#stamped by my biggest hater

[starpros-sunshine]

The people in that posts notes are idiots is what they are none of you get him like I do tsk. Imbeciles the lot of them.

[yeonjunszn]

ASAP!

PAIRING! mark lee x f!reader

GENRES! fluff﹒crack﹒slice of life?

WARNINGS! as per usual, it is not a yeonjunszn smau without my sailors mouth — so mature language, coffee shop!au cause i work in one and couldn’t resist myself, this smau is actually a recreation of a yeonjun smau called cool it! by my bff past tumblr user yuitaru, manager mark era, kinda dumb reader (affectionate) era, milf lover jeno, insane jaemin and hyuck, chenle in his nepotism baby era tbh, there’s a fight scene somewhere, also annoying fluffy cute disgusting scenes here and there, an overt amount of coffee shop/barista references bc i am a master at my craft, mr. choi yeonjun has a cameo to pay homage to the original cool it!, ignore time stamps cause i was lazy lol, lmk if i missed anything!

FEAT! the rest of nct dream, yangyang + xiaojun + hendery from wayv, chaewon from le sserafim, sumin from stayc, mingi + the rest of the ateez ‘99 line, and yeonjun from txt

SUMMARY! you’re not exactly the best barista at zhong coffee, but for some unknown reason (his massive crush on you), mark thinks you can do no wrong. sick and tired of his favoritism and your lack thereof due to absolute obliviousness, your coworkers are determined to fix this problem. asap.

STATUS! completed!

BEGINNING! june 1, 2023

END! august 31, 2023

MORE! HELLOOOO im back bffs 😵 did u miss me??? i have a quick little disclaimer for u guys so i don’t get accused of stealing 😻😻😻🫶

thank u so much to rina my bff bestie soulmate for giving me the rights to recreate cool it! and sort of bring back such a fun smau </3 i’ve been working on asap! for quite some time now, between work and school, and i’m so excited i can finally share her with all of u 🫶 i do plan on going back to all my works that are on hold (including my 1k event LOL) but i was sort of burnt out for a while which is why i did all this in absolute silence 😋👍 anyway!! i hope i did her justice <3 send an ask to join the taglist!!

PROFILES! mark’s biggest haters | espresso patronum | the rest of chenle’s coffee maids

ONE! please no tweeting on the clock, y/n!

TWO! manager zoned is crazy

THREE! BACK OF THE LINE PAL

FOUR! go work at mcdonald’s or something

FIVE! common chenle L

SIX! i always knew u were a furry

SEVEN! call me karen from mean girls

EIGHT! mark antis 1 - mark 0

NINE! the best ever (1.1k)

TEN! NANEUN ALCOHOL-FREE GEUNDE CHWIHAE

ELEVEN! YESSSS GO GIRL BOSS

TWELVE! i don’t owe u shit freeloader

THIRTEEN! force and sheer determination

FOURTEEN! yoooo mark how it be? what it do?

FIFTEEN! pick me choose me

SIXTEEN! lunch break (499)

SEVENTEEN! DONG SICHENG ?

EIGHTEEN! hey guys this is god

NINETEEN! i will force his hand into a blender

TWENTY! chocolate croissant (841)

TWENTY ONE! #xiaojun_out

TWENTY TWO! grinders and coffee beans (951)

TWENTY THREE! what is a marky/n

TWENTY FOUR! shaking shivering sobbing

TWENTY FIVE! every summertime (1.08k)

TWENTY SIX! worlds worst barista. fired.

TWENTY SEVEN! cool it

© yeonjunszn. do not steal, claim, or repost.

[ashsirens]

Now that Oshi No Ko is over and the fandom is slowly starting to die down, here are three of my controversial opinions:

Aqua's ending is no surprise.

I know many were disappointed with Aqua's ending, but honestly it didn't really surprise me. I've seen a lot of revenge plots in the media, so when Aqua said he wanted to avenge Ai in episode 1, I immediately understood how this story was going to end.

Also, there were some foreshadowings in the season 1 ending and in some manga panels that showed how Aqua would end up. Of course, that doesn't mean the ending is well written, I just mean that the ending wasn't completely unexpected.

However, it remains cliché with the sadness pushed to the extreme that it is difficult to feel bad for the characters.

Kana's stans ruined her character for me.

Long story short, I knew a bit about ONK's plot before watching the anime via TikTok edits. I knew there was a love triangle and that Kana was the most popular character, but when I looked at edits about the other girls, especially Akane and Ruby's edits, there wasn't a single comment that said "Kana is better".

Then I watched season 1 and honestly her character didn't really appeal to me. Even after finishing the entire series, I never understood what was so great about her, other than the fact that her abandonment issues and insecurities were relatable.

The more I looked at the fandom, the more I felt like this Kana hype was cult-like. In fact, Kana fans on Twitter and TikTok are the biggest condescending gaslighters I've ever seen.

Always saying: "I feel like I'm the only one who likes Kana", "Kana is underrated", "She doesn't deserve all this hate", "Kana haters don't understand the story"... WHILE ABSOLUTELY NOBODY HATES KANA! On the contrary, you say a single wrong word about the best girl in ONK and you get blasted by @kanasolourfav who will write you paving stones about why you are wrong, how much he understood the story unlike you and how much Aqua loves Kana (when that is not even the subject).

This kind of behavior made me end up liking all the girls in the series except Kana. Plus, I absolutely hated how the fandom excused or even admired her despicable behavior at times.

I understand that her bitchy attitude is part of her charm, it made me laugh sometimes, but there are still times when Kana was really a bitch with a capital B for nothing.

Like that scene where she makes fun of Akane in front of the entire theater troupe. As someone who has already experienced public humiliation in front of my class, I really found that moment disgusting on Kana's part.

What I also find ironic is that Kana fans have often called Akane a pick me for imitating Ai, yet the time Kana made fun of Akane in front of everyone and bragged to Aqua that her relationship with him is special while reducing Akane's worth, is much more pick me behavior than simply imitating someone to survive on a reality show.

Because yes, today we use the term pick me to designate a woman we don't like, but the real definition of a pick me is a woman who pulls other women down so that men understand that she's better.

(if that's not pick me behavior, then I don't know what is)

In short, aside from the fact that her attitude is sometimes borderline, objectively Kana's character is interesting and relatable, but this girl really deserved a better fanbase.

In Ruby’s defense.

I know that after the reveal between Aqua and Ruby that they are Goro and Sarina, there was a massive surge of hatred for Ruby's character as she started to see Aqua in a more romantic light.

But I think many have forgotten that in her first life, Ruby died at the age of 12. Which is very young, and it is reflected in her attitude throughout the series. For example Aqua read complex books while he was still in kindergarten because he was an adult in his old life, so he has the mentality of an adult. Same thing for Ruby, need I remind you that she literally rolled around on the floor stamping her feet so that Miyako would pressure the music producer to give them a song.

Because that's what Ruby is: a child.

Also, since she was seriously ill to the point of not being able to move, her former family literally abandoned her and she found herself isolated with no one. Isolation causes great mental damage, so imagine in someone young.

