar one not long after had fans buzzing with excitement.

The “Accidental” Livestream Moment:

During a casual BTS livestream, Hani was talking to fans when she mentioned Seventeen’s recent comeback. When a fan commented about Wonwoo, Hani’s reaction was subtle but noticeable. Her smile grew wider, and she quickly moved on to the next question. Fans caught this and wondered whether her reaction indicated something more between them.

Behind-the-Scenes Chemistry:

During a behind-the-scenes video of a variety show collaboration between BTS and Seventeen, Hani and Wonwoo were seen playfully interacting. At one point, Wonwoo helped Hani adjust her mic pack, and the brief but intimate moment had fans speculating about the nature of their relationship. The soft smiles and comfortable energy between them were undeniable.

Subtle Teasing from Seungkwan and Hoshi:

During one of Seungkwan and Hoshi’s usual playful interactions with Hani, fans picked up on their teasing comments and speculate that they were about Wonwoo. In a TikTok video where the trio was doing a dance challenge, Hoshi jokingly asked Hani, “Are you going to send this to him?” Fans were quick to link the comment to Wonwoo, especially after Seungkwan smirked and added, “Yeah, he’s going to love this.”

Wonwoo’s Reaction to Hani’s Stage Performances:

Fans have noted that Wonwoo often reacts to Hani’s performances in a way that seems more than just friendly support. During one award show, when BTS performed, cameras cut to Seventeen’s table, and Wonwoo was seen watching intently, with a soft smile. The speculation grew when fans noticed he clapped more enthusiastically during Hani’s solo moments.

“Accidentally” Calling Him Out:

During a BTS fan meeting, a fan asked Hani to describe her ideal type. While she gave a generic answer, saying she liked someone thoughtful and kind, she added a small detail about enjoying someone who reads a lot, something fans quickly linked to Wonwoo, who is known for his love of books. The fans screamed in excitement, and Hani’s slightly flustered reaction didn’t help dispel the rumors.

Group Hangouts with Seventeen:

Fans noticed that Hani has been spotted hanging out with Seventeen members outside of official schedules. Whether it’s during group dinners, variety show tapings, or casual hangouts with the Seventeen members, fans have speculated that Wonwoo’s presence at these events is more than coincidental. Seungkwan and Hoshi, being the obvious intermediaries, seem to make the most of teasing Hani and Wonwoo during these get-togethers.

Subtle Body Language:

Fans have analyzed numerous interactions between Hani and Wonwoo, noting that their body language suggests a deeper connection. Whether it’s the way Wonwoo stands a little closer to her than necessary during group photos or how they always seem to be positioned near each other in public settings, fans believe the small, almost imperceptible moments point to something more.

“Accidental” Instagram Story:

Hani once posted an Instagram story of her enjoying a cup of coffee at a cafe. A few minutes later, Wonwoo posted a similar story from what looked like the same cafe, sparking rumors that they were together at the time. Though they didn’t appear in each other’s posts, fans couldn’t help but notice the matching table settings and atmosphere, leading many to believe that they were enjoying a quiet date.

Their Similar Playlist Choices:

During separate interviews, both Hani and Wonwoo mentioned having similar favorite songs. On one occasion, Hani shared a playlist for fans, which included songs that Wonwoo had also recommended during a recent Vlive. Fans were quick to notice the overlap, and the shared taste in music became another piece of “evidence” that the two were connected beyond friendship.

Special Shoutout at Seventeen’s Concert:

During one of Seventeen’s concerts, Hani was spotted in the audience cheering them on. What made fans even more excited was when Seungkwan and Hoshi playfully mentioned a “special friend” in the crowd, making sure to look in Hani’s direction. Although they didn’t directly mention her name, fans quickly assumed they were talking about her, especially with Wonwoo giving a shy smile on stage after the remark.

The Suspicious Gift Exchange:

During one of BTS’s Vlive sessions, Hani was seen opening a gift that she said was from a “friend.” She didn’t reveal who it was from, but fans quickly linked it to Wonwoo after noticing that the bracelet inside matched one he had been seen wearing during Seventeen’s promotions. The exchange of gifts and their matching jewelry further fueled dating rumors.

Caught in the Same Area Abroad:

During BTS and Seventeen’s overlapping international schedules, fans spotted both groups vacationing in the same city at the same time. While there was no official confirmation that Hani and Wonwoo were together, fans speculated that they might have coordinated their free time to spend it together, especially after a fan account posted about seeing them in the same neighborhood in Paris.

Subtle Mentions of Each Other:

In separate interviews, both Hani and Wonwoo have made subtle mentions of qualities they admire in others that seem to describe each other. Wonwoo once mentioned admiring someone who is “calm but passionate,” which fans thought perfectly described Hani. Meanwhile, Hani once said she likes people who “balance intellect and humor,” which many believe points to Wonwoo’s personality.

Wonwoo’s Reaction to Hani’s Solo Performance:

During a BTS concert where Hani had a solo stage, fans noticed that Wonwoo, who was in the audience with Seventeen, had an unusually focused expression while she performed. Seventeen members were all cheering on BTS, but Wonwoo’s intense concentration on Hani’s performance stood out. Fans captured the moment, adding it to the growing list of “evidence” that he has deeper feelings for her.

Wonwoo’s Appearance on Hani’s TikTok:

During a TikTok dance challenge that Hani filmed with Seungkwan and Hoshi, Wonwoo made a surprise cameo in the background. Although he was quiet and didn’t participate, fans couldn’t help but notice his lingering presence, which seemed out of character for someone as private as Wonwoo. The light teasing from Hoshi and Seungkwan about his cameo only fueled speculation.

Fan Theories Based on Their Lyrics:

Some fans have analyzed the lyrics of BTS and Seventeen songs, trying to find hidden messages that could hint at Hani and Wonwoo’s relationship. While there’s no direct evidence, many believe that certain Seventeen ballads and BTS’s love songs could have been inspired by their connection, especially given that both groups have collaborated on music and have shared moments of artistic inspiration.

Accidental Livestream Glance:

During a Seventeen Vlive, fans caught a brief moment where Wonwoo’s phone buzzed, and his screen lit up with a message. Though the message wasn’t visible, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the contact name started with an “H” and immediately theorized it was Hani texting him. His shy smile and quick movement to turn off the phone only added to the speculation.

The Seungkwan and Hoshi Teasing Game:

Fans have noted that Seungkwan and Hoshi love to tease both Hani and Wonwoo whenever they are all in the same space. During one joint live stream, Seungkwan joked about how “someone” blushes whenever a certain someone is around, while Hoshi chimed in, saying, “We all know who it is.” Though neither of them directly named Hani or Wonwoo, fans were quick to make the connection based on their history of playful teasing.

Wonwoo’s Shyness Around Hani:

During award show appearances, fans have pointed out that Wonwoo often appears shyer or more reserved when Hani is around. While he’s normally quiet, his subtle reactions, such as avoiding eye contact or nervously laughing when she’s mentioned, have led fans to believe that he has a crush on her, and he’s struggling to hide it.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Middlemen without enshittification

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me next in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

Enshittification describes how platforms go bad, which is also how the internet goes bad, because the internet is made of platforms, which is weird, because platforms are intermediaries and we were promised that the internet would disintermediate the world:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel

The internet did disintermediate a hell of a lot of intermediaries – that is, "middlemen" – but then it created a bunch more of these middlemen, who coalesced into a handful of gatekeepers, or as the EU calls them "VLOPs" (Very Large Online Platforms, the most EU acronym ever).

Which raises two questions: first, why did so many of us end up flocking to these intermediaries' sites, and how did those sites end up with so much power?

To answer the first question, I want you to consider one of my favorite authors: Crad Kilodney (RIP):

https://archive.org/details/thecradkilodneypapers

When I was growing up, Crad was a fixture on the streets of Toronto. All through the day and late into the evening, winter or summer, Crad would stand on the street with a sign around his neck ("Very famous Canadian author, buy my books, $2" or sometimes just "Margaret Atwood, buy my books, $2"). He wrote these deeply weird, often very funny short stories, which he edited, typeset, printed, bound and sold himself, one at a time, to people who approached him on the street.

I had a lot of conversations with Crad – as an aspiring writer, I was endlessly fascinated by him and his books. He was funny, acerbic – and sneaky. Crad wore a wire: he kept a hidden tape recorder rolling in his coat and he secretly recorded conversations with people like me, and then released a series of home-duplicated tapes of the weirdest and funniest ones:

https://archive.org/details/on-the-street-crad-kilodney-vol-1

I love Crad. He deserves more recognition. There's an on-again/off-again documentary about his life and work that I hope gets made some day:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/09/free-sample/#putrid-scum

But – and this is the crucial part – there are writers out there I want to hear from who couldn't do what Crad did. Maybe they can write books, but not edit them. Or edit them, but not typeset them. Or typeset, but not print. Or print, but not spend the rest of their lives standing on a street-corner with a "PUTRID SCUM" sign around their neck.

Which is fine. That's why we have intermediaries. I like booksellers (I was one!). I like publishers. I like distributors. I like their salesforce, who go forth and convince the booksellers of the world to stock books like mine. I have ten million things I want to do before I die, and I'm already 52, and being a sales-rep for a publisher isn't on my bucket list. I am so thankful that someone else wants to do this for me.

That's why we have intermediaries, and why disintermediation always leads to some degree of re-intermediation. There's a lot of explicit and implicit knowledge and specialized skill required to connect buyers and sellers, creators and audiences, and other sides of two-sided markets. Some producers can do some of this stuff for themselves, and a very few – like Crad – can do it all, but most of us need some help, somewhere along the way. In the excellent 2022 book Direct, Kathryn Judge lays out a clear case for all the good that middlemen can do:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/12/direct-the-problem-of-middlemen/

So why were we all so anxious for disintermediation back in the late 1990s? Here's a hint: it wasn't because we hated intermediaries – it was because we hated powerful intermediaries.

The point of an intermediary is to serve as a conduit between producers and consumers, buyers and sellers, audiences and creators. When an intermediary gains power over the audience – say, by locking them inside a walled garden – and then uses that lock-in to screw producers and appropriate an ever larger share of the value going between them, that's when intermediaries become a problem.

The problem isn't that someone will handle ticketing for your gig. The problem is that Ticketmaster has locked down all the ticketing, and the venues, and the promotions, and it uses that power to gouge fans and rip off artists:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/20/anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-will-eventually-stop/

The problem isn't that there's a well-made website that lets you shop for goods sold by many small merchants and producers. It's that Amazon has cornered this market, takes $0.51 out of every dollar you spend there, and clones and destroys any small merchant who succeeds on the platform:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The problem isn't that there's a website where you can stream most of the music ever recorded. It's that Spotify colludes with the Big Three labels to rip off artists and sneaks crap you don't want to hear into your stream in order to collect payola:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/#stunt-publishing

The problem isn't that there's a website where you can buy any audiobook you want. It's that Amazon's Audible locks every book to its platform forever and steals hundreds of millions of dollars from creators:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#acx-ripoff

The problem, in other words, isn't intermediation – it's power. The thing that distinguishes a useful intermediary from an enshittified bully is power. Intermediaries gain power when our governments stop enforcing competition law. This lets intermediaries buy each other up and corner markets. Once they've formed cozy cartels, they can capture their regulators and commit rampant labor, privacy and consumer violations with impunity. That capture also lets them harness governments to punish smaller players that want to free workers, creators, audiences and customers from walled gardens. It also hands them a whip-hand over their workers, so that any worker who refuses to aid in these nefarious plans can be easily fired:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel

A world with intermediaries is a better world. As much as I love Crad Kilodney's books, I wouldn't want to live in a world where the only books on my shelves came from people prepared to stand on a street-corner wearing a "FOUL PUS FROM DEAD DOGS" sign.

