#it's especially true with big entertainment corporations

[zecretsanta]

to: @goggles-girl

from: @mortellanarts

prompt: Junpei and Akane decide to adopt a pet together (and it doesn’t come as naturally as they would like at first)

I also made a fic for this one! I feel like the first thing that would go wrong is that Akane wouldn’t be comfortable taking care of animals again at all, the second would be that Junpei’s canonically an impulse adopter. So this ended up being more about getting Akane to come around about the idea in the first place (also many catgirl jokes at her expense lmao) Also about the drawing I imagine she quickly comes around to enjoying the little head boops while reading :3

Hope you enjoy!

——————

Junpei and Akane had gone through hell to be by each other’s sides. That was true, sure, but a few years into their ‘happy ending’ and the picture perfect act has begun to feel rather unsustainable. Not to mention it should have long since stopped being an act to begin with.

The I love you’s are very real… when they are apart.

It’s not as bad as when they first reunited at least, it wasn’t a very fun sort of tension like she vicariously lived through a little by playing June all that time ago. No, it was more comparable to the tension between a bleeding wound and the injured hand applying pressure to it. They both knew it, felt it, then let the matter join the many subjects which they don’t talk about. Ever. Despite the fact that they probably should.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, their counter to all of that was wanting to be with each other as much as possible. Maybe that’d make the pain fade. To get to know each other better like any normal couple, maybe a bit to prove to themselves they still liked each other’s company and that they hadn’t changed completely from what brought them together as kids.

Big problem with that is, the farthest thing Akane wanted for any of those outings, especially the rare ones where she was somehow convinced into going outdoors, was for it to so closely remind her of any of the things that brought them closer together at that terrible tender age of twelve.

Wandering into an animal shelter wasn’t the intention behind this little stroll. Neither of them even knew it’d be here- really, it wasn’t even much of a proper shelter to begin with, it seems more like an adoption fair. One that was hopefully backed by an indisputably good-faith, locally known and reliable organization– and not by any other corporate entity with history that she’d be tempted to add to her criminal record over. Every time Junpei tells her that the ever-present instinct to suspect and look into every little thing she comes across is bad for her he also fumbles and asks what are the chances she’d just happen to bump into that kind of huge conspiracy so often in her life without actively looking. She answers it’s always a non-zero chance in the end, and they risk far more if unsuspecting. That’s always when he drops the subject.

Though at a certain awkward distance from the fences, she’d elected to just go along with it and follow him for as long as the detour entertains him. It’s not like she hates getting to see the little critters around the place, she’s not that messed up about it, of course not… There’s even a comfortable amount of people around too! Which is to say, far less than there are animals.

There would have been an attempt to just keep walking past where this was taking place, if not for the fact that it really hadn’t taken long for Junpei to start playing with one of the dogs. Not that the rest of the pack wasn’t jumping at trying to grab his attention too, of course, but he took a liking to a particular one.

Noticing she’d stayed behind, barely budging an inch, his voice turns into that clumsy but cute stammering, like it always does whenever he’s trying to sound sensible.

“Oh uh, do you- uh… do you have a fear of dogs?” It helps ease her into a grin just a little.

“No. ‘Afraid’ isn’t the word I’d use…” She just doesn’t know what to do with her hands at the moment other than hold onto Junpei’s, which wasn’t helped when he suddenly let go. And well, it’s not like she knows the temperament of the animals just by looking and it’s really a lot of sudden movements to keep track of in just one place, it’s also not like she would want to risk bothering them when she barely wants to be touched ever without initiating it either, not to mention the space they’re in seems quite small– she makes herself smile again and tilts her head squinting, realizing she’d forgotten to ask. “Is… that a Boston terrier?”

“…Got it. Well, you are more of a cat person I guess. And uh- I don’t know? If you say so, then it must be? I’m not really good at remembering the names for these.”

She steps closer and leans down next to him, who is just sitting on the floor without a care, palms on her knees for support.

"It’s not like I hate pups just because I get along better with the cats.”

"Of course not, just look at them. Aw… it’s hard to imagine anyone could hate these guys.”

Avoidant as she may be, after a solid half minute or so of her watching him have fun she also extends her hand out to pet the dog who, while not showing clear distaste for it or anything, only goes back to wagging its tail when circling back to Junpei. He quickly took over once more when she retracted her hand, vigorously pulling his hands along the fur around the collar and talking to it in a jumbled baby-talk that was apparently really enriching judging by how it earns enthusiastic barking back, as if in conversation. Exactly matching all that energy that Akane couldn’t imagine keeping up with even on a good day.

Between laughter, his voice starts being directed at her again, even if what he says is more of a musing to himself.

"Wait, I think I’m beginning to remember what this little guy reminds me of…”

Oh. Only now? Come on Jumpy, this one’s even black and white as well.

That’s it, she’s got to mess with him now.

"You mean like… a wrestler? The spots on its face already look like a mask but I’m sure a fun little costume would be a really cute look. Clover could DIY a big belt spelling out ‘winner’ for them as well! Unless- or was it a retired wrestler…?”

"No- what are you talking about?! Everything that you just said was absolutely bananas–” Even if his tone poorly feigns appalment there’s humor in it too. "I mean- what’s wrestling got to do with anything, what the hell–?”

"You mean you don’t know?”

It was just ‘bananas’ enough to pull his eyes away from the dog and, apparently, being met with her expression looking down at him while knowingly and visibly holding in laughter, was all it took for it to finally dawn on him.

"Ohh— ” She starts laughing before he facepalms and, from the sound of it, he hits far harder than intended too. Pulling her partner to his feet by hooking her arm under his, she speaks cheerily only once he seems to have recovered enough.

"You shouldn’t touch your face without washing your hands first.”

"Come on, give a guy a moment, okay? This is an overwhelming amount of emotion to feel all at once…” It’s endearing to see him engage in his own variety of theatrics, even if only for the sake of unfunny jokes that she can’t help but be fond of anyways.

"Dork.”

"But hey, you’re right. It would be pretty funny to give him a little wrestler costume… You sure there’s no place for him back home?”

Home as a single stationary place still sounds so foreign to her, and that’s just the part she doesn’t want to talk about.

"We’re here just looking.”

"You say that as if I were a stranger asking and not part of the we in question.”

"Very well. I did not intend on being here today and I won’t indulge in what’s essentially impulse buying a living being, Jumpy.”

"Come on Kanny, what could go wrong? I mean, we’ve got space, we’ve got more than enough funds, I think it would be–”

”What could go wrong?” Sometimes it’s hard to tell if he’s being dense on purpose. “Do you really need me to say it?”

"I… thought you liked animals?”

And with that, it’s finally safe to assume Junpei’s chances of getting his tact back are long gone. Not that she thinks he ever had any to lose.

Flat shoes walk away into the fair, but that’s only because the best way out is through. Akane gets pretty far in before Junpei decides to stop dancing around the subject and puts himself square in front of her, blocking the way.

"Look, I never heard of a single other person who had luck as shitty as we did that summer. Alright? It wasn’t a subject I looked into much but even hearing from people in law enforcement it was a freakish animal cruelty incident that doesn’t happen often. That whole area had issues with that sort of thing anyw–”

"I never heard of luck as poor as I was left with that whole entire year.”

"Y-yeah, there’s that-” When they do bring up a subject that should be buried, there’s not much to do except measure the reaction. That’s what’s between them, if they can’t look away then it better mean something at least. "And… I wasn’t there to help at first, but I came around eventually. I won’t let something like that happen again.”

It’s sweet, he even holds her hand in his… but it’s still a little conceited.

"What makes you think I would?”

"Perfect! Then, we’re both in agreement. There’s nothing bad that could possibly happen and we can totally bring one of these guys home uh… if you two click?”

"Excuse me? At which point did we agree?”

"It doesn’t have to be permanent, these kinds of places do all sorts of trial runs, foster–”

"That’s just cruel.”

"Well, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m sure the little fella will love us and we’ll end up keeping them.”

"What if I don’t want to get attached to a creature with hardly a sixth of a human lifespan?”

"Did you want to uh, take a look at the cats since that’s more comfortable for you?

"Junpei.” None of this is comfortable.

"Okay, okay.” He puts his hands up in a mock gesture of surrender… before plunging into his pocket and pulling out his phone for some reason. ”… Here goes a last ditch effort…”

“What are you doing now?”

"Hey man, can you help me convince your sister of something?”

Before she can even begin to reprimand him he’s clicking his tongue and dialing up again. When Aoi picks up again she can hear even from the arm’s length she’s being kept at.

"Whatever this is about, what makes you think I could possibly be on your side instead of hers?!”

"I don’t! Just hear me out, okay- gimme a second.” He opens the video option in the call and turns the phone in her direction. He has a mildly confused look urging her to explain the situation but it’s a few moments until she says anything, because Junpei has a stupid grin on his face and they both know he might win this.

”…Junpei wants a pet. And we happened to walk into a kennel. Cattery–”

“Adoption fair.”

"And he’s being really stubborn.”

Takes a second for her brother to process the absolute nonanswer he comes up with.

"Oh.”

"Oh?”

"There are worse arguments you could be having out there.” Though Junpei wouldn’t be the one pulling him into those. "Guessing that wasn’t on your itinerary?”

"You think? Why am I not hearing you antagonize him anymore?”

"I mean, I think it could be good for you? You used to beg me for one all the time- until I said Santa couldn’t send animals in boxes with little holes poked in them for air like in the movies.”

She yanks the phone out of Junpei’s hand and turns off the video before putting it up to her ear, looking almost embarrassed.

"Aoi.”

"You’re right, you’re right– it’s a ton of responsibility. Wouldn’t be trying to convince you sis, I’m just saying–”

"You think that’s the part I’d take issue with??”

Akane takes off, pacing away from Junpei, wanting some distance at least if not privacy to continue one of the silliest sibling squabbles in recent memory. Which is completely fine by him, there’s plenty to do while she talks herself into it just to prove a point.

After a few minutes, Akane’s standing next to Junpei again. Turns off the phone and extends her arm out for him to take it without looking at him, pouty like a child while Junpei’s looking smug. This is like the first marital dispute he’s won.

”…Only if we come across one I feel is a good fit.”

“I’ll take that.”

Aoi and Light had recently gotten a cat of their own, though insistently not as a couple, Akane doesn’t really understand what her brother’s love life is like (and she’s grateful to be spared of the details) but they have something going on, why else would he move in with them after she decided to move in together with Junpei? Actually, she might have heard him mention that one of Clover’s coworkers found the little calico abandoned and she offered to take it in, so really it wasn’t even like it was his responsibility any more than the Field’s by a long shot but still… he was so happy over it, which used to be such a rare sight, that Akane found it hard to be a buzzkill about it by voicing what came to her mind.

In truth, it wasn’t just the rabbit hutch thing giving her pause. Aside from the obvious glaring reason for her to be hesitant to hold such a tiny creature in her arms, despite her love for them, she just didn’t think she knew how anymore. At this point she’s more used to stuffed animals, not that she kept many of those around either.

While they visited recently, she sat very stiltedly holding the feline in her lap, her brother went from gushing about it to joking about already having experience looking after a weird ‘kit cat’ his whole life. After she complained Junpei followed up on it by sneakily referring to her as ‘kitten’, just that once, and even if by some metric seeing them getting along was cute she’d have kicked them both if not for the purring fluff ball snoozing on top of her thighs. This was far more anxiety inducing than a plush, she noted, and it only became more evident each fleeting second, each motion coiling for breath she felt against her skin. It was so precious and so easy to ruin and her hands were too singed to hold it. The fact her body deeply rejects such simple gentleness despite it having come so easily to her once is a mourning unto itself.

Most of the cats they see around are cozily lazing about, some snuggling together, staring back at them curiously at most. She could genuinely smile at that. It’s calmer with none of them seeming in the mood for interaction at the moment. They slow their pace now that Akane is actually participating, the unexpected unexpectedness of the situation no longer weighing her down as much.

Though it was still a bit much, so they sat together by a bench for her to rest a little. It wasn’t far at all, it’s right behind one of the cat houses in fact just where it starts leading away from the event.

She’s so completely lost in thought that she’s surprised to hear a small high pitched gasp before even realizing it was a sound she herself had made. Then looking down at her leg she understands why.

A little black cat scratched at her leg, accidentally, it looked more like the tiny little fuzz ball was attempting to climb her leg. Well, technically not black, she notices the fur is a dark grayish color with tons of off-color patches when she gets a better look and she only gets that better look because it succeeds at its task. At which point she has to attempt to scoop the very tiny cat with both hands so it’s not at risk from falling back down. Only stopping its determined meowing when he settles on her lap.

"Why do they always choose you?”

"Because I don’t try chasing after them like they’re dogs, Junpei.”

"Hey, that’s not something I’ve done since I’ve grown up, okay? Well- except–”

"If you say I’m the exception, I swear–”

"Okay! So, where did this little fella come from?”

"I didn’t see…” She leans in and rubs behind the cat’s ears, earning a soft little purr of gratitude. The fur really is weirdly patched when you look close, it doesn’t feel like the coloration should be that way, the texture’s also a bit different. Wait, are the eyes not open yet? Or is one–

It isn’t long before an employee? Volunteer? A lady in a friendly colored vest comes to gently whisk away the culprit, she seems young and a bit anxious to have to talk to them.

