#spring 2020 hype

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Let's talk about Jump GIGA

Jump GIGA covers, 2016-2024. Volumes are published (left to right per row) as Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn releases, with 2018 and 2019 briefly breaking the pattern by having three Winter and three Summer volumes each. 2023 has an Early Spring volume in addition to the standard four.

So, people have pointed out that the 2024 Spring cover is, uh, not like other covers.

But I've only seen comparisons to other MHA GIGA covers and MHA Weekly Shonen Jump covers. Out of curiosity for what GIGA's typical marketing aesthetics might be, I put together a comparison between all of Jump GIGA's covers to date.

And, um. Some things stand out, to say the least.

First, let me clarify what Jump GIGA even is: it is a seasonal magazine from Shonen Jump, published separate from Weekly Shonen Jump. SJ is an absolutely massive brand and they have a number of magazines serialized outside of the most well-known weekly magazine.

The content of Jump GIGA is primarily made up of one-shots and spin-offs. From the beginning, a lot of the appeal has been the cool cover illustrations which showcase special merchandise that comes with the purchase of GIGA. Usually the cover also promotes big things going on related to the WSJ series, like movie events, new games, or special figurines for sale.

The marketing aesthetic has been clear from the start: the cover consists of one core illustration and a number of ads surrounding it. Most often you get a cover illustration of a protagonist, and then ads and merch for other series, e.g. Food Wars protagonist cover with One Piece film promotion and Haikyuu!! merch.

The purpose of this marketing direction is pretty obvious. Spin-offs and one-shots are not likely to generate a ton of interest consistently, so they lure people in with the cool covers and tempting limited edition merchandise of the series they already know and love. In this way, highlighting one series with the cover and different series with the merch makes sense, because maybe somebody doesn't care about Food Wars, but they definitely want those Haikyuu!! stickers, stuff like that.

Starting from 2020's Autumn volume, you can see a shift. For the first time, basically all of the merchandise is for the cover series. The Demon Slayer manga had already ended five months earlier in May, but a two-chapter spin-off was scheduled for release in WSJ during October. This GIGA was released exactly one day before the second chapter was published and it capitalizes on the hype.

After this point, only MHA and Jujutsu Kaisen dominate the cover and the merch in quite this way, with Black Clover getting attention last volume as a way to highlight the fact that it actually switched syndication from WSJ to GIGA.

Anyway, most commonly the cover illustration is a solo shot of a core cast member (usually but not always the protagonist), and if it's not a solo, it's a big cast illustration.

Only a few covers focus on two characters, and usually it's a crossover as opposed to characters from same series sharing the limelight.

Here we've got Food Wars' protagonist with the main characters from Dr. Stone and Act-Age.

The two covers most similar to the Izuku & Kacchan cover are 2022 Winter and 2023 Autumn.

Winter depicts the main trio of Blue Box in a seasonally-appropriate aesthetic. Not gonna lie, this one kinda makes me laugh--Blue Box is a romance and sports manga, and even though Christmas has a romantic air to it in Japan, instead of depicting any sort of like, hesitant but hopeful romantic energy between the heterosexual couple that actually get together later in the series, they focus primarily on the two girls being cute with the guy is a wee footnote? I mean, all right.

Meanwhile, Autumn depicts one of the protagonists with the series antagonist with a typical cool action style. I'm not very familiar with JJK, but I hear these two have got Some Drama going on, so, there's that.

The merch itself has also evolved over the years. Stickers and posters were present early on, but they have since expanded to decorative folders and now acrylic stands and coasters. 2021 Summer sees the first time the cover illustration is marketed as merch, with the Jujutsu Kaisen cover included as a decorative folder.

Right after that, the Kacchan cover of 2021 Autumn is included as a poster alongside earlier covers featuring Todoroki and Izuku.

2023 Summer's cover is a huge, wrap-around MHA cast illustration and it was published three days after chapter 396 came out, strategically timed to highlight the big shift in the final battle as Ochako vs Toga ends and All Might vs. AFO begins. Merch includes a decorative folder of the wrap-around cover and character motif stickers.

And then we get this!?

A duo cover illustration where the cover art itself has been merchandised to hell and back!?!?

Acrylic stand and pin set!?

Double-sided coaster showing bkdk greatest hits!? With volume 29's river scene cover!?

There's also a double-sided poster featuring the Spring cover with the ninth popularity poll art and a decorative bag with the anniversary art. The cover art itself is plastered all over the volume, front, back, and spine, apparently a total of 19 times.

I honestly don't know what to say about this. It feels wild that this is actually what the cover is. Obviously it is a huge marketing push in anticipation of season 7, and Izuku and Katsuki are the most popular characters, but. it just feels... unique.

In the course of Jump GIGA's publication, this direction is kind of unprecedented. Genuinely no one could have expected this. This seems to be the first time there's been this much merch for a cover. And it was a solid fucking move, marketing-wise--it's sold out basically everywhere, everyone is talking about it. And even people who don't follow the series or ship these two can't help but comment on how strikingly romantic it looks!?

I don't know how much say Horikoshi had in what the cover was, but damn it sure feels like he drew this with immense affection. I kind of wonder if he personally pushed for it to be these two, rather than the typical solo shot, cast shot, or even a protagonist vs. antagonist shot.

I'm KO'd, man. idek if this post is useful to anybody I'm just on my hands and knees here.

Everybody knows what we're all here for, and it's these cute boys finally getting their happy ending.

EDIT NOTE: I gathered much of the information and many, many of the images in this post from a fan-made Jump Database. I neglected to say it properly when I first posted this, but special thanks to the very dedicated people who maintain that website!

[writergamermom]

Everyone is saying that Miles Bron is a parody of Elon Musk. I admit I thought the same thing when I saw it in theaters back in September. I mean Musk had engaged in the hostel take over of Twitter, then he backed out, and at the time he was weeks away from being forced to buy a thing he did not want a price it was not worth. So stupid right? That was also when I realized he didn’t found Tesla, he just bought it with daddy’s apartheid money. Oh this guy is a fake, and Miles is a fake. Such a great take down.

Except it wasn’t. Rian Johnson wrote Glass Onion in the spring of 2020, the same time the film is set. Ed Norton brought Miles to life in September of 2021, months prior to Musk starting to buy Twitter. Miles Bron goes beyond a prediction for Elon Musk. Look at the company, Alpha which owns Alpha Cosmos, Alpha Car, Alpha Shop, etc. Does that remind you of Alphabet - Google’s parent company, or Amazon with all the companies it owns, or maybe Apple. And that’s the point right? The magazine photo of Miles ‘finding’ the napkin is a parody of  Steve Jobs in his iconic black turtleneck. Many people think of Steve Jobs as a this tech genius, but the real genius at Apple was Steve Wozniak. Jobs was just good at making you think he was a genius.

TL:DR Miles Bron is not a parody of Musk. He is a parody of all of them, of Jobs, of Musk, of Bezos, of all the “tech geniuses” that under the hype are just so stupid.

[balletomaneblog]

The Top Ten Female Vaganova Graduates of the Past Ten Years: Then and Now (Part II)

2020 - Anastasia Smirnova (First Soloist at Stanislavksy):

Another total no-brainer, she was the clear star of her graduating year, even though there were so many other strong graduates that year and there was no graduation performance due to COVID. At only fourteen she won the Diana Vishneva Prize at the Vaganova Prix and danced several roles with Mikhailovsky while still a student. After graduating, she joined the Mikhailovksy as a soloist, left to dance in the corps de ballet for six months at the Mariinsky, before returning and shortly afterwards was promoted to First Soloist. At the start of this season she left the Mikhailovsky again to join the Stanislavsky as a First Soloist. She also won 2nd prize at IBC Moscow in 2022.

Role I'd love to see her début: Esmeralda

Special Mentions: Lizi Avzanishvili, Valeria Bespalova, Anastasia Plotnikova

2020 (Masha Variation):

2023 (Grand Pas Classique Adagio):

2021 - Maria Chernyvskaya (Mariinsky Coryphée):

The 2021 graduating class was a more low-key class than in the preceding few years, but it still had quite a few strong graduates. Chernyvskaya finished at the top of her class and performed the lead role of Swanhilda in Act 3 of Coppélia at her graduation. She was promoted to coryphée after only a year and a half as the Mariinsky. Her biggest roles at the Mariinsky currently include Carmen, Rubies Soloist, Etruscans in Spartacus, and Queen of the Snowflakes. Chernyvskaya possesses sharp and fiery qualities that are rarer in the Mariinsky ranks, similar to dancers like Bulanova and Tkachenko.

