#subscribe to viki everyone

[lydiaisgrumpy]

Netflix has now officially cancelled every single one of their original shows I started watching. Every single one of them on a fan-baiting cliffhanger. One can take this kind of abuse for only so long. My subscription is now cancelled too.

[absolutebl]

BL Streaming - Which Service is Worth Your Money?

I’m bored and I have a little extra time this morning so it’s time for ABL to play with the spreadsheet of doom. 

Occasionally I get the question: 

If I were to subscribe to only one platform for BL which should I pick? 

This post is dated May 2023. 

First things first. I am going to be (somewhat) objective about this and not judge on quality of content. Because if KinnPorsche is all you love in life, obvs you need iQIYI, but if you are a HIStory franchise stan, than it’s all about Viki. Those are your life choices, I’m just here to play numbers games, okay? 

Secondly, some shows air on multiple platforms, particularly Viki & Gaga, but sometimes it’s Gaga & YouTube, occasionally it’s even iQIYI + others. This has only started happening in the last few years. Bed Friend was on 3 different platforms (GaGa, iQIYI, YT) - even though it was originally announced for Viki! I honestly don’t know how to track this, so I tend to log the spreadsheet with my preferred watching platform for that language, this will throw the numbers off for those platforms. 

Since I join everything my platform preference choice is based on:  

the quality of the subs/captions   

the quality of the user experience  

My subs experience tends to be: 

YT = best for Thai

Viki = best for Korean and sometimes Japanese, okay for Thai

Gaga = best for Chinese and sometimes Japanese but very weak Thai subs

My user interface preference is: 

YT, Viki, Gaga in that order then everyone else with iQIYI at the bottom. This is because I watch on mobile devices. 

ASplay, WeTV, former Line, Amarin TV, Netflix and the other smaller suppliers (and apps) will all be grouped together for this assessment. Since they have so few offerings, by default I would not recommend subbing those platforms unless you are a hard stan of all BL with disposable income. 

Super bad BLs that I watched back in the day on grey sites or YT (pre 2020 crack down) because there were no other options and I am a completest are still listed as grey. I would never suggest anyone watch these shows anyway, so I don’t care if they have now shown up on legitimate sites. If they are somewhere, it’s likely Gaga. Which means Gaga’s percentage of the market share is probably UNDER reported by my numbers. 

Movies and cinema-only releases that never got international distribution fall into the “grey” category. If I got it off an indie subber, since that too is technically illegal, it falls into the grey category as well. 

Final note: This is from a USA based IP, I don’t use a VPN, so platforms assessments are from that perspective. 

Spring 2023, current state of the spreadsheet. AKA 

Our BL Data Set 

Total # of BLs = 564

# of BLs ongoing (so finished runtime is best guess) = 18 

Just Answer the Damn Question 

Round Number of Actual BLs - % of market share

YouTube = 218 - 38.6%

Gaga = 148 - 26.2% 

Viki = 77 - 13.7% 

Grey = 53 - 9.4% 

BLs I’ve never been able to find on any platform (including grey): 36 - 6.4% 

iQIYI = 14 - 2.5% 

Other platforms = 12 - 2.2% 

Margin of error: +- 1% (look I’m just not driven to be that accurate here)

Subscription Platforms Breakdown  - % of market share

Eliminating YouTube, Grey, and missing BLs. Viki is included because I do not know which of theirs are behind the paywall and which are not. 

Total subscribe-only BLs: 257 

Gaga = 59%

Viki = 30%

iQIYI = 6%

Sml sites/apps = 5%

(rounded) 

Okay but how about actual runtime? 

Gaga = 360 hrs - 44% 

Viki = 311 hrs - 38% 

iQIYI = 98 hrs - 12% 

Sml sites = 50 hrs - 6%

Anyway you cut it... on pure BL standards...

GAGAOOLALA WINS 

Other consideration? In most places Gaga is ALSO the cheapest per month option. 

Final Thoughts

YouTube (America’s Alphabet) 

YT has the most pieces of content and longest overall runtime because of all the Thai stuff. ALSO bootlegs show up there, especially the early Chinese and Japanese stuff. They will often get taken down and you have to hunt for it again. YT takedowns come in waves, every 6 months or so.

However, GMMTV, some Star Hunter, some Studio Wabi Sabi, all the Vietnamese & Pinoy stuff (until now), and a few choice bits of Strongberry are YT content.

