#thread. chase & noel.
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ᴄʜᴀꜱɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ
for @noelxbe
seojun knew that the songwriting camp had peaked his interest as soon as it was announced. all the different things they’d learn to hone in this skill just made him extra giddy. sure he has dabbled in writing music here and there before but nothing stuck at all and those ideas never saw the light ever. Now though, he was learning to flesh those ideas out more at least. that was something and maybe a song would come out of this that he’d be proud of. maybe he was counting on that a bit.
as he is doing his best to find the words that would stick, he notices noel right away. he lets himself settle near the other, flashing a smile in the others direction. “how’s this all going for you? feel i haven’t found something that feels like it is good enough to be on paper yet.” he mutters as he plays with his pen some. “i get the basics of it all but i want it to be something i’m proud to say i wrote instead of just doing so to get it all over with.” maybe that was what was making this more difficult but at least seojun had ideas and a melody in mind that was in his head. he just had to find the words that went along with it. he hoped noel was doing alright though. he cares a lot about his friends especially during things like this.
#be:songwritingcamp#이서준 — ✰ trainee#이서준 — ✰ threads#chasing that feeling — ✰ threads#noel — ✰ threads#//sorry this took so long! work has been taking a toll on me
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Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
UNMASKED - RECAP
TW Violence, Injury, Burning, Drowning, Electrocution, Gore, Suffocation, Guns, Blood, Death etc. (READERS BEWARE)
As the night draws to an end and everyone escapes the holds of the Emerald Hotel, the Clan siphon some of the Coven Members, before they and the Pack set off to go after the Catalyst before the Catalyst leaves town with a few other brave souls. They chase the Catalyst over the border with Amrita casting a hex on the Catalyst, making them ill for the next 24 hours. She suffers physical exhaustion for the duration of the curse as a consequence. The rest follow the trail of the Catalyst through the woods, but as the sun begins to rise, the trail grows cold. The Catalyst has escaped and before they can keep looking, they are ambushed by hunters. The Lunar Covians retreat with the following residents suffering from hunter related injuries-
VAMPIRES
Sébastien is shot with a wooden bullet in the left arm
Rio is shot with two wooden bullets in the torso
Safiye is shot with two wooden bullets one in the leg & one in the torso
Julian is shot with two wooden bullets one in the right shoulder & one in the thigh
WEREWOLVES
Nico is shot with three silver bullets in the leg & 2 silver arrows in the arm
Noel is shot with one silver bullet in the arm
Kitty is shot with one silver bullet to the hip
Tommy is shot with one silver bullet in the right shoulder
Skye is show with a silver arrow in the rear
MISC
Rangi despite not being a wolf or a vampire chases after them only to have an iron dagger thrown her way. It grazes her leg.
In terms of our Town Sherriff, Sherriff Cavanaugh, has left town. The position of Sheriff is now open. The Council will need to hold a meeting shortly to discuss everything that has gone down. The Emerald Hotel is damaged. There is a giant hole in the ground outside that now has been roped off to keep people from falling into it that leads into the basement of the Hotel. A whole wall of Puck Luck's has been bulldozed down.
A FULL RECAP OF THE EVENT WITH ADDITIONAL TIDBITS CAN BE FOUND BELOW.
REMINDERS
This is the last plot drop for our Spring event!
With this plot drop, the event is over. You can return to your regularly scheduled starters and threads. Feel free to have your characters react to any of the events that occurred above or below.
Last by not least, we hope you have fun!
MAIN CHAT OVERVIEW
After JC tackled Song to the ground, chaos ensued. In tackling Song to the ground, JC clutched his own arm. The stitches not fully healed yet from when he had been attacked. While, with the discovery that Song wasn't the Catalyst, the distraught crowd moved back to give others such as Nico, the town Paramedic, Sébastien, Ken, Rio etc. room to help him. 911 was dialed and the masks were quickly ripped off as the guests blinked around each other in horror. Others pushed through the crowd, ripping off people's masks in an attempt to locate Sheriff Cavanaugh. While the fae, disarmed the glamours and the illusions. But, when they spotted the Sheriff it's already too late. The Catalyst, Sheriff Cavanaugh, performed sleep hexes on those who had been instructed to guard the exit. The doors to the Emerald Hotel close just before anyone can reach her. She narrowly escaped and, as the doors shut in behind her, locking into place, she is heard speaking to someone through her phone telling them to move forwards with 'Plan B'.
The doors are magically sealed shut. The witches and fae gather together to try to bring down the magical barrier that seems to be sealing them inside the Emerald Hotel, but the fae's magic is too drained at this point to do much use and, while the witches try their best, one by one it is as if they find themselves growing more and more weary. The air in the room, for everyone, suddenly seemed thin, as it grew harder and harder to breath. The coughing fits begin and, one by one, people seem to follow suit, passing out in the same way Song had. It's not too long before the entire room is unconscious. When the Lunar Covians woke (now trapped specifically in the ballroom), they were much weaker than before (although they still had full access to their abilities). In a fit of panic, people began to arm themselves. The supreme, Poppy Reed, who had previously punished Jasmine St. Claire, by popular demand, (having used dark magic similar to Rohan six months before only to have gotten off the hook) removed the cuffs embedded to the witch's wrist that prevented her from using any magic. While it is discerned that it must be the air being pumped in and circulated throughout the hotel. They were all drugged the moment they had entered the building.
The loud speaker flicks on and a voice belonging to one Hande Selvi, a hunter who has been aiding the Catalyst, rings through the loud speakers- "Wakey, wakey, Eggs and Bakey. We hope you all had a nice nap. We have to give credit where credit is due. You lot are smarter than you look. You almost got the upperhand there. We were originally only going to finish off what we started with the leaders you've placed into power. But, unfortunately for you and fortunately for me, welcome to plan B. The world is ugly and you lot have helped make it so. You pick your favorites, you let some slip by, while bringing the hammer down on others.You make excuses for those who came before you and you act as though you are any different. River Cassidy is the perfect example of such and now you must pay the price. Change is coming. Though, your Sheriff has decided to have mercy on a select few. Thirteen of you will be permitted to leave. Thirteen lives spared in honor of the thirteen lives that were taken back in 1992. While the rest of you will die. And how will these thirteen be chosen, you may ask? It's simple really. I am here to hold an auction for your lives. You have two hours to cast your bids. You may move freely, but you will find a ballet box within room 218. You may submit your ballets there. All bids will remain private. You can chose to buy one of the thirteen tickets out for yourself or for others. There is no limit on how many times you can bid. The highest bids will win their freedom and, before you try, though you can try, there is no use trying to find me. You won't. You'll only waste what is left of your precious time. Let the games begin."
A handful of Lunar Covians cast bids, while others made deals with the Catalyst to save themselves for others in their stead. The amounts bid/who bid for who being as follows-
Aaliyah bid $500,000 Dilan
Bexley bid $1 Billion each to save Rohan, Jonah & Billie - She is now down $3 Billion
Billie bid a favor to save Bexley
Bri bid $1M for Ben, Ronnie, Daphne & Jonah - She is now down $4M
Briar spent the $14k Julian gave her to spend on herself, while paying $10k out of her own pocket for Poppy, Julian, Jamie, Linden & Jas - Briar is down $50K and Julian is down $14K
Daphne bid $50M for Ronnie
Dilan bid $400K for Song
Jamie bid his grammy & $1.25M for Briar
JC bid his own life to trade for Nico, Elif, Skye, Kitty & Noel
Jonah bid $1000 for Rohan & Bri - He is now down $2000
Ken bit $10M for each Leyla & Rohan - He is now down $20M
Linden bid $400K for Poppy, Jas & Briar as well as the movie rights for his book to save Safiye - He is now down $1.2M & his movie rights
Mason bid a mix tape and was rejected, so he bid $10 for Ralph instead
Nyra bid $10M for Aiyla
Poppy bid a favor for Linden's life
Royce bid $800M for Poppy (he originally bid $550M for himself, but swapped it out for Poppy)
Sébastien bid $500K for Meena & Leyla (he bid for Amrita as well, but seeing that the Catalyst missed his bid, we won't take that money for Seb, though it is know he bid for Amrita as well. The Bid would have been found in the Hotel Rooms by the clean up crew, having not made it into the Catalyst's ballet box) - He is down $1M
Skye bid $250M for Dilan, Rio, Bri & Leyla as well as $100M for Ken, Ben & Meena - He is down $1.3 Billion
Song bid $1M for himself
Suresh bid $400,001 for himself
Tommy bid $5K for each Jas & Noel - He is now down $10K
Todd faked a bid in exchange of saving Leyla
The Catalyst had been watching everyone bid and she saw what matters most to you all. How greedy the lot of you are and how little you are truly able to sacrifice. She's seen which ones of you are willing to put a price tag on a life and which ones are not. In turn, she has decided, those who would not cast a bid, those who felt that their lives were not valuable than those who have less, are free to go, with one qualm of course. Anyone who had a bid placed in their name, whether they were the ones who bid or not, will stay and pay the price for their greed and the greed of their loved ones. Those who were freed were as follows-
Amrita
Remmy
Ernie
Elena
Eren
Efe
Rangi
Rae
After the list was read out over the loud speaker, the air became thin once more and one by one those in the room began to faint. Their vision blurred as the lights went out. Those who were told they were free to go wake up on the outside of the Emerald Hotel. Their head still feels foggy, but other than that, they are no longer trapped within the walls of the Fae Court. But, those were were told to pay, slowly wake up to a ballroom, now far more empty than before, realizing that they are still trapped to be pawns in the next phase of the Catalyst's game.The loud speaker chimes in once more. The voice of Hande can be heard as she informs you all, "Given how much you seemed to like to cast votes to save your own skins, we figured we'd let you all chose. Which one of you will pay for their greed first? You must vote one person off. If you don't, we will kill one individual of our choice. If you participate however, no one will die and, each time you make it through a round of voting, you will be one step closer to having your life spared or the life of a loved one. If you participate, each round the form of pain the individual voted off will endure will be less and less with the last one standing getting off scott free. Now is your chance to discuss. Would you rather have us kill one or have you choose who will pay for their greed?"
