#it does actually look a lot bigger than how it seemed on the site
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goddammit, this is what i get for my chronically online snooping
getting ads now for the $700 notepad, jesus christ
#it does actually look a lot bigger than how it seemed on the site#sorry but it's still not worth $700 lmaooo
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I read this week that Instagram is pushing “overtly sexual adult videos” to young users. For a Wall Street Journal investigation, journalists created accounts that could belong to children, following young gymnasts, cheerleaders and influencers. The test accounts were soon served sexual and disturbing content on Instagram Reels, alongside ads for dating apps, livestream platforms with “adult nudity” and AI chatbots “built for cybersex”. Some were next to ads for kids’ brands like Disney.
This is something I’ve been trying to get across to parents about social media. The problem is not just porn sites. They are of course a massive concern. Kids as young as nine are addicted. The average age to discover porn is now 13, for boys and girls. And many in my generation are now realising just how much being raised on porn affected them, believing it “destroyed their brain” and distorted their view of sex.
But the problem is bigger than that. Porn is everywhere now. TikTok is serving up sex videos to minors and promoting sites like OnlyFans. The gaming platform Twitch is exposing kids to explicit live-streams. Ads for “AI sex workers” are all over Instagram, some featuring kids’ TV characters like SpongeBob and the Cookie Monster. And there’s also this sort of “soft-porn” now that pervades everything. Pretty much every category of content that kids could stumble across, from beauty trends to TikTok dances to fitness pages, is now pornified or sexualised in some way for clicks.
I think this does a lot of damage to Gen Z. I think it desensitises us to sex. I think it can ruin relationships. But beyond that, I also believe a major problem with everything being pornified is the pressure it puts on young girls to pornify themselves. To fit the sex doll beauty standard; to seek validation through self-sexualisation, and potentially monetise all this like the influencers they’re inundated with.
Which, of course, puts girls at risk of predators. Predators who are all over TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Predators whose algorithms helpfully deliver them more content of minors and steer them towards kids’ profiles. Predators who are taking TikToks of underage girls and putting them on platforms like Pornhub.
And this is even more terrifying because adolescent girls are especially vulnerable today. They are vulnerable anyway at that age—but today they have far less life experience than previous generations of girls did. They are extremely insecure and anxious, and much less resilient. Combine this with the fact that they are now more easily exposed to predatory men than ever before in history, and served to strangers by algorithms. And another thing: girls are also able to look way older now. They have AI editing apps to sexualise themselves. TikTok filters to pornify their bodies. And access to every kind of make-up and hair and fashion tutorial you can think of to look sexier and more mature. I don’t think enough parents realise how dangerous this situation is.
Which is why I find it so frustrating to see some progressives downplay the dangers of all this. Those that dismiss anyone concerned about the pornification of everything as a stuffy conservative. And somehow can’t see how the continual loosening of sexual norms might actually empower predatory men, and put pressure on vulnerable girls? That seems delusional to me.
Let’s just say I have little patience for those on the left who loudly celebrate women sexualising themselves online, selling it as fun, feminist and risk-free, but are then horrified to hear about 12 year-olds doing the same thing. C’mon. No wonder they want to.
But I also find it frustrating to see some on the right approach this with what seems like a complete lack of compassion. I don’t think it helps to relentlessly ridicule and blame young women for sexualising themselves online. I don’t think it’s fair either. We can’t give girls Instagram at 12 and then be surprised when as young women they base their self-worth on the approval of strangers. We can’t inundate kids with sexual content all the time and be shocked when they don’t see sex as sacred, or think sex work is just work! We can’t give them platforms as pre-teens where they are rewarded for sexualising themselves and presenting themselves like products and then shame them for starting an OnlyFans. We can’t expose them to online worlds where everything is sexualised and then be confused why some of Gen Z see their sexuality as their entire identity.
And again, on top of these platforms, girls are growing up in a culture that celebrates all of this. They are being raised to believe that they must be liberated from every restraint around sex and relationships to be free and happy, and many have never heard any different. Celebrities encourage them to be a slut, get naked, make/watch porn and make money! Mainstream magazines teach them how to up their nude selfie game! Influencers tell millions of young followers to start an OnlyFans, and pretend it’s about empowering young girls to do whatever they want with their bodies! I can’t say this enough: their world is one where the commodification and sexualisation the self is so normalised. It’s heartbreaking. And cruel that anyone celebrates it.
So sure, young women make their own choices. But when we have children sexualising themselves online, when girls as young as 13 are using fake IDs to post explicit content on OnlyFans, when a third of those selling nudes on Twitter are under the age of 18, I think it’s safe to say we are failing them from an early age.
I guess what I’m trying to get across is this: it’s tough for girls right now. It’s tough to be twelve and anxious and feel unattractive and this is how everyone else is getting attention. It’s tough to constantly compare yourself to the hyper-sexualised influencers that the boys you’re interested in are liking and following and thinking you have to compete. It’s tough to feel like the choice is sexualise yourself or nobody will notice you. The sad reality is we live in a superficial, pornified culture that rewards this stuff, and in many ways punishes you if you’re modest and sensitive and reserved, and a lot of girls are just trying to keep up with it.
We need serious cultural change. We need to wake up to how insane this all is, how utterly mental it is that we allow young girls anywhere near social media, and how we’ve let the liberalising of sexual mores escalate to the point where pre-teens are posing like porn stars and are lied to that it’s liberation. And where we need to start is with an absolute refusal from parents to let their kids on these platforms.
So please. If the relentless social comparison and obliteration of their attention span and confusion about their identity wasn’t enough, this has to be. Don’t let your daughters on social media.
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excuse me i need to Muse on something for a moment
so in Wally's secret 'vinyl' audios, specifically the last few (if we're listening to em in chronological order), obviously he starts to sound more strained/distressed. his breathing is more labored, like it's taking all of his energy to make contact.
but the audio that really caught my attention was the "But i still can't see" one. cause he just said he has more eyes than he did before. he knows We draw them a lot, and it's thanks to that that he can see. but he still can't see?
so my question is: where is Wally physically? cause although he can (assumedly) see the WHRP goings on, he can see through the eyes We draw, that could all be on a, uh... more Intangible level of sight. like the spiral pit is forming an eye, and then there's the eye on the ceiling in the secret Staff Only section - could Wally be in the pit, that space between his reality and Ours, "watching" through the eyes? but unable to actually see with due to the pit being pitch black nothingness? is he somewhere else? is he stuck? he can see, but he can't... see.
(or is he trying to explain an abstract concept - he's not actually viewing anything, but he can sense it. like how he knows We're there, even if he can't see or hear Us. but he just doesn't have the words to describe it other than using physical senses - see, hear, look.)
and him saying "...that I can see. But it is still... I can't..." but it's still what, Wally? dark? something else that he doesn't have the words to describe, so he just says that he can't see?
i know that in the Livestream Trivia Document (compiled by @/the neighborhoodwatch) there was something said about Wally being in a box. my first thought reading that was "oh, so he's in storage? the physical puppet, i mean?" which would make sense - show's over, there's no more use for him. pack 'em up and put him away. but that paired with the "can't see" audio makes both seem a lil... connected.
Wally can't see > he's likely somewhere dark > the inside of closed boxes are dark > Wally's in a box. (or maybe the Neighborhood is the box? it's a stretch, i know, but the map is a box. television sets are often set up in "boxes". maybe it's less of a physical storage box and more of a 'boxed in' sort of thing...)
one question i've had since the Start of my interest in this incredible project is: how is Wally communicating? how has he connected to the site? how does he connect to our reality? the pit almost definitely has something to do with it - most likely acting as a bridge, or the deteriorating of the barrier between our two 'worlds' - but if Wally is in a box and Not the pit or even just in the puppet's reality... how is he reaching us beyond just seeing through the eyes he's given?
or is he in their reality, and he can contact through the pit or something, but he can't actually see the other side? Our side? he knows it's there - that We're there - but none of it is visible to him. maybe his apparent disassociation in the 14 bug audios is a demonstration of him contacting Us. we can see through him, but it's a one way street.
and speaking of the pit - i just had a thought. his whole thing with Us letting him in, opening... the pit on the neighborhood map is getting bigger and clearer. but the presumed Other Side, the one on the Staff Only ceiling, is small. it's the size of a ceiling panel. it seems to me that Wally is chipping away at his side of the pit or 'portal', trying to reach Our reality, but he needs Us to do the same thing on the other side. the QA can hear him calling, but there's no phone on their (Our) side of the pit. how do We call back???
there's a fundamental barrier & lack of understanding between Wally and the QA/Us. he's trying. he wants to be let in, but what does that mean, really? let him in where? open what? he's desperate. he wants us to understand. he's trying so so hard Without the right tools to clearly communicate what he wants. he can't see Us, We can see him, both know the other is there, but there's no way to connect. and the attempts are hurting all parties involved, however unintentionally
#and its very ah. Autistic/Neurodivergent Horror i think?#the Wanting To Explain but Being Unable To because the people you're trying to communicate with#function differently than you. they don't understand. they Can't understand. their brains are wired differently.#no matter how hard you try there will never be understanding. your attempts to connect are somehow Incorrect.#and often - in my experiences at least - being that Different gets you hurt. people perceive your actions/behavior as a slight.#or as intentionally malicious! and then they get mad and you just.. dont get Why? you didn't Want to hurt anyone. you wanted to Explain.#you wanted someone to look at you and Understand. say 'oh. i see you! i get it now!' and have that Connection.#but you will never be understood. never Seen nor Heard. left in the dark. you're accidentally hurting them. they're hurting you.#it takes all of your strength to try to reach them and yet you still. fall. short. because they don't reach back.#anyway ive had these thoughts simmering for a lil while#Knowing whether or not the bug audios are present day or not would cross some theories off and write up new ones i think#that confirmation seems Important imo....#homebogging#welcome home speculation#welcome home theory#then of course there's the question of how Home fits into all of this... in the early days i was a 'home is evil' believer but now??#nah. home's not outright Evil i think. there's something complicated going on between them and wally and its role in all of this#im just... unsure of what. i think confirmation of whether his morse code says 'help me' or 'hello' would massively help clear up the sitch#is home an accomplice? a victim? a perpetrator? a secret fourth option? who's to say (yet)#i have many Thoughts about it based on a couple different things - the distorted voice under wallys. the waLLy guestbook entry. etc#but this post has gotten long enough and its Not on that particular subject#*grips the bug audios & home's morse code* you two motherfuckers would clear so much up i stg-#the bug audio's timeline placement could tell us whether or not wally is with his neighbors or if the neighborhood is intact (in some way!)#home's morse code would give Major insight into their place in all of this!!!#AGH THIS FUCKING PROJECT MAKES ME INSANE. IT'S SO GODDAMN GOOD WHO AUTHORIZED THIS-#as always take my words with a Hefty grain of salt & i hope it's coherent!#anyway there's nothing more dangerous & all-consuming than the need/desire to be understood <3
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Meghan and Harry: Episode 1
Why?
Seriously, why?
Bet let’s start at the beginning. I live-blogged the documentary on my Notes app. I wasn’t originally going to post it because I’ve stopped blogging, but omg, this is truly, as Scobie would say, the endgame. Of course, it’s not the monarchy losing the game. It’s the Harkles, They’ve checkmated themselves.