YT’s app is the best UX of a poor set (for me), but the web based YT at Premium level doesn’t work with Firefox. I use YT for work A LOT, so the fee for Premium ($13.99) and lack of ads + downloads (travel) is worth it for me, but I think it probubly isn’t if you’re on a budget. 

GaGaOOLaLa (Taiwan’s Portico Media) 

Of the pay to play platforms, GaGa dominates with the most BLs by all metrics. If you’re intersted in darker BL, GL and other queer content, very high heat, the history of the genre, or Japanese stuff - most of that is on GaGa. Also all of Strongberry and some of the newer queerer series (like My Ride).  

At $6.99 a month it’s ALSO one of the cheapest options. 

Gaga is based out of Taiwan, the only Asian country with marriage equality (as of 2022) AND it specializes in exclusively queer content so they need our support. If you can afford them, you should support them. GaGa is the only platform that will always have more BL, guaranteed (so long as Taiwan is autonomous). Ironically, you can follow their YT channel for previews and teasers to their latest series, short content, and acquisitions. 

Their app isn’t great, but their web-based interface is fine. That said: there’s no categories (way to organize), and the way they roll out new episodes is unintuitive. Their mobile app ALWAYS pauses not mater what you actually want it to do and the lack of the quick skip ahead is frustrating. 

Viki (Japan’s Rakutan)

Viki specializes in longer series, mostly Thai, Taiwanese, and a few of the Chinese bromances. It also now has a lot of KBLs. But in general only more recent stuff (2018 is as far back as they go).

At $4.99-$11.99 depending, it’s low to average cost. I’m not sure which one (if any) you actually need for BL. Most of my favorite new shows tend to air on Viki, and I like Rakutan as a parent company, so I don’t mind supporting them. 

They happen to have 5 of my top ten BLs, which is A LOT (since I hand out 10/10 so rarely). So for me they host the objective best BL content. 

They have the second best app (after YT, it’s kinda a combo of YT + Netflix) but the lack of a speed-up option is frustrating for many. Also the desktop version is super buggy. But they DO have categories you can name and control, which I love.

Other Platforms 

iQIYI - is Mainland China based (hello Baidu, you ugly fucker), so the platform getting/pimping BL for an international audience only is… how do I put this?… oh yeah: shitty. I will often rename it Icky, for this reason. It clearly wants to break the market, but… do we want it in the market at all? How long will they host BLs? When will they be shut down and censored? I would say it’s only worth it if you really also like Chinese dramas. And even so, Viki also has A LOT of those. Unfortunately for us, Wabi Sabi seems to have cut a distribution deal with Icky. And, of course, there is the KinnPorsche situation (so ironic that Icky hosts the highest heat). The interface is a nightmare. They have the WORST app, even when you pay, it serves ads, some of which alpha crash the platform. 

Netflix - here in the states it almost never has new BL content. Sometimes some old stuff. They tested the waters with SOTUS and Love Sick. I have a feeling they aren’t particularly intersted in this market. So if BL is what you watch, don’t bother. At last check they still had Gameboys and Your Name Engraved Herein and Wish You. 

WeTV - acts like LineTV used to, has Manner of Death and We Best Love and a few of the more obscure Thai pulps. But probably not worth it for anyone but a completest. 

Grey - Unknown or No Distributor 

Indie subbers: there’s some BLs that you can watch by supporting indie subbers who supply private links to their personal versions. This is not legal, but it is a slightly nicer way to get stuff you can’t find anywhere else. I’ve done this for some Thai and Japanese stuff.

I find the leads for these sources here on Tumblr. If someone is giffing and talking about a show and I don’t know how they are getting hold of it, I simply ask.

DramaCool (USA) & Dailymotion (France) & Bilibili (China) and others - AKA the grey space. You SHOULD feel guilty using these sites, you’re stealing, but it’s where many of us go for BL we can’t find anywhere else (in defiance of what few morals we have left). These are BLs that originally sold to very odd platforms or never got international distribution. Unfortunately, some of my favorites are in this category like Great Men Academy or Seven Days. It’s a nightmare. The ads are terrible and the virus/bug risk is high. They get taken down all the time. Or the leads are faked. I use an old computer to access and suggest you take all necessary precautions yourself.

P’ABL SOAP BOX TIME

Look I work tangential to the entertainment industry, so if you thought I wasn’t going to learn you a little on this subject, you got another think coming. 