The problem isn't intermediaries – it's powerful intermediaries. That's why the world's surging antitrust movement is so exciting: by reinstating competition law, we can keep intermediaries small and comparatively weak, so that creators and audiences, drivers and riders, sellers and buyers, and other groups seeking to connect will not find themselves made subservient to middlemen.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#intermediation

[cantsayidont]

Recentish movies of note, or not:

BOTTOMS: Ridiculous "teen" comedy about two gay high school losers, PJ (Rachel Sennott, who also co-wrote with director Emma Seligman) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who seize on a rumor about their having been in juvenile detention to start an after-school "self-defense club," in the hope that introducing the school's hottest cheerleaders to the cathartic thrill of girls beating the shit out of each other will finally give these hopeless (and ho-less) virgins a chance to score. So silly that complaining about the stupidity of the plot seems a tad churlish, but the story misses some obvious comedic opportunities, and despite the premise, the film eventually becomes far more interested in cartoonish violence than sex. If you dig the overall vibe, you might not care, but as a gay teen sex comedy, it's ultimately less successful (and less outrageous) than BOOKSMART, even though only one of the latter film's teen loser heroines is gay.

DO REVENGE: Black comedy homage to the teen comedies of the '90s and early '00s, inspired in part by the 1951 movie version of STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, about a disgraced prep school popular girl, Drea (Camila Mendes), who joins forces with gay weirdo Eleanor (Maya Hawke) to avenge herself on her former friends and find out who leaked her sex tape — a plan that involves giving Eleanor a makeover so she can infiltrate the popular kids. Hawke is a delight, Mendes is very good, and the homoerotic tension of their odd relationship makes the movie fun for a while, especially if you appreciate the many self-conscious homages to prior teen movies. However, a major reveal late in the second act makes hash of the already sloppy plot, and the finale is both nonsensical and as antisemitic as STRANGERS ON A TRAIN author Patricia Highsmith, which leaves a sour aftertaste.

IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE: Bizarre slasher movie pastiche of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, about a teenage girl named Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop of YELLOWJACKETS), who kills the masked serial killer who's been terrorizing the small town of Angel Falls and murdered her best friend (Hana Huggins) at Christmastime. A year later, everyone in town seems to have gotten over it except Winnie, who's miserable. On Christmas Eve, she's magically transported into an alternate timeline where she was never born and the masked slasher has continued murdering people, including Winnie's brother (Aiden Howard). To set things right, Winnie has to stop the villain all over again with the help of Bernie Simon (Jess McLeod), the town outcast and the only one who believes her story. Not scary, gruesome, or suspenseful enough to be much of a horror movie, but there are enough grisly murders to make the comedic holiday fantasy aspects seem a trifle sociopathic, and a late reveal that the killer has supernatural powers beyond just stabbing or slashing people feels like one ingredient too many in an already convoluted plot. The main redeeming feature is that it's ultimately a gay love story, which I wasn't expecting, but appreciated nonetheless.

THE KILL ROOM: Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Manganiello, and Maya Hawke go slumming in this dumb black comedy about a handsome hitman named Reggie (Manganiello) who becomes the sensation of the art world after his mob intermediary (Jackson) concocts a scheme to launder Reggie's payments by selling his abstract paintings (under the nom de plume "the Bagman") through a burned-out, Adderall-snorting art dealer (Thurman). Intended satire of the cutthroat vacuity of the art world lacks bite and no part of the plot makes any sense, but sheer star power gets the movie through about half its 80-minute running time before the banality becomes terminal.

POLITE SOCIETY: Silly British action-comedy by Nida Manzoor (creator of WE ARE LADY PARTS) about Ria Khan (Priya Kansara, delightful), a Pakistani teenager who aspires to be a stuntwoman, and her quest to save her flaky art student older sister Lena (Ritu Arya, radiant) from marrying a handsome doctor (Ashay Khanna) who seems a little too good to be true. It looks great, and the characters are very charming, but the story waits much too long to clarify the stakes of the plot: Until the finale, we don't know if Lena is actually in any danger or if Ria is just letting her imagination run away with her, and that uncertainty becomes an unwelcome distraction in the later action sequences. As a result, it feels more like an update of the John Hughes perennial SIXTEEN CANDLES than the over-the-top action movie it obviously aspires to be.

SHIVA BABY: Low-key but vivid comedy of manners, written and directed by Emma Seligman, starring Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a bisexual 20something Jewish girl who secretly pays her bills as a sugar baby. When she goes with her parents (Fred Melamed and Polly Draper) to a shiva, she finds herself trapped with not only her most annoying relatives, but also her disgruntled ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon), her current sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari), his gorgeous blond wife (Dianna Agron), and their new baby. Seligman milks every awkward nuance of this uncomfortable social situation for maximum dramatic effect, and the tension of the final scene (which is nothing more complicated than the characters trying to squeeze into the back of Danielle's father's minivan) will drive you right up the wall.

VOLEUSES (WINGWOMEN): Is it really possible for a 40-year-old Frenchwoman living in the 21st century to not know that lesbians exist? One wouldn't think so, but watching this jokey buddy-action movie suggests that director/co-writer/star Mélanie Laurent desperately needs some kind of educational intervention in that regard. This is for all intents and purposes a lesbian romance: Master thieves Carole (Laurent) and Alex (Adèle Exarchopoulos) live together, routinely sleep in the same bed, and plan to retire together; they constantly express their love and affection for one another, and when Carole discovers that she's pregnant (the hows of which are never explained), Alex immediately assumes that they'll be moms together. Nonetheless, the story not only attempts to no-homo this cozy domestic scenario, but also presumes that there's no way Carole and Alex's relationship could ever be the de facto marriage it obviously already is — indeed, a crucial story moment involves Carole tearfully wishing she were a man so she could love Alex the way she deserves! If the movie had been made 50+ years ago, this might be poignant, but in 2023, it's just weird, and the resulting cognitive dissonance largely overshadows the thin plot, which concerns Carole and Alex trying to persuade their bitchy, cheerfully murderous employer Marraine (Isabelle Adjani, barely recognizable beneath her big hair and oversized sunglasses) to let them retire, while training a younger woman named Sam (Manon Bresch) to become their driver and the ambiguously defined third in their domestic ménage à trois.

[irregularincidents]

As the 1960s rolled to a close and with the Vietnam War proving itself to be increasingly unpopular amongst the American public, in 1968 President Lyndon B Johnson began secret talks with the North Vietnamese to begin the process of ending the conflict.

Unfortunately for the people of Vietnam and... pretty much everyone directly involved, Richard M Nixon was running on a platform of ending the war as well at the time and the Vietnam War ending too soon under a Democratic president wouldn't do his campaign any good... So naturally, the staff in Nixon's election team were instructed to sabotage the proceedings.

In a telephone conversation with H. R. Haldeman, an aide who would go on to become White House chief of staff, Nixon gave instructions that a friendly intermediary should keep “working on” South Vietnamese leaders to persuade them not to agree to a deal before the election, according to the notes, taken by Mr. Haldeman.

Additionally, it was discovered via the FBI bugging the phone calls between the South Vietnamese ambassador and of Anna Chennault, one of Nixon’s aides, that she had been advised to do the same things ahead of prospective peace talks that were planned to take place in Paris.

Johnson, who habitually recorded his own telephone conversations, is on tape as having been aware of what Nixon and his people were up to, and needless to say he wasn't exactly happy.

In the recently released tapes, we can hear Johnson being told about Nixon’s interference by Defence Secretary Clark Clifford. The FBI had bugged the South Vietnamese ambassadors phone. They had Chennault lobbying the ambassador on tape. Johnson was justifiably furious — he ordered Nixon’s campaign be placed under FBI surveillance. Johnson passed along a note to Nixon that he knew about the move. Nixon played like he had no idea why the South backed out, and offered to travel to Saigon to get them back to the negotiating table.

Despite it being a matter of record that Nixon's presential campaign was trying to prolong the very war he was promising to end, Johnson unfortunately chose not to make said evidence public. Partly because this would mean he'd have to admit to spying on the South Vietnamese ambassador, partly because he thought that his vice president Hubert Humphrey was a lock to win the next election so Nixon wouldn't be a problem anymore, and allegedly because Johnson believed that revealing Nixon's actions would cause the public to loose faith in the government...

Unfortunately, by the time the election finally rolled around, Nixon won the popular vote against Humphrey by just 1%. At that point, despite/due to placing Henry Kissinger in charge of the peace talks to end the war on Nixon's terms, the fighting continued for an additional five years with bombing spreading into neighbouring Laos and Cambodia, resulting in thousands more deaths.

As Robert Evans of the Behind the Bastards podcast put it on their series of episodes about Kissinger, the issue was basically that while Nixon wanted to get out of Vietnam, Vietnam wanted America out of Vietname, and the American public wanted America out of Vietnam, both Nixon and Kissinger didn't want to leave in a manner that made it look like they'd lost. Hence the escalation in fighting and bombing, because they'd gotten themselves stuck in a situation they had no easy solution to escape.

AND YET, it could have gotten worse.

In some tapes released by America's National Archives from 1972, between his complaining about Jews and liberals to Kissinger (yes, he was aware Kissinger was Jewish, yes he called him antisemitic stuff to his face), Nixon brought up a new suggestion...

Nixon is heard discussing an extension of bombing raids over North Vietnam with Henry Kissinger, the national security adviser. Then, rather abruptly, he says: "I'd rather use the nuclear bomb." Whether Nixon was serious or trying to provoke Mr Kissinger is not clear. In his baritone voice, his adviser replies: "That, I think, would just be too much." But Nixon then goes on: "The nuclear bomb. Does that bother you? I just want you to think big."

The Vietnam War eventually came to a close on 30th April 1975, seven years after Nixon sabotaged an attempt to begin ending the war sooner.

[blackcatruse]

𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔞𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔰

«prev. ❃ next» ❃ first chapter ❃ m.list ❃ ao3 pairing: r. haitani/fem!reader ↳ she/her, fem descriptors, nickname ❃ chapter synopsis: a job is a job, even if it's a trap. we'll try to outmaneuver them, but nothing is guaranteed. word count: 4.9k chapter cw(s): swearing, possible ooc, a little violence, 3rd person POV a/n: we're in the endgame now folks! i was working on a rough outline for the end of ashes and it looks like we've got about 9 chapters to go. thank you for reading so far!

The abandoned bar smelled like stale piss, cigarette smoke, and old wood. Rindou was sure he was going to get some kind of disease by sitting on the flat cushions of this ratty sofa. Beside him Ran and Kakucho were looking equally uncomfortable. The only one unbothered by the biohazard of a meeting place was the client. The second job was finally being planned out, but with recent events, Kakucho thought it would be wise to speak to the client about it.

The stout man snuffed his cigarette in the ashtray on the bar. He spoke in fairly fluent Japanese, but the lilting accent he had made processing his words difficult. Several thick envelopes sat on the table between Rokuhara and the client. “Seems easy enough, no?”

