#This also isn't exclusive to musical artists obviously
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Hey natewantstobattle fandom, I think there's something we need to talk about with the new v1r@l music video
It is highly likely (honestly it obviously is) that the art found in the video is AI generated. Now, this isn't me accusing nate of anything, as there's a possible chance that he is simply not aware of it being AI art. He's an artist himself (albeit a musical one), I doubt he would be in support of such theft, and he was smart enough to call out the whole NFT scandal as well.
When I first watched it it had stuck out to me that the anime artstyle found in the video seemed out lf the ordinary, but I brushed it aside automatically. I went to go see who created the art, and noticeably the only thing they had linked to was a video producer
I normally don't question give hearts when it comes to crediting, so I assumed that the person who made the video must ALSO be the one to make the art. But from observation, that must not be the case
This is not a company who has workers of different skill sets, which one could possibly be digital painting. This is one person, from the looks of it, who uses AI generated artwork. Looking at their website, there's a section exclusively for digital art. While these certainly do fit the common AI generated artstyle, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was, they don't have any inconsistencies and errors that AI art may hold, so no proof there. BUT there are certainly errors found in the music video itself that no one other than an AI 'artist' would make. My apologies if I don't point out all of them
0:38 - The boy's head resting on a vaguely shaped, stubby, backwards hand. It was no distinct structure to it, the fingers look half cut off, and no one in their right mind would twist their arm and hand like that to rest on it
1:08 - Nitpicky but this guy has the WEIRDEST hair texture I've ever seen. The parts in the light do not match the shaded parts of the hair. They're like...odd blotches of fire
2:38 - There's this out of place hood-headphone cord. It looks like it comes out of and goes to nowhere behind the old man, and attempts to be a headphone wire and a hood strap at the same time
2:57 - It may not be obvious at first but the girl's sleeve is not correctly attached to or shaded in with the rest of her shirt. Like. Just look at it
(Note: A person has said that there's one scene in which a character has five and a half fingers, but I haven't been able to spot it yet
The video also noticeably tries to hide the hands A LOT, whether that be blurring or cutting it out entirely. Considering the mistakes we've already found with the hands, and AI art commonly not being able to get hands to look right, it's very possible it was purposeful)
Now, more about what I said in the beginning about Nate possibly not knowing:
Another thing to point out is that give heart has worked with this producer before. But the past videos that were made by them don't seem to involve any AI art at all
Nate's cover for "The Day." The art found in it is from the manga/anime My Hero Academia, created by Kohei Horikoshi. This is art that obviously can't be stolen and taken as one's own
"A Taste of the Flame," Hazbin Hotel song by Shawn Christmas. This time, there is an actual person behind the art in the video and rightfully credited in the description
A normally trustworthy video producer, who is not even open about admitting that they use AI art (not stated anywhere on the business site). So, this is my good faith assumption that Nate is not aware of this. He has a team of people for his videos, and considering is personality, it's very likely of him to overlook what this mv consists of. I don't know him personally, obviously, but considering how he presents himself in his content, past opinions, and the definitely normal behavior of wanting to believe in the best of someone you're a fan of, I don't think he would support the use of AI art. He's an artist who also doesn't like his work being stolen, and I can imagine if there was (and oh dear god if there already is) an AI that generates music scrapped from him and other musicians, he would not be happy.
There are other possibilities if he DOES know it's AI. One being that he doesn't know that AI art steals art from other artists, and the second being an AI that takes from fully consenting artists. I 100% doubt both of these
If he truly does not know, I will be pretty relieved. But I will still hold him accountable for negligence on his part. It's his channel and content, and even if he overlooks some of the stuff in it, he still has full control of what gets posted there and is responsible for it. I won't be as upset, but he should've known better to not let this fly and investigated more on this VERY overtly suspicious artwork
Okay, now getting to the main point and what you should take away from this; we need to be letting Nate know what's up with this, bring it to his attention or at least ask him of what AI art is doing in this video (whether he supports it or not). Because it's important for us to know, AND if this truly was done without his support/consent, he NEEDS to be aware so he can fix it. I'd rather have no mv for v1r@l rather than one that promotes art theft
TL;DR: NateWantsToBattle's new music video for "V1r@l" consists of AI generated art theft, we don't know whether he consented to this decision or not, and as a community should let him know
#natewantstobattle#nwtb#nathan sharp#nate posting#to let go#ai art#ai generated#ai art is art theft#ai art is not art#ai art is stolen art#PLEASE don't ignore this nwtb community this is important
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https://x.com/nightstar1201/status/1782281046861701220
Will you look at that?
The way it was obvious that min heejin was going to try and break out of hybe at some point. It was obvious with how she tried to seperate new jeans from anything hybe. Tokkis always claimed it was because hybe hated njns when it was obviously min heejin. Them having their own separate weverse-like app, barely interacting with the other groups. Not even BTS who are actual superstars tried to be that exclusive and seperate. Like what would you expect from someone who's been in the industry for years and was a part of sm?
This whole thing is like a girl entering into a relationship with a man who cheated on their former partner with her and thinks he isn't going to do the same to her with somebody else.
The talk about her potentially leaking stuff about hybe artist is hard to believe because it could just be hybe's attempt to make her look worse, and mhj's side claiming they were only having differences with hybe because of illit isn't the sole reason for her attempt to break off, she has probably been planning to do this the moment she was approached by hybe but illit replicating new jeans' concept and then seeing more success than them was probably the last straw for her.
And this whole thing also proved that new jeans stans are dumb as hell because you can see that all they care about is "concepts" when they should be worried about the group being shelved or worse. This goes to show how min heejin has managed to ingrain herself into the group's image, and it's scary as fuck. She has made the stans and everyone else believe she's new jeans or something and they can't succeed without her and goes on these interviews and has made it so the fans think the group can't do well without her. The thing is it doesn't matter how "unique" new jeans was, if they hadn't been tied to hybe or BTS they would not have gotten instant success, there are tons of other groups who have better music and concepts but not the same recognition. If hybe does kick her out, all they need to do is find another good creative director preferably another woman to take over. Going off from what she's done before, another good creative director could take the group to greater heights. If new jeans success was because of her, then what about the other groups she was in charge of in sm? How successful were they? What happened with new jeans happened not only because of the concept, but because of their ties to BTS, a huge budget and most importantly LUCK.
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DMA'S praise 'amazing' Louis Tomlinson: "He's really cool, we respect him a lot"
Louis previously cited DMA'S as a heavy influence on his second solo album Faith in the Future
OFFICIAL CHARTS
By Carl Smith | 5 April 2023
When we spoke to Louis Tomlinson ahead of the release of his Number 1 album Faith in the Future last year, he couldn't have been more complimentary about collaborators DMA'S.
The Sydney rock three-piece - comprising Johnny Took, Tommy O'Dell and Matt Mason - inspired tracks like All This Time on Louis' second solo record after striking up a relationship with the One Direction star back in 2019; and the band would 'love' to see a team-up soon.
Chatting exclusively to Official Charts around the release of their brand-new LP How Many Dreams?, DMA'S guitarist Johnny explains how Louis influenced a track on their 2020 album THE GLOW.
"We got in the studio with Louis the first time we met him," says Johnny. "We sat around playing music; we played him some tracks off THE GLOW and played him the demo of Cobracaine.
"He’s obviously got a really great ear for pop music – and music in general – and he was like ‘maybe you should get to the chorus quicker.’ Just a little comment like that really helped. It was a good call, as a structural thing. We thought ‘yeah, we should get to the chorus quicker,’ and it ended up sticking."
When we tell him we admire DMA'S openness to working with an artist like Louis where many rock bands might have pre-judged his pop beginnings, Johnny explains: "When you’ve reached the heights that Louis’ reached, you’d have to be a little bit ignorant or naïve not to realise how much amazing stuff he’s picked up along the way. That’s my favourite thing.
"If I get into the studio with somebody who’s 10 years younger or 10 years older than me, I learn something new every time. That’s the great thing about any musicians getting together in a room; you just start talking and discover things through that discussion.
"Louis’ an amazing guy. He put me on the door for his gig in Melbourne, and I went backstage. We’d just played that same venue a few months before, and it was great to see him in Sydney. He’s just such a good guy. I love the way he champions young musicians. I really respect that.
"Louis’ really cool, I don’t have a bad word to say about that guy. He’s an amazing songwriter, too."
And Louis isn't the only 1D lad to have impressed Johnny and his DMA'S bandmates. Liam Payne's also an artist the group admire.
"It was the same when I first met Liam," says Johnny. "He was the same as Louis; they’re these guys that are up on this level, but they love guitar music and music in general. They’re open to championing young bands, those bands that are smaller than them, and lifting them up. They’re passionate about the music and that’s what it’s all about; everyone lifting everyone up."
[The above text has been edited.]
“It was the same when I first met Liam Gallagher," says Johnny. "He was the same as Louis; they’re these guys that are up on this level, but they love guitar music and music in general. They’re open to championing young bands, those bands that are smaller than them, and lifting them up. They’re passionate about the music and that’s what it’s all about; everyone lifting everyone up."
So we can see a DMA'S and Louis collab at some point, right?
"I’d love to," beams Johnny. "That’d be awesome."
Speaking to Official Charts about his admiration of the Aussie trio last year, Louis said: "I loved DMA’s last album THE GLOW, which Stuart Price produced. That has dance elements in it but was done in a really authentic way.
"It doesn’t feel remotely contrived or like a f**king made-for-radio pop-dance hybrid. That was really food for thought for me throughout the process.
"They’re amazing. I’ve been lucky enough to meet them a few times. Johnny [Took] came to one of my shows in Australia. They’re just really f**king lovely lads, great blokes. They’re an amazing live band."
Catch DMA'S performing at Y Not? Festival in Pikehall, Derbyshire this July.
DMA'S new album How Many Dreams? is out now via I OH YOU/MUSHROOM GROUP.
[Johnny Took and Louis Tomlinson in Melbourne, 26.7.22]
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Today's compilation:
Another Pyrrhic Victory
1989
Grunge / Hard Rock
Here's a neat, little artifact from the Seattle grunge scene that was released just before the genre went nuclear and proceeded to usurp hair metal as the new face of rock music for the early 90s. 1989 was a year that proved to be quite a decisive one for this new and much darker sound that was using elements from both punk and metal. Soundgarden and Alice in Chains had both managed to ink deals with major labels, and Nirvana released their debut album, Bleach, too.
Now, the first label that comes to mind for literally anyone when you mention the word 'grunge' to them is obviously Sub Pop, but Sub Pop was not actually the first label to put out a grunge record. That honor seems to belong to a Long Island sublabel of Dutch East India Trading called Homestead Records, who in 1985, released Seattle band Green River's debut EP, Come On Down.