HERE’S THE THING: 

You watch a show on one of the grey platforms, ESPECIALLY if it actually has distribution on Gaga or Viki - you better review that shit. You spread the word and advocate for that content here, on MDL, on social media, with fan art, I don’t care. You steal it, you find a way to pay back in your time and/or creativity. 

I get it if you’re poor, but don’t be a goddamn scab. Find a way to reward content creators with non-monetary support. If you had the time to watch the thing you stole, you have time to pay it forward in some substantial way. Do this even if you didn’t steal it but got it for free. Do this if you read fanfic. Do this with articles, blogs, books. Do this with podcasts. 

It isn’t hard to be a decent human and support creators. Don’t you dare just TAKE. If you’re that kind of person stop reading this blog immediately. I don’t want anything to do with you and you don’t deserve my words or my spreadsheet of Doom. 

/rant 

MORE ON THIS TOPIC WITH FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS

Original post on this subject that I adapted for this post. 

(source)

[magicofsimplestories]

Foreword

Hi, everyone! I’m Vikie and on my page I share the stories I play in the Sims 4. Feel free to leave a comment, ask a question, like & subscribe. I will certainly do the same in return 😉.

P.S.: Please, do not judge my English too strictly, as it’s not my first language😊.

💟Legacy:

The Winchesters. (The Family Tree).

✴️ Stories in Progress:

The Waking Light (Sequel to The City of Inspiration),

The Goths.

✅ Completed Stories:

Supernatural 2.0,

The City of Inspiration.

⚡️”Hold on” Sneak Pics & Teasers

⏸️ Archive (not finished stories): 

Moonwood: The Fang Saga,

Aftermath, 

#MyWillowCreekTeens.

[gudansoo]

This episode is available only for Viki Pass Plus subscribers. It will be available to everyone in 338 days. Can't wait?

UPGRADE NOW

VIKI I *WILL* KILL YOU

[aion-rsa]

Hulu New Releases: July 2021

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s summer, everyone! And with its relatively sparse list of new releases for July 2021, Hulu seems to be subtlety imploring its subscribers to go outside.

Don’t get us wrong: Hulu’s library offerings get a big upgrade this month. July 1 sees the arrival of great films like Galaxy Quest, Fargo, and Caddyshack. Bill and Ted Face the Music premieres on July 2 and its followed by Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar on July 9. Not bad stuff! It’s just that, outside of the library titles, there isn’t much to go off of.

Hulu’s only major original release this month is the FX on Hulu production American Horror Stories on July 15. As its name implies, the show is a spinoff of American Horror Story and will feature self-contained horror episodes rather than a season-long arc. If you’ll allow this geriatric millennial to deploy one truly ancient meme: “Yo dawg, we heard you like anthologies so we put an anthology in your anthology so you can anthologize while you anthologize.”

The day after American Horror Stories premieres is the release date for McCartney 3,2,1 – a docuseries about Paul McCartney. Peter Jackson’s epic The Beatles: Get Out docuseries is coming to Disney+ in November so hopefully this will be a nice amuse-bouche.

Here is everything else coming to Hulu this month.