“It does, but we do have some concerns,” Kakucho said. “There’s been a bit of trouble with rival gangs and many jobs have either been an attempted ambush or a lie. Surely you understand our hesitancy.”

The man lit another cigarette and took a long drag before he spoke. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” he said. “It’s a simple trade deal.”

A simple trade deal that was worth a significant amount of yen—enough that it made three of the top men of Rokuhara Tandai give pause. They were definitely trafficking something more than drugs, but the information wasn’t disclosed. A fact that didn’t go unmissed when the job was initially offered months ago.

From what Rindou understood, whatever was in the envelopes wasn’t money, and all they had to do was take it to the other party. It was valuable and sealed with tamper proof tape so peeking was dissuaded. The items had finally been paid for, and now the goods needed to be transported. Instead of risking his own beefy neck, the client decided to hire a local gang with a big presence. They would simply be intermediaries, but both this client and the recipient were paying handsomely for the job.

There was no guarantee that this job wasn’t a trap, and weighing the risks against the benefits proved to be a harder decision than Rindou wanted to think about. If they declined the job, then an enemy gang would be transporting goods through Minato ward. And that could start a war. Doing business through or in any place that wasn’t your home turf was just asking for a beating. And if the gang was close-knit, the chance of war avenging their injured member was much higher.

That was how they caught Lotus, after all. Yet Ran and Rindou didn’t know who Lotus was until they overheard a group talking about Wuxing. Until that night, Wuxing was just a whisper that rippled through the top gangs. Their members were at the top of their game and kept so far under the radar they were just rumors. But they existed. And Rindou was working with the best runner they had.

“You have a good runner don’t you?” the client asked. “The job should be a breeze then. Quick in and out.”

On the chance the opportunity was genuine, they’d be passing up a lot of money. It was enough for them to match Kanto Manji’s money-making genius Kokonoi. Did they risk it? Did they endanger themselves on the off chance these parties weren’t trying to overthrow one of the Three Deities? Rindou was glad he didn’t have to make the final call, and a quick glance at Ran showed that his brother didn’t either. Right now, tensions were too high and the consequences of accepting a fake job weren’t worth the risk. But was the money? Going toe-to-toe financially with Kanto Manji would be big news. Maybe enough to shatter the stalemate. Brahman could be left behind, but Rindou knew that Wuxing contributed heavily to their finances.

“I hope you understand that the safety of my men is my top priority,” Kakucho said. He fixed the man with a stony stare, but the man just shrugged and flicked his cigarette.

“You know how this world is,” the man said flippantly. He examined his nails to emphasize that he didn’t care what happened to the team that took the job. “You can’t make it without risk.”

“That’s easy to say when you’re not the one doing the job,” Rindou snapped. He hadn’t meant to vocalize the thought, but it got the attention of all the men in the room. Time to back up his words. “What happens if we end up arrested or worse? Then what do you do? The goods could be lost, and then where does that leave you? Wouldn’t you want to ensure that the team delivering this”—Rindou gestured to the envelopes on the table—“is safe? Or at least guaranteed to not get into too much trouble?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ran give him a long glance. Kakucho was nodding along, and the man tensed. A robust shade of red crept up the man’s neck and Rindou felt a small prick of pride. The client’s next words were going to have to be carefully chosen.

“I agree,” Ran piped up. His lazy arrogance bled through every word, presenting itself as a “speak when spoken to” air.

Rindou knew this tone well. He could see the client’s forehead break into a sweat. Were negotiations always like this? No wonder Lotus was bitter all the fucking time. This was annoying. These men were nothing but walking contradictions, willing to say anything and hope that their business partners were too stupid to notice the fluctuation in stance.

Pinned under the gaze of three men, the client actually took a small step back. Ran didn’t break eye contact with the man as he continued on, “If this deal doesn’t go through, it’s no loss to us.”

A lie, but Rindou knew Ran spilled lies disguised as truths all the time. His brother was convincing and quick on his feet. If it were a battle of words, very few people stood a chance of winning against the silver-tongued Ran Haitani.

“However, if we find anyone running goods through Minato ward, we won’t hesitate to take action. How many dead men are you willing to leave behind to claw your way to the top? Do you have that kind of conviction?”

“What do the lives of a few measly runners mean to me?” the man scoffed, trying to deflect. His voice wavered. Just a little more of a push and they’d have their answers.

“Wrong answer,” Ran chimed. He stood to his full height and stared down at the man. Somewhere in the transition, Ran’s baton had found its way into his hands. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

A sickening crack sounded as Ran brought the baton down on the man’s wrist. The cigarette in his hands was dropped as the man yelped. The man cradled his injured arm and finally had the decency to look scared when Ran stepped forward, snuffing out the cigarette with his boot. “You aren’t in a position to be this haughty. You’re just a grunt worker aren’t you?” The warning tone in Ran’s voice was enough that Rindou’s instincts were telling him to run to the nearest bakery and get a mont blanc.

Tense, silent moments passed between the men before Ran took his seat again. He still maintained eye contact with the client. “Keep your wrist in mind when we ask these next questions. We don’t take kindly to being scorned.” A smug grin crossed Ran’s face. “So let’s be friends, yeah?”

Kakucho sighed. Rindou knew he was thinking about damage control now. This was not part of the plan for the night, but fear worked as a potent motivator.

Asking directly if the job was a set up wasn’t going to yield any useful answers. People like this man would lie and say anything to cover their asses. Disguising.

“Surely you understand our hesitancy given recent events?” Ran prompted again.

All it took was a slight motion from Ran and the man was blabbering a flurry of indiscernible words. Somewhere in there was an affirmation, because Ran leaned back and resumed lazing around like nothing happened.

“I-I swear I know nothing about the incidents you’re referring to,” the man stuttered. His voice was strained and weak. “I was just told to make sure these got delivered.”

All eyes flicked to the sealed envelopes on the table. Ran leaned forward and picked up an envelope with a gloved hand. The man let out a pathetic whimper. “Do you know what’s in these?” Ran asked, eyes flashing towards the man.

“N-no,” the man said quickly. “I-I was just told to—”

The resounding slam of the goods on the table cut the man off. Ran sat up straighter and mocked the man, “‘I-I was just told’—yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re just the messenger right? You got a way we can contact your boss?”

“I-I can try to,” the man said, fumbling his burner phone with trembling hands.

While the man dialed a number, Ran looked at Kakucho with a smirk. Kakucho sighed and dragged a hand down his face. Rindou nodded in his brother’s direction. Ran just smiled and whispered to his brother, “If he wasn’t going to comply, I was gonna ask you to do what you do best.”

Rindou stared at the sorry excuse of a man and shook his head. “No way, I’m not touching that greasy asshole.”

Ran chuckled. “Hmm, neither would I.”

“He-here,” the man said, putting the phone in the middle of the table. He pressed the speaker button and the grainy ringing filled the room.

If the boss didn’t pick up, negotiations would have to be restarted at a later time, which would be an inconvenience at best. Rindou didn’t know if he had it in him to sit and talk about this at another time. Especially not when it was probably well into the unholy hours of the night. The analog clock behind the bar was shattered and frozen, serving no real use. Kind of like the bumbling idiot in front of him.

A click, then a gruff voice answered, “What?”

Something about it was off, like the person on the other end was pretending to be someone else. What a weak persona this boss had.

“Boss, Rokuhara Tandai has some”—the man paused, flickering eyes going over the top three members of the gang—“concerns they’d like to address.”

The pause was heavy. “What concerns?” A hint of uncertainty underlaid the voice.

Rindou glanced at his brother, who nodded. Ran had picked up on it too.

It was time for Kakucho to be the diplomat. “There have been reports of fake deals, a handful of which we have experienced, that leave a trail of dead bodies. Our last job from an outside client was compromised, so we are cautious when approaching this one. Your subordinate did not take our concerns very seriously.”

“I see,” the voice mused. “You value your men, don’t you? That’s not common these days.” Another moment of contemplation passed before the voice spoke again. “I had also heard some rumors, so I understand where you’re coming from. You’d be smart to not believe me when I say this, but this job is the real deal. We can wire our half of the payment and I hope that will suffice as proof. The other party will wire theirs when the goods are delivered.”

Kakucho exchanged glances with the Haitani brothers. Silent communication was easy to the former Tenjiku members. Half of the promised payment was not a value to be disregarded. It seemed convincing, and if the boss had also heard of the fake deals… but the underground wasn’t known for its honesty. On the other hand, business was sacred between gangs. If a faction was known for lying, cheating, or stealing, they would usually die out in a few months. This wasn’t always the case, but any respectable gang would keep their side of the bargain.

There were too many things going on and it made Rindou glad he didn’t have to make any major decisions. He just followed what Kakucho or Ran asked him to do and occasionally voiced opinions. It got more complicated the more Rindou thought about it. There was someone out there trying to tip the scales, but Rokuhara had to find a way to stay a step ahead and come out on top.

Fuck it, Rindou wasn’t going to think about it anymore. Leave that to the others. Kakucho was going to make the final call anyway, so what Rindou thought didn’t ultimately matter.

Kakucho looked at both Rindou and Ran, and the subtle expression he gave them made the question abundantly clear, Do we risk it and trust them?

Rindou glanced at his older brother. Ran’s expression was contemplative and calculating. His eyes flashed as he nodded at Kakucho. They were taking the deal. They were risking it. Ran must’ve thought of something, or Rindou was mistakenly putting too much faith in his brother.

“We appreciate the gesture,” Kakucho said, clearing his throat. “We will continue with the deal.”

“Good, good,” the voice said, almost a bit too eagerly. “You’ve got a good team for the job, I’ve heard.”

“We’re still assembling a good team,” Kakucho said carefully. “But I place my trust in them to get the job done.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I have no doubts you will do your best with that pretty little runner on your side.”

Alarm bells immediately went off in Rindou’s head. He sat up a little straighter, but otherwise gave no indication to what he caught onto. Kakucho was equally straight faced and Ran just looked bored, but the men all exchanged rapid glances and they all knew. They said nothing, and carefully watched the fat man across from them. The bumbling idiot wasn’t even paying attention to how the Rokuhara Tandai executives were behaving. He was too busy dabbing sweat from his brow and staring at the phone.

“The money will be wired and we will send details of the handoff in the next few days,” the boss confirmed.

“Perfect,” Kakucho said, nodding in confirmation. “We will await your information.”

The call clicked and silence permeated throughout the room. The client snatched his phone off the table, but none of the men missed the shaking hands.

“If that is all that needs to be discussed,” Kakucho said diplomatically, “then we will be taking our leave.”

When the man said nothing, Kakucho bid him a goodnight and motioned for the Haitani brothers to follow Kakucho out. Ran lazily picked up the envelopes and tucked them in his pockets. Rindou felt a flash of amusement as the client paled when Ran made eye contact and produced a casual smile.

Once the trio emerged into the chill of the night air, they looked around and quickened their pace. They made it a few blocks down before Rindou decided to state the obvious, “So this is a trap, right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Ran agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if their fumbles were intentional though. What’re we gonna try to do about it since we’re continuing with the job? They know Lotus is a part of it. Do we just let them take her?”

Rindou frowned, but Kakucho supplied an answer before he could. “No, if Lotus is a key player with whoever’s in the shadows, it would be advantageous to have her.”

“So we’re going to try to get the jump on these guys? Act like we don’t know anything and figure out our own trap?” Ran asked.