Arguably, grunge's second record, though, was a various artist compilation that came out in 1986 called Deep Six, which also happened to be the debut release of another Seattle label that would go on to specialize in punk called C/Z Records. And a few years later, after that first ever grunge comp, C/Z then put out their second one, Another Pyrrhic Victory, which in addition to Green River also featured another pioneering grunge band called Malfunkshun, both of whom had also appeared on Deep Six as well. And alongside them on this comp were a few lesser known bands too.
Now, to my own ears, this release isn't really anything all *that* spectacular, but I think it's still pretty cool to get an authentic dose of ephemera from this scene that has been so heavily romanticized, like the 60s have been for a prior generation. And still, I think there are a couple very good tracks on it, both of which were exclusives at the time.
Malfunkshun kick off the album with something terrifically noisy called "My Only Fan," which also has some great groove to it too. These guys originally formed in 1980, but never actually released anything official while they were together, besides some songs for v/a comps. However, "My Only Fan" features the band's original vocalist, Andrew Wood. Sometime after the release of Deep Six, which had a pair of Malfunkshun songs on it, the band went on an extended hiatus and Wood then helped form a much more popular Seattle Grunge group by the name of Mother Love Bone. But after that, Malfunkshun also returned to work, and out of it came "My Only Fan," released the year before Wood would tragically pass from a drug overdose 😔.
And the other highlight on this album comes courtesy of a band named H-Hour, who, just like Malfunkshun, also formed in the early 80s, but barely released anything either. In fact, the only release this band ever made themselves when they were intact is a 1987 cassette simply titled 1987, which no one currently on Discogs claims to own and has also never once been sold on its marketplace either. But on Another Pyrrhic Victory, H-Hour contributed a song called "Medley," which is over ten minutes long, and is basically two songs in one. And while "both songs" are good, the shredding that takes place in the final two minutes of the second one really manages to kick the whole thing up a notch 🤘. Plus, up until just last year, this release was the only place that you could actually find this track.
So there's probably Seattle grunge showcase comps out there that are more consistent than this one, but Another Pyrrhic Victory still has a couple sweet cuts on it from a pair of bands who seem to have been pretty underappreciated nonetheless.
Highlights:
Malfunkshun - "My Only Fan"
H-Hour - "Medley"
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Aph Mongolia appearance headcanons and other headcanons
This is what I'd say he would most likely look like if I were to picture him as a person rather than a 2d character. This is after hours of watching through videos of Mongolian people. So news, street interviews, podcasts, youtubers, wrestling matches, music performances, videos of nomadic people in the countryside, videos of people in Ulaanbaatar and other major towns etc.
This sounds pretty dramatic lol, I haven't just sat through hours of this in one go, I've been interested in Mongolia as a country for a while so of course over the years I've been interested in Mongolian media too (I am not stalking Mongolian people pls)
I just want to say that Mongolia, like all countries, is incredibly diverse in the way people look. I've seen some Mongolians who could honestly pass as someone who's South East Asian, others who have the more stereotypical Mongolian look, others who could pass as Korean/broadly East Asian and others who look a bit more Turkic. This isn't me trying to put Mongolians into one box but this is what I think he'd look like based off of what I've seen over the years.
Some of these headcanons will not be totally accurate too and I just put them there because I like them lol. Sorry!
When it comes to his face shape, I think he'd have a bit of a square jaw/masseter muscles that are developed slightly more compared to others. This is because of the traditional foods Mongolians eat. Traditional Mongolian foods are quite hard to bite down on and chew, and this helps with tooth/jaw development. I'm not saying he has a Chad jaw lol but it's a bit more square shaped than v line shaped if that makes sense.
When it comes to his eyes, they are evenly spaced/widely spaced. I haven't seen many Mongolians with close set eyes, they tend to be evenly set/ wide set. I like to say he has feline looking eyes because of the way Chinggis Khan was described by the Indian historian Juzjani "A man of tall stature, of vigorous build, robust in body..... with cat's eyes, possessed of great energy".
That was probably just them saying he had monolids but let me just have him be a catboy (man?) okay.... Also sorry, gonna be boring but his eyes are dark brown to me. I know Mongolians can have light eyes and hair but a majority of them don't.
Also thick eyebrows. Yesh.
Prominent cheekbones. Obviously.
Btw I headcanon him to look like he's in his late 20's, 27/28 ish.
When it comes to his nose, I think he has the classic Asian button nose and its a bit upturned (dunno if that makes sense). However I've noticed that nose bridges are more common in Mongolians so their noses aren't always so flat looking from a side on view?
When it comes to his lips, I headcanon them as being on the plumper side. No reason why, just like it lol.
His skin colour, I'd say it's tanned but not as tanned as it used to be, obviously because of government work but he does still go out to the countryside often. His cheeks also used to be a lot more ruddy when he was purely a nomad, some of the redness is still there but its not as obvious as it used to be. I think his cheeks can go quite rosy when it's cold/there's a dramatic temperature change.
I think his face is still flat-ish like most East/North East Asians. I know someone's gonna ask "how can he have a flat face when you just said he had prominent cheekbones??" well they aren't mutually exclusive.
I think his skin is naturally a bit dry. I've heard Mongolians say that Mongolians tend to have drier skin because of the climate so yeah.
Also I headcanon him to have two face scars bye its so hot,,,. I saw a hetalia artist draw him with them and fell in love instantly and there were two other hetalia artists who drew steppe nations with face scars. One of them drew aph huns with a face scar and another one drew aph Xiongnu with a face scar so yeah all major steppe riders have face scars now this is my canon 😍
When it comes to his hair, long, thick and dark brown, bordering on black, looks copper-y in the sunlight.
Also I'm sorry but I headcanon him as a tol man (6') 😢 I attribute this to his rapid growth as an empire. Not truly accurate as most Mongolians aren't really that tall but shhhhh
I've already touched upon these aspects of his appearance in different posts but I'll just get into it again for the sake of it.
Body wise I think he looks like this (at his peak when he's like, participating in sports, yes he is a jock...)
🥴
I also talked about what I think he wears on a regular basis in another post about East Asian fashion headcanons but I'll put it here again anyways plus it might have changed:
I don't think there's a colour he wouldn't wear but he tends to go for shades of blue/brown/beige/cream/black. Fave colour to wear is probably blue. The colours he wears tend to be darker in shade but he's not repulsed by brighter or bolder colours.
He wears his clothes more for function than fashion, not that he can't be fashionable and what he wears on a daily is a random mess haha not at all, but on a day to day basis he's more concerned about what will keep him warm/cool rather than what looks good.
Probably has a lot of nice wool/yak wool/camel wool/cashmere items of clothing. Makes some of his wool hats and scarves himself.
Wears accessories sometimes, I mean he most likely has his ears pierced (Mongolian men back in the day had pierced ears and wore earrings). Probably has some leather bracelets and necklaces with the soyombo symbol or Ulzii symbol (buddhist endless knot symbol). Doesn't really care about if what he's wearing is gold or silver but he tends to lean towards silver. Also necklaces with a horse pendant/rings with a horse design?? Yes 🐴 Probably has some bracelets/necklaces braided with horse hair in the design. Often wears boots.
Other headcanons:
Voice headcanon: I headcanon his voice to actually be on the soft side! Probably emphasised by the fact that he speaks a bit more softly but it's pleasing to listen to. In a lot of the videos I've watched of Mongolians, they tend to speak a bit softly? Unless I'm on a meme page where everyone in the videos are hollering lol.
I think he can sing quite well, I mean you need to have a good range to pull off a Mongolian long song. Probs shouldn't make him try to sing pop songs though.
Obviously can throat sing and is excellent at it this is out of the question ☝️‼️
He can braid his hair pretty quickly considering how long it is
Enjoys watching K-dramas and even C-dramas lol (Don't tell Yao). Also really likes Turkish dramas??
He has a pair of practical glasses for when he goes into the country but also switches between that and contacts for when he goes out there (breaking glasses is a pain in the ass)
Has a bunch of animals but obviously he cannot take care of them all the time so he has some people take care of them.
Diverse music taste but has a tendency to enjoy rock/metal!
Pretends like he doesn't know what Kpop is to annoy South Korea (he secretly does like some Kpop shhh)
Likes watching sumo on his TV and sometimes when he visits Japan, they both go and watch it together in real time (probably likes rubbing in how good Mongolians are at sumo to him, but then all Japan needs to do is mention the failed Mongol invasions of Japan to shut him up haha)
Actually enjoys bickering with China about stupid things and will send him videos of himself consuming ungodly amounts of dairy to make fun of China's lactose intolerance (Mongolians are genetically lactose intolerant but they've been consuming it for so long now, their gut has basically adapted to it. Really interesting)
Tibet helps ground him when he's feeling lost/worried <33 emotional support human fr. Often sends gifts to Tibet and checks up on him, likes getting hugs from Tibet.
Not as close to the central Asians as he feels he should be which he feels a bit of regret over
Though he and Kazakhstan do talk as they are *almost* neighbours. There's Kazakhs in Mongolias western province who have preserved traditional Kazakh culture before Russificafion (they essentially ran away from it) so he likes going there with Kazakhstan. Also Mongolia is literally a direct ancestor of Kazakhstan so yeah lol (daddy??)
For the love of God do not let him and Russia drink together alone because they do not tell each other to stop
Sharp shooter, even with a gun.
Lowkey hates the fact he has to wear glasses but also he's become attached to them??
Obviously still very much enjoys and feels comfortable with the nomadic lifestyle but ngl it feels good to just be lazy sometimes
Sends the groupchat (idk like East Asian gc?) videos of like. Baby goats or something when there's an argument going down in an attempt to calm it. Has like a bunch of recordings on his phone of animals it's eating up his storage!
He can be quite funny when he wants to be and its made more funny by the fact that he's usually reserved in what he says and is quite deadpan.
I think him being reserved in what he says gives off the impression that he has a shy persona but introverted/silence doesn't necessarily mean shy. He just is more observant during conversations and uh he has a lot of thoughts in his brain‼️ (aka, he's still trying to mentally recover from the fall of the Yuan chsxh JKJK)
Isn't actually bitter or like. Emo about his fall from grace. I'm sure he has melancholy moments, not just about his empire era but just his history as a whole (I headcanon that his childhood was insane xhjd). But honestly he knows it could have been so much worse and he very well could have ended up dead so the fact that he's still around is a testament to his resilience
He tries to be optimistic about things but with his current government it can be hard LMAO.
I don't headcanon him as like mega depressed about things all the time but eh life gets to us all (esp when you're landlocked between Russia and China haha)
When he gets drunk he gets really funny and then passes out
If he's eating something while talking to someone, he'll offer them some of his food (yassa laws who??)