This was a six-hour own goal. I knew it was going to end badly for them when I saw Sunshine Sachs dropped them. Without SS astroturfing positive coverage all over the place they were doomed anyway. However, the content of the documentary takes it beyond doom and into truly apocalyptic. I bet it has great ratings. It’s a complete train wreck.
[Edited after first liveblog: Netflix is calling it the most viewed documentary ever, but that’s misleading. It barely held on to The Crown’s audience which was its base number, and I doubt it will have the same staying power. Still, not a bad The Crown companion piece for Netflix.]
But let’s break it down.
Episode 1
Starting with shots in an airport lounge and a rented house looking like absolute crap is the weirdest branding idea I’ve ever heard of. They don’t look relatable. They look pathetic.
[I’m editing this after finishing their series and this opening is even more baffling now. Episode 5 covers their last week of royal engagements. First, that segment is a lot more glamorous and exciting than these sad-sack iPhone videos and they really should have opened with that. Second, Episode 5 shows they were elated and super excited after finishing those engagements. They loved the crowd reactions and the press coverage and were over-the-moon with happiness. These videos are supposedly shot after that and they are all sad and mopey and wondering “how they got here.” It’s a huge disconnect.]
The intro music screams “cheap YouTube production.” So does the stock photo montage. Oh, now it’s home movies…why? This resembles the video tab of a super-basic Facebook couple circa 2014. Netflix paid millions for this? I don’t think they got paid $100m, but I bet Netflix shelled out a tenth of that. They still overpaid.
[Actually, maybe they didn’t. The Crown cost $13 million per episode and they likely paid $10 mil for six episodes of Harry and Meghan which got the same audience.]
Now they are in a house (theirs? Victoria Jackson’s? Oprah’s?) that looks like a Restoration Hardware showroom and they look slightly less pathetic but also like they are in couples’ therapy. Oh, she did know who he was. What a shocker. Dimwit doesn’t seem to realize the implications. I wonder if the filmmaker is secretly mocking them.
[The house is a random rental that is now for sale so I wonder if they get a sales commission for the product placement. https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmareynolds/2022/12/20/montecito-home-where-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-filmed-documentary-lists-for-335-million/?sh=3285e16b74fa]
My husband is watching with me. He was very confused by Meghan’s comment about how “when the stakes are so high” it makes sense to get the story from them. He doesn’t understand why the stakes are high. I told her Meghan is a narcissist and he didn’t believe me. He used to watch her on Suits and despite my best efforts still thinks she’s Rachel Zane. Anyway, he thinks the house looks like an expensive rehab clinic and now I can’t get that out of my mind. I think they are trying to look like the happy couples in When Harry Met Sally but it does feel like luxury drug rehab therapy full of Restoration Hardware furniture. He also asked me what was going on with Harry’s pupils in the airport lounge video. He thought that was weird. I tell him it's cocaine, but he thinks it's Xanax or something like that.
Montage. “They are destroying us.” “This has always been bigger than us.” Oh, please.
Montecito sunset. I guess this is their backyard? It looked better in the real estate photos. Meghan croons “isn’t it beautiful?” and Archie agrees. All I can think of is that these idiots used to live in freaking Windsor Park and now they have my grandma’s yard (complete with chicken coop and everything).
Walking with Archie. Harry mutters “this is a great love story” while pushing an empty newborn stroller (why? Where’s the baby? Is Meghan carrying the baby?). This is surreal.
Glamorous wedding shot (a melancholic reminder of past glories, frankly) and it turns into a closeup of Harry’s legs. Eew.
Meghan goes to the chicken coop. There’s a lot of cyclone fencing in this house.
Back to the Restoration Hardware Showroom. Meghan is in sweats because…I don’t know. Weird Instagram family pics including a sad little birthday party for Archie. Good lord, my kids had better parties than the King’s grandson. This is so pathetic.
Oh, no. She got the cheap Amazon patio furniture protectors. At least they match the cyclone fencing.
More family Instagram. They are protecting their kids…by putting them in a documentary?
Did I just see Harry’s underwear??!! Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Between the sale of family pics, the family drama, and the plumber’s crack, I’m starting to feel that Meghan married her dad.
Harry talks about consent with regards to his children…but they are too young to consent so it doesn’t really makes sense. Guess he thinks it’s only his consent that matters.
My husband asks if Harry is an addict. I suspect it’s partly his demeanor and partly the inconsistencies in the narrative. Meghan said she’d prefer Prince Harry, and that showed how little she knew about the royals? Media exposure requires consent, but your kids are in a documentary? Harry doesn’t seem to realize that these things make no sense.
I feel the way they structured these confessionals with an invisible interviewer was a big mistake. Oprah’s presence during that interview served to validate their shady claims. She has a lot of credibility so when she nodded and smiled people trusted that. It made their statements credible. Here they don’t have that and all the contradictions are apparent.
They’re in the yard. Meghan is trying to channel Martha Stewart and failing. Martha wouldn’t have cyclone fencing, Megs.
Meghan in sweats in the Restoration Hardware showroom. BIG expensive drug rehab vibes. I bet this is what all the rich women wear at the Betty Ford Clinic. She complains that other people write books about them and “wouldn’t it make sense to hear our story from us?” Actually, Megs it’s becoming painfully clear that the tabloids and royal biographers have made you two look a lot more interesting, glamorous and stylish than you really are. Left to your own devices you two are boring as dry toast.
Really cool shots of London. Whoa, the city looks great! They spent money on these. They probably should have spent that cash making California look good. London is their past and California is their future and so far their past looks a lot cooler and more glamorous than their future.
Tig Instagram pic montage. I wonder who was taking these? She should have rehired the photographer because the family pics she has now are terrible. These were much better. Her Tig life feels a lot more upscale and aspirational than her current Montecito existence which goes to show what good photography can do. LOL, she used the airport with the Ghurka suitcase. Yes, she didn’t know she was going to meet a prince and that’s why she traded in her Rowena for the luggage brand the princes are known to use.
Pics from what appears to be Harry’s private Instagram. Interesting—wait, the Insta rumor was real? What the? Good lord why would you admit that in a documentary???!! This is freaking surreal. Whyyyyy?”
[To those who don’t know. There was a rumor back in 2016 that Meghan was a designated Soho House “companion” and the girls were “advertised” through a private Insta account run by Marcus. If you liked a girl you could DM Marcus and get an introduction…which seems to be exactly what Harry did. I don’t understand why they would mention this in a a documentary. Everyone bought the Violet von Westerwhatever blind date story. They should have stuck to that.]
I wonder how the mainstream audience is reacting to the new instagram story. The original story got a lot of coverage and a critical mass of people may start to wonder what the heck is going on. Even my husband is skeptical and I don’t think he knew the blind date story.
BTW, the fact that she was following his account was known in Toronto as soon as the relationship story broke. Interesting.
“Friend” talking about Wimbledon. She’s actually Serena Williams agent so I’m not sure why she’s labeled as a friend. Wimbledon, blah, blah, blah. Lol, Again, Meghan’s old life appears a heck of a lot more glamorous than her current one. OMG, she told Serena’s agent she was going on a date with Harry??!! She was telling everyone wasn’t she?
Texting. She was posting all of this to Insta as it was happening which is absolutely hilarious. Actually, this whole documentary reminds of the early days of the relationship when she was posting everything on Insta and leaking stories to US Weekly constantly. They really wanted all of this material out there and waiting until they got paid for it probably took probably took enormous self discipline. Guess they took Doria's "don't give the milk away for free" advice to heart.
I just realized she’s wearing Trevor’s Cartier bracelet during her monologues and that cracks me up.
More cheap stock footage. Seriously, how much did Netflix pay for this? Endless chat about their first date, which is nowhere near as interesting as they seem to think it is. They should have stuck to the blind date story. It was slightly more interesting. Bad Soho House selfie.
Nacho shows up as a “friend” and he’s really Harry’s promo buddy. The Silver Tree person was also a Suits director. Everyone is a business contact in this documentary. All these white people in California resort wear are giving me White Lotus Season 3 vibes.
Baseball hat pics in a messy kitchen…these two are hellbent on shedding whatever royal glamour they had left. Wait, isn’t this an old picture from Toronto? Like real old, first year in Toronto kind of old. What a weird choice.
“Marry someone who fits the mould instead of someone you are destined to be with” followed by a pic of Megs trying to look sexy in a wifebeater shirt. Does the director secretly hate them? He was born in a palace but he had a trailer park heart…she was a tacky actress from the wrong side of the tracks…they were destined to be together selling family pics to the tabloids just like dad…it’s a family traditioooooooon….
Old royal footage…Diana…Charles…childhood photocalls, which Harry seems to resent, but he’s doing the same to his kids in this documentary, so I really don’t understand what he’s thinking. The Diana footage is a big misstep because wow Di was charismatic and these two losers can’t hold a candle to her.
Thirteen whole minutes of archival footage, most of it stuff his parents “consented” to, and lots of whining about press intrusion. Dude, you’re in a reality show. You’re putting your kids on television. Know where you stand.
Then a slew of private couple pics that they really should have kept private. Love the wallpaper. Bet that was Frogmore. The documentary is rather disorienting. I can’t tell what house they are in or when the pictures were taken.
Boom. “So much of what Meghan is and how she is is so similar to my mom.” My husband actually rewinds this part to make sure he heard right. Pic of Diana with her kids in the garden and then another pic of Meghan with her kids in the garden. Very similar gardens. Not so similar women.
“He wanted to marry his mom?” my husband asks.
Cringe video of Archie with a Diana photo. “I didn’t want history to repeat itself,” Harry says.
“He did want to marry his mom,” my husband says, amazed. “So he can save her this time.” Shaking his head. “This is nuts but it’s television gold. Did the brother marry his mummy too?”
“No,” I said.
“And the brother is the one who gets to be king, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
More monologue about their courtship. Lol, they really did leak the handholding painting to the press. Footage comparing Megs to Di and it’s painfully obvious she’s nowhere near as charismatic.
Diana’s death and more archival footage. This documentary is a humongous downer, isn’t it? Childhood friend of Harry’s I’d never heard about. Was he invited to the wedding? I don't think so. Strong White Lotus vibes coming from this guy.
Diana’s funeral. Harry’s drug scandal. Hellraiser Harry. Bitching about paparazzi. No mention of Vegas, which is weird. You’d think that would be the big traumatic story about media intrusion. I guess he only wants to blame the UK media and Vegas was a TMZ story in the states and the UK media wasn’t allowed to print the pictures so it doesn't fit his narrative.
More whining about royal photocalls…except for the Lesotho photo ops which Harry didn’t seem to mind. Bit of a disconnect there because those were royal pr as well. In fact, it was the way the royals rehabilitated his image after the drug scandal. Seems like Harry only hates the royal pr he can’t personally monetize. Why isn’t Sentenbale getting a shout out? You’d think he would plug the charity here (Audi, Soho House, and JP Morgan got very obvious brand placements) but if he did I missed it. [Edited: Should have added the house to the list of product placements]
LOL, Prince Seesio straight out says that the Lesotho vacation was a response to the bad press in the UK. They should have briefed him better. I don’t think he was supposed to say that.
Botswana vacay with Meghan. Wow, the Daily Mail made this look a lot more glamorous than it actually was. This wasn’t exactly glamping, was it? Were there showers? No, best to not go there. No charities are mentioned. No mention of the “love” bracelets, just a Daily Mail article shot.