With Goro being the only person who cared about her at the time, hinting that she might have a chance with him when she's 16, and promising her that he'll be her #1 supporter when she's an idol, I understand why Ruby changed her attitude when she realized that Goro was still alive through Aqua.

Ruby, in both of her lives, never grew out of childhood. Childish immaturity combined with Ai's death must not have helped her be reasonable about her feelings towards Aqua.

There's also this: a lot of people underestimated the impact Ai's death had on Ruby. Now, it's understandable because the show didn't explore Ruby's trauma as much as Aqua's, but Ruby also hadn't moved on from Ai, hence her obsession with becoming an idol. Also, Ai was the only person who gave Ruby some joy when she was lying in her hospital bed, she gave her a purpose to accomplish in life, gave her love and affection by being her daughter, she helped her surpass herself (the scene where Ai and Ruby dance together). Ruby lost all of that.

Imagine: your family abandoned you because you were sick, you died at 12 without having been able to realize your dreams, you reincarnate in the child of the idol who gave you hope when you were at your lowest but who ends up dying before your eyes, you try to find the only person who gave you affection in your life but you learned he is dead, but in fact no he is not dead he was your twin brother from the beginning, who ends up sacrificing himself to save you from your psychopathic father who wanted to kill you.

So yes it's true, we can blame Ruby for a lot of things, but I don't think she deserves so much hate, because in the end she's the one who suffered the most in this story.

[ehhh2000]

Tekken 8 - Anti Reina Mishima Stamp(Rant) Huge Tekken 8 Spoilers!

This is gonna piss off Reina fans, but just a friendly reminder..... this is my opinion. If you love her, go on a page that praises her. You won't get it here. Alright here goes.

I was playing Tekken 8 at my friend's house. It was a fun time, and the story has improved from Tekken 7 (with the bland, monotone narrator gone, thank god) and..... Tekken 6 (ugh!) but has a few flaws.

The biggest flaw which almost ruined Tekken 8 for me, was this character, called Reina Mishima.

This is without a doubt, one of the most poorly written female characters I have ever seen in my entire life.

You mean to tell me that Lucky Chloe gets shit from Tekken fans, but Reina Mishima gets a free pass? WTF? I mean I am not a fan of Lucky Chloe (ok her character design is cute, but she is abusive AF to Eddie T.T) but at least she wasn't a forced and contrived, plot device character like Reina, and is just a dumb troll character from the creator, as a middle finger to their haters that really hated her guts.

Like you think Rey from Star Wars, Disney Remake Mulan, Bella Swan, or Captain Marvel were bad?

Well, that is nothing comparred to this DeviantArt OC, Mary-Sue reject.

So Reina is the daughter of Heihachi Mishima. (Oh, so we are doing the Lars Alexandersson plot-twist, from Tekken 6 again, in 2024... aka lazy, repetitive writing for Tekken 8 when it comes to introducing new characters... got it 👍) 

My issues with her that makes her a poorly written character is that:

-She is a flawless fighter, like Disney remake's Mulan bad. I know she is suppose to have flawless fighting moves like Heihachi, but good god, this is just embarrasing.

Edit: Ok, I understand that it is a fighting game, and the Mishima's are suppose to be powerful, badass fighters, so Reina should be no exception. Fair enough. I still think she is a self-insert character because she was just thrown into the story, with no buildup or references from previous games (Same issue I had with Lars in Tekken 6 btw, he just exists to replace Jin as a MC, and they made him a Mishima to make him more relavant, instead of him just standing out on his own as a character. I don't hate Lars btw, he has a cool character design, but the hair is riduclous, and I felt indifferent towards him at first, but now I kinda see him as a potential father figure to Jin in Tekken 8.)

-She is trying too hard to be a hardcore, edgy, tomboy, cool-looking version of Asuka, so I will call her the poor man's Asuka Kazama.

-Her character design and oufit is uninspired and too modern for my liking (Black boots, black short-shorts and A black and purple hoddie, huh.... how creative... -_-) oh and short black hair and purple streaks to add to the edgy, tomboy look. (Or the Karen look as I like to call it ^^)

-She is younger than Jin Kazama, YOUNGER! Despite being Jin's aunty. Yes, you heard correctly. I think the creators wanted a self-insert character to have some sort of sex appeal, which is why they made her look younger and prettier, and show off her legs (which gives me the ick.) And her calling Jin "Senpai" didn't help either.

(I also didn't like the fact the creators made Kazumi Mishima and Jun Kazama look younger than their own sons, like what is wrong with looking a bit older, mature and graceful? I actually want to see a badass, old lady in Tekken that can fight! Kazumi felt like a missed opportunity in that sense.)

-She manages to beat the shit out of Kazuya in her ending, despite her looking like a twig. Reminding me too much of something out Inuyasha, when that abusive, unbearable, bratty, girl Kagome would do the same thing to her love interest Inuyasha, for comedy! 🙄

I will admit that Kazuya is a shitty father (Sorry fans 😭 don't kill me) at least Kazuya has flaws, he is a damaged man, blinded by hatred, rage and has an obssession with power, like it's a drug to him. A wrathful devilman, but not completely heartless, otherwise he would just be another mini Heihachi.

Reina has no flaws, no personality, no interesting backstory and is just a pathetic Jerk-Sue Character (a Mary-Sue that is a Jerk, with no consequences for her actions.)

-She is also not a good plot-twist character either, again, she just ripped off Lars' backstory, so there is no originality from her.

-And to add to the cherry on top, when it comes to her being a poorly written, fanfic-styled Mary-Sue character, she is also....... a devil! 😈 Unless if it is revealed that she is Kazumi's daughter or something, then why the hell does she have to devil gene? And she wants to be the new Heihachi, huh? Wait till she finds out that Heihachi is the OG devil hater.

Terrible twist, terrible story, and a terrible first impression of Reina. 🤬 Fuck this character!

[rrotcodfox]

possible eyestrain/flash warning

my little intro 😵😵😵😵

i hope im doing this right because im super new to tumblr and this intro is far from little…

╔═ஓ๑ ♱ ๑ஓ════╗

IM AYDEN 👽 im 16 and use he/him

really heavily into a lot of stuff right now specific things being we happy few, palworld, postal, undertale, warrior cats, eragon book series baldurs gate 3, and more i cant tbink of

lapfox trax and kmfdm are currently my biggest obsessions but i like other bands too

i would put this on the boundary list but i do NOT want any columbiner tcc freaks following me im tired of you morons giving kmfdm a bad rep.. you guys are exactly what kmfdm hates

i reclaim slurs and i do so frequently so probably dont interact if youre not good with that

fair warning i do have audhd and i am not great with people and i overshare on certain topics a lot, which can really be seen here because my intro is a mess

┊BOUNDAR/DNI LIST┊

typically i dont have any need to make a dni list because i just block people i dont like but considering the people on tumblr……… yeaaah!!

for starters, typical dni criteria, racists, bigots, homophobes, transphobes, etc

ABSOLUTELY FUCK OFF if youre apart of the tcc and/or little moronic columbine fanatic group i hate you and i wish you would all die, if youre a cat disliker/hater i will not elaborating on this, murderer sympathizers, furry haters im a furry myself i do not want to be friends with you

preferably dni if you are over 19, only talk politics, only talk about how your life sucks and nobody likes you, only talk drama

i am okay with joke flirting, sexual jokes, reclaiming slurs, offensive jokes (that is if you can say offensive jokes)

PLEASE INTERACT BG3 fans, cat lovers, NORMAL kmfdm fans, we happy few fans, people who like the prodigy, people who arent rude just to be a dick, postal fans

┊ stamps! i love stamps ┊

treating my intro like a myspace account

tumblr let me use more than 10 photos

[birf]

I need a deviantart style stamp going “my hero academia’s blue sky biggest hater”

[liliuastrawberry]

Do you find any Dashie and Wolfgirl character or ships overrated by the fandom?