Obviously very hospitable, you enter his home/apartment/ger and BOOM you don't even have to ask he's already made food and tea for you
Is surprisingly quite respectful of people's feelings/boundaries (I mean compared to when he was a teenager at least bahah)
Can be a bit superstitious. So if someone starts whistling indoors for example, he'll either get a bit on edge or straight up tells them to stop
Is still physically active, not doing anything for too long bores and kind of depresses him.
He also likes doing things that stimulates the mind too, so, chess, sudoku, mahjong, puzzles, reading etc. Yes he's a jock but he's a smart one! ☝️🙏
#hetalia#hetalia world twinkle#hetalia world stars#hetalia world series#Hetalia mongolia#aph mongolia#Hws mongolia#Hetalia China#Hws China#Aph China#hetalia south korea#aph south korea#hws south korea#Aph Japan#Hws Japan#Hetalia Japan#Aph Russia#Hws Russia#Hetalia Russia#Aph Tibet#Hws Tibet#Hetalia Tibet#aph kazakhstan#Hws Kazakhstan#Hetalia Kazakhstan#This is soooo long omg sorry.
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I do see your point about Harry being as successful as he is thanks to the team behind him but I think he does have some say. Harry Lambert has said many many times (because Harries accuse him of forcing him to dress a certain way) that he picks clothes and designers based on Harry's taste. That he makes mere suggestions and isn't pushy about it. Harry just says yes or no, and he has said no about stuff (Harry L said that). Ignoring Gucci, it's been mostly unknown lgbtq+ designers Harry has worked with. I think it's important because everything Harry wears sells out. Harris Reed even credited his success to Harry. It was the Vogue dress that brought attention to him. He said it was Harry's decision to do it. Yes Harry gains from it too but he could easily choose to work with mostly straight brands like Louis does. Many of Harry's supporting acts have been part of the lgbtq+ community. Books, music, movies he mentions. Even the author of the MP book thanked Harry for the increase in book sales. I don't think you can deny that Harry has helped lgbtq+ designers, artists and projects get recognized when the people themselves credit Harry for their success (many of them have). But having said that I do wish he was more vocal about the lgbtq+ community but I think the reason he isn't is because he's obviously in the closet.
As for sacking LOT members, I thought there was good reasoning behind it? One of them made a racist comment and another upset the other members.
Anon I didn’t say Harry didn’t have choices, I said that the majority of his excellent fashion choices were down to Harry Lambert, his stylist. While Harry S of course chooses which clothes to wear, Harry L curates his wardrobe with help from Molly who puts together the brief that Harry L works from. I think it’s pretty obvious from Harry’s previous choices that Harry L and Molly have really had an impact on making his aesthetic a lot more interesting.
I’m sorry but this thing about designers is also fundamentally untrue - prior to Gucci, Harry wore YSL almost exclusively for years. He regularly wears other big brands including: Bode, Prada, Lanvin, Celine, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Maison Margiela, Erdem, Jean, Paul Gaultier, Commes de Garcons, JW Anderson. Also, wtf is a ‘straight brand’.
He has of course previously worn custom Harris Reed, but Harris Reed while unknown, at the time, comes from a wealthy, privileged background full of industry connections. He also has terrible employment practises himself.
Harry causing some people to make more money through little to no effort does nothing to negate the active choices he makes which harm workers.
Harry is a millionaire, who has engaged in racist behaviour and who upholds racist systems so I think you can understand why Harry sacking someone for something he himself does might be an issue - feel free to come back and specify if it’s something I’m missing about a band member but I don’t actually know what you’re referring to.
I dunno who you mean that ‘upset other members’ but that’s super vague, if you wanna provide more info go ahead. Adam and Charlotte were both members of the band who weren’t paid during covid and then sacked in circumstances that they clearly were not expecting and in a way that totally fucked up their income streams.
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Why so much hatred for the show just because of how ‘inaccurate’ it is? Even the 94 film made some changes not to mention Queen of the Damned which (although bad) is treated as an AU of the actual book; it’s fun and harmless. The books are still there, the 94 film is still iconic, there’s so much fanfiction out there that clearly takes creative liberties (duh). All of these have enriched the fandom simply due to their creative interpretations of the original material (which does have its flaws and it’s okay to want to change them) and I really don’t see how the amc series is any different.
So it's a mix of a lot of things. Racism is obviously the big one. Literally EVERYTIME a character that was previously white gets cast as a POC racists take the time to scream and be disgusting on the internet. It's not a VC exclusive experience, it's happened to The Queen of the Damned move, Star Wars and the upcoming Percy Jackson show. And that's just a list off the top of my head I'm sure an actually comprehensive one exists out there. I think it tends to be WORSE when the race change is for a main character (Finn in Star Wars) or a love interest (Annabeth, she's also a MC but I think the ship is what makes ppl care). Also Rick Riordan, the author of PJO made an awesome statement supporting the actress who got cast as Annabeth and condemning racism. Often times the actors are just left to deal with that shit on their own, as I believe John Boyega spoke out as part of what made his experience with SW so miserable. I do wish the Rices or AMC made a similar statement but unfortunately Uncle Rick is an exception, not the rule.
Louis is both a main character and another main character's love interest which makes the racists mad. Bc when background characters get their race change they don't care, POC should "politely remain in the background and let white ppl take the stage" 🙄 I remember seeing when the casting first came out ppl complaining saying they wish a DIFFERENT character had had their race swapped, like Marius in the Lestat Musical. Which basically proves that this mentality has to do with main characters.
As for ppl complaining about the minutia, I think it's one of two things, they are racists who would just be happy if Louis and Claudia weren't black but don't want to admit it so they attack other details to "explain" why they hate the show. The other is typical "book fandom" bs. Everyone pictures the characters and setting and details differently in their head. Certain scenes and details are more important to them. I think this is the case with a lot of Daniel fans right now. I get that ppl love him, I love him too, but he is also technically just a background character. So I don't get ppl loosing it over him being changed, I think he's getting more screentime than AR would have allowed had she adapted the series, lol. But again, different aspects of the stody mean different things to different ppl.
Where it gets annoying is when book fans kind of get the idea that bc they "read" they are smarter, and they want to brag about that. So they like pointing out that x character's eyes were supposed to be brown instead of blue. Or that this scene was supposed to happen but isn't in the movie. The nerd "um, actually..." instinct, they think it makes them look smart. And most if the time, at the end of the day, these aren't details that matter to the overall story. So yeah ppl shitting themselves that AR's vamps aren't supposed to have blood on their face after drinking is just an example of that. It doesn't matter to the story at all, the detail is an artistic license. But book ppl want to tell you it matters just bc they want you to be in awe of how "smart" they are. (Which is always funny bc usually the books that do get adapted aren't the most highbrow, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone I really don't mean it to but I don't consider VC literature and if I did only IWTV and maybe TVL. I just wouldn't "brag" that I've read VC, you feel me? Especially those later books yeesh)
I also think some people are also just straight up dumb and think hair color = personality. Like I get it, I like to make jokes about hair color too, but again, at the end of the day, Stuart Townsend wasn't a bad Lestat bc he was a brunette, he was a bad Lestat bc of that script and a bad fake French accent.
So yeah I agree with you anon, I'm glad the show took some creative liberties and it's also the nature of literally all adaptations. Details don't matter so much as if the adaptation captures the same feelings, story arc, characters, and most importantly, what you loved about the original. A good example of an adaptation that changed a LOT but ppl seem to love both the movie and the book is Howl's Moving Castle. Like the show isn't out but based on the trailer I have a strong feeling the show will be like that, different, but with the same story and vibe at it's core.
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my thoughts, and reiterations about gabbie from twitter.
i'm saying this as a fan of gabbie, AND as someone who's been in bipolar psychosis before: hate her all you want. But whats happening with Gabbie Hanna right now has NOTHING to do with drama, NOTHING to do with attention, and NOTHING to do with her music. people spreading that rumor are genuinely bordering on ableism and refuse to do their own research.
1. gabbie's been diagnosed for a little under a year, so she's still trying to find stability.
2. gabbie is PERSONALLY anti-pharma (she gets paranoid about what she's putting into her body, but has no opinions about others who medicate)
3. gabbie's album came out a month ago, and she was one of the first female independent artists to hit the top of the rock charts. gabbie doesn't NEED drama for her music to succeed, nor would this benefit her in any way HAD it been staged.
4. gabbie's BIGGEST, BIGGEST fear is (in her own words) "to go crazy, and not realize it". anyone who's up to date on her tiktoks knows EXACTLY why that statement is beyond terrifying, and how it BEYOND applies to this situation.
5. the argument that "gabbie has done this before" is just plain wrong. gabbie has published a MULTITUDE of videos about the depressive side of her bipolar, but she has ALWAYS gone offline when she got manic.
6. the argument that "gabbie admitted that she's just trolling" is also incorrect. in 2020-2021 gabbie started posting tiktoks (which are now viral) which were taken as her being in a manic state. gabbie tried to tell people a MULTITUDE of times that she wasn't manic, and people refused to listen. this is different from gabbie saying she isnt manic NOW, because gabbie wasnt in PSYCHOSIS in 2020-2021 like she is now. she wasnt DELUSIONAL in 2020-2021 like she is now.
the tiktoks in question were the ones of her in the car, shouting. her "i'm back, bitches" tiktok, and her tiktok where she was dressed like this:
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i want to include some words copied DIRECTLY from twitter, because they are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
the gabbie hanna thing is making me realize how many of y'all have zero understanding of mental health beyond depression and anxiety (if even that) "if she wanted help she would get it" during a psychotic episode/hallucinations you don't think anything is wrong and often refuse
mental illness is considered an illness for a reason. it’s suddenly no longer offered sympathy when it does not present in a way that’s acceptable or pretty and “quirky”. gabbie hanna is literally not well, hold her accountable when she’s in the headspace to realize her wrongs
“hold gabbie hanna accountable” you cannot hold someone going through actual fcking psychosis accountable for anything. this is not just mania. this is a psychotic break. she is entirely disconnected from reality.
every time gabbie hanna starts trending, it reminds me how most people only care about mental health if it's romanticizable, and not self-destructve and ugly like a lot of issues are
fun fact, you can be worried for gabbie hanna's mental state atm and still be pissed that she's saying racist shit like this isn't mutually exclusive. is she saying terrible things because of her psychotic episode? yeah most likely. am i still upset she's saying these terrible things? obviously. am i still worried for her health and hope someone helps her quickly? she's still human, of course i want her to get help
yeah, regardless of how you feel about gabbie hanna and all the shit she's done in the past, can we please stop saying that people reveal their true, "deep down" feelings when they're manic? it's inaccurate and unhelpful
the way y’all are talking about gabbie hanna rn proves that the majority of you really have no clue what real, severe mental/psychotic breaks look like. y’all are so “mental health awareness!” until said mental health manifests in a way that makes you uncomfortable……
The thing some of y’all need to remember about this gabbie hanna situation is that even bad people deserve mental healthcare. Let her come through the other side of this episode before you expect her to address it and apologize. It might be a while. Be patient.
