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suffarustuffaru · 5 months

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why the emilia camp thinks otto is their most threatening member 👍

i see some people being confused on why the emilia camp collectively seems to agree that otto is the biggest threat there for some reason and like. yeah. i get it.

but let me explain real quick why i think it makes sense for the emilia camp to think that :O !!

otto though is disarming because. well okay look at him he doesnt look threatening at all. he has the looks and personality of a wet cat. hes whiny. hes cringe fail. he gets stressed out with paperwork. he looks like you could just smack him around like a bug. he HAS been smacked around like a bug. but that makes him unpredictable because apart from roswaal, he is the Most Amoral one there. you can expect roswaal to be trying some shit, but youd never know when to expect otto is planning something. his moral compass is just “does this benefit me or my loved ones in some way? if not, then its gonna be gone 🥺”.

sure, he does nice things sometimes out of the goodness of his heart. he genuinely means well a lot of the time.

but also then you read the shit hes thinking in his internal dialogue and its like.

“should i go save some girl i dont even know from bandits??? hmm lemme think for a couple minutes. im the only one that can help rn… some guy claiming to be her dad is begging me to help his daughter, but also hes kind of annoying… but i dont even live in this city so why should i help… or Care. actually. but i feel kinda bad about this girl… but also this is gonna put me and my profits in danger… but if i reject helping then im forever gonna be known as the guy who abandoned them and then i wont be able to make any sales in this city anymore :<<<< ……anyway im gonna help them then lol im so smart.” and then he gets captured by the exact same bandits anyway so hes like “well okay now me and this girl might be sold into slavery so i might as well save both of us or ill feel bad ☝️☝️”

(yes. yes this is genuinely ottos thought process if you read through the Otto's Bittersweet Peddling Log side story.)

except all the back and forth Calculation he does in his head Stays In His Head and doesnt match up with his outward appearance most of the time. which means that sometimes his words dont match up with his actions. “dont be surprised if i leave at the first sign of danger,” he says, right after risking his life and writing a suicide note over a dude hes known for like four days. “ahah thanks for giving me a vacation to see my family…” he says, damn well knowing he cant go back home yet otherwise he’ll get sniped by assassins. “im gonna give you some of my own money bounty money to help you BUT BUT BUT DONT THINK THAT IM NICE OR ANYTHING I NEED MOST OF THE MONEY FOR REPAIRS OK YOU CAN ONLY HAVE A BIT :<<<“

this also means that whenever otto says or does something Particularly Questionable, all his friends are still kinda blindsided by it because otherwise otto seems Mostly Fine in comparison to whatever the hell everyone else has going on. hes just a wet pathetic cat of a guy ahah. theres nothing more going on with h—

“if everyone in vollachia dies but rem and natsuki-san live, then we’ve won. if everyone in vollachia lives but rem and natsuki-san die, then we’ve lost.”

um otto can you repeat that. what the fuck did you just say.

otto looks Mostly Normal, Just Stressed Out or Somewhat Chilling the vast majority of the time, and then he whacks you over the head with a steel chair. like can you imagine being garfiel and learning that this pathetic rag of a man is actually pretty brave when it counts. youre like “oh cool lol we kinda beat each others asses and i was Annoyed but now that thats all over i got some newfound respect for you!!” and then you read through his diary and hes got a suicide note in there, which is like. okay fine whatever hes kind of a clown just like my New Captain lol but hes dedicated to his friends, ill give him that. and then a year later you find your now brother figure (whos also lowkey highkey an alcoholic) with a broken hand after punching a wall because he couldnt do his Lets Abandon 50 Million People Plan and youre just sitting there going

and okay dont get me wrong—subaru is Batshit Crazy. in Multiple Incomprehensible Ways. if the emilia camp (or Anyone. At All.) knew about all the shit hes done and been through with rbd, subaru would INSTANTLY be skyrocketing up the Most Threatening People list. but at the same time subarus less threatening than otto in the sense that subarus Always going to want to do good. hes Always going to want to save everyone. hes Extremely forgiving, on top of that. he goes along picking up friends everywhere he goes in his own Incomprehensible Unhinged Way and hes fond of All of them.

otto? yeah his opinion of you could shift on a dime and you could end up in his personal shit list unless youre one of the *checks list* *clears throat* maybe like ten people he cares about. and even if youre on the I Care About You! :) list, he could still get pissed enough at you to, i dont know, punch a wall over you? and spiral into obsession? and even if hes not upset at you hes still gonna mansplain manipulate malewife his way to his goals <33

and yeah of course subaru is also Mansplain Manipulate and Gaslight Gatekeep but at least he has way more good intentions AND his attitude about it is gonna be like "sorry :<<< i just gotta do this for your sake :<<<<<< :((( haha dont worry about it". subaru would never ever want to do anything big to hurt his loved ones (except for rbd). while otto doesnt even bat an eye. everyone can be manipulated if he has to. he goes down his list of Things I Need To Do and goes "yeah that had to be done. oh well. anyway i got more shit to do (like maybe kill a toddler lol)"

also lets talk about roswaal's perspective really quick. post-arc 4 hes like "well subaru-kun is always gonna want to save everyone and hes doing a pretty good job of things in general so whatever lol. i can still keep him in check by killing everyone if even one of his friends dies :)". so its like. YEAH subarus an Unhinged Wildcard. roswaal knows that. but right now subaru is more predictable and also again, roswaal knows he can keep subaru in check by making subaru have to reset if roswaal really needs to.

but otto? yeah ottos second in line for being an Unhinged Wildcard. but whats even worse is that otto is Basically Subaru but More Calculating and with a moral backbone thats Near Nonexistent. roswaal was genuinely concerned for otto in arc 8 for once and there was still Literally No Stopping Otto from being a stubborn little shit whos hell bent on all the maladjusted insane mentalities hes got floating around in his head, half of which he doesnt even say out loud, and all of which he thinks is Completely Right and that theres Nothing Wrong with what hes doing.

and also otto being underestimated and Not In The Tome was a big help as to how subaru got the win over roswaal in arc 4 👍and then otto Continues to try keeping an eye on roswaal after arc 4, to the point of getting roswaal's tome and actively trying to investigate roswaal's actions, so roswaal is Very Aware that otto is. a bit of a threat. roswaal of course is smarter and more powerful than otto though, but that still doesnt change the fact that otto is still capable of being a threat if roswaal doesnt Also kind of keep an eye on otto back. because roswaal kind of lost to otto already in arc 4!!

but okay, on top of all of this, no one knows the full extent of whats going on with otto, not even roswaal (though he has his Suspicions), and most definitely not subaru yet (whos Still a bit of an otto apologist anyway), and otto is already a bit menacing even without knowing All of that. and the rest of the emilia camp are already a bit more lenient with roswaal (as hes seemingly chilled out after arc 4 + they all need him still). that, and you can easily Expect roswaal post-arc 4 to be suspicious and Probably up to something. you wont know what it is, but you wont Exactly be surprised when it happens.

and also roswaal isnt publicly batshit crazy like otto is. otto of course isnt as Openly Weird as subaru, but otto is still Openly Unhinged and Pathetic. just look at him declaring julius and anastasia, HIS CAMP'S ALLIES, as enemies right to their faces alsdfjlsdjfl.

and with subaru, there is Zero doubt in the emilia camp's minds that subaru wants the best for them and everyone around them.

otto though? yeah he also wants whats best for the camp. he Cares about them, he really does. but hes so obviously Questionable by the time you get to arc 8 to the point where the entire rest of the camp starts eyeing him like this:

theres also the fact that ottos dp allows him to have eyes and ears Everywhere so long as he doesnt overuse it. that paired with his Intelligence, Stubbornness, and Lack of Morals or self-awareness/sometimes guilt/regret over his actions is dangerous. theres a reason why gluttony if subaru decided to flood The Entire Surrounding Area Around Otto. the flood took away the potential army otto couldve made out of the animals and allies otto had in the city, and once you do that, whats otto going to do against someone like shaula? all of ottos power regarding his People Skills and Animal DP was stripped away.