✿ Does Izzy find any D&W characters/ships to be overrated?

I’m glad you asked. I don’t have any characters that I find overrated, but I do have a couple of ships. Not getting into all of them on this post though.

Let’s get into it!

✿ Milo & Lee

This ship is so gross on so many levels imo. I’m not against gay ships in the slightest. I have tons and tons of characters in queer relationships, but this one just isn’t good mainly because Milo and Lee fall into the found family troupe. The found family troupe is when a group of unrelated characters come together as their own family based on different connections and shared experiences rather than blood/relations. They see each other as brothers. BROTHERS EVERYONE!!! They are two peas in a pod. When Milo jumps in to save Lee vice versa is because that’s his brother!!! They have never viewed each other romantically. They quite literally grew up together too and it’s so obvious when you watch their interactions together. I don’t even have to site anything, JUST WATCH ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ On that note: honestly we need to save Milo and Lee because a majority of the people who like them are genuinely weird as hell and they like them for weird reasons. I have yet to hear people actually like Milo and Lee for the amazing writing, build up, and characterization. Like as stand alone characters in the series they are SO SO GOOD and they do deserve the hype that they get, however they’re getting it for the wrong reasons and I think that’s why I personally tend to stray away from them and love other characters more. (AGAIN it’s not because I don’t like them, because I do like them, however the weird jokes and over sexualization from the fandom really ruin it for longtime fans like me).

✿ Milo x Ava

This one isn’t super popular, but I see it so often that I need to comment on it because..ew. At first I was really confused as to where tf this ship came from until I started to rewatch some of Wolfie’s older videos (to gather up my evidence because I don’t just say crap without having the evidence behind it) and I came across the short film “Shadow”. In this short film we see Ava following Milo around as he tries to have conversations and finish his chores, but Ava keeps on crowding around him - not because she’s in love with him (because how dare a female character be around a male unless she’s in love with him!!!!), but because she admits towards the end of the film (time stamp: 4:41) that she really looks up to Milo and wants to be just like him when she’s older. I think it’s incredibly weird how many times people asked under that video if Milo & Ava’s hug was a kiss because not only are the events that occurred platonic, but because Ava acts and sounds significantly younger than Milo. Heck the doll herself looks so much younger too. Chloe was mentioned in that video too..Milo’s girlfriend?? Hellooooo? Why would he kiss Ava? Let’s use our brains!

✿ Milo x Kolya

One word. Ewwwwww!!

(Editors note: the fact that a lot of these are Milo is concerning lol)

✿ Bonus!! contrary to popular belief - I really like Shison!!

I’ve been seeing this ship get a loooottt of heat in the livestreams mainly because people do not understand that they are not related in the slightest, but also because Mason x Milo has become incredibly popular. Nothing against Mason x Milo, BUT SHISON ON TOP MMMKAY???

/)/)

( ᴗ͈ᆺᴗ͈ )つ━☆ ･*。

⊂ 　 ノ 　　　･°

しㅡＪ　　　°。+ * 。

I am their biggest hater and also biggest defender.

[lavelled]

frenching my athletes.

A stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom, near Sussex Road, left three little girls dead. Please don’t harm children.

Your handiwork, Henri.

Why not blaze a trail like Malcolm X, next to your bedhire wife, whom you don’t live with, and go console the mournful parents by pointing heavenward to declare pedos first and coax them to watch your bullshit interview?

An unasked-for televised event was your Oprah interview. It caused a self-made billionaire and media leader to plead, on air, to be chiseled free. It was where the wife, in scripted speech and zero cyber allowance, taught us that the Internet is the wild, wild, West and oppressive racism permeates on the corner of Lord Privilege Avenue and Barrington Court. Your new interview on online harm was that royal curriculum of sort of admitting yes you’re that leading hunched figure on the Internet posting internal messages of fenced-in childhood rape that spell disaster while your NDA-signed robot, paid to not look at media reports, feigns digital awareness concern. I’m supposed to flip the normal life lies, rat rationality, do-goodness, nope they’re pathologically evil. As if it were so easy.

You advertise Rachel’s homemaker show, for whatever reason, with a nod to rape culture so that even Martha Stewart equals a bowl of soup or starter course to you. You need to stop borrowing Martha’s domestic businesswoman identity. The Executive Summit doesn’t exist. You use repurposed photos to mislead the public. Hamptons is “mattress�� and “stamped” and “knotted” toward an unconsenting girl. Your partnered lies result in self-harm and tragedy, but do continue.

Because we’re all so rapt, hemorrhaging sympathy for a life-stealing prince with access to media. One person not buying your shit is model and author, Stephanie Adams, who jumped to her death in NYC on the eve of your vanity wedding. She was holding her young son at the time.

A 2005 AP Archive birthday promotional video: Prince Harry Celebrates 21st Birthday On Thursday. 45 seconds—amidst a prairie grassland barns & noble—you talk of a roll in the hay. Your words: “Probably do something crude. Nothing worth mentioning on camera. We’ve celebrated other guys’ birthdays so far with cards, but, luckily, I think we finish exercise, so we may tuck into a beer or two if we’re lucky.” You’re Charlie demanding, in opposite Irish pro-bono terms, that you’re owed a girl after burying her into the earth. The old brooms that lean on green windows? You are trying to claim first cousin anatomical property in rape-like fashion.

In Xtinction, we’ve lifted digital camouflaging on Archillect, Murat Pak, Elon Musk, Piers Morgan, Spencer Morgan and Bill Ackman. You’re the main Twitterer for miles around. You controlled former President Trump’s page upon a time where you etched the garish: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” At 12:06 a.m. A morsel of non-words welded together for Tom.

Another endeavor of yours was tweeting insult-laden mapwork about Haters and Losers.

Loser is the world’s biggest action star who performs his own mountainside and flying stunts.

Hate means implicit cruelty and other trappings, but mostly girl-owner (philanthropist). You rearrange letters in Cheat. In 2003, you tried to play victim by pointing a finger or foot at an uncle jailer, wearing painted artistic bloodstains. Though, you’ve been presiding judge. Google: Prince Won’t Face 2nd Probe on Cheating Claims—NBC News.

Hate means 8. You linked, chained, harnessed, handcuffed my star cult. No small matter, it’s just the cult is being killed off by your wife and family. Evan Wright, Rolling Stone reporter and author of Generation Kill, which was a tv series. Suicide. Gun to the head. July 12, 2024. British fashion designer, Alexander McQueen. Suicide. February 11, 2010. Green Street, London.