"Oogh, I’m so sorry ma'am, are you okay? These little nails didn’t do a number on you, right?”

Akane gets on her feet to more steadily help the kitten trade hands.

“Oh, oh no, I’m perfectly fine. Really, I could barely feel it. Thank you.”

“That’s good.”

And that’s where the interaction would have ended if Junpei didn’t also get up.

"Hi, I’m with her. So, how come he’s popped up all the way over here?”

"You see this guy’s a little escape artist– every time there’s people around he tries to hide away from visitors by sneaking out into the desk with us, so… then why today did he decide to bother such a nice couple instead? What’s up with you?”

The cat is still trying to climb out back to where it was a minute ago, which the volunteer seems to know how to handle, though it’s funny to see it go from her arm to her shoulder then back to the other arm. A lot of effort is going into making sure he doesn’t throw himself on the ground. Junpei waits for a moment where the pace’s slowed down a bit to also try to pet him, seems to like him too.

“Aww, I think that’s a really good fit, actually. What’s his name?”

“Oh we don’t know actually, this friend was found without a nameplate. He’s made a name for himself but it’s not been that long at all since he’s been with us, we haven’t agreed on a name yet since he’s been back from the vet. Wait, did you say you two were interested?”

He looks at Akane for her to answer. She looks back with what doesn’t seem to be a look of aggression to the general onlooker, but they know he’s putting her on the spot like this so she won’t be backhanded about agreeing.

"Well, yes. If possible, I mean- isn’t the saying that the pet chooses the owner and not the other way around? We sure sound like we’ll get along, we both aren’t super sociable either–”

The awkward little laugh got to Junpei, who’s more comfortable with failing at humor in front of strangers than she is to even attempt it.

"He must have thought ‘oh these guys are off by themselves away from everyone too, we’ll get along great!’”

That’s just silly enough that she can look at him funny behind crossed arms and it’ll be an entirely appropriate reaction. She can only hope that’s the only thing that he sensed in them.

The kitten settled into a nap on the volunteer’s arms by now, tired himself out. Really is an adorable sight.

"That’s just great! One of you just has to come fill up a questionnaire at the table and a few more things, we can sort out real quick- uhm… I guess I should- oh right! So, like I was saying, this fella may come with extra expenses due to health complications, is that okay with you? Are you new pet owners?”

"The issue isn’t money…” “We are? New to it- kind of…”

“Oh, don’t worry too much. He’s all healthy now, neutered and the vaccinations all in order too, it’s just… it’s a little bit of a hard sell to some people since he needed stitches and lost an eye so he’s always going to be a bit wobblier than average when moving around.”

"A-ah… why is that?”

Akane’s hand suddenly has a vice grip on his. For once, the resolve in her voice is undeliberate, shaky.

"We don’t need to hear the story.” She turns away from the volunteer and her voice turns small so only her partner hears. “Can you go take care of all that? I’ll go get my brother to help get things in order before they go do a housecheck, if they’ll do one.”

"There’s not much there to cat proof I don’t think, but sure. Guess you’d- uh, have a better eye for that stuff… Also let me guess, you want me to tell you when that is happening so you can go to his place while there’s strangers over?” A smile confirms that. "Alright. But I’ll check in with Clover too to make sure you two aren’t skipping town instead.” Another smile, more mischievous this time.

"Oh no, my plan’s been found out.” First off, if she really intended on making an exit she wouldn’t bring it up to him first, duh, as if she were an amateur. Second, maybe this line of teasing can get far too draining, far too quick, so she changes the subject one last time. "Tell me your name ideas when I get back.”

She places a kiss on his cheek and saunters off. Does she wish she didn’t get shoved into bringing painful color back into a memory that had just barely grayed and numbed?

Yes.

But she wouldn’t have been convinced if she didn’t genuinely think they were capable of giving it a try. Maybe any place they stay at together will feel more like a home when there’s someone living there with them that isn’t walking on eggshells, that is just uncomplicatedly happy to have survived whatever it did before it ended up there. Maybe she’ll learn to do that as well. Things already are complicated enough.

#submission #junepei #999 #goggles-girl #mortellanarts #zecret santa 2023

[glenngaylord]

R.I.M. Job - Film Review: BlackBerry ★★★★

Have you noticed the glut of films about innovators? Those real life dramas have met with varying degrees of success in recent years with such titles as Air, The Social Network, Tetris, The Big Short, and The Founder. We seem fascinated by the process when that spark of genius  ignites or when hubris takes over. Enter BlackBerry, the distinctly Canadian entry in this list of cautionary true stories, this time about a generation-defining invention told in a very smart, highly engaging way.

Think Silicon Valley meets The Office with harsher overhead lighting and you’ll get the picture. It’s 1996 in sleepy Waterloo, Ontario, where young Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) heads up a small software company called Research In Motion, abbreviated R.I.M., which deliciously never merits a single comment nor should it for the humor of that to pay dividends for the film’s entire running time. Mike, a quintessential tech nerd, has a terribly incompetent yet loyal right hand man Doug (Matt Johnson, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller based on the novel Losing The Signal), and together they are running their company into the ground due to their terrible business sense. Lucky for them, they have invented the world’s first smartphone and just need someone who can sell it.

Enter Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), the meanest corporate raider you will ever encounter and just the man for the R.I.M. job, if only Mike can come up with a prototype in time. Little do they know that Jim was fired from his last gig, hasn’t met a phone he hasn’t smashed, and figuratively is the poster child for toxic masculinity years before that word was ever coined. It’s a business deal and a contract forged in hell, but as a piece of movie entertainment, it’s made in heaven.

Jim, all suits, gold watches, and expensive cars, strong-arms himself into a Co-C.E.O. position, bulldozes his way into Mike’s world of overgrown children who have grown accustomed to movie nights, toys and other childish ways and brings in people who can make their business work. Chief among them is Purdy, a gloriously intimidating Michael Ironside, as their new C.O.O., who can emasculate anyone before ever uttering a single word. Jim, however, doesn’t understand the tech of it all, leaving that up to Mike, but his failing is that he’s also not the most scrupulous of businessmen either, making less than legal decisions along the way as their BlackBerry starts to dominate the market.

It’s fun to revisit that time in the early 2000s when the world marveled at this phone with it’s clickety-clackety keyboard and small screen and thought that nothing could surpass it. It’s fun to watch Cary Elwes as a rival Palm Pilot executive attempt a hostile takeover, especially when we know the fates of both technologies. Remember those unwieldy stylos? You also never forget that the iPhone is just over the horizon waiting to tear this whole thing down.

Though it all, we get a trio of fantastic performances.  Baruchel finds a touching vulnerability in Mike, a genius with a great idea, a man obsessed with the details who lacks the confidence to communicate his vision. He has a heart and you feel his struggle when it comes time to make cutthroat decisions such as leaving his friend out of an important pitch meeting. It’s a stunning, humane performance.  Johnson, who with his cinematographer, Jared Saab, keep things loose and handheld, often adopting an observational stance. His performance, however, is of the comic powerhouse variety one typically associates with Seth Rogen. He’s the stooge who clearly will never outgrow his headband but will always, always, always have his pal’s best interests in mind. We all need a Doug in our lives, but sometimes the Mikes of the world just can’t or don’t see it.

Finally, Howerton, best known for It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, is the real revelation here. Almost unrecognizable with his shaved head and thousand yard stare, he gives a galvanizing performance as the kind of guy you you want in your corner as long as that corner is actually nowhere near your actual corner. He’s the scariest movie monster since Freddie Krueger yet doesn’t draw a drop of blood. He’s the type of character who’s scary because he simply lingers on in your imagination long after the memory of its title handheld device fades away. He, like BlackBerry itself, is, if I may invent a new word, funnerving.

[staringdownabarrel]

My conspiracy theory--a conspiracy theory that I'll never be able to prove--is that corporate advertising firms probably are way more active on Tumblr than most people would like to believe. Like yeah sure, maybe not every single movie is getting its own ad on the sidebar or anything, but I'd be shocked if there aren't people being paid to spread memes of whatever new movie is coming out or whatever.

It's not like this would be a particularly unusual thing to happen. On Reddit--don't hate me; I migrated here before it was cool--it isn't so unusual for companies to try and do marketing disguised as regular comments. It's common enough that r/hailcorporate was once dedicated to posts that looked like they could have been made by a company's PR department. (It's since been watered down to just being posts that mention a brand on the site, though a lot of them could still be attempts at soft advertising.)

The other thing that happens on Reddit is that people will occasionally sell their accounts. How much they'll get varies, but for a year-old account with average karma, they might get between $5 and $50 for it. Sometimes people will just buy an account because they don't want to fuck around for a few weeks trying to get enough karma on their accounts to post on the subreddits they're actually interested in, but a lot of the time it's probably also just so they can go straight to marketing mode.

Plus, y'know, it's been a bit of a meme for a while that half the people on subs like r/selfie are people who are trying to advertise their OnlyFans content. (No shame if that's a thing for you, by the way; but this is a real thing a lot of people on Reddit actively try to do.) Basically, the entire site is filled with soft advertisements that are trying to pretend to not be that.

My other piece of evidence stems from something that came up in a Swell Entertainment video a couple of years ago. I don't have an exact time stamp for this because, like any good conspiracy theorist and true to my brand overall, I haven't proofread this post at all before I posted it. Anyway, at one point in that linked video, she shows a screenshot of a sponsorship deal that basically amounted to the company asking that she have a poster in the background for a certain number of videos and not mention that it's meant as an advert. Basically, just sell it off as a background decoration she was trying out for a bit.

I wouldn't be too surprised if this kind of thing also happens on Tumblr. The major companies are clearly of the opinion that user-generated content can work as an advertisement. I think it'd also be a lot easier on Tumblr in some ways because people are kinda used to Tumblr being the fandom website, so seeing posts for an upcoming movie or show isn't going to trip any alarms the same way they might on some other website.

I think also, on Reddit people were generally much more aware of this being a thing, so they were a bit more vigilant for it. There were definitely a couple of times when I got a reply to one of my comments where I wondered if it wasn't a celebrity's PR team trying to counteract negative opinions, for example.

There's definitely a few things that have come out somewhat recently that have made me wonder if there hasn't been an active effort to do some grassroots-style advertising for the movie on Tumblr. (Yes, I'm thinking of Barbie specifically.) Sure, it's not unusual for a big budget movie to get a lot of hype, especially if it's part of an ongoing franchise, but usually that level of hype doesn't start until the movie's already out.

I feel like the hard part of this style of advertising on Tumblr is that this site isn't really as easily monetised as some other social media sites. Some of this is because Tumblr has traditionally been pretty resistant to any kind of social media-fication of the site in general, so there isn't really an algorithm that can be gamed the same way you can game the algorithm on Reddit, YouTube, or Instagram.

Because of that, a lot of the ways you'd advertise on Tumblr are very dependent on you being able to "breach containment". Maybe you'd have to buy an account with x number of followers to get the chance of a certain gifset reaching a larger audience, or find a way of convincing some larger accounts to follow you.

This is really the area where I feel like I'm not ever going to be able to prove it definitively. On other sites, especially ones with a fairly well developed influencer culture, you'd just have to pay off a few people to start the trend. Even on Reddit, where there isn't really an influencer culture the same way there is on Instagram or YouTube, you just have to know how to work the site's algorithms a little bit.

I don't really know what the beginning stages of doing that kind of soft advertising on Tumblr would look like. At least in my corner of the site, there's an active rejection of that kind of culture, so someone who'd try that would probably get rightfully shunned. Maybe a newer account could follow however many other people who are posting about a certain thing, show off some gifsets based on a trailer, and that'd be the starting point, but it'd be a slow start; not the kind of thing you'd necessarily want for an advertisement where you want as many eyeballs as possible.

Still, in some ways, that might actually make it work even better. Because it's coming from some nobody from a very specific corner of the site, nobody would be expecting it to be a corporate account.

#rant #conspiracy theory #barbie

[dwellordream]

American Culture of the 1910s: Social Dance

“In June 1913, the waspish and unconventional journalist (and future modernist icon) Djuna Barnes published the vignette ‘You can Tango – a Little – at Arcadia Dance Hall’. It follows the foppish and upper-class Reginald Delancey as he decides to dispel his ennui one evening by indulging his curiosity (and unacknowledged interest in class and ethnic slumming) by following up an advertisement in the paper and visiting the Arcadia dance hall. 

A new facility, owned and run in a working-class district by the ‘Social Centers Corporation’, it is committed – as he is informed by the conspicuously Jewish secretary, Sydney S. Cohen – to ‘elevat[ing] the tone of dancing and to plac[ing] the dancehall business on a clean and wholesome basis’. Once there, Reginald is surprised to see dance censors, helping to enforce an atmosphere where dancing a ‘modified’ tango is permitted. 

Eager to dance, he inveigles his father’s Irish office boy into providing an introduction to Delia O’Connor, shopgirl at the perfume counter of the Paris department store on Broadway. ‘Everyone had a glorious time,’ and when the dancing is over, Delia reflects on her way home about the ‘real frangipani sort of guy’ she met earlier – while Reggie resolves to become a patron of the Paris. Barnes’s article suggests a good deal about social dance in the 1910s, especially the tone of innocent fun that accompanies much of the writing about it. 