but if that Isnt stripped away... well honestly otto can do whatever the hell he wants the moment he figures out a solid plan to try and get what he wants. his biggest ability at the core of what makes him dangerous is his ability to quite Literally be in the background. so long as hes underestimated, so long as he still has secrets, no ones gonna know the full extent of his bullshit!! you cant stop him if you dont even realize what hes going to do, and hes Good at doing that!!

and if gluttonybaru hadnt taken out otto, subaru would be skyrocketing right to the top of ottos shit list after subaru literally just killed All of ottos (and previously subarus.) loved ones. otto wouldnt stop until he figured out how to destroy subaru. its to the point where im pretty sure if otto had to choose between destroying half the world vs kill gluttonybaru once and for all, otto would certainly choose one of those options in a Heartbeat.

anyway. if youre an emilia camp member, and you see the dude whos in charge of the Vast Majority of the factions political affairs, the guy who you Know is very intelligent and competent and determined when it counts, say shit like "if everyone dies in this entire country i wouldnt even give a single flying fuck as long as our friends get back safe and sound :) it would be such a loss if the entire country lived but our friends didnt :<<<" OF COURSE I WOULD BE LIKE YEAH THAT GUY IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ONE HERE. HE HAS THE SKILLS AND THE MOTIVATION TO BACK UP THAT STATEMENT AND I WONT EVEN KNOW WHEN ITD HAPPEN. he also has the Mental Instability to back that up too, given the amount of times he spends drinking and Raging and Being Terribly Anxious over Every Little Thing.

youll be sweating buckets being wary of otto while ottos casually standing there with his wet cat looks and a knife in your back.

and otto has, for the most part, some of the most normal trauma compared to a bunch of people in this cast (not to discount ottos trauma and pain or anything but its true lajdsfls sorry otto. but also im not sorry because arc 5 was partially on you T^T). he doesnt have rbd, he doesnt have some weird family drama bullshit going on like the astreas or emilias family or the segmunts, he hasnt been erased by gluttony, etc etc. but hes still like this. if you put him in subarus position and gave him rbd, he would get even worse than he already is.

yeah so anyway thats my quick rambley psa about why i think it makes sense that the emilia camp's voted otto as the most threatening one there 👍

but the fact that we (the audience) (or at least some of us!!) keep questioning why the hell the emilia camp thinks otto is the biggest threat there is means that otto's funny silly guy image is. Kind of Working??? just a little bit.

because. granted. of course i think subaru is easily the most threatening person there with both His Flavor of Insanity and rbd. subaru is an eldritch horror in every single way. but at the same time - hes an eldritch horror who thinks friendship is the best magic of all T^TT !!! he FORGIVES PEOPLE WHO'VE KILLED AND TORTURED HIM. hes not threatening in this sense - the fact that hes kind of just way too nice in this sense!!! granted yes, he IS abusing rbd and Terrifying and Threatening in a multitude of ways, but i'd rather take my chances with mainbaru over main otto right now HAH T^TT at least subaru will apologize and start bawling his eyes out if he stabs some random innocent civilian and stranger in the gut for Some Necessary Reason!! otto would feel a bit bad and then completely Eradicate that feeling of guilt with "i had to do it. it was them or me so no regrets <3".

because otto..................... yeah otto is the Worlds Most Pathetic Yandere to his whole camp.

#this is an impromptu ramble post i made again while taking a break from homework alsjdflsd but yeah ive been seeing people Still being #confused about this over on reddit so i felt like typing smth up about it just to try and figure this topic out!!! bc you think the emilia #camp would be voting up like roswaal as their most dangerous member right??? but no!! its canonically otto!! which is very fascinating hah.#and it genuinely doesnt make sense at first until you think about it for. a While.#re:zero #rezero #arc 8 spoilers #otto suwen #natsuki subaru #roswaal l mathers #did i write this just for that last line of this post?? maybe....

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prisonprocess · 10 months

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The Adventure Begins

Brendan M. says:

These days, everything happens online. After I sold my company and took the profit, I lived at the lake house and basically didn’t need to go anyplace or see anybody. After 12 years of corporate meetings, that was fine with me. And there were plenty of online buddies to chat with.

My favorite was Blake. He was into all the hot prison photos, sites, and stories. We’d spend hours late at night, talking about how great it would be to “do prison,” as he put it, actually instead of virtually. “No more role play. Just real steel—the real deal.” Nothing but uniforms, restraints, cellblocks, and being transported in big ugly buses (“diesel therapy”). “Nothin but a number, Jack! And you know what? There’s an outfit that can put you there. Just saw it online.”

That’s when he told me about Your Prison Profile. A hot idea, of course—expensive, but they’d find a place for you in prison, and nobody would know how it happened. When I contacted them, they put me through to Cody, a chill young guy who made everything easy. I didn’t mind that he kept telling me to think about this or that, and we could talk about it tomorrow. I really got off on thinking about my “requirements”: “which level of security is necessary for you,” “are you looking for hard labor,” “single cell, double cell, pod, or dorm,” and so on. We did it all by online video, and I liked the look of Cody sitting at his desk and talking in a calm, level voice about what I wanted to “get out of” my “prison adventure.” Blake and I spent every night imagining our way through the various options. Next day I’d talk it over with Cody and click on the one I wanted.

Then in a couple of weeks Cody came online and told me, “Hey, based on the data you’re giving me, I found you a prison. It’s the same security you wanted, same labor options, the whole nine yards.” I was excited; I wanted to hit Blake up right away and tell him. The problem was—this looked like my last visit with Cody. He needed to know if I’d click on the box that said, yeah, I accept the offer. Which I’d never intended to do. I’d just wanted the fantasy.

I made up an excuse to go offline, and I got back to Blake. “What do you mean?” he said. “You don’t want to go through with it?”

I was ashamed to admit that I didn’t. But I was so excited, I couldn’t let it go. “Maybe for six months,” I said.

“Don’t be a wimp!” he replied. “Besides, you can’t go to a real prison for six months. They won’t let you in. It has to be for at least a year. You know that. And what else are you doing that’s so important?”

“All right,” I said. “I’ll tell him a year.” By that time, I barely knew what I was saying, I was so turned on.

But when I got back to Cody, he said, “I’m sorry. This is a serious facility. They don’t do one-year sentences. Try three.”

“Three?” I answered, like a dumb ass.

“Three years. Or you can sign up for five or ten or fifteen or twenty. But listen, if you’re having trouble making up your mind, you can do two to life. That’s for first offenders who, like, did something pretty bad, but they’re still first offenders. So if you’ve got a good record in the facility, they’ll let you out in two. Otherwise, they can keep you. You understand how that goes?”

“Right. I understand. I’ll get back to you.”

“Thanks. But I gotta tell you, this offer won’t last long.”

“What do you mean?” Blake said. “You’re not gonna turn that down, are you? Two years from now, you’ll still be sittin on your deck, growin your fat ass, wishin you’d had enough stones to click that box.”

I spent a worried, sleepless, and very excited night, and the next day I got with Cody online and clicked the box that said Two Years to Life.

After that it was easy. I sent a check for 50K, and 5K more as a tip for Cody. I made arrangements with my lawyer. I leased my house. I put my stuff in storage. I waited for my order to report to prison. When I got it, there were two weeks to go. I spent them chatting with Blake and alternating between excitement and fear. But I couldn’t deny what he said: “In fourteen days you’ll be livin the dream.” Then it was ten, then five, then one, and I went online to say so long for the next two years. For some reason, Blake wasn’t on.