You tweeted this gleaming passage: “I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11.” That’s one way to use the World Trade Center inferno to tell America, the military, all humanity of your 911 policing job.

Smart.

K

[lightat25ji]

Even before I downloaded the game I always thought Ena was super pretty. But when I downloaded, I got to play it myself, got to see her myself. The first time that I was reading her dialogue, oh my god. I would just press the screen and as the dialogue changed, she would make another cute face, and another, and another. And when I first saw her smile. It was truly a magical moment. Then I read the story. I read all of the Nightcord main story. I watched her self intro. All of her first and second side stories on the Ena cards I own. All the event stories with Ena in it. I know all of the Ena lore. No one knows Ena Shinonome from Project Sekai more than me.

Whenever I play Nightcord at 25:00 songs, and I hear Ena’s voice in the song, I lose my shit. How can one have such an angelic and mesmerizing voice? Then I see her dancing. Oh my lord. Every day I wake up and think about Ena Shinonome. I think of that how she was born on April 30th, how she is 158 centimeters tall and how she wears a choker in one of her outfits. When I wake up and open Project Sekai I first go to her profile and admire her beauty. Her beautiful brown hair and eyes. Every day I think of how unfairly everyone treats Ena. I just want to kill her shitass dad. Like man why don’t you put your bulldog face away and treat your daughter with some respect like she deserves. He does not deserve to share a blood bond with Ena. She is absolutely so talented and you have no right to say otherwise because you are a dumbass. Same with Akito. God I just hate Akito Shinonome. I wish to never see his face in my life again. I wish to never hear his voice. I wish for him to be deleted from Project Sekai. He is truly a nuisance to everyone around him, especially Ena and the other members of Vivid Bad Squad. That mf does not deserve to be in the same group as An. An is a goddess. Anyway this is about Ena let’s continue. Another person that does not deserve Ena at all is Mafuyu. Bro you get to sing with Ena Shinonome and talk to her everyday but you are still depressed? Man I would be the happiest person on earth. Yet you still show no emotions with ur brocken ass and tell Ena that her drawings are just “ok” like please shut up nobody likes you. Ena is an amazing artist and I am so proud of her. Her personality is amazing as well. I absolutely love how she can be a softie sometimes, especially towards Mizuki (#mizuenacanon). If she was real I would make thousands of alt accounts just to follow her social media account. I love you Enanan. I wish you could know how happy you make me. I will pull all of her 4 star cards, just you watch. I love Ena Shinonome with all the love I have in my body. She is all I need. Only I deserve to have all her cards. I will buy all her stamps (I only have a few left), and all her covers (almost none left right now). Ena was my favorite Project Sekai character before I started playing Project Sekai, she was my favorite when I first downloaded Project Sekai, she was my favorite when I first played Project Sekai, she was my favorite when I had the game for a month, and today is my 2nd month anniversary of playing Project Sekai and she is still my favorite character in the game. I have never betrayed Ena, she was always my fav Project Sekai character. There is no greater Project Sekai character like Ena Shinonome. I live Ena Shinonome, I breathe Ena Shinonome, I am Ena Shinonome. Be a true Ena fan and then tell me you are an Ena fan. I am the only one who’s worth of Ena Shinonome. No one else deserves her as much as I do. I will protect her with all my love and energy always. I will always doxx Ena haters. I am here for you Ena. I will not let anyone hate you. I am the biggest Ena Shinonome fan. If there are 10 Ena Shinonome fans in the world, I am one of them. If there are 5 Ena Shinonome fans left, I am still one of them. If there is 1 Ena Shinonome fan left in the world, I am still one of them, that one person IS me. And if there are 0 Ena Shinonome fans left in the world, I am dead. (copypasta)

[midnightmisadventures]

Ugh guys I regret to inform you I've had more fuck ass drsms

I've never felt haters this bad in my subconscious before

First that one copy cat stereotypical karmic bitch

Now, we were at some school prom. We had our luggage and was on our way to a hair appt. Just passing through. When we got there our luggage had to go through a sort of "coat check."

They stamped our hand a gave a wristband corresponding to our stuff

So we saw the prom, we saw the festivities but it wasn't over when we realized we were gonna be late if we didn't leave

So we go to the desk to get our stuff, we trade in our wristbands and the woman out the counter immediately starting acting weird towards us

And was basically like "uh no, I just realized I don't really recognize you guys, yea you're not getting your stuff"

And she started making me go through all these tests. Like smiling and she'd be like "yea just doesn't seem sincere, NEXT"

And I was becoming livid. Like she started being the biggest bitch arguing with us. And she was just like I'm starting to think you didn't even go here.

And at first I was trying to hide that fact cause they didn't question us on the way in. But she was being difficult so I was like fuck it.

I started yelling that you can't just take our stuff, and decide you don't want to give it back that's illegal there's laws against it. You didn't inform us that we had to be alumni when you TOOK our stuff. Which you REQUIRED

I was fronting on all the law terms, but I'd figured it was right.

[titsuya]

CONGRATS ON 800 SAR, i'll give u two things:

first a kiss (obviously the best one >:c)

and.. wholesome suna headcanons <3!!!

- suna asks u to shave ur kitty meow meow because he says it bothers him

- suna doesn't clean between his ass cheeks in the shower because he thinks that men should be dirty

- suna eats his boogers

- suna has dirty toenails and bites them clean

- suna definetly collects your shaved leg/arm/tummy/face/pussy hairs and keeps them in bags as memoirs

hope this made your day bestie! love you loads <333

i swear, joy, ur about to get blocked

[dipulb3]

It's 53% alcohol and tastes like fire. Here's how this liquor brand took over China

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/its-53-alcohol-and-tastes-like-fire-heres-how-this-liquor-brand-took-over-china/

It's 53% alcohol and tastes like fire. Here's how this liquor brand took over China

At 1,498 yuan, or $209 for a half-liter bottle, it might not sound like the kind of bargain Costco shoppers usually go for — but in this case, it absolutely was. That price represented a steep discount over Moutai sold elsewhere — that is, if you could get your hands on it. The luxury spirit is so beloved in China, it sold out quickly.

“Anytime they have any stock [of the product] available, it’s going to be gone almost instantly,” said Ben Cavender, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. “You’ll see people clamoring [for it].”

Apart from the Chinese diaspora, however, Moutai is still virtually unknown overseas. Almost all — about 97% — of its sales come from China alone, according to its financial reports.

So how is a company that sells its products primarily in just one country now worth more than some longstanding global behemoths? And can Kweichow Moutai, which is described by some Westerners as “drinking liquid razor blades,” succeed in appealing to non-Chinese consumers?

From historic icon to status symbol

Moutai has one unmistakable advantage: the drink is China’s national spirit.

Moutai baijiu — the type of liquor the company makes — is a clear, potent spirit that’s been dubbed “firewater,” thanks to the fact that it’s 53% alcohol. The red-and-white bottles of its flagship product, “Feitian,” or “Flying Fairy,” are a staple at Chinese state banquets and business events.

Known as the favorite tipple of Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, and as the “drink of diplomacy,” it was famously used to welcome former US President Richard Nixon on his historic trip to China in 1972, and again in 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, in California.