Hulu New Releases – July 2021

July 1 The Mighty Ones: Complete Season 2 (Hulu Original) RuPaul’s Drag Race: Complete Season 7 (MTV) 127 Hours (2010) 28 Days Later (2003) 28 Weeks Later (2007) 68 Kill (2017) 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (2017) A Ciambra (2018) The Adventures of Hercules (1985) Almost Human (2014) Alpha & Omega: Legend Of The Saw Toothed (2014) American Gun (2005) An Acceptable Loss (2019) Australia (2008) Bad Teacher (2011) Band Aid (2017) Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) Beetlejuice (1988) The Best Man (1999) Better Living Through Chemistry (2014) Big Fish (2003) Bitter Harvest (2017) Blue Sky (1994) Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Breakdown (1997) Bruno (2009) Caddyshack (1980) Caddyshack II (1988) Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999) Carnage Park (2016) Caveman (1981) Chaplin (1992) Chuck (2017) The Chumscrubber (2005) Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (2017) Cliffhanger (1993) The Condemned (2007) Confessions Of A Shopaholic (2009) The Conversation (1974) Coyote Ugly (2000) The Cured (2018) Dangerous Minds (1995) Dealin’ With Idiots (2013) Dealt (2017) Dear White People (2014) Donnybrook (2019) Dumb & Dumber (1994) Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2014) Eliminators (2016) Enemy at the Gates (2001) The Face of Love (2014) Factotum (2006) Fargo (1996) The Feels (2017) Fired Up! (2009) Foxfire (1996) Frank Serpico (2017) Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) Free To Run (2016) From Paris with Love (2010) Galaxy Quest (1999) The Gift (2000) Gimme the Loot (2013) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) Gorp (1980) Graduation (2017) Grandma (2015) Hellions (2015) Hideaway (1995) House of the Dead (2003) House of the Dead 2 (2006) The House That Jack Built (2018) Housesitter (1992) I Daniel Blake (2017) I Do…Until I Don’t (2017) I Remember You (2017) Ice Age (2002) In The Cut (2003) Indignation (2016) Intermission (2004) Intolerable Cruelty (2003) Johnny English (2003) Knowing (2009) The Ladies Man (2000) Last Days Here (2012) Let’s be Evil (2016) Manic (2013) The Mask (1994) Maximum Risk (1996) Mercury Rising (1998) Morning Glory (2010) Mystic Pizza (1988) The Natural (1984) Ode to Joy (2019) Open Range (2003) Open Water (2004) Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) Passage to Mars (2017) Personal Shopper (2017) The Polar Express (2004) Rabid Dogs (2016) Rebel in the Rye (2017) Reno 911!: Miami : The Movie (2007) Revolutionary Road (2008) Robocop (1987) Robocop 2 (1990) Robocop 3 (1993) Rookie of the Year (1993) Seabiscuit (2003) Shelley (2016) Sightseers (2013) Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) Sleepwalkers (1992) Soldier Boyz (1995) Something’s Gotta Give (2003) Somewhere (2010) Sorority Row (2009) Space Jam (1996) Stand by Me (1986) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990) The Stepfather (2009) Stonewall (2015) Stray (2020) Sunshine (2005) Super Troopers (2002) Sweet Virginia (2017) Taffin (1988) Take Every Wave (2017) Take Shelter (2011) Taken (2009) The Terminator (1984) They Came Together (2014) Thunderheart (1992) Timeline (2003) Tooth Fairy (2008) Twisted (2004) Underworld (2003) Underworld Awakening (2012) Underworld Evolution (2006) Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009) Universal Soldier (1992) The Unknown Girl (2017) Walking Tall (1973) Whip It (2009) White Nights (1985) William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) Wolves (2017)

July 2 Summer of Soul (2021) (Hulu Original) Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

July 3 Flower of Evil: Complete Season 1 (Subbed) (Viki) I’ll Go To You When The Weather Is Fine: Complete Season 1 (Subbed) (Viki) More Than Friends: Complete Season 1 (Subbed) (Viki) Dreamcatcher (2021)

July 4 Leave no Trace (2018)

July 8       My Wife and Kids: Complete Series (ABC) Murdoch Mysteries: Complete Season 13 (Acorn) Papillon (2017)

July 9       This Way Up: Complete Season 2 (Hulu Original) Grown-ish: Season 4 Premiere (Freeform) Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar (2021) In a World… (2013) Moffie (2021)

July 10       47 Meters Down (2017)

July 12       Love Island UK: Season 7 Premiere (iTV)

July 14       Cleopatra in Space: Complete Season 1 (Peacock) Cleopatra en el Espacio: Complete Season 1 (Peacock) My All-American (2015)

July 15       American Horror Stories: Two-Episode Limited Series Premiere (FX on Hulu) 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) A Field In England (2013) The Act of Killing (2012) Amira & Sam (2014) Borgman (2013) Bullhead (2011) Cheap Thrills (2013) The Complex: Lockdown (2020) The Congress (2013) The Connection (2014) Enforcement (2021) Exit Plan (2021) The Final Member (2014) The FP (2011) I Declare War (2012) The Keeping Room (2014) Men & Chicken (2015) Mood Indigo (2013) Pieta (2012) R100 (2013) Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015) Wrong (2012)

July 16       McCartney 3,2,1: Documentary Series Premiere (Hulu Original)

July 17       Horimiya: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed) (Funimation)

July 22 Olympic Dreams featuring Jonas Brothers: Special (NBC)

July 26 The Artist (2011)

July 29 The Resort (2021)

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Leaving Hulu – July 2021

July 4 Warrior (2011)

July 9 Desierto (2015)

July 20 The Last Full Measure (2019)

July 21 Bolt (2008)