Next morning I left the hotel where I’d been staying and took a taxi the 50 miles to the Regional Headquarters of the Department of Corrections, where I was supposed to turn myself in. I don’t know what I was expecting, but all I saw was a dumpy little building with a walk-up window and a sign saying REPORT FOR IMPRISONMENT. OK, that was straightforward. I wished I’d seen that sign years before. A twenty-year-old with ear rings was sitting on the other side of the glass. “Driver’s license-Order to Report-cellphone.” I’d never thought about that, but yes, I’d lose my phone. I slid everything through the little slot in the window. The young man tossed my phone to one side of the counter, where I could see it land on a pile of other cell phones. Then he compared my license with my Order, pushed the Order back through the slot, and said, “Give this to the officer at the gate. Next!” I turned and saw that I was part of a line of other men, there to REPORT FOR IMPRISONMENT.

The officer at the gate, a fifty-something with a big gut, took my Order and beckoned me through. “Face to the wall,” he said. There was a brick wall on the left, and I put my face to it. “Hands on your head.” I put my hands on my head. Then I heard the double click of the shackles being attached to my legs. This was the moment I’d been waiting for, and I almost lost it right there. Even more when he turned me around and cuffed my hands together.

“Transport cage over there. Get in and line up.” A younger officer who might have been hot but wasn’t opened the second steel gate and let me in silently. It was a cage, all right—concrete floor, and steel fencing all around. It looked like they’d spent twenty bucks on it. There were about 40 guys in the cage, lined up in their go-to-prison clothes, which must have cost then about ten bucks. So these were my fellow convicts . . . .

Note: All stories by prisonprocess are purely fictional and have no relation to real persons or institutions.

#transformation #new fish

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yes-i-am-happyaspie · 2 months

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Unofficial SI Lemonade Business by happyaspie

No Archive Warnings Apply | Rated G | Word Count 4,972 | Peter & Morgan, Irondad, fluff and humor

Summary: Morgan's teacher read a book about a boy running a lemonade stand. Morgan is sure she can do it better. After all, she's a Stark! She knows all about, analyzing, marketing, profits and how to propose a good business deal.

“Does this mean we have a deal Mr. Parker?” Morgan asked, emulating her father’s cadence as she spoke. Her hands were on her hips, and her head was dipped down as she looked him over with scrutiny. Rather than answer, Peter held out his hand for Morgan to shake. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. He had to sign a binding contract as well. The second he scrawled his name at the bottom of the crayon-inscribed document, Morgan snatched it up and laughed maniacally. “You need to start working on product development! I’ll work on marketing materials!”

[Excerpt under the cut]

It was Thursday afternoon and Peter was sitting in the Stark-Potts’ penthouse kitchen. He arrived at the tower after school, got himself a snack out and immediately pulled out his homework. He had plenty to do, which was good because the entire Stark-Potts household seemed to be busy with other things. Mrs. Potts was down stairs conducting some sort of last minute meeting. Mr. Stark was pacing around his home office while arguing on the phone and Morgan was locked in her room. The crayon note taped to the door indicated she was working on ‘a super secret project.’ It was fine. It meant he didn’t have to confine himself to the desk in his room. He had the entire kitchen table to sufficiently spread out his things.

He’d been alternating between burying his head in the nineteenth-century literature he was being forced to read and the essay he was being forced to write. Nearly an hour later, Morgan came charging out of her room. By the time he looked up, the five year old was already standing beside with a stack of papers and several colorful writing utensils tucked in her hands. “What’ve you got there, Mo?”

Morgan stood up tall. A look of determination that matched her mother’s crossed her face as she hugged the stationary to her chest. “I have a business proposal for you.”

“Right.” Peter’s brows bunched together as he nodded his head. “What kind of business?”

“My teacher read a book about a boy who sold lemonade to make money. But he sold it for twenty-five cents a cup!” Morgan dramatically flourished her one free hand as she spoke. The movement was reminiscent of the way her father gesticulated when he was giving a particularly passionate speech. It was extra comical given her small stature. “At the end of the story, he only made seven dollars. But he bought a whole skateboard with it. I told my teacher that wasn’t a good reflection of the current economy because skateboards don’t cost seven dollars.”

“Oh yeah?” Peter grinned widely. He was thoroughly amused by the theatrics. “And what did your teacher say?”

With her head tipped back, Morgan released an audible sigh. “She said it was just a story and that the point was the boy worked hard to buy the skateboard himself.”

Peter bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing and forced a serious expression. “I see.”

“Anyway,” Morgan replied. She paused to swipe some loose hair off of her forehead. “I’m going to start my own lemonade business, and I need your help.”

Deciding to play along, Peter closed his school book and nodded seriously. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

Morgan straightened up. She squared her shoulders into a confident posture and pursed her lips. “Let's have a meeting, so I can go over these reports with you.”

Peter followed Morgan into the living room. They sat across from each other on the floor with the coffee table between them. Morgan set down her stack of papers and began to flip through them. She set aside one that had the Stark industries logo printed across it. Around it she’d colored a bright yellow oval. Peter assumed it was supposed to be a lemon. Vaguely, he wondered if he should bring something up about copyright infringement. He didn’t have time to decide whether or not that was necessary before Morgan was excessively tapping a completely different sheet of paper. On it was a poorly drawn pie chart. It wasn’t quite a circle and none of the colorful sections were labeled.

“After analyzing the competition, I decided there’s a market for better stuff,” Morgan explained, to which Peter raised a single brow.

To be such a popular hustle in books and on television, he wasn’t convinced he’d ever actually seen a little kid running a lemonade stand. He was having a hard time believing there was a lot of competition to be had. "What competition?”

Morgan’s arms crossed over her chest and her lips turned downward into a pout. “Sarah J’s mom said she could sell lemonade too.”

“Right.” Peter nodded again, because sometimes it was easier just to agree. “Of course. Sarah J.”

[Continue Reading on AO3]

#Happyaspie writing #morgan stark #peter parker #tony stark #pepper potts #happy hogan #ironfam #irondad #peter parker and morgan stark #iron siblings #iron man #spider-man #mcu #marvel

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beastofwant · 9 months

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In 2020, I was contacted by an associate of CT (of cryptotheism and normal-horoscopes notoreity) in order to design three enamel pins based, loosely, off of a shitpost CT had made. The antifa catgirl, catboy, and nyanbinary designs, for the curious.

The agreement was made, and a contract was signed, so that profits would be split into three parts. One for them, one for said associate, and one for myself. At first, I received payments promptly. They were a big deal for me at the time, as I'd never made that much money off of my own artwork before, and I was trying to get my then-boyfriend out of an abusive living situation, so every little bit really did (and does) count.

In June of 2021, I received what would be the last payment. $20, along with a note telling me that the shop would be down for a bit but then be opened again. No notice of the designs being removed from the store, no notice that my portion of the profits would no longer be shared with me... Yet since June 2021 I haven't received a penny of the profits from my own designs despite those designs still being up for sale as both pins and stickers where the rest of CT's merch is sold.

Admittedly, it hadn't been on the forefront of my own mind, but it wasn't until this year that I was able to get my own apartment rather than bouncing from couch to couch in an effort to stay off the streets, so I think I could probably be excused for some forgetfulness! The last 5 years have not been easy, or kind, upon me.

I emailed at the start of this week to see what had happened. I haven't heard anything back yet.

#mad scrawl #edited to add some screenshots #sorry they are quite redacted. don't wanna deadname or dox anyone

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blackswaneuroparedux · 1 year

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Anonymous asked: Do the French commemorate Remembrance Day and wear the red poppy to commemorate the dead?

Yes, of course they do. It’s called Armistice Day - and it’s 11 November. As time went on, the day came to mark the victims of all wars and several countries changed the name – in the UK it is now Remembrance Day and in the US it is Veterans Day – but France has stuck with Armistice Day.

The Great War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. But 11 November is chosen because it commemorates the signing of the armistice between Germany and the Allies that led to the ceasefire and finally put an end to World War I in 1918 - which took place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

It’s a national holiday and also a time to remember the war dead. There are memorial services all over France. All municipalities, regardless of their size, have a commemorative ceremony. A wreath of blue-white-red flowers is placed on each War Memorial, which is located either on the town’s square or by the church.