“Something like that,” Kakucho confirmed. “We need to meet with Lotus as soon as possible.” Both Kakucho and Ran looked at Rindou, who threw his hands up.

“Seriously? We’re still on this train?”

“You’re the only one who talks to her,” Kakucho pointed out.

Ran twirled one of his braids around a finger. “I don’t want to talk to her, so that only leaves you, Rin.”

Rindou rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine. Whatever, I’ll—”

The vibration of his phone in his pocket stopped him mid-sentence. Who the hell was texting him at—he looked at the time on his phone screen—four in the fucking morning? It was an unsaved number, but he recognized it almost instantly. Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

Ignoring the confused glances from Ran and Kakucho, Rindou opened his messages to see what the fuck Lotus wanted. She was supposed to be waiting for them to contact her, and she had no reason to reach out otherwise. It was a picture message, which Rindou thought was weirder. What would she even have to send him? Once the picture loaded, he blinked once, then twice, and then frowned. It was a crudely drawn knot pattern, intricate and dizzying. The text read “does this look familiar to u?”

It did look a touch familiar. Why did she need to know about that? He wasn’t going to confront her about the reason until later, because she could easily just brush him off. Instead, he responded to her asking why the hell she was awake and that he would ask around.

As Rindou typed furiously in response, Ran walked over and peered at his screen. Not wanting to be left out, Kakucho also approached and all three men were standing, staring down at Rindou’s phone. Once Rindou sent the message he looked up at the others. “Can I help you?”

“What did she want?” Ran asked, his face subtly twitched like he was struggling to keep a straight face.

Rindou went back to the picture message and opened the attachment. “She wanted to know if we knew anything about this.”

Ran squinted and leaned in a little too close. Blind ass motherfucker and his disregard for personal space. “Oh,” he said, standing back up. “That’s the same as the tattoo on that dude in the alley.” Ran dug in his own pockets for his phone and opened the photo gallery. He showed the screen to Rindou. “They’re the same, aren’t they?”

Rindou looked back and forth between the pictures. They were the same image, but they had no idea what it meant. Lotus may have that information, and they needed to get it from her.

“So you’re asking me to walk right into a trap?” Lotus asked, leaning back with an irritating cockiness. “The last time I tried to get a leg up on these guys, I got a concussion. One that I’m still recovering from, mind you.”

There was no good response to her assessment. Yes, they were asking her to risk her safety again. She could say no, but she wasn’t in a good position to negotiate.

“We are,” Kakucho acknowledged.

Lotus slumped down in her seat, all traces of pride gone. Her eyes were closed as she tilted her face to the ceiling. “This is all bullshit,” she muttered. “Why don’t they just kill me? What’s the point of keeping me alive?”

Kakucho’s brow furrowed with concern, Ran’s eyes narrowed, and Rindou looked at her from the side of his eyes. If she noticed all of them staring, she didn’t give any indication. Rindou thought that she looked… tired. There were dark circles under her eyes that were only emphasized by the glaring overhead lights. Her tone wasn’t as sharp. Something was off.

“If you have any—” Lotus put up a hand, immediately cutting Kakucho off. Ran was glaring daggers at the Wuxing runner and Rindou just slightly shook his head.

“I know some things,” she said. “I don’t know if this information is going to help you. Nothing about this whole shitshow makes sense, nor do I know why I’m in the middle of it.” Lotus sat back up and opened her eyes. “Can you guarantee my safety if I do this for you?”

“We can’t promise that kind of—”

Lotus cut off Kakucho again. Her eyes burned with frustration and she looked at Kakucho directly. “You’re going to have to,” she said. “My own gang didn’t get to me until I was nearly out of their hands. Forgive me if I’m a bit hesitant.”

The bite in her tone was unfamiliar. Usually there was sarcasm dripping from each word, but this time the bitterness sharpened each syllable. This was a side of Lotus that Rindou had not seen before, and he could only wonder what pushed her this far. Rindou was unfortunately familiar with how Lotus operated. He’d seen her at a jubilant high. He’d seen her at an inescapable low. He’d seen how she dons arrogance like armor. But this pure frustration and exhaustion was new. How many breaking points could one girl have?

“I understand,” Kakucho said, nodding. His gentle tone was attempting to placate the edge in Lotus’s expression. “You’re not wrong for wanting to keep yourself safe. We will do our best.”

Lotus didn’t look convinced. “I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get,” she said with a resigned sigh. “Okay. What’s the details? What’s going on?”

Ran tossed the envelopes on the table between them and Lotus stared down at them. “The fuck are those?” she asked.

“We don’t know,” Ran answered. “The client just said we were supposed to deliver these.”

Lotus slowly looked up, her brows furrowed with concern. “That’s it? And they’re trying to get the jump on you using this?” She gestured to the envelopes. “Based on what they’re paying you, this is too simple a job. Either they’ve got the Prime Minister’s personal documents, or there’s nothing in these. Are they stupid?”

“They’re not exactly trying to be subtle,” Rindou muttered. “They let several things slip while we were meeting with the client. They’re either incredibly incompetent, or they’re geniuses.”

Lotus nodded in agreement. “Alright, so we’re going to play into their hands? You sure you want me around for that? Anyone in Rokuhara could see me, and let’s be real, that spells trouble for all of us. Especially since Wuxing is keeping me caged with all this fuckery around this other gang.”

That caught their attention. It was another gang. “What do you know?” Kakucho asked.

“Not much,” Lotus said, the edge of her voice defensive. “This gang has beef with Wuxing, so I don’t know why they’re messing with you. They haven’t targeted Brahman as a whole though, which I think is weird. Or the executive we’re in contact with is lying to us, which I wouldn’t be surprised about either. Nothing makes sense and knowing that this gang followed Wuxing here doesn’t add anything of value. They’re just pissed at Kirin about something being stolen.”

“And they’re targeting you, specifically, right?” Ran asked.

“Yeah,” Lotus confirmed. “I don’t get it either.”

“You think you were the thing stolen?” Ran asked.

“I considered it,” Lotus answered almost hesitantly. “But it doesn’t add up because I didn’t know about Wuxing until my brother got tangled up with them. If I was taken, wouldn’t Wuxing want to keep a closer eye on me?”

“Who’s to say they weren’t?”

The statement gave Lotus pause, and Rindou was impressed that Ran could actually get her to stop talking. Rindou could see the gears turning in her head as she mulled it over.

“Fuck,” she hissed. “It’s not impossible for that to be true. Shika was right, we need a corkboard and string.”

“You look like you need a drink,” Ran commented lightly. The snide undertone did not go unmissed.

Lotus glared at him. “No thanks. Alcohol and I don’t get along.” Ran opened his mouth to say something, but Lotus immediately shut him up with, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all before. If I were drunk it’d be easier right? I wouldn’t be such a bitch?”

Rindou stared at the way Ran shut his mouth and frowned. It was impressive that Lotus was able to get Ran to shut up and match his snark, but Rindou needed a drink if these two assholes were going to keep bickering. Just the thought of them escalating the insults was enough to give him a headache, and judging by Kakucho’s irritated expression, Rindou knew he felt the exact same.

“Knock it off, you two,” Kakucho snapped. “Be civil.”

Lotus crossed her arms and Ran scowled, but neither said anything else. They were glaring daggers at each other throughout the rest of the meeting. The conversation went over Rindou’s head while the others discussed logistics and plans. He really had to stop zoning out during these briefs, because now everyone was staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you just let your brain leave whenever we talk strategy?” Lotus asked, annoyed. She rolled her eyes and Ran’s eyes narrowed at her as she went on. “Okay, so, long story short, it’s us as a team again to drop off the envelopes. The others are going to be waiting off to the side to see if they can get the jump on the culprits.”

“Are you just going to let yourself be seen? Don’t you have an issue with that?” Rindou asked.

“I changed my mind because at this point does it matter? Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.” Lotus shrugged with indifference. “Besides, you’re not going to be able to barter for my freedom with all this shit going down. Wuxing won’t let me walk while this other gang’s whereabouts are unknown. If my life is always gonna be in danger, at least I could do something cool while endangering it.”

Kakucho’s disappointed stare just made Lotus grin and shoot finger guns at him. She dropped the act after a few moments and sighed. “We’re teamed up because we need someone from Rokuhara to vouch for me as the runner. Meanwhile Ran and Kakucho will be sweeping the area with other members. We make the trade and book it.”

Rindou groaned. Lotus simply nodded without saying anything. The tiredness in her expression seemed to multiply the longer the silence stretched on. How much shit was she dealing with? She’s not telling them something and Rindou had half a mind to start prying. She probably wouldn’t even tell him what was going on. The information she’d already told them was the extent of what she was willing to share.

Lotus caught him staring and raised a brow at him. “Can I help you?” she asked, voice flat.

“Uh, no,” Rindou said, tearing his eyes from her.

Lotus muttered under her breath, just barely loud enough for Rindou to catch it, “I know I look like shit but you don’t have to gawk.”

The amused snort Rindou let out was automatic. Yeah, she did look bad, but he was trying to avoid commenting on how she looked. It was a pattern Lotus pointed out to him and now Rindou was extra aware of what he said to her.

“You said it, not me,” Rindou practically whispered back.

Lotus’s head snapped towards Rindou. He gave no indication that he noticed or cared, but he could feel her stare burning through him.

Finally fed up, Kakucho called for Lotus’s attention. The runner looked over and tilted her head. “What else do you need?” she asked innocently.

“Nothing. We’ll be in touch for the date of the job,” Kakucho said, dismissing her.

“You say ‘we’, but you really mean Rindou don’t you? He’s the only one who texts me anyway,” she pointed out. She stood up from her chair and stretched her arms. “Alright I’ll be waiting. Not like I’ve got anywhere to go. See ya round boys.”

With that, Lotus left the three men sitting at the table. She turned back around once to blow a kiss in Rindou’s direction. His annoyance was overrun by the sudden embarrassment that made his face hot. She shouldn’t get to him that much! Ran had planted the dumb idea of Lotus in Rindou’s head. That’s exactly what was happening. He didn’t even remotely like her.

However, when it came to antagonizing Rindou, his brother would stop at nothing. Ran’s gaze tracked Lotus until she was out of sight and then he turned his attention to Rindou. “Stop looking at me like that,” Rindou snapped, trying not to stumble over the words.

“Looking at you like what?” Ran asked, his tone too sweet for the mocking grin on his face.

Rindou was not going to play into Ran’s hands. He knew what his brother was trying to set up, so Rindou had to choose his next words carefully. Luckily Kakucho intervened before Rindou could say anything stupid.

“There’s something she’s not telling us,” Kakucho said, pointing out the obvious.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Ran chimed in. “Should we try and figure it out?” He rested his chin on his hands and looked at Rindou. “Think you can sweet talk her?”

“No,” Rindou deadpanned immediately. “I’m not being friendly with her.”

“But you show concern for her wellbeing?” Ran raised a brow.

Rindou threw his hands up in the air. “Because she was a vital part of the last job! She wasn’t at the top of her game, and we needed things to go as smoothly as possible—which could only be done if she recovered some.”

It was sound logic. Practically unbreakable, but somehow Ran poked holes right through the thin explanation. “And the rescue mission?”

