Who is actress in esurance ad

Sabrina Carpenter

2012.10.03 16:46 yahoo_bot Sabrina Carpenter

Subreddit for Sabrina Carpenter, American singer and actress photos only. Please go to SabrinaCarpenterDisc/ to discuss her and her music

[link]

2011.06.15 01:05 cb43569 Karen Gillan

Reddit's arrogance in all but ignoring the mods needs has resulted in only harming our users. This sub went dark due to the terrible handling of Reddit's API pricing changes and policy decisions. /Save3rdPartyApps/. Under duress and for the benefit of our users, we are reopening the Subreddit despite this issue not being resolved.

[link]

2017.01.26 03:46 plasker6 Camila Mendes

A subreddit dedicated to actress Camila Mendes, currently starring as Veronica Lodge in Riverdale on the CW.

[link]

2024.05.15 00:26 Plenty_Bite1831 Old article about Priyanka Chopra and her tensions with Gauri Khan

Beseiged by nasty rumours and a whisper campaign, Priyanka Chopra has decided to immerse herself in work and focus on her forthcoming music album. But while the 29-year-old Pee Cee has opted for a dignified silence in the face of nasty media whispers, friends of the actress claim that her calm faade is just that.
Juggling work, her father's illness, and these rumours have taken a toll on the star. In particular she is upset and flummoxed by the campaign unleashed by a powerful producer-director who can make and break careers in Bollywood. "At a recent party while he was feeding her cupcakes, she heard rumours of him bitching her out-all this is very hurtful," said a close associate of the actress who did not want to be identified. The associate-cum-friend believes that a powerful clique of star wives is behind this spate of anti-Priyanka stories. "Priyanka has done nothing wrong. If these women are insecure about their relationships with their husbands, they should sort it out with them, at home. Why should they attack her?" thunders the friend.
The actress, who along with Vidya Balan has often been seen as Bollywood's go-to girl for meaty writer-backed roles, has confided to her friends that whatever is happening to her could be a function of the way the male-dominated industry operates. But she refuses to let it affect her work. "The only way she can strike back is by doing more work, good work. And it is not just films. There is music, endorsements… she is a brand, a multi-faceted personality and there is no way any star-wife can take that away from her." Says the friend emphatically, adding, "To all those who are calling her names, we would like to ask them, what are your achievements? You will only be remembered as Mrs so and so…!"
As for the stars that have allegedly refused to work with the actress, another friend counters by pointing out that she has always maintained a healthy professional relationship with her stars. "Truth is, she has not signed any new films for this year, as she is busy till October. There are several big-ticket projects she has been approached for. But since she has a policy of not announcing any project before it is ready to go on the floors, people will have to wait until August for news on that front."
When Mumbai Mirror called for her version of the events, Priyanka said she would only talk about her work and the music album. "Whatever has happened is in the past," is all she would say.
However, her protective friends were more forthcoming. "Ever since she was nine years old Priyanka has been in awe of Shah Rukh Khan. But now she is scared to even utter his name in public, no matter how innocent or professional the context." Responding to rumours that the two will not be seen together because of various pressures, the friend says, "Priyanka and SRK shot together for Farhan Akhtar's adult literacy mission film recently. There is nothing on the anvil right now for them to share a platform in public." But sources close to the actress say they continue to remain friendly.
The actress, who is flying out of the country to finish work on her music album, has a lot going on in her life right now. For the last six months her father has not been keeping well. According to her concerned friends, it is not easy for her parents to read the vicious reports about their daughter every day.
"She is a feisty fighter, a hardworking girl and will not tolerate any attempts to discredit her
professionally," says the friend, before joining the actress on the sets of Krrish, where she is shooting till the wee hours of the morning
Poor Little Rich Gauri
Is she on the verge of a nervous breakdown or is she just a bratty star wife?
From being fiercely private to being Bollywood's biggest party animal – Gauri Khan's recent uncharacteristic and irregular behavior has left her husband and friends shocked. So, what's really going on with the gorgeous Mrs Khan?
Kicked out of London hotspot
Gauri Khan and friends were kicked out of famed London club Tramp, leaving lines of illegal substances and broken bottles of Champagne in their trail. Known for its infamous celebrity guests, the club is no stranger to nefarious activities, so the party of 10 must have been doing something seriously bad to have to be escorted out of the premises!
Partied till 7am at IPL without SRK
Despite her husband leaving South Africa mid IPL, Gauri decided to stay back and party till 7am every night with her four girlfriends. Fellow party animals were shocked to see that the usually reserved Gauri was letting her hair down on the dance floor, somthing no one had seen her do before. Masala! heard someone quipping, 'We want what she's on!'
Keeping bad company
From safe (and boring) K-Jo to wild (and bored) star wives, Bhavna Pandey and Maheep Khan and hot (and spoilt) south Mumbai IT girls Renu Chainani and Nandita Mahtani – Gauri has changed her company drastically in the past few years. SRK expressed how he did not approve of their group activities and was heard telling Gauri to 'grow up and accept the responsibilities that fame comes along with'. His harsh lecture, however, fell on deaf ears as she made plans to go to with the same friends to Europe, Miami and then LA soon after! When confronted about her irresponsible behavior and the fact that SRK was sitting at home playing video games with the kids, while Gauri was out partying and neglecting the kids, the latter lashed out at SRK telling him that he had no right to control her life and abused him. So angry was the actor that he finally threatened to leave for Mumbai with the kids if she didn't get her act together!
Fed up of being the perfect mrs Khan
For years now Gauri has played the role of the perfect star wife – dressing and acting the part, being seen with the right people (only those who SRK approved of!) and building an image that she exploited and enjoyed at the time. She confided in a friend saying: 'I am tired of living for the world of fans, I want to live for myself. Why can't I?'
Breaking free or breaking down?
While many of Gauri's friends believe that she's just living life for herself, other's are convinced that she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown!
Masala! verdict
Tired and fed up of playing the perfect celeb spouce, the allegedly bratty Gauri is trying to break free. A friend of the couple told Masala! "Gauri now wants to live life for herself. What's wrong with living in the fast lane?" Nothing, we guess, as long as she's got her seatbelt on and her hands firmly on the wheel!

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2024.05.14 21:55 SeeCrew106 [Debunk] Ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 and otherwise caused no harm

Some people still swear up and down that ivermectin is actually effective against COVID-19. This is false. They also insist ivermectin has far fewer side-effecs than the Coronavirus vaccine. This is also false. I'm going to prove it to you, but whether you are capable of accepting evidence such as listed below is something I obviously have no control over. I can try, and you can keep an open mind.
First of all, ivermectin has many side-effects, ranging from innocuous to severe.^[1]
To wit:

General

Ivermectin is well tolerated compared to other microfilaricidal agents (i.e., thiabendazole, diethylcarbamazine). Adverse reactions (i.e., pruritus, fever, rash, myalgia, headache) occur commonly during the first 3 days after treatment and appear to be related to the extent of parasitic infection and systemic mobilization and killing of microfilariae. The majority of reactions can usually be treated with aspirin, acetaminophen and/or antihistamines. Adverse effects tend to occur with lesser frequency during periods of retreatment.

Ocular

Ocular side effects have included eyelid edema, anterior uveitis, blurred vision, conjunctivitis, limbitis, punctate opacity, keratitis, abnormal sensation in the eyes, and chorioretinitis/choroiditis; however, these effects are also associated with the disease onchocerciasis. Loss of vision has occurred rarely but usually resolved without corticosteroid treatment. Conjunctival hemorrhage has been reported during postmarketing experience in patients treated for onchocerciasis.

Other

Worsening of Mazzotti reactions, including arthralgia, synovitis, lymph node enlargement and tenderness, pruritus, skin involvement (including edema, papular and pustular or frank urticarial rash), and fever, has been reported during the first 4 days following treatment for onchocerciasis.

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects have included dizziness, headache, somnolence, vertigo, and tremor. Serious or fatal encephalopathy has been reported rarely in patients with onchocerciases, and heavily infected with Loa loa, either spontaneously or after treatment with ivermectin. Seizures have been reported during postmarketing experience.

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects have included anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distention.

Other

Other side effects have included asthenia, fatigue, abdominal pain, chest discomfort, facial edema, and peripheral edema.

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects have included decreased leukocyte count (3%), eosinophilia (3%), and increased hemoglobin (1%). Hematomatous swellings associated with prolonged prothrombin times have been reported, but the clinical significance is unknown. Leukopenia and anemia have been reported in at least one patient.

Hepatic

Hepatic side effects have included elevated ALT and/or AST. Elevated liver enzymes, elevated bilirubin, and hepatitis have been reported during postmarketing experience.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects have included tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension. EKG changes, including prolonged PR interval, flattened T waves and peaked T waves, have been reported in single cases. Hypotension (primarily orthostatic hypotension) has been reported during postmarketing experience.

Dermatologic

Dermatologic side effects have included pruritus, rash, and urticaria. Toxic epidermal necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome have been reported during postmarketing experience.

Respiratory

Respiratory side effects have included worsening bronchial asthma, laryngeal edema, and dyspnea.

Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal side effects have included myalgia.

Renal

Renal side effects have included rare transient proteinuria.
I tried to get incidence rates for these side-effects, but in some if not most instances, the answer given for these side-effects is either simply "unknown" or they're just not shown. Imagine telling this to anti-vaxers: if they have at least a consistent set of beliefs, this should deeply alarm them, shouldn't it?
Some people actually did take the horse dewormer version out of sheer desperation and got really sick, were hospitalized or worse: they died.

In New Mexico, two people died after taking a deworming drug for horses and other livestock to treat COVID-19.^[2]
The FDA received multiple reports of patients who required medical support and hospitalization after self-medicating with Ivermectin intended for horses.^[3]
There was a significant increase in calls to poison control centers due to misuse of Ivermectin. Texas saw a 550% spike in poison control calls due to people ingesting horse and cow dewormer.^[4]
People poisoned themselves with the horse-deworming version to thwart COVID-19, resulting in an uptick in calls to poison control centers.^[5]

Ivermectin was consistently found to be ineffective in treating COVID-19:

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Virology Journal evaluated the efficacy of Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients based on current peer-reviewed RCTs. The study concluded that Ivermectin did not have any significant effect on outcomes of COVID-19 patients.^[6]
A Cochrane meta-analysis of 11 eligible trials examining the efficacy of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 published through April 2022 concluded that Ivermectin has no beneficial effect for people with COVID-19.^[7]
An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded that taking 400 mcg/kg Ivermectin for three days, when compared with a placebo, did not significantly improve the chances for a patient with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 to avoid hospitalization.^[8]
A study published on News Medical concluded that in COVID-19 outpatients with mild or moderate illness, Ivermectin use for three days at a dose of 400 μg/kg showed no significant improvement in the time to sustained recovery compared to those who received placebos.^[9]

The unwarranted hype surrounding ivermectin can be traced back to its promotion on the Joe Rogan Experience.^[10]

Public interest in ivermectin ballooned following Joe Rogan’s podcasts. “On a national level Rogan’s podcast was a tipping point,” said Keenan Chen, an investigative researcher with First Draft News, an organization that tracks misinformation. (Rogan, who has previously expressed hesitancy to vaccines, announced in September he had contracted Covid-19. He claimed to be taking ivermectin among several other treatments.)

Joe Rogan took a cocktail of Big Pharma^tm meds which, with the exception of monoclonal antibodies, were not indicated for his situation. In fact, some of the medication he took could have made things worse.^[11] Rogan probably didn't get seriously ill because he's fit and without significant comorbidities. The one thing that would have actually been the most effective was the vaccine, which he refused to take.
Many others weren't as lucky as Joe was. I suggest you follow the footnotes and see for yourself. Especially the first one.^[12][13]
Other than ivermectin, coronavirus vaccines are also a subject both Joe Rogan and his guests have shamelessly lied about numerous times, which could have caused medical harm to people who bought into it, and probably did. The most prominent guest which comes to mind is RFK Jr.
RFK Jr.'s influence is so odious, I am comfortable saying he probably contributed to thousands of unnecessary deaths in total. One incident in which 83 people (mostly children) died is particularly disgusting:^[14]

In June 2019, Kennedy and his wife, the actress Cheryl Hines, visited Samoa, a trip Kennedy later wrote was arranged by Edwin Tamasese, a Samoan local anti-vaccine influencer.
Vaccine rates had plummeted after two children died in 2018 from a measles vaccine that a nurse had incorrectly mixed with a muscle relaxant. The government suspended the vaccine program for months. By the time Kennedy arrived, health authorities were trying to get back on track.
He was treated as a distinguished guest, traveling in a government vehicle, meeting with the prime minister and, according to Kennedy, many health officials and the health minister.
He also met with anti-vaccine activists, including Tamasese and another well-known influencer, Taylor Winterstein, who posted a photograph of herself and Kennedy on her Instagram.
“The past few days have been profoundly monumental for me, my family and for this movement to date,” she wrote, adding hashtags including #investigatebeforeyouvaccinate.
A few months later, a measles epidemic broke out in Samoa, killing 83 people, mostly infants and children in a population of about 200,000.
Public health officials said at the time that anti-vaccine misinformation had made the nation vulnerable.
The crisis of low vaccination rates and skepticism created an environment that was “ripe for the picking for someone like RFK to come in and in assist with the promotion of those views,” said Helen Petousis-Harris, a vaccinologist from New Zealand who worked on the effort to build back trust in the measles vaccine in Samoa.
Petousis-Harris recalled that local and regional anti-vaccine activists took their cues from Kennedy, whom she said “sits at the top of the food chain as a disinformation source.”
“They amplified the fear and mistrust, which resulted in the amplification of the epidemic and an increased number of children dying. Children were being brought for care too late,” she said.

The pandemic is over. Ivermectin wasn't effective. On the one hand we should move on, on the other hand, there should be some accountability for people who pushed this lie, especially those who benefited from it financially.^[10][15]
[1] Drugs.com - Ivermectin Side Effects
[2] USA Today - 'A serious issue': New Mexico health officials suspect two people dead from ivermectin poisoning
[3] Global News - FDA warns Americans to stop taking horse dewormer for COVID-19: ‘You are not a horse’ (Some anti-vaxers counter that the FDA lost a court battle about ivermectin, proving that it works - this is false)
[4] USA Today - Fact check: 590% jump in poison control calls about ivermectin seen in Texas
[5] Ars Technica - More people are poisoning themselves with horse-deworming drug to thwart COVID
[6] Virology Journal - Ivermectin under scrutiny: a systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy and possible sources of controversies in COVID-19 patients
[7] JAMA Network - At a Higher Dose and Longer Duration, Ivermectin Still Not Effective Against COVID-19
[8] KU Medical Center - Ivermectin shown ineffective in treating COVID-19, according to multi-site study including KU Medical Center
[9] News Medical - Ivermectin is ineffective in non-severe COVID-19 patients according to new study
[10] The Guardian - Ivermectin frenzy: the advocates, anti-vaxxers and telehealth companies driving demand
[11] Doctor Mike - Here's Why Joe Rogan's COVID Treatment Is Problematic
[12] /JamiePullDatUp - "I made a terrible mistake" vs. "I'm still not a 100% sold on the inoculation" - videos of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients in the hospital
[13] /HermanCainAward
[14] AP - RFK Jr. spent years stoking fear and mistrust of vaccines. These people were hurt by his work
[15] Time - ‘What Price Was My Father’s Life Worth?’ Right-Wing Doctors Are Still Peddling Dubious COVID Drugs

submitted by SeeCrew106 to JamiePullDatUp [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 18:11 LeeGaiFunkoPop Predebut groupings (ft. Tashannie, As One, F-iv, Koyote)

https://preview.redd.it/lpapreii290d1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b966d5cdbe9e69c13fa368339da9691c61e20464
Annie from Tashannie (bottom row, middle) was in a dance crew called Mixx with Kim Goo from Koyote (bottom row, left) and DJ D-Wreck From Nick Cannon’s Wild 'N Out (bottom right row. fun fact, he was the rapper for the Danny Phantom theme song lol).
Noah Ryu (top row, left) and the other 2 people on the top row whose names I don’t know were from a group called Style. Originally a boy group, the girl replaced Park Jung-hwan who was the infamous ex-member of DJ DOC; thus turning Style into a co-ed group
I believe Mixx flew to Korea for some dance competition and Annie and Kim Goo were scouted from there.I know Noah had connections with Deux somehow and was in another pre debut dance crew with Jini from Diva and Kim Sungjae but I’m not sure of the details behind that.
https://preview.redd.it/of9oaa0k1f0d1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcd58b09256c7062ef94937cd7c887e855ed3343
https://preview.redd.it/qna6abkm1f0d1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37512028eed16a55724f8628032537aafd1fa3b7
As One was originally a trio called Unity with actress Cathy Shim. They were discovered by Jae Chong of Solid, and were intended to be a female version of them. Unity recorded half their album but later on the president of their company had a falling out with their producer, which cancelled their 3 year contract and had the members sent back home to the U.S.
I think they were supposed to debut in 1997 because Crystal mentioned that politics played a part in not allowing their album to come to fruition, so I’m assuming the financial crisis was another cause. Cathy decided to pursue acting in the states instead while Min and Crystal decided to return to Korea and find a new label.
https://preview.redd.it/3p371qhq1f0d1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0640902b87431a038d69126fbee49c04941df12
This is the only photo I actually can’t explain and don’t know anything about but pictured here is Hyunsoo from F-iv, Turtleman from Turtles, and a girl whose name I don’t know (looks like Lim Sung Eun but highly doubt its her).
I don’t know if this was a pre debut grouping, a former dance crew or a clothing ad but here it is!

submitted by LeeGaiFunkoPop to kpopnostalgia [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 16:26 Sufficientlyfun The Kibbe approach to Personal Color: A Crash Course

One of the lesser known and discussed components to David Kibbe’s approach to developing an authentic personal style is his color system.
What I think is quite unique about his approach is that it is rooted in color theory. I know that sounds kind of obvious… aren’t all personal color systems rooted in color theory? Not quite in the same way, no.
To go back to the absolute basics of color theory we start with the foundational concept of Primary Colors; Red, Yellow and Blue. Where In color theory; Yellow is Warm, Blue is Cool and Red is Neutral.
Disclaimer: Yes! There’s such thing as a Warm Blue or a Cool Yellow. David gives every season their own version of Yellow and Blue. However, we’re referencing a *pure** version of these colors - not a blend.*
So when we say “cool toned” this means the colors have a blue base since blue is cool. The same can be said for the concept of “warm toned” which means the colors have a yellow base since yellow is warm.
Now, nobody’s skin tone is literally yellow (we’re not lemons) or literally blue (we are not lizards). We are a complex blend of pigments that create a unique mix of tones within our skin, hair and eyes. What we’re looking to determine with our personal coloring here is wether we have a blue (cool) or golden (warm) undertone. With our hair and eyes providing extra clues but our undertone being the most important factor to consider.
Before we launch into the **Metamorphosis excerpt on David’s approach to personal color, I would like to pause and remind us all, that, as with all things Kibbe, it bares reminding that it is essential we leave all prior ideas on colouring aside and approach this process with a sense of playful exploration and curiosity. Our personal coloring just as our Kibbe ID is part of what makes us uniquely beautiful. So it’s not about there being a “correct” or “incorrect” answer. It’s about celebrating what is innate to us.*

Discovering the magic of your coloring

So much has been written in recent years about your coloring and "having your colors done" that I simply can't take you through this journey without a brief detour in this often confusing area.
As a firm believer in the beauty of our natural coloring, I've always felt that it should be enhanced and prized as one of our greatest gifts from Nature. Since I could be described as one of the pioneers of the modern color movement, I've worked long and hard to educate the public about the possibilities and systems that exist to make working with your coloring easy, clear, exciting, and most of all, fun!
In the past few years, I've watched many variations spring up on the basic theme of personal color analysis. As in all extremely popular fields, some of the "new" variations are simply gimmicks de- signed to cash in on the latest fad, while others bear at least some validity.
For my money, however, the basic system of the seasonal color theory originally developed by Johannes Itten of the Bauhaus School is still far and away the most effective.
This theory divides your coloring into four basic categories named after the seasons, based on two parts of your genetic makeup: (1) the undertone of your skin, which is blue or golden and functions as the "base" of your coloring; and (2) the in- tensity of your coloring, which has to do with the type of "contrast" between your hair. skin, and eyes.
Simply put, your "season" is a general description of the type of coloring you inherited and the palette of colors that will enhance it. Each "season" represents a family of colors that consists of over two million shades within the palette. Here's a brief description of each:

Winter

Blue undertone to the skin. High-contrast coloring (distinct difference between the hair, skin, eyes).
Palette: Cool, clear colors. Blue-based shades with sharp intensity. A jewel-toned palette ranging from vivid colors to very pale, icy shades.
Person: The hair is usually dark (a solid color as opposed to visibly highlighted) with an ash base, and the skin and eyes are quite clear.
Celebrities: Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, Diahann Carroll, Connie Chung.

Summer

Blue undertone to the skin. Blended contrast (the hair, skin, eyes tend to blend together).
Palette: Cool, muted colors. Blue- based shades with a saturated intensity. A dusty palette ranging from pastels to very deep shades.
Person: The hair is usually medium dark to medium light (a dense color with a very subtle highlight) with an ash base, and the skin tone is saturated while the eyes are softly muted.
Celebrities: Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth, Jane Fonda.

Autumn

Golden undertone to the skin. Contrast is medium to high, but characterized by richness.
Palette: Warm, intense colors. Yellow based shades with a heavy saturation of richness. A fiery palette ranging from very vivid, hot shades to a few softly muted neutrals.
Person: The hair is usually a richly highlighted shade with a red base, ranging from very deep chestnut to fiery auburn to a very deep honey. The skin tone is rich and saturated (ranging from very pale to very deep) and the eyes are a mixture of marbelized color.
Celebrities: Natalie Wood, Ann-Margret, Diane Keaton, Katharine Hepburn, Shari Bela- fonte-Harper.

Spring

Golden undertone to the skin. Contrast is delicate, but sharp.
Palette: Warm and clear colors. Yellow based shades with a light, bright intensity. A vibrant pal ette ranging from very fresh, vivid shades to a few clear pales.
Person: The hair is usually a medium dense shade (with a subtle natural highlight) and a golden or red base, ranging from medium golden brown to strawberry to golden blond. The skin tone is clear and delicate, and the eyes are crisp.
Celebrities; Shirley MacLaine, Sissy Spacek, Vanessa Williams, Arlene Dahl, Eva Gabor.

Draping the Seasons

Question: How can I determine my "season"? Can I tell by just looking at myself in the mir ror? Can I tell by looking at the underside of my wrists?
Not really. The best way to objectively determine your season is with the help of three or four friends. To correctly determine your season, you've got to first determine both the undertone of your skin (blue or golden), and then the type of contrast between your hair, skin, and eyes. The only way to accurately do this is by a process called "draping," whereby you drape selected shades of fabric under your chin and compare the color of the fabric to the colors in your face. You cannot determine your undertone by simply looking at your wrist because you are merely viewing the "shade" of your skin tone, as opposed to the undertone or base coloration.
In the draping process, you discover your skin's undertone by an indirect method. The aim is to enhance the undertone of your skin by using a complementary base color from the selected fabric.
Here's how to do this: With a group of three or four friends, assemble the following large swaths of fabric:

Four shades of green:

a) a blue-based emerald green (clear and vivid)
b) a blue-based sen green (soft and dusty)
c) a yellow-based mossy green (rich and in- tense)
d) a yellow-based bright chartreuse (light and clear)

Four shades of red:

a) a blue-based scarlet (clear and vivid)
b) a blue-based dusty raspberry (soft and muted)
c) a yellow-based tomato (rich and intense)
d) a yellow-based bright poppy (light and clear)

Four shades of blue:

a) a blue-based royal (clear and vivid)
b) a blue-based cornflower (soft and dusty)
c) a yellow-based teal (rich and intense)
d) a yellow-based bright aqua (light and clear)

Four shades of pink:

a) a blue-based fuchsia (vivid and clear)
b) a blue-based dusty rose (soft and muted)
c) a yellow-based salmon (rich and intense)
d) a yellow-based bright coral (light and bright)
Now drape each other in these colors, following the order in which they're listed. As you're watching this process, be sure to focus on the person's face, not the color. (Remember, you're seeking to discover which color brings the person out, not sim- ply the color you like best.)
In the right shade, you'll watch the person's skin tone become smooth and clear; shadows will seem to miraculously disappear!
In the wrong shades, the color will reflect onto the person's face; you'll notice the color, not the person.
Have your friends vote on what they're seeing. You'll nearly always find the consensus of others to be correct. (Your own opinion may be somewhat prejudiced by color preferences and the thought of having to change your wardrobe!)
If the consensus is that the colors of group a tested best on you consistently, you are a "Winter." If the consensus is toward group b, you are a "Summer." If the consensus is toward group c, you are an "Autumn"; and if the consensus is toward group d, then you are a "Spring."
NOTE: It's very important to perform this draping ceremony in natural light, so be sure you work near a large window with good sun exposure. Also, if your hair has been artificially colored, or has any chemical processing on it such as perms or waves, be sure to cover it with a white turban or bandanna. This will prevent your altered haircolor from throwing any shadows on your face, which could result in a misanalysis. This is crucial in determining your season, so don't forgo it in the name of vanity! Since the skin tone is a much subtler color than your hair, it's very easy to simply match the shades of fabric to the hair, rather than to the complexion. Also, be sure you remove all traces of makeup before you begin!