Role I'd love to see her début: Myrtha

Special Mentions: Viktoria Mokrousova, Elena Lyskova

2019 (Napoli Pas de Six at 2019 graduation)

2023 (Guadalquivir in La Fille du Pharaon):

2022 - Maria Shevela (Mariinsky Corps de Ballet):

The 2022 class was largely overshadowed by the 2023 class in their graduation performances and Shevela was one of the few students of her class to be given a soloist role, where she performed Part 3 of Classical Symphony. She also danced numerous solo roles in smaller concerts and joined the Mariinsky after her graduation. She predominantly dances in the corps de ballet, but she also often performs in coryphée and smaller soloist roles. I personally really have a soft spot for Shevela, I think she's a lovely dancer and shows great technical ability. I particularly enjoy when she dances in trios with Ustyuzhanina and Lyskova as seen in the clip below.

Role I'd love to see her début: 11th Waltz in Chopiniana

Special Mentions: Anastasia Zinchenko

2021 (Variation in Spring Concert during 7th year):

2023 (Shyrin's Friends début in Legend of Love with Lyskova and Ustyuzhanina):

2023 - Maria Koshkareva (Bolshoi Soloist):

The 2023 graduating class reminded me a lot of the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, with so much talent that many dancers who would have been clear stars of their class in other years were one of many in 2023. Koshkareva's had the most hype even among such a strong class since her performance in Conservatory in the 2021 graduation, and afterwards performed leading roles in the Nutcracker, Gioconda, Classical Symphony, and The Garden Scene of Le Corsaire during her last two years at Vaganova. She also won first prize in the junior category of IBC Moscow and was, along with Kuprina and Zinchenko, given a trainee position at the Mariinsky during her final year of schooling. After graduation, she joined the Bolshoi directly as a soloist. In my opinion, she had a slightly rocky first season due to how much was piled on her straight away by management, but now has really gained her footing with strong Kitri and Angela débuts this season. She also has greatly improved her Gamzatti and had a beautiful Masha debut last year. In all, I wouldn't be surprised if she received a promotion to First Soloist soon.

Role I'd love to see her début: Aurora

Special Mentions: Yaroslavna Kuprina, Sofia Valiullina, Daria Kulikova, Angelina Karamysheva

2023 (Medora variation at graduation):

2024 (Variation from Markitenka):

2024 - Alisa Barinova (Mariinsky Corps de Ballet):

Alisa Barinova performed as a beautiful Gulnare in Vaganova's 2023 graduation where she was one of the few younger dancers who was featured alongside such a dominant graduating class. She then had a strong final year at Vaganova, which she ended by performing as Aurora in Act 3 of the Sleeping Beauty in the 2024 show. I found that she showed great technical strength in a very challenging role. She has only been at the Mariinsky for a few months ago but she has already debuted several important soloist roles there, such as Prince's Friends in Swan Lake and Flower-sellers in Don Quixote.

Role I'd love to see her début: Almehs in La Fille du Pharaon

Special Mentions: Elisabetta Nalin

2024 (Aurora in Sleeping Beauty Act 3 during graduation):

[beardedmrbean]

RIGA - More than 40,000 participants are preparing for XIII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival, according to the organizers' estimates after the first round of registration of participants.

The largest part of the total number of participants are folk dancers and choir singers - 20,774 and 12,426 participants respectively. Other participants include 3,245 modern dancers, 1,520 folklore groups, 1,315 brass band musicians, 1,018 symphony orchestra musicians, 468 kokle players and 245 accordionists.

Instrumental ensembles, vocal ensembles, theatres, chapels, professional education groups, special education groups and visual and plastic arts groups will also take part.

The largest number of registered groups is from Vidzeme - 872 groups. Riga will be represented by 663 groups, Kurzeme by 457 groups, Latgale by 368 groups, Zemgale by 186 groups and Selija by 80 groups. Also 18 groups are preparing for the festival from abroad.

The second round of registration is planned for the spring, after the selection competitions and auditions, when each participant will be registered for the festival.

The XIII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival will take place in 2025 on July 5-13.

The main venues in Riga have traditionally been the Mezaparks Grand Stage, where the gala concert will take place, and the Daugava Stadium, where a grand folk dance concert is planned.

Various concerts and events will also take place elsewhere in Riga - at Arena Riga, Brivibas Square, Dailes Theatre, Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia, the University of Latvia, the Riga Circus, Dome Church, the Latvian Society House, Kipsala International Exhibition Centre, VEF Culture Palace, Vermane Garden and Viesturdarzs.

It will be ten years since the previous one in 2015. Due to the pandemic conditions caused by Covid-19 and national restrictions, the festival could not take place in July 2020. ________________

HYPE

[forever-fan]

My FNAF Hyperfixation has inspired me!

So I've been reading a bunch of FNAF time travel fix-it fics. If you don't know what I am referring to, they are basically fics where Michael/William/Henry/basically anyone else finds themselves in the past by some circumstance. They then try to fix the future.

Now that you know what I'm talking about I can actually get to the point. I have decided to write a FNAF time travel fix-it fic. It is tied to an AU, so don't come at me about "canon". Here is a sneak peek at it.

-

Michael wished he died in the fire. Well, technically he was already dead. He had no pulse and he couldn't breathe. His brain had long since stopped working and he got his energy from Remnant rather than digesting food. In all reality, he was a stubborn spirit trapped within his own corpse.

Michael hadn't died in the fire that Henry had set. Hell, his body was barely harmed. All he remembered was passing out before waking up in a random alley. Michael realized someone saved him, but now he was even more alone than ever before.

When the Mega Pizzaplex opened on top of Michael's old restaurant, he knew there would be trouble. Sure enough, there was. Michael took a job as a security guard and found that, while they weren't murderous, the animatronics weren't quite right.

Michael also found his fellow guard, Vanessa, to be a little shifty. She turned out to be way more than shifty when she pushed him into the daycare ball pit from a height that would have maimed or killed anyone else.

Michael's afterlife only got worse when he emerged from the ball pit and found that he was back in Fredbear's Family Diner in 1980.

-

This short introduction obviously doesn't tell you all the fun little headcanons that I have for this fic. I guess you'll just have to read it to find out. Of course, I haven't written in yet. But! I am so hyped about the movie that I think I'll probably finish the first chapter before twenty-four hours have passed.

[Edit: My entire document on Microsoft Word deleted itself from reality... RIP. So... I'm rewriting the first chapter all over again. :> And trust me, I looked through all of my files and drives. Let it be known, I have turned on auto-save cause it sucks to rewrite dialogue, and know for a fact that it's not the same as it was. Also, I lost a doc with half of my headcanons for a different fnaf au. Sadness.]

Real quick, I do have only a little bit of important information for anyone who wants to understand the timeline. (Also so I can remember the basic timeline I made for myself.)

Original Timeline

1968 - Michael is born.

1973 - Elizabeth is born.

1974 - Charlie Emily is born.

1975 - Evan is born.

1980 - William discovers something called Remnant.

1981 - The Missing Children Incident happens and Fredbear's barely stays open.

1982 - William begins to create the Funtimes to harvest Remnant.

1983, March - Elizabeth dies at her friend's birthday party, three days after Circus Baby's Pizza World opened.

1983, August - Evan dies a week after the bite of '83. (FNAF 4)

1983, August - Mrs. Afton [Yet to be named] dies after driving her car off a cliff.

1983, October - Charlie is murdered by William at her own birthday party.

1986 - Michael goes to college to get away from the tragedy and gets a little therapy.

1990, April - Michael receives a letter from his father asking him to find Elizabeth.

