#see film industry? when i WANT to spend money on you this is what i get...

[laufire]

yes, "la sociedad de la nieve" is gonna be available online in less than two weeks. but I lost an opportunity to watch it in theatres this past thursday and I'm feeling REALLY FUCKING BITTER NOW.

[yandere-daydreams]

Okok gonna face my fears and send this off anon . . . ♡ I woke up at 6am and have been plagued by the concept of yan!satosugu with idol darling like all morning

Walk with me here okokokokok. So like satoru obviously has like sooo much money. What if just to get a break from focusing on sorcery all the time he became a sponsor or even producer for a very cute girlypop idol group,,, (and yes I do think he would be kinda weird/creepy to idol darling, especially with how he views himself as basically untouchable (I mean he has enough money to pay the right people off) sooo). 

That’s where suguru comes in (I see this as a mostly canon-compliant geto never defected au). Obviously he would want to keep up with what his best friend is up to, so he’s like a day one supporter of said idol group. With how the japanese idol industry seems to have a focus on the youth and purity of female idols, I could definitely see suguru wanting to “protect his oshi’s innocence” . . .

So if (let’s be honest, WHEN) satosugu bring idol darling home, I could totally see suguru just absolutely babying the poor girl to kind of a weird infantilizing degree?? If that makes sense?? Like very much trying to condition darling into relying on them for everything

I would assume that satoru would be a lot more upfront about how much of a gross perv he is (especially since he probably mistreated the group members to some extent)

I think they would expect total compliance from darling, but if darling ever acts up I can’t help but think one of their go-to punishments would be forcing her to perform the groups choreographies with some sort of “handicap” ie vibrator taped to her pussy at the full speed (and yes they would probably reprimand if she messes up - gotta make sure their number one idol isn’t missing practice!!

Speaking of missing practice/group activities, I fully believe it is within satoru’s capabilities to spread the narrative that darling just kinda . . . suddenly “graduated” from the group and left without a trace, so therefore the other members shouldn’t worry about her and should instead just resume group activities!! (I could also see satosugu using this as some kind of mental leverage over idol darling - like “hey, your group is actually way more popular now that you’ve left”)

Sorry gang I fear I let the thoughts simmer for too long . . .

please let me know your thoughts :3

tw - non/con, kidnapping, idol exploitation, long-term stalking, and obsessive behavior.

WAIT may i suggest: suguru and satoru as parasocial ultra-fans of the same idol as kind of an escapism thing from the stress of being some of the world's most powerful sorcerers, with satoru having the fortune to completely devote himself to making him and suguru your #1 fans. you start to recognize them around the fifth time they miraculously appear at the very front of the line for your post-concert meet-and-greet, but since they're a little bit older and they always have a small gaggle of shy, but polite preteens with them, you just assume they're a pair of wealthy fathers eager to fuel their kids' shared fixation. sure, it's a little strange that the white-haired man always seems more excited to shake your hand than his standoffish son, and it does raise a few concerns when the twin girls spend the majority of their time with you gushing about their black-haired father, but you're a very popular idol with a very busy schedule. you don't have a lot of time to think about one strange family out of the hundred or so you'll meet, that night.

you don't have a lot of time to think about them until your group starts getting extravagant, expensive gifts and donations - always paired with the a gushing fan letter and always sent from one of two increasingly familiar names. since you always seem to be the primary focus, you're the one pressured by your producers to film 'thank you' videos that are just a little too intimidate, to post the type of pictures your generous sponsors compliment the most heavily more often than you may like to. it gets to the point where you're being asked how you'd feel about ""private shows"" to ""ensure the support of a select demographic"", but you adamantly refuse every time it's brought up. it's enough to have to deal with satoru's touchiness at your handshake events, suguru's prying gaze from his permanent seat in the front row of your group's concerts. you don't need to be trapped in the same room as them, alone and all-but paid to cooperate, to know that you want as little to do with them as possible.

that is, until your producer slips you a drink that's just a little too bitter during rehearsal and you wake up in a large room decorated entirely with your merch and memorabilia, to satoru's head between your thighs and suguru behind you, an arm wrapped around your waist and his chin propped on your shoulder as he tells you about how excited they are to finally meet their favorite idol in person, how patiently they've been waiting for you to finally retire and take on a more domestic lifestyle. they'll be delighted to find out that, because of how long you've been in the industry and how protective your fans can be, you're still very much a virgin, and you very much need your two biggest fans to show you what you've been missing <3 if you're lucky, they'll even add pictures of your first climax to the shrine they've been building since they day they first discovered you, the shrine they're going to be keeping you inside of from now on. you might be crying, sure, begging to be let go, but that's alright.

in time, you'll realize how lucky you are to have such devoted fans.

[copperbadge]

Howdy! I am considering submitting manuscripts I've written to a publisher or possibly self publishing. The publisher states on their website that authors must maintain an active social media presence. I'm not normally a social media type, Tumblr is my only one. What would you reccommend for such? Is it worth it to pay someone to make a website for me? Thanks and many virtual kisses for Dot and Deebs!

Honestly, I haven't submitted to a publisher since before a lot of modern social media existed. :D

It is my understanding, but this is secondhand information, that publishers want you to have either a twitter or a tiktok, preferably both, where you're frequently active and have a high follower count, because they want you to be able to publicize your book on it. One of many reasons I don't even consider trad publishing anymore is that I don't want to spend a significant chunk of my time filming videos for the sole purpose of hawking my books.

Now, as I said, that's an inference I've drawn; you may want to speak to someone who has been trad published recently to get the inside scoop (readers if you work in publishing or have been published recently, feel free to add commentary; remember to comment or reblogs, as I don't repost asks sent in response to other asks). I do have an author website but I built my own; I don't know what the going rate is for paying someone to build one these days but most website platforms are pretty intuitive to use -- I built mine on Wordpress and I'm building a new one on Wix currently, and at this point both are very drag-and-drop oriented. I do think a website is a good thing for an author to have, but I wouldn't pay someone to build one for you until you've taken a swing at DIY and decided it's not where you want to spend your time and energy.

In terms of self-publishing, the good news is that none of the rules apply; this is also the bad news. :D Because the thing about selfpub is that you either pay or DIY for...everything. It can be very inexpensive; when I publish a book the only direct monetary cost is what I pay for an ISBN and a proof copy of the book, which I will make back in the first 10 sales or so. However, I am "paying" in man hours in terms of typesetting, cover design, uploading the PDFs to lulu.com, proofing the initial copy, correcting the proof and reuploading (which usually involves further typesetting), and of course all the publicity -- website design and redesign, copywriting, tumblr posting. And while my profit per copy sold is well above what most authors with traditional publishers will make, that's because the publisher is doing a lot of the work for you. And, because I don't have an active twitter or tiktok or a publisher, my books are not very widely publicized. Undoubtedly I sell fewer copies than I would if I had a robust twitter following, but catch me touching that rancid wasteland without inch-thick gloves on.

So -- I think it's probably pretty important to understand that I have deliberately rejected trad publishing for good but not lucrative reasons, and I'm considered at best an iconoclast and more commonly a crank for having done so. If you can go the tradpub route, I would, but I also wouldn't put any money you're not prepared to write off as a loss into that pursuit. Definitely I would see if there's anyone in the industry you can reach out to who can answer these questions with a more thorough understanding of what publishers look for in an author and how to go about achieving that than I possess.