the gabbie hanna situation is a good reminder that we as a society lack the proper skills and resources to support people in psychosis (as it appears she is in) if you find yourself helping someone experiencing psychosis, here are some tips:
-do NOT try to rationalize delusions/beliefs. you’re not gonna convince them, and it’ll strain your ability to communicate -speak in calm and short sentences. don’t freak out. don’t laugh at them -empathize and validate their emotions. psychosis can be absolutely terrifying
-if possible, pull them aside to a safe, comfortable place. offer water/snacks/etc -discuss resources. offer to take them to the ER or call a crisis support line for them. however, if they refuse treatment do NOT threaten or coerce. only call 911 if they are in immediate danger
-they may refuse help at the moment. allow them to do so. they still have autonomy. tell them that the offer stands and that if they ever change their mind you are there for them. coercion and threatening may ruin your chance at helping them, paranoia is common with psychosis
-lastly, remember that people in psychosis are MUCH more likely to be a victim of violence than the other way around. they are in an extremely vulnerable state that is easily taken advantage of
on calling 911: -it’s not helpful, and can be harmful, if you call 911 on someone in psychosis with no risk of harm to themselves or others -determining level of risk as a layperson is hard. if there is not immediate danger (i.e. standing on the edge of the roof) a crisis line
may be more suitable. they may tell you to call 911 -just bc you call 911 doesn’t automatically mean the person will be involuntarily hospitalized. there are people in ERs who are trained in determining risk of harm -IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY! when in doubt, call 911
resources available: -911 -988 (a US national hotline for mental health crises) -local community mental health centers -local crisis hotlines -ERs. if you live by a psych ER that’s even better -mental health crisis centers (if there are any around) -their therapist/psychiatrist
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this is not intended as hate so I hope you do not read it that way, but I don't think its fair to categorize ALL larries as people who do not care about louis. While I agree, there are some who don't like him or don't care about his career, I also see a lot of larries who support him just as much if not more than they support Harry. There are obviously bad apples but I don't think they spoil the bunch. The same can be said about any sub-category of fans. I'm sure you get a lot of messages because you're a "solo louie" but theres some bad and some good and I don't think its fair to throw them all in one boat. You probably wont post this ask, and maybe you wont even read it but I just really don't think its fair to treat larries that way. I've seen so much support from larries for louis and his solo career and they do so much in terms of vocalizing their opinions on his team, his band, his career etc. they share a lot of opinions as you do as well, so really the main difference is they believe in larry, and you do not. which is fair, you can believe what you want. but speaking so horribly about a group of people is really not it. Again, this isn't meant as hate, but I just wanted to say this because it really bothers me to see so much hate in this fandom when we're all here to do one thing. Support Louis.
Obviously I don’t know all Larries, so it is wrong of me to stick everyone in the same category. So I apologize for that.
The vocal Larries in the fandom — as far as I can tell — prefer Harry, to the extent that their Louis posts are almost all exclusively about Harry. To prefer Louis as a Larrie is a stigma, and I don’t ever see a blog or Twitter account like that. The biggest Larrie UA is Harry-centric. When Project Defenceless was gaining steam, HLD proposed Project OTB and Project Harry-to-100-million. If Larries are streaming so hard for Louis, do you know how many songs on Walls has 100 million streams? One.
I won’t even mention the disparity in music video views.
Larries started the 50-50 voting project for Billboard’s Best Artist until Louis lost against Harry. They knew that Harry had a much bigger fandom and label support, but they cared more for their ship.
Larries have boycotted most solo Louis UA’s streaming projects. They boycotted Walls Olympics. They boycotted Project Defenceless. When HLD started telling followers to vote for Most Requested Live, Louies had been requesting Defenceless for MRL for four weeks already. And HLD had no idea how to do it; neither did their followers.
I’m not even going to mention the 1D Larrie business blog that used to be called Azoff-direction? And then turned into a blog that spewed nonsense about Louis wanting to stay home so Harry could be a big MCU star? This is a blog followed by most Larries in the fandom.
So the difference isn’t just about a “belief” in a ship. From the patterns I’ve observed in the fandom, the difference is putting the ship above the musician Louis Tomlinson as a human being, using ideology to win a fandom war, even if it means Louis loses. That’s from watching the fandom for many years.
Addendum:
Okay, you don’t mean hate, and I also mean no hate. But you know what Larries call solo Harries? Harries. You know what they call solo Louies? Rads. Because it’s a radical and hateful act to prefer Louis. Apparently not liking Harry, and finding him problematic, is a sin, even though there’s more than enough evidence to dislike him.
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knock knock, it's me, local menace, and i am here to pose a meta question : what does make tifa happy? what does genuinely spark joy to her? any comfort books, food dishes, drinks, snacks, series, books, music? or would you think that tifa is so absorbed with everything that she hardly makes time to find these things for herself?
blu , local menace , my beloved. thank you for indulging my brainrot xoxo
i. first off, some background as to how i see her mental state / default emotional response because it plays such a heavy part in understanding my thought process on this. to put it frankly, her feelings run deep. this isn't exclusive to the joyful ones, but the more intense outbursts of sadness, anger, etc. as well. while it may not be intentional, everyone close to her ( or even just in general ) has the power to break her heart or heal it. that isn't to say she's fragile ( quite the opposite ; canon content has put her through so much , i'm genuinely in awe of how she's able to withstand it all ) or a crybaby about it ( because i've seen it been said ). the more ill aligning feelings are just so heavily suppressed that it just ends up spiling out bit by bit before it happens to manifest itself into a full blown breakdown. as for the happier ones, she has no need to hold those in. it shows up in a variety of ways — it isn't difficult to make her happy, either. her heart bores so much resemblance to her mother's, so i don't find it hard to believe that she would be grateful for the little things people say or do for her out of kindness as opposed to actions done because of her looks. ( side note : the parallels between thea & tifa are so ashjdfsj i love the lockhart girlies with my entire being )
ii. music makes her happy. while i don't think she's a diehard fan of any particular artist, i can see her being a casual listener of instrumentals or just anything that can be softly played in the background while she's working solo. bonus points if it's piano heavy! i say that for obvious reasons, but i like to think it reminds her of home & simpler times. it's a bit odd but having the news on in the background ( think that one ac scene ) is also something she enjoys. when zangan first dropped her off in an unknown city with little to nothing, having the news on low made it feel like she wasn't so alone. obviously, along came people she could call family, but people gloss over the fact that she felt so very isolated during this time. on quiet days, depending on her mood, she'll pick one over the other & just get to work. it's a good reminder of everything's she gained since then.
iii. i don't see her as a big drinker but, she will indulge herself when the occasion calls for it. she reserves it for special times ( excluding when she's taste testing new menu options ; that's work & she'll often pull for a second opinion ) with friends. i read somewhere that her, barret, & cloud will get together every so often to reminisce about old times & drink to the happy ones ( have no idea if this has been confirmed canon or if anyone else was involved , but i just adore the idea & fully implement it into my interp because i'm a whore for found family ). in moments like that, where she isn't questioning her strength or pondering what ifs, that she's on cloud nine — because this is her home & it's every bit as dear to her as nibelheim was. i'm not talking about edge or any other location, but the people in her life. they are so very precious to her & she will drink to that.
iv. i do wanna mention that it isn't rare she'll seek these interactions out whenever things start to take a toll on her. this goes back to my first point, but i see it as her method of coping. cloud has his ways, tifa has hers. she wants to continue being seen as a figurehead of stability by the people closest to her heart ; all so they feel comfortable relying on her when they're the ones in need ( her redemption from situations that weren't her fault ). by suppressing those unwanted feelings quietly, she's able to move forward ( albeit , with a heavy heart , but a heart nonetheless ) & resolve whatever issue is at hand. so i don't necessarily believe she gets so absorbed with everything that she doesn't have time. if it's urgent & she can feel things slipping, she'll do her best to make time for it.
v. all in all, there are many ways to make tifa loml lockhart happy ; but quality time & music are the top two i wanted to elaborate on.
#meta tbt#furiaei#honestly im leaning so heavily on the idea of writing with the guidance of hcs bc jdskdjs#thats just how we roll on sevnthhart ig ✋#this went dhjsd a little off topic but ykw it is what it is#my ill brain just wanted to write about her this morning#im also feeling heavily canon divergent so :'))
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That take is without a doubt the most ignorant take I’ve heard on rock music since a 1990s Catholic mass. First off, a lot of music is about drugs sex and money, because you know, people like drugs sex and money. Second, rock music from a lot of different eras had actual themes, you can’t just be like “oh political rock doesn’t count cuz it has themes I agree with” just because artists talk about drugs sex or money as well. Third, repetition is how all music works, you keep to a beat and follow it through the song, haven’t you ever heard a songs chorus? Like did you watch Stranger Things Season 4 and then agree with Jason?
Nonono! Anon, we literally have the same opinion here.
I'm talking about how Miraculous acts like these things are bad because they're somehow exclusive to modern music (which obviously they aren't).
I said "most" as a generalisation, but I understand how it could have come off like I was saying "it sucks" or "it isn't allowed to be like this" or something. That isn't what I was saying.
I'm criticising media takes, specifically on 80s/90s American rock music that's shallowly idolised and pitted against modern music without much thought.
I enjoy rock music, and I happen to also enjoy a lot of music about sex, drugs and money. I don't think those themes make a song less worthy of appreciation or anything, I'm saying it's a frustrating take when people romanticise rock as something that has some moral high ground over other genres because it supposedly isn't like the "media today" that literally has the same themes.
I'm not saying "political rock is different because it has themes I agree with", actually, I can get pretty exhausted listening to hot takes in songs. I was saying more "it's different" in isn't centrical to the themes I was mentioning before. Not that it was better or something.
Also, I know how repetition works. Miraculous doesn't. Half of their points about modern music/pop music or EDM is that it's 'cold and repetetive' and their insinuation is that it means that a song hasn't been written to be meaningful to somebody. I'm saying rock also uses repetition, and YES, sometimes to the point where it's just padding the song length.
Also, no. I don't watch that show.
#i really hate conflict so i struggled to publish this#satirical rock commentary is more my thing anyway#idk if you've heard tim minchin's 'cage nerd' but that's a good song talking abt the reality of fame & 'rock and roll nerd'#im literally a musician. my parents were musicians. rock was half of my upbringing idk how to explain this#long post#ml salt
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Tropes in TTRPGs: D&D Translations of Magical Nannies, Part I
This is the first in a series of posts on adapting tropes using TTRPG character creation systems, documenting my process and thoughts with an endgoal of producing two or three prime player characters, along with complementary party members if applicable.