1990, June - Michael dies in the Sister Location. (FNAF 5)

1991, January - Michael assumes the name 'Fritz Smith' and works at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria before being fired on his first day. (FNAF 2)

1993 - Michael uses the name 'Mike Schmidt' and works at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. (FNAF 1)

1993 - William dies in the Spring Bonnie suit

2000 - Michael works at Fazbear's Fright. (FNAF 3)

2010, Late December - Michael opens Freddy Fazbear Pizza Place. (FNAF 6, Pizzeria Simulator)

2010, Early January - Henry sets the fire, and Michael survives. (Still FNAF 6, Pizzeria Simulator)

2020, July - Michael works at the Mega Pizzaplex and is pushed into the ball pit only six days before the events of Security Breach.

Time Travel Timeline

[To be edited as chapters are added. Peek under the cut only if you have read the most recent chapter, or if you don't give a shit about spoilers.]

1980 - Michael arrives in the past. He is not happy.

[chaifootsteps]

Metallica Anon here responding to Taxidermy Anon's roll call. I'm going to be a little more extensive with my post so grab a snack and a drink. I'm a 31 male and I'm 10 months older than Viv. My story began around November of 2019 when I was (and still am) a member of a forum related to a show that I used to love but completely lose interest in. (If you're wondering what show? Let's just say Blitzø would love it. 😉) Then I noticed a few members had this particular character as their avatars. That character turned out to be Angel Dust of Hazbin Hotel. My curiousity grew and I eventually watched the pilot. I was completely enamored with it. I loved the animation, the characters, the voice acting, etc. Not long after, I began watching Helluva Boss and soon became enamored with show as well. For nearly four years, I was quite emotionally attached to Viv's shows, almost at the level of the cartoons I loved from my childhood. For a while, I thought Hazbin and Helluva could be some of the greatest cartoons in history. Unfortunately, as Phil Collins once sang, something happened to on the way to Heaven.

Actually, three things happened. I'll explain each one.

The Long Wait for Hazbin Hotel: I don't know how or why I managed to hold on for so long, but I did. I've endured HH's signing to A24 in 2020, the voice actor replacement debacle in 2021, and the character "redesigns" in 2022. I remember in November of '22, I had two things to be excited for in '23: the new Metallica album in April and Hazbin in the summer. (At least one of the things happened.)

To occupy my mind, I binge watched a cartoons until Hazbin would air, which I assumed would be as early as June. When June came, a lot of us were expecting at least a trailer. What did we get?  A cheap Angel Dust picture! I think this is when my hype for HH began to deflate. Then in July, Viv announced HH would be delayed due to the WGA/SAG strikes. At first, I thought the reasons were understandable, but then found out A24 can promote their stuff during the strikes. This made me feel suspicious on what’s going on. Once summer ended, I officially gave up on Hazbin Hotel… then the trailer came out with a release date, which is JANUARY 2024!

Did the trailer reignite my interest? HAH! No! I’m wasting any more time waiting for this shit! But that’s not the only reason…

The Decline of Helluva Boss: Up until this year, I loved Helluva Boss. I enjoyed the shenanigans of Blitzø, Moxxie, Millie, and Loona. I would always find some enjoyment in every episode, even the bad episodes like “CHERUB” and “The Circus.” However, Helluva had long waits between episodes ranging from two to six months. Yet somehow, I endured because at least new episodes were coming out.

Then came the episode “Exes and Oohs.” I hesitated to watch it at first as some previews and clips I saw turned me off. Then I finally watched the full episode… and I absolutely hated it! Unlike the previous bad episodes of HB, I did not find ANY enjoyment in this episode. Then came the episode “Western Energy “and the same happened again. Hesitated to watch at first, finally watched it and absolutely hated it. I began to question myself on why I am I still watching this. Finally came the episode “Unhappy Campers,” and that episode was the final straw for me. That episode made me so angry that I wanted to smash my head into my laptop. Three strikes, you’re out!

Ever since that damn episode, I swore off Helluva Boss. I have not watched a new episode or even rewatched an old episode. It also got me thinking if HB’s writing is this bad, I believe HH’s writing will be just bad or worse. Now let’s get to the source of the shit…

Viv’s True Colors: For a long time, I did not know very much about Vivienne Medrano, her history, or who see really is. I simply viewed her as a regular person who somehow found success in independent animation…

Then came spring 2023 when I learned of the ErinFrost and KenDraws allegations against her by Ayy Lmao’s YouTube videos. Those allegations really got me thinking and my views of Viv began to change. Later in the summer, I began using my abandoned Tumblr account and I stumbled upon the Viv Critical community… and learned everything awful about Viv. Not only is Viv awful, so is her fanbase. I can honestly say that the VivziePop fanbase is probably the most toxic I have ever been in… and this is coming from someone who was apart of another infamous fanbase back in the 2010s. I mean, I have never seen a creator that encourages their fans to attack and send deaths to anyone who has even the slightest bit of criticism.

*sigh* This post has gotten too long so I’m gonna wrap it up. Fuck Viv, she’s a leper messiah. 🖕

-Metallica Anon 🤘

That was a great story, Metallica Anon. Sucks that it had to happen, but if it had to, glad you found your way here!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/21/2023

awful lot of cooking content from me, who hates cooking but finds the evenings jittery and boring

listening

Doorbell by Sterling Press, off the spotify weekly recced playlist. i don't know that i like this song. i don't know that it's particularly good. goddamn if it isn't catchy. alt britpop, they hate being compared to blur but mmmm. you do hear it. notes of ska as well. a song to blast in your car when your spring break plans fell through and you're driving to the good target two towns away from your hometown.

i don't think this music video could have existed pre-pandemic-- idk doorbell cams were that ubiquitous or well known, despite heavy advertising from nest.

from an interview:

Speaking about the new release, they said, “We wrote the song in our mates garage using drum samples off YouTube. We spent all night writing it then in the early hours of the morning drove to Maccies to have breakfast and had it on repeat the whole time. We all fell in love with it straight away. These lyrics speak to the importance of authenticity and sincerity in your actions. In a world where appearances and pretences can be misleading, it's a reminder to be true to yourself and to avoid trying to impress others for the sake of it. “I feel like its an experience we all share. We all know someone who goes off to uni or gets a new job and you bump into them on the street and they act as if they have no idea who you are. I guess this song is reflection of our frustrations towards those people.”

they have what i would consider an unusual amount of hype and presence for a band that has exactly three songs out, but they've all been making music together and separately since well before the pandemic so maybe they've just finally broken out? i can't figure out who these kids are related to. i don't think it's a full on industry plant but i do think someone's dad has some money.

a friend once said she hated how eighties songs faded out like a printer running out of ink, and i do not particularly care for how 2020s songs end with the entire band vanishing underwater.

this song is truly not that deep but it is thoroughly stuck in my goddamn head.

listening: special podcast edition

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me. i am taking through a brain thing and having a weird workflow and brain problem. i have tried other apps with browser support and do not like them, and i cannot have my personal apple id tied to my work computer bc i have and frequently use a work apple id.

i have been listening to podcasts through Spotify ever since mmm november ‘20. it has not been a good experience but juggling the Apple Podcasts app through my phone (distraction minefield) and whatever im listening to or working on with the work computer is a nightmare. ethics of spotify aside, it is a tremendously successful all in one listening platform. i do not have the brainspace to manage my own music library, and support my favorite artists in other ways.

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me.

however, if you listen to enough podcast episodes, spotify does not seem to believe you when you tell it to unfollow a podcast. it just keeps letting you know hey this has a new episode. this got me stuck on a loop where i was listening to more and more episodes of two very prolific conspiracy theory debunking podcasts to the exclusion of almost everything else. this was not very good for my mental health.