In any case, good luck! It's a journey regardless and I hope you enjoy your time on the path wherever you end up. And I'll give the cryptids a special cuddle for ya.

[isahorcrux]

In light of the recent announcement of the Harry Potter TV Show and the fact that this is primarily a Harry Potter fan fiction blog, the below needs to be said.

I am not excited about this show.

If you told my past self 5 years ago this, I’d be shocked.  Five years ago, if they announced a Harry Potter TV show I’d be doing everything in my power to be involved some way or another.  However, in the last five years JKR has shown her true colors and spent her free time and money attacking the trans community.  There are many reasons why I’m not excited about the show or looking forward to it in any regard, but to me the most important is that this show gives JKR more money and cultural capital to further her anti-trans agenda.  This is unacceptable.

I think a lot of us raised on Harry Potter really wanted to separate the art from the artist, dive further into fanfic and fandom and just ignore that the woman who created a world in which we’ve spent most of our lives escaping into.  However, we can’t do that.  It’s come to my attention over the past few days that a lot of people aren’t even aware of the active harm JKR is doing to the trans community.  Most people just say, ‘oh she said some weird stuff on twitter’ right?

Well, yeah.  But, did you also know she launched an active campaign against a reform bill that made it easier for trans people to legally change gender?  You know what happened?  The UK blocked that Bill and Scotland now has to launch a legal challenge to the government block.  She’s also funding a Sex Abuse Crisis Center that excludes trans women.  Yeah, that’s right.  She’s using her money from a book about love and acceptance to actively exclude a marginalized group from a crisis center.  She’s also publicly admitted via twitter that she funds anti-LGBTQ political activity in the UK.

So yeah, there’s a direct line of fans supporting official trademarked Harry Potter anything and that money directly harming transpeople.  Sorry for that rude awakening, but some of y’all are doing backflips to avoid seeing this.

Now, is there a way to prevent Warner Brothers (and Max, lol) from making this show?  Probably not?  After mergers and at a point when the tv and film industry isn’t booming, they need money.  You know what makes money?  Harry Potter.  Which is why they’re rebooting it.  Another question that’s been raised, will the looming writer’s strike affect this?  I would guess probably not?  Most UK writers (and International writers at large) are not in the WGA.  JKR has always wanted the most amount of British people involved in Harry Potter adaptations, so they’ll use the strike to find a UK writer and get them to work.

So what can we do?

Don’t watch the show.  Or, if you do.  Pirate it. In fact, cancel your Max subscription before the show launches.

They’re going to spend A LOT of money on this.  If the numbers aren’t there for them they will do what every other streamer does with an unsuccessful show and cancel it.  They announced 5 Fantastic Beast movies, and yet...where’s that last one?

Anyway, thanks for reading this whole thing if you’ve gotten this far.  Please share with friends who are excited about the show.  Please engage in meaningful discussions with other Potter fans.  Please support our trans friends and strangers.

Once again, this blog says FUCK JKR.

[gacha-incels]

tbh I didn’t know the incel Joker obsession spanned across incel groups outside places like the US where this imagery originated from. like in those clothes this guy looks like a kid on Halloween. he woke up, dressed up in clown clothes, did his makeup and drew a goofy ass smile on a medical mask. he’s holding what looks like a nerf or water gun while at the same time espousing extremely real and violent threats to women. there is a strange juxtaposition happening between the way he’s chosen to represent himself here as, essentially, a kid’s comic book character and his violent words. Of course to these guys this character is a “symbol” for them, we don’t need to argue that and I don’t want to be reminded about how much money and film has been dedicated to these comic books lol. using this image is Iike a fast forward button for any actual PR or messaging he wants to say to his fellow incels, especially if he wants people to join and spend money. I’m not talking about that but rather the optics of using a comic book character, something typically associated with children.

imo this and the extremely violent reactions we have seen here and in the west regarding videogames (the previous “gamergate” and whatever stupid shit is happening now) have some overarching similarities. are these guys worried about the abuse workers suffer in the industry? No, they don’t want the boogieman “femi” working on games, they don’t want the boogieman “SBI” touching their games, etc, you’ll see a lot of these guys say it’s because they want these games to remain as “escapism” for them with “no politics”. all of this is incredibly naïve. politics affect every single part of a game - who gets hired, what gets made, what story that gets told, the characters, the marketing, the budget (and sponsors and everything that entails), etc. when you see them write about “SJWs” all at once, and suddenly it’s “SBI” all at once, and then suddenly this turns into “DEI” etc, it’s because these misogynists all watch and listen to the same group of big misogynist “influencers” and will parrot everything they say. So we’ve got the following all together - idolizing and dressing up like the comic book character the Joker, an unhealthy attachment to videogames with a “no girls allowed” attitude, blaming everything on women and minorities, a naïve understanding of how the world works, and these Daddy-figure influencers. It seems like some sort of self-inflicted arrested development (idk if this term is still used I just mean they refuse to grow up/mature, and this is specifically on their own accord) to me, it’s like they let themselves have the thought pattens of kids/teens and completely wallow in this, but with the violence and brutality of adults. blame everything bad in your life on women, it’s the thought process of a petulant teen boy, every woman with short hair is a feminist, legitimately how a child would think, but taking a knife and brutally attacking a woman with short hair and the bystander man who tried to get between you is the violence and strength of an adult. but these guys are so legitimately pandered to by society, placated by companies and have made entire communities and cottage indu$tries based on hating women/ believing that everything wrong in their lives is because of women that there’s no reason to “grow up”. It benefits them, they never have to think they’re wrong, and they enjoy it. this is at least a small part of what goes in to this I’m guessing, so much of this is so oddly childish with the emphasis they put on comics and videogames yet extremely violent in real life

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Do you remember all those rumors after the docuseries came out and spare?? It was like summer 2023 and chatter started to heavily pick up that basically Netflix was declining every idea they brought forth because they either wanted season 2 of their life or a bigger chunk of the BRF. And Meghan and Harry knew that the BRF was a non starter, by then they were kicked out of frogmore so they couldn’t even really pretend to film there. I think this is the closest compromise Harry could give, the documentary about polo? I do think they’ll use the BTS footage they shot in spring of 2023 when the rumors first came out. Meghan floating in with a cooking show to see if it will drive more eyeballs to ARO because the launch hasn’t been as successful.

It’s clear they want to part on decent terms with (‘success) instead of repeating what happened at Spotify. That was a shot through the heart for them.

No, I didn't see those Netflix rumors last year.

The thing about Netflix (and all media/entertainment companies) is that they bet only on sure things. They take a gamble once and if that turns into a success, that's all they'll spend money on.

It's why we have more film franchies than independent one-and-done stories. It's why every film studio wants a "cinematic universe" and six-year plan. It's why we have the same shows on every network. It's why every reality competition show is modeled after Survivor. It's why every reality cooking show is modeled after Top Chef. It's why all the books in the women's commercial fiction genre have identical covers (moody background, mysterious cover, title/author lettering in big font with bright colors).

Netflix knew pretty quickly that they weren't going to get a whole lot from the Sussexes. It took them two years to produce six hours. That is a terrible track record and is exactly on par with their Spotify "two years and a 45-minute Christmas special" plan. So once Netflix got the docuseries and it did okay enough in the ratings to make Netflix execs comfortable that they didn't just throw away all this money, that type of content was the only thing they'd greenlight.