More whining about press intrusion then private Halloween pics that really should have stayed private. Lol, they went to a party with Eugenie after the relationship was leaked. Tell me you leaked the relationship without telling me you leaked the relationship. I bet Meghan wanted to post this on her Insta and Jason didn’t let her. I wish they’d let her. The press reaction to the Call of Duty costume would have been epic.
Harry doesn’t seem to be catching on. If you were in disguise and no one knew you went to this party except Meghan, Jack and Eugenie, then who exactly leaked it, Harry? Because we knew about it a day later.
That’s a Toronto newspaper, the same one that had the leak about Meghan following Harry’s private account. At the time the evil British tabloids were actually under the impression Harry was still in England and had cancelled a trip to visit Toronto.
The other outlet who got the scoop early was our old friend US Weekly, and the byline was by a then-unknown gossip hack called Omid Scobie. Given what we know now about their relationship with Scobie. Yep, I think these two just confessed to leaking stories about their own relationship.
The DM had to quote the Toronto paper and US Weekly when they finally broke the story on the other side of the pond.
Interesting that Meghan and Harry’s “new and improved super real love story” is the one that was being leaked in Toronto and not the one that the evil UK tabloids had supposedly uncovered through nefarious means. I don’t understand why they are changing the story, though. The blind date wasn’t a tabloid rumor. It’s what they themselves said during a BBC interview.
End of episode. Overall, I feel this was a huge missed opportunity. Not much about his work in Africa or her UN/One Young World work. We hear about Harry’s photography but barely see it. It’s their chance to tell their story and their story is “we’re boring and tacky people who sell pics of their kids.” I feel they really wanted to put the “real” story of how they met out there—the IG dog pic, the Call of Duty costume, the crappy Soho House selfie. It reminds me of her old Working Actress blog where she was constantly stressing how unglamorous acting life really was.
I’m not blown away by the quality either. Their home movies feel cheap and curiously inauthentic. They should have run everything through a filter to make it feel coherent and cohesive. The stock/archival footage is sometimes great (London and the royal family), sometimes cheap (Soho House), sometimes missing (California), and sometimes misleading (pap shots of Chelsy, Cressida and Kate that are narrated as though Meghan was the victim).
The documentary lacks the authoritative tone most documentaries have. You really feel it’s “their” side of the story and not the “real” story. I think the problem is how they switch from the couples’ personal narrative, confessionals, and personal pics into historical pictures and public royal narratives. The institutional credibility of the royal shots makes the personal material feel biased and unreliable. The videos of Charles and the kids interacting with photographers, in particular are massive own goals because they remind the viewers that everything, including Meghan and Harry’s pictures and videos, includes invisible photographers. It’s just that the Harkles are hiding that from us, whereas the royals are upfront about it. The confessionals in the rehab setting, in particular, were huge mistakes, imo. They feel like reality show confessionals (like the ones the Housewives franchise uses) and viewers are trained to see those as unreliable narrations. Using someone else's house was also a bad idea. It feels fake.
The whole thing feels very chaotic and unconvincing. My husband thinks they are both addicts and I remember thinking that when they first started doing their beanie hat appearances. I ask him why and he cites the dilated pupils, contradictory narratives, family resentments and couch-surfing at other people’s housing. He says it’s standard junkie drama.
Other family members are watching and most of the group chat (lawyers and social workers) reaches the same conclusion: even the royals have junkie kid drama. The social worker says she has tons of clients like Meghan and the all sound the same. “They’re trying to destroy us.” “It’s a great love story.” “I don’t know how we ended up here.” “What happened.” They are all more interested in having their side of the story validated than in actually fixing the problem and they just repeat the same family dynamics over and over again. That’s why Harry is showing us pics of his kids in the house/garden/vacation right after complaining that his parents showed the world pictures of him, his bother, and his cousins in the house/garden/vacation. She noticed that he posted a pic of himself in military gear (the Halloween pic) as an adult and a similar one of himself a kid. He also posted skiing pics with the royals and then similar pics in the sand in California. She’s says he’s basically re-living his childhood and trying to get it right this time.
I didn’t expect many people in my family would be interested in this, but they are all having fun psychoanalyzing these two. Everyone thinks this is Harry rewriting his past so he gets to save his mum this time. Meghan’s motivations are less clear. No one believes she didn’t know who he was. The psychologist says it’s weird that Meghan’s side of the love story was just “it was exciting…we just got to know each other….” Her motivation is not that clear, although there was that one story about wanting to be protected from the elephants in the tent. Opinion is split with half the chat thinking she wanted to be rescued by Prince Charming and the other half (the psychologists and social workers) thinking that as an actress her fantasy would be A Star is Born. The psychologist says those two are not that different. In the Prince Charming fantasy you get rescued by an individual and in the Star is Born fantasy you are rescued by an institution, i.e., the studio or Hollywood. She thinks her fantasy was A Star is Born and that’s why she’s so resentful now. I think we’d discussed that in the blog before. Interesting to hear someone else saying it. Meghan didn’t want a love story where she was rescued by Harry, she wanted a Hollywood success story where she was acclaimed as a star by the palace. She didn’t get that and that’s why she’s still upset even though she got the Prince Charming love story. That’s not what she wanted. Harry got the fantasy he wanted, so he’s not as upset.
Not much support for the theory (mine) that she was manipulating him consciously. Everyone seems to think it’s a case of two mental illnesses falling in love, along with junkie drama. That’s why Harry is so amazed at their “fantastic love story.” He wanted to marry his mum and she wanted to be his mum. That’s a pretty unlikely combination.
I’m very curious about the “friends” featured in this episode. No Jess, no Markus, no Misha Nonoo, no one from the Suits cast except Abigail Spencer, and no Janina. Everyone seems to be a business partner of some sort. Cory was missing also, but it makes sense that she wouldn’t mention him. Reitman’s wasn’t mentioned either but I guess she doesn’t want to give them press.
I don’t understand why they didn’t lean into the charity work angle. She was doing One Young World and he was working Africa. Her "You can be Both" essay wasn't mentioned either and I feel they should have led with that instead of going with her “single girl trip” and the not-so-glam Botswana vacation. I also don’t understand why we didn’t see more of Harry’s supposedly amazing wildlife photography. After all, they are trying to build a career as documentary producers. You’d think that would be relevant. The big takeaways from this episode are: Meghan is mummy and I saw history repeating itself so I had to save her. “Save Mummy” seems like a weird narrative to craft a brand around, but my husband is right. It’s television gold.
On to the next episode.
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Red Hot Island - Chapter 8
[ View on site for better experience♪ ]
Location: Aquaria Park (Cove)
〈15 minutes until the event ends〉
Chiaki: Hmm~… Not here, huh. This is where the last clue leads to, though…
There’s only 15 minutes left too… I wonder how the other teams are doing? It’s hard to tell if we’re doing better or worse since the treasure map is different for each team.
Eichi: There would be an announcement if someone finished already, so I don’t think anyone found the treasure yet.
Chiaki: What!? Then we have to hurry up and find it before anyone else does! Let’s look again!
Eichi: Okayーー
Woah…!
Chiaki: ! Tenshouin, you’re staggering! Are you okay?
Ah, now that I think about it… We’ve been moving a lot… All day, we’ve been swimming, treasure hunting, and just overall using our bodies a lot.
I wonder if it’d be fine if we took a little rest…?
Eichi: I wasn’t staggering. I just tripped over a small step.
Don’t make that kind of face. It’s different from last year. Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been getting a lot better. My physical condition seems to be really stable right now.
Just because you were able to get healthier now doesn’t mean you need to treat me like I’m still the same sickly kid as before.
Chiaki: What are you talking about? You and I are the same, aren’t we?
I wasn’t treating you like that because I think I’m better than you, much less because I pity you either. It’s because I understand what it’s like. I’m just concerned as someone who’s been in that position before. I’m concerned because I’m your friend.
Eichi: ………
That’s all the more reason not to worry. That is, if you really do understand what it’s like.
Chiaki: Is that so? I guess I’m easy to worry. Other people say the same thing too. That I’m good-natured or something? It’s hard for me to not worry.
Alright then, let’s continue the treasure hunt! Because we could still come out first!
Eichi: Yes, let’s. Since we are participating, aiming for 1st place is the only way to go. Winning is what’s fun about games.
Chiaki: Okay! Then, let’s go check out those bushes over there!
Eichi: I’ll help you look too.
…Hm. It doesn’t seem to be around here.
Chiaki: Yeah, same for me…
Eichi: (Just where in the world is that treasure? I know I said I’d help out with looking in the bushes, but I don’t think they would hide it in a place like this.)
Chiaki: Say, Tenshouin~
Eichi: What is it? Actually, you’ve been talking a lot since the beginning, haven’t you Chiaki? If you want to find the treasure, it’s best to move your hands more than your mouth.
Chiaki: It’s fine! I’m still searching thoroughly. This is like… a chat while searching.
See, it’s not fun to search silently without talking to each other at all, right? It’s a timed event, after all.
Eichi: Well, I guess I don’t see the harm in it. Then? What is it?
Chiaki: Do you remember the promise we made that long summer ago?
Eichi: ………
What promise are you talking about? I don’t remember anything like that.
Chiaki: I see. If you don’t remember, it’s okay.
Alright! I finished checking the bushes, but I can’t find anything. I wonder where the treasure really is?
Let’s look on the other sideーー Uwah!?
(Oh no! I slipped! I’m gonna fall into the poolー!?)
Eichi: Chi-Chiaki! Wah!?
Chiaki: Cough cough… Fuah!
Eichi: Fuah…!
Chiaki: Haーー HAHAHAH! That shocked me! I accidentally slipped! HAHAHAH!
Eichi: Hah… Seriously. It was not funny, Chiaki. I got dragged into the pool too.
Chiaki: Haha, sorry. You suddenly held out your hand, so I pulled on it and accidentally took you down with me! … Hm?
Hey, Tenshouin. There’s a box that fell down. Was that always there?
Eichi: Eh? Whereーー Ah, you’re right.
When I was trying to help you earlier, I grabbed something like a string that was on the wall without thinking. Maybe it fell out when I pulled the string…?
Chiaki: Then, is that the pirate’s treasure!?
Eichi: Um… Umph, there. Since it’s called a pirate’s treasure, I was expecting something bigger. But it seems to be pretty small.
Eichi: Yes. This does seem like it’s meant to be the pirate’s treasure.
Chiaki: ! You, you did it, Tenshouin! There wasn’t an announcement yet either, so we must be the first ones who found it!
Eichi: Fufu. You’re right. I can’t believe it’s really…
Location: In front of the train station
Chiaki: Ah~. Today was super fun~ ♪
Eichi: It was. I truly never thought the day would come.
Chiaki: ………
Chiaki: I knew it. You really do remember that promise, right? You’re not an honest guy, are you.
Chiaki: That promise we made on that summer, long ago… “I promise that when we get healthier, we can go to the pool together as friends! Because, that’s the kind of future we’ll have!” is what we said.
Eichi: ………
Chiaki: Jeez. Why’d you have to go and say you didn’t remember it at all? It took a lot of courage to ask, you know! I felt so empty, thinking I was the only one who remembered something like that.