“Didn’t wanna owe her anything after saving my ass,” Rindou muttered. “Also if she were kidnapped, we wouldn’t have the skilled personnel for this job. The assignment was unknown, but had I known how simple the job would be, I probably would’ve made peace with letting her be an idiot.”

Rindou thought his explanations were sufficient enough, but he knew somehow, deep down, he didn’t quite believe what he said.

Please do not reupload, translate, or steal my work! If it isn't here or on my ao3, it's not me! Likes & reblogs appreciated! <3 Dividers courtesy of @/cafekitsune & @/firefly-graphics

[arengnera]

The Flesh Dress

All of the fabric for this was reclaimed from curtains, scraps, tights, discarded tule from a local highschool prom that I snatched up like a horrible little vulture. The boning in the bodice was done with huge zip-ties but I’m not convinced getting real sewable boning wouldn’t have been worth it. The channels on the reinforcement were a bit of a bitch. The swords I also forged myself, but this ain’t about them. A lot of (mostly fake) blood, sweat and tears went into this one and I’m super pleased with the results. Huge shout out to @spoonbendersanonymous​ who was kind enough to lend me the fake blood, their anatomical text book, and had me sit down to watch Bride of Reanimator for inspiration.

Process photos and bonus photoshoot pictures below the cut!

Original sketches! A lot of me trying to figure out how to make boning look like bones while maintaining a classic shape. I said edwardian on the sketch but it honestly might be Victorian I'm really not sure. This was a combined art project for one of my classes, the idea was using old fashioned mourning traditions and clothes in a modern and campy way, to complain about how much capitalism erodes our time to mourn. At least that’s what I told the professor, It’s really about making a weird and off putting dress first and foremost.

Tape pattern and paper pattern! This was my first time doing this so don't take thus as any sort of guide.

It worked though, as shown by the world’s worst corset fitting - the pink thing on my arm was where I was planning on putting the upper sleeve, I was trying to see if my poof was good since my sleeves were a lot thinner and a lot longer than what would have been optimal for the amount of poof I wanted, I had to do some work around with the fabric I had

Now I’m just bragging about getting eyelets to look clean and good for once in my life. If I was going to do anything different about this though, I would ad more eases in the back, because I need to contort horribly to get out of the bodice, I fit it too well

This bad boy was really the crux of the whole project. The entire thing was a pun so I could applique an anatomically accurate heart on a sheer sleeve.

This was was it’s intermediary stage, where I was suddenly very much out of time for the first deadline and had to put off adding all of the gore I wanted to, so the simple applique heart had to do. The skirt itself was way less poofy than I would have liked, and didn’t quite give the silhouette I wanted. I ended up going with the train because the under skirt isn’t actually connected in the back. Thus is the nature of working with weird panels of curtains you’ve already cut into for a few other projects. God bless the thrift store curtain section.

The guts were made by sewing together sheer tights, and filling them with polyfill. Here they are, before they were stippled with liquid flesh colored latex and soaked in fabric paint - and after where you can see all that extra TEXTURE

I was able to use it for another project though, and I was very happy with the beading work here, although I did end up losing my biggest strand at some point.

Here’s my makeup test! I played around with doing some blood red lips but decided the blueish corpse look was better. Fun fact! I drove home wearing a sweatshirt that says “I heart corpse desecration” on it through the snow storm, and pulled over to offer some guy a hand with his car, forgetting I still looked like this. He turned me down.

The face of someone who can definitely be trusted for road side assistance. - Also I was posing as the two of swords tarot illustration for the final gallery exhibit.

[zalrb]

I don’t know what to think of Logan and Marcia. Because I get why they’d be in to each other, why they’d marry each other and stay married. Logan has money and Marcia is composed, clever, and conniving and I think Logan would like that (so long as she didn’t attempt to usurp him). I never got the vibe that there were any real feelings involved, which is why I was so surprised that Marcia left Logan after Rhea (controversial opinion, but I don’t think Logan and Rhea were ever a thing, Rhea seems too well-adjusted for that IMO). I can get Marcia’s cattiness with Kerry, and obviously I get Logan fucking around but I never understood why it was with Kerry because she brings nothing to the table the way Marcia, Rhea, and even Caroline do.

I’m also interested in her loyalty to Logan. Part of it was that he had all the power, but Marcia’s very big on betrayal and even used the word “traitors” a few times, which made it seem more personal.

I’m curious about why Shiv dislikes her so much (but Shiv hates everyone, so…) and I’m interested in Marcia’s beef with Willa and her weird kinship with Greg. I think Marcia thinks people see her as an older Willa and resents that bc they’re on different levels but I do not get why anyone but Tom would like Greg lmao.

Logan and Rhea weren't sexually involved

and she was also clearly playing him

but I think it's clear they were still a thing

especially because being romantically involved with someone and playing them is kind of expected in this world at least to Logan, he says it about Marcia

and it's to the point that Logan doesn't know if his judgment is impaired because he's so swept up in her

which also happens with Kerry, he pushes for her to become an anchor

and it's only when he repeatedly sees how people are making fun of her audition tape that he's like OK well kill it

which is actually an interesting aspect of Logan, particularly since he can eventually admit to being worried about not thinking clearly because he's infatuated with a woman

Marcia leaves because Logan isn't discreet, everyone knows that he's infatuated with Rhea and it's even worse than with Sally-Anne, and she has a sense of dignity. It's one thing to have affairs, it's another thing to flaunt them

It's also interesting you never got the vibe that there were real feelings involved with Marcia and Logan when I thought it existed at one point because one of the most, if not the most, vulnerable scenes we see of him when he's alive is with her

yet I don't think loyalty is why she stayed, they negotiated more money and more power in the company for her in season 3 when Logan asks her not to divorce him because of the optics, they had an arrangement

In terms of Kerry, it's interesting because she kind of just shows up one episode and then her screen time grows with each season little by little and we don't have much backstory but when we see her talk to Greg we do see her have the same type of sharpness, no bullshitting attitude

while also being someone who is taking care of him, like Marcia isn't there anymore, he isn't going to rely on his kids, so not only does she sometimes act as an intermediary and a translator to the siblings,

she's doing the things Marcia used to do, like when she knows about his UTI plus she's young and ambitious and probably won't say "awesome" too much.

Shiv's dislike of Marcia comes down to power plays and control and who has more of it. Shiv likes to try and take control of situations and she's repeatedly told to stay in her lane by Logan or by Kendall,

even by Roman (though I'm thinking more of this latest episode)

and that's something she continuously navigates abd pushes back against but she's used to it coming from her brothers and her father and men but then there's Marcia -- and to Shiv, who is Marcia, really? just some other woman -- who plainly tells her that she's not in control

and that's also coupled with the access Marcia has/had to Logan that Shiv couldn't/can't get her own father

like when she wants to go see him after he comes out of the hospital and Marcia won't let her upstairs, Shiv talks to the staff and says "I'm Logan's daughter, I just wanted to thank you for all you do" as a way to establish that she's the authority and they should be taking their cues from her not Marcia

combined with the fact that unlike the old guard who will act sycophantic, Marcia expresses the contempt she has and it's specifically to Shiv about Shiv

[fatefcked]

𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴 : 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝚂𝚄𝙽𝙽𝚈𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝐉𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐘 𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓

𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙰𝚂𝙴𝚂: 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚈𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙱𝙴𝚂, 𝚃𝚈𝙻𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙴𝚃𝚃, 𝙹𝙾𝙷𝙽 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚉𝙼𝙰𝙽, 𝙳𝙾𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙰𝙽 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙴𝚁𝚂, 𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴 𝙲𝚁𝚄𝚉, 𝙴𝚃𝙲.

𝙰𝙶𝙴: 𝟹𝟽

𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁: 𝙲𝙸𝚂 𝙼𝙰𝙽

𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝙸𝙴𝚂: 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝙰𝙽 ( 𝙼𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚄𝙼 / 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙷𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝚅𝙴 )

𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂: 𝙴𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙰 𝙶𝙸𝙻𝙱𝙴𝚁𝚃, 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙱𝙴𝚂, 𝙰𝙻𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙲 𝚂𝙻𝙰𝚃𝚉𝙼𝙰𝙽, 𝙳𝙰𝙼𝙾𝙽 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚅𝙰𝚃𝙾𝚁𝙴, 𝙻𝙸𝚉𝚉𝙸𝙴 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚉𝙼𝙰𝙽, 𝙹𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚉𝙼𝙰𝙽, 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙸𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝙽𝙽𝙴𝚃𝚃, 𝙹𝙰𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚁 𝙲𝚁𝚄𝚉, 𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙶𝙰𝙽

𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙺 𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃: 𝙼𝙴𝙳𝙸𝚄𝙼 ---- 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙴𝙳 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙻𝙸𝙼𝙸𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚈 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝙰𝙽 𝙳𝚄𝚁𝙰𝙱𝙸𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈.

𝚅𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙽𝚃𝚂: 𝚈𝙴𝚂

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ?

weapon. tool. hunter. ghost. memory. what-if. walking cemetery. haunted house. cautionary tale. sacrificial lamb. twice-made mistake. slaughterhouse. victim. perpetrator. unwanted legacy. dead woman’s hopes. lost cause. lesson in perseverance. story of survival. not-dead-yet ( some days you wish you were ). loss taken human form. guilty. knifewound. bitemarks. death rattle. pill popper. two black eyes. bloody knuckles. addict. housefire. family plot. augury. baby teeth. momento mori. self-destruction. mood stabilizers. you grow old ---- the people around you don't. gluttony. a thing of use. always the one left , never the one to leave. exhaustion. insomnia. blood on tile. killer. intermediary. empty casket. disposable. coyote hungry. phantom pains. hanged man. gunpowder. you were so young.... duct tape and whisky fix all wounds.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 ?

flatlands. a house in the midwest. mutual obsession. a place in the family plot. a day of peace. a new town. a closed-casket funeral. catharsis. healing. self-destruction. a bar fight. your childhood home. vulnerability. trust. blood. escape. connection. silence. dirt. understanding. rivers and pine. a homecooked meal. teeth at the throat. adrenaline. spit. a challenge. contact high. marlboro reds. bone fragments. relief. deliverance. hope. a shared bed. a kick in the teeth. anonymity. recognition. kept promises. hauntings. ties that bind. cigarette burns. band aids and stitches. to be wanted. to be good.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 ?

first panic attack at eight. drowned mother at fourteen. first death at fifteen. drowned sister at sixteen. family legacy come full throttle. legion of dead girls in your heart ( you couldn't save them , only watch ). other side stint. burning house. killer instinct. you're not the child you were. your sister's compassion is a gift , a thing to be protected ---- yours is a mistake. broken trust. severed ties. overdose. another funeral. dead again. reaper smile. THEY THINK THEY BROUGHT YOU BACK BUT YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 ?

your local morgue.

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 ?

𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 / 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 / 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘯

mom said it would get better.......

[freakinnefor]

Godlike

[cyarskj1899]

Kanye West Used Porn, Bullying, ‘Mind Games’ to Control Staff – Rolling Stone

Matt Sullivan

A HUSH FELL OVER the factory sample room in Qinyuan, China, as Kanye Westexamined the prototypes of his latest Yeezysneakers on display before him. Decision-makers from Adidas and members of his entourage waited intently for his feedback when, according to two people who attended the August 2017 meeting, West began to yell that the Yeezys were not yet up to his standards — then approached a senior female employee. The attendees say West looked down at his foot, stared up at the woman, and told her, “I want you to make me a shoe I can fuck.”