So really Meghan and Harry shot themselves in the foot here. Netflix was pretty much banking on the Sussexes being their version of the Kardashians and possibly that's what Meghan and Harry sold them on, but then tried to back out of it when the ratings weren't Kardashian-level.

Meaning that for Meghan and Harry to get more options from Netflix than a Season 2 whinefest, that means they pulled in some help. Real help, actual help, from legitimate industry insiders. That kind of assistance is pretty much the only thing that would've made Netflix comfortable to give them another chance.

(Not that I think it will do them any good. The cooking show genre is overly saturated and, as everyone has pointed out, polo isn't a thing here. Both films/docuseries/whatever they are probably aren't going to do well.)

Finally, the understanding is that the Sussexes and Netflix have a four-year deal. That deal expires this year. The cooking show and the polo thing are just last-ditch efforts to squeeze more money from Netflix.

[sickeningly-sweet-letters]

Hello can give yandere actor x fem reader please 🙏 😊

hello! i hope i havent been gone for- wait what do you mean its 2024?! i’m so sorry anon, and everyone for vanishing for months!

i hope i can write more this year! requests are open but i can’t promise how long it’ll take for me to get to them!

looking back now, wow i made this maybe too long-

i hope you like bratty yanderes lmao, anyways, here we go!

🌻 yandere actor x fem! reader

- yandere actor who’s been in the industry since they were but a young child. an accomplished actor known for their emotional scenes and many tear-jerker appearances..

- so imagine your surprise when their real personality is cockier and confident than you’d ever expect from behind the scenes.. but imagine their surprise when a new actor shows up and threatens their newest film! how annoyingly cute and naive you were..

- it made them wanna crush you. what? this industry is brutal and it’d be kinder to break you in a little now! well, thats what they thought, but you only responded to their condescending comments and childish teasing with your increasingly dwindling patience and maturity.. maybe you could survive here after all.

- their teasing went from malicious to just trying to banter with you.. wait- why did you tell on them?! they got pulled aside and told to be nicer to the new actress.. you snitch! how could you? they came running towards you and started crying out an apology, in a familiarly childish and bratty way.

- unfortunately for you, their acting managed to sway your heart into forgiving them.. what a gentle girl.. they wanted to see more of your acting! they began asking you if you’d ever been in any other films or projects.. come on, y/n! tell them! tell them! they’ve daydreamed of so many possible scenes together and their imagination isn’t enough anymore!

- y/n, this cafe is super yummy, why cant you go get a nice bite to eat after filming? y/n, do you like your set outfit today? they can’t believe you’re wearing matching outfits this scene! y/n, why don’t we do behind the scene videos together? y/n, can they come hang out at your house? y/n! y/n!

Y/N! pay attention to them!

- you were exhausted after every shooting since they always asked to spend time with you, and even on free days when they blew up your phone with sending cute selfies of them.. how did they get your number? isn’t it obvious? they asked the film crew! besides, you’re lucky they even have your number on their phone!

- you weren’t free from them even after production ended.. because for some reason, all the films and shows you were casted to come on, they were casted as well.. its especially odd with how many times you’ve been offered to play the female lead of a romance movie, with them as your main love interest.

- but this was hardly a coincidence, their connections sure came in handy here. they made sure you either took all the roles they gave you, or none at all. you were just so unprofessional during that important first movie that nobody else would cast you! so just take these and act with them again! they didn’t wanna act without you as the female lead!

- they would lie, sabotage and cry.. whatever it took for you to hang out with them again. they even stalked all your social medias and wanted more of you. so they decided to make more content about you! they took as many photos as they could, during makeup and dressing, during filming.. during your daily life.. wherever and whenever there was a chance for a photo to be taken without you knowing. how could they not? you’re just so precious!

- they constantly nagged you to go out with them and they acted all cute to keep you from getting too angry at them.. and if it doesn’t work, they can always cry.. you had such a soft spot for their tears.. you’re too good for this industry, doll face. you should just move in with them so you can hang out all the time! they’ll bring in all money!

- they tried to be nice and ask politely but if you refused.. they’d use their last resort. they starting crying and insisted the two of you go get drinks again at the cafe they liked. because you made them cry! its your fault! dummy y/n!

- once they were calm again, they went through with their last resort because it just wasn’t worth letting others see your acting.. it wasn’t worth letting others see you at all! thankfully, they lovingly took you in after you passed out after you finishing drinking your favorite tea/coffee.

- they brought you to your home, your new forever home! isn’t that so kind of them? they have top security since they’re such a top-grade actor! theres no way you’ll escape now.. and its really your fault, doll face. they gave you the nice way but you chose the hard way!

- if you even suggest leaving, they’ll start crying and throwing a fit about you not loving them.. and if you actually try to escape.. well, they’re not above breaking your legs, only to tend to you like the sweetheart they are.. it was your fault, doll face.

its always your fault they have to go to such extremes. but why don’t you forget about this for now and cuddle while watching your fateful first film together again? you know they won’t take a “no” doll face.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Evanescence, ‘Fallen’ | The Album Story

RS: Listening back, it is striking just how bold and ambitious it is for a debut album. Not many bands come out with a full choir and string section on their first album. Did you have to fight for those elements at all?

AMY: “You know, it helps when you have something that you really want to do that you’re gonna fight for. But that you have the ability to do. If I had a crazy idea of Gregorian chants or an all-boys choir, something that I couldn’t actually make happen, it would be a lot harder, because we’re gonna spend all this money on finding somebody to create the sound and then find the team. At least with choirs, specifically, in high school I was the choir president. I loved choir, I was  inspired by a lot of that old Celtic and Latin hymn stuff. And I took Latin. So I was like ‘I’ll write it, I’ll do everything, all you gotta do is help me put together a small team of vocalists, it’s not gonna be that expensive’. We can make this happen. I think just having the moxie, or whatever it is, to go ‘I’ll put this all together, all you have to do is just trust me artistically’. It’s still a fight. It was harder to fight for real strings, because that’s just expensive. That’s just something that cost a whole lot of money. But to me, that was so key to what our sound was. The whole idea was that it was if a heavy band with riff-driven, pop hooks could get in a head-on collision with a dark film score. If it didn’t have that film score part of it, it would have felt like so much was missing. I do remember having a discussion with the label about ways we can make it sound real with pads and stuff – they’re better than they used to be. But I just always said ‘No, whatever it is, we’re on the hook for it. In the end, I promise we’ll get the money paid back. We have to have real strings. It has to be real’. And then we ended up with David Campbell who is one of the absolute best in the industry for that, and we’ve had a lifelong, career-long partnership now that I’m so grateful for.”

RS: The ‘Bring Me To Life’ demo was the first taste people got of this reissue. It’s remarkable how fully formed that track already was even at that early stage.

AMY: “There’s probably 10 demos of that song. The label had fixated on it and decided it was going to be the single we were going to focus on. So it was just constantly changing, we felt like we were in this demo forever. But they all happened over the course of just a couple of years. So the very first demo, before the chorus was what it was, I don’t even know where that is. I don’t even have that. It started without the rap but also the ‘Wake me up inside’ part wasn’t there. It was the verses and the chorus was like…I could sing it for you but that’s not going to translate into your magazine. But the one you heard that’s on there was sort of in the middle. That wasn’t the last one.”

RS: It is still the song we know, it just needs a few tweaks. It’s interesting to be able to see the process behind that.