The President of the Republic presides over the Parisian comemoration and lays a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe at 11am. Two consecutive minutes of silence are observed at 11am local time. The first minute is dedicated to the nearly 20 millions people who lost their life during World War One. The second pays tribute to the living left behind, the mourning mothers, wives, brides to be and sisters. It’s quite a solemn and moving ocassion.

The red poppy, synonymous with Remembrance Day in the UK, is not used however. Instead the symbol of remembrance in France is the bleuet, or cornflower.

Although it is reported that France showed solidarity with the USA in 1920 (and again, with other World War One Allies, in 1921) by wearing the Remembrance Poppy, it is the cornflower (le bleuet) which was eventually adopted as the country’s memorial flower.

The young French army recruits, who arrived at the Front from 1915 onwards, were called “les bleuets” – because of the new blue version of jackets. Thus, there was a personal French connection with the dainty blue flower - that also grew profusely on the battlefields, with the poppy. It would make sense for the French to choose the bleuet because cornflowers have traditionally symbolised “pure and delicate” sentiments.

As with the Madame Guérin’s Poppy Day idea, as an emblem of remembrance and to help victims of war, French women were behind the idea of the cornflower / le bleuet as the memorial emblem of France. They were Suzanne Lenhardt and Charlotte Malleterre. It’s more than likely that Madame Guérin knew about le Bleuet, given it was begun in Paris in 1915, when she came up with her own red poppy idea.

Suzanne Lenhardt was a nurse and her husband had been killed on the Massiges battlefield, in the Marne. Charlotte Malleterre was daughter of General Niox - who was Commander-in-Chief of the hospital ‘Hôtel des Invalides’.

The two women arranged for the maimed French veterans (“les gueules cassées”) of the ‘Hôtel des Invalides’ to make the bleuets as an aid to their rehabilitation and as a means of earning money of their own. Such an occupation was the only thing many could have coped with. As Madame Guérin, and her one-time French co-lecturer Robert Arbour, used to state whilst fundraising for these men – such men did not receive a pension when they were medically discharged.

The soldiers would craft the petals from fabric and stamens from newspapers. In the beginning, les bleuets were only sold locally, in Paris, and not on a national scale. But that has changed in recent years as it is available nationally now.

The bleuet campaign is run on behalf of the Office National des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre and supports families of servicepeople or police officers who died or were injured in service, as well as victims of terrorism. Profits from bleuet sales go to veterans’ charities. However the flower is less ubiquitous in France than the poppy is in Britain. Why that is, I don’t know. But you do see more people wearing it as the years have increasingly passed.

Alongside my poppy, I wear it as a mark of respect for my French partner’s family, but also for the country I currently make my home. It’s also a way to honour the war dead of France who sacrificed their lives for their homeland and our freedom.

Thanks for your question.

#ask #question #remembrance day #armistice day #11 november #poppy #bleuet #cornflower #war #first world war #france #memorial #commemoration #europe

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 4 days

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I don’t keep up with new music nearly as much as I used to. Not even discovering new artists or anything, but even new stuff put out by people I already like, it passes me by more than it used to. Late in 2023, I was shocked to learn two of my absolute favourite musicians had put out new albums in 2022 and I didn’t even notice. For most of my life I’ve found out about new music – both new artists and new albums – via folk festivals and country music blogs. Which is why so much of my music collection is Canadian folk music and American (plus some Canadian) country music.

But I haven’t been to a folk festival since pre-COVID – last year I finally started going to see live music again sometimes, this week I’ll be going to my sixth music gig since last August, which is less than I used to but significantly more than I did from 2020-2023, and it’s been really good. I let myself forget, in the depths of the pandemic, how big a part of my life live music was. I took it for granted most of my life, just going to folk festivals with my dad because that’s what happens every summer. And while I’ve been back to concerts, I haven’t been back to festivals, so I haven’t learned about anything new. And I don’t read country music blogs anymore because I’m too busy reading comedy forums.

So aside from blogs and festivals, how am I supposed to know if even my very favourite musicians put out new stuff? I also don’t do Twitter or anything. And of course I don’t do Spotify. I didn’t really know how Spotify worked until recently, I was just vaguely aware that it’s some demon ruining the music industry so I never looked into it. And I am still not going to look into it! Don’t worry everyone, I still have my principles, I am still horrified by the fact that my brother owns no music files and thinks it’s fine to just rent access to music that he only gets to keep hearing as long as he keeps paying and he has internet access and a corporation chooses to keep it on their platform.

However, my friend whom I moved in with in December uses Spotify, and when I hang out with him in the living room, we listen to music via the TV that’s connected to his computer, and I have to admit it’s convenient. Especially when I started typing in my favourite artists and learned that some of them have entire albums I hadn’t even known about. And, even though I’m pretty sure algorithms are a terrible thing to introduce to art, I have found a few new people I like from that.

I haven’t entirely sold out, though, because I did not sign up for Spotify (I would genuinely never do that, I will draw the line at occasionally benefitting from my roommate using it), I went and bought the albums on Bandcamp. Quick reminder of a thing that I never miss an opportunity to remind people, Bandcamp is the way to buy music where the highest percentage of the profits go to the artist (aside from just handing them money for a CD at a gig, I guess), also it’s the most convenient way to get it for the consumer (one easily downloadable folder with every song on the album as DRM-free mp3s).

I also recently raided the CD collection in my dad’s basement, because there was a bunch of stuff I knew he had and I knew I liked but was somehow not in the music collection on my hard drive. So as a result of that, I have a bunch of new music, and I’ve been greatly enjoying it.

Okay, here’s the actual point of this post, after all that pre-amble: Cody Jinks put out an album one month ago, thanks to the evils of corporatized technology I became aware of it when it was only a month old, I’ve been listening to it non-stop for several days, it’s fucking fantastic. It might be my favourite Cody Jinks album, though I’m aware that recency bias in in play. And I like Cody Jinks’ previous stuff a lot.

I should actually say that this might be my favourite Cody Jinks studio album, because he has a live album called Red Rocks Live and nothing's better than that. It's a solid cross-section of his earlier work so a good introduction, if anyone's interested in getting to know him. Which you should be, if you like his sort of thing. His sort of thing is modern American outlaw country music by a guy who used to be in a metal band. All the best country singers used to be in metal bands (him and Corb Lund).

This live version of his song Head Case is as good as country music gets. Good thing to play for anyone who spouts that claim that country music was only good back in the 70s (it was good back in the 70s, but probably wasn't good back then either if the only thing you listened to was pop music on the radio that incorrectly markets itself as country). My horrible abusive high school coach used to nickname me and any other athletes who struggled mentally/psychologically "head case", and now I play this song whenever I get sad about that, which definitely isn't that often or anything because I'm fine and not still trying to win every argument I had when I was 17. Definitely not.

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Anyway, his new album is called Change the Game, and I can't stop listening to it.

It covers the usual themes - sad, angry, drinks too much, would like to stop drinking so much (going a little harder on that last point than some of his previous albums, or maybe I'm just predisposed to notice that these days), and of course the designed outlaw country anthem, in this case it's the title track and it's great. I keep finding new stuff in it.

I often find that my favourite songs on an album change from what they are when I first hear it, but at the moment, the one I've had on repeat the most is:

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And then I listen to the level of guitar going on in this one that's ages ahead of some of the older stuff:

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But I think once the initial excitement of the new album wears off, this song is going to end up as my favourite:

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I was on the bus to work yesterday when I first put this one on and had to change the track, because the bus is not an appropriate setting for being as emotionally moved as I was by a lyric like "Don't waste your days on dreams that don't fill you/Find out what you love, and let it kill you".

Anyway, I might need to start subscribing to some musician mailing lists or something. Because I'm not signing up for Spotify or Twitter but it is nice to actually find out about this stuff.