Once, at a state dinner in 1974, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Deng Xiaoping, the future Chinese leader: “I think if we drink enough Moutai, we can solve anything.”

“Then, when I go back to China, we must take steps to increase our production of it,” Deng responded, according to an archived US government transcript.

Being part of so many major public events in China “really set the brand in the national consciousness,” said Cavender, who likened it to another giant beverage maker, Coca-Cola, in that regard.

“That’s the same reason why Coke has actually done so well from a marketing perspective. If you look at the way they’ve done their advertising over the past 50 years, they’re at pretty much every big event. You see Coke at when the Berlin Wall comes down. You see Coke commercials at Christmas. I think Moutai is that brand for China, and so I think that part explains why it’s so popular.”

A Moutai representative declined requests to be interviewed for this story.

Some say the story goes back even further in Communist Party lore. During the Red Army’s “Long March” in China in the 1930s, soldiers used to pour Moutai on their feet to help disinfect wounds, Chinese state media has reported, citing a former army lieutenant general.

Legend has it that members of the Red Army even used to turn to the drink to knock themselves out before surgery, said Hao Hong, head of research at BOCOM International, the securities arm of China’s Bank of Communications.

“It’s a story [that goes around],” he said. “They didn’t have anesthesia. So they had to use Moutai as a drug to numb [people] from surgery.”

Today, the brand is seen more as a luxury status symbol than for its “Red” roots. Some customers buy it not to drink, but to keep as investments. Limited-edition cases are collected and showcased by international auction houses, like Christie’s, which says that some bottles can fetch more than $40,000 each.

Moutai has found a way to be “approachable for a lot of regular consumers, at least for special occasions,” while at the same time also offering collectors’ items that reach the ultra-rich, said Cavender.

“That’s something that makes Moutai, I think, different, from a lot of the international beverage brands,” he said.

It’s also been a tremendous advantage during an economically tough year: wealthy consumers who are spending less on travel may splurge more on liquor, Cavender added.

A meteoric rise

Moutai has long been seen as one of China’s blue-chip stocks. In 2017, it became the world’s biggest liquor maker by market value, surpassing Diageo (DEO), the British owner of Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Tanqueray.

In 2019, Moutai also became the first Chinese company since 2005 to see its share price hit 1,000 yuan (about $145), notching another market record. And last year, it became the most valuable non-tech company in China. (Alibaba and Tencent, the country’s top two tech giants, are valued higher, with their shares listed in New York and Hong Kong respectively.)

In 2020, Moutai’s shares soared 69% to record highs.

Hong said that he believed there was no major impetus for the rally last year; just that “most people are gradually realizing the ability of this company to be able to generate strong cash flow and no debt.”

“It’s like a badge of honor for value investing,” he added. “People love the stock — because year after year, it just continues to deliver.”

Xian Li, a 66-year-old retiree in Shanghai, is one of those people. He’s invested in Moutai since 2004, just three years after it went public.

Li said he was excited to buy in because it was clear from the beginning that the company was “financially healthy,” and able to reward shareholders with a generous dividend.

Since then, he’s invested more than 136,000 yuan (about $21,000) into the stock. The payoff has been huge: a few years ago, he made enough to put his son through university.

“The dividend [alone] each year could cover my daily expenses,” said Li, who plans to hold onto the stock indefinitely. “It’s also going to help me to afford medical bills and nursing home expenses.”

Not everyone is so bullish. Allen Cheng, an equity analyst at Morningstar, made headlines in 2019 when he downgraded his rating on Moutai’s stock to sell.

Cheng, who has since maintained that position, argues that the company’s prospects are overblown, and that “the market has already reflected all the positives of the past 10 years.”

“Being the only hater is really difficult for me,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s a bubble here.”

Authorities, too, have warned investors of a potential stock bubble. In 2017, Moutai suffered a huge selloff — wiping $7.8 billion off its market cap in one day — after state-run news agency Xinhua, which often conveys the Communist leadership’s sentiment, urged investors to take a more “rational view” of the company.

“It’s important for Kweichow Moutai … to stick to its slow pace,” Xinhua said in an editorial. “Pulling up a plant to make it grow inevitably leads to unbearable pain. Short-sighted speculation will cause tremendous damage to the value of investment.”

The move was not uncommon. Beijing frequently tries to sway investors through state media, such as last summer, when a government-run publication encouraged people to buy into stocks.

That could have a domino effect, particularly because mainland Chinese stock markets are dominated by retail investors. According to a 2020 survey by the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation, almost all investors there — 99% — were individuals.

The making of Moutai

One of Moutai’s biggest advantages is its ability to keep the price of its product high. It claims to have limited capacity since it can only produce its drinks in one place.

Similar to champagne — which comes from the eponymous region in France — Kweichow Moutai is named after Maotai, a picturesque small town in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou. (The company’s name is based on an old romanization of the town’s Chinese name.) Like champagne, the drink can only be called Moutai if it’s produced in that specific location.

This is where the company says its baijiu — distilled from fermented sorghum and rice — gets the magic touch.

Environmental factors, such as the town’s climate and seasonal changes in the water of the local river, help give the liquor its unique taste and is “beneficial to the production process,” according to the Moutai Museum.

Inside the town, Moutai’s impact on the economy is deeply felt.

As of 2019, Maotai was the richest town in western China, according to disposable income statistics from the municipal government of Renhuai, in Guizhou province. (Guizhou is among the country’s poorest regions.)

That would never have happened if it weren’t for the beverage giant, said Qi Wang, a local resident.

“Kweichow Moutai is the leader of Maotai,” he said, adding that the company’s boom helped encourage him to open his own liquor factory. “It influences all aspects of the town’s development.”

Its close ties with the government don’t always guarantee protection, though.

In 2013, sales slumped when President Xi embarked on an anti-corruption drive, leading the government to stamp out any sign of “extravagance” among officials, including of expensive liquor.

The campaign led to “unprecedented pressure” on the alcohol industry, Moutai noted in an earnings report.

Sales still grew that year, but only around 17%, compared to 44% the previous year. In 2014, that number plunged to about 2%.

The firm has since bounced back — though it now faces other problems. In recent years, it’s been dogged by numerous corruption scandals, which has led to the ouster of several top executives, according to state media.

Other major firms have faced similar pressure. China regularly investigates powerful executives for corruption — while using the findings to send a warning to others. This month, a Chinese court sentenced Lai Xiaomin, the former chief of a top, state-owned financial firm, to death for bribery.

Is China enough?

Moutai has an outsize reliance on the Chinese market.

To be sure, the company has tried to push overseas, notably by starting a “fan club” in the United States, traveling to Africa to woo new business partners and teaming up with foreign players, such as Italy’s Inter Milan soccer club.

But for the most part, it’s had little to show for it. In 2019, almost 97% of sales still came from China.

Last March, the company launched a social media campaign called “stay at home with Moutai,” which encouraged users around the world to try new recipes during lockdown. One Instagram and Twitter post, for instance, suggested mixing the drink into a “sunset cocktail,” while another offered instructions for a noodle dish that could pair with the liquor.

The campaign demonstrated an effort to stay connected with international consumers, even during the pandemic. But analysts have pointed to other challenges ahead.