AMY: “I always remembered that little sample in the beginning that became the piano part. That was always still in my head because we listened to it so many times before making the song. We wanted the piano so it would be like a film score starting out.”

RS: How big a role did your cinematic influences play in creating the album?

AMY: “We were really inspired by film and would go to the movies all the time. Part of that is just the age we were in high school. But it also felt like research – ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’. It was like I was really learning from it. My favourite part about film was the music, not so much the soundtracks, that’s great too, but the score is what makes you know how to feel. There is a whole sub story going on underneath. You are feeling things that are deeper than just the words and actions of the characters. So that’s when I started getting really inspired. I wanted to be in a band, but I would really like to score film and was going to school for that when we got signed.”

RS: ‘Everybody’s Fool’ is a track you have discussed a lot in the past. It seems to express some frustrations around the idea of fame and success but, again, it was written so early in your career. Once you found that success, did the song take on any new meaning for you?

AMY: “At the time, I was the teenager, a big sister, and my siblings were younger in elementary school. My two little sisters, who are very close in age, were in their boyband and pop girl moment. I was like ‘Oh my god, you guys are totally dumb. Listen to real music, I’ll show it to you’. I was always trying to influence them with Green Day, and Nirvana songs that didn’t have horrible things in the imagery. But at the same time, like they were going through this time where it was not just about the stars but school cliques and what you look like seemed like a really big focus. Who liked you, all that stuff, everybody goes through that. I think what I really wanted to say was that what I respect is authenticity. That should be the thing that we’re trying to win, not the beauty contest. Just be yourself. But then, strangely, soon after I found myself in the spotlight really fast in a really big way where you are on a stage for people to just look at you and talk about you like an object and that was hard. That was a weird time for me, because I was really young and really never bought into all that. But when it’s happening to you on a really large scale, you can’t just tune it out and leave the cafeteria. You have to actually face it – ‘There’s my career, how do I be the most of myself and show all the parts of myself that I really want to be seen and not be misunderstood?’ I just felt really misunderstood. But I think the lesson really is that you have to keep on, look at yourself, look at your real friends and the people around you that really know you. Remember who you are apart from it. It’s always been good for me to take breaks from this. I don’t think I need to anymore the way that I did. I know who I am. I know we’re gonna be here. But it was always important for me to step away and go ‘I’m not Amy Lee. I’m just Amy still’. I still have hold of my identity which is ever changing. It still has room to grow. I’m not stuck as that album cover picture forever, even though that is still a perception in probably millions of people’s minds. So you just have to give yourself the freedom to keep growing.”

RS: In terms of what may come next from you, how has looking back and reflecting on your early days affected how you want to move forward?  

AMY: “I think it’s always a positive thing to remember your roots, even if it just means you’re going to branch really, really far away for them and do stuff that you’ve never done. I think you have to know who you are and know where you’ve been, because this is just the next chapter in that story. I’ve been doing that all year to where I just kind of never want to hear it again. Not really, but it’s definitely a little bit of what I said before about recognising those innocent moments where I’m not trying to be ahead of somebody’s criticism or anything. Write something without feeling any fear. That’s really sweet. I don’t know how I could recreate that. It’s hard to say because I dearly, dearly love our band, my guys and now Emma (Anzai, bassist). I’m most interested to hear what her new dynamic brings into the situation when we get together. I’ve wanted to be in a band with her for a really long time and it just finally worked out.”

[linkemon]

Boysband AU headcanons (4ggravate) 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4ggravate is the Sumeru guys who started a boyband. It comes from the same series as the widely known in the fandom 4nemo.

Working with idol groups involves trends changing like in a kaleidoscope. When 4ggravate entered the scene, it quickly became clear that they would conquer the world. Your label, after the huge success of 4nemo, decided to take another boys under their wing. You didn't know then how much work you would have to put into promoting them on the market...

Kaveh

✧ The most expressive member of the group. You'd even say it makes up for everyone else in this regard.

✧ Always there if you need to record additional video or behind-the-scenes content. This is what his fans see most often and he is the most into social media.

✧ It also has its downsides. Kaveh can be dramatic to the point where it's annoying. If he feels like it, he will walk out of the meeting with the film crew, complaining and slamming the door. Unfortunately, it will often be up to you to bring him back to finish the ad.

✧ He and Alhaitham are constantly arguing, which was a shock to you because they've known each other the longest out of the team. You usually try not to take sides or take turns so that neither of the two will take offense at you.

✧ Kaveh will dance, play, sing... He will fill any role if need be and he will be good at it. However, he feels the best while playing instruments.

✧ He studied architecture and constantly reminds that he knows art. However, this is not idle talk. He happens to come up with brilliant ideas about clothes or scenery while shooting music videos.

✧ Drinks secretly outside the studio. He almost got busted once when someone from the management decided to come to the apartment to hand over the documents but you just arrived before them and managed to put the can in your purse at the last minute.

✧ He wanted to thank you somehow and gave you the keychain. He once bought some handmade ones. He gives them only to exceptional people in his opinion.

Cyno

✧ He as an innate sense of justice. You can be sure that if anyone sees someone hurt, it will definitely be Cyno. He never stands aside. He immediately confronts who he needs to, which often put his career on the line. He would probably be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good. For example, he points it out to the older employees if they use younger ones on the set. He does it even at the cost of unpleasantness towards him. He has earned a reputation as unapproachable and stickler among industry associates.

✧ He loves to play cards. He collects entire collections of them. His favorite card game is TCG Genius Invocation. It got you interested enough to get into it. He's very happy about that because being in 4ggravate has made it a bit difficult for him to find someone he can physically play with without spreading rumors. He loves to explain the new rules to you and show you what he has hunted for his collection.

✧ There was a time when, like Kaveh, he argued with Alhaitham. Whatever happened, one day he came back changed. Since then, they've at least respected each other and making your life a little easier.

✧ He is often given rap parts to sing. Mainly because of his low voice.

✧ Fans marvel at how different he can be. The media tried to create his image as quite dark. This is how new fans often see him. Meanwhile, when they spend a little time with him, they understand that this is not the case at all.

✧ A dedicated Cyno fan site was created to collect his jokes. They are very dry. Some people even send him their suggestions for him to tell on streams.

Alhaitham

✧ Alhaitham believes in peace and quiet. You asked him once why he stayed at 4ggravate then. He replied that in this way he would earn enough to have money for his dream life for a long time. He calculated it all. He even showed you the entire spreadsheet on the computer.

✧ You don't know how he does it but he's learning all the time. Be it from books or from various types of courses. Ask him anything, about everything. He will always have an answer.

✧ He writes the lyrics of the songs. With no exception. He has a gift for words. He always knows how to put them together to use rhymes or puns. Composing is not his strong point, so the worst moment is when he has to collaborate with Kaveh, who is better in this field. Not that he would ever admit it.

✧ If he could, he would avoid interviews and meetings with fans. He doesn't like any of these activities. He goes mostly because he has to. For this reason, he does not have as many fans as Kaveh, but he is not very interested in it. The people who choose him as their favorite are usually those who are deeply interested in his words and where he draws inspiration from. And they always get accurate and in-depth answers that make him their number one forever.

✧ He does not part with the headphones. So much so that it became his sign. One time Kaveh took it for fun when he wasn't looking and broke them. You didn't want them to fight again, so you took the blame and returned it to him after it was fixed. He immediately knew it wasn't you and made you promise not to take the blame on yourself again. Despite this, the next day, there were notes on your desk regarding the marketing strategy for the next quarter. Interestingly, better than you'd ever do yourself...