Eichi: Fufu, it was embarrassing to admit… That I kept such a small promise from the past so close to my heart. It felt childish.
Chiaki: I thought it was weird… I mean, you were the one who invited us. Plus, the pool looked pretty busy from what I was seeing.
At least, it felt like it was different than what you were telling us.
So, I thought about it and reached several different conclusions, but in the end, I think you just wanted to enjoy being able to go to the pool with your friends.
――Am I right?
Eichi: …Chiaki. You really didn’t have to go on with some detailed explanation for my actions.
Especially when it was obvious that I wanted to hide those feelings. That’s not being honest, it’s being insensitive.
Leo: HE~Y! You guys are too slow! What is taking you so long!?
Kaoru: I was just talking to Tsukinaga-kun, and we were wondering if you guys wanted to stop by a café on the way back home~?
Leo: Right! We’re going to leave you~! If you guys are too late, I’m gonna eat everything you order!
Eichi: Aah, sorry about that. We’re coming.
Chiaki: What were you saying, Tenshouin?
You’re not the only one who wanted to see this scene… this kind of future. I also wished for it.
That pinky promise we made in that hospital room belongs to both you and meーー the ones who shared it. Right?
Eichi: … I see. That’s right… That’s why I shouldn’t have to hide what’s hidden in my heart from you, correct? Ever since then, you’ve been my kindred soul.
Chiaki: Yeah, exactly!
Now, let’s go, Tenshouin! We shouldn’t make our friends wait on us any longer!
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Previous ♡ Directory
#ensemble stars#enstars#ensemble stars translation#enstars translation#chiaki morisawa#eichi tenshouin#leo tsukinaga#kaoru hakaze#red hot island#polyphonical
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As a non American can you explain why are there 3 concerts in Ohio? Is it a really big and populated state? Or else Louis could've done 1 bigger venue.
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Sorry. I had to scream a little in the car because listen 😂😂😂 when the dates were announced I wanted a single show in Ohio. We get passed over all. The. Time. So often. So I first saw cuyahoga hills and was like…. Why there??? Nothing is there??? 😂 but OHIO! And then I saw Cincinnati and I was like… Cincinnati too???? Okay! Hitting the northeast corner and southwest corner of the state! Cool! And then Columbus too??? Like I legit texted @londonfoginacup asking like HOW MUCH DOES LOUIS LOVE US THAT HE IS GIVING US THREE OHIO SHOWS? Like we have to go to all three to show him Ohio loves him and this wasn’t a mistake right??? 😂
Which we obviously did. But we were just as surprised as you, I PROMISE YOU.
That said, there’s a lot of reasons why he could have chosen three shows here.
One: Ohio has three major metropolitan areas in the one state, which is pretty rare outside the super large and populous states. He’s hitting the three major markets and since he seems to be trying to hit even the smaller areas that don’t get much attention with this tour, it makes sense for that alone really.
Two: Location. Ohio is a state in an area of the country called the Midwest, but we are located in a pretty central area. This could explain it as well, because he’s not going to Kentucky (the state south of us) and I don’t think he’s going to Pittsburgh? (The closest large city east of us, he played there last year on Valentine’s Day hehe) which means they’ll be looking for shows to attend closeby, and Ohio can offer that. So while he’s also hitting Indianapolis (closest large city west of us) and already hit Detroit (another large city in the state north of us), he’s also not playing West Virginia (another state that borders us) and… yeah. Lots of people in that space who will be needing a place closeby to see him.
Which brings us to three: Population. We aren’t the MOST populous state or anything, there’s a reason people get us confused with Iowa and Idaho lol but, that said, we are the tenth (or seventh??) most populous according to the google search I just did lol different sites disagree, but when you consider there are fifty states, that’s still a good showing lol considering we have so many other populous areas surrounding us that the concerts would also draw from, that could have also been a contributing factor.
And lastly four: SCENERY. Listen. Ohio gets shit on a lot for being a “boring” state or a “flyover” state (aka no one comes here as a destination) and it pisses me off lol every single person I’ve ever brought to Ohio has been surprised when they got here because there was so much more here than they thought and parts of the state are GORGEOUS. I mean did you see the flyover view that John Delf did on Instagram of the cuyahoga falls venue??? That’s actually in a national park and it is just stunning there with gorgeous hiking and waterfalls and shit in the near vicinity. It’s amazing. And the venue he played tonight in Cincinnati was literally right on the Ohio river that creates the southern border for our state, and it had a view of one of my favorite bridges I’ve ever seen! PLUS!!! Tonight there was a full moon, and it was right above the bridge and Louis got to look at us AND THE BRIDGE AND MOON THE ENTIRE TIME. How gorgeous is that??? Like look at this shitty photo I took. Incredibly beautiful.
That’s from the railing that was only a short distance behind me and the sound guys for the concert so. Not shabby, right?? Now the venue in Columbus is right downtown in what we call the arena district because the arena where our hockey team plays is right across the street and the baseball stadium is next door and the new soccer stadium is in the area now too, so it’s got loads of venues and restaurants and shit right there and Kemba is one of the best indoor/outdoor venues in town now. I’ve seen several shows there over the years, and it’s great every time. It’s got good sound, a good setup, and the staff is always fantastic so while it’s maybe not the coolest venue, I do love when artists I enjoy come there. Not sure of the appeal on Louis’ end, but ¯\__(ツ)__/¯
So, taking all of these points into consideration, it does make a bit more sense… but three does still seem like he just felt like being overindulgent to us and show us extra love 😂😂 as emmu said, I guess Louis loves us best hahaha
We are just kidding, please don’t send me hate lol
I honestly also do not know why he chose to do this for us, but it makes travel plans a lot easier for us and I’m really fucjing thankful haha I’ve mostly been worried we wouldn’t be able to fill the venues sufficiently but so far so good so here’s hoping Columbus shows up too haha Heaven only knows parking and driving in Columbus is a fuck ton easier than doing so in Cincinnati 😂
#long answer long#sorry it’s so wordy#but hopefully this does help??#I obviously feel a bit too much pride in my state sorry lok#but also forgive me for choosing to pretend to believe louis put three shows in Ohio bexause of me and emmu#😂😂😂😂#fuck that idea is hysterical to even write out but damn is it a fun thing to joke about lololol#asks#anonymous
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✨HOW TO PICK OUT THE PERFECT AG DOLL!✨
~AGBob’s ULTIMATE Guide~
Hello, everyone! I thought this would be a helpful post! If you are going to an AG store in person, and are trying to find a perfect doll with no defects, this is the post for you! This process can also work when choosing a used doll on a selling site like eBay or Mercari!
Since I live very close to an AG store, about half of my dolls were picked out in person at the store. These are all the things that I look at when choosing a new doll because I am VERY picky! Happy doll hunting! ✨
Wigs:
On the left is a truly me 92 doll with a lowly-placed wig. On the right is my 92, Delphinium James. This picture was taken at the AG Place Columbus in April 2022.
Though this isn’t something I look at too often, wig placement can vary between even two of the same exact doll! After a gentile push of the left doll’s wig, I realized that it was not glued onto her head all the way. This is a problem because her wig is probably more likely to come off without you wanting it to! Also, make sure the wig is exactly where you want it when picking out your doll!
Eyes:
Fortunately, AG does not have much of a problem with their eyes anymore, but if you are buying a used doll from the years 2017-2019, you could be getting a doll with the “new eyes!” Also, this could be likely when buying a “retired” truly me doll in the blue jacket outfit from a Canadian AG store!
Picture 1: On the left is a truly me 13 doll with the old eyes. On the right is a truly me 13 doll with the “new eyes.”
Picture 2: On the left is a truly me 39 doll with the “new eyes.” On the right is a truly me 39 doll from 2013, who had been displayed since the store first opened. Obviously, she has the old eyes. Both pictures were taken in 2018 in the AG Columbus store.
Though AG decided to get rid of this style of eyes in mid 2019, Here are the characteristics that define it:
-A different, less realistic, pinwheel pattern
-The ability to see the plastic in the back
-The weight on the back of the eye is so heavy that the dolls appear to be looking downwards
-The whites of the eyes are abnormally bright
-Sometimes, dolls with these eyes have weird looking eyebrows (ex: Josefina molds sometimes look “sad”)
Painted on Eyelashes:
This photo was posted by user @/amcangrl on Instagram. Pictured is one of the new truly me dolls with brown eyes, and it shows off her eyelashes. This picture was taken at the AG LA pop-up store in 2022.
There are a couple of problems with this doll, as well as MANY others in the AG store!
-The eyelashes do not fully go into the eye, so it doesn’t look realistic
-There is what appears to be a sticker around the eye that is a lighter color than the doll’s actual skin tone
-On this doll specially, you can easily see the screen printing that they used to put the eyelashes on the doll (especially on top!) *Not all dolls will have this, though, and it is most visible in Joss molds
Perfect dolls will have eyelashes that go all the way into the eye (usually the very last one won’t look like it does), the screen printing will not be visible, and try to pick out a doll that doesn’t seem to have two lighter colored skin-toned circles around the eyes. Removing the eyelashes yourself is also an option!
Symmetry:
Somewhere around 2022, AG purposely stopped using their tool that makes the dolls’ faces “100%” symmetrical. However, this problem has been seen even before then, since a lot of Jess mold dolls tend to have one eye that is larger than the other. In fact, one of my own Kanani Akina dolls has this problem!
Today, this problem is not limited to Jess molds, but it has become even harder to find the perfect Jess mold doll. Every single truly me 110 or 111 I see has one eye that’s bigger than the other! This defect is also not limited to just the dolls’ eyes, but it can also affect how certain facial features are placed, such as the eyebrows or painted on eyelashes. My 2017 truly me 67, Barbados, has one eyebrow that is spaced out further than the other, and I did not notice this when I bought her.
Lips and Teeth:
With the truly me rebrand in 2022, AG has gotten a lot better at painting the dolls lips a full, pink color. However, starting in about 2018, and continuing into 2022, a lot of the dolls had very pale lips. This can be an easy defect that might affect a used doll! In addition, there are also some problems with the teeth that you have to look at!
Picture 1: This is a truly me 78 doll from 2018. She has the “new eyes” and very pale lips that almost blend in with her skin! This picture was taken at AG Columbus in May 2022.
Picture 2: Shown is a Maritza Ochoa doll, and you can barely see her teeth! This picture was taken at AG Columbus in October 2021.
Even though a doll’s pale lips can easily be fixed, I most definitely prefer the full lips! Here are a couple problems that are associated with the doll’s teeth:
-You cannot see them from certain angles (Only occurs in Joss and later Marie-Grace molds like 115,116,117,and Kavi)
-The teeth can be unevenly placed
-The teeth can be crooked
This next picture is of another problem that can occur with a doll’s lips:
This picture is a VERY close up image on Blakely, my Blaire Wilson doll. She has interesting eyebrows, as well as the “new eyes” and something is wrong with her lips.
The problem with her lips is that they are not painted all the way! It looks like she should have more of a lip, but she doesn’t. In fact, it looks like she’s missing half of her lips! I’ve also seen a very small amount of AG Sonali mold dolls who have had their lips painted with the template of a classic mold! This problem is very very common, and it is almost unavoidable in modern dolls.