In the first voting between the guilty-
Meena's votes (8 in Total): Meena, Poppy, Suresh, Ken, Nico, Noel, Aaliyah, & Rio
Billie's votes (1 in Total): Billie
Aiyla's votes (1 in Total): Aiyla
Bexley's votes (1 in Total): Bexley
Linden's votes (1 in Total): Linden
Jamie's votes (1 in Total): Jamie
JC's votes (2 in Total): JC & Poppy
Ken's votes (2 in Total): Noel & Ken
Sebastien & Tommy both had 2 votes from Pizza Joe & Handsome Bruce
Ken, Meena, JC, Linden, Tommy & Sebastien all were taken. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would have every bone on their bodies broken. The votes are as follows-
Noel's votes (4 in Total): Noel, Dilan, Rio, Ronnie
Bexley's votes (4 in Total): Dilan, Rio, Bexley & Suresh
Jamie's votes (2 in Total): Jamie & Dilan
Aaliyah's votes (2 in Total): Aaliyah & Dilan
Julians's votes (1 in Total): Julian
Elif's votes (6 in Total): Elif, Dilan, Noel, Nico, Rio & Julian
Elif, Aaliyah, Noel, Bexley & Jamie all were taken. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would have the blood drained from their bodies. The votes are as follows-
Safiye's votes (2 in Total): Safiye & Dilan
Briar's votes (1 in Total): Briar
Billie's votes (2 in Total): Billie & Dilan
Julian's votes (5 in Total): Julian, Dilan, Jas, Ben & Poppy
Bri's votes (2 in Total): Bri & Nico
Ralph's votes (4 in Total): Dilan (nominated), Nico, Ben & Poppy
The room is drugged once more. Everyone passes out besides Rohan & Jas who form an air bubble using air magic to stay awake. Hunters come in. They put up a good fight, but they get taken too. Bri, Safiye, Julian, Billie, Rohan, Jasmine & Ralph all were taken. Though, they can hear their distant screams through the walls, before it grows quiet once more. The voice of Hande can be heard ,"You all thought you were clever. Two of you stayed awake using air magic. They will now receive the worst fate out of everyone voted. This is your warning. Do not mess with the Catalyst or you will suffer the same fate Rohan & Jasmine will. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would be suffocated. The votes are as follows-
Rio's votes (1 in Total): Daphne & Dilan (Nominated; Removed)
Suresh's votes (2 in Total): Dilan (nominated) & Poppy
Nico's votes (4 in Total): Nico, Dilan, Royce, & Poppy
Johan's votes (3 in Total): Jonah, Suresh, & Poppy
Mason's votes (2 in Total): Dilan (nominated him), Poppy & Suresh
Ronnie's votes (3 in Total): Ronnie, Poppy & Dilan
Nico, Ronnie, Jonah, Mason & Suresh are gone. Rio is safe as Dilan voted for Ronnie in her stead. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would have been set on fire. The votes are as follows-
Dilan's votes (2 in Total): Daphne & Todd (Removed)
Todd's votes (1 in Total): Dilan (Removed) & Song
Rio's votes (5 in Total): Rio, Aiyla, Royce, Skye & Briar
Kitty's votes (4 in Total): Kitty, Royce, Dilan & Song
Poppy's votes (3 in Total): Poppy, Dilan & Song
Skye's votes (2 in Total): Royce (nominated him) & Skye
Kitty, Skye, Daphne, Poppy & Rio are gone. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would have been electrocuted. The votes are as follows-
Briar's votes (3 in Total): Briar, Dilan & Song
Royce's votes (1 in Total): Royce, Dilan, Song & Ben
Todd's votes (3 in Total): Todd, Dilan, & Song
Ben's votes (1 in Total): Ben
Nyra's votes (1 in Total): Nyra
Briar, Royce & Todd are gone. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would have a limb or a wing removed. The votes are as follows-
Ben's votes (2 in Total): Ben & Dilan
Nyra's votes (2 in Total): Nyra & Dilan
Nyra & Ben are gone. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would be drowned. The votes are as follows-
Song's votes (2 in Total): Song & Leyla
Nyra & Ben are gone. The next round of voting commenced with those left believing that who they vote for would endure a hundred cuts. The votes are as follows-
Aiyla's votes (2 in Total): Dilan (Nominated) & Aiyla
With it down to the final two, the outside was left to choose who they would save- Leyla or Dilan. They decided to save Leyla, with only Elena voting for Dilan.
The doors to the Emerald Hotel fly open. Everyone who had been trapped inside begin to stumble out one by one. Every person is left unharmed. Despite the Catalyst forcing them to vote for who will remain unscathed and who will be tortured, it is clear that the votes were all to tortured those inside psychologically rather than physically. Each time, those inside voted for someone to be taken out of the room, they would wake up in a hotel room by themselves unharmed, with the knowledge that their neighbors voted them to suffer on their behalf. The only three people selected who did actually get hurt were Rohan & Jasmine for staying awake during the Catalyst’s game. Rohan had his left hand smashed. It is the hand that he uses to primarily cast magic and it is also the hand he wears his engagement ring on. By proxy, Todd whose life is connected to Rohan’s, felt the pain of having his hand smashed and has a broken hand now. While Jasmine, for trying to snuff out the air in the room, was strangled. Her throat bruised.
Everyone is free to go home now, except for one. Over the loud speaker, you all hear the following message- "You all voted to spare the life of Leyal Selvi. They are the one whose life you deemed to be most precious and now they alone will pay for the weight of your greed". Upon hearing this, some run back inside to go searching for Leyla Selvi, only to find her on the floor of the ballroom, left alone. Her body is unconscious. There are cuts scattered all across her skin. Nearly every bone in her body has been broken. If they go to move her, they will see that part of her left wing has been sliced off. She will still be able to fly, though it will be a struggle from here on out. It seems her wings got in the way as Hande carved a message into her back that reads “The Time for Change Is Here."
OUTSIDE CHAT OVERVIEW
While the chaos was going on inside, the outside group quickly discovered that they could text the inside and that Eren uses a flip phone still.
The fae flew up and around the building to do some retcon
Magic users listed out what abilities they were working with
Amrita & Rae used their magic to dig a hole under the Emerald Hotel in an attempt to get in.
Efe called his construction contacts to bring a bulldozer to help.
While the A Team was working to get back inside the hotel, the B Team went snooping. Eren looked in the Sheriff's office, finding folders on the leaders and a number of civilians as well as a detailed plan as to how she framed Billie & Rangi.
The bulldozer rambled up to the front wall of the inn.
Rangi ransacked Lorelai Cavanaugh's home. She found a stack of grimoires with notes beside them mentioning the reapers, but Rangi didn't seem to understand what it meant. She stuffed the note back in her pocket and scooped up the books before scurrying back.
Amrita & Rae shattered through the floor, entering the basement of the hotel, but the barrier prevented them from being able to head up the stairs.
Rae asked the gang for a map so that they could track the Catalyst which Eren grabbed from his car. While Rae was performing the spell, Handsome Bruce got carried away and rammed the bulldozer into the side of Puck's Luck. The wall collapsing down, but those were unable to still get to the ballroom or the rest of the hotel because of the barrier.
Efe grabbed his radio, catching the frequency of the intercom from Hande. They broadcasted to them communicating with the inside. Rangi released a banshee scream back at Hande.
Eren spots a note that says "Cut the witches off, #1 priority" within the papers Rangi brings back. None of the grimoires belonged to the supreme. They are ordinary grimoires with nothing special about them besides that fact.
Rae completes the tracking spell to find the Catalyst leaving town.
AFTER THE CHAOS
After the chaos, the Lunar Covians stumble out into the daylight.
Elif & Ralph fell into the hole that had mysteriously appeared in the ground to which Ronnie, Daphne, & Briar tried to help them out of.
Jamie & Nico helped Jas with Jamie healing her throat.
Bri, Mason & Song teamed up to help heal Rohan. Mason tried to heal him, but stopped at the realization that Rohan's ring was embedded now into his skin. Song found pliers which Bri used to remove the ring before Mason finished healing him.
Safiye offered her blood to help heal people.
Eren let Aiyla know that he had info for the Council to share
Nico gathered the wolves & Meena gathered the vampires to go after the Catalyst.
Using the map, Rae tracked the Catalyst with, the wolves took off while the vampires siphoned the witches who consented before following suit.
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Noel's biggest mistake was accepting Sara back...
I read in a Twitter thread that she claimed to him that she was "deceived and induced" by her friends in the media to give the interviews. I doubt Noel believed it. She then swore that she would never give interviews again without his permission (and in fact she did so until 2020)
But I think he got back together with her... for love? Sara chased him for months, tried to be friends with him and that's how she got closer. He could never forget her because she was always around, so his love for her never really ended at the time.
What a smart bitch! 😂
Well love didn't stop Noel from holding a grudge against Liam! lol It really is a mystery to me how he was able to overcome his grudge issues for Sara even though she'd broken his trust. She certainly got special treatment from Noel in that regard. Maybe that's why Liam hated her?
I don't think Noel getting back with her was a mistake though, after all, he has two children with her and that alone means the relationship was not a mistake. And he is the one who is upset at losing her so he clearly loved her until the end. Sure would like to know what went down with her and Liam and that passport incident though!
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ooooh (now i'm having cross over ideas, please bear with me as i break down every option)
general cw: for fears stuff as well as cannon typical malevolent nonsense. spoiler warnings for both shows
i don't think flesh because the cannibalism themes are strong, it's something he is *very* much not happy about. mr. faust or the pinkie incident could both be strong marks. i suppose if things got bad enough with mr. faust he could become an avatar out of desperation.
i think he very much could serve the corruption, depending on how you view john. arthur is intertwined with a thing that has taken his eyes, his left hand, his left foot. what's a little more? offer your blood to the forest, forgive the thing living in your eyes (you love him, you love him, you love him) don't you want to be someone's home? if we're not counting john, the living forest growing within him is still very much a mark.
the extinction is harder to place, but i think no. he certainly is the type to accidentally end the world through shitty circumstances and blind choices, but humanity, what it means and how much it's worth, is very much a key theme for john and arthur. maybe marked by something that crawled into earth and shouldn't have, or by the empty homes in the dreamlands that say something very wrong has happened here
the dark in interesting. obviously a major plot point is arthur becoming blind. because that happened supernaturally we could probably count it as a mark (especially when it stuck after the king's forceful separation). i don't personally see it, but i could understand it. he lives in a world full of creatures that to truly know would break your mind. isn't it so much safer not to see what's lurking in the shadows?
on the opposite end of the spectrum is the eye. now technically in cannon, to sever the beholding, you sacrifice your eyes. but john is arthur's eyes, and those two are reinventing devoted codependency. arthur is always pushing to learn more. the whole first half of the show is spent frustratingly chasing after answers, and even after escaping the dreamlands, he keeps looking. he could have been content to have john back but no, we need to chase down another cult, we need to find answers. and of course john is always looking through his eyes, does it make them uncomfortable to be seen with the intensity of someone who is just eyes, of someone who is watching close enough to describe to another? arthur's mark would probably come from the king in yellow, specifically the coma dream
arthur has not only earned his hunt mark, he's earned a full degree in being a feral prey animal. i can't think of a single point in this show in which he wasn't on the run for longer than a few hours. he's also got that strong "i've got to kill that monster to protect/because it deserves to die" even though he's just as dangerous vibes, same as daisy. he could serve the hunt, tracking and dismantling cults and whatever monsters slip through the cracks. his background as a private investigator would also come in handy. i don't think john would necessarily be on board, but i don't know if he'd be able to talk arthur out of it either, if he set his mind to it.
the desolation is always a rough one (for me) so i will admit a bias here. obviously he's more than earned that mark. arthur basically lost every connection in his life, got himself hanging on by a thread, and then lost parker too. not to mention whatever is going on with oscar and noel (they're fine, totally). i think any of these could reasonably count for the mark, but i can't see arthur serving them. he's wanted to make certain people pay before, but arthur is also a little too forgiving in a lot of ways, and he saved the cultists under larson's estate because they're people. arthur feels so much guilt for the people he's lost, i don't think he'd suit being the desolation's. and honestly i also don't think john would let him. desolation arthur is like, the bad ending of kayne's little show and tell.
the slaughter was actually my first instinct when i saw this poll. just how many time's have john and arthur celebrated after surviving a good fight. their definition of healthy adrenaline is definitely skewed. backed in a corner the two of them are not an opponent you want to face. honestly so many incidents could be a mark, but i think parker's death would be the seed. john's action of course, but really, where does one end and the other begin? and of course, the music motif's with the slaughter in particular are very fun (though i do recognize that several fears have these)
the spiral is very clearly a mark from the king in yellow himself. arthur is carrying a fragment of the god of madness as a voice in his head. i think he'd always be walking a fine line with the spiral. if he just embraced the dream logic, stopped questioning the things that do not make sense when john describes them. and of course john himself is an impossibility, even more so paired with arthur. the king spent months trying to snap arthur's mind, it wouldn't be surprising if something broke. i just like the idea of arthur giving into the chaos, and in doing so gaining a kind of power and belonging in john's world.
look, let's be real, arthur should probably be dead. devine intervention can only get a normal human so far. if that man doesn't have an end mark i'd be shocked. arthur has spent so much of this show surrounded by death. from what we've seen of the end, some don't even feed from causing death, they merely follow it's presence like a shadow. the end is inevitable after all. i think for me the moment that says arthur could serve the end is when the put lily down. he understands that sometimes life is suffering. sometimes arthur himself seems to teater on the edge of giving up. i think he could be comfortable in death, in taking the fear of the dying and letting them rest.