Questions & Answers

Q. Can I be a mixture of seasons!
A. No, you cannot. It's genetically impossible! Each "season" refers to a specific type of coloring, of which there are only four. For example, you cannot have a mixture of a golden and a blue undertone. Since the undertone functions as the base of your skin tone, it determines whether the shade of skin you have is either warm or cool. A color can only have one base, whether it's skin color, haircolor, fabric, a cosmetic shade, or even the paint on your wall!
The basic law of abstract color theory states that the base of a color determines its shade. For example, a burgundy red has a blue base. It is this blue base that actually causes the shade to be burgundy instead of some other shade of red, say tomato red or rust. Likewise, a mossy green is caused by a yellow base, while an emerald green is emerald because its base is blue! Your skin tone is exactly the same. An olive skin is always caused by a blue undertone. That's why it's olive and not a tawny beige (which is caused by a golden undertone). On the other hand, an ivory skin tone has a golden base, which is what makes it ivory instead of porcelain (which is caused by a blue undertone). There isn't a single individual-dead, alive. or yet to be born who possesses a mixture of undertones. It simply can not happen!
Q. What about "intensity"? Can I be a mixture of the "cools" (WinteSummer) or the "warms" (Autumn/Spring)!
A. No, you cannot. As with the undertone, you have one type of intensity to your coloring. High contrast coloring needs clear shades to enhance and bring it out effectively. Blended coloring needs a saturation of color to allow the subtlety of your coloring to show through gracefully. Mixing the clear colors with the dusty tones only negates your particular type of coloring.
Moreover, the palettes themselves simply don't mix effectively when you translate them into clothing and cosmetics. If you were to try to create color combinations of the cool Winter and Summer palettes, for example, you would never be able to effectively combine the jewel tones of Winter with the elegantly dusty shades of Summer. Since the palettes are of opposing intensities, the shades themselves are not at all complementary. Any resulting outfits of clothing would simply be a hodgepodge of mismatched colors!
Even more disasterous would be an attempt to mix the tones in cosmetics. For a makeup to be successful, you absolutely must keep all the colors on your face in one family of color, both in terms of the base and the intensity. Mixing them is akin to wearing a shocking pink blouse with a bright orange lipstick! While the result might not always be this glaring, opposite color families do not blend together!
Q. But I've had my colors done "professionally," and I was told I'm a mixture. Why would that have happened?
A. Basically, that means one of two things. Either you were analyzed incorrectly, which is, unfortunately, becoming quite common because of improper training and a lack of experience among color consultants, or it's simply a question of semantics.
Frequently, in an effort to delineate among the specific shades that you can actually wear effectively (be cause of the variations in individual skin tone, hair, and eye colors that exist within a season), color consult ants have attempted to make your palette as specific to you as possible. This sometimes manifests in your being labeled a mixture of seasons or having a "subseason." While this is technically incorrect, since the colors within the seasonal palettes do not actually blend with the other palettes, the result is usually a way of defining the range of shades within your season that appear most exciting on you.
From my experience, based on analyzing thousands of clients over a number of years, I simply find it too inaccurate and confusing to try to suggest to my clients that they "mix" the palettes. It's not helpful in a practical sense, for it doesn't actually add any colors that they can effectively work with in clothing, cosmetics, or haircolor. And, since it's technically incorrect, as I previously stated, I find that the clients who come to our salon with a "mixture" of colors nearly always have either a diluted appearance, in terms of focus, or they have a lot of mistakes hanging in their closets! Can my "contrast" change with age?
Q. What about as my hair turns gray? Does this change my season?
A. No, your season never changes with age, or anything else! As your hair begins to gray, Nature is not only changing your haircolor, but is also changing your skin tone and eyes at the same time. The balance among these three elements always remains the same. For example, if you're a mature Vivid Winter, like actress Bea Arthur, the balance among your haiskin/eyes is best described as high contrast. You have a vivid haircolor, a fair skin, and an intense eye color. True, your haircolor is not the same as when you were twenty years old, when it was probably a deep brunette, but you've maintained the high contrast coloring you were born with. As your hair began to gray, it didn't turn a dull or mousy shade of gray, but rather went a brilliant silver, didn't it? Your skin and eyes have actually gotten lighter at the same time, even though this difference is probably imperceptible to you. Do yone that your high contrast has not changed at all! You still have a vivid haircolor, a fair skin, and an in- ten eye color. Your balance has remained the same! You are still a Vivid Winter, and the colors that focus your specific coloring are still cool and clear!
Whatever your season, Nature created your haiskin/eyes as a unit. They always change together, and the balance among them never changes That's why your season never changes!
Q. Does my season have anything to do with style? For example, I read somewhere that Winters should stick to solids and geometrics, while Autumns are very good in tweeds and textures.
A. Not in the least! Having your colors done has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than determining what your skin tone is and which palette of colors to work with to enhance it. It tells you nothing more specific than the range of colors to use. Your specific clothing choices (including fabrics and textures, as well as shapes and lines), makeup shades, and haircolor range all come from developing your personal style through discovering your Image Identity.
For example, Autumns are frequently told to concentrate on use of textures in their wardrobe. Yet Ann-Margret is a Fiery Autumn, but as a Theatrical Romantic, I'd much rather see her in silks, satins, angora, and se quins than rough textures or tweeds any day of the year!
Having your colors done can be a wonderful and exciting addition to your life, and I highly recommend it when it's properly executed. Just be careful not to give it more importance than it's worth. Your coloring is only one part of you - it's worthy of being carefully looked at, but only within the contest of your total look.

Now I’m sure for those of us who are more visual the written descriptions of these colors can be ultra confusing! Unfortunately we can not share the seasonal palettes David has created. However, the palettes as well as a wealth of additional information on the sub seasons, additional celebrities as well as the three make up palettes for each season etc. can be accessed within the Four Season Freedom Facebook Group.
My personal tip is to get a good grasp on basic color theory by understanding what blue based vs yellow based colors look like. A really creative and explorative way to approach this is by getting some paints out and mixing the tones to see how blue (cool) with added yellow (warm) transforms into a warm blue. (Please ensure you use a true Yellow, a true Blue, a true Red, a true Black and a true White).
The goal of the system isn’t to just wear the colors David has in his seasonal palettes - it’s to use these as a jumping off point. So, that you can then take the concept of your coloring and have the ability to intuitively identify colors that harmonise with you rather than pull out a palette on your phone every time you go clothes or make up shopping!
Each season can be quickly understood by what it’s characteristics evoke:

Winter (Cool) is Jewel

Spring (Warm) is Vibrant

Summer (Cool) is Lush

Autumn (Warm) is Fiery

A quick disclaimer!! No season gets boring muted colors. Everyone gets beautifully saturated colors! You won’t see the sad, drab and dull tones often seen in other seasonal color systems here! For example Summer is Lush in tone not muted and Autumn is fiery in tone, again not muted In any sense if the word.

Let’s talk about the defining characteristics tied to certain seasons

I want to preface this part, by reminding us all that much like our Kibbe ID, we are born with the innate characteristics we have ; we are who we are meant to be! And so it’s never a case of being relegated to certain IDs or color seasons based on certain characteristics. But, instead we are embarking on the journey to discover what has always been there with the objective of achieving harmony with ourselves and in doing so bringing out our unique beauty.
Brown eyes Brown eyes are a feature of high contrast coloring and therefore will always be a high contrast season; Autumn or Winter.
Naturally Ginger / Red hair Ginger / Red hair is a warm color (a mix of a golden base with added red) and therefore will always be a warm season; Spring or Autumn.
An Olive undertone Olive is always caused by a blue undertone, therefore it will always be Winter.
Naturally Blonde hair Blonde hair can be any season except for Winter which requires a high level of contrast between the features; Skin/HaiEyes.
The Color Black Black is considered a cool tone that casts a shade on its surrounds, due to its depth of contrast is only given to Winters as with Winters it enhances the clarity of coloring whether-as with all other seasons it muddies their coloring.
The Color White White, on the other hand is universally given to all seasons as it is considered a neutral.

submitted by Sufficientlyfun to Kibbe [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 15:08 YourlocalTitanicguy Odd Titanica: Hollywood sleaze

In this edition of “Odd Titanica”, we are going to dive into the sleazy, opportunistic world of show business. A world that comedian Fred Allen said of, “you can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a fruit fly, and still have room for three caraway seeds and a producer’s heart”. Hyperbolic? Let’s take a look at Hollywood’s response to the Titanic disaster to see that there really is no business like show business.
Dorothy Gibson and the lost, first, film are well worn trivia by now. The traumatized actress rushed into production, her inability to process her trauma causing her mental breakdown, collapse, and retirement from acting immediately after the film was finished - it’s a perfect story to demonstrate the callousness of the film industry. But there is more to the story, and digging deeper shows us that “Saved” may have been the least sleazy project undertaken by the studios.
Dorothy’s account of the sinking and the suffering she endured filming “Saved from the Titanic” are predominantly found in two sources - The New York Dramatic Mirror and Moving Picture World. These were trade magazines, published weekly, and consisting solely of material related to the stage and screen business. These would be announcements of upcoming features, casting news, celebrity gossip, technical news - anything the movie star to the man sweeping the floor at the cinema needed to know. And they included ads … lots and lots of ads.
Immediately realizing that Titanic was not only a horrible tragedy but an incredible business opportunity, Moving Picture World got to work. As people stormed White Star Line offices, and raided newspaper carts for any drop of news regarding the sinking, Moving Picture World provided the latest in Titanic news; or perhaps we should say “Titanic” news.
The headlines of the April 27th issue may have screamed TITANIC, but as the public grabbed their copy and hurriedly flipped through the pages, they found that what they were actually given was ads. Those eye grabbing headlines were followed by much smaller print-
TITANIC EFFORTS... are being exerted by Champion to put before the exhibitors that will make them regular Champ Patrons! Get the following latest [releases] and you’ll be convinced!.
UNSINKABLE … is the reputation of Rep productions, but these two releases will sink into the minds of everyone who sees them and will remain there as worthy object lessons.
THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN …suggested by the poem of Elizabeth Barret Browning in 2 reels this Tuesday!
THE GREATEST MOTION PICTURE OF NATIONAL INTEREST - THE SINKING OF…. the big battleship. Remember the Maine!
THE DEATH SHIP...a sensational two reel drama of the sea containing one of the most thrilling dynamite explosions imaginable!
For all the slimy marketing tricks, flipping through the pages still has plenty of legitimate ads for real Titanic newsreels, movies, and a specific type of presentation known a Myriorama involving painting, music, and recitation. But, show business would strike again - the ads were legitimate, but what they were advertising was not. History has sort of forgotten the huge demand for Titanic media in the wake of the sinking, something that didn’t really exist. When cinema owners would order these “only surviving genuine negatives of the disaster” complete with lobby display package, they instead received-

our astonishment to find the Lusitania and Olympic, and one or two scratch films of ancient days posing as pictures of Titanic.

But they didn’t stop. Animated Weekly advertised that they were “the first to reach the wreck… chartered a tug from Cape Breton and rushed to the scene while the survivors were still in the water”. Cinemas began to promote footage of the sinking. Audiences wrote their disgust to Moving Picture World-

These representations are to the point of criminality … Take, for instance, the picture showing the Titanic with about a sixth of her forward length stuck into the iceberg. Everybody knows the collision did not occur in that manner!

They pointed to the following ad as an example - FIRST PICTURES OF THE TITANIC OCEAN DISASTER. The cinema owners responded by noting that they had misread, crammed in tiny letters were the words “sunk in” so that ad actually read FIRST PICTURES OF THE TITANIC sunk in OCEAN DISASTER. It was the customer's fault, they said, to be stupid enough to think anyone could have actually filmed the sinking.
Once this ruse was discovered, the studios shifted gears. The next step was to advertise film along with presentations by “A Lecturer who was on board”. When the audience realized the lecturer was not on Titanic and demanded a refund - the response from the managers was

Those signs didn’t say he was a survivor.

… and any attempt to charge him with the crime of fraud was absurd because, in his own words-

Of course I didn’t give him his money back. The sign didn’t misrepresent anything. West was on the Titanic, the sign didn’t say when he was.

…which was true. The lecturer, Eugene West, had visited Titanic while she was under construction at Belfast.
As for the movies themselves?

We said we had pictures. If people were foolish enough to think we meant moving pictures, that was their fault.

This particular cheated audience member was told if he wanted his money back, to go on the street and sing for it. Whether it was this, or something else, eventually the public snapped and began hauling out cinema managers and beating them in the streets. By May, the mayors of Boston and Memphis had banned the showing of any Titanic pictures - moving or still- within the city.
But, where was Dorothy in all this? Tucked in the very back of the magazine, after another newsreel ad,, we get to the celebrity sighting and gossip section. Ed Lux of the Rex Film Exchange was in town, Dan Markowitz of Fox Pictures was as well, Arthur Schmidt of the Victor Film Company was seen having a lovely spa at a Turkish Bath, Sam Gobel of the St Louis Motion Picture Company has been walking up and down 42nd street, we don’t know if Southern film maker Henry Wasserman is still here but he might be, Dorothy Gibson survived the sinking of the Titanic, and the Director of Selig Pictures took some actresses to Santa Catalina for a swim and a photoshoot and they had a great time.
By the following edition, on May 2nd, Moving Picture World was also able to provide its readers with the first stills from “Saved from the Titanic” and a feature on Dorothy. Along with this, tucked in the editorials, the magazine finally published a piece of truthful news about the Titanic disaster-

Senator William Alden Smith … declined to grant permission to have the cinematopgraph make a record of the sessions of the committee. “The sessions” he is quoted as saying…”are solemn affairs and must not be hippodromed or commercialized”. He is, however, falling into a serious error in judgement-

…they sniffed.

As a matter of right, the camera man ought to have been permitted. The day of the enfranchisement of the motion picture will surely come .. which will give equal rights to the cinematographer and the newspaper man.

Then, among the illegal false advertising and reports of public brawls at the cinema, they ended with-

The lesson of the Titanic disaster and all its incidents can be made far more impressive by pictures that move than by mere words in cold letters.

submitted by YourlocalTitanicguy to titanic [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 15:05 YourlocalTitanicguy Odd Titanica: Hollywood sleaze

In this edition of “Odd Titanica”, we are going to dive into the sleazy, opportunistic world of show business. A world that comedian Fred Allen said of, “you can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a fruit fly, and still have room for three caraway seeds and a producer’s heart”. Hyperbolic? Let’s take a look at Hollywood’s response to the Titanic disaster to see that there really is no business like show business.
Dorothy Gibson and the lost, first, film are well worn trivia by now. The traumatized actress rushed into production, her inability to process her trauma causing her mental breakdown, collapse, and retirement from acting immediately after the film was finished - it’s a perfect story to demonstrate the callousness of the film industry. But there is more to the story, and digging deeper shows us that “Saved” may have been the least sleazy project undertaken by the studios.
Dorothy’s account of the sinking and the suffering she endured filming “Saved from the Titanic” are predominantly found in two sources - The New York Dramatic Mirror and Moving Picture World. These were trade magazines, published weekly, and consisting solely of material related to the stage and screen business. These would be announcements of upcoming features, casting news, celebrity gossip, technical news - anything the movie star to the man sweeping the floor at the cinema needed to know. And they included ads … lots and lots of ads.
Immediately realizing that Titanic was not only a horrible tragedy but an incredible business opportunity, Moving Picture World got to work. As people stormed White Star Line offices, and raided newspaper carts for any drop of news regarding the sinking, Moving Picture World provided the latest in Titanic news; or perhaps we should say “Titanic” news.
The headlines of the April 27th issue may have screamed TITANIC, but as the public grabbed their copy and hurriedly flipped through the pages, they found that what they were actually given was ads. Those eye grabbing headlines were followed by much smaller print-
TITANIC EFFORTS are being exerted by Champion to put before the exhibitors that will make them regular Champ Patrons! Get the following latest [releases] and you’ll be convinced!.
UNSINKABLE … is the reputation of Rep productions, but these two releases will sink into the minds of everyone who sees them and will remain there as worthy object lessons.
THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN …suggested by the poem of Elizabeth Barret Browning in 2 reels this Tuesday!
** THE GREATEST MOTION PICTURE OF NATIONAL INTEREST - THE SINKING OF**…. the big battleship. Remember the Maine!
THE DEATH SHIP...a sensational two reel drama of the sea containing one of the most thrilling dynamite explosions imaginable!
For all the slimy marketing tricks, flipping through the pages still has plenty of legitimate ads for real Titanic newsreels, movies, and a specific type of presentation known a Myriorama involving painting, music, and recitation. But, show business would strike again - the ads were legitimate, but what they were advertising was not.
History has sort of forgotten the huge demand for Titanic media in the wake of the sinking, something that didn’t really exist. When cinema owners would order these “only surviving genuine negatives of the disaster” complete with lobby display package, they instead received-

our astonishment to find the Lusitania and Olympic, and one or two scratch films of ancient days posing as pictures of Titanic.

These representations are to the point of criminality … Take, for instance, the picture showing the Titanic with about a sixth of her forward length stuck into the iceberg. Everybody knows the collision did not occur in that manner!

They pointed to the following ad as an example - FIRST PICTURES OF THE TITANIC OCEAN DISASTER. The cinema owners responded by noting that they had misread, crammed in tiny letters were the words “sunk in” so that ad actually read FIRST PICTURES OF THE TITANIC sunk in OCEAN DISASTER. It was the customers fault, they said, to be stupid enough to think anyone could have actually filmed the sinking.
Once this ruse was discovered, the studios shifted gears. The next step was to advertise film along with presentations by “A Lecturer who was on board”. When the audience realized the lecturer was not on Titanic and demanded a refund - the response from the managers was

Those signs didn’t say he was a survivor.

… and any attempt to charge him with the crime of fraud was absurd because, in his own words-

Of course I didn’t give him his money back. The sign didn’t misrepresent anything. West was on the Titanic, the sign didn’t say when he was.

…which was true. The lecturer, Eugene West, had visited Titanic while she was under construction at Belfast.
As for the movies themselves?

We said we had pictures. If people were foolish enough to think we meant moving pictures, that was their fault.

Senator William Alden Smith … declined to grant permission to have the cinematopgraph make a record of the sessions of the committee. “The sessions” he is quoted as saying…”are solemn affairs and must not be hippodromed or commercialized”. He is, however, falling into a serious error in judgement-

…they sniffed.

As a matter of right, the camera man ought to have been permitted. The day of the enfranchisement of the motion picture will surely come .. which will give equal rights to the cinematographer and the newspaper man.

Then, among the illegal false advertising and reports of public brawls at the cinema, they ended with-

The lesson of the Titanic disaster and all its incidents can be made far more impressive by pictures that move than by mere words in cold letters.

submitted by YourlocalTitanicguy to RMS_Titanic [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:40 Specialist_Bake6514 Vapiano P3: Italian Food Made in Germany

The kitchen is on fire. Welcome to the final part of the Vapiano story where the tables are turning. In the first two episodes we followed Mark Korzilius' journey from setbacks to founding Vapiano, a groundbreaking restaurant concept, highlighting its fresh ingredients, dynamic atmosphere, and data-driven operations that drove rapid success. While achieving initial profitability and garnering attention from industry giants like McDonald's, Vapiano's global expansion has led to stellar revenue growth. However, it has also resulted in the emergence of numerous side projects (or distractions), operational challenges, increased costs, significant investments, and a notable accumulation of debt. This underscores the prioritization of top-line growth over profitable growth. We will continue on this thread and see how the story ends, but I would encourage you to read part one and two for better context. Vapiano P1: Italian Food Made in Germany (substack.com). Let's dig in.
Before Going Public
We are now in 2015 and the year is a disaster for Vapiano's PR department. Employee time stamps are being manipulated, endless overtime for employees and high turnover in managerial roles are reported; mice in the kitchen and even rotten food allegedly found.
The company is confronted with allegations of exceeding working hours among trainees in an article published by Welt am Sonntag, while the same outlet accuses Vapiano of manipulating punch times. The auditing firm PwC is commissioned to investigate the allegations and finds that there is no systematic approach but rather misconduct by individual employees, a mistake that’s being corrected. Internal however, investigations into stamp times are carried out regularly now and beyond its obvious reputational impact, this sucks up valuable management time and attention.
In the summer of 2015 CEO, co-founder and investor Gregor Gerlach, who has been running the group since 2011 is stepping down and Jochen Halfmann is taking over. A new Vapiano People Program with an App is being developed with the aim to better interact with customers that will incorporate innovate features such as mobile pay. The German website sees a launch of new magazine to further promote the brand and there is now a full inhouse blogger and Instagram team being installed. In October the company buys seven restaurants from original co-founder, former co-investor and ex-president previously responsible for internation expansion Kent Hahne (2x Bonn, 3x Cologne, 1x Koblenz and one in Cologne that’s under construction). This package of Vapiano restaurants is very successful and generates net sales of more than 20 million euros in 2014. Hahne opened his first Vapiano restaurant in Cologne in August 2006 and in 2015 with his company apeiron AG, Hahne operates six L'Osteria franchise restaurants, a direct Vapiano competitor, and two self-owned restaurants GinYuu.
Then in November of 2015, the next public relations bomb goes off with allegations regarding the company's quality standards. The company immediately investigates the issue through internal and external specialists but finds no evidence of any quality issues. Nevertheless, knowing that the group is now being closely watched, the company’s already in place hygiene standards are being reinforced. Additional audits and inspections are performed nationally. Further, all Vapianos worldwide are being audited twice by the partners SGS Institut Fresenius and SAI Global. Auditing software is purchased to simplify the implementation of the audits and the resulting measures. Apart from the external examinations, there is a food sampling plan in place being performed continuously. Again, all of this sucks up costs, management time and attention. With all these tumultuous developments the company’s growth engine is undeterred. Revenue grows by a whopping 50 million euros to 202 million euros, an increase of 33%. Impressive. While average spent per customer increases in all countries, the number of customers per day in Germany decreases by 3.3% partially due to the negative press towards the end of the year. Five own, four JV and 19 new franchise restaurants are added that year to the group, the total number of own managed restaurants grows to 51, there are 31 JVs and 84 franchises which bringing the total to 166 Vapiano restaurants. Global restaurant sales are now above 400 million euros.
But while revenue grows by an astronomical 50 million euros, operating profits, alarmingly, shrink again. Gross margins are staying perfectly healthy above 75% but operating costs keep growing disproportionately fast. The Company’s outstanding debt jumps by almost 30 million, close to 85 million euros by the end of the year. With operating profits at 9.5 million euros, alarm bells should be going off right now.
In Q4 of 2015, new CEO Jochen Halfmann introduces Strategy 2020. The new strategy includes five essential points. One, profitable growth in the newly defined core markets of Germany and Austria as well as in the UK, Netherlands, France and USA. Two, operational excellence through strict “best practice” management. Three, further development and digitalization of the concept considering guest feedback. Four, greater focus on long-term employee retention and five, building a modern and sustainable IT landscape. Sound’s good on paper but let’s see how things pan out.
Vapiano's investments (capital expenditures) that year are primarily directed towards new restaurant openings, renovations of existing establishments, and share acquisitions in other Vapiano restaurants from franchisees or JV partners. A significant portion of funds is allocated to the digitalization of the guest experience, including the development of a new app scheduled for market release in 2016 and the implementation of a time recording system across all group restaurants. The world's first standalone Vapiano restaurant with a delivery service that year is built in Fürth, Germany. The company keeps expanding its presence in both inner-city locations and international markets, such as Shanghai, China.
To finance all of this, the group has its own operating cash flow which comes in at 18 million while capital expenditures are 26 million euros plus 14 million for acquisitions. The funding gab is filled with 26 million euros of new debt and a seven-million-euro equity raise. At that end of the year and after the equity raise Gregor Gerlach (through his AP Leipzig GmbH & Co. KG entity) holds 30.1%, Hans-Joachim and Gisa Sander through their Exchange Bio GmbH hold 25.5% and the Tchibo heirs, Herz through their Mayfair Beteiligungsfonds II GmbH & Co. KG hold 44,4%.
But for the first time the restaurant’s concept that was so successful to date is being questioned. Some customers are starting to mislike the operational flow of the concept itself. If you want pasta, you must queue for pasta. If you want pizza you stand in a different queue. A small side salad, yet another queue. "You spend more time carrying trays than an actress in Berlin-Mitte. The audience in the pasta limbo can only consist of people who have worked for an insurance company for a long time and, like Stockholm syndrome, they can no longer get away from the industrial canteen feeling," writes TV host Beisenherz provocatively. While overly harsh in his assessment he's not entirely wrong judging by customers venting their frustrations in forums and social media channels. It isn’t uncommon for those who ordered pizza to have already finished eating while there is little movement in the pasta queue. Long term that doesn't go down well, QSRs competitors like L’Osteria are handling this process differently, with much success.
https://preview.redd.it/6cas01oked0d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=2da6e0b4bc0e07dbee558de412feb414cd598d4a