These are all the problems that can (most commonly) be spotted in new dolls. Now… it’s time to go over some problems/defects that can be present in a doll one may get used:
Body Cloth:
Just before Tenney and Logan were released in 2017, American Girl changed the body cloth that they used on their dolls. Instead of the premium quality that consumers were used to, the fabric they used became much more scratchy. Also, it felt a lot cheaper and it puckers a lot at the dolls’ neckline. This body fabric is found on every single doll with the “new eyes,” as well as some of their predecessors.
On the left is Elizabeth Cole, (≈2005) who has the old body cloth. On the right is truly me 24 Arlo Grunt, (2018) who has the new body cloth. (She also used to have the new eyes but they were replaced.)
*Note that Elizabeth’s body shape makes her taller than the average doll. (Dolls made from between 2024-2007 usually have this feature.)
*There is also something called the “Claudie body,” that all dolls from August 2022 to the present have. This is UNAVOIDABLE when picking out a brand new doll today, but their bodies are 0.5 of an inch slimmer than older dolls! This feature is called the “Claudie body” because Claudie Wells was the first doll to possess this difference.
Permanent Underwear:
Nicknamed “permapanties” by AG fans and collectors, American Girl announced towards the end of 2016 that they would be sewing the underwear onto all the bodies of dolls that came with removable underwear (not bloomers).
The dolls effected were every truly me doll who was available at the time, (13,16,19,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,31,33,35,39,40,42,44,47,49,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69) Tenney Grant, Z Yang, Gabriela McBride (I think), Maryellen Larkin, Melody Ellison, and Julie Albright. Some versions of these dolls from 2017 have a very skinny body with a gray band under the waist that says “American Girl” all the way around. The permanent underwear are a baby pink color.
Picture 1: Willow, truly me 40, in her permanent underwear facing frontwards.
Picture 2: Willow, truly me 40, in her permanent underwear facing backwards.
Things to Remember:
-You are ALLOWED to take the top off of a doll box while at the AG store! By all means, please do this when picking out dolls because it makes it so much easier to look at their features!
-By all means, HIDE THE GOOD DOLLS BEHIND THE LESS POPULAR ONES! When truly me 16 was still available, she was really unpopular leading up to her retirement, so I would always hide the best looking dolls behind all of the 16’s if I couldn’t get them the same day.🤭
-Go to a quiet area to pick out your doll where there is no one else around. Recently, I made the mistake of plopping down right in front of the Nicki and Isabel display to pick out my dolls and there was this girl and her mom behind me who started to get really annoyed with me just sitting there.
-Don’t stress yourself out! Sometimes picking out a doll actually brings me stress. That sounds really weird but, especially when there’s a lot of the same doll available, I feel the need to analyze every single one. These dolls should bring us joy! Remember to pick out a doll that makes YOU happy, regardless of what they look like.
~GOOD LUCK! 👍😊~
These are just the tips I use when buying my dolls. You do not have to follow everything that is listed here! These are just things that I look for when buying my own dolls because I’m very particular when it comes to the way they look. As much as I love these dolls, you’d think I hate them when it comes to me examining every little feature and critiquing them. 😭
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Hi! Anon from before who asked about fluidity and such, I have another question: How do you learn to angle heads / do different perspectives?
Did you take classes, use 3D models, or something else?
So sorry for all the questions, I really want to get better at angles and posing and such - facial expressions are a breeze for me, but I just can't keep proportions, anatomy, or poses right in my head.
TL,dr, how did you learn about all this stuff?
Don't be sorry! Asking questions is how u learn! Lil disclaimer that i'm sorry in advance if this answer seems kinda vapid and lackadaisical :")
I've never taken art classes of any kind in my life. A lot of what I know is from observing how other artists draw and tweaking their processes to something that'll suit my workflow and style better. I admittedly don't use 3D models as often as I should, but they speed up the process IMMENSELY. Sometimes i'll load up a model posing program and use it for just the hands/fingers LOL. It's actually helped me be more aware of how to segment parts of the body so I can "memorize" them a bit better. I actually cannot picture most things in my head properly, so I struggle with keeping tabs on proportions and angles of shapes and poses mentally too 😭
A fun lil trick I do to help with head angles tho that might help is i'll draw a "sheet" of paper over my main head form:
For some reason, i've found that this helps me visualize where the face goes and where it fits within a 3D space. As long as i know the general direction the oc is facing, I can bend and stretch stuff to fit as need be. IDK it's a simple way for me to keep track while drawing, and pretty effective too! 👇🏽
ok these are sloppy n off model a bit, but hopefully you can see what i'm getting at ghjsdfg. I've found making the "sheet" bigger/smaller to suit whatever you're drawing can help narrow down the angle better if you're struggling. Thinking of the construction of shapes and how they sit in a 3D space is helpful too. Most art programs have perspective rulers that you can use to keep a kind of guide of where your drawing is sitting on a perspective plane/grid. I use them when trying to do more dynamic postures!
Other than that, I literally just google/youtube whatever it is i'm trying to work on and click through as many resources as I can. Make notes of what works for me, what doesnt, what I can pick apart and reconstruct. I got my start in art by tracing other people's art onto printer paper when i was younger (never shared 'em, obvs) before learning people posted step-by-step processes of how they draw on dA (it's how I learned what "guidelines" where and how to use them in sketching) and using those. I spent a lot of my more formative years just mimicking other people's drawing habits and quirks until I found a set that worked for me, and expanded on that with just messing around in my spare time. Sometimes the only thing that helps is working through it until I get a result I like.
If you are looking for a more technical approach and wouldn't mind some critique on your stuff, I recommend a site called Drawabox.com ! I've never personally used it, but I have artist friends who have, and while it does cost a fee to access some of the video lessons, there are still a bit of free resources you can take a peek on that might help!!
SORRY FOR THIS LAME ANSWER HFGSHDF I have a very flippant approach to my art. Work smart, not hard as I always say 👌🏽👏🏽
Good luck!!
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LV 1854
Following up yesterday's Shizuka is today's LV model Gong Jun!
I actually adore Louis Vuitton. Many, many, (many) years ago, when I got my first bonus check at work, I was so proud of myself that I bought myself a LV handbag. A ridiculous use of money, especially at that time, but I wanted to reward myself for working so hard with a fancy purse. I still have the handbag, and every time I look at it I remember how it felt to hold that check in my hands, and feel that sense of accomplishment and joy. I still love it as much as I did then, after all these years. So I can't tell you how delighted I was when Gong Jun became the ambassador for LV!
I'm not saying I necessarily like all their fashion looks, because I don't, but I don't think the point of high fashion is to necessarily like the looks. I think it's more about appreciating the artistry. Some outfits, I must admit, I am just too artistically impaired to appreciate. But put Junjun in LV, and suddenly my artistic appreciation goes way, way up.
The inspiration for this fig is Junjun's pics from one of his photo shoots for LV on his Weibo account on August 17 last year:
This is the exact inspiration pic for the fig! See how his leg is kicked up like that and his arm is alongside his crossbody bag?
I love those flowy white pants on him! Also a big fan of that crossbody bag, it seems a lot bigger and more functional than the one he was wearing at the concert. Which I love for obvious sentimental reasons, but it's the smallest and most impractical thing in the world. I can fit my phone and the world's tiniest wallet in it, and that's literally it. Well, and a lip balm, Junjun was right about that when he showed it off at the concert.
There is a LOT going on with this jacket. For fig comparison purposes, I tried to find this jacket on the US LV site, but was unable to. So I went to their China site, and found it! It is the Multi Patches Mixed Leather Varsity Blouson Jacket, for a cool 46,500 RMB (roughly $6,700 USD).
The patch saying LV 1854, the year the house was founded in France, is of course the name of this fig. Huh, wizards. Go figure!
And another 1854 patch on this sleeve! Two patches, I guess, if we count the #54. So much detail on this. Alright, on to the fig!
Ahhh he's so cute even all packaged up for traveling! His perfect little face, and the beauty mark on his ear right there.
Unfortunately, his cute little kicked-up foot pose means that he can't stand up at all, even for a single glamor shot. So on he went onto a standee. I don't typically like to do this, but I glued him down immediately. He's really heavy - that head of his is solid! My experience with heavy headed figs with any tilt to the side has been that the weight of the fig will topple them over. I have learned this the hard way as figs have gone careening down my display shelves! I was not going to risk his precious little self, so out came the glue, and he's not budging now.
Since this is a light colored outfit, I figured I'd put him on a non-white background for better contrast. Wow, his hair looks incredible from this angle! I love this hairstyle on him, and fig-wise it's perfect.
The detail here on his coat is fantastic. You can also see how his foot is totally lifted up there off the base - it's not resting on the fig stand at all.
Ah this is a good angle to see his foot kicked up too. He looks long and lean from this angle - definitely Junjun's proportions.
Again, really fantastic level of detail on the jacket here. It's hard to see all the patches clearly Junjun's photos, but if you scroll back and forth on the actual jacket photos you'll see this is an excellent rendering at this small of a scale.
You get a little bit of the flowy look of the pants here, while still preserving all the detail on his white and blue shoes. This fig maker does a phenomenal job!
Speaking of the shoes, this is a great angle for the detail on them.
Ahahaha, I see the wizards! And of course, instead of the name of the maison, we have Gong Jun's English name.
Here you definitely get the flowy lines of his pants, and please note the little fold line in his ear, so cute (wow, never in my life did I think I'd be commenting on a fig's ear fold, life really is stranger than fiction). His eyes are expressive and beautiful, and his hair is absolutely perfect! This is another great angle of those fancy shoes, too.
Here's a zoomed in pic of the front so you can see the really incredible level of detail.
I made sure to get a bottoms-up photo before I glued him on the standee!
The top down pic is not too exciting, I admit.
A+ box cards from this fig maker. Just like with yesterday's Shizuka card, she uses the actual background from the photo.
I can't believe I forgot to mention how much I love his rascally little quirked up smile there. My favorite! Junjun you cutie!
Thank you fig maker for literally listing out every piece of the inspiration for this fig on the box card! Even down to the time stamp. Amazing.
There wasn't any box art - these all came in plain white boxes, but no matter when the card art is this lovely.
Come back tomorrow to see the last fig in this series of releases!
Material: Resin
Fig Count: 346
Scene Count: 24
Rating: A varsity jacket has never looked so good!
[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]
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Annoying Trey Parker
If you don't know who Trey Parker is, might I suggest that that huge, dark object over your head is a rock you've been under for three years and you should come out from under it? I've been a fan of Trey Parker and Matt Stone since seeing Alferd Packer: The Musical about four years ago. I missed out on South Park at first, but when I finally did start watching it, I had no idea it was also by Trey and Matt. It did make a lot of sense when someone finally told me...anywho, how did I get ahold of Trey Parker to ask him these questions? Well, back when I first started the old website, I had a bunch of South Park stuff up, and one of the things was a series of questions I'd ask Matt and Trey...but not really. They were mostly stupid things that were just jokes. Well, somehow, Trey found the site and answered all the questions. This is why he got out of my standard Bad Taste and Simpsons questions. Yes, I feel stupid, but since I am so good at looking like an ass, anyway, what's a little help from one of the world's best satirists?
Me: In the song ''Blame Canada,'' Terrance and Phillip are referred to as cartoons, yet they interact with the people of South Park. Does this mean that the people are all cartoons and aware of that fact, or was ''cartoon'' just a better word in the song than ''movie?''