the web is a little harder, but i think either (a) the hotel cultists prophecy or (b) kayne's interference, could count as web marks. arthur admits in the show that he doesn't like getting shoved around, and a lot of his and john's fights arguably stem from the two of them feeling out of control in their own lives. i don't see a lot of evidence for arthur serving the web, but i wouldn't argue against it either.
the buried is something arthur is canonically afraid of. he complains whenever he's got to push through a tight fit, and he's started panicking several times while doing so. he doesn't have a problem with underground places in general, but he's definitely claustrophobic. if i had a nickel for everytime those two wound up exploring underground, i'd be rich (which is the original version of that phrase). like the web, i don't see arthur as prime avatar material, but i would be willing to hear someone out.
arthur lester has survived some suspiciously far falls if we're being honest. to the point where him falling into holes is a kind of running fandom gag. absolutely marked. i think arthur could serve the vast, in the right situation. the vast is open space, freedom, something i think arthur both values and longs for. i think having a god show you the infinity of the universe, after experiencing several inconceivably large monsters/deities who could not care less about humanity, is a recipe to get a little nihilistic. "this too shall pass." there is a freedom in knowing everything is temporary, and i think arthur could be happy serving that freedom.
once again the lonely is an easy mark to assign arthur. someone get that poor man a hug. he's had a lot of rough points, but i would put the moment of his mark at john's separation, followed by yellow's appearance. his only friend, his last anchor, is just gone, and the grief of that sends him off the rails. he stops seeing the good in things, he kills uncle, he plans on going after larson. it's bad. i don't think there is a version of arthur lester that both keeps john and serves the lonely. i think in a bad ending, cut off from john for good, arthur might serve the lonely, or at least feed it, but with john? arthur is physically incapable of being alone. he will always have his most important person safely curled inside his skin, how could he ever feel truly alone like that?
alright! lastly we've made it to the stranger! vibes wise, i think he could serve the stranger. the musical motif's are also strong here, and the cultists and the king in yellow both have masks as major themes. arthur often picks out different identities for survival. how many times does one or more characters start forgetting things? what makes an identity if not for the names you choose for yourself? his other half literally names himself john doe. those two walk into town, pick a new identity, make a mess, and move into the next. i think they would serve the traveling circus just fine, so long as they stayed a matched set (like breakon and hope).
so to get back to the original question:
my top options for avatar hood are the eye, the spiral, the stranger, the slaughter, the corruption, the end, and maybe the vast.
if i have to pick one, i am voting the spiral, because i am in fact, allowed to play favorites, and i'd like to see him embrace the madness of his world
I know that by this point Arthur would be marked by every single one, but just pick one for argument sake.
If you think he would serve the Flesh, Corruption or Extinction let me know.
If you know Arthur but don't listen to TMA just vote based on vibes
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𝒾𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔... 𝕟𝕠𝕖𝕝 𝕝𝕒𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥
― chance perdomo. he/him. cismale. / noel laurent just pulled up blasting a boy is a gun by tyler, the creator — that song is so them ! you know, for a(n) twenty-two year old rapper, i’ve heard they’re really reckless, but that they make up for it by being so altruistic. if i had to choose three things to describe them, i’d probably say rolled up sleeves on an oversized sweater, missed 2am calls, messy notebooks filled with lyrics. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble !
tw: uh , homophobia? yeah yikes.
hi it’s me, dumb bitch machine, raq. annnd this is my lil cherub noel. lit rally love this rp more than life itself and i’m SO happy that it’s come back. it was a crazy special place a year ago and it’ll be another crazy special place now too. noel’s brand new so excuse the awkward phase i tend to go through while i feel out a new muse. i’m also playin with new aesthetics for threads and what not so like just be patient with me skjags. i ... already have a second muse in the works because yes i’m extra! cannot wait to write with you all !!
[ 𝕓𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕤 ― ❝ BETTER DAYS FOLLOW ME LIKE THE SADDEST SONG ❞ ]
full name: noel amari laurent
age: twenty-two years old
date of birth: may 12th
star sign: taurus
place of birth: san marcos , texas
currently living in: los angeles , california
voiceclaim: brockhampton / kevin abstract
sexual orientation: bisexual
spoken languages: fluent in english and very limited in spanish thanks to his dad *more on that later
TL;DR : noel laurent is a twenty-something rapper/boyband member who is…. honestly trying his best and failing lmao. he lost alot of connection to his family really young and recently. because of this, he has a tendency to cling hard to people and make himself his own makeshift family in people who don’t always have his best interest in mind. which always lowkey just hurts him in the end cause his expectations are too high! he’s ambitious and loving but hella reckless.
[ 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 ― ❝ I WISH YOU'D LOVE ME FOR LIFE ❞ ]
alright here we go
noel was born in san marcos texas to eva laurent on may 12th 1997. For all of his life, it was just him, his mother and his younger sister. They didn’t have a ton but eva did everything she could to make sure they had everything they needed. she’s an incredible hard worker and that work ethic trickled down to noel from a very young age.
alright so #daddyissues much? noel’s dad was in his life when he was really young. from three to like eight, because his parents got back together for a couple years . once they broke up again his dad vanished again ! he has very few memories of him but some of them are still they’re prettyyyyy fuzzy. tbh , his dad’s a really touchy subject so he tends to just pretend the guy doesn’t exist !
he kinda always wanted to help out his mom ( spoiler alert, he’s a mommas boy but more on that later ) so, pretty much from the age he was legally able to, noel his been #grinding. like, imagine that one kid that fell asleep in english because they work late the night before. that was him throughout highschool. he was working odd jobs constantly on the side of his main job. mowing lawns, dog walking, you name it he probably dabbled. he’s smart so he’d do other kid’s homework for pay but wouldn’t do his own homework cause… fuck his grades ig lmao
he’s always had an affinity for music but rarely found the time to actually play an instrument or write anything for that matter. it’d take one really stubborn choir teacher junior year who’d nudge him to start turning the handful of short poems he’d turned in for their songwriting project into songs.
you could say mid highschool was really formative years for the boy … along with falling in love with making music he literally fell in love FOR REAL with someone for the first time !! soft, yes. If you’re lucky he’ll talk about dylan quite fondly buuuuuuuuut that’s another touchy subject cause had to keep it secret til it all essentially fell apart. His mom had met a handful of noel’s girlfriends prior to dylan … and he hadn’t gained the bravery to tell her about him. It’s sad i’m sad.
him and his bois would later collaborate and realize “ hey we’ve got something good here ! “ soooo they planned to move out to la pursue the #bandlife .
now, telling his mom about this move led to an EXPLOSIVE fight cause,,, noel was basically helping support her and he wouldn’t be able to do that if the band stuff fell through. The mess of the fight resulted in a bunch of stuff that probably should have been said and… noel coming out. great timing son. So yea, he left the house at the ripe age of 18 and has been hanging with his bros ever since. honestly pls protect him
[ 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 ― ❝ LUCKY STRIKE, FILTERTLESS, DON'T PUSH ME. ❞ ]
kay so if you can’t tell the boy is… ambitious ! he’s the type to believe in something and throw his fully self into it because he’s just that dedicated to chasing dreams . killer work ethic , but he’s gotten a better handle on balancing work and fun thanks to his bois. he is insanely lucky which one pushes him to take more risks
kinda goes with the last one but he’s SUCH an open hearted dude . that guy after a break up no matter how messy will probably wanna be friends ( but also messy enough to turn exes into friends with benefits and then catch feelings again.. Issa nasty cycle pls pray )
loves a party , is probably skinny dipping and calling his ex while drunk i- WATCH HIM OK? afskajd
he’s honestly so sweet and humble buuuuut don’t think that means self deprecating cause my son knows hes pretty . he’s got enough self esteem to share and prioritizes #selflove skagja will accept a compliment with a cheeky smile and a simple thank you. so, not arrogant but like he’s not gonna deny the obvious truth? lmaooo
swear to god, he’s bad at keeping secrets and will let u know how he feels. even with crushes so unless he’s feelin nervous for some reason most likely he’ll make the first move. he’s a romantic. he’s just all around really honest
one direction STAN :) skfjadk
[ 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 ― ❝ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ , ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ʜᴜɴɴɪᴅꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ❞ ]
Exes are always great , maybe a best friend who isnt’ apart of the band, general friends, bad influences who take him to parties where he’ll inevitably skinny dip, good influences, new crushes, unrequited crush cause we love heart break, neighbors, enemies ( i ?? don’t put it past him to have ended up in a fight while drunk or something cause.. reckless ) people he might’ve met in texas? His band mates ( if you’re lookin to bring a second ;) ) sibling like friendships, anything sis
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( a thompson family meeting )
( a completed thread between Noel Thompson, Raylin Thompson - @fromthegodz, Finn Thompson - @oceanic-finn, and Dante Ledingham - @xxmythopoeic )
Raylin had big news to share with her brothers and things go a little haywire.
raylin thompson
The young brunette sat on the couch watching her brothers and her boyfriend “ok well uh I have news for you,” she started. How do you tell your two older brothers who practically raised you the biggest plot drop of your life. “I uhm.. I figured out what’s going on with my powers” she mumbled.
noel thompson
Being invited over to his sister's was both a concerning matter and a nice surprise. It had felt like so long since they had gotten together. But now that he was here, being sat down and talked to like he was going to be told his parents were splitting up. It felt ridiculous. Who was older in this scenario? "Okay? Want to enlighten me as to what that is?" Suddenly nervous that there was something else going on. "You're not hurt right? She's not hurt, right?" The last statement being aimed towards Dante more his sister. The boyfriend would know, right?
dante ledingham
Dante had to admit that he had been afraid of this moment. The relationship between Raylin and her brothers was of a kind that he couldn’t truly grasp, not even after a year of being with the girl. They were tight, the brothers were overprotective, and there had been a sense of tension between him and them. “No, she’s not hurt.” He replied to Noel, but stayed silent afterwards. This was something that Raylin had to do by herself.
finn thompson
Finn has honestly not worried about going over to Raylin’s until he’d seen Noel arrive as well. That made him incredibly suspicious, because this wasn’t a normal thing. If the two were going to see Raylin, it would be as a pair, invited together and not separately. He fiddled with his hands anxiously on the sofa as his sister started talking, his eyes never leaving her, not even when Noel spoke. “Good, that’s good right? If you’re not hurt though, what is it that’s causing the issues?”
raylin thompson
Raylin looked at over at Dante suddenly changing the idea of telling them, or the thought at least. It probably wasn’t a good idea, but she knew she had to tell them. They would figure it out eventually. “Uhm, I.. were..” she sighed and just let it out “I’m pregnant” she said quickly and sort of mumbled.
noel thompson
Once his sister broke the news to him, Noel took a moment to process the information. Pregnant? How had that even happened? Well, he knew how that happened but that was not a thought he was going to entertain at this current moment. "You're what?" he croaked out, turning to look at Finn to see how he was taking this bomb. While overprotective, Noel had never been as vocal about it. He preferred to allow Raylin a little breathing room. "And you're sure?" Of course, he knew that her boyfriend would know for a fact but part of it was still difficult to comprehend.
raylin thompson
She nodded slowly “yep” she said looking up at him trying to read his reaction. Dante was still alive so.. that was good. “I sort of blacked out at work and woke up in the hospital” she added to explain how she knew. They knew.(edited)April 12, 2020
finn thompson
Finn was stunned into silence at the revelation from Raylin. He couldn’t believe that she had been so silly, to allow this to happen to herself at such a young age; she had all the time in the world to settle down and have a family, at her age was not the time. Turning his gaze to the man that he had seen as a friend only moments before, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching. “And you let this happen, how? You fucking idiot.”
raylin thompson
Raylin opened her mouth to talk but quickly closed it. "I" she squeaked. Nope, words weren't coming still. "It's m-my fault" she said quietly, her confidence shutting down quickly and it was easy to see in her face. She looked defeated.