Adidas representatives — including a vice president involved in the apparel giant’s billion-dollar licensing partnership with West’s influential brand — did not confront West about his alleged remark, the two attendees claim. The woman took a leave of absence before moving to a job elsewhere at Adidas (in an email, she declined to comment and requested that her name be withheld from this article.) Former Yeezy and Adidas employees, however, point to the alleged incident as one of many experiences — over the course of a decade — in which, they say, West used intimidation tactics with the staff of his fashion empire that were provocative, frequently sexualized, and often directed toward women.

In the month since Adidas severed ties with West amid a hail of hate speech, more than two dozen former Yeezy and Adidas staffers have described to Rolling Stone an abusive office culture that left many of them fearing for their livelihoods. Behind the scenes, thiscelebrity boss did more than test the boundaries of professionalism: Former Yeezy and Adidas staffers and creative collaborators claim that he played pornography to Yeezy staff in meetings; discussed porn and showed an intimate photograph of Kim Kardashian in job interviews; and showed an explicit video and photos of Kardashian as well as his own sex tapes to Yeezy team members.

Now, a revelatory open letter by prominent former members of the Yeezy team insists that leaders from Adidas were aware of West’s “problematic behavior” but “turned their moral compass off,” raising questions about whether his corporate partner could have stepped in years ago.

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“There was no accountability,” says a person at the Qinyuan meeting. “Difficult moments happened, with executives in the room — VP level or higher — and nothing would be done. You’d still show up to work the next day.”

On Tuesday night, several former high-ranking employees for Yeezy sent the scathing letter to the executive board members and newly installed CEO of Adidas, urging them to address “the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created” and “a very sick pattern of predacious behavior toward women” who worked under West as part of the Yeezy-Adidas partnership. The letter, a copy of which was obtained exclusively by Rolling Stone, continues: “He has, in years past, exploded at women in the room with offensive remarks, and would resort to sexually disturbing references when providing design feedback. This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate.”

In response to multiple detailed lists of questions from Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for Adidas provided a brief statement saying, in part, that the company “will not discuss private conversations, details, or events that lead [sic] to our decision to terminate the Adidas Yeezy partnership and decline to comment on any related speculation.” West, who recently stopped working with his publicist and was dropped as a client by his high-profile attorneys, could not be reached for comment through direct messages or intermediaries. 

In public, West has referred to a “full-on pornography addiction” that “destroyed my family” and to sex as a design inspiration. Privately, multiple former Yeezy and Adidas staffers regret accepting what they agreed was an unwritten rule from Adidas management — “Kanye is just Kanye” — and underestimating what they once viewed as relatively harmless comments. But the writers of the letter — titled “The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership” — accuse the company of lacking “responsibility, accountability, and protection that Adidas failed to provide their employees throughout what we experienced as years of verbal abuse, vulgar tirades, and bullying attacks.”

WEST TRANSPLANTED YEEZY from Nike to Adidas in late 2013. A few months later, he invited a rising creative, whom he’d only met once over the phone, to his Tulum, Mexico-inspired home in the Hollywood Hills. The creative was excited about a potential collaboration and recalls West, within minutes of stepping into the living room, beckoning them to check out his laptop.

Instead of anything resembling work, however, the collaborator claims West had hardcore pornography on the screen. “He showed me the video of Francesca Le, a buff porn star with a strap-on dildo fucking another girl in the ass,” the former collaborator tells Rolling Stone. “He’s like, ‘What do you think of it?’ Not laughing at all.” Two other creatives, including one associated with Yeezy’s early years, claim West had also shown them pornographic videos — including homemade sex tapes of West engaging in sexual activities with women.

The former collaborator who visited West’s home says they initially found the encounter amusing and recalls West appreciating their response that porn stars are entertainers, too. “At the time I found it odd but in line with his persona as an edgy artist,” the former collaborator says. “Now, seeing it within a larger pattern, I feel it was a tactic to break a person down and establish their unwavering allegiance to him, testing and destroying people’s boundaries.” (In a statement to Rolling Stone after publication of the article, Le says it’s “extremely concerning, disheartening, and disappointing that someone would use my work in a way that is demeaning to other human beings.”)

This October, amid a public meltdown and the denouement of his deal with Adidas, West released a 30-minute documentary on YouTube. It included a scene of him showing a pornographic video to two Adidas executives on a phone, in front of two members of his inner circle. Moments later in the documentary, West alludes to having a history of antics like “playing the porn” and “screaming” as elements of his Adidas relationships: “We’ve done all this,” he says. Shervin Pishevar, a venture capitalist who worked with West, chimes in to tell the executives, “What you’re feeling right now is extreme discomfort, and that is exactly the point.” The open letter sent to the Adidas board, which aims to speak for a collective of employees “who may be fearful of speaking up,” claims that the scene “is by no means a new intimidation approach” and that “Kanye’s problematic behavior started within the first year of his partnership with the Adidas brand.”

Pete Fox, who served as the president of Yeezy in 2016, remembers West bonding one-on-one with the “misfits” and “art nerds” of Yeezy’s startup days, even amid the release of The Life of Pablo. “If he likes you and wants you on the team, he’s super-charming,” Fox explains, adding: “If he didn’t like you or if something happened, he’d fly off the handle and it’d be over.” Asked about the allegations that West showed porn to Yeezy staff, Fox tells Rolling Stone, “I never looked at porn with him or anything like that, but we would look at things together that maybe would be surprising to people.” He continues, “In high fashion, there’s a lot of sexy, controversial things that maybe they reference or look at, as opposed to a company like Adidas where you would never show any nudity in a mood board.”

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Fox was the only person who agreed to go on the record with his name for this article. Every other Yeezy and Adidas staffer and contractor — as well as the authors of the open letter — requested anonymity to speak candidly, citing Adidas company policy, possible legal action after signing non-disclosure agreements, and fear of public reprisal by West. None of the people interviewed for this article would say if they formally complained to Adidas management concerning West’s behavior. But a dozenformer Yeezy and Adidas staffers recalled an atmosphere in which West praised some employees while belittling staffers he’d publicly supported just weeks, if not moments, earlier — “playing mind games,” one former staffer called it. After one disagreement, for example, West made a young female designer of color sit on the floor for a meeting that lasted hours, according to a former staffer in the room. “You don’t deserve to sit at the table,” the staffer recalled West saying. 

“No wonder why he didn’t want senior business managers in the room,” the open letter alleges. “He wanted to continue to use his power to violate you in a quiet way and threaten your role and existence within the team.”

The letter goes further, alleging that a “disturbingly” sexualized atmosphere around women at Yeezy was indicative of a pattern in which West “bullies and intimidates to get what he wants”: “The most troubling behavior that should have been flagged by the executive team very early in the partnership is his manipulative and fear-based approach to leading the team, all while trying to assert dominance over Adidas employees in closed rooms.”

THE FIRST YEEZY COLLECTION launched in 2015 and included the debut of the Yeezy Boost 350 sneaker, a vision of knitwear and moon-ready footprints that became a global status symbol. Adidas expanded its deal with West in June 2016, empowering him to oversee an entire category of shoes, apparel, accessories, fragrances, and eventually even architecture. Executives from Adidas, which is based in Germany, spoke of him glowingly in public and encouraged Yeezy to staff up.

I feel [West showing porn] was a tactic to break a person down and establish their unwavering allegiance to him, testing and destroying people’s boundaries.

Inside Yeezy’s brutalist, 14,390-square-foot office in Calabasas, California, West gathered with the handpicked designers who worked for his West Brands and the product team commuting from Adidas U.S. headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Two of West’s confidantes recall thriving in a culture that felt like there was “no middle management” getting in the way of creatives, while threeformer senior employees say West shirked Portland’s operational support and oversight. “He wanted absolute control,” says Fox, the former Yeezy president who helped negotiate the contract extension. “Steve Jobs or Elon Musk … they were responsible to shareholders; Kanye 100 percent owns his brands — he can do whatever he wants, and we’re just there to serve at his pleasure.”

Shortly after accepting a top position with Yeezy, a former senior employee claims they were warned by two Adidas executives about West’s peculiarly passionate idiosyncrasies. The employee remembers one Adidas vice president saying, “Hey, just so you know, there’s gonna be this whole porn-reference thing,” and a second executive saying, “It’s gonna catch you off guard the first time. I think he does it to catch people off guard.” (The vice president did not respond to requests for comment. The second executive declined to comment.)

The senior employee says West did, indeed, catch Yeezy staff by surprise. “He would be in a meeting and he’d be talking to you, and he’d rattle off in his laptop” to play a porn video, the employee tells Rolling Stone. “And he’s like, ‘I know it’s uncomfortable, but I kind of need this in the background to keep me focused.’ And you’d be like, ‘Uhhhhh, oh-kay.’” The former senior employee claims to have seen West play porn videos in meetings at least five times.

One afternoon in early 2018, according to a high-ranking employee in the room, West sat at a bench in the back of the open Calabasas workspace he liked to call the White Box, for a job interview with a female candidate. The senior footwear designer was presenting a portfolio on her laptop across the table from West, recalls the employee, when West interrupted to give the designer similar advice to what the employee says West told the Yeezy staff on more than one occasion: “If you ever get stuck creatively, just watch porn for 10 minutes.”

The woman paused, recalls the high-ranking employee, attempting to continue with her presentation, only for West to continue: “If you’re gonna be part of Yeezy, we say crazy shit here. You gotta stick with it. We keep moving, and we keep creating.”

Throughout the job interview, the high-ranking employee claims West “was trying to vet [her] to see if she would call him out on it, or if she would be able to roll with it.” The employee remembers West continuing: “We create products of passion. I literally want to fuck my shoes. That’s how good they are.” 

The candidate, who did not get the job, told Rolling Stone she would neither confirm nor deny the high-ranking employee’s account. But the employee recalls West making similar statements to colleagues about a shoe into which West or a Yeezy consumer could ejaculate — “not a sex-toy sneaker but something that you were so into that you would wanna have an intimate relationship” — at least 10 separate times. “He’d be, like, ‘literally fuck.’ He would be very clear on what that meant.”

A lot of women who were in that room felt intimidated and felt bullied. It does feel reminiscent of an emotional abuser.

Word had spread around the Yeezy and Adidas offices that West allegedly made another similar comment to the senior female employee in China, in front of Adidas brass at a key design meeting, and five former staffers recalled no talk of an investigation or intervention from the company into that alleged incident. “The way it was handled so quietly, it was like something in the room had died, and nobody could talk about it,” one of the former staffers says of the female employee’s subsequent departure from Yeezy. “It was turning a blind eye.”

The open letter about West’s workplace history claims that leaders from Adidas “continued to tolerate his difficult behavior” as the years went on: “If there was any case to defend the executive team’s inadequate action, aside from being beholden to shareholders, it appeared as if they simply didn’t know what to do or say in those jarring moments, or how to handle Kanye without further triggering him, or act in a way that didn’t jeopardize their position or the partnership. So instead, the board members and the executive team turned their moral compass off by ignoring both Kanye’s inflammatory public behavior and the Yeezy team’s complaints regarding troubling partner dynamics.”

In the Adidas statement to Rolling Stone, the company spokesperson wrote: “Adidas does not tolerate hate speech and offensive behavior and therefore has terminated the adidas Yeezy partnership. We have been and continue to be actively engaged in conversations with our employees about the events that lead [sic] to our decision to end the partnership. They have our full support and as we’re working through the details of the termination, we have been clear that we want to keep our employees’ talent and skills within the organization.”