It was truly a craze; by the 1910s over five hundred public dance halls were open each evening in the Greater New York area, and the decade saw the construction of several of the dance palaces which became such a feature of 1920s dance – New York’s Grand Central and Roseland Ballroom among them. Many young women in particular became obsessed with dance; a New York entertainment survey of 1911 showed that 96 percent of girls enjoyed dancing, and Barnes’s Delia enthuses that dancing has the movies ‘beaten to a thirty-nine-cent bargain sale on a rainy Monday’.

Moreover, Barnes also hints at some of the sociopolitical forces attending this relatively new form of public leisure. The dance craze was deeply enmeshed with the progressive discourse of moral hygiene which had an especial concern for unescorted young women; but it also evidenced the progressive faith that vice and public health problems in America’s big cities could be solved through systems of physical culture and exercise. 

Reggie’s Arcadian adventure also suggests how new cultures of commercial entertainment were encouraged by – but also sustained – new forms of advertising, new magazines, and dancing celebrities who became ‘idols of consumption’ in much the same way as did early film stars. And it suggests how the language and the barriers of class, race, gender and ethnicity were both inescapable in the dance and music of the 1910s, but also open to often titillating and exhilarating redefinition and flexibility. 

 As was true of films and vaudeville in the 1910s, the class profile of those who attended social dances in commercial entertainments underwent significant change in the decade, a change which led to a big increase in overall participation. Like vaudeville and films, social dancing was a well-established feature of working-class recreation by the 1910s; and the language of respectability was similarly crucial in enticing the middle class to get involved. This applied to both styles and venues. 

‘Tough dancing’, or barnyard dancing, had emerged from African American dance styles and the Barbary Coast vice district of San Francisco in the 1900s, and encouraged close proximity between dance partners as well as jerky physical movement supposedly copying the movements of animals (the turkey trot, for example, involved flapping the arms; the grizzly bear involved close hugging). 

Middle-class reformers were horrified at the sexual suggestiveness of these dances, which were described as ‘not dancing at all, but a series of indecent antics’ of ‘disreputable origins’, and they were widely banned at prominent middle-class dance venues and hotels. (Woodrow Wilson even cancelled the ball planned for his inauguration in 1913, fearing the scandal that might ensue if preventing these dances proved impossible).

Dance censors, dance manuals and a new set of dance magazines all focused on adapting and ‘refining’ these dances through a discourse of respectability in dancing, one which defined dance’s benefit as healthy exercise and the cultivation of ‘grace’ rather than focusing on its romantic or sexual potentialities. 

It was even discussed in the terms of racial–national improvement so common in physical culture; in the words of one booster, regular dances in public schools, properly instructed and chaperoned, would ‘do more good to the race than . . . discussing eugenics or . . . indulging in a flippant study of social economics’. Commercial venues also emerged to cater for a middle- class clientele emerging from a tradition whereby dancing took place primarily in private homes and at society balls. 

As Lewis Erenberg discusses, the rise of the cabaret as a middle- class venue in the decade broke down barriers between performers and audience that had structured theatrical and concert hall stages in earlier entertainment cultures; cabarets became a ‘new public environment for the exploration of alternatives to the private character of the nineteenth century’.

Cabarets expanded the spaces they had for exhibition dancers to cater for public dancing; elegant hotels began to hold ‘tea dances’ for afternoon dancing; and there was a boom in dance instruction classes. Attempts to regulate this expansion were also extensive Erenberg observes that middle-class cabaret tables were organised to discourage contacts between unacquainted men and women and, as Kathy Peiss notes, ‘the “couple on a date” became an increasingly important cultural construct for the middle class, since it provided a way to structure potentially promiscuous heterosocial relations at the new resorts’.

Campaigning Progressives in cities across the country helped pass licensing ordinances regulating dance halls and dancing academies. Committees even opened and ran dance halls in some working-class areas, although ‘tough dancing’ – as well as greater freedom in heterosocial contact – persisted in working-class dance culture in the decade, often in defiance of the standards of the more recent uptake of public dance by the middle class. 

Peiss’s seminal work in particular has explored how young working women generally enjoyed greater freedoms in how they danced and with whom they danced than did middle- class women of the time, and how they forged a distinctive culture of personal style, qualified sexual freedom and female friendship in public dance. Such a culture is important for understanding that the nature of the ‘new woman’, one of the decade’s most enduring archetypes, did not emerge purely through a ‘trickle down’ model of cultural transmission. 

Although critics still tend to define that new woman as primarily a middle-class figure, the cultures of working-class dance demonstrate that working women were also instrumental in redefining the limits and nature of female agency, style and independence in the period. Despite this, the decade’s dancing icons were those who presented dancing to the middle class not just as wholesome, unthreatening, elegant and fun but as articulated to a whole new mode of fashion and social aspiration.”

- Mark Whalan, “Performance and Music.” in American Culture of the 1910s

#american culture in the 1910s #1910s #edwardian #american #history

[zenithrpg]

☽ — site premise

The year is 2322.

100 years ago the city of New Zenith was built on what remained of the post-nuclear ruins of Chicago: one of the few surviving cities of the Third World War. In the time that it has taken society to become semi-civilized in the aftermath of nuclear winter, megacorporations led by the ultra rich have risen into leadership, having their hands in food and agriculture, medical and technological innovation, and even going so far as to place their figureheads into political office, solidifying the marriage between corporate tycoons and the so-called democratic government as walls were erected around the city to keep the citizens in and a force field to keep the radiation out.

Day to day life for citizens of New Zenith can be heaven or hell depending on their position in life. Those with the guts or talent to make their way to the top find themselves able to live a life of luxury in the Elysium Towers amongst the elite of New Zenithian society: celebrities and modern day warlords alike. The elites in society have access to the best food, cyberware, and healthcare, often living a life that can seem completely out of touch from reality. The mass majority though live off of corporate scraps barely making enough to skirt by in life, and oftentimes working multiple jobs to earn enough money to keep a roof over their head and synthfood on the table. All people have access to plastic surgery and cybernetic technology, as body modification has become something of a way of life as industrialism and technology took over. In fact, in New Zenith it is now more uncommon to find an “off-grid and unmodded” person than it is to find someone who is nearly completely cyborg. To pass the time, many people turn to virtual reality, colloquially called “braindances” in order to find some respite from the harshness of their day to day life. Some turn to drugs as well, and with that comes a robust black market through which people can acquire all sorts of contraband, antiques, back-alley cyberware, and procure the services of local mercenaries and private detectives for jobs both big and small.

Between eating synthetic food and the after effects of radiation, it is a common problem for citizens of New Zenith to experience organ failures, especially if they are migrating to the city from bunker communities outside of the city in search of a better life. Transplants are accessible to all as developments in medical technology has enabled the mass production of synthetic organs to be readily available, oftentimes coming as a package with cosmetic surgeries to further drive home the idea that one can conquer their genetics and become the portrait of perfection that they’ve always dreamed of being. However, many find themselves signing contracts before reading the fine print of their loans, and with the unstable economy many of New Zenith’s lower class find themselves falling into debt, placing them in bad standing with the Lazarus Corporation which means that they become candidates for repossession: a barbaric practice that is akin to bounty hunting where the indebted are stalked, tracked down, and butchered to reclaim their organs on behalf of the corporate giant. This is a hot topic of debate amongst the citizens of New Zenith as many have been rallying to get organ repossessions banned for decades now, but with the corruption running rampant in the government, legislation has been slow moving.

Still, New Zenith in true corporate fashion keeps everything all smiles on the surface as much as possible, the shiny new tech and robust entertainment industry helping to keep the majority of the population distracted and content enough with the current environment to avoid too much  conflict as of yet. But as time goes on, cracks just might be beginning to form in the facade of this growing society.

#animanga rp #site buzz #jcink rp #jcink #supernatural rp #update #nzrpg

[millythegoat]

Yeah the footy atmosphere has definitely grown a lot and doesn't deserve as much of the mockery it still sometimes gets I think! It's not as strong as other places, but that's not always a bad thing (the violence not being as prevalent for one). It is interesting with American sport overall how there still always has to be something extra going on to keep people interested and lots of sport needs cheerleaders because people literally will not cheer without it, but the football community has gone more and more away from that and is genuinely very fun.

I don't really know about Ultras in MLS? I think maybe a few exist i suppose but it's not say as much of a thing as it is elsewhere, I've seen stuff saying that ultra culture in the USA and Canada is more performative, but I can't say if that's a true statement or not. I feel like the football fan base has also been moving more into a stereotypical fan direction as the years go by, but I'm most cases everyone still manages to keep the fun relaxed silly energy as well.

I also think the way fans are mainly middle class is interesting. Football fans are kinda like... Majorly middle class hippies? And just like I find it interesting how the main fan base group changes amongst groups in different places with different football cultures. I could go on and on about the cultural differences of American sport tbh - especially when it comes to the American understanding and view of sport. I eves dropped on a conversation a while ago that made me think about it lol

Yeah!! It is very nice seeing younger players grow. I feel like the MLS is a really good combination of players from different age groups. You have the always prevalent football players who go to America as a sort of pre retirement, and you have all the players going to MLS to get a start on their career, and you also have the players who start in MLS stay in MLS and end in MLS. Obviously everywhere has a mix of all of those things but I feel like MLS has a really good balance of the day beginners for lack or a better word and of those who are thinking about retiring. I like lower leagues for similar reasons as well, and honestly part of the reason I started enjoying USL 2 as well

Also the way they try to level out the playing field is interesting. I personally don't find it as entertaining, but it's an interesting concept to me, and I also get to see good football either way so it is not the biggest of deals to me lol. The lack of promotion and relegation is also cool, it makes everything way more relaxed and while the intensity of the sport is nice, it's good to get a little break from having to worry a lot all the time.

Thank you! I'm very excited for the club world cup. I was kind of hoping Liverpool would be able to beat Real and I'd get to see two of my teams from different sides of the world compete in a professional match but alas it won't be happening soon (Dortmund and the Sounders had a friendly together once and genuinely that was the best day of my life. A competitive game against Liverpool would have been amazing. I would end up rooting for Liverpool though lol)

I honestly don't have much against corporate owners in sport. Like I do have something against certain ones I suppose, and I can't always connect to teams in the same way because I just can't get as emotionally invested, but I get why they are there, and as long as the sport stays the sport I'm alright with it yeno. There's even a few teams like that in different leagues that I do like or support but I just can not deal with corporate owners and sponsors when they have the audacity to give bad names. Be it stadium names or team names. It is no where near as big of a deal as it feels to me, but bad names are just so sad :( I wanna buy all the poorly named teams and stadiums just to change the names to something different.

Yes!! It's very nice to just get to talk about stuff you enjoy. Very fun 10/10 honestly nothing beats it.

Also yeah it is pretty cool!! They both work/play for a university and I did go to an in person game once before my cousin went to that uni, but my other cousin was coaching at the time and it was really nice to get to see a team play when I know the guy who's kinda making it work they also do sometimes show them online which is nice as well. I love when games are available online

God I love how this asks turns into a deep dive about MLS and American football/soccer culture in general. I really enjoy this so much!

Hearing your thoughts about this is super fascinating for a new fan like me, and it gives me the much needed insight how things operate in there.

This situation tinges my economist brain of how the MLS can be a case study to promote a league to be a global brand, it's super awesome to see lots of american football figures have successful career in Europe and now the League start to gain more tractions as the time gone by (there are so many nitty gritty to consider but it can't hinder the fact that of all it's flaws, it's still a success story, especially since you have your own sports that's very successful in your own country).

[fromtenthousandfeet]

Was MHJ Getting Too Big for Her Britches?

I'm still doing my best to keep a neutral stance on Godzilla vs. Kong (PBD vs. MHJ), but a few more questions and thoughts come to mind.

What's with the timing? Why would HYBE risk blowing up NewJeans right before they release new music? Doesn't the company want and need the profit they generate?

Why did they make this situation so public rather than dealing with the matter swiftly and privately? Did HYBE assume there would be no backlash?

Is it true that MHJ has a non-compete clause in her contract and that it's indefinite, meaning she would never be able to work in the same capacity in the Korean music industry ever again? If so, it's pretty clear why she called herself a slave to HYBE.

Now for some observations.

Min Hee Jin is cooked. As soon as a shareholders' meeting is called, whether forced by the SK courts or simply when the next meeting arrives, there's no way she will survive as CEO given HYBE owns an 80% stake in ADOR, and they will certainly vote her out. She's done for.

I don't think HYBE will continue to support NewJeans. They will no doubt release the 4 songs the group has ready to go, but beyond that, they will likely focus on Illit and other GG within the corporation. If NJ does manage to survive, will the level of care and investment into their success be the same? Who knows.