dante ledingham
He had tried to remain silent thus far, and somehow he had wished that the focus wouldn't shift to him as he sat there on the couch. But, he knew the temperament of Finn and as he saw the muscles clenching in the man's face, his eyes widened as a response. "Hey." He raised his hand almost pleadingly. "I...I did everything by the book."
noel thompson
Noel knew when to keep his mouth shut. Growing up with both Finn and Raylin made him the perfect person to handle the situation. If he weren't having a mental breakdown in his head. His baby sister was pregnant? He knew that she was an adult and therefore perfectly capable of living her life the way she wanted but that didn't mean he liked it anymore. Turning his attention towards Finn, watching his brother's move. Dante was not doing himself any favors at this point and Noel figured it wouldn't be long until Finn exploded.
finn thompson
“No, it’s not your fault.” Finn was quick to answer his sister, almost dismissing her as he kept his gaze on her boyfriend. He felt eyes on him, not just Dante’s but Noel’s as well, but he didn’t care. Balling up his hand into a fist as he sat there on the sofa, doing his best not to get up and kill the man then and there, he shook his head. “Well you obviously didn’t, did you?” He snapped. “she’s twenty-fucking-one, Dante!”
dante ledingham
Suddenly, he felt the need to stand up and create some distance between him and Finn. Dante knew that the atmosphere wasn't ideal for a pregnant woman, and that upsetting Raylin could have a negative influence on the baby. "She's an adult, Finn." He said quietly, gaze fixated on the girl. "She's an adult, she's amazing, and I love her, and I'm going to make their life absolutely wonderful."
raylin thompson
Raylins cheeks reddened but she couldn’t help but smile for a minute. Even though she was barely an adult, and honestly probably couldn’t take care of herself if she had to right yet, she loved him a lot. Her smile quickly faded though “it is my fault” she mumbled pulling her legs to her chin to rest her head on.
noel thompson
Hearing the bickering between Dante and Finn, Noel stewed inside his head. He had always been the more level headed between the three of them and he was proud of that fact. No reason to resort to violence when things could rationally be spoken about. Yet, as he looked at Raylin close in on herself, Noel stood to his feet. His brain was telling him to go and comfort his sister, yet as he faced Dante, Noel's body reacted on it's own accord. Fist cocked back, Noel slammed it forward until it connected with Dante's face. Without much of another look, Noel stormed his way through the house and out the front door to cool off.
raylin thompson
Raylin squeaked “Noel!” She called tears filling up in her eyes. “Dante?” She asked getting up quickly to make sure he was ok. “I’m so so sorry” she whispered tears flooding her face.
dante ledingham
To tell the truth, the hit did not come from the person he had expected. What hurt more, the actual punch or the fact that it was the calmer one of the brothers? Staggering back from the power of the blow, his hand quickly went to his nose, covering the flood of blood suddenly trickling down. "What the fuck." He mumbled, now losing his patience completely. "You are acting as if I had put a devil in her. It's our a baby, your nephew or niece, and as you are talking so much about age, I would expect you to act like yours."
raylin thompson
Raylin quickly ran to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth and got some ice for Dante bringing it back. Her hands were shaking as she passed it to him.
finn thompson
Finn watched as Dante stood up and without a doubt was ready to square up to him, no matter if the bloke was taller or not. However, what happened next surprised him and he watched as Noel’s fit swung out and hit Dante right in the nose, something that oddly made him feel satisfied despite the fact it wasn’t him that had done it. Watching as his brother stormed out, he paused for a moment to see why Raylin did, shaking his head when she quickly picked looking after her boyfriend then going after one of the two people that had raised her. Standing up from the sofa silently, he walked over to his sister, completely ignoring the male now as he was so sure he’d follow Noel’s lead, and probably wouldn’t be able to stop. “Give us time to digest this, and do whatever you can to keep this dickhead away from us.” He didn’t mean to be harsh to Raylin, but his words came out sterner than he’d expected - but she’d already decided where her loyalties lay. Turning on his heel, he quickly moved out of the front door, chasing after Noel.
raylin thompson
“Wait!” She said looking at Dante she followed him “please just wait you know I don’t do good with blood” she mumbled hoping that somewhat explained her actions though she knew it probably didn’t matter, she should have gone after Noel in the first place. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She couldn’t breathe.
dante ledingham
Though he appreciated Raylin's actions more than he could express in the moment, he felt a jab at his heart when hearing the words spoken by Finn. Dante knew how important the two men were for the girl, and to be the source of any kind of conflict between the three was a horrible, heavy feeling. As the three of them suddenly disappeared, the man walked into the bathroom to clean the blood off his face - somehow, he knew that this was something that they had to talk through themselves, and the only thing he could do, that would hurt Raylin the least, was to be there and comfort her when she gets back. Until then, he would stay in the background.
#noel | interactions#interactions | noel+raylin#interactions | noel+finn#interactions | noel+dante#a thread we did on discord and are posting it here now#plus it'll make things clearer with the siblings threads
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R.I.P. Astaroth Incarnate 2013-2021 Thank you spawns for the years of support. Due to creative differences, the members of the band are going their separate ways and focusing on their individual projects. As the visionary member of this band; I, Astaroth, couldn't have asked for a better experience for the last 8 years, being that this is the first band I have ever been in which I had the pleasure of seeing it grow from it's inception to re-creating my persona as Astaroth (from my pro-gaming days as t3h_mAstArOth since I was 16) and seeing my artistic career flourish thanks to this band. I want to thank our producers Alex Oprea and Tyler Williams for handling our 2 EPs so professionally, all the promoters such as Dina, Gualberto (r.i.p.), Tristan, Jess, Kelly, Cristina, Craig, Max, Gillian, Shawn, JJ, Daniel, Aaron, Karina, Noel, etc who supported us with all the shows we played, all the venues we played at, our previous record label CDN Records, Train Records for printing our CDs, Chase from Threads of Society for all the merch we printed from you, our artists Dee Gozali (r.i.p.) and Marie Cherniy for our album artworks, our PR companies Kim & Jason and Curtis that helped with our album releases, Reka, Mike, Joe and Alan for all our music videos, Jordy, Jerome and Andrew for all the themed band photos, all the bloodwitches who ever performed with me on stage, Timothy, Gaia and Alina for singing with me on stage and all the amazing musicians and sick metal bands that we have ever shared the staged with. Thank you for your support, you all rule! Most importantly, I can't end this post without showing my utmost gratitude to each and everyone of you Spawns for believing in Astaroth Incarnate and making my first band experience memorable for a lifetime! I have had the best time getting to know you, meet you at shows, talk to you online and in person, genuinely connect with you and thoroughly enjoy your positive energy towards this band. I am a fan of you! never stop being your awesome self! It's been a wild ride and none of it would have been possible without your love and support. Thank you so much spawns! https://www.instagram.com/p/CVTFQEspUQT/?utm_medium=tumblr
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LWLies 88: The Minari issue – On sale now!
When I first saw Minari at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, I pretty much sobbed from start to finish. Granted the timing wasn’t great: three weeks before I flew out to Utah, my Grandma had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I hadn’t quite realised that watching a film about the relationship between a young boy and his maternal grandmother might be liable to emotionally devastate me. By the time the house lights came up and the cast and crew appeared for the post-film Q&A, I was a red-eyed, puffy-cheeked mess, and Lee Isaac Chung’s film had secured a place in my heart.
Just over a year later, plenty of things have changed, but Minari remains cemented in my heart and mind as something truly special. As such, we’re thrilled to present LWLies 88: The Minari issue. Being able to champion films that have resonated with us is one of the greatest joys of working in film criticism, and a lot of love and thought has gone into creating a magazine that feels as special and intimate as this semi-autobiographical film about Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood growing up on a farm in rural Arkansas.
Order your copy
This is the fifth issue we’ve produced in lockdown, and we’re still longing for the day when we can safely return to cinemas. Hopefully, that isn’t too far away, but in the meantime, it’s a privilege to celebrate films like Minari, which have so much love and life in every frame.
Set against the sun-washed backdrop of the American south in the 1980s, the Yi family relocate from California to Arkansas as patriarch David (Steven Yeun) chases his dream of starting a farm selling Korean produce. His wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is sceptical, while their young children Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and David (Alan S Kim) don’t quite to know what to make of the move. After they’re joined by Monica’s mother Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung) who moves from Korea to be with the family, things become more complicated, as the challenges of unforgiving farm work and intergenerational living begin to manifest.
But what shines through in Minari is a sense of faith – in both one’s self and one another. This is a film about good people in difficult circumstances, and learning to feel your way through a world that rarely offers us a chance for quiet reflection. We’re delighted to have worked with some of our favourite writers and illustrators to explore Minari in detail.
You can pick up your copy from our web shop, which also sells subscriptions too. Please do check out your local independent retailers too if they’re selling magazines online during lockdown.
On the Cover
We turned to Edinburgh-based artist Amy Moss for this issue, tasking her with creating a portrait of Alan S Kim as David Yi. She used watercolour pencils to create the cover illustration and endpapers for this issue, beautifully realising a naive style in keeping with David’s mischievous spirit. We hope you love her work as much as we do!
As a special treat, you’ll also find some photocopiable paper aeroplane designs inside, illustrated by Apollonia, the eight-year-old daughter of a longtime friend and collaborator of ours, Stéphanie Sergeant.
In this issue
A review of Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari Kambole Campbell delves into Lee Isaac Chung’s sun-bleached cine-memoir.
Being Yourself Hannah Woodhead picks apart the themes of Minari with its director, Lee Isaac Chung, and two of its stars, Steven Yeun and Alan S Kim.
In Another Country: An A-Z of Diaspora on Screen Leila Latif and David Jenkins offer an alphabetical tour of immigrant communities on film.
Flower Power Phuong Le revisits the first US film to boast a fully-Asian cast: Henry Koster’s 1961 musical, Flower Drum Song.
Les Enfants Terribles Charles Bramesco grinds his axe against the wheel of terrible child performances in movies.
Dimensions of Dialogue Grace Barber-Plentie and Rōgan Graham explain how they amplified Black voices around the release of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series.
Threads: The Baseball Cap Christina Newland’s regular column on clothes and film unloads the political weight of the baseball cap.
Illustration in this issue by Seung Won Chun, Callie Mastrianni, Stéphanie Sergeant, Lucia Vinti and Laurene Boglio.
In the back section
LaKeith Stanfield Leila Latif discusses the complexities of Judas and the Black Messiah with one of the most exciting acting talents around.
Katherine Waterston Ahead of the UK release of The World to Come, Adam Woodward speaks to its star about her research and preparation for Mona Fastvold’s sweeping period romance.
Darius Marder Hannah Woodhead chats to the writer-director behind Sound of Metal about replicating the experience of deafness on screen.
Christian Petzold The German director reveals why his children were a crucial influence on the folklore-inspired Undine to Sophie Monks Kaufman.
Fanny Liatard The co-director of social realist space fantasia Gagarine explains how genre can be political to David Jenkins.
On Cryptofiction Caitlin Quinlan chats to the founders of a new independent streaming channel showing life beyond the mainstream.
Illustrations by Morgan Grice
In review
Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit Elizabeth Lo’s Stray Bryan Fogel’s The Dissident Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno Billie Piper’s Rare Beasts Jerry Rothwell’s The Reason I Jump Mona Fastvold’s The World to Come Umberto Pasolini’s Nowhere Special Lawrence Michael Levine’s Black Bear Marco Pontecorvo’s Fatima Florian Zeller’s The Father Francis Lee’s Ammonite Christian Petzold’s Undine Kevin Macdonald’s The Mauritanian Robin Wright’s Land Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog Christos Nikou’s Apples Fanny Liatard and Jeremy Troulih’s Gagarine A selection of the best Home Ents Releases.