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me.

despite the real annoyance of finagling a very distracting phone and the work laptop, i have gone back to Apple Podcasts and (after weeding out a variety of podcasts for a variety of reasons) started listening to friends at the table again. not sure why i stopped but i felt a weird amount of guilt around restarting?? the tablefriends neither know nor care. i have finally finished road to palisade and am excited but nervous about starting palisade proper

-

reading

a local religious thrift store has absolutely rancid vibes but does regularly have 6/$1 book sales. there were a couple older trade paperback comics the last time: the first three volumes of ULTIMATE XMEN and a radom What If? superman.

my trouble with the xmen, and i have to read something from it once every two years to remind myself, is that magneto is right. they will never be able to assimilate into white picket fence middle america, or even among the liberal coastal elites or whatever the term du jour was in 1999. the box will always be smaller and you will never be perfect enough. i did not enjoy this enough to continue bc of this fundamental disagreement with most xmen comics.

also it looks like this. magneto’s lair has an arch in the shape of the arch on the front of his helmet and that was pretty baller, but there’s a real. what was they gimmick blog about all the comic book women in contorted spine-breaking poses? it’s like that a lot. WHAT is ororo’s body doing there

-

watching

hey. what the fuck do you mean tomato sauce is that easy. i dislike tomato sauce and almost exclusively eat jar upon jar of aldi brand pesto. im not allergic bc tomatoes aren't tingly but it's just sort of Nothing all the time. what do you mean it can be good???

i don't actually remember why i'm subscribed to mr internet shaquille. perhaps, like so many other food things, it's kali's fault.

-

playing

g/enshinposting.

pulled this horrid little brat. very pleased with myself.

i do not. love. her story quest. it falls into the childrens' media trap of Sometimes It's Okay For Other People To Stomp All Over Your Boundaries If It's For The Good Of The Group! or perhaps this is just a thing i'm particularly twitchy about. either way, annoyed that other characters of this importance have gotten some deeply moving writing and so far furina has...not gotten that.

the next character i am excited about is lolita taylor swift, or geo-aligned lady with big fuckoff sword. from some early maybe-leaks i think she would pair beautifully with my playstyle and my pirate lady with big sword. my playstyle is mostly brute force damage. i hit things as hard as i can until they fall over and i've played the entire game (with some exceptions that required actual thinking about elemental reactions) that way. it pleases me.

re: the conclusion of the annapausis sidequest, genshin does a really good job of teasing out "ok in a world with actual gods, what does spirituality look like/what are the differing views on fate/how do people make sense of an afterlife". mostly this is gnosticism. and sometimes it's a real life occultist secret society (reskinned Rosicrucianism). fascinating writing choices.

-

making

turkey cottage pie with scalloped potatoes, bc i had a five-pound bag of russets that were starting to sprout. im just going to yoink this pic i posted earlier bc it is now half gone and in tupperware form

this is the first time ive ever cooked in a dutch oven and im in love. i thrifted this for $20 some weeks ago but bc the lid has some chips and rust i haven't used it. which is silly, bc the body of the oven is fine. de-rusting and seasoning the lid will wait for a day when i actually need it bc for now we can get by with doubled-over sheet of aluminum foil.

used this recipe: only had a pound of ground turkey and liberally stretched it with potatoes (i think about three and a half pounds out of five) and three pounds out of a cheap frozen veggie mix bag. did not include mushrooms bc i did not like them. threw in some bay leaves bc i have a giant bag of them, i think i almost doubled the wine bc i doubled the recipe, but i do not think i remembered to double the beef stock. i also shook in a liberal amount of italian seasoning bc i have a cheap jar from aldi i want to use up.

the final product was somewhat soupy. i anticipated that slicing the potatoes was going to be the longest part (mostly true, i had to take breaks) and kept them in a big bowl of cold water to stop them browning while i chopped and after i blanched them. i also could have reduced the filling down some more but i am not a patient woman.

not as intended but still yummy, which was a lovely surprise bc usually when i fuck recipes up i fuck them up But Good. plus new technique (dutch oven). if i make this again (likely) i will do instant potatoes on top bc this was a fuck of a lot of chopping for one recipe. thinking about getting one of those stupid little hand smash veggie choppers bc a full food processor is extremely out of budget.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

There’s a lot of hyped up news about bacteria or enzymes that can decompose plastic floating around; is there a realistic chance of them being commercialized and widely used with the research that we have now?

Great question!

The short answer is yes, but...

The longer answer is that the technology (on a small scale), is ready to go, and is, in fact, already in use. Companies have started to spring up with the express purpose of enzymatic decomposition, and some of them already have operations in running. The tricky part is in scaling up those operations. For that, more research needs to be (and is being) conducted - often by the companies themselves. So, they're technically commercialized right now - just not on at scale yet, so perhaps not 'widely used'. As with any new technology, it will take time (in years) to come up with large scale process, facilities, regulations, safety measures, specifications, etc.

Speaking from opinion here, I'd say that while small scale operations will continue, it'll probably be a decade at least before anything truly large scale (in comparison to polymer production levels) is out there. (Of course, in that decade, there will also be changes to the polymers produced themselves...)

Here's some resources:

Clean Tech news article, including a list of companies

Science news article

2017 research article

2020 research article

2021 research article

[bloodboundsiege]

project update/where i've been/other stuff

Hey everyone! I know it's been a loooooooong time since I posted anything or gave any updates, but since I just updated the demo with some bug fixes--you can go here or to the pinned post on my page to download the new patch if you want to take the demo out for another spin--, I figured it was as good a time as any to talk about what's been going on.

This is probably going to turn into a long post, so if you don't want to read all of that, here's the tl;dr: Bloodbound: The Siege is still underway, I just was going through a really difficult period. Thank you all for your support of me and your continued enthusiasm for this project. It doesn't go unnoticed, and I'm really thankful for it.

Where I've Been

You know how sometimes someone will take forever to post an update to their fic and then the author's note will be like hey, sorry it took me so long to upload a new chapter, I was kidnapped? This is nothing like that. It's a lot less juicy, but I figured I'd still talk about it.

When I first started working on this visual novel, I was doing some freelance social media work, living with my family, and had a ton of free time on my hands. I would literally wake up every day and sit at my desk for 9+ hours a day, working on this project, making music, or writing screenplays.

At the end of last summer, I moved across the country, started grad school, and started working a pretty demanding job to support myself. It was also the first time since 2020 that I was doing any kind of significant socializing, and I was still working on this project, along with my other endeavors.

I felt like I was killing it. It didn't matter that wasn't getting a lot of sleep or really taking care of myself. I was somehow doing everything I wanted to do and needed to do.

And then...it caught up with me, right around when I released the demo for BBTS. I was having panic attacks at work, barely making deadlines for school, and it would take me half the day to work up the energy to get out of bed. It felt like I could do was sit in my room, watch Netflix, and doomscroll. Everything else was left to the wayside. Even though I was able to finish out my spring semester with good grades and left my job on good terms, I was hanging by the skin of my teeth. I also had some really messy stuff going on in my personal life that exacerbated these issues.

I had to spend this summer trying to rebuild myself and find a balance again. I'm in a much better place now--I started working out, which has been great for my anxiety, I quit vaping, I'm starting to be more conscious about what I put in my body and how it affects me, but I had to prioritize myself and my well being in order to get to this place.

As a side note, the experience of announcing this project and releasing this demo has been...strange. I put a lot of work into this project, from teaching myself how to code to writing the story, and this is the most visible thing I've ever put out. I was hoping maybe fifty people would play this demo and be like cool, but it's a much higher number, and a lot more feedback.

And that's both really cool and really scary. Cool because it's awesome that people appreciate something I created. Scary because now I want to make it good. I don't want to disappoint you all.

A Brief Tangent On How People Interact With Fandom Creators Sometimes

Even though I'm not always super active/interactive on here, I really enjoy getting asks about the project, whether it's hype, an inquiry, or feedback. Even if it's negative feedback, I know that it's coming from a good place. I also am really appreciative of messages that are either letting me know about bugs, or expressing any concerns about the story I am planning to tell. I don't take those kinds of things personally at all.

But I have noticed--and this is not just exclusive to the Choices fandom--that sometimes, people will interact with fic writers, fan devs, or really anyone that makes any kind of ContentTM in a way that isn't any of the aforementioned things I described above. Sometimes, the way that people interact with me--or other creators--is demanding, passive aggressive, or outright hostile. Other times, it may be well-intentioned, but it still feels like it's crossing some boundaries.

I'm extremely thankful to everyone who has reached out to check on me, but there's a huge difference between doing that and accusing me of abandoning this project and framing it as a deep moral failing on my part. I know I'm not the only person in this fandom that's experienced this. It really doesn't feel good, and it isn't helpful. Even if I had just decided I was no longer feeling BBTS and decided to dip, that isn't okay.