#Youtube

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wolfgirlmay · 9 months

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Dusk & The Sarkaz Prince

Characters - Dusk x Hibiscus

Summary - Hibiscus participates in Rhodes’s Island annual fundraiser and aims to make Dusk ́s heart skip a beat or two while getting lots of donations.

Word Count - 1,266

Tags - Humor, Drag, Drag King Hibiscus, Trans Dusk, Lava and Nian are there too, NSFW, Sexual content happens mostly off-screen, Hibiscus uses He/Him while in character.

Notes - This is a slight rewrite of an old fic that I love but did not feel it was enough of a change to post on AO3 again. No beta read and English is not my first language so grammatical errors abound.

It was time for Rhodes Island's annual fundraiser, and this year Nian and Closure cooked up their best scheme yet, a drag king show featuring some of Rhodes Island's most popular operators.

The plan was simple; have tons of cheap alcohol, let the audience put money to vote for their favorite performers, and at the end of the show, once they were all good and tipsy, sell signed prints of the performers in their outfits for extra profit.

Of course this could only work if the incentive for voting was a good one. And to this point, Kal’tsit made the perfect recommendation. The most voted contestants would be featured in a calendar they could sell for a boost in funding.

The resulting event was a total success. Entry tickets sold out in record time, the crowd was having a great time, and judging by the reactions so far, voting and merchandise would bring in a ton more LMD. They were only about half way through the show and already well on track to break last year's record, and that was not even accounting for their online merch sales.

“Give another round of applause for Moby Dick!” Nian called over the speaker system.

Nian’s boisterous tone was almost lost in the cheer of the crowd. The auditorium, full to the brim, exploded in applause, screams, and the feral squealing of a certain shark as the latest performer left the stage with a reserved bow.

“Don’t forget everything you expend tonight goes to a good cause! Keep the drinks rolling, and use that hard earned cash to put some votes towards your favorite performers.”

Among the lively crowd were two less outspoken observers, Lava and Dusk. The two girls were seated in the front row, a privilege of Nian producing the show and Hibiscus being one of the featured performers. Neither of them were fond of such crowded, or loud, spaces, but they were willing to make an exception to support their respective lovers.

Two cups of wine hit the girls table and the crowd began to calm down as the stage was being prepared for the next performer.

“God, that shark's wailing felt like it was piercing my soul,” Dusk complained.

Lava nodded approvingly. “No joke, I thought I was gonna go deft.”

Lava and Dusk took a long relaxing sip of their drinks. Despite their complaints, they were having a fun night together. It turned out they had more in common than they first knew, and if they were being entirely honest with themselves, they were enjoying the show.

“Hey, did Hibiscus tell you when she was up?”

“No,” Dusk said with a shake of her head. “She would not even tell me her stage name or anything. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Yeah, that sounds like my sister alright.”

Nian’s voice came back to life with an electric buzz, ready to announce the next performer. “Next up, all the way from Victoria, he aims to claim your hearts with his royal charm and sweet music! Give a warm welcome to…”

Dusk’s tail perked up. “Could it be?”

Lava shrouded with fear. “I have a bad feeling about this…”

“...Prince Long Flute!!” Nian finished.

Dusk knew instantly, but she was still shocked. “Prince…Long Flute?” she mumbled to herself as she began awkwardly clapping.

Lava facepalmed. “Ughh, I knew she would pick a terrible name.”

To the roaring applause came out a well dressed figure. A pristine black suit featuring a vibrant flower on its jacket’s pocket, half gloves and dress shoes to match, and an immaculate violet bottom up shirt in full display through the open jacket made up his outfit. His short yet flowing lavender hair framed his heart melting smile as he playfully waved to the crowd.

The pace erupted with cheers and Dusk had to bring both her hands to her mouth to restrain the wild noise that was forming in the back of her throat. “A prince, he is a prince. A twinky, handsome prince!!” the dragon thought to herself as she stared in awe.

Lava looked at Dusk with a teasing grin. “Looks like you are the one about to squeal now.”

She was, and could not muster the words to deny it. Seeing Hibiscus like this was filling Dusk’s mind with more inappropriate thoughts than she ever thought possible.

Nian’s commentary continued. “Have his princely looks already conquered the audience, or will this slender prince have to do more to win them over?”

Prince Long Flute stood tall in the middle of the stage, flute at the ready, and offered the audience a playful wink, getting a loud roar in response. Dusk, unable to hold on any longer, joined in with the cheering crowd.

“Looks like our prince charming is ready to show us his skills!”

With that Nian’s commentary stopped. Prince Long Flute moved his flute aside and brought a finger to his mouth. He dexterously took his glove off with his teeth and then flung it to Dusk down in the audience. The dragon squealed like the Shark before her and blushed a vibrant red. The crowd loved it, going wild at the bold display.

The ensuing musical performance was mostly lost on Dusk who was still flustered beyond belief. After the show was over and the voting results were up, Dusk made her way backstage. The dragon looked frantically around the crowded dressing room for her lover.

“Dusk, over here!”

Dusk rushed to the familiar voice. She greeted her lover, still in full costume, with a quick kiss and held them in her arms in a cramped corner of the dressing room. “You were great out there.”

“Thank you, I figured you would like it. So, did I make your heart skip a beat?”

“You always do, but that was just unfair.” Dusk returned the glove to her lover. “I almost passed out when you pulled that stunt.”

Hibiscus let out a giggle before putting on her character once more, changing her tone to match that of her noble persona. “I guess my charms worked on you, my fair lady.”

“Hibi… No. Prince Long Flute, you have no idea. I can’t wait till we are alone, there are so many things I want to do to you right now.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

Dusk held her lover by the chin and teasefully ran her thumb against his lips. “First off I want to put that mouth of yours to work. I want to see if you are as good at handling me as you are with that flute of yours.” Dusk leaned in to whisper into his ear. “I will have you on your knees, sucking me off until I ruin that pretty face of yours.”

“That can be arranged, after all it is a prince's duty to take care of his lady.”

“Good,” Dusk purred. “You are such a good boy, and good boys let themselves be pegged all night long, right?”

“But of course. It would be ill fitting of Victorian nobility not to. Why don't we make way for my chambers? I promise they will be to your liking, my sweet patron.”

“Yes, yes.” Dusk claimed his lips with passion, her serpentine tail possessively warping around him as she did so. “Let’s get out of here, my prince.”

The role play continued all night long, until Dusk was done breaking her twink. She loved Hibiscus in all ways she came, from the sweet but fierce medic, to the noble prince from Victoria. She just could never have enough of the Sarkaz.

The End

Thanks for reading!!

#arknights #fanfic #dusk arknights #hibiscus arknights #arknights fanfiction

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aviandtheseals · 9 months

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The Rowntrees Ultimate Decades Challenge - 1362

Content warning: child death (fake children it's the sims)

In 1362, the Rowntrees were mostly focused on making money and keeping up with their rent and taxes. However, lucky (and unlucky) birthdays still managed to strike.

The chickenpox was still hitting Jacquette and Ursula hard in the winter of 1362, and they were both agonized. As the weeks went on Jacquette began slowly recovering, but Ursula just seemed to get sicker and sicker.

Ursula became so tired she would randomly pass out. The family took Ursula to one of the wise elders in the village, who said what they already knew in the back of their minds: Ursula's little body was not strong enough to survive this disease. The family concentrated on making Ursula's last months of life as happy as possible.

Sarah played with her, and she got to spend a lot of time with her sister Jacquette.

One night at the beginning of spring, Ursula peacefully passed away during her sleep. The entire family mourned. Of course, young kids dying was common, but after Alexandria died during Ursula's birth, little Ursula was one of the only signs of hope in the Rowntrees' lives.

Jacquette was especially affected by the death. After that day, she became much quieter than she was before, and preferred to be by herself. She greatly missed her best friend. The family hoped her grief would heal as time went on.