LWL88: The Minari Issue is available to order online now. Order your copy and subscribe here.
The post LWLies 88: The Minari issue – On sale now! appeared first on Little White Lies.
source https://lwlies.com/articles/lwlies-88-the-minari-issue/
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How Chris Paul is fooling big men by playing hide-and-seek
CP3 is always a step ahead of the competition.
Behind Chris Paul’s genius transition trick that is confusing defenses all over the NBA.
Chris Paul is a basketball genius. He leverages every edge, and uses every angle to do it. He sees the entire floor in his sleep and knows each possible defensive reaction. He doesn’t just see and exploit potential openings before anyone else. He sees and exploits the potential openings before the potential openings. As Oklahoma City Thunder fans have learned this season, crunch time is just another simple film session put into action.
Chris Paul is also a bit of a control freak. His teams tend to be robotic rather than instinctive, and his exacting chase for perfection can get on teammates’ nerves. The aging process tends to accelerate these tendencies, not limit them.
That likelihood, combined with the NBA’s ongoing speed and positional revolutions, did make Paul seem like a bit of a relic by the end of last season. Could he actually generate easy transition looks during the game’s run of play, yet still be Chris Paul while doing it?
The answer has been an emphatic yes, in his own unique way.
In a macro sense, the Thunder have massively overachieved in quintessential Paul fashion. They have a stifling defense and a methodical, efficient pick-and-roll heavy offense that shines in crunch time. They exploit every little edge and target mismatches. Nobody would call Paul a speed demon, and nobody would call the Thunder a fast-break team.
Yet Paul has also found a way to be a version of Calculating Genius Chris Paul in the open floor in addition to his usual self when the game slows down. How? By stalking opposing big men that are running back and essentially hiding behind them to create random early-offense sequences.
Sounds odd and counterintuitive, but it’s quintessential Paul. Notice how he chases DeAndre Ayton down before emerging with a wide open top-of-the-key three.
Or the way he veers towards Nikola Jokic and runs up his back before letting Jokic run past him.
Or the way he uses Nerlens Noel to pursue and then stand in front of a retreating Zion Williamson.
Stalking the opposing big man has been a Paul specialty all season, whether off misses, makes, or turnovers. It may not be the conventional way to push the ball, but it creates the same kind of odd-man secondary breaks that a more direct attacker like Westbrook produces. It confuses retreating defenses and scrambles matchups, because opponents aren’t sure if the big man should pick up Paul or have him retreat to the rim so a smaller player can. That moment of indecision is all Paul needs to create an open shot for himself or a teammate.
The beauty of Paul’s ingenious transition maneuver is that it’s equally effective whether he uses a teammate’s screen or not. He can deputize Steven Adams or Noel to hunt down their own men and instead sneak behind them to take advantage.
Or, he can play peek-a-boo himself, effectively using the opposing big man as his own lead blocker. If Hassan Whiteside was wearing an Oklahoma City uniform, you’d credit him for setting a great drag screen on Damian Lillard to free Paul’s pull-up.
And you’d applaud Daniel Theis for flipping a screen on his Celtics teammate to facilitate Paul’s hard drive the other way.
Proper distance is key to making this work. Paul has to dribble close enough to the retreating big man to make them feel threatened, but not so close that they automatically switch onto him. Like a great distance runner, he stays within striking distance of the pack before making the decisive move that’ll give him the space he needs.
Usually, that decisive move is no move at all. Paul loves to stop and pull up as his opponent continues running, especially from three-point range. He also loves to fake like he’s driving or shooting to draw another defender to him, creating a lane to pass to an open shooter.
Best of all, this maneuver transitions easily into a more traditional pick-and-roll or isolation if it doesn’t immediately yield paydirt. If the defense catches on and matches up appropriately, Paul simply waits for his big man to come for an actual drag screen that could free him. If the big man instead switches onto Paul, they’re stuck on a one-on-one island against a brilliant conductor. Fast breaks flow into secondary breaks, which then flow into the in-rhythm half-court sets that Paul has dominated for his entire career. He’s pushing the ball methodically, not recklessly. He’s still in control even as the game itself looks chaotic.
Stalking the opposing big man in transition is one major way Paul has threaded the needle between his surgical self and his need to adapt to modern times. He’s taking nearly 40 percent of his shots (5.1 per game) in the first nine seconds of the shot clock, his highest mark since the heyday of Lob City in 2013-14. By contract, only 24 percent of his field goals came in the first nine seconds of the shot clock last year.
Paul’s ingenious transition play is a key reason he’s experiencing a delightful renaissance with the Thunder. When the Rockets traded Paul last summer, the basketball logic was that they needed Russell Westbrook’s quick-strike ability more than Paul’s half-court precision. Broadly, they were probably right, though the price to make that swap happen was prohibitive.
Still, Paul’s success this year shows there’s more than one way to skin the transition cat. You can attack directly like Westbrook, or you can play hide-and-seek behind opposing bigs while weaving through traffic like Paul. Turns out even control freaks like Paul can find unique ways to push the pace in today’s quick-strike NBA.
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GLOW is the New Orange is the New Black
“I’m just sick of racism being used as a subplot for white people to tell their stories,” Mr. Negropeace explained after watching a few scenes from GLOW over my shoulder. I should’ve taken this rare moment of cogency from him seriously, but instead I powered on, despite the little voice inside me telling me to spare myself, to love myself. My media obsessed compulsion to consume content pushed me on.
Pop culture is the vocabulary of my world. When I saw the GLOW trailer autoplay on my Netflix home screen, it wasn’t so much that it looked good, but that it had all the elements of something I was supposed to like, wrestling, 80s cultural touchstones, diverse ensemble cast. I knew given these elements, that there were going to be problems, but I made all those familiar excuses as to why I needed to watch it anyway, “everyone will be talking about it” “I’ll be left out if I don’t watch it” “This was the time they were living in” “Look at all these black and brown women in this, at least support them.” I watched GLOW the documentary, and though the program was before my time, I really did fall in love with the women, and what they did for women in wrestling, TV and comedy, but I felt they too quickly glossed over how these stereotypical personas were placed on them. Lynn Braxton (aka Big Bad Mama) just casually says, I did voodoo, I chased people around the ring with chicken heads and bones, with no more than the shrug of her shoulders. I was also taken in by the idea these women were cloistered away from family and friends and even each other. I really hoped an episodic show would delve deeper into these concepts. Instead, we get a saccharine scene of dress up, with a couple of tired “all Asians look alike jokes.” In short, I got exactly what I deserved from this show.
I ignored the warning that this was some of the same minds behind Orange is the New Black and Nurse Jackie (both peak white women behaving badly to the detriment of women of color). Allison Brie was the lead who I just find annoying (maybe it’s time I do my piece on Bojack Horseman), and the fact that her whole dramatic thread involves a betrayal of her best friend (over a dude no less) is annoying at best. Marc Maron has been getting many kudos for his washed-up b-movie director, who serves as the Joe Caputo surrogate, but on a supposedly female-centered show, the irony of the headlines that he steals the show is not lost on me.
I must admit I do love everything Betty Gilpin is giving me as the jilted wife and mother, but TV seems obsessed with the whole unlikable, irredeemable protagonist things, so go for it, whatever. Another positive, Sydelle Noel breathes life into a character that played by anyone else I would write off as “yay, another sassy black woman.” I was excited to see Ellen Wong is getting work. And Britney Young, is going places, and I need a spin off on Carmen Wade’s wrestling dynasty of a family. But black women, chasing two clans-robe clad white women around a ring, Nah, I don’t need it. Hard pass. I don’t care that they won, I don’t care that it was their idea, I don’t care that it’s satire or comedy or parody, I don’t care that it’s just the time period. I don’t need it.
I bowed out of Orange is the New Black long before Pousey met her demise, and please believe I was watching The Handmaid’s Tale with my entire body clenched that Samira Wiley wasn’t about to go 2 for 2 in the martyrdom category. I don’t need any more of that type of stress in my life.
I don’t need anybody to “reflect the times” for me or give me examples of “how racism is bad” or pepper the stories of unremarkable white women with some “color.” I had a coworker come up to me after watching Pousey’s death on OINTB, she wanted to “process” with me, a white woman who had had been mum the many days I came to work depressed because of the unnecessary death of real life black folk, wanted to “process” the death of a fictional death of a black woman with, (so much nope).
So no I don’t need it, besides season 3 of Being Mary Jane is on Netflix and Insecure will be back in month. Shit, I can go back and watch Luke Cage again. There a too many things I’d rather be doing.
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Moving the Conversation on Black Designers Forward – WWD
https://pmcwwd.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/black-designers-2020-011.jpg?w=640&h=415&crop=1
The killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers reexposed much that had been ignored in the U.S. and in the fashion industry. While much of the world is on pause due to the coronavirus, attention to police brutality, inequality and the mistreatment of citizens in the U.S. and abroad has come to the forefront. Many fashion companies, brands, publications and individuals in the industry have stepped forward to say “Black Lives Matter,” showing support for the movement. Numerous fashion news sites shared stories highlighting Black fashion designers and business owners with the intent to right the ship in its path to progress.
But in doing so, these stories exposed that this moment is history repeating itself.
The demand for equality, fair treatment and more hiring of Black talent in the fashion world dates back more than 50 years. While some aspects of this time are new, thanks to social media and call-out culture, much of this movement has been seen before.
Now, as then, it is Black creatives, models and industry professionals who have led the way, spearheading efforts to make the industry more inclusive and reflective of the public it should be serving. In the past, efforts emerged organically where there were opportunities, but today, new initiatives, grants and organizations are being launched with the intention of creating and maintaining opportunities for the underrepresented.
For instance, Harlem’s Fashion Row, a nonprofit founded in 2007 by industry veteran Brandice Daniel, is meant to support designers of color. According to Daniel, designers of African American and Latino descent account for less than 1 percent of department store offerings’ representation, a number that hasn’t changed in the 13 years since the founding of Harlem’s Fashion Row. The group in June received a donation of $1 million from the CFDA and Vogue’s The Common Thread initiative to support its Icon 360 program that provides help to designers of color during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Daniel, a former buyer and manager of production at an intimate apparel company, starting Harlem’s Fashion Row was a project “tugging at my heart” as she saw fewer designers of color in the industry. With the organization’s initiatives, emerging designer Fe Noel received an opportunity to sell at Bloomingdale’s in 2019.
But in order to build greater representation throughout the industry, many Black talents feel a key is to change how they are perceived.
“I think what I’ve been mindful of in all this is how we are seen and how this extends to some people and publications trying to pit us against each other,” said Henrietta Gallina who, alongside Kibwe Chase-Marshall and Jason Campbell, this year started the Kelly Initiative, named after the designer Patrick Kelly. “We are not a monolith, and the challenges we face are complex, so there is no one direct solution. It’s also not the job of Black people to do all of the work. We cannot remove the responsibility of the current leadership and power structures.”
From left: Designer Patrick Kelly’s made-to-order collection at the Martha Inc. boutique in New York. Kelly poses with models in contemporary wedding ensembles from his spring 1986 collection. Michel Maurou/WWD
“I look at this as a point of continued progress,” said model and activist Bethann Hardison. “Yes, you get to one plateau on the mountain and you can clear it. Then you see another one you have to climb over.”
Sharifa Murdock, Envsn founder and Project and Liberty Fairs cofounder, said, “It’s so unfortunate that we are now being recognized for our talents and our skills, when we’ve always had these talents and skills. Time is just repeating itself, but what’s sad is no one’s speaking on the history. It’s a different generation growing up. Just because we’ve seen it, [it] isn’t how they’re seeing it.”
As companies scramble to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and do right by Black consumers and talents in the industry, the key question remains: what happened before, and why has it taken so long for the industry — from the boardroom to the design studio — to address the problems?