Tipping Point

Where are now in the year 2016 and things start to deteriorate visibility. Perhaps not for the leman’s eye but any business minded observer can see that there are problems under the hood. Yes, revenue grows yet another whopping 50 million to almost 250 million euros but half of that growth, comes from acquisitions of restaurants that the group didn’t already own 100%, which is now being fully consolidated within the group’s accounts. Here is a concrete example. In the past, Vapiano SE, the group’s top holding company held an indirect 50% stake in a French subgroup via the subsidiary VAP Restaurants SA, based in Luxembourg, and included this as an associated company in the Vapiano SE consolidated financial statements using the equity method. Due to the acquisition of additional shares in September of 2016, Vapiano SE's indirect share in the French subgroup increased to 75%. This means that Vapiano SE takes control of the French subgroup, which is therefore included in the group’s financial statements as part of the full consolidation. The revenue from the acquired subsidiary now recorded in the consolidated income statement amounts to 12.8 million euros. While that’s great for the top line, the loss of the fully consolidated entity equates to 0.2 million euros. Yes, you are buying revenue, but there are losses attached to them, not profits. A similar case is the Swedish entity that runs eight restaurants with revenue of 11.5 million euros but has losses of 235 thousand euros. So much for Strategy 2020 and “profitable” growth.
That year the group’s operating profits are absolutely tanking, halving to 3.5 million euros. Operating profits are now a mere 1,4% of revenue. Remember original founder Mark Korzilius who talked about operating margins of 25% to 28% at the restaurant level? Yes, there are overhead costs for the organization that sits above the chain of restaurants, but operating margins that low indicates a course correction is needed. What’s telling is that in the annual report, in the management discussion section, the company starts talking about EBITDA as a proxy measure of profitability, rather than operating profit or net income. This wasn’t the case in the years before. Is this window dressing for an upcoming IPO? EBITDA is short for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization. How can you measure profitability of a restaurant chain that absolutely and unequivocally needs capital investment to maintain its restaurant operations, the very source of cash generation, by simply excluding this maintenance charge (depreciation in the income statement)? Vapiano’s own annual report talks about the fact that existing restaurants must be rejuvenated from time to time and that new interior designs have to be implemented every few years. These things wear and tear, they go out of style, kitchen equipment breaks and needs replacement. This business absolutely needs maintenance capital expenditure, why anyone talks of profits before these maintenance costs is beyond me. Fun fact: in the previous annual report EBITDA is mentioned seven times, mostly around restaurant acquisitions and financing, not however as a profit indication for the group. In the new annual report, EBITDA is mentioned 28 times. Maybe it’s just me but belated Charlie Munger liked to call EBITDA: bullsh*t earnings. When in doubt I stick with Charlie. Interestingly, EBITDA for Vapiano keeps growing while operating and net profits keep falling.
Operating cashflow for the group that year is about 21 million euros, but capital expenditure is 30 million and acquisitions for subsidiaries another 20 million. To finance these expenditures another 28 million euros of debt and 16 million of equity is raised. Net debt rises above 130 million euro. The operating cashflow of the group before any capital expenditures is 21 million euros. I am not sure free cash flow would be significantly positive after maintenance capex is paid out; it’s not broken out so we can’t be sure. Granted, I am not on the ground during this time, and I am not in the board room, I am simply reading what’s in front of me, but to me this is starting to look like a distressed situation. Regardless, the following year the company goes public.

IPO

Where are now in the year 2017 and its Vapiano’s first year as public company. The company’s annual report reads the following “Sales revenue, like-for-like growth (LfL) and the earnings figures EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are used as the most important financial performance indicators for controlling operational business activities.” The very same report however also says: “The majority of the group's investments regularly go towards opening new restaurant locations and modernizing existing restaurants. The latter are differentiated into regular replacement investments that occur during ongoing operations (Maintenance CAPEX) and fundamental investments in the renovation of a restaurant (Remodeling CAPEX). On average, a restaurant remodeling takes place nine years after opening.” It says it right there in their own report; every nine years a remodeling is taking place. Remodeling and updating is not cost free, so why exclude depreciation charges which reflect capital expenditures? I understand that perhaps you would want to strip out one-off opening costs, that’s fine and fair, but don’t go overboard.
The number of restaurants increases by 26 (previous year: 13) to a total of 205. The increase consists of 27 new openings and one closure. Group revenue grows to an astonishing 325 million euros but here comes the shocker, operating profits turn negative to 25 million. Fine, strip out foreign exchange losses of 3 million, IPO costs of 5.8 million and new opening costs of 6.1 million and you still have 10 million euros of operational losses. All the while the debt load of almost 130 million hasn’t materially changed, so those operating losses are before a six-million-euro interest payment. 184 million euros are raised through the IPO of which 85 million go to the company. This money is earmarked for further expansion as the group has ambitions to almost double the footprint to 330 restaurants by the end of 2020. The company is currently not profitable on an operating basis, and still wants to expand aggressively? I don’t get it. The remaining 100 million euros of the IPO money raised is distributed to co-founder Gregor Gerlach and Wella heirs Hans-Joachim and Gisa Sander. The family office of the former Tchibo owners Günter and Daniela Herz with a 44% stake, don’t sell a single share. After the IPO, 32% of all the company’s shares are now in free float.
One year later, in 2018, things get even worse. Revenue grows to 371 million, but operating losses mount to 85 million euros, that’s before interest expenses of 9 million. Even the beloved EBITDA figure turns negative, meaning the operating business before any expansionary or even maintenance capital expenditures is loss making. All regions are experiencing significant deterioration in their earnings profiles. Like for like sales are down 1% across the board. That’s revenue, not profitability. The question naturally arises: is the Group approaching its natural saturation point here or this operational by nature? The operating cash flow is now 9 million while financing cost are close to 7 million. That leaves 2 million for maintenance capital for 74 own restaurants and 76 joint ventures ones. Describing this as financially tight, would be an understatement.
Things are not looking good at this point. Yet the company still grows restaurants by 26 new sites. 64 million euros are spent on acquisitions, new openings, and maintenance costs, financed through a 20 million-euro equity raise and 72 million of new debt. The Company now has net debt outstanding of over 160 million euros. After the equity raise and by the end of the year 2018, Mayfair owns 47.4%, VAP Leipzig, Gregor Gerlach’s entity owns 18.9% and the Sander couple own 15.5% of the company. Yes, the Sanders and Gerlach may have taken 100 million euros off the table, but they still have substantial skin in the game. Plus, Mayfair hasn’t sold a single share and instead injects more money into the company through the equity round. The stock has now fallen from its IPO price of 23 euros per share to under 6 euros by the end of 2018. Something must be done here. And indeed, there is pivot in strategy and a hard push for change. At last, the management team abandons its aggressive growth plan and curtails new openings significantly. Additionally, the team wants to run a thorough analysis of weak locations to then either discontinue or sell sites. In Europe, the operating focus will be put on corporate restaurants and joint ventures in major cities to ensure the ideal size and location to match the respective demographic target group. Outside of Europe, the franchising business is being expanded and at the same time a consolidation of the existing corporate and joint venture markets is being sought. All future investments will be reviewed to achieve higher rates of returns on new openings. Investments are also being made in the renovation of older restaurants. The goal in the future is to also open smaller formats, like Mini-Vapianos (less than 400 square meters) or Freestander at prominent transportation hubs outside city centers (currently in Fürth and Toulouse) to cater to individual location requirements, and to enter new partnerships. I am not sure why management hasn’t stopped all expansion altogether, bringing the ship in order first, getting profitable, clean up, all hands-on deck before considering any further expansions whatsoever. But again, it’s easy to comment from the sidelines; maybe they saw white spaces that would be covered by competing concepts if they weren’t moving fast and aggressively enough. Although pushing internationally means competing with local players such as Jamie's Italian, Prezzo, Pizza Express, Wagamama, Nando's and many more which brings in its own dynamic.
Management also aims to enhance guest satisfaction. This involves refining operational processes, reorganizing the support center, and refocusing on the core offering: providing fresh and high-quality Italian food at affordable prices for a broad audience. The group also aims to reduce waiting times, especially during lunch, while also improving the evening atmosphere. There is even what I would call an evolution, away from Vapiano’s original concept, reorientating the customer journey. The ordering flow is being changed, offering guests synchronized preparations of all dishes while eliminating wait times at the cooking stations. The open show kitchen remains, staying true to original mantra of freshness and transparency but now guests can choose their preferred method of ordering through a mobile app, using a digital order point (kiosk), or by personally placing an order with a waiter. Guests can still freely choose their table and are then informed about the complete preparation of their order through a pager or their smartphone. This is a substantial deviation from the original concept, but a needed one. The group is also exploring and implementing the expansion of take-away and home delivery services but only at suitable locations, not universally across new openings. I am not sure why home delivery is even a priority here; it adds operational complexity. It’s better to clean up shop first and get back to the basics before adding new complexities. To be fair management does try to simplify. There are 49 different permanent dishes on the menu and additional 10 seasonal ones. Customers can choose from eleven different types of pasta. There is simply too much choice, and it makes orders complicated. The company announced to slim the menu down to its most popular and typical Vapiano dishes. There’s no need for an Asian salad at an Italian restaurant. "We have to go back to the roots, i.e. classic, honest Italian cuisine" says COO Everke. Regardless, in November of 2018, the supervisory board pulls the plug on CEO Jochen Halfmann and replaces him with Cornelius Everke. Everke himself has just become COO five months ago. Since 2017 he was responsible for international expansion. From 2011 to 2017 that role was filled by Mario Bauer – put a pin in that name, he’ll play a key role in the groups fate later. Then nine months later, in the middle of 2019, Cornelius Everke quits. He essentially concludes that his skillset and experience in the areas of internation expansion is no longer needed in the foreseeable future. To put it differently: Vapiano has moved from a growth story and has become a restructuring case, and other skills are required for that job. In June of 2019 Everke says the following “(we’ve) made a bit of a mistake when it came to foreign expansion”. No sh#t. Vapiano postpones the presentation of the 2018 annual financial statements three times in the spring of 2019, citing negotiations over an urgently needed loan of 30 million euros. It’s not until the end of May that a binding loan commitment comes through from the financing banks and major shareholders.
We are now in August of 2019 and the corona pandemic is just around the corner. Supervisory board chief Vanessa Hall takes over as interim-CEO and things are unravelling. Visitor numbers are declining; originally, it was planned to sell the US business but halfway through the year the buyer cannot come up with the money. But not all restaurants are performing poorly. The group's poor figures contrast starkly as an example with the experiences of the Swiss-German franchisee, who runs six restaurants. The Sodano family in Switzerland pays Vapiano a royalty of 6% of sales for the use of the brand. Enrico Sodano explains in an interview that they operate largely autonomously from the licensor. If an “accident” were to occur, he could immediately replace the Vapiano sign with Sodano, he says. The family concluded the rents and contracts with employees and suppliers independently. The Sodano family have six locations in Bern, Basel and Zurich, around one million guests every year and 350 employees. Things are going well on the ground. The delivery service they’ve built is offering them a second income stream. Expansion into Winterthur, St. Gallen and Lucerne are being planned; small locations with 150 to 250 square meters and an attached delivery service. Originally, Vapiano restaurants used to be huge but for such a large restaurant to be profitable, 800 to 1,000 guests per day are needed. That’s possible in medium-sized cities, but not in smaller towns which is why the Vapiano group now also supports smaller formats. Back to our corporate drama. The 2019 annual report would be the last report the group files. By the end 2019 the outstanding debt of the company is at an astronomical 450 million euros. Revenue has grown by another 7%, produced by four net new openings through two JVs and two franchise restaurants but operating losses come in at 317 million euros. That sound like an absolute shocker at first but depreciation and amortization charges are 345 million, so that operating cash flow is actually positive but unfortunately capital expenditures and interest payments are so large that they are eating up all of the company’s operating cash flow. Then in the beginning of 2020 Corona hits with full force and the world shuts down. As a result of the measures to prevent further spreading of the virus, the group is forced to cease all global business operations (except in Sweden). While all these shutdowns are happening, the group is the middle of negotiating with its lending banks and main shareholders. There are additional financing needs for restructuring measures, even without a pandemic happening in the background. The situation is so dire that the company starts pleading to the German government to roll out the package of financial help more quickly. Unfortunately, it’s to no end. The rapid closure of restaurants and the resulting lack of operating cash inflows in conjunction with the additional financing requirements, lead to the company’s final knockout punch. In April of 2020, the Vapiano group officially files for insolvency proceedings. The end of an era.

New Beginnings

Because of the pandemic, the majority of the group's subsidiaries in Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, Sweden, and China also file for insolvency or seek liquidation. The US business never gets sold in the end and is wound down. In the summer of 2020, significant group divestments occur, including the sale of 75% shares in the group's French subsidiaries, shares in franchisor companies, Australian subsidiaries, German subsidiaries, associated companies, self-managed restaurants in Germany, and insolvency-related sales in the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Sweden. The buyer of the Vapiano brand and one of these bundles of Vapiano restaurants is company named Love & Food Restaurant Holding, a consortium led by Mario C. Bauer – a name I told you to remember. Bauer was a former Vapiano board member and led the national and international expansion, opening 200 sites in 33 countries from 2011 to 2017 until he was succeeded by Cornelius Everke. Bauer didn’t feel comfortable with the IPO at the time but clearly has a lot of managerial and entrepreneurial talent.
The buyer consortium is an absolute A-Team comprised of European QSR top league hitters, including the founder of the Pret A Manger chain Sinclair Beecham; Henry McGovern, the founder and Ex-CEO of the giant international restaurant and foodservice operator AmRest; the Van der Valk Family that runs hotels and Vapiano restaurants in the Netherlands, and co-founder and ex-CEO Gregor Gerlach. The acquisition value is 15 million euros and entails 30 Vapiano restaurants in Germany, albeit that’s just the purchase price which comes on top of any capital investment needed to refresh and return the sites to its former glory. Nevertheless, just as a thought experiment, if you can get each site to 2 million euros of revenue and 400,000 euros in operating profit on average, which wouldn’t be an overly aggressively assumption given the company’s history, you’ve got yourself a package that can deliver restaurant-level operating profits of 12 million euros or more. It’s not disclosed how much capex was needed to refresh the operations, just that fact that the overall investment plus purchase price was a middle double-digit million-euro figure. Stil, it probably was a decent purchase. The same consortium buys Vapiano’s French business for 25 million euros just two weeks prior. After the transaction concludes, the master franchise is given to Delf Neumann and his Gastro & Soul GmbH. Neumann is an experienced operator, and he is ambitious to revitalise the brand with new services and products. For example, instead of pizza, the restaurants will be serving pinsa - a flatbread made from sourdough, wheat and rice flour, topped similarly to a pizza. It targets a more health-oriented customer base looking for a less calory heavy option. The menu overall is expanded by including a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes.
https://preview.redd.it/kpt7ea6red0d1.png?width=1242&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9930ced85ee364e9df414547cae06b47a03fc19
Today Neumann’s Gastro & Soul GmbH operates 18 Vapianos on its own account and has 29 franchise sites, amongst other brands. By the year 2021, Vapiano operates 191 restaurants in 34 countries. This is around 50 fewer sites than before the bankruptcy. The number of branches is particularly thinned out in Germany – from 80 to 55. Nevertheless, Vapiano's home country remains by far the largest market, followed by France with 35 restaurants and Austria with 15 locations. “We have shrunk ourselves to health,” says Bauer in the aftermath and there is no further shrinking planned. Quite the opposite, the smell of expansion is in the air again – pun intended. Not as aggressively as before and with a new menu and ordering process.
Overall, the team around Bauer is filled with industry experts with knowledge and networks gained over decades who have a great track record, a long-term view, and the staying power to let Vapiano breath and finds its way back to success. The pressure of being a public company with all the associated quarterly, half-year and yearly disincentives have been removed. The menu is changed and extended with new types of pasta and sauces with significantly more vegetarian and vegan dishes available. Guests can order with restaurant staff, at terminals or on their phones and there are barcodes attached to the tables identify the respective seat. The food is brought to your table, all at the same time if you are in a group, no more annoyances with waiting in line. There is a plan for smaller, 350 square meter locations, with half the number of guests and significantly fewer staff and less set-up costs required to make the economics work. Locations that capitalize on remote work and increased demand for local lunch options, higher population density with shorter delivery routes and therefore cost-effective in house delivery services are targeted. And Bauer is testing the concept of ghost kitchens, which operate without a dining room or service staff, focusing solely on preparing food for delivery services, which for obvious reasons have a very different operational set up and footprint. Original founder Mark Korzilius however is not entirely convinced. He is not a fan of the pinsa for instance and he considers Vapiano's pizza as its cash cow, flagship product and believes that the core Vapiano proposition of Pizza, Pasta, Bar that has given the company its original success is being diluted. He instead admires the competitor L'Osteria, saying they’ve done a better job by focusing on Italian classics, especially the impressively large pizzas that sticks out beyond the plate is leaving every customer in awe. The guys who run L’Osteria are the same guys who have built Vapiano with him in the first place. Bauer on the other hand, like a true business leader, remains undeterred, stating that he is frequently asked whether Vapiano's restart was bold or foolish. He believes in entrepreneurship, franchising, in his experienced fellow partners and importantly the Vapiano concept. By the year 2024 you can find over 140 Vapiano branded restaurant in 27 countries across the globe, including locations far away from its birthplace like Australia, USA, Columbia, Chile, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. And why not? Italian food is, and will remain to be, incredibly popular. Vapiano offers fresh and tasty food at affordable prices in a good atmosphere. This combination of attributes should attract a lot of customers. It certainly has in the past.
For more stories: WIP Thomas Weitzendoerfer Substack

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2024.05.14 08:00 Grade-Long Invited to post this here Re: Social Media marketing (mainly IG)

Gday team. I have a note I add to when I learn things about SM. I got sick of seeing the same questions so I every time I answered I added to the note and just pasted a generic reply. I’ve been invited to post it here, so here you are!
Here’s my ever-growing, non-specific copy-paste reply, built from my own notes:

Remember, followers are only for your ego. If you’re a business, Would you rather have a million followers who never buy anything or 1000 followers who purchase everything? (Read Kevin Kelly’s 1000 true fans article). However, if you’re trying to build an account for a brand or human deals, you need as many as possible. I.e. athletes wanting future deals/contracts, actresses wanting future roles, etc
Dollars are the only score that matters in business. You can sell 1 million $1 items or 1x $1m item, it’s still a million dollars
How do you get your first ten followers/sales? ASK. Start with your friends/family/personal socials. “Hey, I've started this thing; I'd love for you to follow”. Then contact everyone you've ever known (see cold outreach later, but this is warm haha). THEN ask them all for referrals: “who do you know that could use my help?”
Re: cold contacting. Have a framework, but don't automate. Solve their problems. Say something personal (” [mutual person] told me to reach out to you” / “I really like your x” /”congratulations on y”). I noticed that [problem]. Fix their problem. Wish them a nice day. Have an offer in your email signature.
Your profile description should be a hook/tagline / USP and link to your offer. Remember you’re building your house on rented land if you use socials as your client base. Algorithm changes, and they’re gone. Try sending them off socials to your email list, learn storytelling in email marketing (Russell Brunson has good advice), and you will own that contact for life.
Choose a monetisable niche, find the most successful person in that niche, and put your spin on what they’re doing (ask AI)
Make GOOD content that is visually appealing, entertaining, and has hooks (you have 3 seconds to get attention), but most importantly, ADDS VALUE to your target market (ask AI for suggestions - you can even ask AI to create a customer avatar for you and then ask it how to make good, relevant IG posts for that avatar)
Keep your ears and eyes out for trends. Can you throw a trending song over a clip?
Leverage pop culture. Search for what’s trending daily. Can you combine a movie or album release with your product? For example, if you’re in the auto niche, create an image of a car covered in green slime coinciding with the new Ghostbusters movie
Document your process. Humans evolved on stories & we love to feel part of something and/or have front-row tickets to the show. For example, If you post art, film yourself making the art, not just the final product; talk about your decisions along the way. Also, it is easy content for you, and you’re just filming something you’re already doing
Share as many success stories/testimonials as possible, preferably videos. Tag them. Make it easy for users to share themselves.
In a similar vein, and with permission, share your audience questions in your stories (and tag them)
Remember the rule of 100 (you need to do something 100x before you get “good” at it). Have you posted 100x and made changes as you’ve observed what worked and what didn’t?
Every 5th or so post, add a Call To Action
Always have something to invite people to, such as an event (e.g. Facebook live, face-to-face), a giveaway, a new product, etc. Ensure all your social media banners, popups, CTAs & email sig reflect this (read Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port)
Use the right hashtags (be discoverable)
Post at the correct times for your target market (I like 6-630am so when they wake up and scroll, it’s on their feed, their lunch break and a story at 8 pm in the relevant timezone). Steven Bartlett credits the daily 8pm personal thought post the most important part of his success.
Follow the top 100 people in your niche with between 10k & 100k followers. Engage with them daily. Share their posts. Comment on Their work. As always, be sincere and say something meaningful
Comment relevant things on important people pages (Gary Vees $1.80 strategy)
Spend $10 a day on ads of targeted content to targeted people (don’t “but I want to grow organically” - Do you want to be seen or not?). Start ad sets at midnight.
Russell Brunson recommends ads are only for offers; posts that aren't offers aren’t to be paid for ads—two separate things. Ads get your customers into the funnel and upsell makes you a profit. Say you sell a $10 ebook and a $300 course. Spend $10 per click for the ebook, so it’s a break-even cost, and everyone who buys the upsell is pure profit. Ad budget for testing is the price/profit of ONE upsell, so $300 in this example. Then, reassess, test and adjust. If it’s working, keep it going, but also test variations regardless. Brendan Kane suggests 50-100 variations from memory. Again, get AI to help. Start with your headline. Ask for ten variations. Then your pic. Get ten variations. Then your hook. Get ten variations etc.
Pay relevant influencers to share your stuff
Read all of Gary Vees and Brendan Kane’s books
Do these things 30-50x a day (Gary Vees' advice for new accounts, search for his eight tips 2024 YT vid) across all your platforms for months, maybe years, and you’ll grow. Perhaps someone famous will share your stuff, and you’ll go viral. But remember, each platform has its nuances, so you need to rework content for it (again, use AI - create one piece and ask AI to brainstorm how to recreate for each platform - you can start with the longest form, say a YouTube vid or blog post and ask it how to make tweets or IG posts from it) however you can still “push”. For example, you can post native Facebook content, but you can also put your YouTube vids and IG posts there
Make at least three posts a day for a month, that's 90 posts, and report back what you learned, what worked and didn’t for everyone else’s benefit. *I've had some pushback on this: A) I don’t make the rules; this seems to be current best practice; B) 1st post = a BTS post of you developing the post, 2nd post = the post, 3rd post = a story summing up your day. OR make all your content in one day and schedule it to post throughout the week. If you don’t have money, you have time; if you have money, outsource it.
Good luck!

submitted by Grade-Long to creators [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 13:46 georgemillman Anyone else struggling to warm to Ruby?