Obviously, making homebrew characters is a very real option for anyone who has the extra time to make original shit or sift through the search engine. That being said, if you don't, this is meant to be an alternative.
➤ Idea Germs: The Focal Characters of the Trope
My main goal is to create two player characters that fit the Magical Nanny trope in a way that is mechanically coherent but still engaging to roleplay. The defining page linked in the post title lists two distinct flavors of the trope, each of which will serve as a base reference for a respective design, if hopefully distinct to my own interpretation.
The first type of Magical Nanny is empathetic and warm, an artistic or beautiful free spirit who relies on personal connections to enrich their charge's lives. We'll call our own version of this character Madeline Medley, or Miss Madeline to the children.
The uber-example of this trope is Maria Von Trapp, but Fran Drescher is another well-known, if less traditional, version. Looking at their shared qualities, Madeline will have a romantic side, but she also needs to be a fish-out-of-water. Honestly, I'm already imagining her as a Bard, not just because of the classic musical Maria hales from, but because this archetype is essentially a guardian who inspires and empowers their kids as much as guiding and protecting them, but I won't commit to that yet. The most important aspect is ultimately a talent for forming earnest relationships with those around them, and that isn't a Bard-exclusive trait. She'll probably at least multi-class in Bard, though, tbh.
The second type is a taskmaster with a no-nonsense attitude who takes on an almost trickster element to outwit her charges and our version of the firm but fair-minded nanny will be Dorothea Dougal, but we'll give her the snappy pseudonym of the Good Governess to give her a nursery rhyme-ish edge.
Call to mind Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee, or even Eglantine Price. Actual magic or at least unsettling and uncanny fortuity is a staple of my favorite versions of this type. It's not enough, in my book, to just be a wise nanny that smacks some sense into the heads of children. Even if magic isn't a mechanical factor, there should be some kind of a mechanical capacity for manifesting coincidences, even if it just ends up the Lucky feat. Also, the Governess will be of a higher level than Madeline, for sure. I'm tempted to just make her Level 20 out of commitment to the bit, but that's something to consider much later.
(Obviously you don't have to adhere to this when you make your own characters; I just thought it would be fun to try to find a way to draw on two distinct characterizations the whole way through.)
➤ Idea Germs: Extended Characters of the Trope
On the off chance that you want to create a family for your Magical Nanny, I'm also making six bonus characters: one young charge, one teen charge, and one parent for each of our nannies.
The children in stories like fun-loving Miss Madeline's are often neurotic and misguided because their parents, often single fathers, don't know how to listen their kids, or just have fun. The family is, more than anything, unhappy, and each member, including parents, is equally in need of intervention for this reason.
The father in need of kind Madeline's aid, and in statistical likelihood, hand in marriage, will be stick-in-the-mud Major Marcus MacBride. As for his children, he could always have more, but we'll spotlight baby Graham, and eldest Salem.
The children that require the intervention of Mrs. Dudley or forces of nature like her are typically spoiled or mischievous due to parental failure to correct bad behavior and set healthy boundaries. The family may not necessarily be unhappy, but it's certainly, in the grand scheme of things, dysfunctional.
And the mother in need of the Governess's intervention will be the overindulgent and absent-minded Mrs. Helen Hawkins. We'll also make profiles for Grendel, her youngest, and Shannon, her oldest.
The Magical Nanny as a trope is a personal favorite that I consider underutilized, so I'm excited to start. Now that our inciting characters and their potential party members have been vaguely sketched out, I can get into the creation process.
➤ Determining Race
There's no correct order in which to determine race, class, abilities, background, etc. I switch up the order I deal with them in every time and often go back and make changes later on before they're finalized. This time I decided to start with race first.
While you could create a Magical Nanny of any race, there are a few that more easily adapt mechanically. That said, I'd encourage players to reskin these however they see fit, flavor-wise. Needless to say, you are also free to adjust, replace, or eliminate whatever racial features you wish. I just like the challenge of finding an angel that works.
Skimming through for possible options, the Kalashtar race's feature descriptions made me laugh, and it's also mechanically fitting for the role. It makes an excellent choice in particular for Miss Madeline:
The overall concept fits well, as it is often we equate childhood with dreaming, and which makes our Magical Nanny comparable to a bridge between humans and spirits of dreams, or youth.
The base ability score increase also gives a +2 to Wisdom and +1 to Charisma. Fitting for a nanny or caretaker who relies on a personal rapport with and understanding of their wards to do their job.
Dual Mind gives advantage on all Wisdom saving throws, while Mental Discipline gives resistance to psychic damage - and hell knows either of those help would help working with children! This is a nanny with clear eyes and a thick skin.
Mind Link gives you telepathic abilities to those within a certain range, which is a fun mechanical metaphor for Teacher Face™, silently reprimanding or rewarding behaviors based on approval. It also fits considering studies that show those who are adept with children are more generally intuitive in communication.
Severed from Dreams works really well in a few different ways. The character exists as a manifestation of "the union between humanity and renegade spirits from the plane of dreams" and thus retains a need to sleep and rest, but is incapable of dreaming themselves.
Finally, they get one language, which depending on the setting for our character may be a throwaway, at least in this system. I chose Minotaur in this case. I think poor Asterion could've used a nice nanny who understood him.
With this selection, we already give ourselves solid foundations for character motive. What does it say about Madeline that she's trying to teach children to embrace imagination, reflect on their emotions, and build confidence as someone who can't even dream herself?
Returning and continuing through the list, I found Warforged to be another mechanically reasonable, if otherwise unexpected, choice. But it is especially amusing considering the Governess:
The concept of the Warforged is a conscious being that was "built as [a] weapon[... that] must now find a purpose beyond war". Quite fun for a more militant nanny that almost comes across as engineered for success.
Warforged get a base +2 to Constitution and +1 to an ability of the player's choice. Constitution works as one definitely needs focus and stamina to keep up with kids, and the extra +1 can go wherever it's best suited. I'll set it to Intelligence for now, but will make a note to return and adjust later if need be.
They have multiple bodily advantages: resistance to poison and advantage on saving throws against poison, immunity to disease, and having no need to eat, drink, or breathe. This matches the unsettling condition of characters like Nanny McPhee and Mary Poppins. I can't imagine either with a cough.
They're also immune to sleep-inducing magic, as instead of sleeping, they rest for "at least six hours in an inactive, motionless state" that mimics sleep but leaves them perfectly cognizant of their surroundings. Rendering any potential tricks in the dead of night played by children, or enemies, most ineffective.
They have a +1 to their AC, but can only wear armor they have proficiency in, which takes an hour to either put on or remove. We can frame our nanny's dress ode as comparable to their armor, in this case. It may give them an advantage, but adjusting it further takes time to integrate according to uniform.
They get one skill and one tool proficiency each. I tentatively selected Perception and Herbalism, but I did eye Vehicles (Air), considering all the classic Magical Nanny umbrella shenanigans.
And finally, they also get the extra and potentially irrelevant language. In this case, I chose Ogre, considering it often takes a nanny of this type to get through the more brutish side characters in these stories. (No offense meant to ogres.)
This choice also gives our nanny in-built depth. Perhaps Darby is a woman using expertise on child-rearing, social graces, and domestic work to retain economic and social independence rather than find and support a partner - designated to perform an assigned role, but using associated skills to fulfill a purpose she determines for herself.
Other races that translate particularly well for a Magical Nanny are Eladrin, Githzerai, Githyanki, Mark of Detection Half Elf, Mark of Hospitality Halfling, Mark of Sentinel Human, and Loxodon.
Some that are slightly less intuitive but can work well with narrative effort are Scourge Aasimar, Astral Elf, Aereni High Elf or Wood Elf, Firbolg, Forest Gnome, Goliath, Hadozee, Half Elf, Half Orc, Variant Human, Kobold, Orc, Owlin, Shadar-Kai, Tabaxi, and Vedalken. The Hexblood and Reborn Lineages may also pose interesting possibilities if incorporated narratively. Again, any could be used, so these are just the ones I can imagine mechanically adapting smoothly.
As for the family, there's a case for selecting the same race for all its members, but practically speaking, it's more advantageous and, I'd argue, more interesting to forgo neat optics in favor of finding complementary builds, then reskinning, so that's what I'll do.
I do think almost any race could be more or less justified for the parents and kids seeing as they don't have to, and arguably shouldn't, be optimized for parenting or facilitating familial communication. Arguably, the archetypes are a factor, especially in the case of this post, but those focuses can be changed.
Reviewing the options, I'm sorely tempted to make Major MacBride another Warforged, as it would work quite well, but I think I'll opt for variety... Ultimately, I landed on the TCoE Hobgoblin.
Hobgoblins are tied to the fey and to war. This immediately supplements existing interesting characterization. He has an element of mystique and distance, but also of ferocity and discipline. Maybe, as if often the case in such stories, The War™ has affected his noble household and he's left to pick up the pieces.
TCoE Hobgoblins have a nerfed version of Legacy's Saving Face feat, renamed Fortune from the Many, allowing them to add a bonus to failed rolls based on allies within 30 feet of them, with a maximum +3 (formerly +5). This rewards our distant but supportive father when he's physically present with his kids.
However, most notably, the Legacy feat Martial Training is replaced with one called Fey Gift, which lets them take the Help action as a bonus action, and provides some cool bonuses to choose from for the character that they help. Again, this rewards the character mechanically with increased options for working closely with his family, and also for directly guiding and supporting them.
Other suitable races I found for a parent that needs to learn to have fun include the Fallen Aasimar, Bugbear, Dragonborn, Earth Genasi, Eladrin, Wood Elf, Dark Elf, Valenar Wood Elf, Githzerai, Goblin, Goliath, Mark of Storm Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Mark of Sentinel Human, Leonin, Minotaur, Orc, Shadar-kai, Variant Tiefling, Vedalken, Warforged, and Yuan-Ti. The Reborn Lineage also has potential.
For Mrs. Hawkins, I considered a fair many and went back and forth for awhile, but in the interest of making a contrasting choice to our Governess, I decided to make her a Mark of Sentinel Human.
The 'Mark of' races are tied to noble houses, status, and mystically specialized abilities, which works fairly enough for our fussy, high-status father.
The ability score increases are +2 to Constitution and +1 to Wisdom, which is fine. Wisdom isn't my first choice but on second thought, it could make for an observant mother with no idea how to actually act on her observations. The same applies to Sentinel's Intuition, which allows her to add a d4 to Perception and Insight checks.
Guardian's Shield allows her to cast Shield once per long rest using Wisdom. She can use Vigilant Guardian to swap places with a successfully attacked creature within 5 feet of herself as a reaction, causing her to be attacked instead, once per long rest. If she ever gains the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature, the list of spells will expand to include a number of others related to protection, such as Compelled Duel, Zone of Truth, and Guardian of Faith, due to the Spells of the Mark feat. All great additions for a mother whose most successful bag is providing for and protecting her kids, but needs help with... the rest.