One of Sarah's greatest comforts during this difficult time was Gilbert. Together they discussed their future, and they both decided to work hard and make as much money as possible. Perhaps if they were both bringing more money to a marriage, their families would agree to let them wed. This inspired Sarah to work hard on the farm.

Running the household became harder, since Kymmie spent most of her days in the lord's castle, cleaning and cooking. When Kymmie was home she made woodworks and tended to the garden. Sarah was left to take care of Jacquette and Finnian. To help the family make money, she took on candle-making. Even Finnian helped by taking care of his beloved chickens.

Everyone's hard work paid off, and the family was able to open a small store in the fall. They sold their eggs, fish, wood sculptures, and candles. It finally seemed like they were on a good path financially for the first time since Arthur's death.

Considering the success of the business, Sarah decided to have a serious sit-down conversation with Kymmie about her future with Gilbert. With the store's profits and her existing dowry, Sarah could soon marry if she wished.

When she first met Gilbert, Kymmie was unhappy about Sarah potentially marrying someone, because of her negative experience being married to Sarah's father David. However, Kymmie became an adult that spring, and being 30 gave her a new perspective. All her life the people she loved constantly died. How did she survive that? Concentrating on her own happiness. And if marrying would make Sarah happy, she should. Kymmie relayed this wisdom to her stepdaughter.

Kymmie and Sarah agreed that for the next year, they would work on getting Isaac to agree to the marriage. Sarah would get a dowry of $1000, about 1/2 of the money saved up, and the rest would go to Jacquette and Finnian if they reached adulthood. And Kymmie would be glad to support whatever life decision made Sarah happy. Sarah was ecstatic, because $1000 and Gilbert's inheritance would allow them to get their own plot of land. The future looked bright.

#child death mention #tw death #sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 legacy #the rowntrees 1360s #the rowntrees #sims 4 historical #ts4 #ts4 historical #ts4 story #ts4 simblr #ultimate decades challenge #udc #ts4 ultimate decades challenge

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the-good-bad-truth · 2 years

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Last month, I did a post on the PR relationship of Mgk and Megan Fox. It was a really long post because there was a lot to cover. The problem is I felt I couldn’t really talk about them as Individuals and the hate and struggles each of them separately face. Today, I will be looking at Mgk and how he is constantly hated on and I want to see if it’s deserved or if people are just haters. I will be doing the same for his twin flame. Let me give you guys a brief Introduction on him and his career. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and lived with his aunt and father, who struggled with alcohol. His mother left his father and practically abandoned him when he was like 9. After that he would get into trouble through drugs, when he was like 11 and would be bullied. This caused him to have a strained bond w/his father and when he was like 18 he ended up moving in with his friend, Slim to help him produce a rap career. He says he would be bullied and get beat up for being a white rapper but it just made him want to work even harder. He also had to start working because he had a daughter named Cassie, who he is really close with but she lives in Ohio w/her mom. Eventually, he was signed to Bad Boy records(now also Interscope records) and would always be on tour whether in Europe, south America, or warped tour. Overall he has released 6 albums and 6 eps/mixtapes, w/ TTMD and Mainstream Sellout being his biggest albums. I think if I had to pinpoint when the mgk hate train started, I would say it would have to have been in 2018. This is when that whole Eminem beef started after Em dissed him and Mgk responded w/rap devil. As I was doing my digging about this beef it said Em was being sent a secret diss that mgk did on a song where he says “you rap your not gods” and then also tweeted it out. I think that Em dissed mgk because of a tweet where he said that Em's daughter was hot in 2012. She was 16 and mgk was 21, but he says that he didn’t know how old she was. I kind of will excuse him for that, although he probably shouldn’t have talked about someone’s daughter no matter her age. At the same time, Eminem always comes for people so, he shouldn’t be to upset when people say things about him or personal life. Anyways, what I don’t understand about this beef is how many people were upset that mgk dissed em back after em released “Killshot”. Idk if because I’m not really knowledgeable in rap beefs/community but if someone disses you, no matter who that person is shouldn’t you diss back and defend yourself? At the end of day, this beef happened like 4 yrs ago and Em still kind of mentions mgk in his songs, but I think that both sides should just let it go and stop hating on mgk. Like it would be a movie trailer that mgk is starring in and people will be like “Eminem is the goat”. It’s like move on because if you have to comment every time mgk is mentioned at Em won, then did he really? The next time Mgk was really getting hate was when he decided to dive deeper into a more pop-punk sound. I agree that some of the songs aren’t really that good but they aren’t terrible, they are just very generic and repetitive. I also don’t think he is necessarily saving rock but he is helping it become more popular. Think about it, music isn’t shared or sold as it once did where you had to sell through Cds. Now, it’s more through social media, especially with tiktok. I think Mgk knows this and that’s why he makes the songs sound more fun, easy to learn (lyric and instrument wise), and something young people will actually want to pay to listen to. I also somewhat agree when people say that he is profiting or romanticizing toxic topics and the Goth/emo community.( Megan fox isn’t an emo girl or Goth.) However, how is that any different to when rock bands will sexualize women or talk about death and drugs, he’s just doing it with a fun guitar melody. Another thing is people say he is trying to copy Mac Miller or Lil Peep all because he dyed his hair pink and talks about his struggle with depression and drugs. I think it was last year, he went on a podcast where his words were taken out of context like they usually are. He was talking about how he went on warped tour and he saw the bands were wearing comfortable shoes. After that clip was released, bands were coming out and saying how he was disrespectful and that they would sleep in vans, practically starve and he doesn’t know what that feels like cuz he’s rich. The thing is Mgk was at Warped tour, he also struggled and he’s always had a rock edge to him. I think that they didn’t understand what he was saying, he wasn’t dissing the rock community or the bands that actually work hard. He was talking about how the idea of a “rockstar” has gone stale and that bands don’t know how to balance being talented/relatable while also knowing how to put on a show and make rock fun. In a way, he was saying what the older rock bands were saying but when he says it he’s an idiot. One person who misunderstood this was Slipknot's frontman, Corey Taylor. To look at this “feud”, let’s go to where it started. When Mgk was working on TTMD, Travis and him wanted Corey to do vocals on the song, “Can’t look back”. Corey agreed and did the vocals but Mgk had some notes for Corey. I think that Corey got defensive because he probably felt that Mgk was criticizing him when all Mgk wanted was to have HIS song to sound the best it could. Corey ended up backing out and I guess later Corey saw the small already misinterpreted clip of comfortable shoes and decided then in an interview basically called Mgk a poser. Here’s the thing about Corey and how the Rock media likes to treat him where there are so many thumbnails where they always ask Corey what he thinks of new music, topics, rock’s future etc. I think that this is the media’s and fan’s fault because they like to make things a bigger deal than they are. Anyways, Mgk defended himself and called Slipknot “50 year old dudes in weird masks”. I guess slipknot fans got upset and then Corey posted the emails, but by then Mgk was already annoyed that he responded with insults. This only made it worse for mgk and people started bringing up the em stuff again. I also think that Corey’s reasoning was that he was defending rock music and only did it because of what mgk said about comfortable shoes. Another funny thing is that Corey said that mgk failed and switched genres but didn’t Corey try to rap in this one country/rock song. Look it up, it's called “Live the madness” with Moonshine Bandits,(It also sounds a lot like mgk’s song w/Kid Rock called “Bad MotherFucker) but that could just be me, go find it and judge for yourselves. Overall, people like to hate on Mgk for everything and they will stop at nothing. This might just be to cancel culture, but they like to dig up old 2012 tweets of Mgk and call him a creep and racist. I don’t think he is, although he probably should have just kept those tweets to himself and they were really stupid things for him to say. Idk if people know that in 2020, Mgk was in the streets protesting, handing out water & snacks and said that if any fan of his didn't agree that people should be treated fairly regardless of skin color then they should stop listening to his music and he wouldn’t care. I think recently he said that he’s going to move forward and create a diff sound for rap/hip hop but people think he’s quitting rock. I think it’s because people don’t understand that you can do more than one genre and combine genres. Overall, I feel that he’s misunderstood and is a constantly punching bag for the media. With his relationship w/Megan, it helps him getting praise but it’s fake because once they break up people are going to clown and hate on him. He is being called toxic for the things she chooses to say and his music and work are being constantly overshadowed by the hate and his relationship.