Tighnari

✧ Tighnari has a very sensitive musical ear. Thanks to this, he remembers songs extremely quickly, especially new ones and perfectly matches the rhythm by dancing. He is usually praised above all for his flawless choreography.

✧ The boy is vegan. He deeply believes in unity with nature. In his opinion, there is no need to use animals in this way. Half of his social media consists of this.

✧ Helped launch an eco-friendly line of stuffed animals called Aranara. He gave you one of his first pieces as a thank you for helping with their publicity campaign.

✧ He lives in the belief that being an idol will allow him to convey certain values to his fans. He attaches great importance to the educational aspect. He often comes up with themes for new albums and is able to cleverly combine them with previous or subsequent ones.

✧ Tighnari is known for his sarcastic statements, which is why interviewers love him. He skillfully sweeps them away and hits remarks back, making them borderline controversial. Their viewership is really high.

✧ Hates the heat. You used to shoot scenes for a music video in the desert. You remember that he was perfectly prepared then. That's not to say he didn't complain about the heat but he was one of the few members on set who didn't get sunstroke. He reminded you regularly to drink plenty of water and lent you his hat.

✧ At the beginning of his career, he received a headband with rabbit ears from his younger friend Collei. When they were younger, they attended several survival camps organized by their school together. To this day, she is his biggest fan. Tighnari only pulls out these ears on special occasions.

[delyth-thomas-art]

Tired Webcomic Creator Noises

Gags … ah yes lets make art into mindless content spat out by Ai cos we've been literally killing creators with inhumane workloads to spit out as many episodes as possible for mindless consumption.

I make my comics with passion and love of the craft! I have a degree in Comics, I spent years...years learning, practising, experimenting, adapting. I recall the days where you may get a page a week, or a few at the start of the month back in the 2000s era of self hosted webcomics and smackjeeves. (Rant below)

I've had to learn how the whole scrolling format worked to adapt to where all the readers had gone to, having been taught the traditional print page formats. And now cos its suddenly a massive money maker for these few hosts and they've pushed creators to the brink with the sheer volume they want pumped out that of course they want to use AI.

But it will speed up colouring! I have multiple tools available by the software I use and made by the wonderful people who love creating that colouring isn't that much of a chore, Its my fav part honestly. And its also a job sector within comics, colourists are skilled artists and this is another way to trim the fat, to pocket more money and keep churning out the 5th millionth villainess story.

Yes I am in most views a tiny creator, I haven't even broken their 1000 sub goal to even try applying for ad rev in the near 5 ish years on webtoon. But what I make I love, I spend hours researching folklore, scripting, drafting the whole kabudle like many other creators. And other than the kind supporters on my Patreon and Ko-fi I don't make much from the hours, days, weeks I pour into what I make. But at least I know its made with my own hands. That its made with love as corny as that sounds.

Ai is creeping its tentacles into everything, now ethically trained ai tools to help smaller creators would be fine. Most creators already rely on 3d tools to speed up things like backgrounds for webcomics. But when we don't know what its trained on, and is marketed wholesale as something anyone can use to make "content" is where it gets insidious. I am all for anyone with the desire to create and tell a story to go out there and do so, whether a beginner or a master. Part of the joy of a long running webcomic is seeing the artist grow both artistically and literary. But with ai it will be all one homogenous style, a copy of what ever is the hot thing. We already have amazon stuffed to the teeth with ai generated books, videos, merch and more all to be sold in some get rich quick manner. (need I point at the Willy's Wonderland incident). Youtube videos being spat out by faceless accounts stealing and regurgitating content at the speed no human video making team can easily match without cutting out quality or fact checking.

It is tiring. Creatives as a whole are treated poorly for decades, and now with the rapid late stage capitalism, website /social media enshitification and the blind headlong rush into the next big money making thing (watches the nft crash). I can't deny Covid sped this up, as everyone was locked inside and turned to what we creators made for comfort. But that content eating boom, lead to more demand, faster output and tighter budgets. We are seeing journalists being cut, game designers in their thousands and recently Dreamworks cutting a bunch and pushing to make their Robot film come out sooner due to public demands.

Skilled creatives are being treated like disposable fast food restaurant employees. Used til they burn out, get injured and even die! And then are simply replaced.

I've never been a creator with huge ambitions to work at places like DC, Marvel or Top Cow. I simply wished to create and share stories with the world, to bring smiles, to create art that evokes emotions, inspires others to look around themselves and create too.

Art is for everyone. You just need to take that scary jump, there is a whole array of welcoming communities willing to teach and share. I wouldn't have improved so much without the kindness of the webcomic groups I've discovered and learnt from. Everyone is always learning, and there no shame in not knowing how to do a thing. Even I started with the cheesy how to draw books as a kid and made my own pokemon and digimon.

Don't let the world treat your art as content. It is "ART" as much as what's kept in the louvre is seen as art, so is that little stick man doodle on a postit.

So Try something new, try a new material, a new style.

And support the artists you enjoy, tip their Ko-Fi, pledge to their Patreon, buy a sticker or print. Share their posts and tell them what you love about what they make.

Don't let machines steal away the art in HEART.

[thepringlesofblood]

so. i watched the trailers for the A:TLA live action netflix series. i went in expecting nothing, and I gotta admit some parts look intriguing. the casting, the set, the bending, the costuming, all look pretty cool. not a big fan of the cgi or how it always seems to be the dead of night in the fire nation, but i was considering watching the first episode at least, out of curiosity and mild respect.

then I saw Zuko's scar.

I thought well, it is really dark, I should wait to get a better look at it before totally freaking out.

are. are you kIDDING ME?

[important: I know nothing about this actor, this aint a dunk on him, I doubt he had a lot of input into his makeup.]

for reference, here is zuko in the OG show.

zuko’s scar isn’t a fucking bad eyeshadow job. His ear is half-melted. It takes up like 1/4-1/3 of his face. It’s not just his eye - it’s his cheekbones, it’s his forehead, it’s all down the side of his head, boy should not have a second eyebrow! I swear to god if they spend their money animating each individual hair on appa but don’t bother to get something as iconic and central to the series as zuko’s scar right? it'd be like messing up Spock's ears, except real-life people don't have Spock ears and struggle with how they are perceived by society because of it.*

*that I know of. maybe there's a secret Spock ears genetic condition I don't know about in which case I apologize

also... there was this bit. we get a quick flash of this shot

ok, we know this shot. we've seen this shot. it's the agni kai where zuko gets his scar. note the relative positions of the two people, and what the floor looks like.

then a little later, we get this shot

it's clearly the same scene. it's ozai burning zuko. but. why is there fire on both sides of zuko? it looks like he's deflecting it. like he's fighting back.

it. it is so so so important for zuko's arc and character growth that he refuses to fight his father in his first agni kai. he shows mercy when ozai does not. he is a child - he does not think to defend himself against his own father. throughout his whole arc, the whole show, but most especially season 1, it is so important to remember that the last time he showed mercy and humility, he literally got burned. that's why he's so aggressive and angry and scared and defensive.

so. why is he defending himself? is this why his scar is less pronounced? because they decided to mess with established history?

maybe we can give them the benefit of the doubt and say this is a different agni kai, or zuko re-imagining how it could've gone, or something, but like. why choose to show this then?

further rant below the cut bc its very long I haven't felt righteous fury this strong in a while

I just. I personally don’t have a facial scar or birthmark or anything, but when Hollywood sugarcoats or makes them look less “gross” or “obvious” it’s a real fuck you to people out there who do have obvious scars, birthmarks, differences, that don’t fall into the neat lines of what is considered “presentable” by the film industry. It’s important that it’s not downplayed bc then the people who see themselves in the original get betrayed by the adaptation that tells them they’re not pretty enough or that they’re “too much” to be seen on tv in live action.