I think other good race options for a parent that lets their kids get away with too much are Protector Aasimar, Astral Elf, Bugbear, Changeling, Eladrin, Mark of Shadow Elf, Genasi, Half-Elf, any type of Halfling (but especially Mark of Hospitality), Hobgoblin, Variant or Mark of Passage Human, Kender, Kobold, Orc, Satyr, Swiftstride Shifter, Tabaxi, and Verdan.
Not having settled on archetypes for the kids, I decided to randomize their races from a list I narrowed down to be appropriate for their age range and general potential, to come up with some ideas for their future characterization and party roles.
Using this process, little Graham MacBride ended up a TCoE Changeling, and Salem MacBride was made a TCoE Satyr.
For the Changeling Instincts feat, I gave Graham proficiency in Performance and Insight. The most important aspect of this race is the ability to change aspects of their appearance at will. A chameleon who can blend in! Maybe little Graham has a tendency to imitate whoever has most recently won their favor? Obviously there will be plenty of hijinks played on our poor nanny involving this trait.
Salem gets access to the Ram feat, which lets them use their head and horn in unarmed strikes for a d6 + their Strength modifier. A headstrong kid, then. They have magic resistance to spells - so, a bit of a nonbeliever. Mirthful Leaps gives them the ability to add a d8 to a Long or High Jump, so they are dexterous but make huge leaps, maybe? For the Reveler feat, I gave Salem proficiency in Viol, which I'm (barely) reskinning as a fiddle. They can play songs with their nanny!
With the same process, Shannon Hawkins is a PH Half Elf, and Grendel Hawkins, a MotM Deep Gnome.
Fey Ancestry is the first feat, which involves advantage on saving throws from being charmed and immunity to sleep magic. Fitting for the older kid who is less susceptible to getting told to behave or go to bed. For Shannon's Skill Versatility, I gave them proficiency in Perception and History. I'm seeing an intelligent and skeptical kid whose engagements with the world have left them disenchanted?
No actual choices were required for Grendel! They have Gift of the Svirfneblin, which grants them one use of the Disguise Self and Nondetection spells per long rest at their respective levels. Gnomish Magic Resistance gives advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against spells, so we have a bit of a free thinker in the building. Finally, Svirfnefblin Camouflage give our young Grendel advantage on Stealth checks a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus per long rest. Very trickster friendly traits.
I was happy enough with how this turned out, but if I hadn't been, there are plenty of races I could have gone through instead.
Other races that work especially well for kids skewing younger are Autognome, Firbolg, Goblin, any Halfling subrace (but particularly Lightfoot), Harengon, Kender, Kobold, Swiftstride Shifter, Tabaxi, and Variant Tiefling.
Bugbear, Mark of Shadow Elf, Mark of Scribing Gnome, Mark of Handling Human, Kender, Kenku, Longtooth or Wildhunt Shifter, Tortle, and Verdan are other races I might consider if you are planning to feature (pre-)teen charges.
➤ Rolling Abilities
Before I get started on any further character customization, I'll get my ability scores generated first, so I can know what I'll be working with. Personally, I prefer rolling, but it's a matter of discretion. Normally, I'd do it manually, but my dice are in another state, unfortunately, so I'll use DNDBeyond.
I'll roll the nannies with the families they serve, to start thinking about how they mesh. First, Madeline and the MacBride brood:
Miss Madeline's starting scores are 14, 14, 14, 9, 18, and 11. Her entire premise is her ability to form relationships with people, so it's likely Wisdom and Charisma will have to be higher stats, but the rest can be shuffled around as necessary.Major MacBride's starting scores are 14, 11, 15, 11, 12, and 16. As a stuffy but impressive type, this range works well, because he'll have a believable variety of skills and abilities. Nonetheless, I like that our nanny's top stat will be higher than his, at least by their base scores. It gives her an edge over him which maybe suggests that Captain-Maria, Fran-Mr. Sheffield dynamic we all love.Salem's starting scores are 12, 16, 15, 17, 10, and 8. I haven't nailed down the kid archetypes yet, but I like that we have a high and low contrast for Salem. The disparity sort of lands between Madeline's and their father's, which already adds a narrative level if I want it to.Baby Graham's starting scores are 16, 15, 14, 9, 15, and 6. The two very low scores are great because they can align with a vulnerability for the child with canonical reason to need a lot of development. The higher scores give them a fun, savant edge common to 'weird little kids' in this genre, too. The stars are aligning lol!
Then, the Good Governess, and the Hawkins household:
The Good Governess's starting scores are 17, 11, 15, 18, 11, and 13. I like that we have pretty high scores and nothing below 11 here. I'd have to dump Strength or Charisma otherwise, but this type of nanny should seem impossibly capable, and it's nice this reflects that.Mrs. Hawkins's starting scores are 12, 13, 13, 11, 15, and 15. Like the Major, Mrs. Hawkins is meant to be impressive but not particularly extraordinary, as that leaves room for our nannies to make waves. This is a very nice and respectable range, perfectly suiting a well-meaning mother who just needs guidance in how and when to apply her existing skills.Shannon's starting scores are 16, 12, 10, 13, 13, and 12. I'd have liked to see a lower score or two, but we do have a series of more average numbers and one a bit higher, which could suggest a generally capable older sibling who uses a particular gift for mischief? We'll workshop as we go.Grendel's starting scores are 13, 15, 13, 12, 10, and 14. Again, I'd have liked a low score or even multiple for them, seeing as they're a kid, but maybe it's silly to complain. A more even spread suggests a less specialized character, so there's potential to develop them toward something with later discovery, I guess.
Honestly, some of these score sets are so serendipitous with initial intentions for the characters, it's weird. It'd be possible to make it work if it wasn't the case; it just so happens they mostly have score ranges that suit their archetypes, other than the Hawkins kids.
End of Part I
Next post, I'll get into the rest of the process. On the final post, whether that's the next one or the one after that, I'll show the profiles for each characters, probably, maybe sketches. Thanks for reading!
#dnd#dungeons and dragons#tropes#magical nannies#character creation#dnd oc#dnd character#ttrpg#dnd 5e#long post
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Certain older musical artists who were extremely status quo in their time age improbably well among generations that didn’t grow up with them simply because what they do has been so long out of fashion, no young listener can imagine anyone doing it because they think it’s cool and therefore can only interpret it as 1) some kind of outsider art oblivious to trends, 2) something done with high-concept ironic intent, or 3) something rebellious that defies the changing times. But the thing you must understand is that in 99% of these cases, the artist was definitely doing things that way because people though it was cool at the time.
It is kind of cool how the context of changing fashions will completely re-shape new listener response like that, though.
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LT2 masterpost
If it was up to me, we would get an autumn or winter EP. Since it’s not up to me at all, here, enjoy this post with everything we know so far of LT2, which is to say, not much at all. Everything here is hypothetical. I’ll be updating every time I see something relevant. A little disclaimer that while this is a masterpost (kinda), it could be read as discourse (duh, it’s also a theory), AND it’s also by me, and you shouldn’t expect me to be serious at this point.
Due to me restraining myself, there’s no reference to any of the times he’s mentioned his guitar skills and him improving but I hope you know I cried every single time.
I’m also linking my old pinned here. It was written before AFHF and around the free merch thing that didn’t lead to much, but I still think I made some good points.
Possible tracks:
Copy of a Copy of a Copy
Change
Faith in the future??
369??
Possible names:
369
Faith in the future
When is the album coming out?
Your guess is as good as mine
Friday 28th of January 2022. Almost two years after Walls. It’s a Friday. It’s a 28th. What else can I say?
Here you can find @want-to-be-loved timelines for every month.
Here you can find @berlinini’s timeline of what Louis has been up to this year (2021).
The rest is under the cut. And here you can find a PDF version where Tumblr can't tell me how many pictures I can add.
2020
He said back on May 2th 2020 he wasn’t writing anything new yet.
(x)(x)(x)
Interestingly enough, he’s said many times after that that the album’s not ready cause he has no new experiences to drawn from. I won’t call him out because he does it himself.
May 4th. He liked a tweet from DMA’s Johnny Took saying they had to go write together again. Louis has been credited as an influence for them and (kind of) participated in their previous record, so I’m assuming he meant for their music and not his, but you never know.
Nothing(literally nothing??? how did we survive) until 11th of July. We all know what happened that day. We all celebrated it. Nonetheless, that’s not what I’m talking about here.
(x) So, by the beginning of July 2020 he was working on concepts and ideas for the new album. That was fifteen months ago. I know perfection takes time but…
Brief summary of important things that happened from then until the next mention of new music:
Louis left Syco!!!! 10 days later he rescheduled the tour for the first time. He followed Matt Vines on Twitter, probably so we could publicly shame him into doing something. Also, the 10thanniversary. He followed more people I wish he hadn’t.
Then more nothing until September. Not even a single tweet. The first merch drop was on the 28th of August but he just RT’ed the tweet. He first mentioned Free my Meal on the 25th of September. Then on October 1st Walls hit #1 on a lot of countries and Louis was incredibly happy and excited about it ^^
And then, that same day, October 1st, 2020, he dropped this bomb:
(x)
He also said it was too soon to be sharing new lyrics with us (x)
And, obviously, this tweet which is actually what made me start this whole post. I would hope you know mate.
(x)
He also told us he was cooking "banger after banger" and that he was incorporating more social themes into his music (x)(x) (I believe any social issue is a political issue but that’s not the point rn).
COPY OF A COPY OF A COPY?!?!
These next paragraphs are brought to you by my mind not remembering things and me not having any links. I’m assuming COACOAC came from those writing sessions that supposedly happened in October. Or in LA but I have no idea if he actually was in LA at any point other than a Daily Mail article putting him there on December which would have been too late, but I do remember that someone said he was in the studio in LA last autumn???? A rumor. Maybe. IDK. Did I mention already all of this is very hypothetical?? Well, this is it. I can’t even remember if this was October or November or what. So, take this with a grain of salt.
I’m also… taking the liberty to assume, if you must, that Copy wasn’t meant to be a Walls reject because it sounds more mature and darker and it has a vastly different tone that Walls songs. I know he’s said that song probably isn’t getting into the album, but I want to have faith (in the future) that I’m getting a studio version. (But also, Louis, if you’re reading this, first of all GET OUT OF MY BLOG second of all, please don’t ever feel pressured again to add a song to the album because we have already heard it before. It’s your art and it should always be under your own terms).
So yeah, I believe that Copy is either one of those four songs (then imagine the other three??!!) or was written around the 1st of October date.