Moutai needs to do more to diversify, according to Spiros Malandrakis, industry manager of alcoholic drinks at Euromonitor International. “It needs to have started yesterday,” he said. “International spirits always start local, like baijiu, but they become international. That’s the key. That’s how you take over the world. That’s how you become sustainably big.”

Malandrakis pointed to Mexican tequila, Russian vodka and American bourbon as examples. None of those “would have survived” if they didn’t go global, he added.

The process, of course, doesn’t happen overnight.

William Dong, managing director of Evershine Australia, which distributes Moutai in Australia, New Zealand and Italy, said that many people still need to be educated about what baijiu even is.

“We have distributed the product into basically everywhere that we could,” he said in an interview from Sydney.

At the end of the day, most customers are still Chinese, he added. “I would say probably 80%.”

It doesn’t help that the drink is an acquired taste. Some people eschew Moutai’s strong kick, while others label it “firewater.”

“[Some] Westerners find it, and I quote, ‘kind of like drinking liquid razor blades,'” said Malandrakis.

An even bigger threat, however, may be generational and gender gaps within China. Currently, the core demographic for baijiu is 40 to 60-year-old men, according to Malandrakis.

“The next generation of drinkers does not particularly want to do exactly what their father’s generation did,” he explained. “It’s not great for the future, if you don’t start having new people coming in.”

Malandrakis compared it to sherry, which was loved for centuries but later fell out of popularity as it “became synonymous with consumption of older populations.”

Not everyone is so worried. Even with its weak international position, Moutai’s baijiu was the world’s best-selling liquor in 2019, according to Euromonitor.

“The Chinese market is so big, and it’s continuing to become more wealthy,” said Cavender. He also noted a recent swell in local pride, which could draw more domestic consumers in.

For all its challenges, even critics admit the company’s dominance is nowhere near diminishing.

“The brand — and the heritage that the brand has — it’s really impossible to replicate that,” Cavender said. “Somebody can’t set up a new venture tomorrow and do what they can do. It’s not sort of possible to go back in time and get Mao Zedong to be interested in your drink. It’s not possible to sort of be located in the town where they make their products. So I think they have a strong built-in story that allows them to flourish.”

Appradab’s Beijing bureau and Serenitie Wang contributed to this report.

[xenotoppdogg]

introduction into topp dogg

debuted October 22, 2013 under Stardom Ent. with 13 members the members are sorted among 4 “Kingdoms” Wizard Kingdom: Dance Line “display different genres and colors” Dragon Kingdom: “we’re exotic and have strong personalities” -PGoon “they're both scary like dragons” -Kidoh Lion Kingdom: have a “strong, dependable, carefree image” -Yano Knight Kingdom: have “an upright image” -ATom their company merged with Hunus Ent in July 2015 currently in 2017 they have 4 former members fandom name ToppKlass important videos that every topp klass should watch: Dogg on Topp Topp Dogg Project Topp Dogg All Kill Topp Dogg Pepero Game

okay now lets get into our 9 current members (we’ll go in age order since the leader is the oldest)

Park Sehyuk (PGoon) 10.18.1991

Dragon Kingdom Leader, Vocalist former YG trainee former back up dancer for Evol miss my queens speaks Japanese DJs while topp dogg is on hiatus ABS “Einstein sunbaenim” hates pepero (pocky) and ramen Jenissi: my dream was to become an Italian Chef PGoon: that would've been a mistake almost threw up eating Jenissi and Hojoon’s pasta kept stealing chips from BJoo, Yano and ATom’s team while they cooked his sister is Say from Bulldok

Jeon Hojoon (Hojoon) 10.31.1992

Wizard Kingdom Lead Singer, Lead Dancer former Brave Ent trainee former back up dancer for Evol thought ring ding dong was Nintendo has won several dance competitions he is a fashionista sometimes the members call him Harry Potter because of his round glasses Xero once called him “our four eyed hyung” fought BJoo and ATom with a crutch kissed Sangdo during the pepero game never forget this

Yu Sangdo (Sangdo) 03.02.1993

Dragon Kingdom Main Vocal voted by the members as the most handsome with a bareface cleanest out of the group sponsors a lil girl from Myanmar his Instagram is amazing AESTHETIC had dreads for their debut it was as awful as you think got bribed by Gohn to be quiet with chocolate kissed Hojoon during the pepero game tried to hide the kiss with an umbrella but .5cm of pocky speaks for itself attacked Nakta because he wanted to sleep with doldol honey vocals when topp dogg’s teasers came out for debut people really thought he was gonna be a rapper lmaooooooo but to be far he had dreads and was tan af and looked hard af so I guess I understand no longer lives in the topp dogg dorm

Shin Yooncheol (Nakta) 04.24.1993

Knight Kingdom Vocalist former Jellyfish trainee almost debuted with VIXX his stage name means “camel” in Korean he chose it because he says he looks like a camel tbh he can do a great impression of a camel lmao Hansol wants to fight but in reality they are bffs really loves frogs is a great producer tol (184cm~6’) no longer lives in the topp dogg dorm doldol’s guardian angel/father protects doldol from the other members specifically sangdo and gohn “In Nakta’s heart, there is only Doldol”

Kim Hansol (Hansol) 06.15.1993

this is my bias forgive me if its long lmao Wizard Kingdom Main Dancer, Vocalist, Face of the Group former JYP trainee former back up dancer for Evol loves voguing check out scissorhands p1&2 smol (172cm~5’8” at most) luvs/h8s BJoo&Nakta hates when people ship him with people esp. other members so pls don’t do it but he still likes to show a lot of skinship to his friends and members came out as asexual in August 2017 did a makeup tutorial on periscope outed BJoo for having to poop during a periscope lmao has a butterfly tramp stamp don’t ask idk may have gotten another tattoo but never confirmed or said what it was he just posted a pic hinting at he might have gotten another one really likes butterflies prob explains the tramp stamp calls his fans his butterflies has supported the LGBT+ community even before he came out and has always seemed sensitive to what might possibly offend any of his fans cried once bc he had to ask girls on the street to take a pic and they kept rejecting him

Kim Byungjoo (BJoo) 01.08.1994

Wizard Kingdom Lead Dancer, Vocalist former back up dancer for Evol voted as the member that is most popular with younger girls has a tattoo above his right elbow that says “Bounce” always screaming WAOOOOW (p1&2) thought the capital of Greece was Rome ABS Xero, Hojoon and ATom put clear tape at the foot of the door to the room BJoo was changing and singing in and then yelled that they we’re going to the convenience store so BJoo came running out and fuckin fell on his knee and almost died lmao kept telling Hojoon and ATom to shoot him with their crutch and hairdryer and then almost fought ATom when he turned o the hairdryer to “shoot” him and it was on the hot setting near his crotch lmao his last wish before being “shot” was to see his mother and “pls don’t shoot me” to which he followed with “SHOOT ME NOW” this all happened within like five minutes literally a mess

Shin Jiho (Xero) 02.03.1994

Wizard Kingdom Main Dancer, Rapper, Vocalist, Visual his stage name is Xero because he said 0 is before 1 batman’s biggest fanboy also thought the capital of Greece was Rome the other members tend to say he’s the dumbest/slowest member lmao in topp dogg project the host said his stage name was xero bc he had nothing in his head literally a model annoyed members with a rubber chicken wore cow pajamas, called himself sexy and then started singing Lee Hyori’s “10 Minutes” because in Korean “cow” sounds like “just”