Excuses I have seen thus far (mostly on reddit admittedly)

“They didn’t want to make it look too gruesome so that kids would want to watch it too" Think about that sentiment for 10 seconds, and tell me what it says to people out there who have scars like this. Are they too “scary” to be seen by children? Is their existence automatically PG-13? Something horrible and uncontrollable happened to zuko, and because of that, his life and body are irrevocably changed. People with scars like his who related to and felt seen by his representation and the way he struggles with acceptance, both by himself and by others, will receive the message that can only happen for people with less “gruesome” scars than that. Seriously.

“Of course it’s going to look different in real life vs in animation” Yes, it will. I’m not talking about the appearance of the burn necessarily, but the extent of it. The new series has it limited mostly to his eye. His ear and eyebrow are unaffected, as are his cheekbones and forehead. That is not the case in the animated show. I’m not expecting a big monochrome pink and purple blotch like there is in the OG show - animated visual shorthand is different from live action. But it should look like burned skin. And it should be as extensive as it was - it goes over his ear and eyebrow, and partway down his cheek. the whole point of it is that it’s big and unavoidable and horrifying, and that zuko was a 13 year old kid who didn’t deserve it, but now is stuck with it. That’s war. That’s what ozai is capable of.

“The makeup would be too hard” It really wouldn’t, especially not for something as important to the series as this. Zuko’s scar is central to ATLA as a whole - a symbol of the cruelty of his father and the fire nation, and more importantly his survival and eventual resistance to it. Even if it did take extra time to apply, which I don’t think it would, I’d say it’d be worth it. I’ve seen cosplays and Halloween costumes [and this excellent fan film] without access to a professional makeup and prosthetics team that looked closer to show accurate than what they’ve currently got going.

Let me also point you to examples of both comparable and much more dramatic makeup/prosthetics used regularly (as in every episode, every week, for many years) on 2 shows with smaller budgets, older technology (as in, from the 1990s), and many more seasons: Star Trek: the next generation & ds9

trust me. they can do it. this is a choice.

“What it if made it hard for him to act?” See above for examples of other actors in much more dramatic prosthetics crushing it.

"Well at least it's better than the other live action adaptation"

that CANNOT be the bar we measure things by. standing still and doing nothing is also better than getting brained with a shovel: that doesn't mean it's good.

"He has darker skin than the animated Zuko. the burn probably blends in more."

that's not how burn scars work. it's not just a darkening of the skin - the skin itself is fundamentally changed in texture and color. and again, even if the burn has a different general appearance, it should at least be as big and extensive as it is in the OG show, and it's clearly not.

“They probably didn’t want to shave his eyebrow” No, really I saw this as a point on a Reddit post. Drag queens and cosplayers have been making their eyebrows disappear and reappear for decades without access to a professional makeup and prosthetics team. He’ll be fine I swear.

[vroombeams]

tagged by @freeuselandonorris & @glasscushion thanks bbs!!!

1. Do you make your bed? not every day but i've been trying to do it more lately!! i do a lot of sleep-thrashing so remaking it is a bit of a production. but also it's so nice to crawl into a bed with everything all properly aligned lol

2. Favourite number? 8 or 28!

3. What's your job? as vaguely as possible... i move film gear around

4. If you could go back to school, would you? if money was no object and i could just learn varying levels of useful information for the rest of my life i would probably spend... the rest of my life doing that. would not go back in time to do any schooling over again though

5. Can you parallel park? i parallel parked once perfectly for my driving test and then have never done it ever again

6. Do you think aliens are real? oh defo. can't think about it too hard otherwise i'll descend into the madness of trying to comprehend the Vastness of Space and Eternity but hell yeah they out there

7. Can you drive a manual car? absolutely not

8. Guilty pleasure? oh boy. reality tv. oh my god i love it. my worst kept secret is that i'm obsessed with selling sunset like what do you MEAN i can look at the most egregiously expensive real estate while also watching beautiful women be horrible to each other?? crazy. also 90 day fiance. sometimes it's so warm. sometimes it's so awful. mankind contains multitudes

9. Tattoos? i have seven (or six depending on if you count a pair of thigh pieces as one piece?) and am in talks for number eight (or seven?) as we speak

10. Favourite colour? greeeeeeeeN

11. Favourite type of music? i was def one of those people who did the metal -> dubstep -> general all over electronic music pipeline. now i lean toward probably like, metalcore? and industrial or trancey techno (things like blutrot and narciss and rikhter?? among others) but also hip-hop and house, sometimes ambient stuff??? also acoustic?? bitch i don't know i'll listen to anything literally

12. Do you like puzzles? LOVE a puzzle big fan of sudoku in particular. also crosswords

13. Favourite childhood sport? i was a sports hater arts only kid but i did play basketball so let's say that

14. Do you talk to yourself? semi-frequently yes!!

15. Tea or coffee? time and a place for both but coffee. coffee wins every time i'm sorry

16. First thing you wanted to be when growing up? marine biologist HAHA

17. What movies do you adore? this is always such a question to answer i have such mid taste considering i went to film school lol but UHHH danny boyle's Sunshine was the film that made me want to be involved in film so that's like the ult-fave. 28 Days Later, Dredd, more recently Civil War? (the alex garland theme! you can see it!) The Fountain also changed me fundamentally. Moulin Rouge & Romeo + Juliet, duh. uhhh. the LotR series, Silent Hill also?? Black Swan???? Midsommar??? To Wong Foo????? i don't know what's a movie. never seen one clearly

tagging @dumbf1sketches @wigglesforonce @fewtrell @wanderingblindly @piastrisms @miamimaiden @albonoooo i don't know how many of y'all have been tagged already but!!

[panelshowsource]

saved a few anons asking personal questions not all related to panel shows, spamming answers below the cut :)

she/her!

interesting question! first, i think it's very special that you had the opportunity to study at an international university and i am glad to hear you had so many amazing experiences!

i also feel like i need to preface anything i say with... holidays are obviously different from living, and i hope people can trust that i wouldn't base an entire lifestyle decision off, like, being a fan of taskmaster lmao the state of politics, brexit, housing, prejudice, and more make it difficult to say i'd want to commit to life there — plus i really love new york city, where i do feel at home

that said, i would be open to living in the uk for a period of time, yes. i am certainly very motivated to visit a lot of places, particularly in england, and decided last year to start spending a month or two over there every year (this year i think i will be in york! maybe i can post a little about that if people care). the history and motivations behind that decision are really personal to me, but it feels...right. i am really looking forward to my time there this year and treasure being someone who works remotely and can make that happen

living permanently, it's hard to say, but speaking for my interests in history, architecture, art, cinema — it would be wonderful to explore those things more in person, yes!

i really think in the 6+ years of this blog this is the first i've ever been asked about music! which makes sense ofc it just took me by surprise!