Gucci and Prada established diversity panels and hired Diversity and Inclusion executives after they received backlash for products bearing racist imagery, but that was only last year. Virgil Abloh’s appointment as artistic director of men’s at Louis Vuitton was a watershed moment, marking the designer as the first Black American to head a collection at one of the largest fashion houses in the world. Yet that came only two years ago.
The CFDA in June took some steps to support Black talents in the industry after the global protests following Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, but the initiative for mentorship, internships and diversity training programs was not entirely well received because it was seen as hasty efforts that do not go far enough to bring change and progress. In addition to donating $1 million to Harlem’s Fashion Row, they later made donations to the NAACP and Campaign Zero, and through Common Thread donated just over $1 million to 36 companies, including fashion and accessories brands, retailers, factories and organizations. Despite the lukewarm response, the organization is doing something.
June also saw the launches of organizations and initiatives like designer Aurora James’ 15 Percent Pledge; the Black in Fashion Council, led by Lindsay Peoples-Wagner and Sandrine Charles; beResonant, a grant program for Black fashion creatives started by tech company Resonance, and the Kelly Initiative led by Gallina, Chase-Marshall and Campbell who, along with 250 Black professionals, petitioned the CFDA to increase its anti-racism efforts.
The collective effort is unified in seeking to create and maintain sustainable, active and progressive roads for the advancement and equality of Black people in the industry. What is key is to realize that the industry has been here before, starting with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but that progress stalled.
The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex and religion, while affirmative action programs sought to increase the number of Black professionals in the workforce. After its passage, former Manhattan Borough president Percy Sutton supported programs in New York to educate Black professionals for managerial roles in retail. Several national colleges participated in summer programs to get Black students experience in retail, while the Fashion Institute of Technology developed a “task force” to enroll more Black students.
“Black and Right,” a 1973 article from the WWD archives. Tonya Blazio-Licorish
At the same time, protests and picketing continued in Washington, D.C., and at the headquarters of various retailers and publications who still engaged in discrimination in their hiring practices. This set the tone for organizations like AIM, The Association for the Integration of Management, and the nonprofit Black Retail Action Group, or BRAG, established in 1970 to increase the participation of Black and minority talent in the retail and fashion industry by promoting career advancement, professional development and networking.
“BRAG’s mission was, and still is, to increase the diverse talent pipeline, something that is more relevant today than ever,” said Nicole Cokley-Dunlap, copresident of BRAG. “The diverse consumer needs to be reflected throughout the decision-making process.” The organization’s other copresident is Shawn Outler, who is also chief diversity officer at Macy’s Inc.
The year that BRAG was established, WWD reported that Black workers accounted for 12 percent of total store employment, 7 percent of white-collar jobs and 2 percent of management, technical or professional positions. Charles R. Perry, a professor at Wharton University who conducted the study, was quoted as saying, “Pure racial discrimination in the form that it was known before the 1960s is not in evidence, inverse discrimination in the form of entry qualifications is predominant.”
Black participation in the fashion industry in the Sixties and Seventies could be credited to Ebony Fashion Fair, said designer Stephen Burrows. Johnson Publishing Co. cofounder Eunice Johnson created Ebony Fashion Fair in 1958 to raise money for Black charities. Johnson not only celebrated her passion for well-known designer fashion from Europe and America on a cabine of Black models like Pat Cleveland and Iman, but she made it a mission to celebrate and expose the world to Black designers. Audrey Smaltz, former model and commentator for the showcase and founder of the Ground Crew in 1977, stated that Ebony Fashion Fair was a game changer for the times. The fair ended in 2009.
Though Johnson urged European designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino to participate in the fair, her insistence on promoting Black American creatives boosted acceptance by the industry for salable, exceptional design contributions from talents like Burrows, Wesley Tann, Jon Haggins, Willi Smith, Scott Barrie, Fabrice Simon, Arthur McGee, and Patrick Kelly, amongst many others.
Support from fashion directors, buyers and retailers brought Black talents into department stores like Bloomingdale’s, I. Magnin, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, which also showcased Black designers in a 1968 fashion show. Burrows’ “Stephen Burrows World,” a partnership with Henri Bendel, set a course for his business in America. A bigger break came for him with the participation in the now-iconic Battle of Versailles in 1973.
Burrows — like Halston, Givenchy, Saint Laurent and the other designers who participated at Versailles — had many opportunities in licensing and collaborations, including designer fur, denim and fragrances. His Stephen B Good fragrance held promise but, according to a WWD article in 1976, it did not garner the same success as his counterparts due to a lack of marketing support.
From left: Model Armina Warsuma in Stephen Burrows’ 1971 collection for “Stephen Burrows World” boutique at Henri Bendel. Model Aria in a dress from John Haggins’ summer 1981 collection. Tony Palmieri and Harry Morrison/WWD
Haggins, who established his first fashion label in 1966 after graduating from FIT, left the industry in 1973 despite his success and returned to a changed landscape in 1982. “I went in very naïve. I didn’t really see obstacles, because I was enjoying the moment,” he told WWD recently.
He said getting his collection in a department store was not difficult if it was salable. “I made beautiful clothes. That was my business,” he said. “I didn’t look at my race, but if others did, that was not my obstacle, it was theirs.”
Haggins, whose looks sold at major department stores and were worn by celebrities like Diana Ross and Raquel Welch, left the industry again and is now an author, host and producer of Globetrotter TV.
Black models would also see a different level of exposure than their white counterparts. Ophelia DeVore was the first Black model in the U.S. and cofounder of the Grace del Marco Agency. DeVore led a number of protests, including one at Time Inc., according to Jet Magazine, which reported in 1971 that Time asked the New York Supreme Court to drop the “racist journalism” case against them by DeVore’s Charm School.
But as the Seventies wore on — and throughout the Eighties — strides were being taken by retailers and publications to shine a spotlight on Black design talent.
In 1977, Revlon and Bloomingdale’s Marvin Traub, with then-Manhattan Borough president Sutton, hosted “The Black Expression — a Statement of Style,” an in-store fashion showcase and party. In 1979 and 1981, Harvey’s Bristol Crème sponsored a celebrity-attended tribute and fashion show to Black design talent in women’s and men’s fashion at FIT.
From left: Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton attends “The Black Expression — a Statement of Style” event at Bloomingdale’s in New York.<br />Musician Lionel Hampton and fashion coordinator Audrey Smaltz in Fabrice appear onstage during the event. Michel Maurou and John Bright/WWD
Smaltz, the model who was the fashion coordinator of the event, noted that by 1981 more than 100 black designers were successfully working in the fashion industry.
Hardison, who considers herself more of an “advocate” than an “activist,” founded Bethann Management in 1984 and later the Black Girls Coalition in 1988 to celebrate Black models. Because she was so impressed that “they were all working,” she said, “We now had the opportunity to have Black models on the cover of Elle, a mainstream magazine,” which pushed Condé Nast and Hearst to do the same.
Fairchild’s 1989 event “The Soul of 7th Ave.,” produced by Monique Greenwood, a former editor, and the National Association of Black Journalists, or NABJ, honored models Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Karen Alexander, and designers Kevan Hall, Fabrice Simon, Jeffrey Banks, Isaia, Alvin Bell, James McQuay and Kelly, among others. (Kelly was unable to attend and died shortly after due to complications from AIDS. He began his design career in Atlanta, before heading to Paris at the suggestion of model Pat Cleveland. He was the first Black American to be admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne in 1988.)
Despite these successes in America, journalist and best-selling author Teri Agins said Black American designers did not receive the opportunity to lead major European fashion houses. The Nineties saw two appointments of American design talents — with Marc Jacobs signing on at Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors at Celine, both in 1997.
“Tracy Reese and Byron Lars came up at the same time as Jacobs. They were college- and fashion-industry-educated, but they weren’t recruited for those jobs. These are opportunities that they missed out on,” Agins said.
She continued, “There were many talented, developed Black designers at the time who should have been interviewed and considered for such posts. For example, the very talented Edward Wilkerson, who was appointed to be the creative director and designer at Lafayette 148. Edward put that brand on the map!”
Black designers at the time ran the industry spectrum from couture to ready-to-wear and mass-market retail. Among them were Patrick Robinson, who designed at Armani before heading Stateside to lead Anne Klein and later Gap; Hall, who was named creative director to revive Halston in the Nineties and was carried at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue; Maurice Malone, and Andre Walker.
Others experienced challenges through the lens of success. Gordon Henderson, the first Black designer to win the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for Young Designers in 1989 and to secure an exclusive contract with Saks Fifth Avenue, worked with both Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren before launching his own business. He understood as early as his first year at Parsons School of Design that fashion is a tough business.
Designer Gordon Henderson and Melanie Landestoy in his “But Gordon” by Gordon Henderson sportswear collection debut and designer Isaia Rankin with a model in his fall 1982 sportswear collection advance. Robert Mitra and Dustin Pittman/WWD
“When starting your own business, you are everything — the designer, salesperson and production person,” said Henderson. This is something he says many students are not educated about before entering the business. Education and financial support are both needed and mentorship for new designers through the process is necessary.
Hall said he noticed a shift happening in American design talent around 1995, when New York and Los Angeles-based companies began hiring designers from Central Saint Martins in London.
He said, “Certainly when those positions [to lead major American brands] became available, African Americans didn’t get them. There was a shift in the industry and unfortunately African American designers who helped build the brands to multimillion-dollar status never had the opportunity to launch their own brands.”
Campbell of the Kelly Initiative said, “In the Nineties, amongst my peer group, we were all ascending. As Black representation grew, we realized this is very sectional and very clubby. Our Black peers started to be sidelined, because Black was seen as a trend and an aesthetic of the moment.”
“There was a tendency [for the industry to think] that Black designers only design for Black people,” said Agins. “They see themselves simply as designers who create for everybody.”
Faith Lucas, who designed for Gap and later Tommy Hilfiger, said she fought to be considered simply as a designer. Lucas, who brought success to Gap with her version of the brand’s popular khaki pants, states again, “White designers weren’t called ‘white designers,’ and I felt conflicted about it. Talent does not have that racial demarcation line and we shouldn’t have to think that.”
Henderson agreed with Lucas, as well as Burrows and Haggins, in that each is proud of being a Black designer, but that should not be a buzzword for the industry. “No one says, ‘I am a white designer.’ That’s a given,” said Henderson.
But even as there remained a lack of opportunity for Black designers in many segments of the industry, in the early Nineties, a category of apparel sprouted on the streets of America that created new such opportunities for Black talents: urbanwear.
Spike Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule garnered much attention for its connection to the director’s Brooklyn roots. Daymond John, cofounder of FUBU, is an early success, securing orders with Macy’s in the early Nineties. Mecca, cofounded by Tony Shellman, Evan Davis and Londo Felix, hit $25 million in sales within 18 months, according to Shellman, allowing for similar success with his second venture, Enyce. “It had a 27 percent operating margin based off of $175 million in sales,” he said. “Before Enyce, Mecca, Karl Kani, there was Major Damage — those brands were already in play, but again, no one knew about them,” said Shellman.
Director Spike Lee poses with a model in his spring 1993 collection and Cross Colours hip-hop sportswear collection advance, fall 1992. Michel Maurou/WWD
The new music landscape and the call from young Black kids to buy clothes from Black designers gave urban fashion unprecedented power at retail and throughout the industry as even established designers moved to tap into that market. The category provided a starting point for many Black talents with opportunities in fashion, beauty and media.
“Hip-hop was truly a game changer for Black talent in fashion,” said journalist and author Constance C.R. White, who covered the urban apparel boom at its inception.
“There were opportunities at every level,” she said. ”You didn’t come in knowing everything, you didn’t have to. The movement of this category was unlike the ready-to-wear business. As merchants begin to realize they need that Black aesthetic, hip-hop helps to open the door on many levels for Black people in fashion.”
But despite the category’s early success, White said the beginning of the urbanwear boom was treated like a “novelty” and not as a serious cultural moment or significant business proposition.