Kim Sanggyun (ATom) 05.23.1995

Knight Kingdom Rapper, Vocalist, Dancer former BigHit Trainee former back up dancer for Evol not in Wizard Kingdom but should be tbh EXTRA full of himself (in a good way) chose himself amongst the members as closest to his ideal type, the member he admires the most, quickest to have their first kiss, the member who looks the best naked, most popular with older women and younger girls lmaoo in p101s2 he voted himself as most handsome are we really surprised? went on hiatus from topp dogg to participate in p101s2- his performances: SHINee’s Replay, Who You? Rap Eval, Showtime  made it into the top35 he was eliminated at rank 26 only 6 ranks away from making it into the finale became close friends with the MMO trainees on the show, especially WANNA-ONE’s Jisung and Daniel he will be debuting with the second project group coming from p101s2, JBJ, in Sept. 2017 hates pocky fought BJoo and Hojoon with a hairdryer got a Brazilian wax and liked it kinky bastard

Seo Sangwon (Yano) 09.27.1995

Lion Kingdom Main Rapper, Vocalist, Maknae he’s the last one in the Lion Kingdom his stage name is supposed to sound like “you know?” before topp dogg his stage name was “Swaggy Snoopy” i’m so grateful he didn’t stick with that is close to Hyuk from VIXX is the best at speaking English amongst the group no longer lives in the topp dogg dorm participated in SMTM4 got a Brazilian and almost died easily hurt by criticism ABS “fuck money, fuckin haters, fuck my label value” got attacked kissed by Gohn during pepero game literally wore a shirt that said “comme des fuckdown” during it lmaoo

okay those are all the current members so I'll just give a brief overview of the 4 past members

Jenissi (2013-2016)

Lion Kingdom Rapper read the “Warrior” series literally a book series about feral cat clans fighting I read them when I was like 7/8 BRNRNR PRSTR can’t hold chopsticks currently a solo artist

Kidoh (2013-2015)

the one being fed by BTS’ Jin Knight Kingdom Rapper former BigHit trainee was supposed to debut with BTS is close friends with BTS’ Jin currently a solo artist

Gohn (2013-2015)

Lion Kingdom Main Vocal After leaving topp dogg he went to serve his mandatory military service Recently got back on Instagram His service should be ending soon but I do believe he’s still in it but idk tbh he’s just posting pics in uniform so take this with a grain of salt lmao When his service is over he wishes to become a solo artist

Seogoong (2013-2015)

Lion Kingdom Main Vocal Originally left topp dogg to be in their sub group under dogg but when Stardom merged with Hunus under dogg disbanded Currently a solo artist with a new stage name (I’M)

thats it for my introduction into topp dogg’s members pls love and support them in the years to come :)))

[dontshootmespence]

Becoming Real: Defy Expectations

In this installment of Becoming Real, toward Diana’s final months in high school, she has a plan to convince her fathers to let her dye her hair, but does she really need a plan? @coveofmemories @the-slytherin-ice-queen @cosmicjennifer @mxolh Look below for how I picture her hair. :D

                                                              ----

For months, Diana had had a picture on her phone of what she wanted her hair to look like. She saw a picture of a girl that looked a lot like her with absolutely gorgeous green, purple and blue hair. It was all waved throughout her entire head of hair and it was positively amazing. Since then, she’d been obsessed.

In the years since her fathers grew up, having crazy-colored hair wasn’t so unusual, but there were still people who looked down on those with wild hair. It was fucking stupid. Diana was a certified genius. Just like her Daddy. Her hair color did nothing to lessen that. It was only about a month earlier that she’d turned 15, so she wasn’t sure if her fathers were going to let her dye it, but she was obsessed, so she had to try.

When she walked in the front door, she made sure she had her entire speech planned. She’d earned this. She was going to college. She made great decisions and was grown up enough to make this decision; it was nothing in comparison to deciding on Georgetown and she’d already done that. It was her hair anyway. All of it was floating around in her head. “How was school, baby?” Luke asked. Spencer would be home soon, but he was the one working later today. Maybe she should wait until they both got home. Screw it. She was too excited and nervous. 

“School was pretty boring,” she laughed. “I can’t wait to start at Georgetown. I need more challenging classes.”

Luke chuckled. “Just like your Daddy,” he laughed. “I don’t understand, but I can’t wait for you to start either. If we haven’t said it enough, we are amazingly proud of you.”

She smiled warmly. Nearly every day they told her how proud they were of her. But she never got tired of hearing it. “Thank you, Dad. Ummm...I have a question for you.”

“What is that look?” he asked. Diana had her arms tucked behind her back and she was shifting back and forth.

Before he could get a word in edgewise, Diana launched into lengthy exposition about her hair. “See this picture, right here,” she started, bringing out her phone and showing her Dad the picture she’d been coveting for so many months. “It’s this amazing mermaid hair. I really wanna do it on my own hair. Like, I know it’s crazy colors and there are still people that make this dumb connection that your hair and your intelligence are somehow linked, but I don’t care. I want cool hair and I wanna be a doctor, so can I please, please, please get my hair dyed?” She clasped her hands in front of her face and hopped up and down. “PUH-LEASE!”

Snorting, Luke brought his arm up around Diana’s neck and brought her in for a hug. “You had that whole thing planned, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “Can I please?”

“I have to ask Daddy if he’s okay with it too, but I don’t see why he would care.”

Diana hopped up and down excitedly, waiting patiently for her Daddy to get home so that he could confirm. While she waited, she started her homework and texted Emma, saying she was most likely going to get awesome, cool hair soon. The second Spencer walked in the door, Diana ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug she’d probably given in recent memory. “What do you want?” Spencer laughed. “I can tell when you want something.”

“I wanna dye my hair,” she said quickly, pulling out the phone yet again to show him the picture. “Like this. I know I’m a little young, but I really wanna dye it. And look at the time stamp. I’ve been thinking about this for months, so it’s not an impulsive decision. Dad said he didn’t mind, but he wanted to check with you first. So can I please-y, please, please dye my hair?”

Spencer kissed her forehead and laughed - the exuberance on her face was contagious. “Yes,” he said. “It’s going to cost a lot, but considering you got a full-ride to Georgetown, I think Dad and I can swing for the hair.”

“Yes!” she screamed. “I’m going to be an awesome, purple, blue and green haired doctor!”

Spencer laughed. When he and Luke were younger, people, and specifically employers, had a much bigger issue with someone’s hair being dyed, as if somehow that made a damn difference when it came to competence. It had lessened in the years since their daughter had grown up, but there were still those that held faulty assumptions. But they had no issues with it. “Yes you are. You’ll do what you always do, prove the haters wrong and defy expectation. When do you want to get it done?”

“It’s going to take a few trips to get the color out of my hair so the craziness can be put in, but can I start this weekend?”

With a nod of their heads, Diana started running around the house again. It reminded them of when she was a kid, running around with Thumper in hand. 