#Mgk #Machine gun kelly #hotel diablo #tickets to my downfall #Mainstream Sellout #Colson Baker #megan fox #Celebs #Hate #music #Rockstar #Pop Punk

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blackfilmreviewsmsu · 1 year

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Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Sorry to Bother You was written and directed by Boots Riley.

Sorry to Bother You was surrealist comedy film that tackled many important and still very real subjects. Some of them include: racism, capitalism and collective society hive mind. This film took working for a corporation to the extreme though it is not far off from how people are treated today in high profile, well known and frequently used businesses that we base our lives around. "RegalView" and in turn "WorryFree" ruled a good chunk of business and in that practically owning the people associated with the businesses.

I enjoyed this movie for a few different reasons. One reason is that it represents a lot of what I stand for and believe as someone who sees the inherent flaws of capitalism. In real life you see people dime and penny'ing themselves through life, constantly "just getting by." No matter how much they work there is still not enough to lead fulfilling lives and still be able to take care of basic necessities. Sorry to Bother You portrayed this with Detroit, specifically, and showing how she had to take up multiple jobs in order to sustain her real passion: art. While she had not been in the best circumstances she still strived to be radical and wanted to stand up for what she believed in. Fighting for justice and still trying to get by in this society is difficult and I admire her fight towards change. It gives me hope and motivation to do the same in my own life.

Cassius "Cash" Green is the example of how you are expected to go about trying to thrive in this society. Taking the crumbs given to you as an asset and accepting bare minimum. Finally when you rebel and strive for change you are offered more in order to subdue the urge to leave and curb the potential change that is going to be made. It is a sign that you were close to getting what you want. It is a pacifier and bribe. Once he worked his way up to selling to WorryFree and knowing RegalView sells the military weapons of war, his motives changed and so did his life. He was finally able to live comfortably but at what cost? In my opinion, his livelihood and his pride were stripped away from him; leaving only the things that got him in the position he ended up being in.

The thing I noticed is that they targeted Black people for their profitability but Black men specifically to exploit them and have them, quite literally live up to the stereotypes placed on them. It does not allude me though that it only took him potentially becoming a horse man, an equestriosapian, to start to fight for change for the greater good. It is very telling to me that it took having his life personally threatened would be the deal breaker when he was selling to a company giant that sold human slave work. It makes me wonder why no women were put in this position. Were they offered but never got farther than becoming a "Power Caller"? I know why the metaphor is Black men being portrayed as horses, I just wonder what would happen if the roles were switched?

The metaphor of being worked like a horse and its similar meaning of Black men being portrayed like stallions for the white gaze was prominent since the beginning. Steve Lift's "I'm on Top" book poster had at first been hidden or showed for a few seconds in the beginning of the film but ended up being a more centered image as the movie progresses for obvious reasons. To go from it being almost random to maybe a slight metaphor to it being literal was a great and well timed progression.

A nice addition to the movie, though it may have been small, was the Cash's fathers' expressions in the picture he carried with him that were changing each time the plot progressed. It became a moral compass for Cash and finally an approving look to end the film was a good signal to the audience of what change feels like not only to you but to the people who really matter in your life.

Lastly, a quote from the film that stuck with me, especially because its ever present in society especially now is "If you're shown and have no idea how to control it, you get used to it." This feels tome like a universal truth. We are still actively in a pandemic. Solutions were proposed, but because of fear and outright entitlement and ignorance we have been stuck in a pandemic for more than 3 years. Many people feel and have felt helpless. So many people have died. Because we crave normalcy and to not have to worry about having to be in danger (we are "WorryFree"), we act as if things are normal. We went "back to normal" while so many people continue to get sick. We are desensitized, and that is shown in the film with the shows that are put on tv to consume. "I Got the Shit Kicked Outta Me" is a great example of how desensitized you will become to jarring and horrific media if you are shown it constantly on loop. The show was considered the most popular show in the US. We will not change if we do not "wake up" to the violence that is happening in front of us every day.

Overall, while there are many more points I would love to touch on, my overall review is that this film deserves more attention, though it has been nominated for several awards and have one two, it should be a prominent talking point and used more in education to show what anti-capitalism is supposed to look like and while it may not be as realistic to be turned into horse people, it is important to take the metaphor to heart and work to make changes as much as you can in your own community. Sorry to Bother You was absolutely a film I enjoyed watching and though some parts were jarring it was worth it and they served their purpose.

#sorry to bother you #black film #black films matter #blackfilmreviewsmsu

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skippyv20 · 1 year

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Tea

. I would also bet they're reviewing the promo budget right now with the reception the Netflix mockumentary is getting.

Plus Markus Dohle, the head of Penguin Random House, Harry's publisher, quit several days ago, just a few weeks after PRH's hugely expensive acquisition deal fell apart. He had overseen the attempted purchase of Simon & Schuster for $2.175 billion, which the Justice Department successfully sued to stop on antitrust grounds. The ruling cost Penguin Random House and its parent company Bertelsmann more than $200 million. Especially early on in the pandemic, big publishers like Penguin Random House had a big jump in book sales that led to record-breaking profits. Even last year, publishers did VERY well -- Penguin sold 700 million copies of its books and reported record revenues in 2021. So not a coincidence that they announced Harry's memoir and book deal in July 2021, when everything was looking very sunny for publishing (which has been an industry in turmoil for a long time). But things have changed a lot in the last year -- book sales have softened, and publishers are dealing with inflation and supply chain issues, like paper. I saw in a NYT article about Dohle's resignation that adult nonfiction (Harry's category) has been "relatively weak". Two of Penguin's recent books, from bestselling authors Michelle Obama and Marie Kondo, were expected to be huge holiday bestsellers, are doing well but not living up to their expectations. And at this point, "not living up to expectations" is H&M's brand. How much of a promo budget will there be for Harry's book after the Netflix mockumentary? How much of an appetite will there be among book buyers for version 6,723 of Harry and MM's whingeathon? I hope Archewell still has money and warehouse storage space, because they're going to have to buy a ton of Harry's books lol. Also, this new article, "The Murky Path To Becoming a New York Times Best Seller", is a very good read and helpful to understand how Harry's book will magically become a NYT bestseller : )

The Murky Path To Becoming a 'New York Times' Best Seller

Publishing insiders tell Esquire why they find "the list" so frustrating—turns out, it's a data project full of contradictions.

www.esquire.com

100 million deal for Netflix. 100 million deal for writing books. According to the sugar fanatics and some media, you are looking at 300 million . Funny addition, huh. Really, when it comes to these deals, it is not as if Netflix, Spotify, PenguinRwnfom House wrote out blank checks. Yesyesyes,Sussex did receive BIG MONEY MILLIONS,TENS OF MILLIONS however contracts have clauses. Total deal is x amount, but only if, when and if x brings in the signed for ratings, number of books sold,etc, Megan got some big named women to sit for her podcasts. Ratings were ok to good to soso. People who follow Sussex only want the good, juicy gossips. People who do not like them only want the gossip. Media only wants the gossip. This Netflix first part was a good teaser. Next part has to bring on lies, more lies, good gossip. Harry’s book has to repeat, reheat it from his words and add

Great! Thank you❤️

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basketghost · 2 years

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Feeling so stressed and tired and discouraged.

People fucking suck.

This is about a lot of things, but also specifically about my job.

And people just not giving a shit. Giving all of the lip service to the store, while actively watching its death throes.