Trey: Shiela said they are actors, but Cartman said they were animated, but the movie IS a cartoon, dude.
M: In the South Park movie, was Big Gay Al cast in an anti-Canadian role as a testimony to the fact that ANYONE can succumb to biases, or was it just a cheap way to bring back a popular character?
T: It's just funny that they like him because it's a gay guy at a USO Show, gay and army usually don't mix.
M: Since it hurts to do Cartman's voice, do you find yourself sometimes conciously reducing his part or writing him out all together?
T: No, Cartman is the one who says the politically incorrect stuff that nobody else has the balls to say.
M: Does it bother you that people are always curious if you're gay even though it has absolutely NO baring whatsoever on your work and is a completely meaningless, stupid thing to wonder?
T: They do?
M: So...are you gay?
T: No, you seem like a big fan, ever heard of Lianne or Toddy?
(Lianne is the horse in Alferd Packer, but I don't know who Toddy is...)
M: How come the South Park home videos are still censored?
T: The people at Rhino are dicks sometimes.
M: Was the re-use of the stage name ''Juan Schwartz'' on the Mr. Hankey CD a signal to long time fans that there will be a Cannibal 2, or was it just a way to try and hide the fact that you two do all the voices?
T: We have long time fans?
M: Why the fuck was Orgazmo NC-17? Was it the dog humping scene? Was that scene fun to shoot? If you had to shoot that scene again, would you pick a different breed?
T: There is an unrated version out there somewhere too.
M: Was South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut always going to be an attack on the biased, idiotic MPAA, or did that just evovle because they really suck?
T: Both, just another group we hadn't offended enough yet
M: Tell me, if a group is an ''advisory'' board for parents, giving out ''suggestions,'' how is it that NO ONE under 17 was allowed into South Park without an adult, when surely a suggestion implies that parents should not allow their children to see it, not that the theatres should become some sort of police state just to keep underagers from YOUR film?
T: Ask the wangs who sell the tickets.
M: Whenever Hitler appears, he is always speaking gibberish. Is this a statement that people will follow along with anything if it's said well, or merely an indication of your lack of German skills?
T: That is all Matt's fault!!
M: How annoying is it when fans spot ''goofs'' that are actually jokes and make a big deal about how you fucked up? Like if someone said that Mr. Garrison's history lessons are very inaccurate or something.
T: Some people are complete retards.
M: DVDA should release an EP or something. You've already got at least 3 songs down.
T: In our spare time, right?
M: I hope you didn't try to answer that last one, as it wasn't a question.
T: I hate you now.
M: Nor was that.
T: I want to hit you.
M: If you two could be any type of fish, would you prefer Scooby Doo or erasable pens?
T: I want to bitchslap you and shoot frozen paintballs at you.
#trey parker#matt stone#interview#from the webarchive#GAY TREY TRUTHERS FALLEN TO THEIR KNEES myself included
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due to popular demand by a certain someone, here's the story about my little hitchhiker from the other party's pov:
I live in an urban area. Buildings, streets, sidewalks, cars, construction sites, you name it. I fly out of the nest, boom, suburbia. I see humans all the time.
Noctule bat is what they call us, or, in this particular place, small evening sailor. Personally, i think that's adorable. To clarify: i have nothing against humans. They're fine. I don't necessarily want one near me and it's not exactly ideal that they, you know, take away our prey and habitat with their lifestyle, but they're alright i guess.
However, encountering an actual live human in very close proximity was something I could have done without.
That night, just like every night since leaving the nest for the first time about three weeks ago, right after watching the big burning orb settle behind the horizon, my siblings and cousins and myself went out to hunt. We are mighty hunters of the night, if I do say so myself. Nobody else can hear a beetle crawl from nine feet away. And that's just our backup plan, in case our sonar fails.
Momma and all the aunts have warned us about the road and the vehicles on there. They also warned us about humans. Apparently, some of them are not very nice. Sometimes, when we were very little, they used to tell us this old urban legend about a human who literally bit off the head of one of our own! Like, who does that?! that's just sick. That's the scariest story I've ever been told during the daytime.
Tonight, I was about to find out how scary they really can be.
I don't know how and why, i must have not paid enough attention to my flight route, something had distracted me, but i flew too close to the road. Out of thin air one of those human vehicles appears, hits me straight in the face, needless to say i get thrown off course (YOU get hit by a ton of steel at high speed, we'll see if YOU immediately find your way back to your headed direction), i don't know where I'm going, it hits me AGAIN, and now the real horror begins.
I don't know where I am. I find a spot to sit. I usually hang upside down and avoid sitting on the ground, but it's okay. I need a break. I need to find out what happened. I need to make a plan. I need to catch my breath.
There's a lot of weird stuff around me. Most of it feels soft, but there's crinkly stuff too, and it makes rustling noises as I'm crawling through it. Speaking of noise: there is a lot of it. I have very sensitive ears and the noise is deafening. I don't like it. For some reason, the urban legend about the bitten off head comes to mind, and i shudder. That's also when I notice the human.
I've never seen one that up close. It's pretty big, bigger than you can imagine, and it too makes a noise, sounding kind of irritated.
I know for a fact that humans can't fly themselves, that's why they created these vehicles that do it for them, and apparently I'm IN one now. With a human. We're flying through the night at high speed, faster than I've ever flown before in my life, faster than anyone i know can fly. I'm holding on for dear life, praying that I'll make it out alive somehow.
Soon, we come to a stop. I keep very still. Lights flash. I'm not a big fan of lights if I gotta be honest here, it's too bright for my nocturnal eyes, and i frown. The human moves. A second later, another light, the brightest fucking light I've ever seen in my entire life is being pointed directly at me, and the human looks me straight in the eye. It screeches. I've heard them making that sound before, especially the little ones, but i'm not sure what it means. The human seems pretty upset though. It startles backwards, makes a few more of those harsh noises and disappears.
A moment later, i feel a stream of fresh air on my back and i turn around because i can smell the night, i can smell freedom. Unfortunately, the human is there too. I don't know how it got there that fast but i think it's reaching for me and i panic because, nuh uh, not today, no way I'm getting my head bitten off, no thanks. The open space between the human and the vehicle is very narrow, and according to my calculations it's a broad move, but I'm very brave, so i decide to make a run for it.
I fly directly at the human's face. I HAVE to. It's the only direction to go. It doesn't seem to like that, it makes that high noise again and frantically moves it's freakishly large long limbs. I miss it by mere inches. It's not like i TRIED to hit it and it certainly would have made it easier if it hadn't moved but I'm pretty proud of myself for managing to avoid it. It's not like WE bite off anyone's- nevermind. We actually do bite off insects' heads fairly often. But none of us would EVER bite off a human's head, not even our far removed cousins that drink other mammals' blood. What I'm saying is, pull yourself together, human, I'm just a small creature of the night trying to escape from your vehicle of hell.
I've made it. I'm free again. My heart's beating like crazy. I'm heading back East (i know where that is because i watched the big burning orb settle earlier, and as legend has it, it's always set in the West as long as we can remember), to the nest, where the rest of my family is gonna hear one hell of a story.
I've survived an encounter with a human. I'm a fucking hero returning from battle.
0/10 experience, do not recommend.
#bat#bats#story time#Ozzy Osbourne#writing#<< i guess. sure why not#witch-for-ordinary this is your fault. enjoy#for everybody who hasn't read my report‚ context: a bat flew into my car while i was literally listening to black sabbath#mp#halloween#spirit of halloween#the bat story#the bat incident#batman#black sabbath#anyway bye. god the tagging process is so silly why do i cringe so hard everytime i do it. yes i want my post to be seen sorry lmao
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It’s interesting how Scarlett and Chris were in the same phases of their career but you can see the vast difference between them in terms of artistry. Scarlett managed to get good diverse roles which showed her maximum acting potential (e.g. Marriage story, Jojo Rabbit, Sing) post-MCU, and Chris’ seems to be stuck (or maybe that’s already his peak lol) despite getting roles opposite of Captain America./// In fact, if objectively assessed, of all the original Avengers, only Scarlett has a successful career (not in terms of money and periodic bursts of popularity, but in terms of the quality of her roles). If you look at her, she is much more famous in the world than Chris. And this is a merit, including the choice of her roles and films that can reveal her potential. As far as I know, she chooses very carefully. Chris seems to only pick what is guaranteed to bring in a lot of money, or where his industry friends are filming. And in my opinion, this is his weak point. He doesn’t focus on his acting skills, but on the appearance and status of an Internet boyfriend/former Cap. He is certainly an attractive man and for now he can use his sexuality (which he actually does, especially the TGM press tour) but in a few years he will begin to noticeably age and this is a normal process. And what will he bet on then the question is 🤷🏽♀️
Guess he probably think this status will last forever
It's so funny how some people want to make it seem his team is the one that pushes him back from successful roles.
He's comfortable, and he's entering in a phase where he either blows out or sinks. And seems like he wants to go for the blow out without taking risks (that reminds me of someone 🤔). Somebody should tell Chris quality tops quantity. Doing 2 mediocre movies and a secondary role (and I'm being too optimistic on Ghosted being mediocre), won't be a better choice than taking one mind-blowing project a year. He started amazing with Knives Out, but it kept going down every year.
It's still his choice. And, as of now, he's still able to choose among a lot of scripts and pick the one that's more comfortable for him. But if his plan is to keep the stability, he'll need to work differently.
Also I feel he's deceiving himself by believing he has more power and has a bigger fandom than what he actually does. He's relying too much on that sense, but that doesn't last forever and not every fan will go to the movies or pay for a streaming site only for him.
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how do i learn to think for myself and do my own research before forming my own opinions on issues? how do i find unbiased sources? i feel like i'm too easily influenced my own good. like if a blog i like say "bloobo beeping is bad and everyone who ever blobbed is a beep" i will start to think its true even though i dont know if it is or doubt it. especially if the person i admire and trust their opinion.
This is a great question! We often talk about how media literacy is really important, but we don't always talk about how to actually evaluate the information that we get.
Finding an Unbiased Source
The first thing I would suggest is checking out the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart. This is a resource that ranks sources based on their left-right bias and how factual their reporting is. The sources that are at the top towards the middle and middle-left are generally trustworthy. The ones below the green line should be treated with caution, and may be trying to convince you to take a particular point of view. If you see a person talking about an issue on social media, it's best to assume that they're towards the bottom of the chart unless you have reason to believe otherwise (they're a journalist associated with a respectable news outlet, they're an expert in their field, etc).
Logical Fallacies
Once we know what sources are generally reliable, it’s important to understand how data can be distorted. This is a good introduction to some of the common logical fallacies that are used when trying to convince people of a point. Logical fallacies are common types of mistakes that people make when putting together an argument, and they're important to look out for when you're being introduced to a new idea. Logical fallacies are especially common on social media sites like Reddit and Tumblr, but they also appear in more “official” media like news articles and online publications. These include arguments like the Slippery Slope argument (“If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers.”), hasty generalizations (”even though it’s only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course.”), begging the claim (”Filthy and polluting coal should be banned.”), and ad hominem attacks (”Green Peace’s strategies aren’t effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies.”) among others. If you see a person using a logical fallacy to support their argument, it might be worth asking why they're resorting to that kind of tactic instead of letting the facts speak for themselves.