“You’d be hard put to find coverage of these collections, whether it was the clothing featured or profiles of the designers,” she said. “But as Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Isaac Mizrahi show hip-hop-influenced collections they are front-page coverage. In the moment, there was no motivation for it becoming general fashion coverage in the mainstream fashion press and trade organizations.”
Even as urbanwear continued to make strides and more Black designers were featured at retail, the initiatives like those in the Seventies began to fade. “I do believe there is a point where some of us became complacent,” said White. “When we did Fashion Outreach, there weren’t any uprisings, but there was plausibility for unequal treatment. There was kind of this falling away. I think people were quieter about it. People always had this concern of, ‘how might this affect my career.’ People are now more open and louder given what’s going on. It is complacency coupled with a real understandable fear.”
Hardison said she began to see fewer Black models on the runway, which happened after the Black Girls Coalition went dormant in the early Nineties and she closed her representation of models in 1996.
In 1992, she held a press conference calling for greater Black representation in advertising — and 15 years later held a series of town halls focused on the lack of representation for Black models and prejudiced casting directives. She added, “At one point we [at the Black Girls Coalition] had to call out the ad agencies for not reflecting the Black consumer. You’re sort of a watch dog, even if you don’t want to be.”
She said she was told that by the late Nineties, top fashion houses stopped working with glamour models because they distracted from the clothes and model scouts were heading to Eastern Europe for new talent. Casting directors would say “No Blacks, no ethnics” in casting calls. She added, “That’s part of our business. It’s descriptive, it’s like saying no blondes or redheads, but after a while it was beginning to compromise our industry. Then we had to educate them that you couldn’t do that anymore, because it’s inappropriate.”
“When I left, the model representation really fell back. I went right back in and had no problem asking a designer, ‘where’s the representation?’”
This speaks to the fact that the consumer by now is a global one. Hardison never minced words at making the facts known. “I never believed that it couldn’t be flipped.”
From left: MTV’s “Fashionably Loud” event with women’s Enyce urban sportswear for spring 2003. Sean John men’s for fall 2000. Michel Maurou/WWD
By the Aughts, fashion and its alignment with celebrities gave a new face to the industry. Sean “Diddy” Combs became the first Black designer to win the CFDA Award for Men’s Wear in 2004. From Givenchy to Gap, celebrity prevailed. New cultural and social shifts pushed urban brands to try to reach a broader market. As this category changed, sales growth slowed and the opportunities for Black professionals in the industry further withered in America.
But in Europe, Black talents were appointed at storied design houses. Ozwald Boateng headed to Givenchy as creative director of men’s wear in 2003. He paved the way for designers of color to lead other fashion houses — albeit almost a decade later — like Olivier Rousteing at Balmain in 2011, Haider Ackermann at Berluti in 2016 and Abloh at Louis Vuitton in 2018. Rihanna launched Fenty with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2019, marking the first time LVMH began a fashion brand from scratch since it set up a couture house for Christian Lacroix in 1987.
Franca Sozzani and Steven Meisel showed support for Black models with the Vogue Black issue, then created Vogueblack.it, a channel under Vogue.it that featured emerging Black models and conversations reflecting the global Black communities.
“But in 2011, the model representation started to fall back a little again,” said Hardison.
On the trade show front, Murdock cofounded Project with Sam Ben-Avraham. After Project was acquired, the two started Liberty Fairs to provide a show platform for emerging and midmarket brands and provide hands-on internship opportunities for young professionals of color. The show launched with 67 brands, of which 10 percent were Black or minority-owned. The show has since grown to 20 percent Black or minority-owned participating brands.
Even as fashion awards and prizes recognize more designers of color, in the end awards and recognition won’t spur the bigger systemic change that has long been demanded and is being called for again with more fervor. While the industry has been put on notice for its explicit misrepresentation of Black culture in design and lack of representation in the talent pool, it finds itself as a familiar place where Black designers recognized for their talent continue to face an uphill battle in terms of financial support and mentorship. And beyond the design studio, there remains a lack of Black representation in the senior executive suite of major fashion and beauty companies worldwide.
Most industry professionals agree that consistent initiatives surrounding education, business management and design collaborations are needed to sustain viability in the industry.
Gallina said, “Seeing that disparity behind the scenes is extra shocking to me. Nothing has changed in the number of Black people I interact with on the corporate level, but the language has changed.”
Chase-Marshall added, “The resistance to transparency from the companies is telling. For me now what is challenging is that the fashion nepotistic and optics rubric has become a casting system and networking game.”
From left: Kevan Hall couture spring 1987 and fall 1988. Lisa Romerian and Art Streiber/WWD
“One of the things I’ve charged our members to do,” Hall said of the Black Design Collective, a nonprofit he founded with designer Angela Dean, TJ Walker of Cross Colours and Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter, “as the young people come in the ranks, help get those talents on the movie sets, TV shows and in the studios and really start to lift the young people up. I think it’s important to offer education. We’ve noticed in our workshops that the young people are hungry for knowledge and in knowing the inside-out of the business.”
The collective educates the next generation of design talent entering the industry by providing mentorship and workshops on financing, retail and how to get government funding.
This is the vital support many believe the industry must provide at all levels. As Smaltz said, in regard to the young fashion designer, “You can’t be the creator and the businessperson. You can’t do this by yourself.”
As the industry examines itself from all angles, it is recognizing it needs to change to reflect the currents in society. And while in many cases it has been here before, what executives and brands appear to realize this time is that sustaining these changes is vital to its future.
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2019 Free Agency Megathread
FREE AGENCY IS HERE!I will be keeping track of all the signings throughout the entire summer, particularly the 1st week of July, as I have done for the past 4 years.Feel free to discuss anything related to Free Agency in this thread, and I will be updating live the first few days and then daily thereafterNames in bold will officially not be re-signed by their former teams.Names in italic have not been given qualifying offers and are therefore UFAs.Some information taken from www.capfriendly.comI added team abbreviations to make searching your team's transactions easier! (Click on "From" or "To"). This only works if you have RES.Flairs and Tables are better displayed in "Old Reddit".Message me if I missed a signing, would like a source, or if you have a question.I will only add signings that have been confirmed by reputable sources once they are made public. (If there is a reputable source that makes a correction, I will fix accordingly).In addition, I will only be updating NHL signings. Players who sign overseas will be removed from the list.2019 UFA SIGNINGSNameAgePositionPrevious Cap HitFromToCap Hitr/hockey LinkCorey Perry34RW8,625,000ANA Jason Spezza36C7,500,000DAL Sergei Bobrovsky30G7,425,000CBJ Dion Phaneuf34LD7,000,000LAK Patrick Marleau39LW6,250,000CAR Matt Duchene28C6,000,000CBJ Joe Pavelski34RW6,000,000SJS Artemi Panarin27LW6,000,000CBJ Semyon Varlamov31G5,900,000COL Mike Smith37G5,666,667CGY Jason Pominville36RW5,600,000BUF Tyler Myers29RD5,500,000WPG Andrej Sekera33LD5,500,000EDM Derick Brassard31C5,000,000COL Andrew MacDonald32LD5,000,000PHI Joe Thornton39C5,000,000SJS Matt Moulson35LW5,000,000BUF Marc Methot34LD4,900,000DAL Niklas Kronwall38LD4,750,000DET Gustav Nyquist29RW4,750,000SJS Marcus Johansson28RW4,583,333BOS Anton Strålman32RD4,500,000TBL Mats Zuccarello31RW4,500,000DAL Justin Williams37RW4,500,000CAR Cam Talbot31G4,166,666PHI Scott Darling30G4,150,000FLA Jake Gardiner28LD4,050,000TOR Wayne Simmonds30RW3,975,000NSH Colin Wilson29LW3,937,500COL Anders Lee28LW3,750,000NYI Jamie McGinn30LW3,333,333FLA Marcus Krüger29C3,083,333CHI Dan Girardi35RD3,000,000TBL Michael Del Zotto29LD3,000,000STL Ron Hainsey38LD3,000,000TOR Cam Ward35G3,000,000CHI Thomas Vanek35RW3,000,000DET Valeri Nichushkin24RW2,950,000DAL Richard Pánik28LW2,800,000ARI Ben Hutton26LD2,800,000VAN Valtteri Filppula35C2,750,000NYI Adam McQuaid32RD2,750,000CBJ Ben Lovejoy35RD2,666,667DAL Brian Boyle34C2,550,000NSH Michal Neuvirth31G2,500,000PHI Patrik Nemeth27LD2,500,000COL Nathan Beaulieu26LD2,400,000WPG David Schlemko32LD2,100,000PHI Riley Sheahan27C2,100,000FLA Tobias Rieder26LW2,000,000EDM Alex Petrovic27RD1,950,000EDM Joonas Donskoi27RW1,900,000SJS Ryan Dzingel27LW1,800,000CBJ Patrick Maroon31LW1,750,000STL Chad Johnson33G1,750,000ANA Brett Ritchie26RW1,750,000DAL Micheal Ferland27LW1,750,000CAR Stefan Noesen26RW1,725,000NJD Oscar Lindberg27LW, C1,700,000OTT Luca Sbisa29LD1,500,000NYI Robin Lehner27G1,500,000NYI Deryk Engelland37RD1,500,000VGK Brett Connolly27LW1,500,000WSH Petr Mrázek27G1,500,000CAR Markus Granlund26RW1,475,000VAN Pierre-Édouard Bellemare34C1,450,000VGK Ben Chiarot28LD1,400,000WPG Sven Andrighetto26LW1,400,000COL Keith Kinkaid29G1,250,000CBJ Brandon Tanev27LW1,150,000WPG Derrick Pouliot25LD1,100,000VAN Jordie Benn31LD1,100,000MTL Dmitrij Jaskin26LW1,100,000WSH Tom Pyatt32C1,100,000SJS Al Montoya34G1,062,500EDM Martin Frk25RW1,050,000DET Devante Smith-Pelly27RW1,000,000WSH Chris Kunitz39RW1,000,000CHI Chris Wideman29RD1,000,000PIT Eric Fehr33C1,000,000MIN Brian Gibbons31C1,000,000OTT Nick Cousins25C1,000,000ARI Joe Morrow26LD1,000,000WPG Tomas Nosek26LW962,500VGK Curtis Lazar24RW950,000CGY Gabriel Bourque28LW950,000COL Eamon McAdam24G925,000TOR Sam Vigneault23C925,000CBJ Chris Nell24G925,000NYR Hunter Miska23G925,000ARI David Kämpf24C925,000CHI Henrik Haapala25LW925,000FLA Vincent Praplan25RW925,000FLA Blake Hillman23LD925,000CHI P��r Lindholm27C925,000WPG Igor Ozhiganov26RD925,000TOR Bogdan Kiselevich29LD925,000WPG Chris Thorburn36RW900,000STL Magnus Pääjärvi28LW900,000OTT