Describing the store, which has been in business for fifty years now as a small, family-owned book store, as a "pillar of the community," "the main hub of town," saying things like "I love this place so much, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here," while sales are so bad, my bosses are pretty convinced we may close by the end of the year.

Like I'm inclined to say that nobody ACTUALLY gives a shit. Two years ago, just before covid started, things already weren't great, and my bosses (husband and wife) put out a letter to the community to say "hey, this isn't the end, but if things don't get better, we won't be here forever." And for a few months, that helped, though plenty of people misinterpreted it as "WE ARE CLOSING" and only came in to badger us about closing sales. Now, though, things are just worse than ever. We're all just stuck on the inside, watching the slow death of the store we all love so much, while people on the outside essentially give us a thumbs-up and walk right past.

We try so hard to pull the public in, and literally nothing works. We've had authors, we've had sales, we've had a TRAVELING STORYTELLER WHO'S TRAVELING THE US ON FOOT COME AND DO A PERFORMANCE. We had a local guy who wrote some books and all of his profits for the time being are going to Ukraine. He was in a local paper, and we did a whole big event promotion for his signing.

He sold a single book.

Several staple shops on our main street have closed in the last couple of years. This may just be the big one that brings down the rest of main street behind it. I hope all the assholes in this quaint, Victorian canal village like more pizza shops and tattoo parlors, because those just keep filling the empty storefronts of the more diverse, interesting places that close.

The town has lost so much already because the people who actually live here don't shop here. Maybe they deserve this. This is what happens when you don't support your own community.

I just wish there was a way to pick up the whole store and plop it in a different place.

This is an immature way to end this, but I don't give a shit, everything fucking sucks, and nothing's fair, and I'm so tired of everything.

#im sorry this is really long #but i just needed to rant and get some things off my chest #because im brokenhearted at the thought of the store closing #not just the loss of my job #but the loss of fifty years of hard work and experience as a bookstore #my bosses said they dont think they could live here anymore if the store closes #and i dont think i can either

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shirtsbargain · 3 days

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How To Customize T-Shirts To Tell Stories

T-shirts aren’t just another basic clothing that makes up an outfit style. In the hands of creative minds, they have transcended into canvases that narrate stories via various forms of customization including the recently trending “shining artwork embroidery”. The youth are more into this trend of buying blank t-shirts in bulk and selling them customized, as a side hustle that actually pays.

Customization of t-shirts goes beyond embellishing them with logos and brand names. Several brands offer affordable, good quality t-shirts that can be customized and sold for profit, including Port & Company t-shirts wholesale and Port Authority t-shirts wholesale. The idea is to craft t-shirts with compelling narratives that appeal to the public. Such creativity can also blow up, earning big reputation for the brand that did the customization.

So, how do you craft a narrative that transforms a blank t-shirt into a conversation starter? Here's a breakdown:

1. Figuring out the audience

Do you want to sell to fitness enthusiasts? Or are you looking into eco-conscious millennials who support sustainable practices? This is how you decide which t-shirt brand is right for the job. Investing in Sport-Tek t-shirts wholesale can help you appeal to fitness enthusiasts better, owing to the brand’s focus on performance-aiding apparel with great fabric features. On the other hand, many consumers appreciate tees from sustainable brands like Comfort Colors. District t-shirts wholesale collections in ShirtsBargain also offer quite a few pieces that are popular for being eco-friendly. The next step is to come up with a story that’s imbued with the values, interests, and aspirations of the audience.

2. The right imagery

A thoughtful graphic can make a lasting impact. You can use portraits or symbols to represent something that as a whole will tell a story. For example, a portrait of Che Guevara along with one of his quotes could tell a story of rebellion. Such elements can easily trigger conversations, while enabling the audience to identify with a message they connect with.

3. The right kind of slogan

Slogans offer a different way of storytelling, but demands more creativity. The slogans can be thought-provoking, witty or both. A great example is Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign that actually succeeded in encouraging consumers to consider environmental impact.

4. A clear, direct message

A clear, to-the-face message can even begin a cultural movement. It can serve as a call-to-action that can bring the masses together. The “Black Lives Matter” movement saw many apparel sporting artworks and messages that became a rallying cry.

Examples of Storytelling Through T-Shirts:

Charity: A t-shirt design featuring an impactful image and a slogan that supports a specific cause, like breast cancer awareness or veterans' rights, can inspire customers to wear them as a sign of support for the cause.

Environmentalism: T-shirts with graphics depicting endangered species or slogans promoting sustainable practices can tap into the growing eco-conscious market.

Social Justice: Designs that raise awareness about social issues like racial equality or LGBTQ+ rights can empower wearers to make a statement.

Body Positivity: Artworks complemented by thought-provoking slogans can speak a narrative that encourages self-acceptance.

Benefits of Narratives:

Increased Sales: These narratives build a deeper connection with customers, leading to higher sales and brand loyalty.

Standing Out From the Crowd: Unique narratives set your custom t-shirts apart from generic options. In theory, this attracts a more engaged audience.

Building Brand Identity: A strong narrative fortifies your brand identity, raising the value of your custom merchandise in the long run.

#port authority t shirts wholesale #port and company t shirts wholesale #sport tek t shirts wholesale #district t shirts wholesale

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kristenbrady · 27 days

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You’re Never Too Old to Start Your Dreams: Read These Inspiring Stories

If you really have the desire to start a business, change careers, become an outstanding leader, or simply do something very different with your life, at which point is it too late to be a success? The answer is: never. Need a bit of inspiration to prove that it can be done no matter which age you are, below is a list of 14 incredible people who never reached success until after 40.

Julia Child

At age 39, Julia’s first cookbook was published; and at age 51, she made her TV debut in The French Chef.

Over 50 and Looking For a Career Change? Try These Ideas.

11 career ideas to try as you turn 50

medium.com

Sam Walton

Though Sam owned a small discount store chain, when he was 44, he opened his first real Wal-Mart in the year 1962.

Ray Kroc

In 1961, Ray was over 50 before buying the first McDonald’s, which he eventually grew into a global conglomerate.

Donald Fisher

After a string of entrepreneurial ventures, at age 41, Donald and his wife Doris launched The Gap. Today, it is a $16B per year business that has over 3,200 locations around the world.

Samuel Jackson

Samuel was 46 years of age before starring alongside Travolta in the movie Pulp Fiction.

Charles Darwin

Duncan Hines

Hines, at age 55, wrote his first hotel and food guides. At the age of 73, he licensed the right to use the Hines name for the business that made Duncan Hines cake mixes.

Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney was known for his roles in ’80s films like Back to School and Caddyshack; however, he was 46 years old before getting his big break while on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Harland Sanders

Harland got fired from multiple jobs before starting a restaurant and failed again when the restaurant went out of business and he found himself broke by age 65. Things eventually worked themselves out when he sold the first franchise of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the year 1952.

Robin Chase

The former CEO and founder of Zipcar left her 40th birthday behind and was taking some time off work to be with her kids when she and her friend, Antje Danielson, devised the concept of the car-sharing business in the year 2000.

Nina and Tim Zagat

Vera Wang

She was initially known as a fashion editor and figure skater before making the decision before her wedding in 1989, at the age of 40, that she had the dream of becoming a designer. Wang commissioned her own wedding gown for $10,000 then opened her initial bridal boutique the next year.

Joy Behar

Known these days as The View’s former co-host, Joy was an English teacher who did not start her career in show business until after the age of 40.

Martha Stewart

She owned a catering business in Connecticut and worked on Wall Street, but Stewart’s real success arrived after the age of 41 with the publication of Entertaining, her first book, and seven years later, the Martha Stewart Living launch.

Who inspires you? Do you have a dream that you’d like to get started? Share in the comments section! I’d love to hear from you!

🍉Sign up here to catch every story when Kristen publishes.

Want to start creating passive income streams today? Read this: Passion to Passive Profits eBook

Originally posted on Medium

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