Uncategorized

As thousand of people across the country continue to protest police brutality and demand justice, companies are joining the fight. Some like Bad Robot, Disney, and LEGO are donating millions of dollars to various non-profits and charities. Others are working to establish new programs to help fight for racial equality and justice.

But while these donations are appreciated, they’re not entirely from the goodness of people’s hearts. These statements of support are playing on popular opinion, in the hopes of boosting the image and brand of each company. We’ve seen it in the increased corporatization of LGBTQ+ Pride, among other politically themed marketing moments.

By now, we’re used to these cynical marketing ploys, but sometimes a company comes along and offers an opinion that literally no one was asking for. Case in point: beloved 90s fruit snack Gushers, which tweeted this statement:

Gushers wouldn’t be Gushers without the Black community and your voices. We’re working with @fruitbythefoot on creating space to amplify that. We see you. We stand with you. pic.twitter.com/7y1DgUYitN

— Gushers (@gushers) June 6, 2020

Oh snap, now Fruit by the Foot is getting involved!

Teaming up with @gushers. We are listening & committed for the long term. Stay tuned. https://t.co/qYH3nkAnfN

— Fruit By The Foot (@FruitByTheFoot) June 6, 2020

What is it exactly that Gushers and Fruit by the Foot are planning? Free snacks for protesters? A river of corn syrup to entrap the police? Look, I get it. Social media managers gotta eat. But this is WILD. People are not looking to Gushers to change the world.

The tone deaf tweets garnered some hilarious responses from Twitter. Here are some of our favorites:

I never had any doubts that Gushers was working to create a more just an equitable world but I’m still glad to see this.

— Brendel (@Brendelbored) June 6, 2020

Dunkaroos’ silence is deafening right now.

— A-thony CAB-tano (@theneedledrop) June 6, 2020

Thank you to Gushers for tweeting "Gushers wouldn't be Gushers without the Black community" in the dead of night last night 💪😤Please give all black people (who want them) free gushers 🙏 Thank you again https://t.co/1kLciB6Cqz

— Caity Weaver (@caityweaver) June 6, 2020

2020 was the year Gushers said Black Lives Matter before Trump did

— pls help me win maxim (@HaleyMancini) June 6, 2020

i have things to do today but unfortunately "Gushers wouldn’t be Gushers without the Black community" short-circuited my brain

— nick (@1000000horses) June 6, 2020

I stand with Gushers. https://t.co/U43viN2sKY

— Jensen Karp (@JensenKarp) June 6, 2020

When I decide to go to the store, I'm definitely going to think:

"You know what, Gushers supports Black issues and tweeted about black causes. I'm definitely going to select them over those horrible White Supremacist Haribo Bears."

Thanks Brand. https://t.co/1M61eUU2fg pic.twitter.com/9lKROV8r3I

— Malcolm FleX (@Malcolm_fleX48) June 6, 2020

You know, I wasn’t really looking to Gushers for moral leadership right now, but goddamn did they deliver anyway.

My childhood snack choices have been affirmed. Gushers, lead the way. https://t.co/LJurjJlpXs

— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) June 6, 2020

Thank you Gushers. Out of respect, I will not gush one single Gusher today https://t.co/qr7mDXsny7

— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) June 6, 2020

I’ve been waiting for this one thank you https://t.co/5TTmdTfkq4

— Ira Madison III (@ira) June 6, 2020

Either make an all Black gusher with the inside tasting like sweet potato pie or this rings hollow. https://t.co/XC1VFt0JMX

— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) June 6, 2020

Gushers walked in selma once. Gushers did back up vocals for a local production of the Wiz. Gushers screamed get it bitch as Angela Davis successfully defended herself against the American Government. Gushers grandfather was J Edgar Hoover whoops oh shit!

— Lou Gonzalez Jr. (@angrylou) June 6, 2020

Gushers, welcome to the resistance I guess? Sigh.

(image: YouTube/Funny Commercials)

• Since it’s Pride Month, let’s celebrate the 20 year anniversary of queer classic But I’m a Cheerleader. (via AVClub)
• Get Itch.io’s Bundle For Racial Justice And Equality, a collection of 742 games for donations starting at $5. (via Itch.io)
• Fantastic Four director Josh Trank said he got “heavy pushback” for wanting to cast a Black Sue Storm. (via Geeks of Color)

With the sound off, this looks like the tower of opponents Tucker must face in Mortal Kombat https://t.co/cmCMBv3l0r

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) June 6, 2020

• Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body) is adapting Dracula for a new film. (via io9)
• Here’s a solid list of groups and organizations working towards racial justice. (via Nerdist)
• We need more LGBTQ+ characters in kids’ programming. (via CBR)
• Avengers assemble!

I have no idea who did this, but if you know, find them and tag them. One of the best things I’ve seen on this app this week

pic.twitter.com/v5uYJKRQrO

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 5, 2020

What did you see out there today, Mary Suevians?

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Greta oto, a species of brush-footed butterfly most commonly found in Central and South America, has a colloquial moniker just as beautiful as its physiology: It’s known as the “glasswing butterfly.” And that name is definitely not hyperbolic. Because these butterflies’ wings look enough like glass to make it seem like they belong on a cathedral.