Love her or hate her, so much of what she says in this interview resonates with me as a life-long music lover. I hope you'll take the time to read it, because it's pretty clear why she and Bang PD probably don't see eye-to-eye on much of anything, at least with the way he moves these days. Here's my favorite quote from this interview: "Some BTS fans want to compare how well one member’s album does over another member’s. BTS is a group that’s been around for 10 years now. They did their duty, basically. So I think it’s time to focus less on the stats and just enjoy their music—[let them] do what they want to do." A million times this!!!!!!!

https://www.fastcompany.com/91113146/k-pops-leading-company-has-declared-war-on-itself-this-never-seen-interview-profiles-the-creative-legend-at-the-center-of-it

Did you see how high NewJeans placed on all those Forbes Korea lists? I wonder if Mr. Bang got wind of the lists ahead of time and blew a fuse? I have this nagging sense that NewJeans and MHJ are getting the same treatment Jimin is getting. BPD just can't deal with anyone who is more successful than he is, especially if they don't use his precious methods, strategies, partnerships. But he needs BTS and he needs Jimin to keep the money flowing. Maybe MHJ and NJ are disposable?

Lastly, I saw the original rumors about the potential cult connection on X/Twitter (before the ALLKPOP article) and the suggestion that MHJ was shading BPD in the OMG video. Despite not being a fan of girl groups, I checked out the full video, and truthfully, I loved it. It's arty, clever, and entertaining. I have no comment on the cult imagery because that's not my area of expertise and I don't really care, tbh. But MHJ, after your music career is destroyed, please come here to the US to make music videos or movies.

Here's the video just for funsies.

#I'm going to get roasted for this post #Youtube

[sublimeobservationarcade]

The Truth Is Too Boring

The truth is that governing is a mixture of boring details and long hours - it essentially involves a lot of deal making. The truth is too boring. To engage the voting public in the political system those charged with the task make up a bunch of contentious stories. They craft a narrative where a group of people are to blame for many of the frustrations that the dominant cohort experience in their lives. Exaggeration is the order of the day when it comes to pinning the tail on the donkey or scapegoat. Emotive issues are called upon to rile up sections of the electorate. Gay people or the more collectively referred LGBTQIA are often in the crosshairs of the conservative minded parties. Gender identity and sexual preference are Rubicon’s not to be crossed in the minds of many. Therefore, these folk get the blame morally and, also, economically because diversity costs money according to the straight and narrow batting for the social conservatives. This all appeals to the very un-Christian like hardline Christian groups who maintain an exclusive door policy as to who gets into their idea of heaven. Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

Confabulation, Lies & Mistruths

The stories inflaming political opponents in the US and elsewhere have grown legs of their own thanks to fear mongers like Fox News. Polarization is so extreme now everybody has their own media networks to watch and social media platforms to share on. Diversity is not only on the nose for those on the right but any diversity of views is too. Getting folks riled up is the click baiting policies of all media shows and channels. Rupert Murdoch told the court in Fox New’s recent libellous loss for $700 million that he was neither red nor blue but motivated by green, as in greenbacks. This was both true and false, as Murdoch is pandering to the right wing audience for his advertising revenue. The free speech first amendment malarkey means that there are no standards of reporting in the American media, especially in the political sphere. Donald Trump can continue to spout The Big Lie despite numerous judicial and private enquiries finding no evidence for substantial voter or election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. This is another manufactured narrative employed by the GOP in their fund raising and political campaigns. Trump portrays himself as this celebrated victim in direct contradiction of what really happened – he lost fair and square. Polarization A Product Of Political Grievance Narratives The presentation of politics in America is so far from the reality of governing that it bears no resemblance to anything like the facts of the matter. The facts have gone out the window and we are left with this crazy alternate universe where up is down and black is white. A considerable number of Americans obviously love this chaotic piss and wind. Hot air is the Trump fare and he pumps it out on the hour day after day. President Joe Biden is so boring in comparison and the celebrity driven population want more Trump drama to fill their f***** up lives with entertainment. I mean you have a country where mass murdering children via gun violence committed at schools is almost a daily occurrence. Still, the nation’s elected representatives are unwilling or unable to do anything to stop it. Health in the US is run on a for profit basis with hospitals and medical insurance at the mercy of rapacious pharmaceutical corporations and private equity funds. They tell this neoliberal story about the market being more efficient but the cost of medicine in the US is more expensive than anywhere else by miles. Canada, the UK, and Australia provide far better health care at minimal cost to the user. Higher education in America costs an arm and a leg, as student loans are around $1.7 trillion. “The impact is broad. About 12% of the US population has student loans, over 43 million Americans hold a collective $1.7tn in debt. The youngest borrowers have just graduated from college and some of the oldest have retired with student loans. Many parents who took out loans to pay for their children’s education are also still burdened by debt.” - (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/sep/06/us-student-loan-repayment-start-impact-debt) This idea that you can make money out of every aspect of life – the financialization of all things- is the burden that weighs so heavily on so many ordinary Americans. The GOP push this unfettered market BS to the detriment of so many lives. What kind of country makes getting medical care so expensive that it frequently bankrupts ordinary working Americans! Photo by Ogo Johnson on Pexels.com The racist nature of modern America was exposed during the Covid pandemic crisis. Nearly a million Americans died on Trump’s watch in the wealthiest nation on the planet. A large number of these folk were African Americans, as a racist white medical edifice failed those on the fringes of society. Black Americans have been locked out of the professions by institutional racism in education and within the medical bodies and boards. “Dr. Uche Blackstock: I'm going to say that many more barriers should have fallen since our mom graduated from medical school. Only about 6 percent of physicians are Black; 3 percent are Black women. So, we still are quite rare, and we think about, why it is that the case is, right, when we know that we are very able and competent to do this work? And so it's a tremendous amount of work needs to be done. I think, if our mother were still here, I think she would very much agree, and still be still be working on all of the same efforts that we are.” - (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/twin-doctors-combat-systemic-racism-and-lack-of-access-in-healthcare) This is not because African Americans don’t work hard enough or aren’t smart enough, it is because of structural barriers erected to limit their access to opportunity. Photo by CARLOSCRUZ ARTEGRAFIA on Pexels.com Dealing The Dirt On Diversity Still, we are hearing the GOP led narrative about diversity programs favouring underserving black people at the expense of whites. The confabulation and connivance of the conservative media, like Fox News, in promoting lies and distortions of the truth is paramount here. SCOTUS have ruled against diversity entrance programs for universities. This is especially galling when you consider that Justice Clarence Thomas was a beneficiary of such programs. Billionaires like Harlan Crow seem to have bought Thomas, as the evidence published by ProPublica indicates. “Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's name is once again in the headlines with Texas real estate magnate Harlan Crow, this time over a ProPublica investigation that found Crow paid private boarding school tuition for Thomas's grandnephew. Previous reporting by ProPublica in the last month has revealed a real estate deal and years of luxury travel that Clarence Thomas accepted but failed to disclose from Crow. “ - (https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1174083586/a-look-at-harlan-crow-the-billionaire-central-in-clarence-thomas-controversies) Selling out your skin and selling out your identity can be quite lucrative in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump at the 101st by U.S. Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0 The truth is too boring to tell in the political sphere, apparently. We are much more likely to engage if we are told a story. Made up narratives about grievance and injustice are much more juicy to spin. The immigrants are pouring into the country and poisoning the bloodstream of the nation. What a load of rubbish! Blaming the foreigners is an oldie but a goody. Focusing voter hate on those lower down on the wealth ladder like refugees and immigrants is smart politics. Directing the blame upon those not in any position to fight back appeals to the cowardly sensibilities of cheap bullies. Build a wall. Trump had 4 years last term to build that wall and didn’t, why? Because he is a BS merchant and doesn’t really want solutions. He wants the imaginary problems to always be there. Dictators stage manage crises to keep the masses on edge and a police state on red alert. Look at Putin’s Russia for a view into a Trump second term. Do you really think that Trump will ever relinquish power after what happened on January 6th  if elected? The bankers and money men will vote for Trump because they want lower taxes and potentially greater profitability. Big business backed Hitler in Germany in the 1930’s. Americans are endlessly encouraged to buy stuff. Will they buy the GOP crap about wokeness and liberal lefties damaging the fabric of the nation? Biden has brought America back from the inflationary economic shores of recession and restored market confidence. He might be boring but he has steered the nation toward better times. Will America really embrace the chaos of Trump once again? I doubt it. Politics feeds on stories and fear mongering only works for so long before the banality of reality stands up. Bill Clinton famously said, “it’s the economy, stupid.” Photo by Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com The orange Jesus with his fake tan painted on looks like an illustration from a comic book. Electing a cartoon character for president is not going to do anyone any favours. Has America so lost contact with reality that it will install a dangerous buffoon. The Germans thought Adolf Hitler was a bit of a joke in the early 1930’s and those in the establishment thought that they would be able to control him. Plenty of domestic violence victims were attracted to their sexual partners for their ability to make them laugh – they soon experienced the other side of that charming characteristic. The political system may seem like a circus but a clown is not the best candidate for president. Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.  ©MidasWord Read the full article

#America #deflection #diversity #FoxNews #presidentialelection #talltales #Trump #USA

[collindelade]

THE MACHINE REVIEW

Are you a fan of comedian Bert Kreischer aka "The Machine"? If your answer is anything but yes, this movie is not directed toward you. Unapologetically, "The Machine" movie is intended for the die-hard fans of Kreischer's material and the legendary story of his time in college when he got caught up with the Russian mob.

"The Machine" movie is a fictionalized retelling and continuation of Kreischer playing himself twenty years of living up to the legend he created. Struggling to connect with his dad (Mark Hamill), the two get kidnapped by a Russian mobster searching for her family stolen pocket watch. Bert must retrace his step of that drunken train ride to corporate before his father and he gets killed.

As a fan of Kreischer's stand-up, his everyday buddy persona is very charming and entertaining to follow. This charm is carried over to the film as you see Kreischer playing out this over-the-top Hollywoodized interpretation of his infamous story. As an actor, Kreischer is very likable both in the comedic action and also in a couple of serious moments. Just like his big smile on the poster, you want to join him in having a blast throughout the movie.

Unfortunately, in reality, Kreischer is the only one getting any satisfying enjoyment in this "in-joke" movie. For a majority of the runtime, the movie is simply not fun and misguided. Seeing Bert's family feel miserable and embarrassed to be around him is unpleasant and nothing like how he describes them in his other specials. Mark Hamill just sits around bored only occasionally contributing to the story.

"The Machine" is much more focused on the serious tone Russian mob subplot than doing anything fun. Iva Babic who plays the main mobster is genuinely good in the movie, but she might as well be considered the lead as Bert and his father just stand in the background for most of the scenes. Occasionally there would be a laugh-out out moments that wakes the audience up, but its far and few between. The action is surprisingly well shot and executed, especially during the climax where the energy gets more crazy.

The biggest comparison "The Machine" could have strived for is to be like "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" which takes real-life events and heightens them to outrageous levels. With Jimmy Tatro playing the Young Bert, there are multiple angles the movie could have done to be a much more enjoyable film. One idea, for example, could be scrapping the father character and having Jimmy Tatro be in Kreischer head through the current-day plot, allowing the 20-something and 40-something Bert play off each other.

As much fun Kreischer is having onscreen, it does not translate to audiences. The movie lacks the laughs and fails to reach any potential it sets out for. When thinking about alternate possibilities of what COULD HAVE been done with the movie becomes more entertaining than the actual film itself, that's the sign of a true disappointment.

4/10

#the machine #the machine movie #bert kreischer #movie #review #train #russian mob #stand up

[pruchika99-blog]

Top 10 best finance movies to binge on your long weekend

Every cinema enthusiast has a genre of choice. For some it’s action, for others it may be romance, comedy, thriller or even sci-fi. That said, in recent times a new genre of cinema has emerged– one that has all the makings of multi-faceted, tear-jerking potboilers– it’s finance, or financial, white-collar crime to be precise.

Each one of us has different learning styles. While some like to do a thorough reading, others like to watch documentaries and movies to learn about the common money mistakes to avoid. This genre is excellent and exciting enough to motivate a majority of viewers to get their finances together. For the rest of us- it’s just pure entertainment.

Whatever your reasons may be, we have listed ten movies that deal with everything finance that every investor should watch at least once! Go, grab your popcorn!

The Big Short (2015)

This movie adaptation of the non-fiction book, ‘The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine’ by Michael Lewis tells the true story of the financial crisis of the U.S. housing market that occurred in 2007-2008 due to subprime mortgages. You don’t know what that is? Well, thanks to the incredibly talented director, Adam Mckay, the concept of subprime mortgages is brilliantly explained along with other key financial concepts of banking in this movie.

The Wall Street (1987)

The immortal phrase ‘greed is good’ is synonymous with the film ‘The Wall Street’, made famous by Gordon Gekko (played by Micheal Douglas). Even after 35 years of its release, several analysts, bankers, brokers, and traders use this Oliver Stone classic as a handbook for recruitment.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

This documentary describes the rise and fall of Enron—one of the largest and most scandalous corporations in the U.S. The film is based on the bestseller with the same name and explores the dubious ways in which Enron underhanded its business dealings, as its executives misappropriated billions of funds, hurting the investment of thousands of employees.

Margin Call (2011)

This is a must-watch money movie if you want to understand the nitty-gritty of the 2008 crisis. The film’s plot takes place within the span of 24 hours at one of the largest Wall Street investment banks that is on the brink of collapse amid the 2007-2008 crisis. The film is an upfront portrayal of the greediness, fraud, and rash risk-taking actions of many reckless Wall Street companies.