(To clarify, this isn't about the actress, who I have no issue with. I'm just talking about the character with regards to her script.)
I will start by acknowledging that the only episode featuring Ruby that I've seen so far is Space Babies. I didn't see her debut episode or the following one, so for all I know the gripes I have may just be a one-episode thing - feel free to say if so.
In Space Babies though, I really didn't feel the Ruby character added anything to it. Previous companions have always had something special about them - they notice something important that the Doctor hasn't, or get separated from the Doctor and form a bond with a guest character, or give the Doctor a morality check. I didn't feel that Ruby really did any of these things. The whole mystery was solved by the Doctor on his own, whilst Ruby was just kind of... there. Even the Doctor's private interactions with Ruby felt really one-sided... it seemed like he was just explaining to her everything that was going on, whereas with previous new Doctocompanion combinations (Ninth Doctor and Rose, for instance) the Doctor may have had to explain a lot, but the companion has had a lot to chip in as well.
I almost feel like the episode would have worked better if it was like The Waters of Mars, with the Doctor turning up on his own and Golda Rosheuvel's character being expanded into that of a one-time companion.

submitted by georgemillman to gallifrey [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 11:10 nuraman00 The Beverly Hills 90210 Show Podcast: Episode 126: Casting Season 1.

Casting Director Dianne Young is a guest host.

Pete Ferriero is sad that the Mets season is over.
Jeffrey White produced the first 6 episodes.
Paul Waigner then came in after that.
Dianne Young was Rosin’s 2nd hire.
She came from Growing Pains.
Joanna Ray casted the initial cast.
Joanna Ray left to go do Twin Peaks.
Rosin says the first 6 episodes of Twin Peaks was great. They didn’t know how to end it after that.
By the end of season 1 of Beverly Hills, 90210, the ratings were better than that of Twin Peaks.
They love the Pacific Northwest shots in Twin Peaks.
Young had known most of the cast of this show before, except for Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris.
Young: Tori Spelling worked hard at being an actress.
Young thinks Bob (Robert) Harbin recommended her to Rosin.
They needed to replace the father on this show.
When Rosin started talking to Young about the character of Dylan, she knew exactly who they should cast: Luke Perry.
Rosin had heard 12 others audition for Dylan. Luke Perry was the first one he thought could not only be cast, but could elevate the show.
Young had been working on a pilot for Paramount. Another casting director had recommended Perry. When another casting director recommends someone, then one takes notice. Perry came in to read for the part. He said himself to Young that he wasn’t right for the part. She agreed, and told him she would remember him for something else.
Kurt Geiger also read for Dylan.
Perry was overwhelmingly Rosin and Young’s choice for Dylan.
Others that read for Dylan: Matt LeBlanc, Trevor Edmond, Sean Patrick Flannery, David Gray, Carl Evans, Keith Pugan.
Trevor Edmond would go on to play Evan Potter.
Carl Evans would play Jonathan Casten in season 6.
If they liked someone during their audition, they would write OTW by their name – Onto Wardrobe.
Perry was nervous for his FOX audition.
The network was lukewarm on him. Aaron Spelling liked him, and had their own production company pay for him.

Phases during the audition process: 1) Casting director sends out breakdown for a role.

2) Agents and managers submit actors.
3) Casting director goes through the actors. Well known actors go straight to producers.
4) Casting sessions are set up.
5) Producers are then present for callbacks. They look to make sure they’re right for the role, and can have consistent performances.
6) Another callback, this time with the production company.
7) Another callback, this time for the network. Bob Harbin and Wendy Matthews were in charge for FOX.

Young would constantly talk with Tony Shepherd throughout this process.
Early in the series, they would have appointments for actors to come in, and they wouldn’t show up. 40% of them would not show up.
Young would have to tell the producers, “they’re not here, let me find out what’s going on”, while sweating bullets.
Aaron Spelling built a really beautiful casting room.
Darren Starr would be there.
David Stenn (writeproducers) would also be involved.
Because they were a bottom feeder, they worked with what they had.
Young had gotten a quote from Luke Perry’s agent and manager, about his salary. However, quotes are not always accurate, so she has to verify the quote.
The quote was actually lower than what she had first heard.
The production company, not FOX, paid for Perry’s contract. Usually FOX pays for the contracts.

Luke Perry gave Young a Christmas present. It was a magnifying glass, and a horseshoe. The magnifying glass, was to help Young look for people like him.
He also signed a poster of “8 seconds” for her.

James Eckhouse interview:

Lyman Ward was initially cast as Jim Walsh.
Carol Potter read with James Eckhouse in front of Aaron Spelling.
Eckhouse didn’t think he was going to get the part. No way, he thought.
After Eckhouse left, Aaron Spelling said “there’s something about that Eckhosue.”
Potter said “Yeah, he’s Jewish.”
Barry Diller was the head of FOX. He almost always recast someone. For example, the original lead of 21 Jump Street was not Johnny Depp. Depp was recast into that role.
So, the same thing happened with Beverly Hills, 90210. Ward was recast with Eckhouse.
Eckhouse looked like someone who would have been against the Vietnam War. They would not have done such a plot, in season 3, if Lyman Ward were Jim Walsh. He didn’t have that same look.
Rosin had seen Eckhouse on TV, on 30 Something.
Eckhouse had another audition on the same day as Beverly Hills, 90210. He had a snooty attitude about Beverly Hills, 90210. He didn’t think he was going to do that show. He didn’t even know why he was there.
His wife, said to get his ass to the Beverly Hills, 90210 audition.
His other audition was afterwards.
He doesn’t remember what the other audition was for.
Eckhouse went straight to the Producers’ audition. He didn’t have to do a round before.
Young had really liked Eckhouse as a person, as well as his credits. She also liked how “easy” he was. She was comfortable with him. That’s an important quality for her.
Eckhouse teaches acting now.
Eckhouse tells a story of how he went to New York to audition for a movie. He would prepare for his scenes. When he’d get there, he’s ask if they wanted him to read for him. They’d say no, they just wanted to get a feel for how he was as a person. So he would get cast, just based off of his personality, at a certain point. They would already know his credits and know he could act.

Young auditioned Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Affleck came in a few times. Eventually, he stopped.
Damon would keep coming back, every single time. Young told Damon she’s sorry to keep dragging him in, only to tell him they went with somebody else. Damon told her never worry about him not coming in. He’s always going to come in.
Eckhouse says there’s one show where he went in 17 times to audition. He’s not going to name the show. He eventually got a part on his 17th audition.
Eckhouse did not think he did a good audition for Beverly Hills, 90210. It wasn’t his finest hour. He didn’t think he’d get called back.
He did better during the callback.
When Eckhouse went to the network audition, he was intimidated by another actor who looked Christian and Scottish.
Then there was someone else who had tall, dark hair.
Ken Campbell was also in the audition.
Eckhouse and Luke Perry were in the bathroom together. Perry almost threw up, from the nerves.
That’s where Perry and Eckhouse met for the first time, in the bathroom. They loved each other right away.
Eckhouse really thought Campbell was going to get the part.
When Eckhouse came back for the network audition, Eckhouse was broke and poor, with two kids. He called his agent. Eckhouse told the agent he didn’t do that well. The agent went to find out what happened. The agent then called Eckhouse back and said, “you were right, you did suck. But you got the part.”
Rosin said Eckhouse’ previous credits were a huge positive factor.
Eckhouse was the 2nd highest paid actor during most of the Rosin era.
During that same network audition, Rosin was confused about something himself. He didn’t know if he worked for Aaron Spelling or someone else. Rosin got confirmation that it was Aaron Spelling.
Aaron Spelling was always nice to Young.
When Young’s grandmother passed away, Spelling said how sorry he was, and gave her a big hug.
When Eckhouse was a director and cast people on another show, it was terrifying. If he said “so and so was pretty good”, someone else in the room would say that person was terrible.
If Eckhouse saw someone didn’t give their best audition, he’d ask them to do another take, because he could tell they were nervous.
People from the network would tell Eckhouse, “how dare you waste my time like that. You knew we weren’t going to cast them.”
Eckhouse would think “give me a break, I just wanted to give them a chance.”
Eckhouse liked working with the directors on this show, Beverly Hills, 90210. He liked observing them.
When it was Eckhouse’s first time directing, certain cast members were late. Eckhouse kept looking at his watch. DP Rick Gunter came over and said “let me see your watch”. Eckhouse gave him his watch. Gunter said you’ll get it back at the end of the episode. “That’s not your job.” Let the AD take care of that. You do your job.

Leslie Bega (Marianne) reminded Rosin of girls from his high school. Anti materialistic.
He was surprised the company didn’t try to bring her back.
Young says she was terrific in the pilot.
Young would always meet anyone agents and managers recommended her to.
Young: You can also find good young actors in local theater. The tiniest theater in San Fernando Valley will still have someone that Young would want to bring in.
Rosin agrees with Young about local theater.
For the character of Nat, Young brought in Frank Gorshin. Joe E. Tata was a friend of Tony Shepherd’s. So that’s how Tata was brought in. Young says their auditions were similar but different.
In a previous podcast, Rosin had said that Gorshin had an arrogant vibe. He had played The Riddler on Batman.
Rosin says Joe E. Tata brought in warmth. Whereas Gorshin played it as someone who didn’t want to be there, but would offer sage advice.
Rosin says Joe E. Tata was introduced to him as a friend of E. Duke Vincent’s.
The Spelling company paid for overages with Luke Perry’s contract.
E. Duke Vincent told Rosin that anytime the network asked someone to change something, ask them who is paying for it.
Rosin says Beverly Hills, 90210 had the lowest license fee in all of network television.
They haven’t been able to find Lisa Dean Ryan, who played Bonnie on “The Gentle Art Of Listening”.
Young says maybe she’s moved on to other interests.
Rosin says Lisa Dean Ryan, and Noelle Parker, had a range of talent.
Young had hired Ann Gillespie elsewhere before Beverly Hills, 90210.
Young liked Tico Wells right away. Her advice to him for the next callback was “don’t do too much”.
Young met Luisa Leschin (Anna Rodriguez) earlier.
Rosin used to teach an extension class at UCLA. He used to use the pilot for Hill Street Blues as an example. He would even bring in Bob Butler to come in and watch the episode with the class. The pilot had changed his life. But now, he says the pilot does not hold up. It’s too racist and sexist.
Beverly Hills was run by the nannies and housekeepers. So Rosin wanted to have a maid character, to represent that. And show the diversity of Los Angeles.
Aaron Spelling did not like the elitism that was shown in the culture of Beverly Hills. So he asked for her character to be removed.
Young did hear the criticism about people of color not being on the show. Young said it was disappointing to hear, because she did try to bring in different people.
There was an author that thought Mark Damon Espinoza didn’t have a big enough role. That author went on FOX News to talk about it. Young had that author meet with producer Paul Waigner. Things did not get resolved, and that author remained angry.
Rosin repeats what he said earlier, about the show having the lowest license fee in television. They didn’t have the budget for new cast members. That’s why they kept having focused episodes about race like “One On One” or “East Side Story”.
They were eventually able to cast Denise Dowse and Henry Pickens in recurring roles.
They made sure the extras reflected the racial diversity of Los Angeles.
Rosin repeats what he said on previous episodes, that he won an Imagen Award for East Side Story. That’s an award that celebrates Latino actors and their positive portrayal.
Young: Denise Dowse was a delight to sit and talk to. She’s likable.
There’s a story about Denise Dowse on Seinfeld, but Young says she’s not going to share that story.
Ok, she ended up telling the story. Young gave Dowse a message to give to Jerry Seinfeld, during the time Seinfeld was working on Seinfeld. Dowse gave Jerry Seinfeld the message, and he doubled over in laughter.
Kristin Dattilo was on “One Man And A Baby”. She also read for Brenda Walsh.
Here’s the actors that read for either of Kelly, Brenda, or Andrea: Kirstin Dattilo (Melissa in this series), Robin Lively, Tamara Glen, Kelly Williams, Sarah Buxton, Patricia Arquette, Brooke Mills, Julie Condra, Jaycee Brownlee, Heather McAdam (Surf Betty / Sarah on this series), Cheryl Pollock, Sydney Penny, Heather Grimes, Portia Dawson, Kendra Booth, Patricia Jennings, Megan Ward, Lisa Wilcox, Nicole Egbert, Tiffani Amber-Thiessen, Lisa Ann Capps, Deborah Levin, Jennifer Guthrie, Juliet Lewis, Tiffany (the mononymous singer), Karla Montana, Tracey Needham, Tracy Wells, Rebecca Cross, Kristy Swanson.
Pete Ferriero can’t find Michelle Abrahms (Amanda Peyser).
Julie McCulloh (Trina on “Slumber Party”) used to be on Growing Pains. She was removed from Growing Pains because she was in Playboy, and Kirk Cameron didn’t like that.
Young was on Growing Pains at that time.
“Slumber Party” is Rosin’s favorite episode among ones he didn’t work on.
Rosin bought Playboy because of the interviews with Huey Newton and Tom Hayden. Those guys were not going to be on the LA Times.
Ferriero says his first Playboy was the one with Julie McCulloh, because of her.
Rosin likes Joshua Karton (Driver’s Ed instructor). He was one of Rosin’s friends.
Aaron Spelling did not like that character.
Jessica Klein’s first episode was “April Is The Cruelest Month”, the episode with Matthew Perry. Rosin says maybe Shira Wasserman (Klein’s daughter) will help do a podcast for that episode.
Young knew Matthew Perry from before. It was a great reading.
Michael Cudlitz (Tony Miller, later in the series) also read for that same part as Matthew Perry. Cudlitz did a great job too.
Rosin liked how Matthew Perry was a youth champion Canadian tennis player. Rosin liked casting people that could play the sport. So he also liked Tico Wells from One On One.
Ian Ziering and Jason Priestley could also really play basketball.
Years later, Rosin saw Matthew Perry playing tennis at Beverly Hills High School. Rosin was too shy to go up to him and say “remember when you did my episode”. Rosin regrets that shyness now.
Young had also worked with Matt LeBlanc elsewhere, on Just The 10 Of Us.
Young had hired Jennifer Anniston on a pilot before.
Young also cast Marcy Kaplan (Lydia Leeds).
Melissa Rivers is in “Fame Is Where You Find It”.
Young had tried to get Tori Spelling cast before. It was for another 1 hour show. The producer said she was terrific but she doesn’t need the job. Young said Tori Spelling shouldn’t be penalized for who her father is. She’s trying to build a resume.
Young has said she’s always tried to give people who are 2nd generation people in the entertainment industry, a fair chance.
Melissa Rivers is another example of this.
Carrie Hamilton from the “Stand And Deliver” episode is another example.

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2024.05.13 00:36 Dangerous_Ask_4682 Stolen In Mexico

This story references an experience in my mom's childhood growing up in Northern mexico. My mom grew up in the Mexican state of chihuahua which shares a border with Texas and is the largest state in the country. Of course in modern times mexico has been heavily infiltrated with organized crime and travel advisories are often issued to any prospective tourists that wanna dip their toes south of the border.
Nevertheless, my mom's coming of age took place during the 1960s and 1970s which apparently was a more peaceful time according to her. Her hometown is one of the largest of municipalities in the state so it's not uncommon to see outsiders passing through or visitors to the downtown area which gets high traffic in daylight hours.
The street she lived on was 15 minutes from downtown by foot and that made everything that mattered within walking distance. This made it fairly easy to get around to the local fun spots where all the children and adolescents spent most of their time outside of school hours. This consisted of arcades, movie theaters, ice cream shops, a local pool, an abundance of shopping centers, and a number of parks and other recreational activities.
"Abarrotes" spanish for groceries are ubiquitous tiny convenience stores that are usually situated in the most random spots of residential neighborhoods. I use the term ubiquitous cus it seems like you can't escape them no matter where you go. On that note, there was one of these stores on my mom's street.
The owner of that store was a woman named soccorro and she had a daughter named Blanca. Blanca was around my mom's age and was one of the children that played in my mom's circle of friends when they were in "escuela primaria" which is mexico's equivalent to elementary school in the states.
One day my mom was outside with her friends and blanca was also present on the scene. They were riding bikes and jump roping and anything you can imagine in the world of kids play. Sometime that afternoon they couldn't help but notice a vehicle that seemed to be frequenting their general space but of course them being naive and not yet fluently adept at detecting potential danger is one of the unfortunate aspects of that stage in life.
At some point, most of the children were starting to head to their respective houses except a few that stayed outside riding bikes. My mom was also getting ready to say goodbye to her friends for the day and head in for a warm dinner. From the living room area she could still make out the sound of of bikes and laughter from the kids that were still outside.
Shortly after, the sound of a bike hitting gravel could be heard from the living room. The noise was followed by a commotion of screaming children and what sounded like an aggressive adult male voice and then a car burning rubber. The way my mom tells it, it happened in such an instance that it must've been carried out with premeditated intent. Like the suspense of a wild predator stalking its prey lying in wait to pounce.
This of course startled my mom and her parents and other neighbors as well and they quickly walked outside towards the source of the noise. There were two boys who were crying and yelling "se la llevaron" which translates to "they took her" . When the adults asked them who they were referring to the kids told them that it was Blanca who had been snatched off her bike and driven away by the same four door sedan that had been driving around them in circles earlier. My mom recounts one of the eeriest things about this moment was that the strong smell of burnt rubber and old exhaust still lingered in the air and it only added to the grim and ominous site of blanca's bike on the floor with the tire rims still spinning.
The adults rushed over to soccorro's store to notify her of blanca's abduction. She of course starting pacing up and down the roads in panic calling out for blanca. Weeks turned to months and eventually years and my mom remembers the grief stricken woman could still be heard yelling her daughter's name all that time later. As far as justice goes, she never got any. In fact she never got much of any help at all from any local authorities. Some police theorized that blanca was just another young troubled girl that meddled into the affairs of nefarious men and hence explains why she was targeted. But soccorro was adamant that blanca was not that kind of girl and everyone who knew her could tell you that she was nothing more than a humble little girl.
The trouble with mexico's law enforcement and justice systems even in the pre cartel world is the country's trend of being plagued by lawlessness and vigilantism. If something happens to you out there and especially if it consists of a criminal nature, it's very likely your family will be limited in resources and will have to take matters into their own hands as the police tend to be dismissive or can even be working alongside the perpetrators in question.
A few decades passed and soccorro remained in the city with her store operating as usual. At this point my mom was an adult woman and had married my dad and moved to Southern California where they started a new life and where we currently reside. It was on a trip back home that my mom learned about blanca's fate.
It turns out all these decades later blanca eventually visited soccorro. She was now an adult woman and she pulled up in a car with some unknown men. She told the story of what went down that fateful day and how her life played out in subsequent years. Blanca elaborated that when she was kidnapped, she found herself in many strange locations that seemed to change every few weeks.
Then came the abominable abuse over long stretches of time, then the drugs and the parties in remote places. The alarming number of foreigners that frequented the scene who were obviously upper class with high end jobs and the age of the girls and boys never seemed to exceed 14. This cabal of questionable individuals did the most to erase the identities of their victims. Blanca, who now went by several different aliases didn't even know what age she was when she finally realized she was trapped in a child trafficking ring.
She developed Stockholm syndrome as is common for victims of prolonged abuse and captivity and ended up befriending her captors and engaging in the high risk lifestyle that these people lived. She confessed to soccorro that she was sick. Allegedly she was hiv positive and wanted to giver her mother and family closure before the disease ran its course. She also told her that she couldn't stay because this was her life now and that it was all she knew. Soccorro never saw blanca again and it's presumed she succumbed to her ailment.
Fast forward to my teenage years and some decades after the events in question, it was tradition in my family to travel to my mom's hometown over summer vacations and any holiday breaks we got from school. I remember the first time I saw soccorro still working at her corner store and a much older lady at this point. Despite her age, she had a striking appearance, one that resembled that of 20th century Mexican actress Maria Felix. With her short jet black hair and slender figure the lines and wrinkled on her face told the story of her duel with adversity.
There was hearsay from some local children and teens that she was a witch and that we shouldn't buy from her store because she would curse us. But in hindsight, after learning of her plight it was clear to me that the woman lived a life of perpetual limbo and wishful hopelessness that cast a shadow between her and the outside World.... we can all take a page out of this story and emphasize the importance of being alert to our surroundings and protect our children and ourselves from the malice that lurks in the shadows of the streets we call home.