Michael Vecchione26C900,000PHI Mason Mitchell25C883,750WSH Hampus Gustafsson25LW883,750WSH Dylan Sadowy23LW880,833DET Ryan Hartman24RW875,000DAL Chris Bigras24LD874,125NYR Rob O'Gara25LD874,125NYR Danny O'Regan25C874,125BUF Kevin Roy26C874,125ANA Michael Kapla24LD874,125MIN Josh Healey24LD858,750CGY Curtis McElhinney36G850,000CAR Troy Brouwer33LW850,000FLA Garnet Hathaway27RW850,000CGY Yan-Pavel Laplante24C836,667VAN Mitch Hults24C833,750TBL Libor Sulak25LD833,750DET Micheal Haley33C825,000SJS Mason McDonald23G822,500CGY Michael Downing24LD820,000FLA Drew Stafford33RW810,000NJD Jonathon Martin23LW800,833SJS Jake Dotchin25RD800,000ANAMarko Dano24LW800,000WPG Dalton Prout29RD800,000CGY Ty Rattie26RW800,000EDM Luke Schenn29RD800,000VAN Griffin Reinhart25LD800,000VGK Calvin Pickard27G800,000ARI Nikita Soshnikov25RW800,000STL Keaton Thompson23LD795,000ANACam Johnson24G792,500NJD Nicholas Baptiste23RW787,500TOR Sean Malone24C787,500BUF Michael Brodzinski24RD778,333SJS Anthony Louis24C775,000CHI Brandon Halverson23G772,500NYR Anthony Stolarz25G761,250EDM Jacob Graves24RD750,833PHI Luke Witkowski29RD750,000DET Mark Letestu34C750,000CBJ Cody McLeod35LW750,000NSH Daniel Carr27LW750,000VGK Phillip Di Giuseppe25LW750,000NSH Brendan Gaunce25LW750,000VAN Ben Street32C750,000ANA Tanner Kero26C750,000VAN Gabriel Gagné22RW742,500TOR Jeff Taylor25LD742,500PIT Matheson Iacopelli25RW742,500Tyler Vesel25C735,000EDM Vincent LoVerde30RD725,000TOR Kerby Rychel24LW725,000CGY Alex Broadhurst26C725,000WPG Ben Sexton28C725,000PIT Noel Acciari27C725,000BOS Dante Salituro22C725,000MIN Gemel Smith25C720,000BOS Alex Schoenborn23C717,500SJS Eric Cornel23C717,500BUF Robin Norell24LD717,500EDM Luke Johnson24C717,500CHI Justin Kirkland22LW717,500NSH Greg McKegg27C715,000CAR Philippe Desrosiers23G715,000DAL Tyrell Goulbourne25LW715,000PHI Justin Bailey24RW715,000PHI Trevor Murphy23LD715,000ANA Julius Bergman23RD714,167NYR Brett Pollock23C711,667CGY Spencer Watson23LW705,833CHI Chris Martenet22LD703,333DAL Erik Condra32RW700,000DAL Eric Gryba31RD700,000NJD Julian Melchiori27LD700,000FLA Fredrik Claesson26LD700,000NYR Kenny Agostino27LW700,000NJD Tyler Wotherspoon26LD700,000STL Jean-François Bérubé27G700,000CBJ Dennis Seidenberg37LD700,000NYI Landon Ferraro27C700,000MIN Mike McKenna36G700,000PHI Scott Wedgewood26G700,000BUF Cal O'Reilly32C700,000MIN Mitch Callahan27RW700,000EDM Ryan Stanton29LD700,000EDM Dakota Mermis25LD700,000ARI Kevin Gravel27LD700,000EDM Andrew Poturalski25C700,000CAR Nick Lappin26RW700,000NJD Conner Bleackley23C700,000STL Mario Kempe30C700,000ARI Mathias Bau-Hansen25LW700,000WSH Jack Dougherty23RD695,000BUF Josh Wesley23RD695,000CAR John Stevens25C695,000NYI Andy Welinski26RD690,000ANA Colin Larkin25C690,000EDM Chase Lang22RW686,667MIN Brycen Martin23LD685,000BUF Julien Nantel22C680,000COL Pavel Jenys23C678,333LAK Andy Andreoff28LW677,500TBL Josh Archibald26RW675,000ARI Zachary Leslie25LD675,000VGK David Warsofsky29LD675,000COL Rourke Chartier23C672,500SJS Daniel Audette23C668,333MTL Blake Pietila26C667,500NJD Evan McEneny25LD657,500VAN Cavan Fitzgerald22LD656,667SJS Brett Lernout23RD653,333MTL Alex Chiasson28RW650,000EDM Justin Falk30LD650,000OTT Anthony Peluso30RW650,000CGY Lee Stempniak36RW650,000BOS Jean-Sébastien Dea25C650,000FLA Jayson Megna29RW650,000WSH Brandon Davidson27LD650,000CHI Scott Kosmachuk25RW650,000WSH Andrew Hammond31G650,000MIN Max McCormick27LW650,000COL Cole Schneider28LW650,000NSH Chris Mueller33C650,000TOR Chris Summers31LD650,000PIT Brendan Leipsic25LW650,000LAK Jaycob Megna26LD650,000ANA Nicolas Kerdiles25LW650,000WPG T.J. Tynan27C650,000VGK Steve Oleksy33RD650,000TOR Nathan Walker25LW650,000WSH Cameron Schilling30LD650,000WPG Michael Leighton38G650,000VAN Mark McNeill26C650,000BOS Brandon Pirri28RW650,000VGK Jimmy Hayes29RW650,000PIT Garrett Wilson28RW650,000PIT Connor Brickley27C650,000NYR Adam Cracknell33RW650,000ANA Chris Butler32LD650,000STL Andrew Campbell31LD650,000CHI Eddie Läck31G650,000NJD Matt Read33RW650,000MIN Zac Rinaldo29LW650,000NSH Matt Tennyson29RD650,000BUF Matt Cullen42C650,000PIT Dustin Tokarski29G650,000NYR Ryan Murphy26RD650,000NJD Philip Varone28C650,000PHI Tyler Ennis29C650,000TOR Nate Prosser33RD650,000MIN Steve Bernier34RW650,000NYI Stefan Matteau25LW650,000VGK Stephen Gionta35C650,000NYI Joakim Ryan26LD650,000SJS Ryan Carpenter28RW650,000VGK Tyler Gaudet26C650,000NSH Jordan Szwarz28RW650,000BOS Mike Sislo31RW650,000NYI Reece Scarlett26RD650,000DAL Gabriel Dumont28C650,000TBL Eric Tangradi30LW650,000NJD Patrick Brown27C650,000CAR Pontus Åberg25RW650,000MIN Anthony Bitetto28LD650,000MIN Marek Mazanec27G650,000TBL Zachary Fucale24G650,000VGK Hunter Shinkaruk24C650,000MTL Darren Archibald29LW650,000OTT Aaron Ness29LD650,000WSH Tommy Cross29LD650,000CBJ Tom McCollum29G650,000NSH Jared Coreau27G650,000STL Kurtis Gabriel26RW650,000NJD Tyler Graovac26C650,000CGY Zack Mitchell26RW650,000LAK Maxime Lagacé26G650,000VGK Greg Carey29C650,000PHI Andrew Agozzino28C650,000COL Adam Wilcox26G650,000BUF Alex Lintuniemi23LD650,000LAK Jonny Brodzinski26C650,000LAK Adam Tambellini24C650,000OTT Riley Barber25RW650,000WSH Cole Bardreau25C650,000PHI Spencer Martin24G650,000COL Mason Geertsen24LD650,000COL Jordan Subban24RD650,000TOR Andreas Martinsen29C650,000CHI Chase Balisy27C650,000OTT Tobias Lindberg23LW650,000VGK Zane McIntyre26G650,000BOS Jim O'Brien30C650,000OTT Matt Taormina32LD650,000CGY Byron Froese28C650,000PHI Ken Appleby24G650,000WPG Daniel Renouf25LD650,000CAR Ethan Prow26RD650,000PIT Kalle Kossila26C650,000ANA Tim Heed28RD650,000SJS Wade Megan28C650,000DET Erik Burgdoerfer30RD650,000OTT John Gilmour26LD650,000NYR Tim Clifton27C650,000SJS Oscar Fantenberg27LD650,000CGY Kyle Criscuolo27C650,000BUF Alex Gallant26C650,000VGK John Muse30G650,000PIT Tyler Sikura27C650,000CHI Kevin Lynch28C650,000TBL Jimmy Oligny26LD650,000WPG Cody Donaghey23LD641,667SJS Rumour SectionCGY All signs still point to Cam Talbot signing in Calgary on a one-year deal. Believe it’ll be one year somewhere around $2.5 millionArticles and News SectionTSN Top 50 UFAsTop free agent goaliesTop free agent defensemenTop free agent forwardsTwitter Insider SectionMassive Twitter List by /u/steczKey InsidersElliotte FriedmanBob McKenziePierre LeBrunTSN/SportsnetFrank SeravalliDarren DregerChris JohnstonJohn ShannonExtension Section 2019 Free Agency Megathread Source
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don't chase the rabbit! (for noel?)
The First Enchanter’s eyes appear so sad and wearied when he turns to Noel at their request that the elf ducks their head, twists their robes around their fingers a little tighter. Candlelight catches on the threads of gold woven into the fabric, on the rings on their fingers.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes,” they whisper without a moment’s hesitation. “Please, First Enchanter. I wouldn’t ask for something like this lightly, if I was unsure…”
With a sigh, Edmonde lowers himself into the chair across from them with the slowness that comes with age. “Do you believe a Harrowing to be beyond your abilities? Your teachers think–”
“They’re wrong, First Enchanter.” Noel flushes when the mage tilts his head, eyebrow lifting in curiosity at the outburst, and drops their gaze to their knees once more. “I… I’m sorry, but they are. I don’t know if I can become a proper mage, and I don’t… I know what happens when an apprentice fails. We all do.
I don’t want to die.”
Quiet falls upon the room and then, in a quiet voice, there’s another sigh as the First Enchanter settles further into his chair. “I will… consider it. Now, please… return to your chambers and do try to get some rest.”
#fooltofancy#absoluteflamingnonsense#noel#not all wolves#things that I've written#thank you so much for sending!
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maybe it was due to the company that set this up that they were learning to write songs. he was sure if the other companies had set up a boot camp, it would revolve around something different. not that he's complaining at all. maybe it was just that dance took over his mind more than anything. it was apart of him at this point it seemed. though having the option to write songs was appealing in it's own way. it seemed to scratch an itch in his mind he didn't know was there.
"hello!" he beams as he gives a smile back. listening intently, he nods but can't help frowning a bit. "ah, i'm sure you'll do better. i believe in you when it comes to this." he let him know. he had always been encouraging when it came to noel and he wasn't gonna stop anytime soon. "you do? i appreciate hearing that..." he feels himself getting embarrassed but he can't help but smile. he easily sits down next to the other, already getting comfortable. "sure! i believe we can do that easily."
beseojun
ᴄʜᴀꜱɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ
for @noelxbe
seojun knew that the songwriting camp had peaked his interest as soon as it was announced. all the different things they’d learn to hone in this skill just made him extra giddy. sure he has dabbled in writing music here and there before but nothing stuck at all and those ideas never saw the light ever. Now though, he was learning to flesh those ideas out more at least. that was something and maybe a song would come out of this that he’d be proud of. maybe he was counting on that a bit. as he is doing his best to find the words that would stick, he notices noel right away. he lets himself settle near the other, flashing a smile in the others direction. “how’s this all going for you? feel i haven’t found something that feels like it is good enough to be on paper yet.” he mutters as he plays with his pen some. “i get the basics of it all but i want it to be something i’m proud to say i wrote instead of just doing so to get it all over with.” maybe that was what was making this more difficult but at least seojun had ideas and a melody in mind that was in his head. he just had to find the words that went along with it. he hoped noel was doing alright though. he cares a lot about his friends especially during things like this.
noel still wasn’t entirely sure why they were all being forced into this, the performances throughout the labels made sense, they learned from each other and improved together. dance, singing or rap was needed for debut, but was songwriting necessarily? perhaps it was a nice skill to have, but even if they all could write song lyrics, noel felt like they’d still often get the professionals to do it. maybe noel would like to learn it one day, but not today.
“hello seojun” he shows a smile to the other, “i’ve wrote some things but” he places his hand over his papers, “a coach told me it looked like something written by a child” he shrugs, a small laugh escaping his lips. “i’ve never been a fast learner, but i’m trying”. “i look up to you, i feel like you do well in everything, come sit” he pats the floor next to him, “let’s try getting something out together”.
#be:songwritingcamp#이서준 — ✰ trainee#이서준 — ✰ threads#chasing that feeling — ✰ threads#noel — ✰ threads
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