July 24 All The Wild Horses (2017) B.B. King: On The Road (2018) The Beatles: Made on Merseyside (2018) Bees Make Honey (2017) Closing Gambit (2018) Gloves Off (2017) I, Dolours (2018) In Extremis (2017) Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death (2017) The Last Animals (2017) Lost in Vagueness (2017) Painkillers (2018)

July 27 For A Good Time, Call… (2012)

July 30 The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) Like Someone in Love (2012) Mad Detective (2007)

July 31 (500) Days of Summer (2009) 28 Days Later (2003) 28 Weeks Later (2007) A Perfect Gateway (2009) The Adventures of Hercules (1985) Alive (1993) Batman Begins (2005) Before We Go (2015) Blue Sky (1994) Breach (2007) Broken Flowers (2005) Captain Corelli’S Mandolin (2001) Caveman (1981) The Crazies (2010) Cyrus (2009) The Dark Knight (2008) Dinosaur 13 (2014) El Dorado (1967) Evening (2007) Fargo (1996) Footloose (1984) For Richer Or Poorer (1997) Friends With Benefits (2011) Gamer (2009) Goodnight Mommy (2015) Gorp (1980) Grace Of Monaco (2015) Hannibal Rising (2007) Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) Haunting In Connecticut 2: Ghosts Of Georgia (2013) Hyde Park On Hudson (2012) I Feel Pretty (2018) I Saw The Devil (2010) In The Mix (2005) Internal Affairs (1990) The Iron Giant (1999) The Jackal (1997) Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) The Ladies Man (2000) L!Fe Happens (2012) Lucky Number Slevin (2006) Machete (2010) McLintock! (Producer’s Cut) (1963) Morning Glory (2010) Mystic Pizza (1988) The Nanny Diaries (2007) National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002) The Natural (1984) Ong-Bak (2003) Ong-Bak 2 (2008) Ong-Bak 3 (2010) The Pawnbroker (1964) Predator (1987) Predator 2 (1990) Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) Red Cliff (2008) The Relic (1997) Robocop (1987) Robocop 2 (1990) Robocop 3 (1993) Seabiscuit (2003) The Skeleton Key (2005) Sliver (1993) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Soldier Boyz (1995) Something’s Gotta Give (2003) Soul Food (1997) The Spy Next Door (2010) Stand by Me (1986) Star Kid (1998) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Star Trek: Generations (1994) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Step Up 2 The Streets (2008) Step Up 3D (2010) Step Up Revolution (2012) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Taffin (1988) The Terminator (1984) Triangle (2009) Turbulence (1997) Unstoppable (2010) Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2009) What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993) Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008)

The post Hulu New Releases: July 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[nailsmakeupcom]

3 Ways To Remove Nail Polish WITHOUT Nail Polish Remover | Viki NailBeauty

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Hey everyone! Hope you all get some tips and tricks from this video and find it helpful! Thanks for watching and dont forget to hit that LIKE button, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE! ………………………………………………………………………………… Instagram: vikiwishes Twitter: @vikiwishes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viki-Nailbeauty/146797912104111?ref=hl Other Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQW3Jd…

[viralhottopics]

The lure of tall buildings: A guide to the risky but lucrative world of rooftoppers

The ultimate selfie can bring kudos and cash to urban rooftoppers

When teenager Harry Gallagher clambered on to the roof of Canary Wharfs highest building his exploits went viral. Gallagher, 19, aka Nightscape, is a rooftopper, someone who gains access to buildings and restricted spaces to take photographs of themselves, often hanging in precarious poses. To the uninitiated, it might appear to be a new phenomenon, but rooftoppings genesis lies in the long-established urban explorer movement, known as urbex.

An early exponent was Jeff Chapman, or Ninjalicious, the late Toronto-based explorer who in the early noughties infiltrated buildings and underground systems, recording his adventures in his zine, Infiltration. Chapman tended to shun the limelight, but now rooftoppers are aiming ever higher in their quest for personal glory and reward.

Urban exploring is beginning to splinter into different practices, said Theo Kindynis, a criminologist at Roehampton University. What was traditionally thought of as urban exploration, fetishists exploring abandoned mental asylums, that sort of thing, is mutating. Youve now got subway explorers and youve got rooftoppers like Nightscape doing the foot-dangling thing. As a result, youve got new attitudes and etiquettes evolving. The old take-nothing-but-photos-leave-nothing-but-footprints adage is increasingly irrelevant.