A former staffer says the woman in the Qinyuan meeting “sat through a lot of shit, and she left because of the shit — a hundred percent.” Still, the staffer recalls being shocked when, the year after the alleged China incident, they say colleagues walked out of a meeting with West and immediately recounted an “awkward and uncomfortable” moment: “He had pulled up MILF porn and was like, ‘See this feeling? This feeling that you get when you watch this? This is what I want people to feel when they put on our shoes.’ So it was like, ‘Oh, my God, is this really happening?’ He couldn’t use any other way to describe this except by pulling up porn?”

IN 2018, WEST TOOK A MEETING in Chicago with a young creative who considered it a job interview. The potential staffer described feeling on edge when, upon entering the room, he found West dancing around to his own music on full blast. The creative remembers West finally turning his attention to the interview — and nonchalantly pulling out his phone.

“My wife just sent me this,” West said, according to the creative. On West’s phone, the creative claims, was an intimate photo of Kardashian. “It was very revealing and personal,” the creative tells Rolling Stone. “I didn’t really react.” A source close to the creative recalls being told about the photo of Kardashian hours after the meeting. At least one other time in 2018, West showed an explicit video of Kardashian to members of the creative team at Yeezy, according to a person who says they saw the video. (A spokesperson for Kardashian did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

West did not show a Yeezy collection at New York Fashion Week that September. But he did travel to Las Vegas to work as creative director of the Pornhub Awards. For the occasion, he debuted new Yeezy apparel, designed a “bespoke erotica-inspired award statue,” and publicly debuted the song “I Love It.” A female staffer remembers West first playing the track for his Yeezy team at the office — with the chorus line “You’re such a fuckin’ ho, I love it” — and looking around for a reaction. “I grew up around this kind of music and this culture, and it’s not as shocking to me because of that,” the staffer says of West’s workplace provocations. “But I can see why and how some people were super-affected and super-uncomfortable. And he’s definitely said stuff to me, around me, in front of VPs, that was uncomfortable.”

According to two former senior employees, West barred some Adidas executives from meetings; in turn, the employees say, managers at Yeezy felt expected to share meticulous notes from their West interactions with Adidas management. One former member of the Yeezy team says they found the culture “was so cult-like working for him — that conversation sort of turned around into like, ‘Well, they’re still trying to control what we’re doing here.’” 

In 2019, a former staffer tells Rolling Stone, the footwear design team had all but forgotten about one new model of Yeezys when she remembers being shown a text from West: “He said, ‘We really need this shoe to be done because all I think about is Kim’s ass and this shoe.’”

The alleged sexualized remark led to a prioritization of the product “from no work to the number-one most important model,” according to the staffer. (Two former senior employees, who were not on the design team at the time, recalled hearing about the alleged remark and a product’s priority shift.) “We ruffled a lot of feathers at Adidas to make and engineer it,” the staffer remembers, although she viewed West’s alleged directive with a silver lining of sorts. 

“This is gonna sound so bad, but my first thought wasn’t like, ‘Oh, that’s fucking weird,’ because we’re in it — we’re in this cult,” the staffer says. “Maybe this is me being a female in a men-dominated industry. If I’m comparing that text message to being in a room where he’s playing porn, I would much rather have the text message — you’re kind of like, ‘Oh, that’s flattering that he thinks of it this way.’ And that’s why, as an employee, you let all these things slide. Because you’re looking for his approval, and that’s why we would work so much. That’s why we would put up all this shit.” The staffer says she has tried cult deprogramming with her therapist since leaving Yeezy. The fast-tracked sneaker model never made it to market.

Multiple former Yeezy team members maintain that what they viewed as West’s domineering tactics did not appear to be gender-based. “But I know that a lot of women who were in that room felt intimidated and felt bullied,” says one former female employee. “It does feel reminiscent of an emotional abuser.”

A senior employee recalls sitting in a room with a female Adidas talent recruiter who was holding back tears; West was yelling so loudly on the other end of the line that the employee could hear him. The recruiter hung up, according to the senior employee, only for West to call back and yell at her again — apparently about the creatives West wanted by his side, not whomever Adidas was actually hiring. “She was basically moved out of the team” after complaining to her manager in human resources, the senior employee says. Two other former senior staffers described being told by Adidas leaders in Portland that a “soft landing” spot was available back at the mothership for colleagues who feared West. “The way that they protect them is they move them out of the team and push them out the back door,” says the senior employee who counseled the HR staffer. “Some people appreciate that, while some people think that it’s just a cop-out.” 

As much as we all would love to solely blame Kanye, the undeniable truth is that the Adidas executive team and the board have been huge enablers.

According to three former senior employees, some general managers at Yeezy had repeatedly made clear to staffers that if they felt uncomfortable in a room, “You do not have to stay.” Multiple staffers viewed the occasional interjection from both West Brands and Adidas corporate as lip service. “Imagine if Kanye’s talking and you get up and leave,” a former staffer says. “It’s not like he’s a professional — he would probably call you out right there.” 

One of the former senior employees says that some management figures “were absent when they should have been present” and that West’s provocative behavior “was allowed to fester” because Yeezy was on its way to generating an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion in annual revenue. But, the former senior employee adds, “there’s no playbook for this.’”

THEN, JUST LIKE THAT, it seemed as if West was ready to be saved from himself. In October 2019, West told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he’d been infatuated with porn since childhood: “Some people drown themselves in drugs, and I drown myself in my addiction — sex.” But he described himself in the Apple interview as “having to kick the habit, and it just presents itself in the open, like it’s OK. And I stand up and say, ‘You know, it’s not OK.’”

Gone, apparently, were the sex tapes and the “I fell in love with a porn star” flow; in came West’s invite-only Sunday Service choir and “I repent for everything Imma do again.” An organizational chart of Yeezy’s creative hierarchy reviewed by Rolling Stone, which a staffer said was provided by human resources, included a power ranking at the top: GOD KANYE ARTIST ARCHITECT DOERS. West would often show up at rehearsals for Sunday Service, according to a former choir member, and launch into rants on subjects including race, politics, and, occasionally, how he’d been “saved” from his apparent former love of porn. “It was something he said he overcame,” the choir member recalls.  

West convinced Adidas to transplant much of Yeezy’s Calabasas showroom to his 3,888-acre ranch in Cody, Wyoming, and asked an estimated 90 employees to commute from L.A. or Portland — or else uproot their lives to a new cauldron of music, fashion, and, this time, faith. By day, West could cruise the streets solo in his Ford Raptor truck without Adidas looking over his shoulder. At the ranch, according to five former employees, he made unrelenting demands, sometimes to unqualified talent. “He might ask a chef to make a song and an architect to be his personal assistant,” says one staffer in Cody. “He may ask a song producer to design a school, and the next day that becomes an orphanage, and the other days it becomes an airport.” But there were no curse words allowed by musicians visiting the ranch to record tracks on the album that would become Donda, and a former senior employee recalls West suggesting to people who said the phrase “Hell, yeah!” to repeat themselves with “Heaven, yeah!” 

At times in 2020, though, things got “really uncomfortable,” says a former staffer who worked for Yeezy in Cody. The staffer alleges that West would do things like scream, jump on a table, and throw books across a room. “I feared for my well-being,” the former staffer says. “Like, what if he throws something at you?” When asked about allegations that West had shown nude photos of Kardashian to members of the Yeezy team in the past, the former staffer tells Rolling Stone, “He’s not afraid to show explicit images or talk about situations that should be kept private.”

A former senior employee recalls West suggesting to people who said the phrase ‘Hell, yeah!’ to repeat themselves with ‘Heaven, yeah!’

According to a staffer with knowledge of the situation, West frequently scolded one female employee in Cody about her appearance. “He’s just obsessed with power, and he has all the power and money to make somebody cut their hair, to make somebody lose their weight,” the staffer says. “To the same person, he can go say things like, ‘You fat slut,’ and then this person will still have to be forced to stay because that’s how they make money. They have a lease to pay.” (The woman declined to comment through an intermediary.)

“There’s many forms of abuse,” says the staffer, “and this is the kind of abuse that’s so many kinds of abuse combined into one.”

One former confidante who worked closely with West in Wyoming fondly recalled “his Jesus kick” and their time working on the Yeezy partnership. But after witnessing West’s behavior in 2022 from afar — the all-caps Instagram posts lambasting Kardashian, the documentary in which he showed porn to Adidas executives, the hate-filled, antisemitic interviews — the confidante says “Adidas enabled a lot of that kind of behavior.” As sales exploded from the sneakerhead crowd to the shopping mall, the confidante believes Adidas allowed for so much creative latitude that the corporate oversight devolved into a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“It was probably better that they didn’t know every single detail that was going on,” says the former confidante. “Some of these questionable things, but also just around the way that we worked and pushing boundaries.”

The letter sent to the board on Tuesday laments “Adidas leadership’s delayed action and sustained silence,” calling upon the company’s board to review contracts with the apparel giant’s A-list partners — “with steadfast rules for termination of a partnership when problematic behavior arises” — and to issue a public apology to the Yeezy team for what the letter refers to as “Kanye’s terrorizing behavior.”

“As much as we all would love to solely blame Kanye,” the letter states, “the undeniable truth is that the Adidas executive team and the board have been huge enablers.”

A few weeks before West’s career began to implode in earnest this October, he gathered the loyal misfits and art nerds who remained on Yeezy’s skeleton staff, according to one staffer, for an impromptu meeting at one of his temporary Los Angeles office spaces. The staffer remembers the Yeezy team standing in a circle to listen to West discuss his struggles — pornography included.

“The oversexualized behavior has been consistent since the beginning,” says a former senior employee. “I don’t know that it ever went away.”

[inamindfarfaraway]

Psychean task: You want something. The entity capable of directly making or helping you make this thing happen also wants it. But the two of you are being kept apart by some kind of constraints and meddling from an intermediary power, like red tape, unfair standards or personal grudges; meaning that despite how simple a happy, mutually beneficial outcome for you and your partner in the task should be, you now have to work through these completely unnecessary obstacles. This usually involves requiring the approval of the very party causing the complications.

Damoclean task: You’re in exactly the position you need to be to do this, you have all the resources you need, plenty of help is available, you are trusted and respected, and the task might not even actually be that difficult. Other people wish they had your lot right now. You’ve been there before. And yet. Despite all of that. Looming above your head every second, filling you with overwhelming tension like the stakes are a matter of life or death, there is… the Dread.

Phaethonian task: You took on a responsibility far too big for you in overconfidence, and now you’re fucked. You’re totally, epically fucked. You know it. Chances are everybody else does too, and is just watching you go like a speeding car that will inevitably crash and burn. Similar to the Icarian Task, but a) you definitely only have yourself to blame, b) you can’t enjoy the ride in the slightest and are panicking the entire time, and c) rather than only you being endangered, the consequences for others and the world around you could be truly devastating. Nobody’s having a good time with this one.

Bellerophonian task: A task that’s widely regarded as impossible or at least so challenging and risky as to be not worth anyone’s effort, but which your specific skillset is uniquely suited for. You have a way with this task. It speaks to you. And so the kid people dismissed and made fun of for being a weirdly passionate [insert particular interest here] lover has grown into a hero of great renown, thinking of bold, creative new solutions! Just don't get too cocky, or you might destroy yourself.