The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)

The next one on our list is the true, inspirational story of Chris Gardner and his metamorphosis from a struggling, homeless single father to a successful, millionaire entrepreneur. The movie beautifully captures how Gardner uses his knowledge, charm, and tenacity to build his wealth and lands the most prestigious job in San Francisco’s brokerage firm. The film especially strikes a chord with the masses with its focus on a poor man who only wants a better life for his son.

Moneyball (2011)

This movie is a masterclass in budgeting. Billy Beane, played by Brad Pritt, must reinvent one of Major League Baseball’s teams within a tight budget. He cannot afford star players but analyzes statistical data to build a professional sports team.

Rogue Trader (1999)

Based on a true story, Rogue Trader tells the story of an ambitious Nick Leeson who single-handedly bankrupts Britain’s most prominent and oldest Merchant bank—Barings Bank.

Boiler Room (2000)

Although this movie is a work of fiction, it offers some valuable lessons on the basic fundamentals of investments and money mistakes to avoid. The film tells the story of a trainee stockbroker, Seth Davis, a 19-year old who runs a successful, illegal casino in his apartment. When his father, an influential judge, discovers his deceit, Seth becomes a stockbroker to earn back his father’s respect. However, the firm he gets into has its own share of secrets.

If you want to learn about the Top Investment Mistakes To Avoid This Year, read our blog here!

Scam 1992 (2020)

Though this article is about the best movies, it is impossible to not include the series ‘Scam 1992’ in the top 10, considering the massive impact it has made. The series tells the story of the trade investor Harshad Mehta, and how he orchestrated the Indian Securities Scam of 1992. It is set in Bombay in the early 90s and takes you back to the days when trading took place in a ring, where large groups of jobbers made trades in a frenzy every day.

Baazaar (2018)

This Hindi film depicts the strong power-play between money brokers, industrialists, and politicians. It also uses hard-core stock market jargon and delves into complex ideas of insider trading and financial manipulation.

#finance movies #top 10 finance movies #top 10 best finance movies

[o-flynn-o]

In our entertainment ,wide distribution movies, shows, streaming services, and reading material; "Popular" opinion syndrome is what's happening here. Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts has also mentioned something about a belief system in a recent sermon I think this applies too.

The entertainment industry has cultivated belief and operating system and hand picked people obedient to the system.

Is it effective in continuing to ensure the system survives? It has been.

However massive problems are created because of it.

The biggest of many moving parts is a starving culture.

Here in lies the problem with our entertainment corporations farming for content. Yes, they get to interweave their objective and have control. And may have the upper hand in a way of wide spread distribution. But you know what it doesn't have? True substance.

Yes, there are ways for people to pour into the projects they work on, but it's not the same. And it's not the same from it's origin source. Especially if it is someone or something anointed by God.

Another negative thing is basically adding poison to your products. Adding things that are deliberately sinful in nature to children's or family entertainment is poison to the mind, heart, and spirit.

It eventually smothers the life out of people. It taints or takes their innocence. It twists their mind leading them to temptation at a young age. If you are leading people from that young down a path that leads to destruction... What do you think the progression is? What do you think happens to the mind and the heart along the way?

(Matthew 6:22-23- 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!)(The entertainment you take in can have a big influence on you.)

Going back to the world's operating system for entertainment and hand picked people who are creating content.

Surrounding yourself with people who only have the same opinion as you or will always go along with "the plan"...

I'll give two examples I can think of why this is not the best, most effective, or most ingenuitive way to operate:

-If you are an eagle raised with chickens and you also believe you are a chicken.

Just ponder for a minute many the huge differences between an eagle and a chicken and their individual purposes.

Then take yourself or your creative ideas. How many more possibilities are there when you're not putting those restrictions on things?

-It's also like going "nose blind" to certain smells.

If you bring in someone fresh to the situation they're going to notice. Not only will they notice, but they may very well have an excellent solution or addition to the project.

It has become evident over time that these things have lost heart and substance. And I want to call out Disney on this one because I'm massively disappointed. I know I'm not the only one. So many people grew up loving all the stories and characters...the magic of imagination.

But it's not about that any more. It's about pushing the objective of some of these corrupted "leaders" and people who have some influence and power. Then you find some artists that are creating beautiful ground breaking stuff (where the real power and substance is) and you slap that packaging on twisted ideas.

I believe it is the promotion of these harmful ideas that your properties, movies, shows, and streaming services are dying. There's little to no life there and it's being replaced with darkness. I also believe for this reason that God is taking His hand off of things. He's taking His blessing from it because it's harmful and sinful.

The majority of people see it too and they don't agree with what you're trying to force. They don't agree that, that's what they want to see. That's also NOT what they want to show their children.

[notifyage98]

Common Mistakes Made To The Funeral Program

funeral pamphlet online funeral program the funeral site

funeral program templates Toussaint entertains with "Murder in the Buff," a cozy crime-mystery. Molly Darter is having careless day. She's busted her husband kissing her sister unveiled she's chasing an obituary at the nudist colony for her day job. When the naturalists suggest their friend, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, Molly doesn't know what's worse - searching for a murderer or together with her dysfunctional residence. Some people write an obituary promote it lengthy. I am not big on reading lists of accomplishments however i do like to read a tale or two about lifestyle of anyone. It gives me an image of who they were being. Too much information however makes me sense that the writer doesn't be aware difference between writing a eulogy and writing an obituary. It makes me think the writer needs take a look at a course on how to write an obit. Why does such a discrepancy can be? It's because of society. Society tells us that approach to recognize accomplishment any kind of field-sports, entertainment, business, etc. - is to these outrageously high earnings. It is disgusting when a CEO in the large corporation can be paid millions of dollars 12 months and socialize with the elite of society, when all of the workers tend to be really the cause of his or her success are paid far less that what they have to are worth-and in many cases, much less expensive than have to have to live through.

The key I've found to the procedure is to carry out the autopsy from the failed sales call gone. The sooner you can do it, place your changes you can put on what you've learned yet another sales conversation. We didn't think this kind of storm this would definately be as devastating as features. We didn't think that 111 homes in Breezy Point, NY would be burned down. We never considered that over 30 people on Staten Island alone would lose their lives to this terrible surprise. But we saw grace; nobility and true character emerge that solemn day. Meg Dunn, President/CEO of A particular.A.M.I. (American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service) in NY was the first one to answer the plea for help. 18 A.A.M.I. alumni followed suit as well as funeral vendors for example ASD, a highly regarded funeral home answering service. Is it possible stay away from Alzheimer's conditions? At this point there is no known preventative, we dwell longer along with age comes the undiscovered. Our look into the disease to date has been baby steps, at first it was thought that aluminum might be the cause, but extensive have got failed to nail that as at fault.

Finally, turn to the funeral home itself. Being that you have anxiety when funeral parlors you in a position to unaware that the directors of funeral homes are often licensed to give grief offering their advice to. As such, they can help you with your fear; especially on account of your fear evolves around their workplace. Stay away from that you are having issue and additionally that you will need to plan out a burial. They can help you both to together with your fear and read additional information on funeral homes so that you will not feel so troubled.

#funeral program

[airbusswim23]

Common Mistakes Made Over A Funeral Program

funeral booklet funeral pamphlets online funeral programs online funeral programs

Toussaint entertains with "Murder in the Buff," a cozy crime-mystery. Molly Darter is having careless day. She's busted her husband kissing her sister unveiled she's chasing an obituary at the nudist colony on her behalf day job. Once the naturalists suggest that the friend, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, Molly doesn't know what's worse - searching for a murderer or by using her dysfunctional family. Some people write an obituary create it lengthy. I am not big on reading lists of accomplishments on the other hand do in order to read a post or two about living of the individual. It gives me images of who they were. Too much information however makes me consider the writer doesn't are aware of difference between writing a eulogy and writing an obituary. Much more me think the writer needs to take a course on creating an obituary. Why does such a discrepancy can be? It's because of society. Society tells us that the way to recognize accomplishment in any field-sports, entertainment, business, such like. - is to cover these outrageously high pay. It is disgusting when a CEO from a large corporation can be paid regarding dollars each and every year and socialize with the elite of society, when all of this workers are generally really responsible for his or her success are paid far less that something which are worth-and in many cases, much less than have to have to survive. The key I've found to the process is to do the autopsy inside the failed sales call immediately. The sooner you can do it, quicker you can put on what you've learned yet another sales contact us by calling.

We didn't think that this storm would be as devastating as it was. We didn't think that 111 homes in Breezy Point, NY would be burned down. We never thought over 30 people on Staten Island alone would lose their lives for this terrible hurricane. But we saw grace; nobility and true character emerge that solemn day. Meg Dunn, President/CEO of A single.A.M.I. (American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service) in NY was the first one to answer the plea for help. 18 A.A.M.I. alumni followed suit as well as funeral vendors since ASD, top-notch funeral home answering service.

Is it possible to stop Alzheimer's infection? At this point there is no known preventative, we live longer and with age comes the undiscovered. Our look into the disease significantly has been baby steps, at first it was thought that aluminum could be the cause, but extensive have got failed to nail that as the culprit.

Finally, in order to the funeral home . Being that you have a fear of funeral parlors you the unaware that the directors of funeral homes are often licensed to relinquish grief therapies. As such, they can help your fear; especially because your fear evolves around their workplace. Be aware of that you are having this problem and additionally that you should certainly plan out a funeral service. They can help you both to along with your fear and read additional information on funeral homes so which you will not feel so troubled.

#funeral program

[soramei]

Intentional - Part 1

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Landing your first real job at JYPE was something short of a miracle. You were prepared to face the new struggles of this elusive career whilst moving to a new country, however, nothing could have prepared you for him. Will stolen glances, secret touches, and hushed nights spent in the recording room ever be enough for the both of you?

Genre: idol!bang chan au, forbidden relationship, coworkers to eventual lovers, slow burn 

Warnings: none right now, eventual smut,

Word Count: 7.3k 

Masterlist

A/N: hey yall this is my first ff im posting on tumblr :D im kinda scared to post but i hope anybody who stumbles on lil ol’ me will join me along the way :) also important!!! i made oc/reader asian cus i am lol (and this whole thing is basically a glorified self insert) so plz keep this in mind when reading!! oh god i didnt realize how slow this first part was sry... 

The cold silence of the room felt like stabs at your inside. You commanded your feet to stop bouncing up and down as you unconsciously started to bite off the dead skin of your bottom lip. The white corporate light from above reflected off your brand new lanyard hanging delicately from your neck. You felt the coarse blue fabric rub against your neck as you mindlessly fiddled with your lanyard; the newly printed photo of your face stared back at you with a smile. 

The creak of the door to your left was what broke you from your nervous fidgets. Whipping your head up from your lanyard, you immediately stood up ready to bow to whoever came through that door. 

It was a girl. She looked around the same age as you, if not older. Her attire was what gave her away. Her appearance essentially mirrored yours: hair tied back into a ponytail with a white blouse and black work pants. She also had the familiar blue ‘JYPE’ labeled strap hanging from her neck. 

“Hello,” you spoke meekly, scared to disturb the cold silence that had a hold on the room you were in. 

“Hello,” she replied. “My name is Choi Na-eun, I’m the new social media strategist intern and today is my first day.”

This is so relieving, you thought, another newbie to share the stress with me. 

“This is my first day too,” you perked up, “I’ll be starting as the new junior Chinese marketing assistant.” 

Getting the acceptance email from JYP Entertainment was definitely a high point in your life. The feeling of butterflies swarming your insides as you clicked the email open only to see your acceptance was immediately locked as a core memory. All the years of memorizing thousands of Korean and English vocabulary flashcards, the panic attacks before your finance exams, and the many, many late night coffee breaks were worth it the moment you received your first legitimate job offer, and from the esteemed JYP Entertainment company no less. 

“Chinese marketing?” Na-eun asked. “So you aren’t from here, I take it.” 

You shook your head. “I am from China. I completed my degree a while ago with a major in Language and a minor in Business. To be honest, I’ve done internships back home, but it’s been my dream to move to a new country.”

All of what you said was true. Up until now, your surroundings have never changed in all of your twenty-three years living. From the walk with your grandmother to daycare to the vast campus of your university, the view of your city has never changed. Your social circle stayed stagnant since you were able to talk and your love life was — for a lack of a better word — uneventful. 

It wasn’t until the day you decided to start applying for careers outside your home country that you felt hopeful. Hopeful that you could find an escape from your inert lifestyle and escape the burnout and stress that has been building up over the years. And so, on a day when you were feeling unusually confident, you gathered up the courage and spent hours sending out applications to organizations all over Asia that pertained to your specific degree. The applications were mainly for small jobs at small companies, however, your strange spike of motivation gave you the confidence to apply to the everso esteemed JYP Entertainment located in Korea. Of course you knew about this company — you and your friends played songs by ‘Twice’ nonstop back in highschool — but you didn’t realize the full power that this company had on the entertainment market until you did your full research. To say that you thought you had no chance was an understatement. This application was so far of a reach that you purposefully forced your mind to erase all memory of even applying. 

However, with your education, your work experience, and whatever tiny bit of luck you had, you somehow made it through the initial application process. Then the next. And the next. Then the interview. And now, you were nervously sitting in this white painted room with Na-eun, in a completely new country, waiting for your manager to come greet you. 