I additionally ask that in the event of another pause in posting on this project, people not reach out to me on my personal tumblr to ask about the status of this project, or to tell me to check my DMs or inbox on this page, or anything of that sort. To my recollection, I have never posted the URL my personal tumblr on this page. Like I said before, I'm appreciative of the fact that people are passionate about this project, but it's important to me to be able to keep this space and that space separate from one another.

I would absolutely understand any of this kind of behavior if there was money involved. If I had investors to answer to, or people pre-ordered the completed game from me and paid up front, people would absolutely be within their right to be frustrated with the radio silence that's been coming from my end and reach out to ask about the status of the game, or even be upset with me. But that isn't what's happening here.

This project is supposed to be fun. There's something really liberating about the fact that I can't ever monetize this or put it into a portfolio. It means it's for me and for you. We're all just supposed to be here because we like being here.

But part of the reason why the burnout and the anxiety I was experiencing spilled over into this project was because of these more pushy interactions. It made me feel like I was letting people down, or like the stakes of this were higher than they actually are.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, or like a diva. Like I said, I'm really appreciative of the reception of this project, and I'm grateful for any and all feedback, inquiries, or curiosities. But I just ask that everyone be respectful, and I don't think that's an unreasonable request. We'll all have a good time--both here and in the larger Choices fandom--if we're kind to one another, and if we're respectful of each other's boundaries.

Is Bloodbound: The Siege Still Happening?

Bloodbound: The Siege is still happening, but it is not going to be coming out this year, unless I somehow gain the ability to freeze time. Most of the sprite work is done--though I might do another round of retrofitting sprites into their respective dialogue boxes because I'm a glutton for punishment--and I'm pretty close to completing the more detailed outline of this story.

While I'm not ready to do this yet, it is extremely likely that by the end of the year, I'll start seeking out additional help for this project, mostly with programming. There will be a more detailed post about that when the time comes.

Until then, it's good to be back. Catch you on the flipside.

[dojae-huh]

Speaking of SM.

Tak Youngjoon cameback to being a co-CEO this spring (he was co-CEO with Lee Sungsoo aka Chris Lee in 2020-2023). And even Yoo Youngjin is still affiliated with the company (he is registered under his real name as a consulting director). Maybe not voluntary (contract length), maybe he changed his mind afterall... And the news about Kakao selling SM shares was a rumour in the end... Welp, so much hype during media coverage, and then, when the dust settles, things fall into their original places.

These two are still at the wheel. And it's good.

Ah, yes, wanted to write about LSM, what was the problem. The post of the OP who digged the info is long, I will summarise and simplify, add a bit of my own. (source)

Up untill 2008 LSM was a registered employee of the company he formed, i.e. SM. He oficially resigned and formed another company Like Planning (LP). SM signed a contract with LP for producing artists.

I'm not completely sure, but it seems LP consisted of one person - LSM (mayhaps there were some accountants and additional personnele, noone who mattered anyway). It's just a name. In practice, LSM changed from a natural person to a juridical person. His salary was paid not to him directly as an employee, but to a company (LP). It allowed him to pay lower taxes, as in Korea natural persons pay more than juridical persons.

Secondly. The contract with LP listed a very long list of services. LP was supposed to do everything: casting, training, selecting members of a group, checking the videos of trainees, planning of albums, concepts, styling, planning of MVs, choreography and more. And yes, technically LSM had his nose in all of this, but not alone. He gave directions, staff in SM did the work. And yet, LP (i.e. LSM) was paid as if LP's employees (non-existant), and not SM's employees (real) provided those services.

Thirdly, there was a clause of LP (i.e. LSM) getting money from activities it directly had not participated in, like artist performances/concerts. This is were "LSM stole from its artists" came.

That tax evasion case of early 2024 was about the goverment telling SM it paid too much to LP, asking to prove the expenses, that LP really provided services that costed so much (SM couldn't), and demanding for more tax to be paid to the government (basically, SM said they are eligible for tax reduction because of LP being involved as a 3d party (who will pay taxes instead of them) and paid a smaller amount, the government came, checked, wasn't persuaded, and said "no" to tax reduction, pay the full sum).

To sum it up. LSM came up with a plan of how to stay as the main producer of everything, earn lots of money without being asked if his services really costed so much, and paying less taxes. And because he was the main shareholder of SM, had the last say and could fire anyone, no employee or CEO could go against him directly.

It lasted for some time (2010 - 2019) untill Align came, pointed at this situation and asked the rest of the shareholders if they were OK with not getting their dividents because too much money went into LSM's pocket (they got less income from their shares because SM as whole was less profitable, it paid too much to LP, the net income was lower than it could have been).

The contract with LP was cut because the rest of the shareholders said so, LSM stopped being the main producer. After it, LSM sold majority of his shares to Hybe and stopped being the main owner of the company as well.

Kakao bought SM to appeal to its own shareholders, and, as was promised, so far doesn't realy involve itself in SM's doings. Korean regulators approved the takeover this year, just made one condition

"South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) gave approval to the takeover, on the condition that Kakao’s Melon continue to distribute music from SM Entertainment’s rivals. It also ordered the creation of a monitoring body to ensure that Melon doesn’t engage in anti-competitive practices."

It seems, SM 3.0. was planned together with LSM. It's not a plan to come up with in an instant. His 3 years of forced absence on SK k-pop scene will end soon. Prepare for the new season of this drama...

P.S. Heh, when I look at the net income numbers, I'm reminded that, indeed, SM is a small company actually.

[transuncletaylor]

This is a Taylor ramble post

I hadn't been drawing a lot this year from like March to September just cause life, but I picked up my ipad again and been doodling and practicing and trying out new brushes and techniques. And look, this post is just me hyping myself and tooting my horn cause I'm just happy to see what my Sokka looked like in December 2020 and what he looks like in October 2023

I love art. I love drawing. I love it even if I'm like, huh I'm not sure I like how that came out. I started drawing at the same time I started my gender journey and trans-ing and I like to think they're connected. I mean, it's definitely a way to explore gender through drawing it out on my blorbos. I also definitely think that's a big chunk on why I stopped for a bit because I was struggling with my body over the spring and summer.

But I wanna say thank you to y'all, mutuals and followers and all y'all, for enjoying my art and being a part of this fun journey with me! 😄💜

[kanmom51]

Memories Masterlist

Memories 2019

Jimin nothing stronger & kookphoria links

What we had in memories 2019 and what we got in memories 2020

Memories 2020

JK & JM’s jacket - the special connection;  

Is JM being naughty? ;

Flirting is not allowed JM ;  

It’s always those two ;  

When they just can’t let go ;  

Totally a bro thing ;  

I love you Jungkook ;  

Memories 2019/20 ;  

You can close you mouth now JK ;  

Jikook just jikooking ;  

They can’t and unwilling to let go ;  

JK’s new drum set ;  

Someone’s in trouble ;  

When Jikook are doing their thing ;  

Once again in sync ;

Just Jimin ;

Just because ;  

JK’s happy ;  

Are words needed? ;

JK scolding JM again? ;  

Jikook ‘not’ flirting in memories 2020 ;  

JK pay attention

Resting together

Memories 2021

Memories 2021 teaser and pre-release content

Memories teaser clip

Inseparable as usual

The Joy

JM bridal carrying JK

Memories 2021 preview cuts

Memories 2021

Photos

There’s something about this photo

Hanging out partners (well partners that flirt with each other, that is)

A little flirtatious interaction

This is the day of the Seoul online concert, right?

Who said dreams don’t come true?

The lifting game

JK licking JM’s hand

JM and JK’s neck - a special relationship (kind of parallel to JK’s with JM’s lips…)

Just the couple in the room having some fun

It was a fun day

Jikook trending once again

Another chapter in the saga of JK and JM’s waist

JM and JK’s chest

Jikook goofing around in the background

Holding hands - a Jikook trademark

Ahm…

Memories is out and we’ll have lots to talk about

Jikook PTD MV

Inseparable

The way they just love to play around

Cuteness

JM’s hair - five coloured pancake

Is it good?