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2024.05.12 22:31 Kahaniyan_ankahi Mere khwaab

Hey there This is an anonymous story teller I belong to a normal middle class family Main bhi zyadatar ladkiyon ki tarah ek chote se shehar ki ladki hoon jiske bade-bade khwaab hain Hum aksar logo ko TV par dekhkar unse inspiration lete hain unhe apna idol bana lete unki tarah banna chahte hain Main bhi unhi mei se hi ek hoon Main bhi bachpan se hi TV par actresses ko dekhkar unki tarah acting karne ki koshish karti thi Lekin sabse zyada jo cheez mujhe attract karti thi vo thi Dancing. Bachpan se hi mujhe dance ka bahot shauk tha. Main humesha dance related shows dekh kar unke steps mirror mein copy karne ki koshish karti thi. Mera humesha se hi ek dream tha ki life mei ek baar bas ek baar mujhe ek bade se stage par hazaaron audience ke samne perform karna hai. I wanted to take dance classes to learn it in a better way but couldn't because I come from a background where dancing is considered a taboo and people who continue to do it are shamed upon. Kai baar koshish kiya lekin ghar vale nahi maane. Even though meri mummy kaafi supportive thi humesha se but mere baaki family members ko bilkul pasand nahi tha toh phir maine bhi zidd chord di. Lekin shauk to ab bhi tha. Isiliye shauk pura krne ke liye main apne kamre mein hi dance kiya karti thi. Even though maine on stage perform nhi kiya tha but koi bhi mujhse meri hobby puchta tha to main sabko Dance hi batati thi. Isme logo ki ek baat mujhe bahot khalti thi ki log pehle se hi assume kar lete the ki ladki hai to iski hobby toh dance hi hogi ye jataake ki unhe iske alawa aur kuch nhi aata hai. Ye baat mujhe bahot zyada chubhti thi phir maine socha ki ghar vale dance ke liye toh maan nahi rahe toh kuch aur hi kar lete hain jisse unhe bhi khushi mile aur baaki logo ko bhi dikha saku there's is no limit to a girl's potential So I started playing basketball and slowly I got better and began to represent my school at different places. I also started oration to build my confidence to speak in public.I played numerous basketball matches, did so many stage programs as a host. Main 12th mein thi uss time when I came to know ki mere ghar ke bilkul peeche hi dance class khula hai Toh maine phir mummy se bola mujhe vo join karna hai kyunki ab mere paas hardly 3-4 mahine hi bache the 12th boards se pehle.Mummy maan gayi but humne socha ki hum(mummy aur mai) kisi ko nhi batayenge iske baare mein. Phir daily subah mein jab sab so rhe hote the main dance class jaati thi phir vahan se jaldi jaldi practice karke ghar aake phir dubara school jaati thi Mere dance ko vahan ke logo ne kaafi appreciate kiya ki meri body kaafi fast move karti hai aur main bohot confident rehti hoon dance karte waqt.Tab mujhe realise hua ki wo speed mujhe basketball se mili hai aur confidence mere oration ki vajah se.Then I thought whatever I did till date added on to my dancing skills.I kept practicing for as long as I can.Still kuch hi time kar paayi ye sab Phir boards start hogye phir college.
College mei maine soch liya tha ki yahan to atleast dance perform karungi . Phir maine dheere dheere participate Kiya programs mein. Mujhe aur mauke milne lage dheere dheere mujhe one of the lead dancers bhi bana diya. Competitions mein participate karna start kiya vahan bhi kaafi recognition mila Isi ke saath hi maine apni kuch friends ke sath Dance videos social media par post karna shuru kiya aur bohot hi kam time mein use logo ne dekhna start Kiya aur kaafi taareef ki. Dance video ke views 100 thousands and millions mei jaane lage. And then I got my first collaboration video with an artist with the help of one of my school friends. So right now I'm just working on myself to build a community a space where I get the recognition,I longed for since my childhood.
I will definitely give my name out once I reach somewhere because at this moment I'm in the middle of nowhere. So till then let me be an anonymous story teller 😉
Thankyou 🤗

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2024.05.12 22:25 Kahaniyan_ankahi Mere khwaab 👀🫶

Hey there ! This is an anonymous story teller I belong to a normal middle class family Main bhi zyadatar ladkiyon ki tarah ek chote se shehar ki ladki hoon jiske bade-bade khwaab hain Hum aksar logo ko TV par dekhkar unse inspiration lete hain unhe apna idol bana lete unki tarah banna chahte hain Main bhi unhi mei se hi ek hoon Main bhi bachpan se hi TV par actresses ko dekhkar unki tarah acting karne ki koshish karti thi Lekin sabse zyada jo cheez mujhe attract karti thi vo thi Dancing. Bachpan se hi mujhe dance ka bahot shauk tha. Main humesha dance related shows dekh kar unke steps mirror mein copy karne ki koshish karti thi. Mera humesha se hi ek dream tha ki life mei ek baar bas ek baar mujhe ek bade se stage par hazaaron audience ke samne perform karna hai. I wanted to take dance classes to learn it in a better way but couldn't because I come from a background where dancing is considered a taboo and people who continue to do it are shamed upon. Kai baar koshish kiya lekin ghar vale nahi maane. Even though meri mummy kaafi supportive thi humesha se but mere baaki family members ko bilkul pasand nahi tha toh phir maine bhi zidd chord di. Lekin shauk to ab bhi tha. Isiliye shauk pura krne ke liye main apne kamre mein hi dance kiya karti thi. Even though maine on stage perform nhi kiya tha but koi bhi mujhse meri hobby puchta tha to main sabko Dance hi batati thi. Isme logo ki ek baat mujhe bahot khalti thi ki log pehle se hi assume kar lete the ki ladki hai to iski hobby toh dance hi hogi ye jataake ki unhe iske alawa aur kuch nhi aata hai. Ye baat mujhe bahot zyada chubhti thi phir maine socha ki ghar vale dance ke liye toh maan nahi rahe toh kuch aur hi kar lete hain jisse unhe bhi khushi mile aur baaki logo ko bhi dikha saku there's is no limit to a girl's potential So I started playing basketball and slowly I got better and began to represent my school at different places. I also started oration to build my confidence to speak in public.I played numerous basketball matches, did so many stage programs as a host. Main 12th mein thi uss time when I came to know ki mere ghar ke bilkul peeche hi dance class khula hai Toh maine phir mummy se bola mujhe vo join karna hai kyunki ab mere paas hardly 3-4 mahine hi bache the 12th boards se pehle.Mummy maan gayi but humne socha ki hum(mummy aur mai) kisi ko nhi batayenge iske baare mein. Phir daily subah mein jab sab so rhe hote the main dance class jaati thi phir vahan se jaldi jaldi practice karke ghar aake phir dubara school jaati thi Mere dance ko vahan ke logo ne kaafi appreciate kiya ki meri body kaafi fast move karti hai aur main bohot confident rehti hoon dance karte waqt.Tab mujhe realise hua ki wo speed mujhe basketball se mili hai aur confidence mere oration ki vajah se.Then I thought whatever I did till date added on to my dancing skills.I kept practicing for as long as I can.Still kuch hi time kar paayi ye sab Phir boards start hogye phir college.
College mei maine soch liya tha ki yahan to atleast dance perform karungi . Phir maine dheere dheere participate Kiya programs mein. Mujhe aur mauke milne lage dheere dheere mujhe one of the lead dancers bhi bana diya. Competitions mein participate karna start kiya vahan bhi kaafi recognition mila Isi ke saath hi maine apni kuch friends ke sath Dance videos social media par post karna shuru kiya aur bohot hi kam time mein use logo ne dekhna start Kiya aur kaafi taareef ki. Dance video ke views 100 thousands and millions mei jaane lage. And then I got my first collaboration video with an artist with the help of one of my school friends. So right now I'm just working on myself to build a community a space where I get the recognition,I longed for since my childhood.
I will definitely give my name out once I reach somewhere because at this moment I'm in the middle of nowhere. So till then let me be an anonymous story teller 😉
Thankyou 🤗

submitted by Kahaniyan_ankahi to u/Kahaniyan_ankahi [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 21:45 Kahaniyan_ankahi Mere khwaab 👀🫶

Hey there! This is an anonymous story teller I belong to a normal middle class family Main bhi zyadatar ladkiyon ki tarah ek chote se shehar ki ladki hoon jiske bade-bade khwaab hain Hum aksar logo ko TV par dekhkar unse inspiration lete hain unhe apna idol bana lete unki tarah banna chahte hain Main bhi unhi mei se hi ek hoon Main bhi bachpan se hi TV par actresses ko dekhkar unki tarah acting karne ki koshish karti thi Lekin sabse zyada jo cheez mujhe attract karti thi vo thi Dancing. Bachpan se hi mujhe dance ka bahot shauk tha. Main humesha dance related shows dekh kar unke steps mirror mein copy karne ki koshish karti thi. Mera humesha se hi ek dream tha ki life mei ek baar bas ek baar mujhe ek bade se stage par hazaaron audience ke samne perform karna hai. I wanted to take dance classes to learn it in a better way but couldn't because I come from a background where dancing is considered a taboo and people who continue to do it are shamed upon. Kai baar koshish kiya lekin ghar vale nahi maane. Even though meri mummy kaafi supportive thi humesha se but mere baaki family members ko bilkul pasand nahi tha toh phir maine bhi zidd chord di. Lekin shauk to ab bhi tha. Isiliye shauk pura krne ke liye main apne kamre mein hi dance kiya karti thi. Even though maine on stage perform nhi kiya tha but koi bhi mujhse meri hobby puchta tha to main sabko Dance hi batati thi. Isme logo ki ek baat mujhe bahot khalti thi ki log pehle se hi assume kar lete the ki ladki hai to iski hobby toh dance hi hogi ye jataake ki unhe iske alawa aur kuch nhi aata hai. Ye baat mujhe bahot zyada chubhti thi phir maine socha ki ghar vale dance ke liye toh maan nahi rahe toh kuch aur hi kar lete hain jisse unhe bhi khushi mile aur baaki logo ko bhi dikha saku there's is no limit to a girl's potential So I started playing basketball and slowly I got better and began to represent my school at different places. I also starting oration to build confidence to speak in public.I played numerous basketball matches, did so many stage programs as a host. Main 12th mein thi uss time when I came to know ki mere ghar ke bilkul peeche hi dance class khula hai Toh maine phir mummy se bola mujhe vo join karna hai kyunki ab mere paas hardly 3-4 mahine hi bache the 12th boards se pehle.Mummy maan gayi but humne socha ki hum(mummy aur mai) kisi ko nhi batayenge iske baare mein. Phir daily subah mein jab sab so rhe hote the main dance class jaati thi phir vahan se jaldi jaldi practice karke ghar aake phir dubara school jaati thi Mere dance ko vahan ke logo ne kaafi appreciate kiya ki meri body kaafi fast move karti hai aur main bohot confident rehti hoon dance karte waqt.Tab mujhe realise hua ki wo speed mujhe basketball se mili hai aur confidence mere oration ki vajah se.Then I thought whatever I did till date added on to my dancing skills.I kept practicing for as long as I can.Still kuch hi time kar paayi ye sab Phir boards start hogye phir college.
College mei maine soch liya tha ki yahan to atleast dance perform karungi . Phir maine dheere dheere participate Kiya programs mein. Mujhe aur mauke milne lage dheere dheere mujhe one of the lead dancers bhi bana diya. Competitions mein participate karna start kiya vahan bhi kaafi recognition mila Isi ke saath hi maine apni kuch friends ke sath Dance videos social media par post karna shuru kiya aur bohot hi kam time mein use logo ne dekhna start Kiya aur kaafi taareef ki. Dance video ke views 100 thousands and millions mei jaane lage. And then I got my first collaboration video with an artist with the help of one of my school friends. So right now I'm just working on everything in my hand to make myself a person and build a space that appreciates and gives me and my skill recognition, that I so longed for my entire childhood.
I will definitely give my name out once I reach somewhere because at this moment I'm in the middle of nowhere. So till then let me be an anonymous story teller 😉
Thankyou 🤗

submitted by Kahaniyan_ankahi to Indianbooks [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 21:41 Kahaniyan_ankahi Mere khwaab 👀🫶

submitted by Kahaniyan_ankahi to stories [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 03:15 Jkorytkowski001 All Hallow’s Eve & Terrifier Connection Theories

All Hallow’s Eve & Terrifier Connection Theories
Terrifier and All Hallow’s Eve Connection Theories
I know Leone has already said that AHE is non canon to the Terrifier movies, but for the fun of it i collected info and theories from other posts, and added my own takes to try to connect and place AHE in this universe.
All Hallows Eve is a Terrifier Prequel and Terrifier’s Art is a Fan and copycat of AHE’s Movie.

It would explain why David Howard Thornton's Art the Clown is so different to the Mike Giannelli's Art. Could you imagine a man so obsessed with a movie, so fascinated and inspired, that he decided to be just like his favourite character, but in real life? (This has happened in real life.) It would mean that DHT's Art is a cosplayer, a psycho fan that became a serial killer in the Terrifier universe. Making Art the Clown something more than just a movie character. Making his twisted and evil persona even more terrifying and realistic.
Mike Giannelli has dark eyes, it explains why DHT's Art was wearing black contact lenses. All for more accurate costume. They are not the same Arts!
One of the things Art owned was a small TV set. Before becoming the real Art, he used it to watch the movie he was obsessed with.
Many kills are almost the same in All Hallows' Eve and the Terrifier. Art really wanted to try those in real life. Vicky's mutilated face also resembled the character from AHE movie.
He commited suicide because his "fanart" was done, he did what he dreamed of, and didn't want to be cought and sentenced to life in prison.
Art had no idea, that all of his murders will impress the Satan himself. That's why he was ressurected at the end of Terrifier 1. Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim. From that moment Art became supernatural, making him even more like his idol.
The devilish face prostetis became Art's real face after the resurrection as a reward.
It makes Damien Leone canon in every Terrifier related movie he made. He could make an appearance in Terrifier 3 where people are accusing him for creating an inspiration for a real serial killer.

All Hallow’s Eve is a Sequel to Terrifier Movies (Art it’s at his most demonic form in AHE.):

Art seems to get glowing eyes in 9th Circle segment of AHE like the Pale Girl in T2, maybe showing to us that Art gets more supernatural powers as time passes and he kills more people for Satan himself (Powers maybe given by the Pale Girl and Satan (Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim and maybe daughter of the Cat Lady.))
At this point is most likely Art directly works for Satan as seen in the 9th Circle Segment, bringing Victoria or her supernatural tormented self to work with them as we see someone similar at the end of the segment.
Art seems in control of his supernatural powers in AHE, getting teleport powers, control of reality (Getting in and out of the VHS Tape.) Not like in Terrifier movies as when he returns to life after T1 he’s surprised he’s still alive.
In this theory, the VHS tape videos are or where real, at this point Art is kind of a Freddy Krueger like Figure, feeding of the fear his videos cause to the ones who watched it to manifest in their household as he pleases and getting stronger as fear takes over his victims. The events of the babysitter and the kids could be added in the future to this VHS, which would be passed to another person, family or house. Thats why Art gets Tara in T1 to watch him kill her friend, Sienna to watch Brooke, even the babysitter watching the slaughtered kids (for enjoyment and sadism) and that’s why as a demon he wants people to see him kill in his VHS (for powers and feed of fear.) Every artist needs an audience.
Expanding on the Freddy comparison, Art may be appearing in dreams now, as we see in the Alien segment that the women’s husband (an ARTIST) painted Art because he appeared in his dreams, very much like Sienna’s father.
In All Hallows' Eve, the actress Katie Maguire plays the babysitter in the film, and if you recall, at the end of AHE, she doesn't get killed by Art The Clown. Katie Maguire is in Terrifier as news reporter Monica who gets murdered at the beginning of the film by Victoria. And since these films presumably take place within 3 to 5 years apart from each other, it's safe to assume that after the events of AHE, the babysitter changes her name from Sarah to Monica, starts a new life as a news reporter in Deer Hills, before getting murdered. (she also could be same actress but different characters.)
During the hacksaw scene in the first Terrifier, you can actually see a 'Circus' sign. There's also a 'Circus' sign that appeared in the 'Terrifier' segment of AHE. This happens to with weapons he uses and killing tactics.
In Terrifier 2 Victoria writes the same words in the wall of her room while having Art’s head, that the ones Art writes on the girl’s body (the costume designer (similar to Sienna being a cosplayer), an ARTIST that has Art’s art craved in her now) in the Terrifier segment of AHE. *Art throws Sienna to a red smokey pit which resembles Satan’s crib in the 9th Circle. This leads to Art taking Sienna to a dream-like place fueled by Satans powers.
Art's look could change into a more demonic one as time passes living as a demon, explaining the change of actors who portray him, in poster of AHE Art’s eyes seem red and more demonic, maybe a sign of his demonic change.
Terrifier 2 has “9th Circle Demon #1 & #2” in the movie credits. (This could be used for both theories.)

Thank you very much for reading, i would love to hear your thoughts and takes on this! If you got anything to add to the theories i’d be really glad to add then too!

submitted by Jkorytkowski001 to horror [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 01:26 Secret-Tomatillo5044 I Accepted a Job to Film on the Dark Web Pt 2