---End of the Intermission---
Then not much important (other than sharing more about Marcus Rashford fight against food poverty and the 2nd merch drop) until he announced the livestream on the 24th of November. (x)
It wasn’t until a few days before the livestream date we even thought again about new music (jk, I know we’re always thinking about new Louis’ music). So, December 9th/10th, 2020. Nine months ago. We got our first taste of new music!
He made sure we knew Copy of a Copy of a Copy isn't a cover! (x) (x)
(x)
Ok, so that’s it for 2020. (I feel like I’m missing something from September 17th because tweet was deleted but maybe he was still talking about cucumbers. We might never know. Unless I understand how Tumblr tags work). Expected, cause Walls was released in 2020. We needed to let it sit for a while.
2021
Another Summary: Louis third tweet of the year was telling the UK government off. So was the fifth. What a good beginning. On the 26th of January, he said he prefers pancakes over waffles. I hope he meant pancakes other than his own. More importantly, he tweeted the infamous “you lot read into things too much”. Don’t get me started, Tomlinson. Don’t. Then the 31st came around and Walls was one. He tweeted this. How wise. And Project Defenceless happened!!
15th of February!! Who cares about Valentine Day when the next day we got this? ♥
(x)
(x)
So…AN EP?? AN EP?? PLEASE RELEASE AN EP.
“I’m sure I will have something out this year but unlikely that will be the album”. Unlikely but not impossible. Also. A single would be good. This is the second time he mentions releasing something in 2021 and he sounds surer about it than the first time around.
He also said that he isn’t sure we will get a studio version of Copy. And that the best bridges from Walls to LT2 are Walls, OTB, KMM and Copy. Can’t wait!
Then we jump to March 6th when he announced he was going to create his own management company. “Sometimes action is needed first to encourage the motivation and belief”. As we can tell he was already manifesting some stuff which will lead us to the numerology stuff/Tesla… kidding. Or not. We might never know.
On the 22nd of March he answered some questions:
He told us music was still his main focus ♥ mwha. (x) I included this tweet to guilt-trip him into giving us music in case he’s reading this even after I told him to leave. ILY.
(x) I’d love to get a visual EP this autumn. Just saying. It sounds like a lovely concept.
(x)
…next (I will get into it, I promise. I’m just mad).
On the 25th he left for Mexico until April 10th. You could assume it was just for the documentary where we got ten seconds of footage or admit the obvious: LT2 its a Mexican baby!!
On the 26th (so, not so far apart from that first 369) we got the first Faith in the Future mention: (x)
Back then we were innocent people who had no idea what was coming upon us. We still have no idea because what the fuck does he mean with these. Please explain. I have one braincell and I don’t use it enough for this. I’m linking some theories.
On the 30th of March he confirmed he was already working on the documentary. So AFHF was already on the works. Will it take this long for us to get the Veeps numbers? We also got this tweet: "Got a decent chorus idea down" (x).
Same person that got the “something out this year” exclusive. If you know something share with the class. Also. Is this Change? I feel like this could be Change but I also assume he wrote Change after hanging out with his friends or being in Doncaster. But who knows.
(x) And the second mention to 369.
(x) 15th of April. The second "Faith in the future".
On the 19th of April he announced that he had something BIG for us later on the year which turned out to be the Away From Home Festival ♥♥ (x) I love him so much.
Then on the 28th he announced the 369 merch drop (which it’s probably the Walls drop? Except that the TOU and KMM ones were “drop 1 and drop 2” and this was drop 369 which, again, makes no sense) but we still don’t know what 369 means.
Into May’ 21 we go.
He rescheduled tour again. And dropped another bomb (x).
He announced he has signed with BMG as an independent artist by RTing this tweet on May 10th. The article also says that he’s already working on writing and recording LT2. The timing… we don’t know. What this deal involves… we don’t know either. Bear with me here because I have a lot to say about this.
I think the deal is only a distribution one, but that BMG are interested in Louis and what he (us) could bring to the table. They were either present at the festival or watching it, but officially they had no involvement at all with it (everything is credited either to Louis own company, 78 Productions, or Charlie Lightening’s company). That’s the case for both giveaways too; the vinyl one and the tickets for the festival.
I think it would be an unbelievably bad move not to test the waters with BMG now or soon-ish. At least a single, to see how it performs. Due to the circumstances, it’s obvious there’re certain limitations on place but I want to see how they push it, whether the radio play exist this time around and if the song is playlisted and promoted and all that… I would also love to know, since it says he signed with BMG UK, but it also states it’s a global deal, how things are going to go on the US and other countries.
Yes, yes. I know those are all questions and no answers. But I know the same as you, sadly. If any of you know more than you’re letting on… again, share with the class.
Where was I? Yes, on the 25th of May Louis had a great day writing (x). Since the first time he had mentioned he was officially writing to this date there’s almost eight months. And I believe he was writing before October’ 20.
He followed Robert Harvey that day and, on the 28th of May (why is it always the 28th???) he was spotted at the studio for the first time.
June was an interesting month for the fandom ♥. Lots of LHL content which I will love and cherish for the rest of times. On June 4th, June 9th, and June 10th he was spotted at the studio, but I believe he was there more days.
(x)
This was posted on June 6th and captioned Studio. Charlie also shared it with “Mega tunes being put down, can’t wait for this @louist91 #louistomlinson #LT2” as the caption. This gives me 2019 (Elton-Joint) vibes. I like it. Feels like we’re getting closer to something.
He added the Milano date on the 9th too which I’m mentioning because I’m going alone. Anyone wanna go with me please? I’m nice and I never eat anything before a concert so you can have my food. On other news. It didn’t come home.
During July he was at the studio at least three days too. Probably more. Feels like more with all the fan pictures we got. Or was that June? Anyway, July 1st and 9th we got some videos from Robert Harvey and wearesuperhi, which is who Louis has been working with the most, that we know of. I don’t know for sure they’re from that day. And on July 5th we got an article and lots of pictures of Louis looking really good outside the studio.
On the 12th of July the first fans started getting the free, 369 bucket hat and print. We still don’t know what the purpose was other than to thanks fans. Maybe that was it. I want answers and I still think it relates to a future project (see theories above), but it could also just be a bridge with the Walls breaking.
He didn’t tweet about anything interesting for a while, mostly because he lost his phone (he either throwed it in the air or smashed it who knows). Then on the 29th of July he announced the festival!
I’m glossing over it because there’s already been a lot of talk about it (rightfully) and while it was a wonderful thing, it doesn’t have much to do with LT2.
Let’s talk Change!
On August 3rd he tweeted this about the setlist.
(x)
And this (x) on the 28th! I can’t stand him.
We didn’t get it, obviously. Because who was going to get that. But we read too much into things. Alright.
On the 16thof August Dave Gibson shared this post tagged #LT2 with the eyes emojis 👀👀👀. I believe this has to do both with Change but also with whatever else came out of that Mexico trip.
(x) Last relevant tweet related to LT2 is this one.
So, on the 30th of August we got Change and we cried, and we know that Change is going in the new album. He said it. With those exact words. He also said he was “getting a feeling for it”. This has to meant he already has a general idea of the vibe of the new album and what’s going in it!!!!!! (Right? RIGHT?).
Anyway, let’s go back a few weeks because some other things happened on August. He was at the studio a few more times. Or it was suggested that he was there. On the 17th and the 18th. (Why was it so time-pressing to be at the studio instead of rehearsing for the festival? There was no studio at all on the documentary. Which makes sense, but again, then why?).
On the day of the festival we got another mention of Faith in The Future that made me feel part of a cult ngl. The words were flashing on the screen for less than a second. Okay.
And then he tweeted those words again after watching the livestream/documentary on the 4th of September (x). This is what makes me suspect it's either the name of the album or of the single.
On the same day, we got some interesting quotes about LT2 on the documentary.
“Soon I’ll have to think about me second album, which in my head I’ll get the tour out of the way and then I’ll address that. So, I hadn’t really given it much thought, to be honest”.
“When every day is the same is hard to feel creative and it’s hard to have any kind of proper inspiration”.
“As season started to come back, I started writing again and it was great and some of these songs turned out alright”.
And I think this is it. I might be overlooking some important details but that’s what we know and what we don’t know.
So. Conclusions. That’s what you missed on Glee. I do believe the album is, if not mostly done, partially there. And yes, this post is pointless and never-ending but it’s all in here if you need to tell Louis “Hey, you said this, mate”.
#LT2#Louis Tomlinson#Faith in The future#369#Louis#LT#new music#idk what this is#but it's long#pinned
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Nickname headcanon for all the fankids and soft spot headcanon for Indigo 👌🏻
Thanks for your ask 💖
13 - Nickname headcanon
From older to younger ;)
Edward - More famously known as Teddy. He was adopted by Aspen and Diego after the 2nd Wizard War. Obviously, his favorite and most popular nickname is Teddy, but in private life, he doesn't mind being called Eddy - Aspen is especially fond of this nickname. His cousins and some of his closest friends also like calling him Remus.
Rosalyn - Nothing too wild, people go for Rosa or Rose, but occasionally Phoenix and Diego like calling her Linda, which means beautiful in Portuguese.
Maxwell - Also very basic, people mostly call him Max, his girlfriends sometimes call him Maxy endearingly. Then as he gets older people also call him Rockwell, inspired by the artist Norman Rockwell, and a play on his name and the fact he loves rock and becomes a musician after Hogwarts.
Davina - With Davina, people like to get creative, also because her name isn't very common, she's often called everything except her name. Davy is the one she uses more often - has an ah sound -, Vinny. Also in either a tone of endearment or derogatory, her name sounds very close to Divine (and Spanish's Divina) so sometimes that's also used - Diego and his side of the family, especially, like calling her like this.
Sawyer - Nothing too crazy, Saw is very common - yes, sometimes mockingly because of the movies. Speaking of mocking, and this is rare, some people make the connection to Tom Sawyer (where her name actually came from) and insist on calling her Tom. And from its phonetics, Sauce is a popular nickname among her friends. Her French friends have a preference for her middle name, Sinclair.
Vesper - Nope, Vesper is a simple girl, she doesn't like nicknames really, also her name's already short. BUt butt but, Pepper is used occasionally by Sawyer, and some of her boyfriends - especially after she develops her rare half-Veela power of catching fire. Also, and this is Sawyer exclusive, calling her just V.
17 - Soft spot headcanon
Indigo has a soft spot for the outcasts, the pathetic little meow meows, that is paired with her bad habit of liking to be in control, but beyond that, they do make her melt and she bends backward to make her softie pals happy - Phoenix, Barnaby, Rowan, Chiara, Ben, Rowen, etc.
A total fool for everything Scotland, Highlands, Midlands, big cities, tartans and bagpipes, Scottish history, music, Gaelic. I don't know if you call it a soft spot but yeah, her patriotism.