Memories 2021 - just a little recount of what we have so far

I guess it was just one of those days

The familiarity of it

My Universe MV behind

My Universe MV behind - JK and JM’s chin

Just JK sleeping next to JM

THIS

A few more moments

3 J’s

How did we go from JK’s head back on Yoonmin to JK’s chin on JM’s shoulder?

JK trying to avoid standing in the centre (and his compensation prize?)

If it looks like a kiss and it sounds like a kiss

The saga of cut Jikook moments

Times magazine shoot - and Jikook is not fanservice

It’s always those two

So sweet

Save me

Jikook interview?

JK copying JM’s Spring day dance and JM loving it

Goofing around

Amusing themselves

JM and JK during Stay rehearsal and concert

Boxing again

Pretend to be tired

At it again

Just 2 beautiful men in one frame

Just sitting together

JK being cheeky

He’s so adorable

A little moment

We got the lift

Their laughs

Jikook leaving together

The way JK aims for JM’s finger

Why did they censor JK?

A fun conversation?

All those little inconsequential moments

The Rolling stones shoot - reblog

They are simply adorable

JK’s little magic trick

A discussion about feet

JK comforting JM

JK’s battle over JM’s back

Just JM hyping up JK once again

BH editors the secret Jikookers they are - reblog

That hug it needed that edit

We got the mic switch, well after the fact that is

Memories 2021 we ain’t done yet - more little moments

And yet more little moments

I knew it

Online concert soundcheck

JK teasing JM

The JK in his natural habitat

More content even on day 4 after memories came out

What’s JM up to?

Those little things we didn’t notice

Another one of those moments that went unnoticeable

What came first?

A sum up of memories 2021

Holiday memories 2021

It’s all about the choices

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

NIGHTWISH Plays Last Concert In Finland Before Planned Break From Touring

NIGHTWISH played its last concert in Finland before its upcoming break from touring on Saturday, June 17 at Lemonsoft Stadion in Vaasa. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH has only one more live appearance on its schedule: Thursday, June 22 at the Tons Of Rock festival in Oslo, Norway.

This past April, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's next studio album, which is tentatively due in 2024.

NIGHTWISH's statement read as follows: "As the 'Human :ll: Nature - World Tour' is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey.

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's [Jansen, NIGHTWISH singer] pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure.

"Stay tuned for updates from our legendary NIGHTWISH band camp & studio this summer!"

Last December, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." will be the third part of a trilogy that began with 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album. He told Metal Hammer: "I immediately knew after getting that album ['Endless Forms Most Beautiful'] done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world. We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after 'Human. :II: Nature.'; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more.

"In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with 'Endless Forms…' and then 'Human. :II: Nature.' There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to 'Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts..

"The wonderful thing is that we have had the demo [of the album] done since last spring. So it's been done for six months now. We really have all the time in the world to go through it all, and we have had a such great time with the band, just listening to the demo in our hotel rooms — me singing the lyrics and the melodies to Floor [Jansen, vocals]. She's recording them and then she's seeing them and throwing ideas to each other."

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Why Can't They Get TRON Right?

Perhaps we fans of the 1982 Steve Lisberger-directed sci-fi adventure TRON were lucky to even get a belated sequel in the first place...

TRON: LEGACY was greenlit by Disney after many years of the original film garnering a massive cult following after its so-so box office run during a summer where E.T. ruled the roost. Contrary to popular belief, TRON was not really a "flop". It just wasn't the blockbuster Disney had wanted it to be, its okay $50m gross against a $17m budget did not put it in the echelon of STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Its many video game spin-offs, such as the arcade game from Bally Midway, fared way better... As did the home video sales over the years. The film got a fantastic 2-disc DVD in 2002, followed by a new game called TRON 2.0. A second life well-lived, so far...

Disney got Joseph Kosinski, who had directed multiple video game commercials including those for HALO 3 and GEARS OF WAR, to helm the picture, and brought back Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner from the original. After a whole 2 1/2 years of hyping this picture up, beginning all the way back in 2008 at San Diego Comic Con (that "TR2N" teaser that was later slightly redone as the film's theatrical teaser in late 2009), TRON: LEGACY bowed in Christmas 2010 to mixed reviews but fairly impressive box office.

I mean, impressive for a movie that was a belated sequel to a cult classic sci-fi movie that wasn't for everybody! I mean, really, $400m worldwide for that kind of thing is nothing to scoff. But for Disney, it wasn't enough. An animated series called TRON: UPRISING debuted on Disney's various channels - namely Disney XD - to solid ratings, but then Disney moved the show to a timeslot where few could stay up and watch it. They straight up murdered it, ratings sunk, no second season...

But, it still seemed like a third movie could happen, after an executive shake-up or two. Kosinski would be back, along with Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, and LEGACY newcomers Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Cillian Murphy. By spring 2015, TRON: ASCENSION was locked and ready to go for a fall shoot... But Disney got cold feet, after the release of a similarly big-budget sci-fi film of theirs - Brad Bird's TOMORROWLAND - bombed at the box office. Typical capitalist nonsense, a slightly similar movie fails? Boom, your project's dead. TRON: ASCENSION did not move forward...

Shortly thereafter, Disney began developing a spin-off film called TRON: ARES. A TRON movie in name only, if you ask me, starring Jared Leto. Said to be a creep that somehow dodged Me Too, and also... Uh, his erratic behavior? All that "method acting"? And his resume hasn't been too hot, either... And yet, the years have gone by, Disney keeps trying to make Fetch, I mean- TRON: ARES happen. Even after proposing and then shelving a Disney+ series based on the property.

By 2020, it seemed to be going full speed ahead with a director attached, Garth Davis. He exited the project a little while ago, now it has KON-TIKI, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5, and MALEFICENT 2 director Joachim Ronning as director. It was supposed to shoot this month... But because The Walt Disney Company and all the other big studios just can't pay actors and writers what they need to keep roofs over their heads... Production has stalled...

And the other day, you had Ronning saying, "This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work – under conditions that are fair to everybody"...

Really? Like... Really??

It's like this TRON spin-off is cursed, infected with a virus if you will:

Stalled and stalled for years, went through more than one director, evolved out of a cancelled true sequel to the previous TRON film (which will turn 13 in December), has freakin' Jared Leto super-glued to this thing (as lead actor and producer, like what's his stake in TRON?), and now its director is being a dingus about the strikes...

And here I am, saying... Disney, you could've just greenlit TRON 3 from director Joseph Kosinski, filmed it in 2015, released it in 2017/18-ish... And called it a day.

Hell, you could've landed Kosinski after he went and directed 2022's megablockbuster juggernaut TOP GUN: MAVERICK! But ya didn't!

Disney just doesn't know what to do with TRON, it seems. They seem to keep going back to it for aesthetic reasons, but can't somehow make the story itself work in order to get Marvel movie grosses out of it. (Not that it should be doing that in the first place, it's freakin' TRON.) As a friend of mine put it, Disney looks at it and says, "The one with the highlighter bikes, yeah let's do that!" The story itself really isn't out of reach in a post-MATRIX world anyways.

Ex out TRON: LEGACY's budget and how Disney bean counters expected it to do, and you have a movie that quite a few people went to go see in a theater! $170m+ domestically, $400m worldwide. Again, that was fantastic for a TRON sequel! Reportedly, Disney hoped that this December 2010 release would be the next AVATAR, which was a December 2009 release. They hoped that the digital world spectacle and 3D would be their ticket to having a piece of that pie, but they guessed wrong... They missed the forest for the trees. Plus, the 3D craze evaporated at the speed of sound after AVATAR came out. And that was because a ton of movies that didn't do what James Cameron did to deliver a truly immersive experience soured audiences on 3D. Most of the time, you essentially paid to watch a movie with sunglasses on.

But all those TRON woes go back to their difficulties making sci-fi pictures that become hits, or franchises. All the way back to 1979's ill-fated THE BLACK HOLE, and plenty more, from ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE to JOHN CARTER OF MARS to TOMORROWLAND to LIGHTYEAR to STRANGE WORLD.