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: Data Manipulation
It's also really important to understand how data and statistics can be manipulated in order to support a given claim. We see this a lot in the news lately- both sides of a debate appear to have equally valid "facts" that totally contradict one another. This is usually because one side (or both sides) are manipulating the statistics to make them look like they support the claim that's being made, even when they really don't.
For example, people will use “relative risks” to make a problem look bigger than it actually is. Saying that murders have doubled sounds like a huge problem, but it’s not really that big of an issue if the number of murders went from 1 to 2. Similarly, people will use “only x number of people” or “over x number of people” to make a problem sound bigger or smaller, even if the reality is that it’s the same number of people. This powerpoint from UCSD does a good job of illustrating some of the more common ways that data is manipulated to prove a point.
Graphs and other visuals can also be manipulated to make a problem seem bigger or smaller than it actually is. For example, this graph was shown in Congress to convince people to defund Planned Parenthood in the US:
The red arrow shows abortions increasing over time and cancer screenings and other preventative services decreasing over time. This isn’t an outright lie, but the graph above is actually two graphs overlaid and hasn’t been corrected for scale. When you correct for scale, it looks more like this:
Which is a way different takeaway than the first graph had.
When talking about statistics, it’s also important to remember that correlation does not equal causation. This is a logical fallacy like the ones we were talking about before. If you want to be fancy, it's called "post hoc ergo propter hoc". It just means that someone is assuming that if ‘A’ happened after 'B’ then 'B’ must have caused 'A.'
For example, here’s a graph of people who died by falling out of their beds compared against the number of lawyers in Puerto Rico. At first glance, it might seem like these two are related in some way, since the graphs line up (they’re correlated). But obviously, people dying by falling out of their beds has no impact on the number of lawyers in Puerto Rico or vice versa. There’s no causal relationship between the two of them.
Once you understand the ways that media can be manipulated, it becomes easier to think critically about what you’re reading, hearing, or seeing.
Some Questions To Ask Yourself
When you interact with something new, there are a few questions you should ask yourself in addition to keeping your eyes open for logical fallacies and data manipulation.
Who is the author? What is their bias?
What is the publication? What is its bias?
What is the author's purpose for writing this article?
What is the author's point of view on this issue?
What is the author trying to convince me of?
What assumptions is the author making in this article? Try to challenge these claims in your own mind.
Be wary of articles that are using emotional words or manipulation in their headlines ("politician SLAMS innocent young girl for suggesting that families are important" or "Perverted teacher indoctrinates kindergarteners into CRT cult!"). Also be wary of articles that ask a question in the headline ("are teachers indoctrinating our children?" or "will playing video games give you cancer?"). The answer to any headline question is pretty much always "no".
If you can, look for other sources that corroborate what you’re reading (especially if it’s a social media post) and sources that challenge what you’re reading. Getting a full picture of the issue is important in being able to critically interact with media even if you already know which side you think you agree with. Try to consider alternative explanations for the issue and the larger context of what you’re reading about to prevent just taking the article at face value.
Lastly, it’s important to understand your own biases and how they might impact what you believe when interacting with new information. Humans are prone to confirmation bias (interpreting new information as confirmation of our existing beliefs, or throwing out information that doesn’t mesh with our existing beliefs), and so it’s important to understand what your biases are in order to critically interact with new information. The goal is to be open to new information but aware of all of the extraneous factors that complicate our relationship to media. Many people see changing their mind as a weakness, but I see it as the ultimate strength. How great is it that we can grow and change the more we learn? How great is it that every day, we have the opportunity to be just a bit better than we were yesterday? Being able to admit that we were wrong is important for emotional growth, and I wish more people were willing to do it.
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Newsletter #53: The advert for new Prada Beauty perfume Paradoxe directed by Emma Watson
More and more I’ve been trying to lean into the things that make me, me. Getting a bit obsessed and involved over a particular image, show, campaign or music video is always something I’ve enjoyed doing, but I’ve never really shared it anywhere. But recently, I realised that it could be the way I interact more on social media. I know, social media can be a cesspit of human fails, but it also can be a creative outlet. I just think I’ve always assumed that this outlet involved me having to do dances that make me feel silly, bare my soul, sell my soul for products or rant at the world. Instead I can use it to share the things I’m interested in and if you’re interested too, then hey, it serves another purpose.
So this week’s obsession has been the advert for the new refillable Prada perfume: Paradoxe. Here’s why it’s interesting to me.
What’s a paradox?
Firstly, in case you’re sat there wondering exactly what is a paradox - like I was; it’s a statement that may seem contradictory but can be true, or at least make sense. For example, the phrase, ‘less is more.’
The hashtag for the campaign is in itself a paradox: #neverthesamealwaysmyself hints at how although we are individuals, we can take on many forms, literally and figuratively.
The campaign
Prada chose actress and activist Emma Watson to be the muse and invited her to write her own script, narrate the story and direct the visuals. It’s actually been hilarious to read some of the comments on sites such as The Daily Fail; a lot of men seem to be really upset that the Harry Potter actress got the gig. What’s interesting is the seeming action of putting the actress in charge, of her vision, how we see her; several comments on YouTube suggest that viewers are truly involved and invested in learning more about Emma not just the new fragrance. I find that interesting because of course it could be a gamble for the brand; this could be a move that’s bigger for the actress than the perfume.
It does seem believable that the vision we’re being shown comes very much from Emma; she has often expressed distaste at how forceful societal norms can be - how turning 30 supposedly means you should have life figured out, have a partner and a family etc. In the ad she asks why should she be framed, when the boxes we create are too small? She says she is always herself, no matter her imperfections, her mood or what is happening. She even goes so far as to say: ‘I am partnered with life itself’, which echoes something she said a few years ago about being ‘self-partnered’ and at the time that statement was widely mocked in the press and online.
Today it’s a refreshing message and definitely works with Prada’s own iconic minimalism. Miuccia Prada has been at the helm of the family brand since 1978, and she is the one who instilled an almost severe yet fun approach to fashion. Her collections have often looked a little like school uniforms, from pleated skirts and crisp button-up shirts to stiff coats, but there’s always been an element of frivolity.
When it comes to the new ad, the brand’s own ideals are still there, but there is also a strong reference to ‘90s ideals and beliefs, especially where imaginings of what the future might look like are concerned. For instance the multiple television screens and industrial settings, complete with puddles and heavy boots, definitely look back to music video trends of the ‘90s. It’s also got this dreamy yet earthy vibe - kind of a hopeful note – showing Emma doing yoga surrounded by nature, dancing in the open air and painting a huge work of art. While it does show Emma wearing a virtual reality headset, which is of course a nod to our immediate, very real future, it still feels like a very idealist and yet nostalgic vision of the future, which might make sense as the actress is in her 30s.
While descriptions of the fragrance so far have been limited to big, fruity and floral with hints of leather, as per the Fragrantica site, on Prada Beauty’s YouTube channel a list of three ingredients and descriptions (perhaps reflecting the 3 sides of the isosceles triangle that also denotes the iconic Prada logo) go as follows:
The freshness of Neroli buds
The sensuality of Amber
The intensity of Musk
While that’s a limited description it does sound like something I’d want to try - I love musk and am definitely into the freshness of Neroli. Those three notes also feature in Narciso Rodriguez’s 2021 Neroli Ambree fragrance, which is quite fruity. On the new Prada Beauty Instagram there is also imagery showing vanilla pods, and on their website they mention Jasmine, so I’m not sure if all of these ingredients feature in the new fragrance or if there’s something else we can expect.
One thing’s for sure, I don’t think it will be long before Prada lovers will have to wait for makeup - back in 2019 Prada signed a contract with L’Oreal to license their fragrances so makeup is likely to be next. I’m personally quite excited about this, as Prada’s always been one of the fashion houses to skew our definitions of beauty when it comes to its shows. The legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath is often the one that Prada calls on to create magical, sometimes futuristic, always imperfect makeup looks behind the scenes, so I’m really intrigued as to where a potential makeup collection could take us.
For me what is most interesting is just how Prada has managed to capture our attention - even if it’s only until the next beauty launch. The brand has of course launched other perfumes - I used to wear Candy myself - but it seems like it’s enjoying a new evolution since designer Raf Simons joined Miuccia Prada as Co-creative director in 2020. It’s been said that Raf himself is obsessed with the Prada triangle, so I’m wondering if he had any influence over the ad as we see the triangle referenced in buildings, in Emma’s Euphoria-style eye makeup and in her Prada earrings.
Of course the biggest celebration of the triangle comes in the shape of the bottle of Prada Paradoxe.
The triangle bottle has rounded edges for softness and the perfume itself is a coral pink, which actually reminds me of the younger Prada brand, Miu Miu. I really like the deep black lid and I think it might provide a hint re how the potential branding of a makeup line could look. I did read on the Fashion Law that back in June last year the brand trademarked a simplified, black version of their branding, and that makes perfect sense for a strong beauty look. Also, it should be noted that Prada has never taken part in logomania culture – as often utilised by Louis Vuitton and Gucci, and instead has always preferred to hint at luxury or coolness, remaining discreet and minimalist, so again it would be interesting to see how that plays out in makeup, or even possibly skincare. It’s still early days but so far I’m seeing a lot of people comparing the bottle with the Guess triangle and the bottle of the Valentino V fragrance from 2005. What I’m really after are real reviews of the fragrance itself. Watch the full ad here:
What do you think? Are you ready for Prada Beauty?
Find out more at https://www.prada-beauty.com/paradoxe.html
If you’d like to receive this newsletter each week, direct to your inbox, please subscribe at https://beautymenotes.substack.com/
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Various Picrews Of My Characters
Gonna be kinda long to scroll thru just cuz of the amount of images so im putting it under a read more :)
Just in case you aren't aware. Picrew is a site that hosts artist made character makers. So none of these are my own art. Most of them have a signature on them if you want to look up the artist. If not, ask me and i can probably find the picrew link to give you.
Also as a note: none of these are 100% accurate. Theyre picrews, not my actual art so of course not every detail will be correct.
And another note: OH MY GOD PICREWS ONLY EVER HAVE STRAIGHT HAIR OPTIONS?? WHERE IS THE CURLY HAIR?? ID EVEN SETTLE FOR WAVY??? EVEN JUST SLIGHTLY FLUFFY SO I CAN MAKE ORION?? PLEASE???? But fr anything other than flat sleek hair feels like a godsend. Also good non white skin types??? Pleeeeaaaasssseeeeeee. Its so hard i need smth more than just 30 shades of pale, some non human colors, and then like 2 darker shades which both dont look good. Edit: JUST FOUND ONE THAT JUST????? DOESNT HAVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN PAPER WHITE???? Theres just no other skin options, yall im- i cant do this no more.
Young Cherry:
She used to wear all black!! No red or pink at all when her and Sana first met, despite them being her favorite colors.
A softer look for Ai
While she loves the pop of black, white, and gold she gives to her outfits sometimes some softer pastel colors can be a good look as well!