Gallagher has previously targeted Robin Hood airport in Doncaster, the roof of West Hams new stadium, and the London Olympic parks Orbit structure. His exploits are posted on his YouTube channel and promoted through Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. His latest hack, released online last week, will have helped send his reputation soaring. Gallagher and a friend can be seen climbing on to the roof of One Canada Square and scaling its pyramid.

At the start of the video, already viewed 450,000 times and liked by 45,000 people on YouTube, the pair describe the challenge as almost impossible and express astonishment that they were able to pull it off. But Kindynis is not convinced. These guys are notorious within the scene for poaching other peoples spots. I highly doubt they were the first people to get on to the roof of One Canada Square. They were probably told how to do it by someone else. Within the urbex community, these things tend to be kept hush-hush, but now its on YouTube and they will have changed their security measures so nobody else will be able to enjoy that rooftop.

Within certain elements of the community, these guys are not liked. They are seen as a problem. Cranes and construction sites and rooftops are getting locked down because these guys are prostituting it to social media.

The high-profile stunts of Gallagher and his cohorts seem a world away from urbexs original ethos and its political overtones. In an article for Domus magazine in 2011, Dr Bradley Garrett, an urban explorer and a geographer at Southampton University, suggested that urbex practitioners were reviving the practice of usufruct which basically means that someone has the right to use and enjoy the property of another, provided it is not changed or damaged in any way.

But Kindynis suggests the selfie generation are not in it for the philosophy.

For the people doing it, its all about the image, getting the cool, exclusive YouTubable footage. Its about building their personal brand, all about the image, all about the spectacle.

Harry Gallagher. Photograph: @night.scape

And why not? Building a rooftopping brand can be lucrative. Gallaghers Nightscape website sells original T-shirts for 24.99 and hoodies for 39.99. Not that he is unique in turning his exploits into cash. Urban free climber James Kingstons website sells posters of him balancing precariously in a variety of places as well as a range of T-shirts.

But selling merchandise is only one element. Gallaghers highly stylised video of the One Canada Square hack has its own soundtrack, which carries links to promote the featured songs. He recently appeared in a short film for fashion brand Palladiums new range of waterproof boots.

As Gallaghers mother, Amanda, told the Times: We come from a modest background and never had any financial stability. The day he went up West Ham [stadium], we couldnt buy a jar of coffee that morning. By that night, hed gone viral. Thats when he came to me and said: Now, you get it, Mum. Now you see what this is, what its allabout.

Milo Hale, a photographer and rooftopper with 15,000 followers on Instagram, believes the movement is coming out of the shadows and into the mainstream. The whole Instagram scene has helped it develop over the last few months, Hale said. It has completely blown up around the world. It was definitely one of those things that was quite underground and people didnt really know about it and now its come out to the wider audience through social media.

Hale, 20, who got into rooftopping through parkour, or free-running, acknowledges that its growing popularity poses new challenges. Brands are gravitating towards rooftoppers as social media influencers because they cut through to younger audiences far more effectively.

One survey suggested that 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers trust influencer opinions over traditional celebrities. But the rooftoppers risk losing credibility if they are seen to be too commercial.

Theres a lot of companies Im in talks with, Hale said. But for people like me and rooftoppers on Instagram, theres this desire to want to keep your work authentic. Obviously, I want to work with brands and create content for them, and to be able to fund what I want to do, but at the same time I think theres a sort of caution from creators and rooftoppers, particularly to not sell it off in the wrong light and not just sell out just because they can.

Not everyone seems to have such qualms, and there is a sense that many rooftopping images are in danger of becoming cliched. Every day I look at Instagram and there are literally hundreds of kids doing it, Kindynis said.

The surge in interest also brings problems. I get a lot of messages from people asking, oh can you show me how to get up on that rooftop blah blah blah, and I always say no because I dont want to be responsible for someone going up somewhere theyre not comfortable with, and if that goes wrong, thats on my conscience, Hale said. Its difficult finding that balance between sharing it and not not forcing people to do it but not pushing people into it when you know they shouldnt be doing it.

A rooftopper in Dubai. Photograph: Keow Wee Loong/Barcroft Media

The UKs burgeoning army of rooftoppers is unlikely to eclipse the success of Viki Odintcova, a Russian model recently snapped in a precarious pose leaning out of Dubais Cayan Tower skyscraper the worlds tallest building when it opened in 2013.