hmmm i think this playlist most accurately expresses what i'm listening to a lot of the time + a lot a lot a lot of classical music, some dad rock, and a few balladeers like judy garland and rufus wainwright

i don't claim to be the world's biggest comedy buff or keep up the best with all of the comedy coming out of the uk and american industries — even though i do enjoy it so much! — but growing up i was very interested in comedy writing. in high school, i worked at a dvd store where people could trade in their old dvds for store credit to buy new ones, so we had a HUGE selection of not only new releases but older, sometimes nicher stuff that you typically wouldn't see at a suburban american blockbuster-like shop. i can't stress how formative this was! i would always go through the store and "beautify" the shelves (pulling all the spines up neatly, keeping everything alphabetised, etc) just to constantly look through what we had in stock, grab the old black bar criterion films before some movie buff snatched them up, touch all the special editions (physical releases were more than just steelbooks back then, like stuff like this). each of the employees had a little shelf in the back room where you could store dvds you wanted to buy when you eventually had the money, keeping them off the floor so no customer would see and buy them. i was always reserving 30+ dvds at a time and spent my whole paychecks at work hahaha

anyways, that's how i found a lot of the random british films i ended up loving — by people trading them in or me just running across them at the store: a cock and bull story, death at a funeral, this is england, gosford park, monty python, (particularly holy grail and life of brian), confetti (didn't love this one but it had a lot of actors i really liked in it so i remember watching it quite a few times) and more — but especially withnail and i and in the loop. i was fucking obsessed with in the loop, which i watched on a loop (zing!) and was ultimately how i worked my way backwards to the thick of it as well as shows like the office uk, alan partridge, green wing, fry and laurie, peep show, and more. (the thick of it and peep show were particularly everything to me!) i still have all of the dvds from the dvd store i worked at! lol

in terms of american comedy, i was obsessed with the state and then their groups' projects like wet hot american summer and reno 911 (michael showalter is a great example of a writer/director i don't think is one of the greats but follows his heart & vision, and i really respect that; my fave of his, which is genuinely so good, is hello my name is doris! underrated lil treasure). i also really loved it's always sunny, flight of the conchords, party down, arrested development, jackass and wild boys, and house md, and some of the wild characters on bravo lmao. we had this channel called logo that was my lifeline to queer content before i really had full-time access to the internet outside of a shared family computer, so i was always watching reruns of jeffrey & cole casserole, the big gay sketch show, plus the l word and queer as folk, and they also did syndication of reno 911 (but i already had all the box sets of that 😭). i was never heavy into the judd apatow/bro comedy that was so big in the 2000s, and even the 80s–90s american comedy heavily influenced by the talent at snl wasn't particularly engaging to me; of that, my favourites were probably throw momma from the train and a couple of romcoms

+ every panel show i could get my hands on! and i think because i was really engaged with sketch comedy i was also reading a lot of playwrights, especially alan bennett, harold pinter, and edward albee, who i had (and have!) huge collections of

and, yes, so many of these are at the foundation of my very favourite formats and styles of comedy: mockumentaries , black comedy or dark comedy, existential comedy, stories rooted in reality or plausibility / domestic dramedy. i used to be very engaged by sketch comedy and wanted to crack the science behind writing funny sketches, but i do think i've moved away from that format and filled that void with the improv nature of panel shows (it works for me the way i think the format of podcasts work for so many other people... i wonder if anyone will relate to that comparison)

comedy evolves so much by the decade and i appreciate a lot of the ways in which it has grown, so i don't think of it as a then vs now, which is better, whatever. and like you i can't help but revisit my nostalgic faves often!

i do think eventually he will! but rn he's lapping up that tv money hahaha my very fave is firing cheeseballs at a dog, but they're all genuinely great!

[fakeosirian]

post-school school/career headcanons (non-exhaustive, will make a part two eventually), for your consideration:

nina goes to undergrad for literature with a concentration in creative writing. hasn't picked a medium yet, and regardless it's not like making it in screenwriting is that much easier than traditional publishing, so she writes by night and is an office temp by day (she is aware of the irony of being the "permanent new girl" as a job description. it was funny the first time someone pointed it out. the first time.)

fabian gets a bachelor's in history and immediately goes to grad school for...library/information science. he has to spend a good bit explaining to people that yes, that's a real major, and no, "the books don't start reacting with each other -- a science is a system of ideas, not just when something blows up." he works as a TA and is torn between if he wants to stay in academia or find more "practical" work (this is where i mention this is background work for a story where he goes back to the school to teach <3)

amber might go to a post-secondary fashion school, but even if she does, she's absolutely going for the connections and dropping out the second she gets an industry job, most likely in nyc (which considering how well off she is...probably didn't take long). idk she's thriving (though if she's surrounded by work/kind of by herself socially i could see her getting to a breaking point and claiming she needs roommates to afford rent (lie) just so she can have people around lol)

patricia actually DOES become a guidance counselor. LOL. i can't resist this one -- more specifically, i could see her going to a liberal arts undergrad without a direction in mind but knowing she "needs to figure one out," taking a couple psychology classes, realizing She Cares, declaring a major in psych, and after discounting the clinical track (too close to med school) and the research track (too creepy), she ends up working on an MA in social work

alfie seems like a guy who would have his fingers in like 5 different pies at all times -- depending on who he's talking to/if he feels he needs to impress them, he says one of the following: "business partner" (jerome's business -- more on that later -- alfie's more of an ideas/production guy than a """business guy""" but you don't need to know that if he's telling you this), freelance film crew (prop master/art department), Professional Artist (has a studio where he makes the stuff he uses for his various pursuits), comic author (i feel like he has a weird janky webcomic he makes for himself. i can't explain it. he has a couple thousand readers), etc. he's always picking up a new thing and finding a way to use it until he gets bored and does something else. he just tells his dad "jerome and i are making A Profit" to keep him off his back

speaking of jerome: i've always been fond of the idea that he and his dad go into business together at some point, so it'd be some sort of thing they could do together that alfie's artistic skills would be of use for. despite the fact that jerome very much would like to bend some rules here and there, his dad is not keen on the idea of going back to prison so unfortunately, no white collar crimes for him. (for now.) they're doing well all things considered, but jerome refuses to get a job to fund the business ("what's the point in doing all this if i'm going to let someone else be my boss anyway"), so he's definitely having to find creative ways to squeeze more money out of the business to, y'know. Survive

i'm not 100% settled on this joy idea but communications/PR? definitely gets her start somewhere more corporate, but i could see her getting creeped out by stuff she'd have to spin/help cover for, so she switches to nonprofit (which is also depressing, arguably moreso sometimes, but it's a bit easier to stomach). isn't directly involved in jerome's business, but she does "consult" (not without something in return. preferably, y'know. Money. but sometimes she starts a casual conversation without realizing she should have written up a contract first, and that's the only way that jerome will actually pay you)

[hollybollybingbong]

my issue with family content

big long infodump under the cut, read at your own interest

1) children are not tools to make money off

there are so many channels on youtube, instagram, tiktok etc that make content predominantly surrounding their children which get thousands of shares, likes and comments

when you are posting this content daily, said interactions rack up quite quickly

and as a result, a lot of money is being earned from these children's (willing or not) participation on these videos

this leads to point number 2 of:

2) can children consent?

so your child says they want to start being in tiktoks, like xyz does

this is consent, right? well, no. children cannot give informed consent.

sure, your child wants to make videos. great! but can your child comprehend the sheer number of people who will see their content? who will share it, save it, upload it elsewhere, make their own content based off of it? does your child understand the idea of a digital footprint? that this content will follow them for the rest of their lives?

assuming the answer is yes (which its probably not, but the parents dont care), how do you protect the child from exploitation?