She did not become a magizoologist but she has a soft spot for creatures, the weirder the better - but preferably the ones that won't try to eat her.
And the softest of all spots, Barnaby. She'll stop anything and everything for him, though she only realizes how much of an effect he has on her once she loses him, since she's with her head shoved in the Vaults' stuff. Even before they start dating, he moves her, it's really a Barnaby-shaped spot, the good, the bad, the weird, it's irreplaceable.
#I'm so melodramatic i'm sorry xD#but it's what drives my writing xD#headcanon ask#fankids#indigo silverwood#ask game#hphm mc
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Content isn't king
Content isn't king
http://ift.tt/2t4ffva
People in tech and media have been saying that ‘content is king’ for a long time - perhaps since the VHS/Betamax battle of the early 1980s, and perhaps longer. Content and access to content was a strategic lever for technology. I’m not sure how much this is still true. Music and books don’t matter much to tech anymore, and TV probably won’t matter much either.
Most obviously, subscription streaming has more or less ended the strategic importance of music to tech companies. In the past, any music you bought for your iPod had DRM and could only be played on Apple devices, and the same was true in reverse for music from any other service. Even if you’d just encoded your own CDs (or downloaded pirated tracks, but in either case without DRM), physically transferring them to a different device with different software was a barrier. Your music library kept you on a device. With streaming these issues mostly go away. All the major services are cross-device (even Apple’s), and if you do switch to a different service you’re not giving up tracks you’ve paid money for, just a list of your favourites. Switching became easy.
Since music no longer stops people from switching between platforms, it’s gone from being a moat (especially for Apple, the one platform company that actually had a strong position) to a low-margin check-box feature. That doesn’t mean that these services are exactly commodities - each builds its own recommendation tools, some experiment with routes to market (with mobile operators, for example), and some try exclusive early access to new pop songs. But they all have roughly the same underlying library of tens of millions of tracks, and the differences between them are fundamentally tactics, not strategies, just as music itself is a tactic: it is now merely marketing, not a moat. A Taylor Swift exclusive for Apple Music might drive some iPhone sales, just as a cool new ad campaign might, but there’s no strategic lever here - no lock-in.
Something similar applies to ebooks. Like Spotify, the Kindle app is on any platform, so it doesn’t stop you switching devices. Unlike music, your books are still bought (mostly: there are some subscription services but they don’t cover mainstream titles), and locked with DRM, so it’s harder to switch away from Kindle than from Spotify, but that only locks you into Kindle, not any other part of Amazon’s platform: using a Kindle app or physical Kindle e-ink device doesn’t compel you to use any other Amazon products. Apple’s iBooks is not cross-platform, but has under a third of the US ebook market and much less in the UK, and I suspect that it was created only in case Amazon did not make a Kindle app for the iPad (I also suspect that, with hindsight, Apple might not have bothered to do it at all.) Ebooks, like music, do not seem to create any moat for any broader platform strategy.
Meanwhile, whenever I talk to music people or book people, very quickly the conversation becomes a music industry conversation or a book industry conversation. What matters for music are artists and touring and labels and so on, and what matters for books are writers and publishers and rights and Amazon’s bargaining power in books and so on. These aren’t tech conversations. The big tech platform companies rolled into these industries and changed everything, but then moved on to bigger things. Sometimes they left a business unit behind, but books and recorded music aren’t part of their strategic thinking anymore: Amazon has a big ebooks business, but Prime and perhaps Alexa are the strategic levers. Tech needed content to make their devices viable, but having got the content (by any means necessary), and with it of course completely resetting the dynamics of the industry, tech outgrew music and books and moved on to bigger opportunities.
All of this of course takes us to TV, the industry that’s next on the tech industry’s content journey. Just as new technology unlocked massive change in music and (rather less so) in books, it is now about to break apart the bundled, linear channel model of the TV industry (this is especially the case in the USA, which has a hugely over-served pay TV market). As this happens, there are all sorts of questions that follow on: what happens to channels that might be able to make more going direct to consumer (HBO, perhaps); what happens to channels that might benefit from being in a bundle and lose from having to go direct (ESPN, perhaps), where the syndication model goes, and so on, and so on. One thing that does seem very likely, deterministically, is that the curve of viewing distribution will get steeper: the shows that are watched mainly because they’re broadcast at 8pm on Saturday will suffer, and so will the channels that are watched because they’re high up on the program guide. Channel brands, shows and episodes are unbundled. We’ve been talking about this in theory for over a decade, but finally, praxis is here.
Just as for music or books, though, these are all fundamentally TV industry questions. What viewing distribution, what rights structure, what exploitation chain, what relationship between creatives, financiers, aggregators and distributors - these are all southern California questions, not northern California questions. So, what are the northern California questions, and will this end up being any more strategic than books or music?
Clearly, it won’t be identical. Though ‘TV’ everywhere has the same subscription streaming model as music, the content is fragmented. This is partly because of media companies (like books and music companies before them) trying to go direct to consumer, and partly because the value of TV content seem to vary more (and might vary too much for a single bundle that doesn’t just replicate the cable bundle), but also because (and this quite new), Amazon and Netflix have entered TV content creation and ownership in ways and on a scale that no-one from tech ever did for music or books. Amazon did try to get into book publishing and has a significant self-publishing arm, but it had little success recruiting existing mainstream authors; neither Apple nor Spotify created a record label. In TV, though, Amazon and Netflix are already spending more on commissioning original and exclusive content than many traditional channel brands.
Netflix, of course, is a TV company, in the context of this conversation - it isn’t using content for leverage for some other platform (Spotify is the same, without the commissioning). But Amazon clearly is using content for platform leverage - as something else to speed up the Prime flywheel. Prime has become a third pillar to Amazon’s business, next to logistics and the ecommerce platform, and Amazon is always looking for ways to add more perceived value to it, preferably with no marginal cost - TV content that it owns outright is exactly that. Unlike a Taylor Swift or Kanye West exclusive, this is more than just marketing - it’s something you lose altogether if you give up something else that’s not directed related. Cancel the subscription delivery service and you lose access to all Amazon TV shows.
For Amazon, then, one could say that content is king - that content has strategic leverage. The puzzle is whether any of the other tech platform companies (all of which are experimenting with commissioning original TV) have a similar opportunity. For Google and Facebook, there’s no subscription to cancel - there’s no binary (renew/don’t renew, cancel/don’t cancel) decision you might take that would cut off your access to that great TV show. You don't close your Facebook account - you just go there less. You might stop paying for the Youtube TV service, but that won’t cut off your access to any other part of Google - nor would anyone want it to - the purpose of these businesses is reach. Nor, really, will you fundamentally change your search behaviour if Google discovers the next Game of Thrones. That is, cancel Prime and you'd lose Amazon, but what do Google & FB have to cancel? Without some platform decision to lock you into, content is marketing, and revenue, but not a lever.
Conversely, one can certainly argue that selling smartphones is a subscription business, and though Google does not itself sell phones (to any significant degree), Apple certainly does. You pay an average of $700 or so every two years (i.e. $30/month) and Apple gives you a phone. Buy an Android instead and you lose access to the (hypothetical) great Apple television service. This is why people argue that Apple should buy Netflix. From a pure M&A perspective, buying Netflix and immediately limiting its business to Apple devices would halve its value - why buy a business and fire half the customers? Buying it without such a restriction would have no strategic value - Apple would just be buying marketing and revenue. But as Amazon has shown, you don’t have to buy Netflix - they’re not the only people who can buy and commission great TV shows.
A question here, though, is how well a TV service, perhaps with a stand-alone monthly subscription, as for Apple Music, maps to an 18-30 month handset replacement cycle. Suppose Apple created the next huge hit show next spring and made it exclusive to its devices: very well, but how many smartphone users will be making an upgrade decision in the middle of watching the show, and how many will be deciding between an iPhone and Android 3 or 7 or 10 or 11 months later? How much does the archive matter?
Perhaps a deeper question, setting aside the purely strategic calculations, is that Apple has always preferred a very asset-light approach to things that are outside its core skills. It didn’t create a record label, or an MVNO, and it didn’t create a credit card for Apple Pay - it works with partners on the existing rails as much as possible (even the upcoming Apple Pay P2P service uses a partner bank). So, Apple has hired some star producers and will presumably be commissioning some shows, with what counts as play money when you have a few hundred billion of cash. But I’m not sure Apple would want to take on what it would mean to have a complete bouquet of hundreds of its own shows. That would be a different company.
If and when Apple does go back to southern California, meanwhile, it does so with nothing like the kind of negotiating power that it had in iPod days - Amazon and Netflix (if not also Google and Facebook) have seen to that. But that doesn’t mean that content companies have much more power either. Part of ‘content is king’ was the idea that (at least in theory) content companies can withhold access to their libraries entirely, and in the past one might have presumed that that meant they had the power to kill any new service at birth. In reality, rights-holders have always had too strong a need for short-term revenue to forgo broad distribution, and few of them individually had a strong enough brand to extract a fee that was high enough to justify exclusivity. They always have to take the cheques - individually to meet their bonus targets, and collectively to meet their earnings estimates. And, of course, for a media company to give a tech platform exclusivity is immediately to build up that platform’s power over the media companies. Similar problems apply to the somewhat chimerical idea that content companies should go direct to consumer - few of them have the skills, fewer have the brand and content, and fewer still, again, have a shareholder structure to allow the short-term revenue hit. So, exclusivity is a power you can’t use even if you can afford it: it works for marketing, but not as strategy. This is a multi-sided market place with too many players on both sides for anyone to exert dominance: Apple dominated purchased music and Amazon dominates ebooks (thanks to the DoJ), but there is no such dominance on the buy or sell side for TV, for now.
Taking a step back, though, it’s not clear how much all of this really matters to tech. The tech industry has been trying to get onto the TV and into the living room since before the consumer internet - the ‘information superhighway’ of the early 1990s was really about interactive TV, not the web. Yet after a couple of decades of trying, the tech industry now dominates the living room, and is transforming what ‘video’ means, but with the phone, not the TV. The reason Apple TV, Chromecast, FireTV and everything else feel so anti-climactic is that getting onto the TV was a red herring - the device is the phone and the network is the internet. The smartphone is the sun and everything else orbits it. Internet advertising will be bigger than TV advertising this year, and Apple’s revenue is larger than the entire global pay TV industry. This is also why tech companies are even thinking about commissioning their own premium shows today - they are now so big that the budgets involved in buying or creating TV look a lot less daunting than they once did. A recurring story in the past was for a leading tech company to go to Hollywood, announce its intention to buy lots of stuff, and then turn pale at the first rate card it was shown and say “wow - that’s really expensive!”. They have the money now, not from conquering TV but from creating something bigger.
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July 16, 2017 at 06:32PM
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