The 22-year-old, whose Instagram account now has more than 3million followers, uses her social media presence to promote a bewildering variety of brands. Visitors can click on tags in the images that take them to other Instagram sites promoting everything from teeth-whitening products to bracelets and underwear.

Odintcova is not the only Russian model to use outlandish rooftop stunts to promote herself. Angela Nikolau, 23, was photographed on a crane at the top of a 640m tower under construction in China. With around 450,000 followers on Instagram, she is fast carving out a reputation for taking the most dangerous selfies in the world. Like Odintcova, her account is tagged to a growing range of brands. One of the stunts was sponsored by a Russian travel insurance company.

Unsurprisingly, the major fashion brands have also clocked the trend. In 2014 Nike launched its All Conditions Gear range, complete with a promotional video in which a hooded figure is poised dramatically on a roof edge. Gallagher has promoted Converse Chuck II trainers in an edgy urban explorer montage. Red Bull TV has an urbex section featuring a group of urban explorers [who] risk life and limb to get inside, above and around some of the most forbidden places onEarth.

But the appropriation of urban exploration by the selfie generation is triggering a backlash. Kindynis said that some within the movement, especially the subterranean explorers who roam sewers and subways, were going offline because they dont want to attract the same attention and dont want it turned into a spectator sport the way rooftopping has been.

They are, however, likely to be outnumbered by the many others who know that taking the ultimate selfie can earn them kudos and cash. Kindynis is worried about where rooftop mania will end. More and more risks are being taken. I dont think anyones died in London, but its only a matter of time.

YOUTUBE STARS

November 2014 Cosmo Calisse explores the rooftops of Toronto with two parkour enthusiasts: 17,000 views

February 2016 Jimmy Cheung films the view from the One World Trade Center in New York: 20,000 views

September 2016 Harry Gallagher, aka Nightscape, sneaks into West Hams stadium in London: 4m views

9 February Angela Nikolau climbs one of Shanghais highest buildings with boyfriend Ivan Beerkus: 41,946 views

26 February Russian model Victoria Odintcova hangs off Dubais 1,005ft Cayan Tower: 5.4m views

Read more: http://ift.tt/2lWrU2W

from The lure of tall buildings: A guide to the risky but lucrative world of rooftoppers

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL

April 2021 Part 5

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Close Friend Ep 2 (JaFirst) - First is a cat. No actually a cat. It was WEIRD. Cute, but creeping towards beastiality. It reminded me of that strange series out of China (@heretherebedork says Youth in the Breeze). The most amusing thing to me was that the cat used Thai formal linguistic register when of course cats would use informal rude guu mueng with EVERYONE. No cat would use pom. Don’t be ridiculous, Thailand. 

Second Chance Ep 5 - still invested, things progressed for all 3 couples, in one direction or another. They cuties. I love them. Carry on. 

Y-Destiny Ep 5 - the “virgin scoreboard” is gonna make the seme real hard to redeem with this pairing. If they bother. This might be a life lesson episode. What does it remind me of? Oh yes. Kids. *SHUDDER* Point of interest: did you notice Team uses ha with Mon? What a pushy flirt. 

Lovely Writer Ep 10 - honestly I just love it when Poppy shows up in anything, why is he such a delightful screen presence? (Gene’s brother) Sorry, distracted. What happened in this one? Oh, ya know, stuff and things. Family drama. (It is just me or have they been giving us some long ass episodes lately?) Obligatory beach trip activated. (Result = dumb probability mathematics jokes.) Next week it looks like we have Keeping Actor’s Closeted 101. You know the Casting Couch? This is the Casting Closet. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 4 - early stage confession, how fun. It’s not unprecedented it just usually means we are in 4 act structure, not 3, which means Fish might go more serious than I thought. Honestly? I’m losing interest mostly because I’ve gone from mild annoyance to active dislike of Pi. Happened to me with Tine too. They better redeem this obtuse tsundere uke soon or he’s not tsundere at all he’s just a jackwit. 