Hey everyone! Just in case you don’t remember or don’t know, let me give you a recap of the last entry. I was on the dark web watching gore vids as I do, saw that the cameraman was being a baby, complained, was forced to off an animal and now have to show the video of me doing that to a violent crazy. There was some stuff in between but that’s the gist. If you want the full context be my guest and click here.
I decided to stop being a pussy and go out into the living room. This guy had made the effort to gain my cousin’s trust enough to invite them over. Okay, maybe that wasn't the most impressive because he was a dumbass, but still. The point was that if they made the effort to do that, they probably wouldn't go serial killer mode on me while he was around. They could have shown up late at night like I expected, but they didn't, they wanted to blend in.
I walked in as they were starting a shitty action movie and sipping lean. Brick turned to me with surprise, drink.
“What you need?” he asked, already slouching.
“Nothing, I just wanted to hang out with you guys!” I tried to sound excited but it was hard to hide my pain.
An awkward silence filled the room as he contemplated if I was serious.
“Oh, alright, I don't know if you’ll like the movie we’re watching but you can join.”
I sat next to him for the first time in months and a few minutes into the movie with his commentary I started to miss when I was cleaning the cat’s corpse.
“Heh, this guy has zero brain cells! How does he not know that the dude with him is a spy?” he chuckled, and me and his friend looked straight at each other from across the couch.
His friend was quiet for the most part along with barely making a dent in their lean. Throwing out a few admittedly funny jokes and focusing on the film. It was a pretty normal night but I knew that wouldn't last long.
“That actress looks like a girl I dated back in New York. This Dominicana, we had a lot of good times, ended over petty shit though.” his friend pointed at the screen, chewing some cinnamon gummies. Shredding five of them in a matter of seconds with their sharp teeth.
“Woah dude, sorry, bet she was bad as…” Brick fell asleep mid-sentence.
I awkwardly eyed him to make sure that he was still alive.
His friend cranked up the volume on the TV and turned to me as the ads played.
“Not sure if you knew this but your brother can’t handle his purple.” they grinned, the screen reflecting in their brown eyes. The effects of lean had hit Brick like his namesake and he completely blacked out.
“Good thing his stubborn ass is set on proving he can.” they chuckled while getting up to close the blinds. They were exactly what I pictured when I heard their voice.
“Now show me the goods, kid, I want a peek before the rest of the crew sees it. I promise your bro won’t be getting up with how potent the shit is.”
I nodded as we went into my room and I pulled out my computer.
“Why didn't you spike his drink with something that would work faster?”I questioned while typing my password.
“If I did that then he’d get suspicious about why he passed out so suddenly. He’s not the brightest but he’s smart enough to know shit like that’s weird. It was best to let the syrup do the work for me.”
“Huh, surprised he has the cognitive skills for that.” I half-joked, putting on the video. The pressure was on, I was pretty sure I did a good job initially but watching it back I saw all the flaws. It was surreal seeing them nod their head and squint at sections like they were a teacher looking over a paper. Sure I reacted similarly but seeing it on another person’s face put it in perspective.
“So?”
They moved their tongue in their mouth and shook their head.
“Gonna be real, that was pretty basic.”
The color on my face flushed out as my semblance of a smile faded.
“I was gonna show it to my boys but I already know that they’ll turn this down.”
They got up, pulling two daggers out of their pockets.
“Wait are you serious man? Not even gonna give me a shot!” I put my hands up, subtly scooting further from them.
“Me giving you the chance to make this was you’re shot! So let’s get this over with, eye first.” they pointed with one of the blades, lunging at me. I rolled away and grabbed my bat from under my bed narrowly evading a stab.
“Oh come on!” I groaned with frustration, in truth, I was scared shitless but I would die before I let that show.
“Sorry, I refuse to waste anyone’s time, and don’t even THINK about running!” they screamed at me while putting one weapon in their mouth and pulling my hair. I swung my nail bat at their knee and they bit down, grabbing even more of my hair.
“You little shit!” they spat, slashing the arm I was holding my bat in. I bit my lip and breathed through my nose, still holding on. I smacked them in the legs twice, hoping the metal broke through their skin. They turned their head and spat one of the daggers out away from their face before falling to the floor. I kicked them in the side of the head and stood on their back. Raising it above them, it was going to hit when they slashed my heel.
I screamed, still bringing down the bat. They moved over and threw me off as I did, preventing it from slamming into their head. It was the most pain I’d felt and I held the urge to puke as I stood, swinging it into their stomach. They coughed and threw their sweaty beanie at my head. I gagged instantly as they ran at me like a bull, head-butting my torso. We fell to the floor as my bat rolled out of my hand. I panicked, trying to retrieve it, but they pulled me away from it with every attempt. Pulling themselves higher up on my body so my eyes met their neck and holding down both my arms. The handle of their blade, back in their mouth. With no other options, I kicked my legs beneath them. Kneeing them in the groin multiple times which they seemed to ignore.
“You asshole!” I growled, hating how small my voice was in comparison to theirs. I shouted but they placed a free hand over my mout and moved my dominant arm. I bit on their hand as they brought my thrashing limb closer to their face. I flailed it while doing everything I could to fight off their grip, but ultimately it didn't do shit. They stabbed right through my palm.
“FUCK!” I yelled, muffled by their skin.
My heart raced as the blood poured out and their face was inches from it, blade still in mouth. They removed the dagger from their mouth and pulled it from my hand with little regard.
“You know, I got some respect for the fight you put up,” they began with a tone that was strangely genuine. They remained on top of me but stopped holding down my now bleeding arm.
“Now, you are either gonna comply and let me kill you nicely, or I knock you out and take you somewhere where I can flay your skin.”
I nodded yes despite not wanting to.
“Good, now hold still-”
I tried to push myself up and they clicked their tongue, shoving me back down.
“I said hold still!” they reprimanded, bringing the knife closer to my face. I lashed more and they sunk part of their blade into my chest. At that point, I was seriously thinking I was going to die. In a final attempt, I strained against the pain and tried to grab my bat which they promptly threw from me. The fear of death overcame me as my heart raced faster than I knew it could. My eyes flickered and I thought back to how stupid I was for getting into this. I was sure I wasn't making it but the whole time I couldn't accept my death. I squirmed and screamed as the blade inched closer and they plunged their nails into the wound on my chest. Dodging each direct swing at my face until they used their bitten hand to clasp my face. Their grip on my jaw tightened, and they forced me to stare at them in their firey brown eyes. At that point, I was sure I was fucked. My movement settled as their blade made its way up to my eye. I was sure they’d stab me through one of my sockets, but they stopped. There was a long pause between us, only the sounds of the loud TV in the room audible.
They slowly looked at me up and down, gradually moving away. I was tempted to try to fight but I knew that was asking for death. They got off me, holding an arm out to help me up. The silence continued, but their irritated mumble made me hesitantly grab it.
“What are you-”
“Let me talk first,” they interrupted before I could ask.
“The video you made was pretty basic and it's clear you don’t have a lot of experience, but goddamn did you try.” they smiled, lifting me up. They walked back out to the living room. I limped behind them, suspicious of their positive attitude.
“Maybe you just caught me on a good day, but I think that someone like you shouldn't be taken this early.” they unzipped the bag they brought, taking out a medical kit.
“You remind me of myself when I was your age, a scrappy kid who’d seen way too much and got caught in shit as a result.” we walked into the bathroom, and they sat me on the closed toilet. Washing their hands before taking out some gauze. The whole situation was bizarre, seconds ago they tried to kill me, and now they were patching me up.
“Regardless, you shouldn't continue down this path. Take this as a warning, you will not be as lucky the next,” they cautioned applying rubbing alcohol. I winced as it dried up my injury.
“So, you're not killing me because I fought hard? I don’t get it, you kill people all the time, and some of them try to fight back.” I pointed out.
“That’s different, those victims are just that, victims, you are something more than that. To be honest, when I showed up didn't intend to kill you or propose a deal, I was hoping that being there at all would scare ya off, 'cause no kid should be watching murder.” They admitted, wrapping my hand.
“Unfortunately, you are even more stubborn, than your bro and I could tell that if I didn't do more you’d keep fucking around until you found out.”
It was believe what I was hearing.
“So this whole thing was your method to shooting me away?”
They nodded, grabbing a patch.
“Yeah, now do I have permission to pull up your shirt to patch the wound on your chest? Or do you think you can do it yourself and want me to turn around?”
I was surprised they were making an effort to accommodate me.
“Uh no it's fine, I don’t have anything there to hide. Even though I probably should.” I felt a bit embarrassed admitting that out loud.
“Hey don’t shit on yourself there is nothing wrong with how you look, besides I think you got more pressing problems than any body dysmorphia. Like, ya know, being a gore fiend.” their tone was light yet stern.
“Anyway, I hope this teaches you to stop getting involved. Something similar happened to me, and trust me the world doesn't need more people like myself.”
I was amazed at how they’d suddenly become so wise.
“Okay, I get the point of your painful PSA, but does that mean that you never intended to show the video?”
They pulled my shirt back down.
“I mean yeah,”
A smile slowly spread across my face and they furrowed their brow.
“Put that shit-eating grin away, I’m not taking you deeper down the rabbit hole.” They snarled, disinfecting my heel.
“Okay, well I guess I’ll just have to make another video and submit it elsewhere.”
They groaned, trashing the bloodied cotton ball.
“Have you learned nothing?” they grit their teeth, cutting more gauze.
“Look, I’ve been deep in for years. I know the danger, and I’m pretty shaken right now. But let’s be honest if you don't let me get involved under your supervision I’ll just go elsewhere”
I shrugged, I sounded dumb but I didn't care.
“Are you fucking kidding me! Kid, I could have killed you! That ass-whooping was me going easy on you!”
I sighed, trying to shift my bitch face to puppy eyes.
“I know the risks and as admittedly terrifying as it was, it was also exciting! Plus, if you help me train I could learn to better defend myself! Don’t you trust yourself over some random?”
Their face was cold but I could see the slightest sparks of warmth behind their eyes.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m agreeing to a dark web babysitting gig,” they muttered, wrapping my bandages.
“So, yes?!” I squealed with a bit too much excitement.
“Yes but if we’re doing this you gotta play by my rules. First, you work with my schedule. I drive you and control when you show up. If you can’t make it we got someone else who can do the job, but you can’t deal with this stuff without me.”
I found the first rule a little irritating but I knew I’d likely fuck up without them.
“Second, you can’t post any videos or photos of your work.”
I nodded, it was a given, though since they never said anything about writing about it… Well, here you are reading it you nosy freak.
“Lastly, under no circumstance are you to disobey me. We can disagree on things but if you go against me when I’m doing something for your good…”
They leaned in close and pulled my shirt.
“We will have an issue. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it, now back up your breath smells like artificial sugar and red dye 40.” I winced as they pulled away.
“Whatever you look like you shower annually.” They snarled.
“Okay, I agree to your terms.” I held out my fist and we fist-bumped to seal the deal.
“Ight, I'm gonna head out now, check your DMs on our website, it’ll give ya more details.”
I tried to get up but my leg still hurt and I struggled to stand. They clicked their tongue and held out their arms.
“Need help?”
“Yeah, thanks to you dickhead.”
They scoffed and picked me up, placing me in my bed.
“Good luck getting better, you’ll probably need it.”
They tucked the blanket over me and left.
The next day I limped out of bed, to find that as expected, my brother left before I woke up. Though, for once, he cleaned up the trash from the night before. It was a weekend so I just spent my time recovering from my injury. Luckily the aid kit in our bathroom still had all its supplies so I was able to change out my bandages regularly. I reflected a lot on life and started to appreciate that I was still standing, well more like leaning but you get it. Being that close to death, while exhilarating looking back, also instilled a new sense of fear in me.
I had been surrounded by death for so long that I forgot how scary the concept of never coming back was. I’d seen it happen to others on such a regular basis it lost its meaning, but almost experiencing it put things in perspective. Hell, I didn't even go on any gore real or fictional the whole weekend. It was bizarre, it’s probably hard for people to understand what it felt like so I’ll use an analogy everyone should get. Not watching any visible death media for two days was like going without underwear. Technically you don’t need it and sometimes you even forget why it being gone matters, but then you move around in your jeans too much and you miss it. Is that probably not a fair comparison? Yeah, but whatever I think most can agree going commando leaves you uncomfortable, especially when you dwell on it.
When Monday rolled around I didn't want to go to school, but my brother would get a call and throw a fit if I ditched so I went. Wearing fingerless red gloves to hide the stab through my palm. Managing to remember to pack the sweater that Abdul let me borrow right before I left. I sat in my usual spot and left out one of my tees for him to sit on so he wouldn't have to make contact with whatever ungodly germs were there.
“Wait, are you being,” he paused as he took a seat on the spot I’d laid out for him.
“Considerate?” he feigned shock, setting down his backpack.
“Please, I’m just being decent enough to not give you a seat that’ll give you five diseases.”
He shrugged, running his hand through his loose curly hair.
“Still pretty sweet by your standards.”
I rolled my eyes, quickly shoving his sweater back into his arms.
“You can have your ugly not-Christmas sweater back.”
He chuckled, holding it out in front of him for a moment.
“Thanks, and while I don’t think it's ugly, I’ll let you hold onto it.”
He handed it back to me with a smile so warm I thought I’d pass out.
“Why? I can afford stuff.”
“It’s not about that, I just feel like letting you have it, the colors fit with the other stuff you wear. Plus, I know you DIY your clothes a lot and I think you could make it look cooler than I could.”
I looked at it, and then back at him. He was so damn sweet it made me internally panic. How could someone this nice be talking to me? I couldn't help but think back to how I got my ass kicked Friday but was now with the human version of honey.
“Hello?” he waved his hand in front of me, snapping me out of my frozen state.
“I am so lucky to be alive with you.” I blurted out with way less hesitation than I should have.
His expression shifted to one of confusion and concern. My eyes widened as I began to fold and put the sweater away.
“Wow, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable I just-”
“I’m lucky to be alive with you too.” he cut me off, stopping me dead in my tracks. We sat in silence for a second, both waiting for the other to say something.
“Listen, I know I’m the first person who’s given you a chance in a while. You’ve been an outcast at this school for as long as you’ve been here and even if you kinda do it on purpose it’s not fair to you.” he opened up, once again reading me as easily as a picture book.
“I know you're going through a lot you can’t explain and I’m not going to force that out of you.” he continued, leaning in a bit closer.
“But Utsidihi, I meant it when I said I want you as a friend, and if you haven't heard it today, your life matters. Anyone who gave you a fair chance would be happy you’re here.”
I went stiff, I had not expected to hear those words. Ever.
“Okay, seriously why are you being so damn nice.” I laughed cause I was scared that if I didn't I’d cry like a little bitch.
“You seemed pretty upset last time I saw you, and it didn't take me long today to see that you probably needed to hear that. I just care about you alright? It’s not deep.” He calmly explained, I held back some tears and zipped up my bag.
“Well, you were right.” I smiled, taking in the moment. It’s mushy and pathetic, I know, but I hadn't had someone tell me something like that in years. I know I sound like a fucking loser but hey it's the truth.
“Seriously though, thank you, Abdul. That means a lot to me.”
He nodded, and we moved on to something else after giving ourselves a moment to process. I felt my body relax the further we got into our conversation. Since the start of my physical recovery, I’d been on edge. Being with him calmed me down from my shoulders slumping to my overall state of mind. The rest of the day was pretty normal, apart from my Algebra teacher yelling at me for falling asleep in class. Hell, I didn't even watch any gore when I got home! I mean, the urge was there but suppressing it was easier than I first expected. I even went to bed at 10:30 which I rarely do. I started to wonder if this was what being a “normal” teenager was like. All the basic stuff in my life without the leering images of murder in my head and on my screen. It almost felt nice being average. Almost being the keyword.
The next day wasn't noteworthy, but the night was. I had a nightmare I hadn’t gotten in a while. I was seven years old again, my dad was driving me back from school, and my mom sat next to me in the back seat. They said they were proud of me for how good I’d been. I was back in my seven-year-old mindset so I didn't think that someone being proud of me was strange. I hugged my mom, closing my eyes. She wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“You’ll never leave me, right mama?” I asked her.
“Of course not, you are my baby.” her voice turned distressed, and I felt her shiver. I pulled away, opening my eyes despite knowing what was coming. She was there against the wall, stomach slashed open and braids cut off. I started screaming, running in search of my dad, and I found him in the same state.
“No!” I woke up sobbing, globs of tears running down my face. I felt like shit, shaking under my blanket. I held onto a stuffed toy I had, wishing there was someone there to hold it. The scariest part of the dream was that it wasn't just a dream, it was a memory. My parents did get slashed open in front of me when I was seven, and before it happened, I had to see them cut both their hair. I started running my fingers through the long side of my hair, it was meant to settle me but I just felt even shitter. They were the one death that truly meant something to me, not just because they were my first, but because they’re the only people I’ve truly loved.
My heart started racing, I just wanted the pain to go away. I wanted someone to tell me that as horrible as what I saw was, that it wasn't that bad. I mean people die all the time, sometimes they don’t deserve it, but sometimes they don’t. It would be great if there were just situations where it didn't matter. Where it was like a death scene in a movie, it means something but you can make it mean nothing to you. As I wished for that case where you could mindlessly witness death, I remember that it existed. Even brutal murders could mean nothing if you let them. Maybe they were still tragedies to some, but they wouldn't lead to sleepless nights.
“They do exist,” I muttered to myself under my breath, before turning on my laptop. It took me a second to mentally adjust to seeing gore again, for a few minutes it made me feel like a bigger piece of shit, but I soon remembered why it helped me. I know trivializing it is wrong, but if I didn't then how else was I supposed to live? I mean everyone does it, each second you live happily someone is suffering from a fate worse than death, but as a society, we accept that and focus on our lives. Why? Because if we did we’d never find joy in anything! After going through my favorite videos I started to feel better. My spirits lifted and my appreciation for guts and blood renewed, I decided to go back to the site that led me to the craziness of the last week. I noticed a notification in my chat box on the gore site my cousin’s friend found me on.
“Hey sorry it took a minute, we had to move locations. I’m giving you one more chance to back out of this cause I guarantee it’s gonna fuck you up more. I’d much rather you get some goddamn therapy than hang with me or any of the even weirder people here.”
I contemplated how to respond. The message was fresh which meant they’d likely respond soon. I thought about how pleasant it was to live kinda normally, hanging with Abdul and mainly worrying about grades. But then, I thought about how much I’d have to start unpacking if I wanted to go down the path of normalcy, and how it would be impossible without snitching on myself. I guess it's wrong to call myself damaged goods but if that was an accurate description for anyone it was me. Besides, this was an opportunity to live a life that so few did successfully! Being under the wing of someone who knew the ropes of this stuff! It would probably get me killed but it would at least be a more interesting ride than a long slow life of sinking into depression. Risk and excitement? Or regret and monotony? Yeah, I knew what to pick.
“I’m still interested, got a schedule?” I waited in bated breath for a few minutes, worrying I’d missed my shot, but they hit me back.
“Yeah, next Friday, I’m picking you up after you get home. Get some good rest till then, you’ll need it.”
My face lit up, was it scary? Hell yes! Was I excited FUCK YEAH! No matter what happened next, I knew it would make it worth the risk for the thrill alone.

submitted by Secret-Tomatillo5044 to Odd_directions [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 21:13 SanderSo47 Directors at the Box Office: Wes Craven

https://preview.redd.it/5jhcjegtjuzc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=71a26f361e87730152e07e12f1bc76322db0b023
Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Wes Craven's turn.
Craven earned a master's degree in philosophy and writing from Johns Hopkins University. He subsequently bought a 16mm film camera and began making short movies. His friend Steve Chapin informed him of a messenger position at a New York City film production co, where his brother, future folk-rock star Harry Chapin worked. He started in the industry as a sound editor, before transitioning as a porn director. He said he made "many hardcore X-rated films" under pseudonyms. And then he transitioned into directing for the big screen.
From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

It should be noted that as he started his career in the 1970s, some of the domestic grosses here will be adjusted by inflation. The table with his highest grossing films, however, will be left in its unadjusted form, as the worldwide grosses are more difficult to adjust.

The Last House on the Left (1972)

"Mari, seventeen, is dying. Even for her, the worst is yet to come."
His directorial debut. The film stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. The plot follows Mari Collingwood, a teenager who is abducted, raped, and tortured by a family of violent fugitives led by Krug Stillo on her seventeenth birthday. When her parents discover what happened to her, they seek vengeance against the family, who have taken shelter at their home.
Craven, who had no money at the time, was put on the job of synchronizing dailies for Sean S. Cunningham's Together. They became friends, and Hallmark Releasing gave them $90,000 to make another film. Craven considered a hardcore film, but decided to tone it down a bit. The idea for this film came from Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, and Craven wanted to make a film in which the violence would be shown in detail onscreen, as he felt that many popular films of the era, such as Westerns, glamorized violence and the "vigilante hero", and gave the public a misleading representation of death in the wake of the Vietnam War.
The film attracted negative media attention for its heavy graphic content, and there were calls for some theaters to drop the film. But you know, bad buzz is still buzz and that translated to a pretty good run in theaters, earning up to $3 million in its initial run. Even to this day, the film is polarizing due to its violence and themes. But Craven just made his name well known.

Budget: $90,000.
Domestic gross: $3,100,000. ($23.1 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $3,100,000.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

"A nice American family. They didn't want to kill. But they didn't want to die."
His second film. The film stars Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace. The film follows the Carters, a suburban family targeted by a family of cannibal savages after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert.
Craven wanted to make a non-horror, but he found that his investors only wanted films with graphic content. At the New York Public Library, Craven checked the library's forensics department, and learned of the legend of Sawney Bean - the alleged head of a 48-person Scottish clan responsible for the murder and cannibalization of more than one thousand people. He drew influences from this, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Grapes of Wrath. Craven also had to cut a lot of scenes to avoid getting an X rating.
The film once again drew negative attention for its violence. But it made over $25 million at the box office, which was an even bigger success than House. It subsequently earned a cult following.

Budget: $700,000.
Domestic gross: $25,000,000. ($128.8 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $25,000,000.

Deadly Blessing (1981)

"Pray you're not blessed."
His third film. It stars Ernest Borgnine, Maren Jensen, Susan Buckner, and Sharon Stone, and tells the story of a strange figure committing murder in a contemporary community that is not far from another community that believes in ancient evil and curses.
It received negative reviews, but it was another box office success for Craven.

Budget: $3,000,000.
Domestic gross: $8,279,042. ($28.4 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $8,279,042.

Swamp Thing (1982)

"Science transformed him into a monster. Love changed him even more!"
His fourth film. Based on the DC Comics character created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, it stars Louis Jourdan and Adrienne Barbeau. It tells the story of scientist Alec Holland who is transformed into the monster known as Swamp Thing through laboratory sabotage orchestrated by the evil Anton Arcane. Later, he helps a woman named Alice Cable and battles the man responsible for it all, the ruthless Arcane.
The film made $2.5 million domestically, despite mixed reviews.

Budget: N/A.
Domestic gross: $2,500,000. ($8 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $2,500,000.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

"If Nancy doesn't wake up screaming, she won't wake up at all."
His fifth film. It stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Johnny Depp, and Robert Englund. The film's plot concerns a group of teenagers who are targeted by Freddy Krueger, an undead child killer who can murder people through their dreams, as retribution against their parents who burned him alive.
The film was inspired by several newspaper articles printed in the Los Angeles Times in the 1970s about Hmong refugees, who, after fleeing to the United States because of war and genocide in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, suffered disturbing nightmares and refused to sleep. Some of the men died in their sleep soon after. This, along with the song "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright, motivated Craven to craft a horror film focused on people dying through their sleep.
The film's villain, Freddy Krueger, is drawn from Craven's early life. One night, a young Craven saw an elderly man walking on the sidepath outside the window of his home. The man stopped to glance at a startled Craven and walked off. This served as the inspiration for Krueger. Initially, Fred Krueger was intended to be a child molester, but Craven eventually characterized him as a child murderer to avoid being accused of exploiting a spate of highly publicized child molestation cases that occurred in California around the time of the film's production. He settled on the name Freddy Krueger, which was based on a childhood bully of his.
The process of writing the film went smoothly, the real problem was finding a studio. Craven sent it to most studios, and all rejected it. The first studio to show interest was Disney, but Craven declined their offer as they wanted a more toned-down kid-friendly PG-13 flick. When Paramount and Universal also turned it down, Craven decided to go to the independent studio New Line Cinema. The studio only distributed films, but they agreed in financing the film. As they lacked the financial resources for the production, New Line had to turn to external financiers.
Despite opening in just 165 theaters, the film earned $1.2 million in its opening weekend, making it clear that it would be an immediate box office success. It eventually closed with $25 million domestically, and $57 million worldwide. It received critical acclaim, and has been referred as one of the best and most influential slashers ever made. Freddy Krueger would soon be hailed as one of the most emblematic figures of horror, and Craven quickly earned a reputation as a horror legend. But most importantly, it was the beginning of New Line Cinema as a studio, which is why it's referred as "the house that Freddy built."
The film would later spawn a franchise, although Craven wouldn't direct any of the "sequels." Why the quotation marks? We'll get to that later on.

Budget: $1,100,000.
Domestic gross: $25,624,448. ($77 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $57,185,134.

The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985)

"So you think you're lucky to be alive."
His sixth film. The sequel to The Hills Have Eyes, it stars Tamara Stafford, Kevin Spirtas, John Bloom, Michael Berryman, Penny Johnson, Janus Blythe, John Laughlin, Willard E. Pugh, Peter Frechette and Robert Houston. It follows a group of bikers who become stranded in the desert and find themselves fighting off a family of inbred cannibals who live off the land.
The film was shot on a very low budget, and it simply ended prematurely because they ran out of funds. There are no box office numbers available, but it received awful reviews.

Deadly Friend (1986)

"There's no one alive who'll play with the girl next door."
His seventh film. Based on the novel Friend by Diana Henstell, it stars Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett, Anne Twomey, Richard Marcus, and Anne Ramsey. Its plot follows a teenage computer prodigy who implants a robot's processor into the brain of his teenage neighbor after she is pronounced brain dead; the experiment proves successful, but she swiftly begins a killing spree in their neighborhood.
Craven wanted to make a PG-rated science fiction film, with a similar tone to Starman, hoping to prove that he could make something that wasn't horror-themed. An unfinished version of the film was screened to a test audience of Craven's fanbase, and it was poorly received for its lack of violence and gore like his previous films. So WB decided to rewrite the film, adding more scenes with tons of gore. This made the final film appear tonally jumbled, and it went from easy PG to struggling to not get an X rating.
The film was poorly received for its story and inconsistent tone. It also marked a huge flop at the box office, not even hitting $10 million. Craven lost interest in the film after WB inserted their own version, and he has since disowned the film.

Budget: $11,000,000.
Domestic gross: $8,988,731. ($25.6 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $8,988,731.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

"Don't bury me, I'm not dead!"
His eighth film. It stars Bill Pullman, and is loosely based on the life of ethnobotanist Wade Davis, recounting his experiences in Haiti investigating the story of Clairvius Narcisse, who was allegedly poisoned, buried alive, and revived with a herbal brew which produced what was called a zombie.
The film received mixed reactions, but it was a much needed box office success for Craven.

Budget: $7,000,000.
Domestic gross: $19,595,031. ($51.7 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $19,595,031.

Shocker (1989)

"No more Mr. Nice Guy."
His ninth film. It stars Michael Murphy, Peter Berg, Cami Cooper, and Mitch Pileggi, and follows a serial killer who uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police.
Another mixed bag for Craven, but it was still profitable.

Budget: N/A.
Domestic gross: $16,554,699. ($41.6 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $16,554,699.

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

"In every neighborhood, there's one house that adults whisper about and children cross the street to avoid."
His tenth film. It stars Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, and A. J. Langer. The plot follows a young boy and two adult robbers who become trapped in a house belonging to a neighborhood's crooked landlords after breaking in to steal their collection of gold coins as the boy learns a dark secret about them and what also lurks in their house.
After a slate of mixed performers, the film received Craven's best reviews since Elm Street. To the surprise of Universal, it was also a box office success.

Budget: $6,000,000.
Domestic gross: $24,204,154. ($55.5 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $31,347,154.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

"This time, the terror doesn't stop at the screen."
His 11th film. The installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it stars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Miko Hughes and John Saxon. The film is not part of the same continuity as previous films, and it portrays Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the films about him.
While Craven co-wrote the franchise's third installment, Dream Warriors, he wasn't that involved with the rest of the franchise. He wanted to make a deliberately more cerebral film than recent entries to the franchise, as he considered them as being cartoonish, and not faithful to his original themes. Specifically, he wanted Freddy to resemble his original vision: far darker and less comical. To reinforce this, the character's make-up and outfit were enhanced, with one of the most prominent differences being that he now wears a long blue/black trenchcoat. In addition, the signature glove was redesigned for a more organic look, with the fingers resembling bones and having muscle textures in between.
The film received high praise, and was considered as the best film in the franchise since the original (it was Englund's favorite). But the franchise has been bleeding interest at the box office, and New Nightmare unfortunately had to suffer. It was profitable, but it became the lowest grossing film in the franchise.

Budget: $8,000,000.
Domestic gross: $18,090,181. ($38.1 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $19,721,741.

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

"A comic tale of horror and seduction."
His 12th film. It stars Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, Allen Payne, Kadeem Hardison, John Witherspoon, Zakes Mokae, and Joanna Cassidy. It follows a Caribbean vampire who seduces a Brooklyn police officer who has no idea that she is half-vampire.
The film had awful reviews, and despite the presence of a huge star like Eddie Murphy, it disappointed at the box office. Craven really needed a hit.

Budget: $8,000,000.
Domestic gross: $19,751,736. ($40.4 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $34,951,736.

Scream (1996)

"Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far."
His 13th film. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and Drew Barrymore. Set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, Scream's plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott and her friends, who, on the anniversary of her mother's murder, become the targets of a costumed serial killer known as Ghostface.
As he was trying to make it in the industry, Kevin Williamson watched a Turning Point documentary about serial killer Danny Rolling which he said left him unsettled. Williamson later noticed an open window, armed himself with a knife, and called his friend for support. The pair began discussing horror characters that had resonated with them such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. This experience prompted Williamson to start developing a concept wherein a girl is haunted by a caller.
He started writing a film titled Scary Movie, and even left an outline for possible sequels. The concept was part of an era where there was debate over the influence of cinematic violence on audience, with Williamson coming up with a brilliant line "movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative." It was inspired by many 1980s slashers, even though the genre was on decline by that point. His characters were intentionally designed to be knowledgeable about these horror films and their typical elements, with the intention of creating a unique killer who was not only aware of horror film clichés but also exploited them for his own advantage.
While Williamson struggled with his previous films, this script was part of a bidding war with the studios, to the point that Oliver Stone himself wanted to direct it. Miramax (through Dimension Films) bought the script, and Williamson made some rewrites to scale back the violence. Bob Weinstein also wanted to change the name, as he believed the audiences would think the film is a comedy.
The studio considered Danny Boyle, Tom McLoughlin, Sam Raimi, Robert Rodriguez, George A. Romero, Quentin Tarantino, and Anthony Waller as prime candidates to direct the film, but they all preferred to view the film as a comedy. Wes Craven was considered, but the studio believed he couldn't direct a satire. Craven also wasn't planning on directing it, as he wanted to focus on more mainstream films to salvage his career. Craven's assistant Julie Plec (who would collaborate with Williamson on The Vampire Diaries) convinced him in helming the project. By signing, Craven decided to get back some of the gore that was missing in the previous drafts.
A huge contrast to the horror films of the era was that the film had established actors as the leads, as Craven and Williamson wanted to prove that no character was safe. Drew Barrymore had already starred in a few recognizable names, Neve Campbell was on the hit show Party of Five, Rose McGowan was known for Encino Man and The Doom Generation, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich were recognizable supporting characters, and Courteney Cox obviously was known for Friends. Vince Vaughn and Natasha Lyonne were the preferred choices for Billy and Tatum, but external problems caused them to drop out.
After viewing the dailies raw footage, the Weinsteins criticized the quality of Craven's work as "workmanlike at best", believing it lacked tension and had an inconsistent tone. The Weinsteins also disliked the mask design, and said Barrymore lacked sex appeal because of the pageboy hairstyle she had chosen. While filming the final fight, Campbell's stuntwoman accidentally stabbed Ulrich with an umbrella tip, missing the protective vest he was wearing and hitting the site of an open heart surgery Ulrich had as a child. During post-production, Harvey Weinstein decided to name the film as Scream based on the Michael and Janet Jackson song.
In a surprising move, the Weinsteins decided to release the film during the holiday season as counter-programming, offering teenagers an alternative to more traditional holiday fare. The decision was unpopular with the cast and crew, with Williamson expecting the film to fail. The film opened with $6.4 million and finishing in fourth place, leading analysts to consider the film as a bomb.
But the film just kept growing.
Buoyed by positive word of mouth, the Weinsteins increased marketing and the film managed to increase in its second and third weekends. It closed with $103 million domestically and $173 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing slasher film ever and Craven's highest grossing film ever. The film received critical acclaim for its characters and writing, and has since been deemed as one of the most influential horror films of all time. It rekindled interest in horror, resurrected Craven's career and launched the careers of Williamson and the cast.