                                                             ----

Nearly two weeks later, Diana had been to the salon quite a few times, and today was the day the color went in. Her stylist had turned her around while she blew out her hair, so she hadn’t seen it yet. When she turned Diana around, Diana almost cried. “It’s so amazing!” She combed her hands through her hair and gave her stylist a hug before paying with a credit card given to her by her fathers for occasions such as this.

When she walked in the door, her father’s mouths dropped. “You look gorgeous, Di,” Spencer said as he played with her hair. 

Luke came out from the bathroom and exclaimed. “Our very own mermaid!

At 15, she was no longer their little princess, but their beautiful, badass, mermaid queen.

[coin-river-blog]

Image: Twitter/Justin Sun

By CCN.com: Tron founder Justin Sun is out to prove that crypto is not a scam ― despite hyperbolic emotional protestations by haters that it is.

To this end, Sun hired a former SEC employee to be the first compliance director for Tron, a blockchain platform for supporting smart contracts and high throughput.

Sun believes that tailored regulation will promote the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies by stamping out con artists.

Justin Sun: I Fully Embrace Regulation

“We’re ready to fully embrace regulation here,” Sun told VentureBeat. “We’ve just hired our first head of compliance, who previously worked for the SEC for almost eight years.”

We want to make sure we’re fully regulated in not only the United States, but also China, Korea, and Japan in the future.

Blockchain is like a new operating system. We believe the world will need to embrace the blockchain. And we’re very optimistic about how it will be regulated.

The SEC, I think, also sees the blockchain as a good opportunity for innovation in the United States. I’m hoping that this year the SEC will license and regulate coin-based exchanges. This year will be the year of full regulation.

Sun made the remarks at the NiTron Summit in San Francisco on January 18. At the conference, Sun shared the stage with NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, where the two discussed the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Justin tweeted an amusing photo of himself with the retired NBA superstar holding a Tron mascot wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey.

It was amazing to talk about our shared values. Let’s continue to wake up every day doing the things we love! @kobebryant #TRON #MambaMentality pic.twitter.com/WI6m6OvkeK

— Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) January 19, 2019

Justin Sun is only 28-years-old, but his ambitions are huge. He really wants blockchain and crypto to go mainstream.

One of the ways he hopes to do this is by launching the BitTorrent Token (BTT) on the Binance Launchpad. BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol that boasts 100 million users in 138 countries. Sun acquired BitTorrent for $126 million in July 2018.

The BitTorrent Token is a cryptocurrency linked to the BitTorrent file-sharing platform.

Former Exec Torches BitTorrent

BitTorrent was recently rocked by unflattering allegations from a former Tron executive, who trashed the project.

Two weeks ago, former chief strategy officer Simon Morris said there’s “no way” the Tron blockchain can handle BitTorrent’s high rate of transactions. On Reddit, Morris was dismissed as a disgruntled, incompetent former employee.

But that’s not the biggest scandal that Tron has suffered. In June 2018, CCN broke the news that Tron had plagiarized code from Ethereum and other projects and changed the file names to make it hard to identify the source of the code.

Sun has called the plagiarism scandal a “misunderstanding.”

Exclusive: Researchers Allege Tron Plagiarized Code from other Crypto Projects https://t.co/0ASaJic1ZK

— CCN.com (@CryptoCoinsNews) June 21, 2018

Meanwhile, Sun brushed off these setbacks and is charging ahead because he believes 2019 will be a watershed year for the crypto industry. Specifically, he believes that video games will help bring blockchain into the mainstream and decentralize the Internet.

“The first application of the blockchain is for games,” Sun told VentureBeat. “Most people don’t know that.”

They’ve even said that blockchain doesn’t have any use for games. But if you look at the Tron blockchain, games are tremendous there.

We have three to five application uploads into the Tron network every day. That’s why I was talking about 2,000 apps this year in my speech. We see massive adoption.”

Sun: Games on Tron Give Control to Players

Sun says most of the blockchain games on the Tron network are democratized because they give rights back to the players.

“You can own your own custom characters,” Sun explains. “You can sell those custom characters to other players, or trade with each other. Meanwhile, developers feel inspiration because they can control their own games.”

In contrast, Sun says if you publish your video game on Android or iOS, it’s controlled by Google or Apple.

“They take their cut and they control your publishing,” Sun noted. “They can delete your game if they want to. But for Tron right now, you can build your traffic volumes and you don’t have to pay a middleman to distribute your game.”

[ghostcultmagazine]

Metallica's Death Magnetic Was Released Ten Years Ago

Being the biggest band the world has ever seen, both in the mind of fans and in terms of success is not all wine and roses. Metallica has taken their fair share of hits in the career from the fans and press at times, casting a fair but unflattering light. One such case is Death Magnetic (Warner/Vertigo), released ten years ago today, on September 12th, 2008. Although the album was considered a return to form musically after St. Anger, production issues sent diehards and haters alike into fits over the sound quality.

For most people, the only way forward was up from the middling St. Anger. The band defiantly invested the time and went back to the wheelhouse to write more straight ahead thrash and classic heavy metal songs such as 'Cyanide'. That old Metallica crunch was there: uptempo songs with killer riffs and even guitar solos made a comeback, which pleased Kirk Hammett. A throwback to Master of Puppets and And Justice For All..., with less technical polish and shine. Lyrically, the album was really relatable and mature too. James famously remarked that the album title and some song themes were inspired by the loss of their friend and peer, Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. Death Magnetic, at least the title, to me started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there, thinking about death… some people are drawn towards it, and just like a magnet, and other people are afraid of it and push. Also, the concept that we're all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it's the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point. Produced with Rick Rubin, but really produced by the band, the album is chock full of rad songs from the opener 'That Was Just Your Life', 'The End of the Line', 'Broken, Beat and Scarred', 'All Nightmare Long', and 'My Apocalypse' (apologies to Arch Enemy fans) are thrash jams that all hold up well. The huge single 'The Day That Never Comes' had some old-school Metalli-prog moments, especially the ending. This song had a video that was in heavy rotation on MTV in 2008! Crazy. Naturally, a lot of fans flocked to 'The Unforgiven III' and rightly so. There is even an instrumental track, 'Suicide and Redemption' that is still solid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkNfNR1WYMY

James Hetfield's voice and riffs carry the album, as he has done in this era of Metallica.  This album marked the writing and recording debut of Robert Trujillo who has put his stamp on the band since joining. Lars Ulrich plays tight and solid on this album, and the snare sound is pretty good. Solid playing from the rest of the band helps push this in the “B+ grade” level, for the most part, not a classic, but an excellent album musically. Of course the now famous terrible mix job and all the clipping, from trying to “out-loud” other albums of this time proved that the band was still a little to trend-conscious, as they were with the previous album. Too bad since Greg Fidelman has become an excellent producer and mixer in his own right since then. If you can get past this (audiophiles and haters won't be able to) this album is great on repeat and still has a song or two in the setlist live, ten years on. KEITH CHACHKES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptU5ZKAwLxk&list=OLAK5uy_lAvqENl1Gf5HNwe9WllQwpHRdc_OcxjKk&index=1 https://open.spotify.com/album/0lf5ceMub7KQhLfGxCdM06 Read the full article