3) children and work

there are lots of industries where children do work, for example, film, tv, theatre etc etc

however, the children in these industries are (vaguely) protected by child labour laws (in theory. this is a whole nother thing to go down another day.)

children are only allowed to work a certain number of hours per day, and some of the money they earn (at least in the us? probably other places too) is placed in a trust that they and only they can access when they turn 18

but in family social media content, who is regulating these childrens work hours? nobody.

these children are spending hours in front of a camera, having to be "on" and performing (which is what they are doing), often having to act in certain ways or do certain things because that has become their "brand".

they are not allowed to simply exist as a child, because everything they do is filmed and will be scrutinised by not only their parents, but also strangers on the internet

speaking of strangers on the internet

4) the internet is full of creeps

the internet can be a wonderful thing. it can also be the opposite. there are hundreds upon hundreds of stories about parents who posted photos of their children (not even in a content way, just in a, oh wow look at how cute my child is way) in small circles, only to find they ended up in vile and unsavoury places. places that children should be nowhere near.

are the majority of people on the internet creeps. no! of course not! but when you put your child out there, and make it so. easily. accessible. to find information about your child i.e their likes, dislikes, hobbies, school they go to, friends names, teachers names, their full name, even their address? and then get defensive whenever this is brought up as a problem, with parents, and supporters often saying, "oh well if you think like this, then maybe you're the creep!".

bringing up factual things that have and will continue to happen does not make you a creep. parents should be aware of it (and tbh, honestly probably are but wont do anything about it)

people share far too much about their children online, especially in content creation circles. whether its lilys first period! or johnny needs surgery , or content with infants who are literally months old. strangers do not need this information

i have seen far too much content about children i dont know pop up on my feed. i dont follow these families. i dont interact with family content. and yet i still saw it. can you imagine how easy it would be if i was actively looking for it?

some people argue that, oh well there are creeps everywhere, you cant keep them locked up forever!

to which, yes, unfortunately, there are lots of weird people in the world. but in your neighbourhood, in, idfk, western texas? gonna be a lot less chances to interact with weird people there (okay maybe texas wasnt the right example), than for example THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!

i live in the uk. a lot of these families happen to be american. would i have interacted with them in any way if they did not share their lives on the internet? no! im halfway across the world! but thanks to social media i can. and so can weird dave from california. or janet and her 3 cats over in estonia. or greg down in australia. so many more people can find this content!!

5) social media and disabled children

i've found that family accounts tend to solely focus on their disabled children (often non-verbal, usually autistic or have a rare disease)

now, i can see some argument, where parents of disabled kids can see other families and how they go about their daily lives with children who have similar disabilites to them

this might be helpful? and if it is, great.

but i worry that with non-verbal children especially, these children are at greater risk of exploitation

a lot of these children will never have the understanding or tools to be aware of what they are participating in (some dont even seem to be aware they're being filmed half the time), or the ability to say no, i dont want this.

a lot of the time, parents will film every doctors appointment, or at least tell their audience about in, since the child's birth.

thats a lot of medical information being shared about a child who isnt aware of what their parent is doing

and, of course, the content that features the disabled child(ren) is often the one with the most shares, likes, comments etc.

and who is protecting these children from being exploited? once again. absolutely nobody.

6) do i think all content with children should be banned? no

look, kids are funny. kids falling over is funny. small german children complaining about the traffic in the car with their dad is funny. two very northern girls complaining about the price of ice cream is funny. children and entertainment will always go hand in hand. but children should not be content.

i think there should be far stricter rules about family content on social media. you should not monetise your children. comments and shares should be limited or straight up not allowed, similar to on youtube. children should have the right to have all the content they appear in removed if they want (i think this is a law in some places, im not sure how wide spread or put into action it is though)

children deserve to be children, and deserve privacy. there are plenty of parents out there who make content about children and about their own children, without showing their faces or even showing them at all. this content still resonates, and gets the engagement that a video with children gets.

at the end of the day, it is the safety and privacy of the child that is most important.

[parkminijiminie]

Let me start this by saying I love Jungkook. However, do I feel he is the best partner for JImin? No. Do I support Jiikook? yes! because Jimin sincerely loves JK, he adores the guy. In the BPD interview it was implied JK needed nudging to produce something. JK himself say it all the time. He can be lazy and he can be greedy. He was initially lazy to work but when he was nudged his "greedy" side wanted it all. From spending his Chapter watching Anime and drinking he suddenly wanted to be the biggest Popstar. I believe he is extremely busy much like how Jimin was busy during FACE production. I feel like JK can blow hot and cold when showing affection BUT I feel JM is cognizant of this trait. I believe if JM wanted JK to greet him publicly JM has enough pull for JK to do it. I hate Chapter and I hope it ends soon.

So many of you, Anons, seem to think JK isn't deserving of JM, and I have to wonder why? It seems to me it might be because so many people are disappointed in the possibility of Jikook not being together and are secretly blaming JK for it, even though we actually have no information what happened between them, (if anything happened at all), and who's fault it was.

Let's be objective here. Jungkook is gorgeous, rich, talented, he has the same interests as Jimin- music, dancing, performing, he is in the same industry as Jimin so he understands very well the downsides and risks of it. He is sensitive yet assertive. He works hard. He loves his family and is close to them. He loves animals. He has a kind heart.

Do you honestly not see why Jimin could want him? Not to mention, he has always supported Jimin through all the ups and downs they have been through. For a long time, he was the member Jimin willingly spent all his time with, the one who knew Jimin the best. Not to mention, Jimin's family loves him, which speaks a lot.

So, really, objectively speaking, why do you think JK doesn't deserve Jimin? Because he was filmed with a woman? What's the big deal if they were not together or if she was just a friend? We don't know what JM does in his personal life, too.

Is JK undeserving because of the direction of his solo work? If so, you must know there are many factors at play with his debut, and not everything is as simple as it seems. JK mentioned last year that his album would be next, that he was almost ready to go after Suga, so that means he was working on it at the time. Obviously, something happened, and the project fell through. He really was in a bad place at the beginning of the year. Maybe he was suffering from a writer's block. I also think he felt immense pressure to make and release an album before he enlisted, a successful one at that, yet it seemed he didn't have any ideas at the time.

He must have felt stuck and pressured, and the time was slowly ticking away. Then Scooter and Band came and offered him an easy way out with Seven, and he took it. Does this make me happy and proud of him? Not in the least. Do I feel slightly disappointed in his approach and direction to Chapter 2? Definitely. Just like many other people, I wanted something more personal and authentic from him, but may be he couldn't give it to us at the time. Not to mention that Bang obviously wants more success in the US, and JK seems to be the way for him to do it. I am not happy that JK cares more about charting and fame and proving himself as a pop star than actual artistry, but I also don't think that makes him an awful person. If anything, he is at least honest, because so many singers nowadays want fame and money, but would never admit it.

Jungkook is definitely not perfect. He has flaws, but so does everyone else. As a Jimin biased person, I don't think there ever will be someone truly worthy of Jimin , but I know it is not my place. That is his decision to make.