Budget: $15,000,000.
Domestic gross: $103,046,663. ($245.4 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $173,046,663.

Scream 2 (1997)

"Someone has taken their love of sequels one step too far."
His 14th film. The sequel to Scream, it stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett, and Liev Schreiber. The film takes place two years after the first film and again follows the character of Sidney Prescott, along with other survivors of the Woodsboro massacre, at the fictional Windsor College in Ohio where they are targeted by a copycat killer using the guise of Ghostface.
As Williamson already had plans for sequels, the idea was for Sidney to attend college while being stalked by a copycat Ghostface killer. As filming began, Williamson's script had four killers: Derek, Hallie, Cotton Weary, and Nancy Loomis. But after Williamson transferred his script to the production, it was leaked onto the Internet in full, revealing the identity of the killers and a large amount of the involved plot. This resulted in the production continuing to film with only a partial script while Williamson conducted extensive rewrites, changing much of the film's finale, the identities of the film's killers and drastically altering the roles of other characters such as Randy Meeks and Joel. With a short deadline, Williamson couldn't fully compromise on the final script, forcing Craven to fill in the gaps himself. So the film was one of the very first cases where the Internet leaked major aspects of a film.
As the Weinsteins wanted the film ready for December, it was able to capitalize on the audience's word of mouth to the original. It opened with $32 million in its first weekend, almost five times as big as the original, and the biggest December debut. It didn't hold as great as the original due to the competition, such as Titanic, but it still made $172.3 million worldwide, almost matching the original's gross. It also received very positive reviews, and so a profitable franchise was already underway.

Budget: $24,000,000.
Domestic gross: $101,363,301. ($237.2 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $172,363,301.

Music of the Heart (1999)

"She gave them a gift they could never imagine. They gave the system a fight it would never forget."
His 15th film. The film stars Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, Angela Bassett, Gloria Estefan, Jane Leeves, Kieran Culkin and Jay O. Sanders. The film is a dramatization of the true story of Roberta Guaspari, who co-founded the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music and fought for music education funding in New York City public schools.
After seeing the documentary Small Wonders, Craven was inspired to make a full-length film about Guaspari. Madonna was originally signed to play the role of Guaspari, but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences" with Craven. When she left, Madonna had already studied for many months to play the violin. Streep learned to play Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins for the film. The project marked a huge departure for Craven; it was his first and only film to be rated PG, and his only one to not be horror or thriller.
It received generally positive reviews, but it bombed at the box office. It received 2 Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song, the only Craven film to get any noms.

Budget: $27,000,000.
Domestic gross: $14,859,394. ($27.8 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $14,936,407.

Scream 3 (2000)

"The most terrifying scream is always the last."
His 16th film. The third installment in the Scream franchise, it stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Deon Richmond, and Patrick Warburton. The film's story takes place one year after the previous film's events and follows Sidney Prescott, who has gone into self-imposed isolation following the events of the previous two films but is drawn to Hollywood after a new Ghostface begins killing the cast of the film within a film Stab 3.
The plans for a sequel were already underway since Williamson sold the script, although Williamson still didn't write a script yet. When the Weinsteins approached him to write the film, Williamson was already busy with many projects (including his directorial debut), and was unavailable to perform his duties. He only made a 20-page outline wherein Ghostface would return just as production on a fictional film Stab 3 would be filmed. His plan was to show the killers were part of a Stab fan club (this idea would later be adapted into his show, The Following). With Williamson not available, Ehren Kruger was tasked in writing.
Shortly before production began on the film, the Columbine High School massacre took place, and many parties began looking for reasoning behind the shooters' actions and there came an increased scrutiny on the role of the media in society, including video games and film, and the influence it could have on an audience. With production of Scream 3 not yet underway, there were considerations about whether the film should be made at that time, aware of the potential for negative attention but the studio decided to press forward, albeit with changes.
The Weinsteins demanded to scale back on the gore and emphasize its satiric humor, as well as moving the setting to Hollywood. At one point in the production, the studio went as far as demanding that the film feature no blood or on-screen violence at all, a drastic departure for the series, but Craven directly intervened. One of the aspects changed was that the killer would be revealed to be Stu Macher, having survived the original film. The Weinsteins changed it after Columbine, as they didn't want to associate violence and murder with a high school setting.
The film opened with $34.7 million, a franchise record and the biggest February debut ever. But it had weak legs, although it still made a very profitable $161.8 million worldwide. While the previous films were well-received, this film received negative reviews, who lambasted the film for becoming the very own thing it satirizes.

Budget: $40,000,000.
Domestic gross: $89,143,175. ($178.2 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $161,834,276.

Cursed (2005)

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
His 17th film. It stars Christina Ricci, Joshua Jackson, Jesse Eisenberg, Judy Greer, Scott Baio, Milo Ventimiglia, Shannon Elizabeth and Mýa, and follows two orphaned siblings attacked by a werewolf loose in Los Angeles.
Kevin Williamson started working on a script that followed the exploits of a New York City serial killer who discovers that his lethal tendencies are due to his lycanthrope nature. When one of his projects was scrapped, Craven decided to direct, teaming them up again for another Scream reunion. But it wasn't planned like that. Craven was making a film, Pulse, when Bob Weinstein abruptly pulled the movie from the schedule ten days before shooting and cut through all the slow lanes, wanting Craven to get to Cursed as soon as possible. Craven was reportedly not pleased so Weinstein doubled his pay in order for him to direct the film. The director deemed the script too tonally similar to his film Vampire in Brooklyn, but felt pressured by the studio, leading him to ultimately sign on.
The film started filming in January 2003, hoping to get the film released in August. In June, they only had six days left for filming. Suddenly, Dimension Films decided to put the movie on hold because top executives at the company weren't happy with the film's ending or how the special effects were progressing, specifically the look of the film's lead lupine. Rick Baker was preparing the final transformation effects when production stopped and asked Weinstein to let his team finish the work in order for it to be ready for the reshoot, but he refused. Patrick Lussier was brought in for massive rewrites, and the film didn't return to production until November. Baker was fired, and the prosthetic make-up was replaced with CGI. Skeet Ulrich filmed his scene as one of the leads, but chose to drop out following the reshoots as he disliked the new direction. It was also heavily edited to get the R rating down to PG-13. The budget was originally $35 million, yet some reports suggest it ballooned all the way to $100 million, making it one of the most expensive horror films ever.
With that budget, it was clear it was not going to be a box office success. It flopped with just $29 million worldwide, and was panned by critics. Craven himself dislikes the final product, and a director's cut was never an option because his original ending was never filmed.

Budget: $100,000,000.
Domestic gross: $19,297,522. ($30.8 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $29,621,722.

Red Eye (2005)

"Fear takes flight."
His 18th film. It stars Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, and Brian Cox. The story follows a hotel manager ensnared in an assassination plot by a terrorist while aboard a red-eye flight to Miami.
The film received Craven's best reviews in years, and was a box office success, earning almost $100 million. While he is fine with people loving it, Cillian Murphy is not really fond of the film, "I love Rachel McAdams and we had fun making it but I don’t think it's a good movie. It’s a good B movie."

Budget: $26,000,000.
Domestic gross: $57,891,803. ($92.5 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $96,258,201.

My Soul to Take (2010)

"Only one has the power to save their souls."
His 19th film. It stars Max Thieriot, Denzel Whitaker, Raul Esparza, and Shareeka Epps. It follows Adam "Bug" Hellerman, who is one of seven teenagers chosen to die following the anniversary of a serial killer's death.
This was Craven's first film in almost two decades where he would be directing, producing and writing. But that didn't pan out to a success: it was a critical and commercial dud.

Budget: $25,000,000.
Domestic gross: $14,744,435. ($21.1 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $21,500,813.

Scream 4 (2011)

"New decade. New rules."
His 20th and final film. The fourth installment in the Scream franchise, it stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, and Roger L. Jackson. The film takes place on the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders from Scream and involves Sidney Prescott returning to the town after ten years, where Ghostface once again begins killing students from Woodsboro High.
In 2010, Williamson and Craven confirmed their plans for a new film. Craven said that endless sequels, the modern spew of remakes, film studios, and directors are the butts of parodies in the film. The main characters have to figure out where the horror genre is in current days to figure out the modern events happening to and around them. This was the first film in the franchise to use CGI, with the knife's blade added in post-production.
Even though the franchise was profitable, it seemed like its glory days were long behind it by the time it hit theaters. The film disappointed in its opening weekend with just $18 million, and closed with a weak $97 million worlwide, far less than the previous films. It also received mixed reviews, particularly for its writing and new characters. It was the last film directed by Craven before his death in 2015.

Budget: $40,000,000.
Domestic gross: $38,180,928. ($53 million adjusted)
Worldwide gross: $97,231,420.

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Scream	1996	Dimension Films	$103,046,663	$70,000,000	$173,046,663	$15M
2	Scream 2	1997	Dimension Films	$101,363,301	$71,000,000	$172,363,301	$24M
3	Scream 3	2000	Dimension Films	$89,143,175	$72,691,101	$161,834,276	$40M
4	Scream 4	2011	Dimension Films	$38,180,928	$59,050,492	$97,231,420	$40M
5	Red Eye	2005	DreamWorks	$57,891,803	$38,366,398	$96,258,201	$26M
6	A Nightmare on Elm Street	1984	New Line Cinema	$25,624,448	$31,560,686	$57,185,134	$1.1M
7	Vampires in Brooklyn	1995	Paramount	$19,751,736	$15,200,000	$34,951,736	$14M
8	The People Under the Stairs	1991	Universal	$24,204,154	$7,143,000	$31,347,154	$6M
9	Cursed	2005	Miramax	$19,297,522	$10,324,200	$29,621,722	$100M
10	The Hills Have Eyes	1977	Vanguard	$25,000,000	$0	$25,000,000	$700K
11	My Soul to Take	2010	Universal	$14,744,435	$6,756,378	$21,500,813	$25M
12	Wes Craven's New Nightmare	1994	New Line Cinema	$18,090,181	$1,631,560	$19,721,741	$8M
13	The Serpent and the Shadow	1988	Universal	$19,595,031	$0	$19,595,031	$7M
14	Shocker	1989	Universal	$16,554,699	$0	$16,554,699	N/A
15	Music of the Heart	1999	Miramax	$14,859,394	$77,013	$14,936,407	$27M
16	Deadly Friend	1986	Warner Bros.	$8,988,731	$0	$8,988,731	$11M
17	Deadly Blessing	1981	United Artists	$8,279,042	$0	$8,279,042	$3M
18	The Last House on the Left	1972	Hallmark Releasing	$3,100,000	$0	$3,100,000	$90K
19	Swamp Thing	1982	Embassy	$2,500,000	$0	$2,500,000	N/A

He made 20 films, but only 19 have reported box office numbers. Across those 19 films, he made $994,016,071 worldwide. That's $52,316,635 per film.

The Verdict

Quite inconsistent, but a very iconic figure in the horror genre. You know you made it big when your creations include Elm Street and Scream. Craven often struggled with difficult productions (you can blame the Weinsteins for that), but he still managed to make competent and scary films, even if some are better than others. Some even see critical re-appraisal as time passes; even Scream 3 and Scream 4 have their fans. We don't know what he would've done with the franchise after the fourth film, but he made it clear he was exhausted by having to film without finished scripts. Rest in Peace to a horror legend.
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next director will be Clint Eastwood. I think I'll have to make two posts, given that he directed 42 films.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Ang Lee. A legendary Asian director.
This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
May 13-19	Clint Eastwood	Great actor. Great director.
May 20-26	Robert Zemeckis	Can we get old Zemeckis back?
May 27-June 2	Richard Donner	An influential figure of the 70s and 80s.
June 3-9	Ang Lee	What happened to Lee?

Who should be next after Lee? That's up to you. And there's a theme.
And that theme is: controversial directors. I'm talking directors who have attained a polarizing response to their films (like Zack Snyder), or the directors themselves are also controversial figures in real life (like Oliver Stone). Basically, a director that has as many fans as haters.

submitted by SanderSo47 to boxoffice [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 15:33 Jkorytkowski001 All Hallow’s Eve & Terrifier Connection Theories

Terrifier and All Hallow’s Eve Connection Theories
I know Leone has already said that AHE is non canon to the Terrifier movies, but for the fun of it i colected info and theories, plus added my own takes to try to connect and place AHE in this universe.
All Hallows Eve is a Terrifier Prequel and Terrifier’s Art is a Fan and copycat of AHE’s Movie.

It would explain why David Howard Thornton's Art the Clown is so different to the Mike Giannelli's Art. Could you imagine a man so obsessed with a movie, so fascinated and inspired, that he decided to be just like his favourite character, but in real life? (This has happened in real life.) It would mean that DHT's Art is a cosplayer, a psycho fan that became a serial killer in the Terrifier universe. Making Art the Clown something more than just a movie character. Making his twisted and evil persona even more terrifying and realistic.
Mike Giannelli has dark eyes, it explains why DHT's Art was wearing black contact lenses. All for more accurate costume. They are not the same Arts!
One of the things Art owned was a small TV set. Before becoming the real Art, he used it to watch the movie he was obsessed with.
Many kills are almost the same in All Hallows' Eve and the Terrifier. Art really wanted to try those in real life. Vicky's mutilated face also resembled the character from AHE movie.
He commited suicide because his "fanart" was done, he did what he dreamed of, and didn't want to be cought and sentenced to life in prison.
Art had no idea, that all of his murders will impress the Satan himself. That's why he was ressurected at the end of Terrifier 1. Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim. From that moment Art became supernatural, making him even more like his idol.
The devilish face prostetis became Art's real face after the resurrection as a reward.
It makes Damien Leone canon in every Terrifier related movie he made. He could make an appearance in Terrifier 3 where people are accusing him for creating an inspiration for a real serial killer.

All Hallow’s Eve is a Sequel to Terrifier Movies (Art it’s at his most demonic form in AHE.):

Art seems to get glowing eyes in 9th Circle segment of AHE like the Pale Girl in T2, maybe showing to us that Art gets more supernatural powers as time passes and he kills more people for Satan himself (Powers maybe given by the Pale Girl and Satan (Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim and maybe daughter of the Cat Lady.))
At this point is most likely Art directly works for Satan as seen in the 9th Circle Segment, bringing Victoria or her supernatural tormented self to work with them as we see someone similar at the end of the segment.
Art seems in control of his supernatural powers in AHE, getting teleport powers, control of reality (Getting in and out of the VHS Tape.) Not like in Terrifier movies as when he returns to life after T1 he’s surprised he’s still alive.
In this theory, the VHS tape videos are or where real, at this point Art is kind of a Freddy Krueger like Figure, feeding of the fear his videos cause to the ones who watched it to manifest in their household as he pleases and getting stronger as fear takes over his victims. The events of the babysitter and the kids could be added in the future to this VHS, which would be passed to another person, family or house. Thats why Art gets Tara in T1 to watch him kill her friend, Sienna to watch Brooke, even the babysitter watching the slaughtered kids (for enjoyment and sadism) and that’s why as a demon he wants people to see him kill in his VHS (for powers and feed of fear.) Every artist needs an audience.
Expanding on the Freddy comparison, Art may be appearing in dreams now, as we see in the Alien segment that the women’s husband (an ARTIST) painted Art because he appeared in his dreams, very much like Sienna’s father.
In All Hallows' Eve, the actress Katie Maguire plays the babysitter in the film, and if you recall, at the end of AHE, she doesn't get killed by Art The Clown. Katie Maguire is in Terrifier as news reporter Monica who gets murdered at the beginning of the film by Victoria. And since these films presumably take place within 3 to 5 years apart from each other, it's safe to assume that after the events of AHE, the babysitter changes her name from Sarah to Monica, starts a new life as a news reporter in Deer Hills, before getting murdered. (she also could be same actress but different characters.)
During the hacksaw scene in the first Terrifier, you can actually see a 'Circus' sign. There's also a 'Circus' sign that appeared in the 'Terrifier' segment of AHE. This happens to with weapons he uses and killing tactics.
In Terrifier 2 Victoria writes the same words in the wall of her room while having Art’s head, that the ones Art writes on the girl’s body (the costume designer (similar to Sienna being a cosplayer), an ARTIST that has Art’s art craved in her now) in the Terrifier segment of AHE. *Art throws Sienna to a red smokey pit which resembles Satan’s crib in the 9th Circle. This leads to Art taking Sienna to a dream-like place fueled by Satans powers.
Art's look could change into a more demonic one as time passes living as a demon, explaining the change of actors who portray him, in poster of AHE Art’s eyes seem red and more demonic, maybe a sign of his demonic change.
Terrifier 2 has “9th Circle Demon #1 & #2” in the movie credits. (This could be used for both theories.)

Thank you very much for reading, i would love to hear your thoughts and takes on this! If you got anything to add to the theories i’d be really glad to add then too!

submitted by Jkorytkowski001 to terrifier [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 14:10 guiltyofnothing “The problem is that they are making females ugly on purpose ( ALL females in the game world) when reality is not like this.“ /r/starterpacks argue over a meme describing the “oppressed gamer”

The Context:
A user posts a meme to /starterpacks mocking that OOP describes as the “oppressed gamer” — specifically their obsession with the attractiveness of female characters and feelings of persecution, among others.
Many in the comments take exception to the meme, with side-by-side comparisons of the looks of actors and their female character models proliferating.
The Drama:
Someone tries to argue that game developers are indeed making women uglier:

But There are numerous examples of gaming companies using motion capture of real woman for female characters and changing the game model of the woman to the point where the facial structure and features of the game model barely resembles the female model, which seems to happen less often with the male motion capture actors. Look at Mass Effect Andromeda. The main male actor looks exactly like the male mc. The main female actress barely looks like the female mc. They were both motion captured, yet only the female looks completely different. Look at Spider Man 2 where Mary Jane barely resembles her real life actress. This seems to be a genuine trend going around that is happening too often and consistently to be just a coincidence. It’s stupid that the game devs are seemingly going out of their way to change the facial structure of game models for female characters in order to make them more “realistic”, even though they are literally using real woman.

This comment stinks like dirty incel.

How is my comment wrong though?

You're complaining about video game characters not looking like some anime big titty porn stars and looking like real women. Perhaps going outside and looking at real people would help.

[Continued:]

they are in fact complaining that video game characters do not look like real people. Specifically studios intentionally editing the 3d scans of actual women they hired for the role and half the time making them uglier for no reason by messing with their faces, meanwhile the scans they do of men are always 1:1. A good example of this is the new star wars outlaws game. In this game the female protagonist has a completely different face compared to the actress they scanned, however the actor's models look exactly the same.

Well achtually....
Have you seen real people? Get out of here.

Yes I have seen real people, and I have a problem with video game characters being intentionally distorted to not look like real people. Stop being disingenuous by pretending that editing people's bodies to make them look completely different, then acting like this is normal is somehow ok. This is the entire reason why the body positivity movement exists.

It is ok. You incel kids that seem to care about video game women's bodies is fucking weird. It makes no difference to anything except your addled little mind.

So you think all those ads where women's bodies are distorted to look unnaturally slim with big boobs or have their faces altered to be more symmetrical and have smaller chins, noses, and lips are perfectly fine? You're a massive hypocrite. Stop calling literally anything you didn't take even two seconds to think about incel behavior. Intentionally editing the look of people's bodies to make them look uglier or more attractive is not ok.

Things degrade from here, with the slapfight devolving into one user posting multiple photos of actresses side by side with the models of their characters, ostensibly in an attempt to prove that developers are making women in games uglier.
[…]

You’re embarrassing yourself How many anti woke videos have you seen today Please talk to a real person today

You haven’t actually proved any of my points wrong.

MJ from spiderman 2 looks different because she was in an accident that messed up her face. Also that worker all the anti wokes said that looks like MJ was a hoax as well
I don’t care about the rest of them. Mass effect andromeda had bigger problems than you needing to get a hard on You need to fix your priorities of what’s actually wrong in the gaming industry

I’ve just looked at her instagram account and some of her recent photos from April and March and February. Her facial structure and her facial features, even now, still look barely anything like the game model’s features.
Also, for Mass Effect Andromeda, the male model looks the same as the game model while the female model doesn’t. :

Wow the west truly has fallen
Gaming is le woke sjw cringe
I don’t give a shit

The same user as above begins to post more photos, trying to prove his point.

You seem unhinged the way you think this pic of this character proves any point you are trying to make.

This character model looks literally nothing like any of the pictures from the actress. Her chin, cheekbones, nose, jawline, etc, are all noticeably different.

You can take a pic of any single person alive today and make it not look like them just thru lighting.
nothing you are doing is akin to scientific analysis
you are literally bemused and shook by basic principles of photography

I have looked at multiple different pictures of Mary Jane in the Spider-Man and the actress on her Instagram account, including ones with different angles and lighting. In every single one, all of the facial features in the game version don't match the real life actress. Many people have noticed that, it's why this controversy happened in the first place.

we know a lot of people are into this, that's why OP made the pic in OP, to make fun of the great many of you who are obsessed about this. it's not a controversy that exists outside terminally online Gamer TM communities.
EDIT: and people from those gamer conspiracy communities stalked the actor you are making these accusations about until she quit her job. So maybe fucking stop with the dumb online gamer conspiracies. The fact that there are many people into this is not a comfort or a sign that it is true and good.

[…]

Mfer has never talked to a woman. Dudes mom won't even give em the time of day

Is your best reply seriously insulting me? You literally haven't proven anything I've said wrong.

Lmao absolutely no self awareness. It comes with age

You can't even make a proper argument against my points, yet you are saying I am the one with no self awareness.

Yeah it comes with age. You're obviously 12. You said shit so stupid it doesn't deserve an earnest reply.

[…]

Do not pull out bullshit statements like "your statement is so dumb and wrong, I don't need to explain why". That means literally nothing and proves literally nothing. You might as well say "I'm right because I say I am", and it would be just about as meaningful of a statement.
Anyone can say "your statement is dumb" or "I am obviously right", whether or not what you are saying is actually true. It's literally one of the worst ways someone can argue against people's points, because it means that someone is just trying to shut down people's arguments without actually saying anything meaningful to refute it, most of the time because they can't form a proper argument against it themselves.

Lmao you got alot of experience in being wrong huh? Fucking incel loser stfu and go away

Again, no actual arguments, just insults. You are just proving my point again. You can’t even write a response without saying “fuck” or “loser”.

Lmao fucking loser. When you finally grow tf up you're gonna cringe so hard about this phase in your life.

Free markets are discussed:

Conservatives claim to love the free market. They didn't get help from anyone and neither should you. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! So if conservatives want a game with nothing but hot women with their titties and asses hanging out, even full nudity, they should make that. What's stopping them? Man up, stop blaming liberals, and do the job yourself.

It's not free market if the state / establishment actively interferes to push in a certain direction.

I didn't know the government was keeping titties out of video games.

If you examine that comment, you'll notice that the statement it's making is entirely about you.

If you had any kind of self awareness you'd know that no one fucking likes you, you smell bad, and you should probably just give up on your sad pathetic excuse for a life

Things get personal:

Games are meant to be for the male gaze. If you say otherwise it's cope.

They are but it makes them worse for anyone who isn't a straight man.

Yes but I want sexy women in my escapism

Well, most people don't.

Watch porn. It has beatiful women fucking ugly freaks like you. Lmao

And what of the woke mob?

It's a weird culture war thing. They think the "woke mob" wants to subvert "traditional" gender values by making characters less "conventionally" attractive and ruin video games because feminism is about hating men or something.

Oh "they" don't "think" that, there are already examples of it happening, the subversion part at least I don't think the intention is to ruin the games or media its being done to its just usually the result in many cases but ofc not every case.
Nobody cares if you want to make the wokest tv show, movie or game ever made its when you have to change already established characters or lore because your story/game doesn't stand on its own without an already established IP it gets annoying. And I don't really understand who it is for either because the most liberal people I know who are woke AF don't like this either and find it to be pandering and patronizing.
So lets not pretend its not happening because that is the stupidest way of trying to avoid debating it, we all know it is happening and it might be intended to make us argue each other as a diversion from more pressing issues as much of this culture war seems to be trying to accomplish.