“So you’re from China? You’ve got to teach me chinese sometime.” Na-eun smiled. 

You giggled in return while nodding your head. You were relieved that you’ve met a potential friend so early in your career in this company. This was one of your big worries. With your social circle being so stagnant for the majority of your life back in China, you rarely had the opportunity to meet new people, much less make new friends. 

You were about to inquire more into Na-eun’s life when the door to your left abruptly opened. In the blink of an eye, three new people strutted in — two women and one man. They seemed to be higher status than you and Na-eun judging by their attire. All three were styled in some type of blazer and dress pants and there was no lanyard to be found on any of them. 

“Hello new employees,” the man greeted. Judging by his face, he looked to be in his late thirties at the least. His hair was styled back neatly and his lips slanted up, giving him a fox-like appearance. “I am Executive Manager Kim. Joined beside me on the left is Social Media Manager An and to my right is Marketing Manager Chen.” 

Both you and Na-eun immediately stood up to bow and introduce yourselves. 

“Hello. My name is Choi Na-eun, I’m the new social media strategist intern.” Na-eun said. 

“Hello. My name is y/n, I’m the new junior Chinese marketing assistant.” You repeated after her, copying exactly what she said. You did not want to screw anything up on your first day, especially your first impression. 

Manager Kim reached over to Na-eun, introducing himself and giving her a firm handshake. He then slowly moved over to you, and reached for your hand. 

“Y/n,” he gave time for your name to settle on his tongue as he gave a sly smile. “You’re not from here, aren't you?”

You shook your head ‘no’. “No, sir. I’m from China where I studied language and business. I hope to do well here as the Chinese marketing assistant.” You replied, mentally cursing yourself for sounding so timid. 

“I’m glad to hear,” Manager Kim chuckled, “I’m sure you’ll treat me and your other managers well.”

You felt an uncomfortable shiver pass through you as he brushed his thumb along your hand before letting go. This feeling was excused as nervousness, after all, this was your first day and your first time meeting your higher-ups. 

You introduced yourself to Manager Chen, assuming that she would be the one you were to assist in your time here at JYPE. Judging by her last name, you presumed that she was Chinese as well. 

“Forgive me for being so straight up Manager Chen, but are you Chinese?” You asked. 

“That is alright, y/n,” she smiled, “I’m not. My Husband is, but I’ve lived in China for more than half my life. I don’t want to brag, but my mandarin has gotten proficient over the past decade or so.”

Proficient? It’s amazing. You thought. This first day was turning out better than you thought. Other than the weird feeling you received from Manager Kim, everything was turning out splendid. A potential friend and a manager that could speak your first language.

“Since it’s about noon right now,” Manager Kim took a look at his watch, “What do you all think about some lunch?” 

The other managers nod their heads in agreement and gestures for you and Na-eun to follow them out of the waiting room you were in for so long. 

The whole building seemed so clean. With every corner lit, by natural light or artificial light, you could clearly see that every room, every piece of furniture and decor had been purposefully placed. You couldn’t help but have a stupid look of awe plastered on your face as you mindlessly follow your superiors over to the cafeteria.  

You turned your head over to Na-eun and gave her a tilt of the eyebrow, silently saying wow, this is where we work. 

With the turn of a corner and several silent strides, your little group made it to the cafeteria. 

The difference between your claustrophobic waiting room and this vast room was astonishing. With countless tables and romantic yellow lighting, this place almost resembled a five star restaurant. You’ve never seen a cafeteria as extravagant and clean as this before. However, to be fair, you’ve never had the experience of working with such a large corporation before. 

The managers led you to the serving station where you grabbed yourself a tray and proceeded to spoon small portions of rice and side dishes onto your plate. This cuisine was different to what you were used to, but nonetheless looked delicious. You were prepared for the small cultural differences, especially with the food, but from everything you’ve witnessed so far, the culture shock would be easier to overcome than what you’ve anticipated. 

“Have this soup y/n,” Manager Kim’s grating voice came from in front of you, interrupting your inner monologue. “It’s good for your complexion.” 

As Manager Kim hands over the bowl of soup, you feel the sleeve of his blazer brush up against your shoulder, causing the pit of your stomach to drop.

First day nerves. That was what this feeling was. You thought. 

You quietly thanked him with a small nod and walked briskly from the service line, trying to find where Na-eun went with the other two managers. Thankfully, they were just a step away and you quickly made your way over to the comfortable spot beside Na-eun. She gave you a small grin and you both followed your way to a table right in the middle of the room. 

Soon, all five chairs of the table got filled and sounds of chopsticks tapping and scraping against plates and bowls filled your ears. An awkward silence dominates your table as you start to pick at your food. 

“So,” Manager Chen cleared her throat, “after lunch I was thinking we should go to a meeting room and discuss Miss. Y/n’s role in our new project.”

“I was thinking the same for our new Intern Choi.” Manager An cut in, “What do you think, Manager Kim?” 

“It all sounds good. I will be accompanying Manager Chen to her meeting room as I wish to also further discuss the preliminary steps for our project.” Manager Kim looked from Manager Chen over to you. 

“Project?” You ask. 

“We’ve had a very successful year with our idol groups and we wanted to ride this success and start marketing in China. Recently, we’ve noticed a very large and growing Chinese audience for this group. I’m sure you’re very curious now, however we can discuss further details once we are in the meeting room.” Manager Chen replies while taking a sip of the water in her glass. 

Manager Chen appeared to be a very professional and respectable woman. With prominent collarbones and wide shoulders, she easily looked the part of a confident and adored manager. She needed minimal makeup to highlight her tall cheekbones, and even with a short heel on her feet she seemed to tower over you. However, her warm and comforting voice was what broke her intimidating demeanour. Just listening to her voice felt like you were back in your high school classroom with your favourite teacher explaining the motif of a sad love poem. 

After some more awkward conversations mixed with a few work discussions, the five of you finished the delicious food on your trays. 

“Please excuse me whilst I head to the restroom” Na-eun spoke up after your group finished clearing the table. 

“Please excuse me as well.” You quickly followed, bowing as you both ventured off to the washrooms. 

I should get her number so I’m not completely a loner in this place, you thought to yourself. And so, after a quick inner struggle to speak up, you finally decided to ask. 

“Hey, should we exchange contacts? I don’t wanna look like the newbie eating in the cafeteria alone after today.” You chuckled. 

“Totally!” Na-eun beamed. “I was actually thinking the same thing…” 

And so, you both quickly exchanged each other's contact as you made your way to the restrooms. 

The hall of the washrooms were narrow, hidden away from the main cafeteria. You walked in, deciding you only wanted to retouch your hair and makeup before your first official meeting. You carefully fix the loose hairs that somehow escaped the confines of your elastic and dab on a fresh layer of foundation before applying your lipstick which rubbed off while eating. Looking over at Na-eun, you see she’s quite in the zone redoing her mascara. 

“Hey, I’ll just wait for you in the hall.” You said. 

Na-eun gave you a disinterested nod back as she kept focusing on her mascara. 

You walked to the end of the hall, leaned against the wall, and pulled out your phone. Smiling, you opened the virtual Tamagotchi app and saw your little friend staring back at you, bouncing up and down. The bundle of virtual pixels happily bounced as you fed and bathed it, making you happier in return. Playing this game, you were so entranced with your phone that the abrupt closing of the washroom doors broke you out of your hypnosis fast, causing you to flinch and drop your phone. 

You looked up, only to see a brown haired man wearing a long sleeved black shirt. The hem of his sleeve fell, covering his hand as he bent down to pick up your phone. He stood back up, fully facing you now and you immediately recognized who he was. You weren’t a fool, of course you did all your research on the artists of JYPE before applying for the job. Looking down at you right now, holding your phone in his hand, was Bang Chan of Stray Kids. 

The wispy tufts of his brown hair bounced over his forehead as he stepped over to you. He smiled, his dimple poking out of his cheek, and handed your phone back to you. “I think you dropped this.”  

Blushing tomato red, you embarrassingly accepted the phone, trying not to make your shaking hands noticeable. It seemed like that failed, however, as you noticed him glance at your hands and dimple grow deeper. 

“Thank you.” You meekly chirped and lowered your head, still in awe that you somehow bumped into a JYPE idol in the bathroom hallway of a cafeteria. 

“It’s good that there’s no cracks.” Bang Chan said, looking in your eyes. 

You looked back into his eyes. His smile never left his face, and you physically felt the warmth radiating off his body like rays from the sun. Some boring, objective part of your brain knew this interaction only lasted a fraction of a second, but you swore that time froze.

“Hyung!” A distant voice called. 

Your trance was broken as Bang Chan looked over to the person calling his name. He turned back to you, politely bowed, and casually sauntered over to the man who called him. 

What just happened? Your inner monologue ran, still trying to process the embarrassing interaction. The scent of his cologne lingered, swirling the atmosphere around your body. 

Thankfully, you didn’t have too much time to dwell on this interaction as Na-eun finally opened the washroom doors and was making her way toward you. 

You and Na-eun trailed behind the managers until you reached the set of elevators. It was there where you had to unfortunately separate from your comfort work buddy as she hopped in the elevator across from yours with Manager An. The other two managers led you to the elevator at the end and pressed the button for your destination floor. The ride in the elevator was silent. You stood there, fiddling with your nails. 

Once the elevator gave the ding of arrival, the three of you headed down a hall where you presumed had the meeting room. 

Manager Kim took a look at the watch on his wrist. “We are a minute late, everybody should be there already. Enter silently and respectfully.” He said in a stern voice.

You reached the frosted glass door of the meeting room and entered through the already opened door. The managers followed behind you with Manager Chen being the last one in and closing the door. 

Your eyes widened at whom you saw.

There was Bang Chan, who sat in all his glory, staring right into your eyes with his mouth ajar. His shocked expression didn't last long, however, as he quickly composed himself to fit with the professional atmosphere of this room. 

But why was he here? You thought. He’s an artist, isn’t this a management meeting? 

Your inner monologue was broken by Manager Kim’s stern voice. “Y/n, why don’t you sit with me for today?” He asked with a slight tilt of the lips. His hand was hovering above your back, almost guiding you to the seat just right of the head chair. 

Your heart rate quickened. There was no way that you could handle sitting right beside a high position manager on your first day. You barely knew what your duties entailed, you definitely could not handle the pressure of this seat today. You whipped your head around to look for Manager Chen. She was already sitting in her seat, looking like she was right at home. 

“Manager Kim, if you don’t mind, I would like to sit in this position for today, '' a voice spoke up, “I have a lot of new ideas I’d like to share that are written in my notes.” 

Bang Chan.

He paused a brief second, eyes switching between you and Manager Kim, and raised his iPad to show the screen filled with words. 

“I don’t mind at all, go ahead.” Manager Kim monotonously replied. He then made his way to the head chair. 

You looked over at Bang Chan, trying to subtly send the most grateful facial expression over to him. He returned your look, slightly grinning as his fingers tapped on the screen of his iPad and sat down to the right of Manager Kim. You looked over to see Manager Chen gesturing you to sit in the chair beside her and swiftly made your way over. At your seat, she handed you a notepad and pen, both adorned with the JYPE logo. 

“Now, as of 1:02 p.m., September first, the meeting will officially begin.” Manager Kim clasped his hands together on top of the table. “As most of you already know, we are in the preliminary stages of planning a Chinese debut for our artist group ‘Stray Kids’. All we have right now is the estimated timeline, which is four months. We have a basic grasp of the concept we are working towards, however, as you all know, trends are always changing and growing. While we are working to create a new and original concept for Stray Kids, we also want the concept to gather as much audience reception as possible.” 

Wow. That was a lot to take in. Your hands struggled to keep up with writing down what Manager Kim was saying. You knew this relatively new group was really starting to explode in the past year, but a debut in another country? This group must work really hard to even have the company consider a step as risky as this. So this is why Bang Chan is also involved in this meeting. 

You peaked your head up from your notepad. Bang Chan sat across from you, one hand on his chin and the other one holding the pen to his tablet. 

Manager Kim then carefully discussed the duties that each group in the room would take. Many of the jobs were directly involved with developing the concept itself, such as producing music, concept art, and theme development. Your pen never took a break from gliding on the notepad as you hurriedly jotted down everything that Manager Kim said. 

Eventually, Manager Kim’s delegations moved to Manager Chen. “Manager Chen, I’ll let you take over from here.” 

“Thank you Manager Kim,” Manager Chen cleared her throat. “While my main job here was to market Korean comebacks towards the Chinese audience, this new project changes things up a bit. Now, not only will I be in charge of marketing to the Chinese audience, but I will also be directly in charge of the concept itself. I will be working carefully with our team in China to monitor the trends which we can incorporate into our debut.

“This is my new assistant, y/n,” She turned and gestured to you. You politely nodded your head. “She will be gathering information on useful trends and reporting back to me, as well as some translating. Please report any ideas that you deem useful to her by the end of every week for her to sort through and deliver to me.” 

You almost want to call Manager Chen crazy for giving you so much power, after all, you were only starting out as her assistant. Despite this, however, you were determined to go above and beyond with the new responsibilities given to you, after all, you knew that choosing to work in an organization as big as JYPE would take blood, sweat, and tears. 