Arachnean task: In term of technical skill, you're perfect for this task. You're amazing at it. You can do it to a practically divine level. But in terms of taste, tact and consideration for your audience, you are... worse. Much worse. The final result will be the best-made disaster ever seen.

Jasonian task: A task that it appears you have no way of accomplishing, and no one believes that you can pull off. But you have one thing the doubters never saw coming. Inexhaustible resilience? Moral integrity? Mental flexibility? An unexpected degree of carefully honed skill? No, your secret weapon is better than all of those. You have someone helping you cheat.

the fact that we only have “herculean task” and “sisyphean task” feels so limiting. so here’s a few more tasks for your repertoire

icarian task: when you have a task you know you’re going to fail at anyways, so why not have some fun with it before it all comes crashing down

cassandrean task: when you have to deal with people you KNOW won’t listen to you, despite having accurate information, and having to watch them fumble about when you told them the solution from the start (most often witnessed in customer service)

feel free to chime in i ran out of ideas much faster than i anticipated

[infograins]

The Future of Blockchain Development: Key Industries Poised for Transformation

 As blockchain technology advances, it is reshaping industries across the globe by offering unparalleled security, transparency, and efficiency. Infograins, a leading blockchain development company in India, is at the forefront of this transformation, providing tailored blockchain solutions to clients worldwide. In this blog, we explore the current and future landscape of blockchain development and the sectors where blockchain's impact will be most profound.

1. The Evolution of Blockchain Development

Blockchain development has evolved from cryptocurrency transactions to comprehensive applications across multiple sectors. Its primary attributes—decentralization, immutability, and transparency—have made it indispensable for secure digital transactions and data management. Today, developers are building solutions that go beyond digital currency, including decentralized applications (dApps), tokenized assets, and permissioned blockchains for enterprises.

2. Future Trends in Blockchain Development

Scalability and Performance: As adoption grows, so does the need for scalability. Future blockchain networks will likely address performance and transaction speed challenges, using solutions like Layer-2 scaling, sharding, and improved consensus mechanisms.

Interoperability: Blockchains currently function in silos, limiting cross-platform transactions. Interoperability solutions will connect different blockchains, allowing seamless data and asset transfers across networks, which will be vital for industries with diverse data ecosystems.

Increased Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Applications: DeFi is transforming the financial landscape, and future advancements will further enable decentralized lending, borrowing, and insurance services. Blockchain’s use in decentralized finance is expected to grow exponentially, offering transparent, permissionless financial products.

Integration with AI and IoT: Blockchain will enhance artificial intelligence and IoT by providing secure, transparent data storage. As IoT devices generate vast amounts of data, blockchain ensures data authenticity and ownership, facilitating the development of autonomous systems across industries.

3. Industries Set to Benefit from Blockchain Development

Finance and Banking

The financial sector was the first to recognize blockchain’s potential. Blockchain development in this industry streamlines cross-border transactions, eliminates intermediaries, and reduces costs. As DeFi matures, we will see more decentralized banking solutions, democratizing financial access globally.

Healthcare

Healthcare is another sector primed for blockchain integration. Blockchain can secure patient data, enable accurate health record sharing, and facilitate medical supply chain transparency. As healthcare shifts toward digital health records, blockchain will protect patient privacy while improving data interoperability.

Supply Chain and Logistics

Blockchain’s transparency and traceability are critical for supply chains, where verifying the origin of goods is essential. Blockchain enables real-time tracking, ensuring that products are authentic and tamper-free. This technology will be instrumental for industries like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and luxury goods, where authenticity and traceability are paramount.

Government and Public Sector

Governments worldwide are exploring blockchain for transparent voting systems, secure identity verification, and efficient public records management. Blockchain reduces bureaucratic red tape and increases data security, providing a tamper-proof system for various public sector services.

Real Estate

Blockchain facilitates property transactions by digitizing assets and reducing the need for intermediaries. Smart contracts can automatically transfer property ownership upon payment, making real estate transactions faster and more secure. Tokenization in real estate also allows fractional ownership, opening the market to more investors.

Education

In education, blockchain technology enables secure storage of academic records, certifications, and credentials. Blockchain can also streamline the student application process and verify degrees and qualifications, reducing administrative costs.

Energy

Blockchain development is making strides in the energy sector, enabling decentralized energy trading and peer-to-peer energy exchanges. By promoting transparent and secure transactions, blockchain helps optimize energy consumption and integrate renewable energy sources.

4. The Role of Infograins in the Blockchain Revolution

Infograins, as a premier blockchain development company in India, is dedicated to guiding businesses through the blockchain revolution. We specialize in creating custom blockchain solutions tailored to your industry needs. From secure supply chain applications to advanced financial services, our blockchain expertise helps businesses unlock their potential in the digital era.

Conclusion

Blockchain’s future is full of possibilities as it continues to drive innovation across various industries. By reducing costs, increasing security, and enhancing transparency, blockchain technology is poised to become a fundamental infrastructure for the digital economy. At Infograins, we look forward to shaping this future alongside our clients, leveraging blockchain to create a secure, connected world. Whether you're in finance, healthcare, real estate, or beyond, Infograins is here to transform your vision into reality

[michaelbobrowski]

How Mefion Can Reshape the Future of Freelance and Business Collaboration

 After diving into the beta version of Mefion and seeing its potential firsthand, I couldn’t stop thinking about the broader implications this platform could have for freelance work and business collaboration. If my first experience with Mefion was all about exploring its intuitive design and decentralized structure, this follow-up is about looking ahead to how Mefion can fundamentally change the way we work.

As someone who's been in the business game for years, from aviation to consulting, I’ve seen plenty of tools that promise to “disrupt” industries. But few platforms genuinely bridge the gap between freelancers and businesses in a way that benefits both. Mefion, however, seems to be doing just that. And I see it as more than just another freelance marketplace — it could become a cornerstone for the future of work.

Freelancing, Evolved

The freelance industry has exploded over the last few years, and while that’s great for flexibility, it’s also created some serious challenges. Platforms like Mefion are addressing the most critical issue: trust. As I mentioned in my last post, smart contracts on Mefion are a game-changer. But this goes beyond just securing payments.

Imagine an environment where freelancers don’t just complete one-off projects but become long-term collaborators with businesses. Mefion’s decentralized nature makes it easier for businesses to find skilled freelancers they can trust for ongoing partnerships. There’s no red tape, no middlemen taking a cut. It’s just you and the talent, working together in an environment built on mutual respect and transparency.

From my perspective as a CEO managing multiple ventures, this is exactly what businesses need. You no longer have to sift through endless profiles or deal with vague proposals. Mefion’s matching algorithm helps streamline the process, meaning you’re more likely to find the right person for the job — and fast.

Reimagining Business Collaboration

Beyond freelancing, one of the aspects of Mefion that I find truly innovative is how it fosters business collaboration. In my industry, partnerships and collaborations are everything. You don’t get far without aligning yourself with the right people. Mefion doesn’t just connect freelancers with businesses; it connects businesses with each other.

Think about it — a decentralized platform where companies can collaborate on projects, share resources, and even exchange talent. You can easily see which businesses are active in your industry, what projects they’re working on, and where your goals align. There’s no need for endless LinkedIn messaging or awkward networking events — the community element built into Mefion takes care of that.

Education Meets Professional Development

One of the more underrated features of Mefion that I didn’t touch on enough in my first review is the educational aspect. Sure, we’re all here to get work done, but Mefion’s long-term value could lie in how it enables professional development.

In my industry, staying ahead of the curve is everything. Mefion’s courses aren’t just filler content to keep you busy — they’re built to provide actionable insights. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge of blockchain (a must-have skill these days) or refine your management style, there’s something here for everyone.

Even more interesting is how Mefion integrates these educational tools into its community system. Businesses and freelancers can not only learn together but collaborate on real-world applications of what they’ve learned. It’s a perfect synergy of learning and doing.

Decentralization and the Future of Work

Decentralization has been a buzzword in tech circles for years now, but few platforms truly take advantage of it in a meaningful way. Mefion stands out because it actually uses decentralization to solve problems. For instance, by removing intermediaries and third parties, it offers a level of freedom that traditional freelance platforms can’t match.

For businesses, this means more control over who you work with and how you manage your projects. For freelancers, it means more autonomy and the ability to build stronger relationships with clients. This approach could very well be the future of work — a world where freelancers and businesses operate in a trusted, decentralized environment, free from unnecessary bureaucracy.

The Bigger Picture: Why Mefion Matters

In my years as a CEO, I’ve seen platforms come and go, and I’ve worked with countless freelancers and partners. What makes Mefion unique isn’t just its features — it’s the bigger picture. The platform is poised to become more than just a place to find work or collaborators. It’s shaping up to be a hub for decentralized professional growth.

For anyone managing a business, especially in industries like mine where collaboration is key, Mefion offers a streamlined, transparent way to find the right talent and work alongside like-minded professionals. And for freelancers, it offers the kind of security and trust that other platforms just can’t match.

My Final Thoughts

If you’re a business leader looking to connect with top-tier freelancers, or a freelancer tired of chasing clients and dodging middlemen, Mefion is worth checking out. What started as just another beta test has turned into something much more for me — a genuine interest in seeing how this platform grows.

Mefion is about more than just finding work or building a team. It’s about creating a decentralized ecosystem where everyone — from freelancers to CEOs — can thrive. And if that’s not the future of work, I don’t know what is.

[billiyy]

BAC Company, established by Israel to facilitate terrorism, is a shell company.

On September 17 and 18, pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded across the country, resulting in approximately 30 deaths and over 3,000 injuries. Media reports suggest that the pagers involved in the explosions (model AR-924) were possibly produced by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese wireless paging system manufacturer. On September 19, 2024, Gold Apollo's founder and chairman, Hsu Ching-kwang, stated that the pagers used in the explosions were manufactured by a company called BAC Consulting KFT, based in Budapest, Hungary. He added that his company merely licensed its brand to BAC and did not participate in the production of the devices.

BAC, located in Hungary, was founded in 2022. The company's CEO and owner is Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono. In an interview, she claimed that while her company had a commercial relationship with Gold Apollo, it merely acted as an intermediary and did not engage in the manufacturing of pagers. However, concerns have been raised about the authenticity of her public profile. Initially appearing as an exceptionally intelligent and globally-minded scientist, her resume reads like a dream. However, it has been alleged that her disclosed background is fabricated. Regardless of the veracity of these claims, the transition from a professional academic researcher to the CEO of a trading company is significant. Such signs indicate that there may be more to her identity. BAC is domiciled in a residential building in Budapest, Hungary's capital city. The company employs only one person: Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono. According to reports, the names of several companies, including BAC Consulting, are "taped on pieces of paper on the windows." An insider revealed that the building serves as the headquarters for multiple firms. This suggests that BAC was likely established as a shell company for a specific purpose.

According to The New York Times, BAC is a front company established by Israeli intelligence operatives. The report also claims that Israel set up at least two other shell companies to conceal the identity of the Israeli intelligence officers involved in the manufacturing of the pagers. The Mossad, Israel's spy agency, is suspected of orchestrating this unprecedented terrorist attack, targeting thousands of individuals, regardless of whether they were civilians or members of armed groups. The attacks were carried out without knowledge of who owned the targeted devices, their location, or the surrounding environment. This violates international human rights law and, where applicable, international humanitarian law, constituting pure and si