Wyv My Beloved:
He's talking about dragon types :)
Au ideas:
So i have a lot of "Bad End" Aus floating around where Ai does give in to Volo's allure of making a better world. I mean, hasn't she suffered enough? Hasn't she worked hard enough for it? In the end i think all it comes down to is Ai's familial bond with Ingo versus her romantic bond with Volo. Who managed to make a bigger impact on her after she was kicked out by Kamado? If it was Volo then i genuinely think she could be swayed to work with him to confront Arceus. In this particular version of it i think the two would strike a deal. Ai pretends to take on Volo and win. Everything continues as normal up until she fights + captures arceus. Suddenly she's giggling like a madwoman. Volo and her had done it. Arceus was hers. But the two quickly realize it isn't enough power in this sliver of Arceus to actually remake the world. But. It was enough to remake themselves. And to change some things. At this point Ai has mostly regained her memory of modern day, and she wants back. Volo wants into her time as well. It sounds so much better than the miserable place they were stuck. Ai just wants to see Orion again and show him how powerful she's become! And wants NOTHING to do with her dad ever again. So her and Volo reforge their own bodies. Volo changes almost nothing, being who he is this isn't very surprising. Ai just wants her hair color gone. The last reminder of her dad. She wants Orions hair color. Why couldn't she have gotten that to begin with? And while she's at it, Orion always had such pretty eyes. She'll look just like her big brother! (That's who she think Orion is with her not all quite there memory. . An older brother who moved out, leaving her alone with her dad. But she doesn't blame him. She would leave too if she could have.) Ai is someone full of a lot of love. She loves Orion so so So much. And she loves Volo so so So much. But in two very different ways. In this Au they arent exactly....healthy ways. She becomes obsessive. And Volo just feeds into it. He adores how dedicated she is to him. And he's dedicated to her as well. She controls Arceus, and she could beat him in battle so he respects her a LOT. Anyway, they go back to modern times, bringing a VERY concerned Ingo along with them. (Ingo knows they shouldn't be doing this. And Ai seems so... different. But he just wants to go home) When the three arrive in modern Unova Orion and Emmet are relieved but when Orion sees Ai they are.... surprised to say the least. They are greeted by basically a tiny femme version of himself...? Ai seems ecstatic, almost maniacally so, and explains to Orion what happened and introduces Volo. Orion finds something familiar in Volos appearance, but chooses to ignore it for now as more pressing matters are at hand. Orion seems concerned, even somewhat judgemental of Ais actions, but when Ai's anger quickly flares and Volo gets a very dangerous look in his eyes with his hand on a pokeball Orion backs off. Orion can clearly see how unstable Ai is but he doesn't know what to do. One false move and Ai might just remake him as well, changing him to a puppet that fits her fantasy world. Anyway yeah thats where i left off in the daydream lol. This will never be canon but its fun to think of what ifs :)
Young Orion: The teen years
He spent a lot of time with Ai at this point in time and was starting getting serious in his fashion pursuits. Ai was dropped off at him and Aerow's parents house a lot so Orion + his parents could babysit Ai while Aerow and his wife wanted to have a date night. The barretes were placed there by Ai(they were in her hair originally, but toddler Ai knew orion liked stars and so she confidently decided they belonged on him now)
Ai Visits Oliver:
I do have an eventual meet up for Ai, Oliver, Hime, and Wyv planned one day. Despite 3 of them being based in Unova and only one in Galar, Oliver manages to convince them to meet up in Galar if they pay for the travel expenses. (Oliver is uh... a tad loaded after becoming champion) Oliver cannot wait to brag and show them around Galar so they tell the other 3 to bring "nothing but the essentials". Oliver (after FINALLY getting to reveal their the galar champion) then takes them all on a shopping spree to get the clothes they will be wearing in Galar. Oliver manages to convince Ai to get some more dressy clothes while they are out and about.
Nova, A Messy Introduction:
Nova is a name for another OC who i ended up scrapping. But i realized the name Nova fit my character from Violet VERY well. And i wanted to turn her appearance into an OC anyway. (yeah if u ever wonder why my OCs that are the "main" character for that game story are girly looking its cuz i think "pretty" or "cute" looking characters are more fun to play as. Whether that be male of female is fine w me but u usually get better clothing options as a girl character ofc that didnt end up mattering this time around.) Anyway, meet Nova! She is originally from Paldea but moved to Galar with her mom at the age of 7. 6 years later at the age of 13 Nova moved back to Paldea with her mom. This makes her the youngest of any main characters. She is very childlike and innocent in a lot of ways and is also very proper. The idea of being anything other than a perfect mannered kid is somewhat appalling to her. However, her idea of prefect mannered isn't always the same as everyone else's. She doesn't follow rules, she follows morals? in a way? Which 90% of the time lines up with whatever rules are in place. However if something is against the rules but the correct thing to do she won't even consider before she does it. She doesn't really think before acting as she always has her mind made up pretty early on. Very confident but not in an arrogant way. She isn't your typical middle schooler kid and isn't rude or angsty like many others end up being. She is naturally very curious and loves to do well in anything she tries. A bit of Gifted Kid Syndrome and doesn't know how to handle failure. And take all of this w a grain of salt im just brainstorming lol
Ai At A Festival In Hisui:
She would love dressing up and always is planning her outfit to be made at the tailor's the second she hears about an upcoming event. That festival hosted at the end of the game was so much fun and it was wonderful seeing al her hard work paying off.
Bad End Ai Versus Normal Ai:
Quite a difference if i have to say. Normal Ai is still a lil not ok after everything. But she is generally a very well adjusted adult. Just a little prone to panic attacks and could body slam you into next tuesday both physically and in a pokemon battle. Also a lot more confident after everything. But also unable to have confidence in a lot of ways? Like i said she's a lil not ok.
More Nova:
more picrews of the bby. i think either this picrew didnt have the right skin tone for her or i was just tired and forgot to change it lol.
Unnamed Water/Ghost Trainer:
I've drawn her a couple times but have no concrete ideas for her. I just know she has really long hair that looks kinda wet and i wanter her to have "drowned ghost" vibes.
More Wyv!:
I literally love him so much. I wish i could draw dudes easier cuz he's such a great character and i've had so many ideas for his character recently.
Young Ai.... she's so smol...:
Look at how small the bby is. This is an older picrew i did of her, you can tell cuz she still had blue eyes in this one instead of gold. But yeah this is young Ai before she even started dying her hair. She probably still had a pretty good relationship w her dad and was still pretty messed up over the death of her mom but wasn't an overly unhappy kid all things considered.
Another "Bad End" Ai:
So basically, she dies after getting kicked out of Jubilfe. She at first tries to make her way to Ingo but manages to freeze to death in the snowy area after being attacked by a pokemon before reaching him. So she turns into a hisuian zoroark. And yeah basically thats it. She's a ghost now and takes her death out on everyone she can get her hands on. Eventually rumors of the banished member of the galaxy team reach Jubilife and Rei goes out to investigate. She spares him and tells him what happened, promising that when she returns to Jubilfe to take out Kamado that she would leave Rei and Laventon alone. Rei nervously thanks her and on sking legs runs back to the nearest base camp where Laventon is. Rei talks to him and they now have to figure out what to do about her. Basically i just like making Ai turn evil and want revenge on the world. She can have a little murder. As a treat :)
Brooke and Merida:
Two of Olivers friends. They are a tft lesbian couple who specialize in water and fire types respectively. And by that i mean Brooke (the red one) owns a vaporeon as their main pokemon and Meridas (the blue one) ace is a flareon. Yeah. They think its hilarious. Both of em are pretty big gamers and are the only two Oliver would hesitantly admit are better than them at something.
Despite the fact that i could keep adding picrews forever and ever i'm going to stop here as to not make it obscenely long. Expect a part 2 :)
#picrew#pokemon oc#oc: orion#oc: wyv#oc: cherry#oc: ai#oc: nova#oc: brooke#oc: merida#not my art#long post
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An Update
July 21st, 2011
Hello there,
It’s me, Gareth.
I thought I’d write a blog post to let you know what the haps are at the moment, as those of you who follow us on any one of a MILLION social networking sites that I type shit on, will likely be aware that our new album is all but finished and we’re very excited about it.
I know that a lot of people get frustrated during the period of time between an album being declared “finished” and the album’s actual release, so I thought I’d let you know what’s going on at the moment.
Right now, our main man and sound guru, Tom is exchanging final mixes with producer John Goodmanson, pruning every last note and drum hit to make sure every song sounds as perfect as it can.
“I think the lead guitar line treads over the vocal a little bit there, maybe pan it right rather than down the center”
All stuff like that that I’m nowhere near intelligent enough to hear without prompting. It’s so exciting hearing newer and newer mixes and the songs becoming bigger and better. Perhaps it’s presumptuous to think everyone will know what’s meant by mixing, so, without wanting to patronise:
Recording: being in a studio, playing the songs. Recording what’s played.
Mixing: putting everything that’s been recorded together. Making sure every part is at the right volume, making sure it sits nicely in the speakers or yr headphones or doesn’t sound too terrible when you decide to play it through YOUR SHITTY TINNY MACBOOK SPEAKERS. Ahem.
Next comes mastering, next week in fact. But even after recording and releasing as much music as we have, I still really don’t understand that. I generally just chip in with “make the gap between songs 3 and 4 half a second longer, maybe, idk?”.
So by the time of mastering, we’ll have nailed a final tracklisting, something which seems so close but is so important that it’s really hard to finally settle on something. And that’s why I would never dream of listening to an album on shuffle. They’re in that order for a reason, y’know?
This is one of my favourite parts of being in a band, though. I love writing the songs down in order, looking at how the songtitles look written next to eachother, and what story the titles alone can tell. Thinking how the narrative will develop across an album, and where the curveballs will come.
As this goes on, so does artwork. This doesn’t just mean cover art, but liner notes aswell. We’ve always taken great pride in our artwork and making sure our records are something worth owning physical copies of. This is the first time I’m handwriting the lyrics. It’s such a personal record that it seems completely appropriate/necessary.
In the meantime, we’re also working out Pre-Order Bundles. Stuff for you ‘normies’ and extra-special, exclusive stuff for Heat Rash members. A band like ours wants/needs as many people to pre-order the album as possible, so we’re trying to come up with stuff that you’d be silly to miss out on.
What sort of things do you want in a pre-order? What would you be excited by?
Oh and there are music videos and things to think about. A particularly troublesome matter, but one that will hopefully fall into place easily.
And then, of course, we have to be able to play the album live. We’re particularly looking forward to this. The songs are so massive and powerful on record, and I can’t even begin to imagine how much damage we could do with them live. Comewhat November (which is when the album’ll be released, and when we’ll be playing some proper (ie, non-festival) gigs) we’ll be a band with 4 records under our belts. It’s gonna be such a challenge to work out what to play. I hope we’ll be able to play much more varied sets, and I also hope we’ll have the balls to relegate some early-career set staples to the substitutes’ bench. This record is where we are now, as musicians, and as human beings, and I cannot wait for us to be able to present it to you.
Well, that’s quite a rambling post, but I thought some of you might like to be kept in the loop.
If you’ve any Qs (reasonable ones, obv) relating to this sort of stuff, feel free to stick ‘em below.
ATB (All The Best),
Gareth
ps. OH YEH, HEAT RASH UPDATE: as is probably clear, our commitments to recording an album/completing an album/playing festivals has slowed HR issue #2 down a little, but it really is very close to being finished, and I’m really proud of it. It’s a lot more focused than the first issue, the songs are wonderful and interesting undertakings and the written content is, I’d say, more personal and meaty. Thanks for your patience.
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