After some clarifications given by Manager Chen and a few more questions directed at her, Manager Kim took the reins back in his hands. 

“Now, as I’m sure you all know, this is Bang Chan: the leader of Stray Kids. Although our management team is in charge of this debut, we like to include the opinions of artists whenever possible. He will make an appearance whenever he can and act as a representative of Stray Kids, sharing their ideas and opinions.” Manager Kim explained. 

Bang Chan politely introduced himself, and quickly went on to express some concerns of his members. He made sure that each concern was answered thoroughly by Manager Kim before moving on to the next. 

“As for our concept ideas,” Bang Chan’s soft brown eyes met yours, “will I have to report to y/n?” 

You felt your ears redden. 

“You could, yes,” Manager Kim straightened his back, “but if you find the weekly deadlines too much of a problem, you may just report to me or at any subsequent meeting.” 

“No worries sir,” Bang Chan’s eyes lingered on yours for a fraction of a second more before grinning at Manager Kim, “I’m always punctual.”  

The rest of the meeting consisted of more introductions and preliminary plans. After about an hour, everybody seemed satisfied with the contents of the meeting and were starting to pack up all their clutter on the table. You looked over at Manager Chen, silently asking what should I do next? 

Manager Chen smiled. “Let's head to my floor. I can give you a quick tour, you can get settled at your desk. I have some paperwork that I’m almost done with; I’m sure you’ll have no problem finishing it for me.” She already was standing up and straightening over the creases of her jacket. 

You stood up as well and followed behind Manager Chen like a lost baby duckling. You both made your way over to Manager Kim to bid farewell. You politely thanked him, said your goodbyes, and were about to leave when he stopped the two of you. 

“Manager Chen, let’s go out for drinks tonight.” Manager Kim took a look at the intricate watch on his wrist. “With our whole team, of course. It’ll be a welcoming night and we can get to know the people on our team better.” 

“That’s a great idea, Manager Kim,” Manager Chen nodded at his idea in approval. She turned on her iPad to quickly get a glimpse at her schedule. “What do you think y/n? Can you make it tonight? I know this is very last moment, but I think it’ll be a great opportunity for you to get to know your coworkers better.” 

“I should be able to make it.” You definitely could make it. You had no plans anyways. 

“Am I invited to this top secret party you’re all having?” A now very distinguishable voice came from behind you. Bang Chan stared at Manager Kim with a very mischievous expression. 

“Would your manager allow it?” Manager Kim questioned, knitting his eyebrows. 

“I’m on a diet, so I can’t drink alcohol or eat anything,” Bang Chan’s nose scrunched up in annoyance, “but I want to be as involved as I can. Just because I’m an idol doesn’t mean I can’t help behind the scenes as well.”

“Very well,” Manager Kim nodded with a fixed expression, “Let’s all meet at that restaurant about a block away west. I’ll go tell the others.” And with that, Manager Kim left you, Manager Chen, and Bang Chan to stand in awkward silence. 

“Well,” Bang Chan cleared his throat and clapped his hands together, “I’ll get going as well to do some work now, but it was nice meeting the both of you.” 

“You as well.” Manager Chen replied for the both of you and Bang Chan left soon after. 

Manager Chen then led you to the elevators again and you headed up yet another few floors to reach your destination. You nervously fiddled with your hair as you silently waited behind your boss, looking up at the smooth lines of her blazer every few seconds. The elevator doors dinged, letting you know of its arrival. The two of you swiftly headed out the elevators and walked to what you presumed was Manager Chen’s office area. You kept following behind Manager Chen in silence before you stopped in front of a set of doors that looked identical to the ones at the previous meeting room. Manager Chen opened the doors for you, and you headed in. 

You paused a step in, looking wide-eyed at the interior. The office was clean. A big glass desk sat right in the middle of the vast room in front of a huge set of windows. There were a couple of soft looking chairs placed right before the desk with a huge rug right underneath it. Over to your left, you spotted a water dispenser with a kettle right beside it. You stared at the room a bit longer before realizing you must have looked very stupid with that astonished look on your face. 

“Is this your office, Manager Chen?” You asked. 

“Yes. It seems that you like it,” She chuckled. You felt the heat rise to your ears. 

“Since you’ll be working so close to me, I’m sure you’ll be happy to come here more often.” 

“Thanks.” You awkwardly laughed. You blamed your bad response on the fact that you still weren’t familiar with the language, not your blatant awkwardness. 

Manager Chen made her way over to her desk, picking up a small stack of papers. “These are some letters I’ve received from several designer companies in China. Since we are still in the very preliminary stages of this project, we would like to keep our options open for the stylists here.” She picks an annotated letter from the pile. “I’ve translated and created a summary of the main points of this letter. There are a few more left which I believe I can trust you with. Just do as I did with this letter and add the sample pictures along with it.”

You quickly complied, taking the stack of papers from her hands. 

“I’ll show you to your new work space.” She led you out of your office and over to a cubicle that wasn’t too far away. It was considerably smaller compared to Manager Chen’s office, but you thought it had a certain coziness to it. Plus, working close to your coworkers could also boost your motivation. “Here is your desk, it’s not the most exciting thing, but you may bring photos or whatnot to decorate it. Now, I’ll let you settle in and get started on your work. You can meet me at my office around six, I can double check your work before we leave.” 

You thanked her before she left and immediately got started on your work. You diligently translated the whole of the letters before picking out the main points that matched with Manager Chen’s example. After this was done, you included the photos that came with each letter and slipped them into their own cozy folder. This work was monotonous, sure, but it was something you needed on your hectic first day here. 

You were so captivated by your work that you completely forgot about the time. The sun was starting to set, and you only remembered to look at the time after you tucked your last letter neatly in its folder. You briefly panicked, praying that you weren’t making your manager wait. Thankfully, it was only a quarter until six. You took the next fifteen minutes double checking your work, making sure to also check the time every once in a while. At exactly six, you left your desk and scurried over to the big doors of Manager Chen’s office. 

Knocking a couple times, you waited patiently to be let in. 

“Come in.” 

You let yourself in, handing the papers to your manager, then sat quietly in one of the chairs before her desk, crossing your fingers together. You fiddled with your thumbs, patiently waiting for Manager Chen to speak up. 

“Not bad, this is some decent work.” Manager Chen announced as soon as she finished glossing over your work. “I’ve noted some places that you can either fix or improve. I’ll scan them and hand you a copy tomorrow.” 

You let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. A tidal wave of relief washed over you as you let yourself relax further into your chain. Not bad, this is some decent work. You proudly repeated this moment in your brain. Although you were disappointed with the mistakes that you let slip through, to get somewhat of a compliment on your first day meant a lot to you. 

“Shall we get going now?” Manager Chen asked. 

You grabbed your bag and stood up. “I’ll let you lead the way.” 

                                                         _______

It seemed like all you were doing on your first day was following Manager Chen around like a lost puppy. The situation right now was no exception either, as you tried to copy her confident strides over to the restaurant a block down. You watched the busy rush hour streets and sidewalks fill with people, some people going home after a long day, some people going to party just like you.

Soon, after a few more minutes of walking, the both of you arrived at the small wooden doors of the restaurants. It seemed like the both of you were a bit late as Manager Kim was already waiting in front of the entrance with the rest of the team. Bang Chan was also there, head down looking at his phone. 

“Sorry we’re late, have you been waiting for long?” Manager Chen somehow sounded confident despite making everybody wait on her.

Her voice seemed to have caught everybody’s attention. You watched as Bang Chan swiftly turned his head up from his phone, his eyes making contact with yours. You immediately focused your eyes somewhere else, trying to casually play off the fact that your eyes subconsciously drifted to him. 

“We’ve only been waiting for a couple minutes.” Manager Kim gave a tight smile. “Let’s go in before you all get too cold.” 

Your little group of around ten people slowly entered the doors, filling the restaurant. Manager Kim called over a waitress, signaling that you had ten people in your group, and let the waitress lead you all to a long wooden table. 

The restaurant was nice, nothing too fancy, but that’s how you could tell the food was good. With dim lighting and tightly packed tables, it made you feel fuzzy and warm on the inside. 

However, your thoughts on the restaurant were soon broken by a hand on your shoulder. 

“Y/n, why don’t you sit with me?” Manager Kim’s lips curled up, “After all, this is a work gathering, how good of a boss would I be if I didn’t even treat my newest team member to a drink?” 

Your brain was in shambles. You seriously didn’t feel comfortable sitting with him all night. However, the logical side of your brain was saying something different. He’s just being nice as a boss. You don’t know how people in this country act anyways, stop being paranoid. 

It seemed like your inner turmoil was taking longer than necessary, as you heard another familiar voice speak up. 

“Manager Kim-” Bang Chan called out. 

“You don’t need to sit with me here, Bang Chan.” Manager Kim chuckled as he stared directly in Bang Chan’s eyes. “I’d rather not talk about work outside the office.”

You watched as Bang Chan’s eyebrows furrowed, looking back to you in reluctance. You smiled at him before turning your attention to Manager Kim. It was just one night, right? Plus, there’s no harm in establishing a good impression with your boss. 

“I’ll sit with you, Manager Kim.” You smiled, “thanks for offering.”

And so, you took your seat next to Manager Kim at the table. Bang Chan, who was to your left, looked askance at Manager Kim for a brief second before his facial expression did a complete 180. His familiar, boy-ish smile was plastered on his face like it was the most natural thing. 

When the menus came, everybody at the table — including you — started to order onslaughts of food and alcohol. After brief moments of casual chatter about topics such as the weather or how good the food was here, everything that was ordered arrived at your table.

You grabbed a can of beer and started sipping on it. You’ve drank before — of course — with your old friends at university, but it’s been at least a year since you last did. Better ease myself in. You thought. 

However, your preconceived plans were ruined when a small glass of clear liquor got pushed in front of you. 

“Y/n, surely you aren’t going to sip on that can all night.” The ends of Manager Kim’s lips curled up. 

“Wasn’t planning to, sir.” You replied while tipping the glass up and into your mouth. The bitter liquid burned your throat as it went down. You took a moment to recollect your surroundings. Seems like your tolerance was higher than you thought. 

“Bang Chan, do you not drink? Why not eat something then?” Manager Chen pointed to the food on the table. 

“No can do ma’am, I’m on a strict diet. My manager would kill me.” Bang Chan pointed to his glass of water. 

“In that case,” Manager Chen filled another glass, “Y/n, have another drink.” She slid the glass down the table in front of you. 

You gladly accepted your second drink, downing the alcohol in one go. Your eyes instinctively squeezed together as you felt your throat burn. From the tips of your ears to the ends of your toes, your whole body felt warm and alive. 

You lost track of the time. As your conversations got livelier, your head got fuzzier. You stopped counting your drinks after four, especially since so many people were eager to offer the new employee a drink. Although your vision was starting to blur, you could still think straight. I can still think, you thought to yourself, still — what a powerful buzz.

Your thoughts ran rampant in your mind as you stared at the lightbulb across the room. What a pretty light. So bright. Warm. 

“Y/n.”

Was the light calling your name? 

“Y/n!” 

Your eyes focused again and snapped away from the lightbulb. Where was the voice coming from? You slowly turned your head. Bang Chan.

“Hi.” You smiled. 

“Hi.” He smiled back. So bright. Warm. “It’s been hours and I haven’t even offered you a drink yet.” 

You tried to focus your eyes on his face as he slid the glass over to you. One more drink wouldn’t hurt your buzz, right?  

You gladly accepted, slowly moving your hand over to the glass to pick the clear liquid up. It went down in one go just like all the others. 

Huh? Was this water? 

You struggled to focus your eyes on the person who offered you the drink. “That was yummy.” 

“I bet it was,” the talking blur chuckled, “How about another one?”

You nodded, then took the glass he slid towards you. It’s funny how water flows even when in a cup. Water. You needed to pee. 

“Hey,” your words dragged out, “where’s uh, where’s the washroom?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you.” Manager Kim stood up and reached his hand out towards you. You didn’t want to take it, but it seemed like nobody was noticing his offer. 

Reluctantly, you took his hand and stood up, only to stumble down again. Did your knees not want to listen? 

“Whoa there, better hold on.” Manager Kim said. 

“No, I can walk. I-I can walk.” You let go of Manager Kim and tried to focus all your brainpower on moving your feet in a straight line. This tactic only worked for a second, however, as your knees gave in and you stumbled down. 

“It’s obvious that you can’t.” Manager Kim’s lips turned up. “It’s time for you to go home. I’ll take you back.” 

What? No. You didn’t want Manager Kim to take you home, not after all the awkward events of today and the general vibe from him. You tried to express your thoughts, but nothing came out of your mouth. 

“Manager Kim, you’ve been drinking!” Bang Chan’s voice came from some part of the room. “It’s not safe to drive, I’ll call a taxi for you.” 

“What about Y/n here? I’ll get a taxi for us both.” Manager Kim said. 

“I called my manager earlier to pick me up, we can drop her off along the way. It’s not a good idea to put two drunk people in a car. I’m completely sober right now, so let me do all the work.” Bang Chan grinned, patting Manager Kim on his shoulder. 

“Is that what you want, Y/n?” Manager Kim glared. 

You dizzily nodded. 

“Alright. In that case, I can call my own taxi later.” Manager Kim grimaced. 