The glasswing butterfly, which can be found as far south as Chile and, very rarely, as far north as Texas, belong to the family, Nymphalidae. Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. The glasswing stands out as unique for obvious reasons.

The glasswing butterfly. David Tiller 

The glasswing, shown off in the PBS video above (via Laughing Squid), is able to achieve its extraordinary transparency thanks to its wings’ lack of pigment, as well as their being covered with waxy nanopillars. The nanopillars allow Greta oto‘s wings to avoid being reflective. The nanopillars (shown below), are randomly arranged on the wings’ surfaces, and are so tiny that their radii are smaller than the wavelengths of visible light. This nanoscale allows the miniature pillars to scatter light rather than have it reflect off the transparent wings.

A close-up look at the glasswing’s waxy nanopillars. PBS

Despite the fact that the glasswing may seem like an especially fragile member of Nymphalidae, it’s shockingly resilient. Apparently the glasswing is able to carry 40 times its own body weight, and also combats predation by birds by eating toxins that make the butterflies taste foul. The natural nanotech still takes the cake for cool factor, however, especially because it’s reminiscent of vantablack.

What do you think about the glasswing butterfly? Is this the most stunning butterfly you’ve ever laid eyes on, or are you a bigger fan of these boozed-up specimens? Give us some clarity about what you’re thinking in the comments!

Feature Image: Deep Look 

The post Glasswing Butterfly Uses Nanostructures for Transparency appeared first on Nerdist.

Calling all art lovers and Ghibli fans! In honor of Studio Ghibli‘s 34th anniversary fans from all over the world have taken to social media to present their versions of Hayao Miyazaki’s visions (via Bored Panda). The Studio Ghibli Redraw Challenge follows the viral Sailor Moon Redraw Challenge that saw hundreds of artists putting their own spins on Sailor Moon. And with Ghibli’s treasure trove of films, artists have tons of characters to pull inspiration from. The animation studio is home to beloved classics such as Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), just to name a few (and they’re available to stream on HBO Max now).

Twitter user @Kadeart put out the call in May to start the #ghibliredraw challenge to celebration Studio Ghibli’s anniversary. The response has been overwhelming and impressive.

Studio Ghibli

The original tweet reached far and wide, and artists have stepped up for the redraw challenge. Let’s peruse some of the many incredible submissions.

The original poster of the challenge, @Kadeart, drew Haku and Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle.

This adorable rendering of Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service by @PuffyGators makes me want a new animated spin off with Jiji as the adorable lead.

Chihiro of Spirited Away gets a new, bold look with @risorins‘ rendering of her.

This beautiful reinterpretation of The Wind Rises by @squizxy would make anyone want to commit to a rewatch.

Kiki is ready for adventure in this piece by @frangeles.

This The Secret World of Arrietty drawing by @kuroniikka is giving us major Ferngully vibes.

This dreamy interpretation of Mononoke by @Bloomer__ is perfect

Of course, you can’t have a Ghibli challenge without someone drawing Totoro. Twitter user @ephinephrineee made the forest spirit very cute.

Studio Ghibli has brought joy to audiences for over 30 years with its beautifully crafted characters and worlds. According to Entertainment Weekly, “At the start of the new year, Studio Ghibli rang in 2020 by revealing there were in fact two films in development.” So, thankfully, we have more magic to look forward to in the future. In the meantime, be sure to follow the #ghiblredraw hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

Featured Image: Studio Ghibli

The post Artists Re-Create Studio Ghibli Characters in Their Own Styles appeared first on Nerdist.

The Alien franchise seems to be on pause for the moment, given the recent acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox by Disney. Before the merger however, there were tentative plans for director Ridley Scott to follow up his two Alien prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant with another film, one which lead directly into his original 1979 classic.

Twentieth Century Fox

Until recently however, we didn’t know much about this potential film, and just what story threads it would tackle. But in speaking with the L.A. Times (via IGN), Scott revealed just what some of his plans were going to be for his fourth film set in this universe, saying the following:

“What I always thought when I was making the first one [was] why would a creature like this be made and why was it travelling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That’s the thing to question – who, why, and for what purpose is the next idea, I think.”

Twentieth Century Fox

Essentially, we’d finally find out just what those xenomorph eggs were doing on that downed alien ship on planet LV-426 that the crew of the Nostromo discovers. It will be interesting to see if Scott ever gets to complete his story; perhaps that will remain a mystery for all time. Despite Alien: Covenant not exactly setting the box office on fire in 2017, it opened well enough to prove that this story still has life.

Maybe instead of a theatrical film, we get a big budget series on Hulu for example? The world of Alien is definitely too R-rated for Disney+. Whether it’s Ridley Scott continuing his prequels, or Neil Blomkamp resurrecting his idea for a direct follow up to Aliens with Sigourney Weaver, we highly doubt we have visited this universe for the last time.

Featured Image: Twentieth Century Fox

The post Ridley Scott Teases Details for Potential Future ALIEN Films appeared first on Nerdist.