It's especially strange to me because science fiction and futurism and space travel are a big part of Disney... I mean, Tomorrowland itself in the Disney theme parks, it was there since the day Disneyland itself opened in 1955. Walt Disney's DISNEYLAND anthology TV series had whole programs dedicated to space and the cosmos: MAN IN SPACE, MARS AND BEYOND, etc. And of course, the big one... EPCOT! Both EPCOT the city concept and EPCOT Center/Epcot, the theme park in Walt Disney World.

I should shut up, probably, and just be happy that Disney is doing *anything* with TRON in the film world. We have the two rollercoasters, yes, the one in WDW Florida and the one in Shanghai. I'd love to ride it, but Florida ain't the place for a person like me at the moment, so that's gonna have to wait.

Anyways, I've been very iffy about this TRON-without-Tron movie since we started hearing about it right around this time in 2016... I just find it kind of fascinating that it has stalled for so long, and right as it was about to get shootin'... The strikes happened (and of course had to/needed to). The reports say that it's still on once the studio heads stop being dinguses, but we shall see...

But for me personally? I just want the actual TRON 3... Maybe, if this movie happens first and does okay for itself... Then we get TRON 3? A sort-of two mainline movies, a spin-off, and a threequel situation? I'll take whatever I can get.

End of line.

[beardedmrbean]

Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, headed by critical race theory activist Ibram X. Kendi, revealed last week that it was laying off about 40% of its staff as part of organization restructuring. About 15 to 20 of its approximately 45 employees were let go. Testimonies from former employees have exposed alleged mismanagement of Kendi’s center, which in turn has exposed the fraudulence and fragility of the diversity, equity, and inclusion complex.

Disgruntled former employees have accused Kendi of mishandling grant funding, failing to complete major projects, and fostering an exploitative company culture in which he ruled with an iron fist yet was routinely missing in action. The center has raked in $43 million since its inception, according to 2021 budget records obtained by the Daily Free Press. It received corporate support from Peloton, Deloitte, Stop & Shop, TJX Companies, and Deckers Outdoor Corporation, according to a 2020–2021 donor report. Only six weeks after its launch, then-CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey gifted $10 million without conditions.

“Your $10M donation, with no strings attached, gives us the resources and flexibility to greatly expand our antiracist work,” Kendi posted at the time. “The endowment is vital, as we build our new Center.”

Despite the investments, the center did not deliver on some key priorities, such as the much-hyped Racial Data Tracker that would document racial inequities in all sectors of society to finally root out racism.

“I don’t know where the money is,” Saida Grundy, a BU professor who worked at the center from fall 2020 to spring 2021, told the Boston Globe after the staff cuts.

Multiple other BU professors served as faculty leads on various projects at the center. Professor Sanaz Mobasseri of BU’s business school led the Antiracist Tech Initiative, professor Kaylene Stevens of BU’s education school led the “Designing Antiracist Curricula” team, and political science professor Spencer Piston led the Policy Office, for example.

In December 2021, Grundy emailed BU provost Jean Morrison that the organization had been showing a “pattern of amassing grants without any commitment to producing the research obligated” by them.

Like its umbrella idea DEI, “antiracism” actually translates to, well, nothing of note. Serial academics such as Kendi have built careers around racial fearmongering, even inventing new disciplines to study racism and its early-stage minutiae “microaggressions” and “implicit bias.” Rather than confront actual crimes of racism, these courses seek to aggressively manufacture racist intent.

Despite all this bureaucracy, academic DEI projects have unclear aims and products. Kendi’s center published just two research papers since its founding, the Washington Free Beacon reported. A January paper, "Association of Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Composition and Historical Redlining With Build Environment Indicators Derived From Street View Images,” found that predominantly black neighborhoods had more dilapidated buildings than white neighborhoods. The center released a report from its "Antibigotry Convening” from fall 2021 and winter 2022 that included many intersectionality themes such as “Ageism,” "Anti-fat Bigotry,” and “Transphobia,” further confusing its purpose.

Rachel Lapal Cavallario, spokeswoman for Kendi’s center, told the Boston Globe Wednesday that BU had “received some complaints from individuals questioning whether the center was following its funding guidelines. We are currently looking into those complaints.”

However, the center rejects the “characterization of it not having produced important work insofar as antiracism is concerned,” she said.

To raise Grundy’s question again, where did the money go? Echoing that sentiment, BU has launched an “inquiry” into the center amid the scandal, the Daily Free Press said.

The situation is reminiscent of the lawsuits against Black Lives Matter, another embattled racial justice organization. In 2023, Black Lives Matter reported a $9 million deficit for 2022 after raising $90 million in 2020. Only 33% of that massive sum went to charitable activism, federal filings showed, as a significant chunk was squandered on the leaders’ mansions, personal expenses, and favors for friends. Both Kendi’s center and BLM followed a similar model: drum up rumors of racism, prescribe DEI, create an apparatus, lure in donors, get paid.

The racial grievance business welcomes little accountability — or accounting, for that matter — which explains why it’s found a home in academia. Many colleges, such as Boston University, or my alma mater Boston College down the road, charge their students exorbitant tuition for useless degrees and boatloads of debt. Tenured professors collect big paychecks while hawking critical race theory, turning students into activists instead of real scholars.

Despite its self-destructive tendencies, the DEI racket continues to spread throughout academia. Some colleges are trying to meet demand for so-called DEI experts by creating a corresponding major, USA Today claimed. At least six colleges across the country offer DEI degree programs or will in the future, according to the publication’s analysis. Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania even have DEI graduate programs.

Some universities have also woven DEI into their academic missions. Duke University in 2020 launched a Racial Equity Advisory Council, composed of four subcommittees including faculty members and students, which will propose “measures to assess and foster racial equity” to the university’s leadership. Every year since fall 2020, the Duke Endowment has sponsored professors with seed grants to pursue research proposals related to race as part of the school’s anti-racism mission. That’s more money down the drain.

DEI in America’s prestigious colleges contributes nothing, wastes money, and fuels a bubble of empty courses, professions, and promises. But if the shakeout at Kendi’s BU center is any clue, it might be starting to pop.

[feuqueerfire]

January 2024 Movies/Shows Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in January 2024, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month(s): Bottoms (2023), so fun

Ranking

Beyond Evil (rewatch)

Bottoms (2023) = Twinkling Watermelon (2023)

Death's Game S1 (2023)

Palm Springs (2020)

Love Class 2 (2023) = Death's Game Part 2 (2024)

Skimmed: Bon Appetit (2023)

Average Rating: 6.75/10 [really quite high! Didn't count my Beyond Evil rewatch and Bon Appetit doesn't have a rating]

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist:

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Rookie (2023) - a Phillipino lesbian movie, saw this tiktok and wanted to give it a try

Bon Appetit (2023) - Originally didn't have this on my list because it has a meh MDL rating but this tiktok of guy 1 liking girl liking guy 2 like guy 1 is fun

Kiseki: Dear to Me (2023) - I've seen it mentioned sooo many times that I thought I'd give it a try.

The Guest (2018) - I haven't yet liked a supernatural/fantastical kdrama but maybe this will be the one. Also apparently it's a good bromance that starts off antagonistic

Through the Darkness (2022) - Also a thriller investigation with strong bromance

My Perfect Stranger (2023) - Saw this Tiktok and ended up watching a few more and idk, it reminds me of 18 Again somehow with like younger version and family stuff

Twinkling Watermelon (2023) - same reason as above in terms of plot, it's also in the same tiktok, and it seemed to be very popular among the kdramas this year

Lucky My Love (2023) - wanna watch it cuz it's a GL but unfortunately people don't seem too keen on it :/ oh well, I'll keep it on hand for when I'm craving a GL

Death's Game (2023) - Hadn't heard much about it until I saw Pocha Playlist podcast covering it but I didn't listen to that episode. Then I find out that Lee Dohyun plays a (reincarnation) character in it and now I'm like hmm maybe + the rating and reception seems really good on MDL.

Last Twilight - hmmm people have very polarizing opinions on the last ep (both the disability aspect but also the general storytelling aspect), so I'm cautious but people reallllly love the first 9 episodes. Just adding it here in case I wanna see what the hype was about

The Worst of Evil (2023) - It's in a lot of people's 2023 favourites lists and it seems like a show I'd be into based on genre

The Dude in Me (2019) - a movie about an adult in the body of a teenager, found it from this tiktok with 18 Again and Twinkling Watermelon.