“Stay safe, Manager Kim.” Bang Chan smiled. He turned to you. “My manager’s been waiting outside for a while now, do you want to leave now?” 

You nodded. You tried to start walking again, but your damn knees just wouldn’t listen. 

“Do you want to hold on to me?” Bang Chan knitted his brows together and held out an arm.

“I,” you slurred, “can walk.” You tried to start your feet again, only to end up stumbling down. 

“I know you can,” Bang Chan said as he reached his hands out to stabilize you, “but — ah —  I’m really tired after today. Can you hold on to my arm so I won’t fall out of exhaustion?” 

You agreed to help him. Bang Chan waved to everybody still at the table before leading the two of you out to a black SUV. He allowed you to stumble your way in the back seats first before sliding in himself. He asked you for your address, which took many tries for you to accurately type it into his phone. 

You leaned your head against the window, staring at passing blurred lights as Bang Chan’s manager started driving. Just being away from the loud and bright environment seemed to have cleared your head a little, but the pounding would not stop. You cursed yourself for being so irresponsible on your first day, especially because you were still alone in this new country.   

“Hey,” you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder, “want some water?” You looked over to see Bang Chan holding out a plastic bottle with the lid screwed off. 

You languidly reached your hand out for the bottle and gulped down as much water as you could in one breath before handing it back to him. The street lights started getting blurrier as you tried to fight exhaustion, the muscles in your eyelids starting to get more and more uncontrollable. 

“Y/n.” 

“Hmm?”

“Don’t fall asleep yet, we’re almost there. Ten more minutes.” 

You couldn’t hear anything after that, however, as you felt your eyes give up on you and your body fall into a deep sleep. 

“Y/n… Y/n.” A familiar voice called.

You fluttered your eyes open, your head pounding. Not knowing where you were, you surveyed your surroundings in a panic. It seemed as though you were in the back of a car… Parked outside of your apartment building? 

“Hey, you’re finally awake.” Bang Chan’s voice entered your ear. It all came rushing back to you; the restaurant, the drinking, entering the SUV. 

“How long have we been parked here?” Your groggy voice sounded inhuman. You had to clear your throat a couple times. 

“It’s only been twenty or so minutes. I’m not allowed to leave the car, are you able to get home alone? I can ask my manager to go with you.” Bang Chan scratched the back of his neck. 

“I should be fine.” You mumbled, a bit embarrassed to have fallen asleep in the car of a person you just met that day. This wasn’t even his car, it was his manager’s. 

“Hey… can I put my number in your phone?” Bang Chan avoided your eyes. “Just so you can tell me when you get home.” He quickly added. 

“Okay.” You awkwardly handed him your phone with your contacts already opened. He quickly typed his phone number in before handing it back to you. 

“Text me when you get home. Remember to lock your door, okay?” 

You thank both him and his manager before hurrying back to your apartment. Your head was still pounding unrelentlessly as you pressed the elevator button for your floor. The events of today were still unprocessed in your brain. You met a potential friend, which was a highlight. However, you also met two higher up managers and an actual idol, only to get hilariously drunk in the presence of. At least it’ll make a good story to tell my mom. You thought. 

In no time, you made it in your apartment and locked the door behind you, remembering what Bang Chan told you in the car. You texted the new number in your phone. 

Y/n: Hi. It’s y/n. I just entered my apartment.

Not even a minute later, your phone lit up, signaling a new text message. 

Bang Chan: great!! remember to lock the doooor hahaha ( ◕ω◕✿ )

You subconsciously grin at your phone. Cute. Throwing your phone haphazardly on your bed, you begrudgingly began your night routine. After washing up and throwing on a random shirt from your closet, you fell on your bed ready to sleep. You were about to close your eyes when your phone lit up again with a ding. It was another text.

Bang Chan: Hey… Just so you know, if you ever feel unsafe around the office just tell me okay? I’ll always try to help you in whatever way I can.

#stray kids #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #stray kids smut #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids fanfic #skz scenarios #skz imagines #bang chan #bang chan scenarios #bang chan imagines #bang chan fluff #bang chan angst #bang chan smut

[magz]

These are my most pertinent views: (long)

Pro-recovery, pro-autonomy, pro-harm reduction, anti-stigmatization, and anti-psychiatry. This does not mean I am anti-medication or anti-drugs, but that I am anti-medical abuse & against psychiatric and carceral institutions’ abuse of power. Try not to insult people for struggling to recover.

Pro-workers’ unions and worker’s rights, anti-capitalism.

Abolish police and abolish prisons. Police brutality and state violence is not the answer.

People’s value is not just in "intelligence" and physical ability and "usefulness" and "productivity". ALL disabled people matter.

Decriminalize sex work. Decriminalize drugs and drug users. Punishing and traumatizing the vulnerable and stigmatized, does not help them!

Fiction and media affect reality. This does not mean that “playing video games automatically makes you a serial killer”, however media depictions affect what you internalize. News, shows, books, games, videos, social media, etc.

Media consumption alone (including entertainment, theory, and social media) is not peak activism. You cannot consume your way into liberation, especially not the content from big corporations or white academia, as the only thing. There should be variety. Valid criticism is good.

I like to actually “chew” and question things, and criticism is my love language.

It is valuable to be careful what you normalize online. Including bigoted 4chan memes, digital blackface, positive & neutral depictions of inappropriate animal interactions and abuse, crossing reasonable personal boundaries publicly, posting memes of bystanders whose photo was taken without permission, etc.

Generally, people deserve to be treated well and helped to thrive on a community level, this includes children as best as you can.

Assimilationist and essentialist-focused methods for social progress will exclude the ones that do not fit in (example: “I’m not like other people in my group, I’m more respectable”). Even the nonconforming or multiply marginalized members of a community deserve respect and human rights.

You do not need dysphoria to be trans. The idea that you do, comes from transmisogynistic and medicalist origins (Sandy Stone’s “The Empire Strikes Back” explains part of this).

Gender and language can be decolonized. Bigotry and biases is often embedded in our language and common phrases, and it’s ok for people criticize it even if it’s “normal”.

You cannot truly be a trans-inclusive radical feminist. People should examine what radical feminist ideology and gender essentialist ideals they have internalized or taken as true, even if they think they haven’t.

People should unpack and confront their biases in general. We are always growing.

I personally at least try to avoid body shaming and stuff, it’s overly mean. It’s weird to make fun of someone for being fat, balding, “being ugly”, facial disability, or whatever else. Because that’s usually what’s happening when people do that. And I really don’t think people’s appearances is equal to people’s moralities and worth.

Pro-Palestine. Killing, oppressing, and displacing so many people can never be justified. Don’t be antisemitic, however. Decolonize Palestine.

Pro-landback movement, and decolonization in general. This includes questioning default ways of thinking, information, language, etc. Do mutual aid, helping community online and irl if possible. (Link is wikipedia)

I do not want to have a doomed mindset about the world. We all should do what we can.

Pro-heaux womanist (Links are thotscholar’s explanation. I do not fully agree with a few phrasings but it is good.)

#this is gonna be the post that is linked in my pinned post instead of dumping it there. #text post #o post

[commenter2]

Hazbin Hotel seven deadly sins headcanons

I like how Vivziepop and the writers are giving their own twist to demons in the shows such as making Lucifer a bit of a goofball. It makes me wonder what they will do with the other demon lords of Hell, AKA the seven deadly sins, so I thought I’d post some ideas for what they could do with them.

Keep in mind these are just ideas and not written in stone, especially since we don't know much or anything about them.

Mammon (Greed)

Though he loves getting money, he usually tends to spend it as quickly as he can get it.

Though greedy even he believes in tipping well at restaurants, which he always does.

He is a big believer in lifetime warranties and insurance, even willing to pay huge insurance bills in the slightest chance he can benefit out of it. I could see this leading to a funny moment in Helluva Boss where after running into I.M.P, to the imp’s surprise he thanks them for destroying his theme park as he got back much more money then he did running and maintaining the park.

Besides to make money, another reason why Mammon made Loo Loo Land was to get back at Lucifer, as he originally wanted to make and run an amusement park of his own but Lucifer beat him to it.

Not only is he a good businessman but he is also a great lawyer, especially corporate and copyright law, I mean how else do you think he got away with Loo Loo Land.

He looks like a jester because that was his first job and he loved it and the outfits. It’s also where he realized that entertaining people is a great way to make money.

Asmodeous (Lust)

He is a big romantic. He has a philosophy that being physical with someone in anyway such as holding hands, is not only a great way to express love but also an important step to finding a person’ true love, who he is confidently still looking for.  

He use to have a crush on Lilith, which is somewhat accurate in this one tale where the two are married. If that “big romantic” headcanon is true I could see him still having some feelings for her but he wouldn’t dare break up Lucilith as he ships them hard, and wants a relationship just like theirs.

Some stories have him being defeated with the aid of fish so I see him having a huge fish allergy.

He is a tech wiz and also loves building machinery even giving himself cybernetics, which would explain his appearance in the S1 trailer a bit. He was the one that built the first Robo Fizz and other contraptions in Hell.

He gets 3 heads when he turns into his full demon form. Each head represents a certain part of his personality but the center head is the dominant one.

He likes singing, even owning a recording studio and usually makes record deals with talented singers, like Verosika Mayday…for a time but that’s a different headcanon/theory. It would be fitting with myths that have people being entranced by singing/music.

Beelzebub (Gluttony)

He use to be a stereotypical glutton but a few hundred years ago he had a epiphany and is now an exercise nut, which works for him as it allows him to eat whatever he wants though he is smart about what he eats.... most of the time.

He is an amazing chef, being able to make 5 star meals out of the simplest and craziest of ingredients, like adding grapes and soy sauce to ice cream.

He brews beers as a hobby, one of which became so popular that he was able to sell his own brand (as mentioned in episode 3 of Helluva Boss).

He’s ok with the nickname Bub but don’t call him Bubba or else !

He has a hand in rehab centers as he knows what its like to be addicted to food and drink and wants to help others overcome it.

Despite getting the “title” Lord of the Flies he HATES insects and arachnids.

Satan (Wrath)

The reason Imps treat him like a god is because he created the Imp race. I could see the origins being how the first Imps spawned from his blood the day he and the others were banished to Hell, which in a way would explain why Imps shares similar physical characteristics associated with Satan.

He surprisingly tries to control his anger, doing things to calm him down such as taking deep breaths and trying to catch himself from screaming.

He runs an anger management class on the sidelines.

Though he is usually in a grumpy mood, I can see him becoming a totally different person when his family (if he has one) is in the room as they seem to be the only people that truly understand him.

He is a expert fighter, mastering all kinds of fighting styles.

He is the most honorable of the sins as he always keeps up his end of bargains and doesn’t try to trick humans when making deals.

He hates being cold which is why he loves living in the ring of wrath.

Though there are some major difference in there personalities, he and Asmodeous are best friends. Some people even compare them to being like brothers which could be a weak reference to that old saying of “love and hate are more alike then you think”. Heck a sub headcanon to this is that they dated for a bit.

Leviathan (Envy)

He is the youngest of the demon lords and because of this many people treat him like a teenager, which he hates.

He was the one who came up with the phrase “I do not envy you” which did make him popular for a time but has now annoyed everyone for his overuse of it.

He was the first copycat in history.

He is a really talented actor, being able to play any kind of role whether it be the serious main villain or the bumbling friend of the main character. He even does his own stunts and fighting choreography.

Though he is a water creature and a good swimmer, he always brings a water tube to the beach/pool as he likes to just float in water from time to time.

The myths about mermaids were based on his OC idea of his dream woman.

Belphegor (Sloth)

He is a bit of a hypersomniac.

I could see him having a opposites attract relationship with some as the person he dates/married to is really active and surprisingly Belphegor does a lot of active things with said person cause he cares.

He is quite smart and the most creative of the group as he came up with a lot of ingenious ideas over the millennia, which is accurate as stories say he would tend to give humans great ideas in deals with them. However because of his laziness his ideas can take along time to finish.

He, Asmodeous, and Mammon make up what people call the unholy marketing trio. Belphegor comes with the schematics, Asmodeous builds the product, and Mammon funds and markets the product.

Just like with Beelzebub, he doesn’t like certain nicknames like Bel for example.

He likes to review movies and TV shows.

I could see him having a tragic backstory of becoming a demon lord as the only reason he became the demon of sloth was because on the one day he decided to take things easy, which was never thought about before at that time, it lead to the eventual war between Lucifer and God. This could mean that he isn’t lazy, he just doesn’t want to do anything because he is embarrassed to show his face because of his one mistake.

That’s it for the sins but here are a few about Lucifer and Lilith

I can see Lucifer having a Mark Hamill Joker like voice.

In the Hazbin Hotel universe, Lucifer and Lilith were inspirations for other gods in various mythologies like in Norse mythology Lucifer’s antics inspired Loki while Lilith inspired gods like Freya and Sif.

Though Lilith is usually calm and collective on the outside on the inside a avatar of her, which I call chibi Lilith, is used to represent various emotions from great rage to Juvia Locker levels of love for her husband.

Be careful saying the word atom around Lilith as she will instantly appear and ask what or who your talking about.

What headcanons do you have about the sins ?

#hazbin hotel #vivziepop #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel lilith