We are out to get you gamer

Member when everyone was like "fuck the rich" and occupied together all over the place? And then suddenly for no reason at all people where fighting eachother over stupid shit?
Yeah don't worry about that, just attack everyone who doesn't think like you like a good little pawn, there are NAZIS out there after all and YOU need to be a HERO!

Run for the hills gamer

One user is dragged for saying “wokism”:

I'm sorry if you're ugly and you wanted to be represented in video games but I ain't paying 70 bucks to watch/play ugly characters who have no other reasons to be ugly than wokism.

nawww bro said "wokism" unironically
I bet you threw down your controller in disgust the first time you loaded up Super Mario Bros.
How dare the woke agenda made you play as such a disgusting pile of pixels! If they wanted representation for stubby Italian-American plumbers they shouldn't have gone after YOU'RE monies!
Stay strong Gamer TM.
"Wokism" you didn't have to tell everyone you don't have friends
"wokism" ate my son!!!

The Flairs:

Is gollum as attractive as Andy serkis?
I didn't know the government was keeping titties out of video games.
Watch porn. It has beatiful women fucking ugly freaks like you.

submitted by guiltyofnothing to SubredditDrama [link] [comments]

2024.05.10 15:09 Sin-God A New Chain: The Beginning

“Hello again! It’s nice to see you.” Says a voice, speaking directly into work-provided headphones that are plugged into my computer. The voice belongs to the voice-actress asked to voice the animated, cartoon-y version of the company’s mascot and as I listen to it and watch the video it is a part of, the generic white background of the video changes to display a recording of the company website. The video is an explanation of the website and I passively listen to it.
At this point a few minutes have passed since I entered the world. It’s been most of an hour and my perks have slowly been awakening within me. My “Cubicle” perks have all woken up, unsurprisingly, but only a few of my “Gamer” ones have. Those perks are much weightier than my “Cubicle” perks so this is unsurprising.
Right now the main two “Gamer” perks that are fully active within me are “Supersensory” and “Beautiful Mind”, two of my introductory perks. “Beautiful Mind” allows me to only look at the computer and focus on my thoughts, which are focused on ensuring that my powers properly and promptly awaken within me, while effortlessly absorbing the actual information present in the video I watched and the one I’m watching right now. This is due to the perk’s ability to allow me to mentally multitask by maintaining a pair of trains of thought. “Supersensory'' allows me to easily pick up conversations happening in different rooms. Both of these perks are more powerful than I’m using them for at the moment, but right now I’m not in a rush.
I have fifteen gamer perks, and the other thirteen are only somewhat active right now. None of them are fully inert, but I can sense that I need to do something to fully awaken them. My gamer system is active and is fully on, allowing me to do stuff like see my “Health” and my “Magic”. It’s a bit… unnerving to see my lifeforce quantified in such a precise way, but I also know that so long as I am not actively being injured my health is passively restored over time which is nice. I have an almost immortal body with a passive healing factor. My magical power is the same way. Both my magical energy and my hit points are also bolstered by perks, which is extra nice. “Tough as Nails” and “Tank” bolster my hit points and my overall endurance, and “Font of Magic” bolsters my arcane reserves.
I can see a small mini-map in the corner of my field of view, which is filled with small dots that I instinctively recognize are symbols representing people. This is my “Mini-Map” perk and when I focus on it time stops for a second and I blink away a message that briefly interrupts what I was doing. I continue to focus on the map and by looking at it I can see the way I took to arrive here from my apartment, a free “Item” that will follow me in some setting appropriate form for the rest of my chain. It’s only the free tier of the item, which means it’s not going to be luxurious but it’s still free housing forever, which means I should just appreciate what I’ve got.
My body and mind are passively bolstered by the modifications I purchased for my system, protecting me from stuff like mental and physical exhaustion as well as hilariously reducing my needs, by preventing me from needing to eat or drink anything, as well as removing my need for sleep.
At the upper right corner of my field of view I can see a small single picked out for me: “Mage”. It seems to be my currently selected class, which is fitting since I have “Specced” into intelligence and other non-physical skills. On the bottom left of my field of view is a small abstraction of a box with five slots, representing my inventory and the quick shortcut I can use to quickly grab and equip five items. There’s also a tome icon right above the box that represents my “Magic System”.
Some of my gamer system features are not yet truly active, but I decide to go ahead and change that while I idly view the video. I try to see how quickly I can gain a skill by glancing at the desk in front of me and grabbing an “Item” of mine: the “Corporate Rulebook”. It’s a small pocket dictionary of thing and I quickly open it up and begin to glance at it.
As soon as I do I am pleasantly surprised to feel time freeze and to see a notification pop up that alerts me that I’ve gained a skill! I will the thing to disappear and it blinks out of view as I glance at my skill and spot that it is a “reading” skill which modifies how fast I can read. The notification was a manifestation of “Tutorial Sprite” a drawback that will definitely be commonplace over the next few years. I don’t doubt that it’ll become annoying in time but right now the sensation of time freezing and me getting alerted to the fact that I’ve gained something new feels kind of cool, almost like I’m a Legend of Zelda character or something.
I continue to read and as I do a subtle bar appears in an easily overlooked section of my field of view. The bar is translucent and when I focus on it I note that it’s an experience bar, indicating that my experience with my reading skill is going up. The bar is quickly going up, inching up with every word I read and I can read at a blisteringly fast pace thanks to “Supersensory” interacting with “Beautiful Mind”. In minutes, even as the video in the background drones on about the ins and outs of the company website, I have read forty pages.
During this time I explore my pockets and place a few items in my inventory: a simple, fully charged cell phone, a wallet, some keys, and a few simple goods. These items are not well and truly mine, and instead represent simple goods “I” acquired before I came to work or should have already had for the sake of establishing a minimally believable identity in this world.
I eventually decide to see if I can do three things at once. I reach out with my hands and feign that I am stretching, which awards me the “Acting” skill and another manifestation of “Tutorial Sprite”, and I begin to interface with the system. In order to mess with my system I have to physically or verbally interface with it, but the results make themselves known immediately. As soon as I begin to fiddle with it a variety of text boxes appear in front of me and this makes me smile.
I first tap the icon of the spell book and as soon as I click it a whole new text box appears listing spells I can perform as well as “Tutorial Sprite” again. There are multiple types of spells in this list, from ones that enhance me or a target, boosting our defensiveness and our perceptiveness, to ones that debuff enemies, a few simple spells like a telekinesis one, and one that creates a hovering light, one which is a simple projectile which deals a sort of “neutral” untyped damage that can harm anything it hits, spells that help allies or harm enemies inflicting beneficial and detrimental status effects based on the four classical elements, and finally two healing spells. The two healing spells are interesting because both of them have two sets of effects and costs in arcane energy. I can see one set of costs and effects which are striked through, and a second cost which is only a third as much magical energy and a second effect which is three times as potent. This is the effect of “Healer”, my unbelievably powerful healing perk. My “Magic System” perk has been bolstered by my other perks, and it’s really hard not to smile as I study the spells available to me.
I memorize all of my spells, which is all I really need to be able to cast most of them, and I do the requisite gestures to back out of the section of my menu where more text boxes are located. When I finish my movements the larger menu is in front of me. I click on things until I am glancing at my attributes. My boss, it seems, has a sense of humor because he’s given me the Fallout RPG stat array, the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. statistics.
S stands for strength, and mine is a nice ole 18, a higher score than humanity’s average of 10 but my strength score is my only score not bolstered by a direct, singular perk dedicated to it. P stands for perception, and mine is a nice 35, a good deal higher than humanity’s average thanks to my "Supersensory" perk. E stands for endurance and mine is 38, my third highest score thanks to "Tank" and "Tough as Nails". C stands for charisma, and mine is 41, my strongest attribute score. A is used to represent agility and my score is 24, higher than strength due to a a combination of “Jack of All Trades” mixing with “Supersensory”, which minorly boosts my balance. The letter I stands for intelligence, mine is 39, my second highest score due to it combining something to the effect of D&D’s perceptions of both intelligence and wisdom and thus combining its effects into a single attribute instead of dispersing its power across multiple, as well as the boosts brought to it by "Healer" and "Support", as well as the actual knowledge that "The Face" grants and it bolsters my spellcasting. L stands for luck, and mine is 33, a nicely high starting score.
All of this is interesting because when an attribute reaches some number divisible by 50 I gain new skills for free, and I can train these attributes with ease. They’re actively, though not particularly rapidly, climbing to the next level as I train my ability to speed read, thanks to “Master of All” and with the added boost of “Experience Booster” that is definitely something that will help.
The last thing I need to see is my list of skills. The video I’m watching is beginning to draw to a close so I quickly return my focus to it for a second, taking a beat to review the fuller contents of my mind so I can ensure I remember the important details. I quickly assure myself that I do, before I watch the video end and I deftly explore the website just long enough to reach the next video. Once I’ve reached the video and I hear it begin I resume speed reading, smiling as I sense all of my skills and attributes passively improving. “Master of All” is a hell of a skill.
I resume my gestures until another sprawling text box appears in my field of view, this one filled with a list of my skills. The first thing I see is that my perks have been translated into skills which is neat, though some of them have slightly or not-so-slightly modified names like “Guesstimate” which is definitely a skill version of “Fudge the Numbers”, a perk that makes it so that when I make my best guesses about missing data my numbers tend to be within the range of the actual data. I enjoy the sight of the bars denoting the amount of experience I have with my skills slowly going up, and I am delighted to be aware that there is a healthy number of skills there, as well as to note that there is a lot I can easily get, like skills for meditation and cooking, as well as jogging and skills for various martial arts.
I begin to hum a tune I remember from before the events of the last hour or so and as soon as I do, time freezes and I mentally click through another notification. I grin at the notification that I have just received; it denotes that I have gained the skill for humming, which I plan to use to leapfrog to a much better set of skills and potentially even a new class in the days to come: that of the bard.
I fall into a routine that lasts me a good while. I speed-read my book, while humming and listening to the videos. During this time I level up some of my skills for the first time, as different skills require different amounts of work to level up. I persist in this routine until someone, a young Asian woman, walks over to me and taps my shoulder.
I turn around and smile at her while taking out my headphones, unsurprised by her actions thanks to my system’s “Mini-Map” feature. I notice a set of numbers over her head: 25/25, a rough approximation of her overall physical health and a stranger facet of my "HP System" perk. She is a bit surprised to see me, and as she reacts to me I feel “Silver Tongue” stir fully to life, which is undoubtedly hitting her like a ton of bricks. My sharpened senses catch every facet of her surprise, and arousal, and a part of me is teasingly thrilled by it.
“Silver Tongue” is, for my broad intentions and purposes, my handiest 100 CP perk. It is a perk that makes me attractive in every sense of the word, to an extreme extent in fact, and also actively gives me skills when it comes to manipulation and charisma. I give the woman a chance to regain her composure as I intuitively sense that it’d be best for her ego if she is the leader of this interaction. Hell, my ability to cold-read her like this is due to a fusion of different perks, "Silver Tongue" being one of the most prominent.
“Hello Lucas! My name is Amy, and I wanted to let you know it’s time for your lunch break.” She tells me. I can pick out bits and pieces of different accents mixing and mingling in her voice, as well as smell the very light splash of perfume she’s got on. I momentarily consider how to proceed from here in a way that maximizes her perception of me before I get the sense that she values friendliness and energy.
“Thank you Amy! It’s so kind of you to come and talk to the new guy.” I respond, almost but not quite matching her energy while subtly shifting my body language in such a way that I am perceived in as friendly and welcoming a manner as I can be. I hop up and begin to press buttons on my keyboard and computer which after a few moments lock it, but not before the thing asks me to devise a new username and password.
As soon as I do this, exhibiting the fierce speed of my “Speed typist” perk and lightly training it in the process, I am up and asking Amy to guide me to the on-site cafeteria one of the videos I have watched has informed me about. This causes her eyes to light up and she cheerily leads the way, promising to let me sit with her and her friends. It all sounds a bit high school, but in all honesty it’s pretty nice that the work culture here both allows and apparently expects people to not work during lunch.
We walk out of the actual office we’re in and into a narrow hallway. We step past various amenities this workplace offers as I make conversation, gaining the “Small Talk” and “Gossip” skills in the process. Along the way I step past glass doors and thus past my reflection and I get to see the effect “Silver Tongue” has on me in a purely physical sense.
Pre-chain I was a somewhat slender, awkward-looking geeky sort who walked in a way that revealed my disability to everyone. I had dark brown hair and darker eyes. Now I am a taller, more muscular sort, with gently tousled light brown hair and bright, energetic eyes. I am dressed in stylish, well-maintained and professional-looking clothes.
We quickly make it to the cafeteria; a large space with different stations for different foods and beverages at each corner of the room. Amy explains to me what each of the stations specializes in, and points at and waves at some of her friends, before telling me she’ll go to the section that sells various “Ethnic” types of foods: Hispanic, Asian, and Middle-Eastern foods. I decide to go and grab a burger, though not before I promise myself to be adventurous when it comes to this cafeteria in the days to come.
Getting the burger is a simple process and in less than a minute I’m heading to where Amy’s friends are seated. They welcome me at the large table they’re seated around, and it’s a fair mix of men and women who all seem happy to see me and chat with the new guy.
“Hey new guy, how’s it going?” One of the guys, a muscular-looking guy with hair that’s been dyed blonde, recently, says to me. I confidently return the greeting and say that my name is Lucas. The others all greet me in turn, six people: three men and three women, Steve, Joe, and Anthony, as well as Rebecca, Nancy, and Mary. Amy joins us as soon as Mary, who says she’s in marketing, finishes her introduction, and the Asian woman sits down next to me. As I sit down I overhear several different conversations from throughout the room and mentally note that I'm the center of a few of them. It seems like new people are rare enough that my appearance, coupled with how I look, is worthy of mention.
“So I’m in data entry, and I’ve always been a bit of a numbers guy.” I exclaim when we all begin to eat our lunches. This gets the usual responses, from my new friends complaining about math to others telling me that they're jealous of my skills. I get it, in my pre-chain life numbers were a bane of mine but I didn’t have to select an origin that fit my actual background so I decided to do something wholly new instead, which has benefitted me immediately. The basic information I know how in my context as a data entry person is much more math, as well as some other info, than I anticipated it being, some of which is stuff as specific as strategies that allow me to speed my typing, while other bits of new knowledge revolve around how to properly use different types of software.
When people finish reacting to my statements other people take control of the conversation and, armed with a mixture of self-awareness and confidence, both of which I previously lacked, I find myself very willing to relax and enjoy listening to my coworkers. I gain a few skills related to listening and empathy, and I silently appreciate the ridiculous potential of “Skills”, taking in and appreciating its commitment to game-ifying life.
To be fair, things like listening to people and basic empathy are skills that are sorely underappreciated, but to be rewarded in this way is a tad bit depressing if I stop and think about it for even a short while. I decide to stop doing that, and to be present in the conversation with my new friends right as one of them, Joe, turns to me and asks me what I like to do. I consider the question for a second as I think about how to answer. On the one hand, being honest is important so there’s an argument to be made that I should tell these new friends the truth. On the other hand, this is also my first ever chance to totally reinvent myself… It takes me a second to decide to reinvent myself but in a way that I think, and hope, will lead to me having experiences I just didn't have when I was younger.
"I mean there's a lot of stuff I like but I'm a bit of a gym guy and I really like volunteering." I state, and in doing so honing my deceptiveness and my beginning to build a mental profile I'll keep track of. In my first life I was poor and due to my disability working was both hard and painful, so I didn't volunteer all that often. I was even a bit jealous of people whose lives were easy enough that they could afford to volunteer unless it was tied to some potential job opportunity, and the last time I meaningfully volunteered was probably in college as part of an extra-credit task.... Which defeats the real point of volunteering, even if it achieves positive results all the same.
My new friends all smile at me as they hear my generic answers to their question. One of the guys playfully hits my shoulder and I watch him grin as he feels it's solidity. The average stat score for humans is 10, and my strength is 18. That's only a touch higher than the average but it's high enough that my strength is plainly visible if I l take off my shirt and it's definitely high enough for someone to notice it when they touch a part of me that is stronger than other parts like my shoulders would be. One of the women, Rebecca, who is a short Black woman dressed in a stylish and eye-catching red outfit, is the next to talk.
"You like to volunteer? That's awesome! What kind of volunteering do you do?" She asks me, and this time I'm able to answer pretty easily and honestly.
"I like helping organize health-based initiatives for my community. I mostly volunteered as a health-based person in my hometown, I did stuff like organize free health clinics for people who can't afford healthcare and worked as a volunteer at a family-owned clinic. I want to do that kind of stuff here." I explain. This intrigues my friends, and is an honest remark of mine. Well, the part about what I want to do is honest. "Healer" is a wild perk and I have the chance to improve it safely in this jump, which I need to take advantage of since I have no way of knowing if I'll get to decide where I go from here.
After this some folks express interest in my expressed desires with one of the guys saying he's never heard of a free health clinic. This is unsurprising, though I'm a bit jealous he's never needed one. The rest of lunch passes in a blur, with most of the conversational topics being small talk and workplace gossip, which suits me just fine. When our break comes to an end we quickly separate but not before I exchange my number with multiple people and find myself added to a group chat.
From here I return to my cubicle and spend the rest of the early afternoon, from 1 until 5 listening to videos and doing small things here and there to bolster the rate which I can level up my skills I complete my last video less than ten minutes before the work day ends. During this time I gain the skill "Passive Listening" which is interesting because I didn't gain it before now despite doing hours of passive listening. It seems that for me to gain some skills, the more passive ones I'm doing disinterestedly, it takes me doing more of them before I earn them. This realization causes time to freeze and for me to have to do some mental clicking to get time working again, but it's definitely worth it because I have just raised my intelligence score!
At the end of the work day Hank comes by and checks in on me. He is delighted to learn that I have completed the videos, and I surprise him by being excited about work tomorrow. He shows me how to clock out and then releases me into the wild. I am one of the first people out the door and when I exit the building I entered this world in I am delighted to feel the freedom I now possess. I am on a decently busy street inside some city's bustling downtown. The skies above me are clear and the sun is lazily drifting towards the horizon.
I turn inward and scan my mini-map before spotting the place that should be where my apartment is located. A second later I have effortlessly committed that spot to memory, and then I decide to walk in another direction, eager to see what my starting location has to offer before I head home. My skills all begin to improve as I am able to overhear dozens of conversations in an impressive number of languages, and I can't help but smile as I feel the passive power of the perks I decided to get working in unison.
A/N: While I'm not committing to this as a hard fact my basic plan for this jump is to use a healthy number of time skips once I've done enough work establishing basic facts. In my experience that's the best way to handle writing jumpchain stories that are not 1 chapter = 1 jump. This is meant to be a perfectly normal, no alt-rules chain featuring builds that incorporate drawbacks and starring a guy who is meant to start off as pretty normal. I will post a complete, fully detailed build post HOPEFULLY later today.

submitted by Sin-God to JumpChain [link] [comments]

2024.05.10 13:18 Jkorytkowski001 Terrifier and All Hallow’s Eve Connection Theories

I know Leone has already said that AHE is non canon to the Terrifier movies, but for the fun of it i colected info and theories, plus added my own takes to try to connect and place AHE in this universe.
All Hallows Eve is a Terrifier Prequel and Terrifier’s Art is a Fan and copycat of AHE’s Movie.

It would explain why David Howard Thornton's Art the Clown is so different to the Mike Giannelli's Art. Could you imagine a man so obsessed with a movie, so fascinated and inspired, that he decided to be just like his favourite character, but in real life? (This has happened in real life.) It would mean that DHT's Art is a cosplayer, a psycho fan that became a serial killer in the Terrifier universe. Making Art the Clown something more than just a movie character. Making his twisted and evil persona even more terrifying and realistic.
Mike Giannelli has dark eyes, it explains why DHT's Art was wearing black contact lenses. All for more accurate costume. They are not the same Arts!
One of the things Art owned was a small TV set. Before becoming the real Art, he used it to watch the movie he was obsessed with.
Many kills are almost the same in All Hallows' Eve and the Terrifier. Art really wanted to try those in real life. Vicky's mutilated face also resembled the character from AHE movie.
He commited suicide because his "fanart" was done, he did what he dreamed of, and didn't want to be cought and sentenced to life in prison.
Art had no idea, that all of his murders will impress the Satan himself. That's why he was ressurected at the end of Terrifier 1. Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim. From that moment Art became supernatural, making him even more like his idol.
The devilish face prostetis became Art's real face after the resurrection as a reward.
It makes Damien Leone canon in every Terrifier related movie he made. He could make an appearance in Terrifier 3 where people are accusing him for creating an inspiration for a real serial killer.

All Hallow’s Eve is a Sequel to Terrifier Movies:

Art seems to get glowing eyes in 9th Circle segment of AHE like the Pale Girl in T2, maybe showing to us that Art gets more supernatural powers as time passes and he kills more people for Satan himself (Powers maybe given by the Pale Girl and Satan (Little Pale Girl could be Satan, that took a form of Art's first victim and maybe daughter of the Cat Lady.))
At this point is most likely Art directly works for Satan as seen in the 9th Circle Segment, bringing Victoria or her supernatural tormented self to work with them as we see someone similar at the end of the segment.
Art seems in control of his supernatural powers in AHE, getting teleport powers, control of reality (Getting in and out of the VHS Tape.) Not like in Terrifier movies as when he returns to life after T1 he’s surprised he’s still alive.
In this theory, the VHS tape videos are or where real, at this point Art is kind of a Freddy Krueger like Figure, feeding of the fear his videos cause to the ones who watched it to manifest in their household as he pleases and getting stronger as fear takes over his victims. The events of the babysitter and the kids could be added in the future to this VHS, which would be passed to another person, family or house. Thats why Art gets Tara in T1 to watch him kill her friend, Sienna to watch Brooke, even the babysitter watching the slaughtered kids (for enjoyment and sadism) and that’s why as a demon he wants people to see him kill in his VHS (for powers and feed of fear.) Every artist needs an audience.
Expanding on the Freddy comparison, Art may be appearing in dreams now, as we see in the Alien segment that the women’s husband (an ARTIST) painted Art because he appeared in his dreams, very much like Sienna’s father.
In All Hallows' Eve, the actress Katie Maguire plays the babysitter in the film, and if you recall, at the end of AHE, she doesn't get killed by Art The Clown. Katie Maguire is in Terrifier as news reporter Monica who gets murdered at the beginning of the film by Victoria. And since these films presumably take place within 3 to 5 years apart from each other, it's safe to assume that after the events of AHE, the babysitter changes her name from Sarah to Monica, starts a new life as a news reporter in Deer Hills, before getting murdered. (she also could be same actress but different characters.)
During the hacksaw scene in the first Terrifier, you can actually see a 'Circus' sign. There's also a 'Circus' sign that appeared in the 'Terrifier' segment of AHE. This happens to with weapons he uses and killing tactics.
In Terrifier 2 Victoria writes the same words in the wall of her room while having Art’s head, that the ones Art writes on the girl’s body (the costume designer (similar to Sienna being a cosplayer), an ARTIST that has Art’s art craved in her now) in the Terrifier segment of AHE. *Art throws Sienna to a red smokey pit which resembles Satan’s crib in the 9th Circle. This leads to Art taking Sienna to a dream-like place fueled by Satans powers.
Art's look could change into a more demonic one as time passes living as a demon, explaining the change of actors who portray him, in poster of AHE Art’s eyes seem red and more demonic, maybe a sign of his demonic change.
Terrifier 2 has “9th Circle Demon #1 & #2” in the movie credits. (This could be used for both theories.)

Thank you very much for reading, i would love to hear your thoughts and takes on this! If you got anything to add to the theories i’d be really glad to add then too!

submitted by Jkorytkowski001 to u/Jkorytkowski001 [link] [comments]

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