Our Beloved Summer (2021) - I had had this on my to-watch list for a while because I like a post-breakup story and people seem to love this show but had taken it off because I kept not watching it and heard some meh opinions but now it's back again because in Twinkling Watermelon tiktoks, this showed up a couple times in the tiktoks or comments bc people were mentioning Yi Chan and this guy as green flags and shows they loved etc

I Hear Your Voice (2013) - a 2013 drama lol but the Eun Gyeol/Se Kyeong tease in Watermelon Sugar made me remember that I kinda wanna watch noona romance sometimes, so this is for that time. + it's like mystery/suspence plot I think

Death's Game Part 2 (2024)

Youth of May (2021) - Obviously I've heard about this because I was looking for Lee Dohyun shows to watch after 18 Again but idk if I'm up for a tragedy :< but yknow he's in the military now, so maybe I'll watch one of his shows a year to tide me over. Thought of it again because I saw this tiktok when going through LDH tiktok tag

The Good Bad Mother (2023) - This was another case of "When will Lee Dohyun finally again star in a show I wanna watch?" But I saw like 2 mins of this edit on youtube of dude being 7 and ahh it's humorous (Ik it's supposed to be really heavy and traumatizing actually so I avoided it but idk if there's some levity as well and it's really beloved w the 8.9 rating and stuff maybe I'll give it a try to see Lee Dohyun - esp as he's in the military rn). After all, it's not like I knew 18 Again was show/concept I love like this

Lesson in Love (2022) - (240129) Sometimes you just want an uncomfortable and gross relationship... student/teacher noona (well jiejie?) romance and the comments talk about a plot twist (i saw the spoiler lol) anyway... might watch. Saw it first in this Certified Noonas Coming Up live. The student is an adult irl, so I'm gonna just pretend it's that in the show too. Also side note but he was also in Red Balloon and apparently his sister is a lesbian.

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 49

To Watch List At End Of Month: 62

Removed from To Watch List:

Removing these on June 30 because now that I’m getting into kpop as well, my interest in watching dramas isn’t as high and I know I’m probably not gonna get to these.

Nothing ig 

Completely Watched

Bottoms (2023)

Country: USA

Release Dates: Sept 1, 2023 

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Jan 1, 2024

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Impression: First movie of the year! Very, very funny and wacky, thoroughly enjoyed it. Hazel is sooo attractive lol, as is Isabel. Loved Josie being a sweetheart and reluctant to go along with antics except then going in wayyy too hard with the juvie stories lol. PJ was insufferable but like in a good way? like yesss, high school girl who says things before thinking and is an asshole! Also lesbian movies where they kill men is always fun, this time it being an actual funny comedic part. The whole movie was ridiculous and I'm glad.

tags: bottoms 2023

Palm Springs (2020)

Country: USA

Release Dates: July 10, 2020

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Jan 7, 2024

Rating: 6.5/10 [Mar 11, 2024 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars: 7 -> 6.5]

Overall Impression: In 2019, I binged Brooklyn 99 like 2-3 times and was obsessed with it and then watched some of Andy Samberg's other stuff and added this to the list of things to watch once it comes out a year later and does its festival tours or whatever... anyway it's now 2024 lol but it was fun! A good mix of the romance and interpersonal relationships with the sciency aspects. I was expecting it to focus more on the characters rather than the science or plot and that struck true, though there were definitely a few interesting bits to chew on in terms of worldbuilding. Funny and charming but not life-changing and predictable but not in a bad way.

Rewatch Beyond Evil: Jan 8 - 12, 2024

It's so fun to rewatch because I catch things that I hadn't before, not just about the case but about the different characters and their storylines. Also, all the stuff from 20 years ago that is repeating now which I'm catching onto earlier because I remember things that haven't been revealed in the show yet.

Han Joo Won continues to be way too naive and self-rightous, even if Lee Dongshik really was the killer. His methods are careless and reckless despite trying to seem rational.

Since I'm watching this after a year and it's a show with many storylines, I'm still extremely engaged lol watching this at 1x speed and watching it all when I expected that I'd be skimming through. I also forgot a lot of the smaller stuff and some of the kinda big middle stuff, so it's fun to rediscover them. Ep 7 ending & Ep 8 beginning are a fucking great combo fr even still.

Rating: still 8/10

Bon Appetit (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Sep 27, 2023

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Jan 13 - 14, 2024

Rating: -/10

Overall Impression: Started watching because the guy1 likes girl likes guy2 likes guy1 tiktok was funny but not high hopes for the actual show. Skimmed through this so hard, honestly shouldn't have even watched it because it didn't seem too good from my skimming. The main two characters were cute-ish in the first half of the show and the Yoon Seobin surprise cameo for 2 minutes was fun, but meh otherwise. Skimmed even the main couple scenes in the last 2 eps because random fighting and misunderstandings. Not rating it because I skimmed through like 60% of it lmfao

Twinkling Watermelon (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates:  Sep 25, 2023 - Nov 14, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: Jan 19 - 22, 2024

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Impression: I'm fucking obsessed with this sort of concept: Parent and child being the same teenage age through some magical concept. It's got a good storyline, hilarious yet touching. I was afraid that they'd make Yi Chan's hearing come back but I'm glad it didn't; it's just something that has to happen to him for no reason the way these things just happen sometimes. The characters were well-crafted and the acting was great. Kinda slow paced, there were certain episodes where I was like nothing really happened, but I guess that's the point of the slice of life aspect in some cases; just watching the characters exist alone and together.I was into the ChCh romance from the get-go and thought they were sooo cute whereas EunEun were a more fun menace pair who I just liked to watch fighting before it gradually became a couple I shipped Very Much. Also, a shoutout to my Se Kyeong (OG, not Eun Yoo) and Chung Ah ship, I can't believe Se Kyeong's first love was her husband instead of Chung Ah. A well-crafted show, good acting, hit some feels and I expect some attachment to it (I'm rewatching and skimming certain parts as I write lol).

tags: twinkling watermelon

Also Appears In: Twinkling Watermelon Live Blogging

Love Class Season 2 (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates:  Aug 11, 2023 - Sep 8, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: Jan 26 - 27, 2024

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: I liked the main couple: a younger, insistent pursuer to an older, reluctant hyung who was also his tutor when the younger was in high school. I do wish the random stalker, weird hyung wasn't haunting them for so long though because the premise of this couple is so good. I came around to the second and third couple even though if the show was longer or deeper, I might not have. I was bored by the last 2 eps though, so ehhh

tags: love class 2

Also Appears In: Love Class 2 Live Blogging

Death's Game (2023)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Dec 15, 2023

Watch Via: paid, so :>

Watch Dates: Jan 29, 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall Impression: Weird to rate just this half-show 4 episodes but really good and interesting, I'm enjoying it a lot. My favourite eps are eps 2 and 4, they balanced a good amount of heart with excitement (for ep 2) and plot progression/answers (ep 4 + ofc Lee Dohyun my initial reason for checking out the show). The 18 Again characters/actors are haunting me with this fr.

tags: death's game

Also Appears In: Death's Game Live Blogging

Death's Game Part 2 (2024)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jan 5, 2024

Watch Via: paid, so :>

Watch Dates: Jan 30, 2024

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: Firstly, fuck the message of the show. In shows like this, where they treat suicide as a personal, moral failure of selfishness and weakness rather than due to systematic issues in society, mental health struggles, or treating the characters with kindness, it's of utmost importance to just roll your eyes and see the story/acting/etc. Eps 1 to half of 3 were interesting and exciting but in the way of "I'm watching a show with murder and gore and people trying to outsmart each other" rather than about this specific show. The ending is... okay, I guess, expected it. In Part 1, Death just left something to be desired for me and this kinda continued here. Don't think I'll think of this show much (except maybe Lee Dohyun?) and the 2nd part didn't have the excellent pacing of the first one. Not as good as part 1.

tags: death's game

Also Appears In: Death's Game Live Blogging

Post created this month: 2023 Series Overview + Stats