Brothers Ep 13 fin - a kiss and the family finds out about the not-so-brotherly brothers, drama, graduation, THE END. My side-dish happy heart made thumps over Q + delivery boy, I’m sad they got so little screen time. My babies KhunKaow did get a tiny coming out sequence as such. I’m seriously considering doing myself a bootleg of just the KhunKaow plot, but that means I’d have to rewatch the whole darn series and I can’t STAND the idea. Which should give you insight into how not good this show it. Very NOT good. Must we get a season 2? Please stop now, Line. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 7 - Muren is the cutest peanut and anyone who says otherwise can fight me, although they probably have to go through Licheng first. I was NOT invested in these two at the beginning, but as a couple? They own my soul. The other storyline is still the dumpster fire that I can’t decide to roast marshmallows over (knowing they’ll get tinged with eu de trash) or flee from in horror clutching my pearls and my nose. H4 continues to provide the quality psyche torture I’ve come to expect from this franchise. *sarcastic thumbs up*  *** A word on seeing Boxiang show up (side dish from H3:MODC). It was an unexpected pleasure, I loved his pairing (May/December is a winner for me *glares at Method*) but I do think it was a bone from the franchise telling us that we are never getting that spin-off or reboot that people yearn for. However, how AWESOME that Licheng has someone to go to and ask about topping properly. Otherwise he’s sure to have screwed it up. (Pun intended.) 

Papa & Daddy (Tailwan) Ep 1-2 - this came out of nowhere and is ADORABLE. Applies a ton of BL tropes (cheek kiss, his closet, B&W stripes, drag baby around, boop) but what IS it? More slice of gay domesticity than romance. Like 2019′s Kinou Nani Tabeta? or currently airing Close Friend. I enjoy this style, very wholesome, but I’m not sure what to call it. (Bonus points for cutie lesbians.) A bit weird to have a kid with your partner and STILL not be out to your parents. I hope they aren’t going to throw in a break up for dramatic effect. 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 4 - I’m really enjoying this series. It’s unabashedly queer, although there’s some problematic stuff lurking under the wig. How it ends is gonna dictate if they handled this stylishly. But hot damn the leads ZING on screen together and their crackling prank-flirting is a joy to watch. 

Word of Honor (China) Ep 31-33 - moving into the home stretch. Big rescue and the band is back together (presumably for the final slaughter). Then a death! *this is my shocked face* Did I tear up? Of course I did. 4 act structure is designed for maximum pathos during the final 1/4. Did we all faint from the symbolism of the love token hair stick being gently thrust into Ah Xu’s bun? Sure we did. All that and sill I’m flagging. This is a long-arse show. Save me, Korea, with your iItsy bitsy teenie weenie...

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korea) Ep 5-6 - I am getting such strong 12th Night vibes from this. Tae Hyung is now brigadier of BL’s historical himbo brigade. (To be deployed whenever you are in need of poetry or a cut sleeve.) This show is all ridiculous charm and I LOVE it. Although, five seconds of Lee Sang is not enough Lee Sang. I had to immediately rewatch Wish You. 

Gossip

Nitiman gave us an actor intro BTS teaser. 

Kang In Soo (AKA Kyang Insoo) posted a cute behind the photo shoot of Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding plus a silly interview with Jang Eui Soo on his YouTube channel (you should subscribe, it’s a fun channel, his fitness regime is both insane and inspiring). 

My Engineer 2 dropped a couch interview with the boys but it feels like one that was filmed a while ago (oh and no subs).  

STARTING SOON: Nitiman, Love Area, Top Secret Together, Be Loved in House, & I Promised You The Moon  

Nitiman (Thai) May 7, One 31. University set, moons, engineering students, enemies to lovers, adapted. - Looks to be a solid 2 Moons knock off, I’m in.

Love Area (Thai) May 8, AIS Play, 10 eps total. Restaurant set, stars Pak Chavitpong (the only good thing about Cupid Coach) and the OST is sung by Jeff Satur (Ingredients). - It’s boys in love revolving around food = my kryptonite, try to stop me from watching this probable trash. 

Top Secret Together (Thai) May 14, Line TV. 5 couples, one IRL (Newyear from I Am Your King), story arcs revolve around secrets.  - I’m getting fatigued by these multi-couple sampler pack dramas, but I’ll try it for Newyear’s sake.  

Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan YES!) May 20, Viki. Office set, relationships prohibited at work by a new boss, one of the employees is determined to figure out why. Grumpy/tsundere pairing so loads of drama. - I am so flipping excited for this one. A 4th BL series from Taiwan in less than a year? That’s unprecedented. GO BABY ISLAND GO! 

I Promised You the Moon (Thai) May 27, Line TV. Follow up to I Told Sunset About You with the boys now at university. - I won’t be watching this as I have yet to finish season 1. 

Possibly Gameboys season 2.  - Rumors are all over the place right now on this. 

Next Week Looks Like This: 

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons. 

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.